[Traveler]

I have a friend that works for the church and they told me a while back that the church had just completed a study of what things the most effective families all have in common. This was a most important study because it was discovered that there seems to be a critical mass for wards to also be successful. In essence there is a minimum number of effective families that act a leaven to raise the rest of the ward. Anyway these effective families are valiant and supportive with callings, examples and strong.

It surprised many to find out that these most effective families failed on many things the church pushes – like regular family home evenings, regular family prayer and family scripture study and even attending church together. There were two things at the very top of the list and it would seem that families with these two things did well despite doing or not doing other things. Guess what the two things were?

I will not make you guess or wait but they were. Number 1. Regular individual personal prayer. At least twice daily. Number 2. Regular individual personal commitment to read, study and ponder the scriptures – at least twice a week minimum.

I found it interesting it was not what parents push and/or demand but what individuals within the family seek on their own. I have a theory of how parents can best encourage their children concerning personal prayer but it is only my theory.

Just one other thing. My next door neighbor is a highly respected doctor of physiology that says the number one thing most common with children and families with problems in getting along is certain vocabulary words and the one vocabulary word used the most often by failing families is the ever famous “F” word.

The Traveler