You've probably heard the expression, "A family who prays together, stays together." But author and speaker Lauren Littauer Briggs would like to offer this additional truth: "A family who eats together, stays together."

“We’ve always had breakfast together as a family,” shares Briggs, co-author of Making the Blue Plate Special: The Joy of Family Legacies (Life Journey, a division of Cook, January 2006). “It sort of lays out your day and grounds you for what is to come. … We’ve also tried to have dinner together every night — even when my husband had to work at the office late or one of the children had a ballgame.”

Startling Stats

Among families who eat together three or fewer times a week, 45 percent say the TV is on during meals, and nearly one-third say there is no conversation.

Researchers found that family dinner gets better with practice. The less often a family eats together, the worse the experience is likely to be, the less healthy the food and the more meager the talk.

(Source: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse [CASA] at Columbia University listed these statistics in an article published in TIME magazine, June 12, 2006.)

On nights when it was impossible to eat around “the sacred walnut kitchen table,” Briggs would simply pack a picnic basket and hold the family meal at the soccer field or her husband’s office.

“It’s so important to turn off the TV and sit together for a meal,” she emphasizes. “So many memories have been made around our kitchen table. It’s been the centerpiece of the Briggs family for the last 25 years.”

While it seems like a daunting task, rounding up the family for at least one meal a day will be well worth your trouble. Following are five tips to help you make the most of every mealtime moment:

1. Devotions for Dinner:
Whether you read the daily entry for The Upper Room or a passage from Proverbs, make your mealtime somewhat of a spiritual feast, too.

2. Please Pass the Praise:
In addition to thanking God for the food, ask each person to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for something or someone.

3. Bible Trivia Is Yummy:
Feed your tummy and your mind during the family mealtime through some Bible trivia. Turn to The Awesome Book of Bible Trivia (Harvest House Publishers) for help.

4. Don't Sing with Your Mouth Full:
What could be more fun than a song about corn on the cob? Make up silly songs about the food on the table. By the end of the meal, you could have an entire opera about Mom’s meatloaf! (Quick tip: Make up words about the meal set to a familiar tune such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”)

5. Pancakes for Dinner:
To encourage every family member to look forward to your designated dinners together, be creative! Instead of the typical meat and potatoes for dinner, serve pancakes with strawberry topping, and tell everyone to come to dinner in their pj’s. To make each of these silly meals mean something, say something like, “You know, God gets bored with our rehearsed prayers the same way we get bored with Mom’s meatloaf. Try having a ‘pancake in your pj’s prayer time’ today. Have fun talking to God.”

6 Simple Ways to Stay Connected:
Even When Your Family Is Busy

1. Love Notes for Lunch:
If you’re the lunch packer of the family, here’s your chance to stay connected with lunch love notes. Somewhere amid the peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches and juice boxes, slip in a special note. For instance, if you’re including an apple in that day’s lunch, punch a small hole in the note, thread a string through it, write “You are the apple of God’s eye,” and tie it onto the stem.

2. Family Game Night:
Schedule a family game night, and post the “game dates” on the fridge so everyone is aware of the upcoming family fun. Let each family member plan a game night throughout the year, and continue rotating the responsibility. Your teens may choose an exciting night of laser tag or cosmic bowling at a local teen hangout, while your younger children may opt for a rousing game of Twister or Monopoly at home.

Mealtimes Mean More Than You Know

Spending at least one meal together as a family unit isn’t just a good idea; it’s a God idea. Jesus broke bread with those He cared about, so the next time you’re about to drive through a fast-food restaurant and feed the kids Happy Meals in the backseat of your SUV, ask yourself — What Would Jesus Do? Put the meaning back into your mealtimes and watch your family grow closer to each other and ultimately, closer to their Heavenly Father.

3. Family Fitness Fun:
OK, so you need to get in better shape, and you need to make more time for your family. Why not organize a family fitness fun time several times a week? Take a neighborhood walk together — walking dogs, pushing strollers, etc. Try pairing up with a family member and using that time to share prayer requests and concerns. Then, pound the pavement and pray for each other’s needs.

4. Family Secrets:
There’s nothing like an inside joke, a family secret or a special tradition to bring a family closer together, so develop some “secrets” in your household. For instance, any time a clock has the same numbers such as “3:33” or “5:55,” tell your family members that’s code for “Thank God for your family right now.” You’ll be surprised how much your kids will get into this kind of thing. Plus, it will get each family member praying more, and that’s always a positive!

5. Family Dream Jar:
When a family has a common goal, it has a way of bringing everyone together in a new way. So, why not have a family meeting and come up with a dream that you wish to work toward, such as a fantastic family vacation or a missions trip? Once you agree on a family goal, place a “dream jar” in a common area such as the kitchen, and begin plunking change into it whenever you find yourself with extra cash. With every family member participating, that jar will fill up over and over again until the dream is finally realized!

Scripture Look-Ups

Malachi 4:6
Proverbs 31:14-15
Psalm 127:3-4
Psalm 128:3
Joshua 24:15

6. Family Date Nights:
While it’s great to spend time together as a family unit, it’s also important to spend one-on-one time with each other. Get out your family planner and schedule date nights with your kids and spouse. Mix it up, letting each child spend quality time with each parent over the course of a few months. Remember, these date nights don’t have to be expensive outings. Just make sure you give these dates priority, and avoid breaking the dates at all costs.

Mealtime Tips

• If you are too busy for a family meal, you may be too busy. Keep things simple. Plan ahead for a quick meal and be flexible if adjustments are needed at the last minute. It’s worth it to get everyone together.

• Turn off the TV. A blaring television is distracting and discourages conversation. If you normally watch TV during dinner, decrease the habit slowly by having one or two TV-free meals every week. When your kids see you follow through, they’ll begin to understand that dinnertime is important.

• Don’t slave over the stove. Elaborate meals are not a key ingredient for family fellowship.

• Involve the kids. Have your children help plan, prepare and serve meals. This builds teamwork and cooperation. Give children “joy” jobs such as setting the table, reading recipes, mixing and stirring food, and clearing the table.

• Show, don’t tell. When you make nurturing family mealtimes a priority, your kids will notice and, someday, understand the benefits.

(The above information was taken from Family Times, a publication of New Mexico State University.)