There are a few ways I see that I resemble my father in my life. One is a love of reading books. I can't tell you how many times I would see my dad back in his room reading a book in the evening. Sure, he sometimes had the TV on, but he usually also had a book in hand. He would go back to his room, probably to get away from the chaos of myself and my two sisters, and take up his book and relax.
I also have seen ways that I resemble my mother. My mother has a heart that wants to help people, and she is willing to sacrifice of herself to help them. Quite often, it was to help out family members, or people from church, and so from her, I learned the value of helping others in need. Though we may not have had a tremendous abundance growing up, we always found a way to help others in their needs.
Learning begins in the family. In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul encourages us to imitate our Father, who is none other than God. But where is the place where learning starts? In the home. In the family. Spouses learn from one another. Kids learn from parents. Friends and family learn from the interactions they see in the life of the family. Learning begins in the family.
So what do we do when families don't know how to lead in learning? That's where it falls upon us to equip them to be those leaders in learning. I often hear the comment that people don't really know how to pray out loud in front of others. If this practice isn't in the home, because fathers and mothers don't know how to pray out loud, how will that impact the prayer life of the children? And that is why it falls to Christian Churches to engage in teaching the family how to do even these very simple practices.
Sure, some of them may seem so simple that it's just common sense. Yet, the one thing I have learned over the years is that what seems so easy is always challenging the first few times you do it. Even something as simple as offering a mealtime prayer isn't easy if you haven't really done it before. And as these rituals and practices get lost, it takes time and intentional effort to re-introduce them into the context of the family.
That is another area of emphasis we will be taking in terms of family ministry at Oak Road. How do we teach the head of the household how to introduce and lead these rituals and practices in their household and family? As we develop this area of ministry, it will be something we work diligently to accomplish.
I also have seen ways that I resemble my mother. My mother has a heart that wants to help people, and she is willing to sacrifice of herself to help them. Quite often, it was to help out family members, or people from church, and so from her, I learned the value of helping others in need. Though we may not have had a tremendous abundance growing up, we always found a way to help others in their needs.
Learning begins in the family. In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul encourages us to imitate our Father, who is none other than God. But where is the place where learning starts? In the home. In the family. Spouses learn from one another. Kids learn from parents. Friends and family learn from the interactions they see in the life of the family. Learning begins in the family.
So what do we do when families don't know how to lead in learning? That's where it falls upon us to equip them to be those leaders in learning. I often hear the comment that people don't really know how to pray out loud in front of others. If this practice isn't in the home, because fathers and mothers don't know how to pray out loud, how will that impact the prayer life of the children? And that is why it falls to Christian Churches to engage in teaching the family how to do even these very simple practices.
Sure, some of them may seem so simple that it's just common sense. Yet, the one thing I have learned over the years is that what seems so easy is always challenging the first few times you do it. Even something as simple as offering a mealtime prayer isn't easy if you haven't really done it before. And as these rituals and practices get lost, it takes time and intentional effort to re-introduce them into the context of the family.
That is another area of emphasis we will be taking in terms of family ministry at Oak Road. How do we teach the head of the household how to introduce and lead these rituals and practices in their household and family? As we develop this area of ministry, it will be something we work diligently to accomplish.
No comments:
Post a Comment