Family Connections

Last night my daughter and I were in the Dallas area and went to worship where my brother-in-law preaches in Plano, Texas.  He was on vacation, but the visiting preacher, Dr. Ralph Gilmore (a professor at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN) was doing a lesson about Staying Connected in the Family.  The lesson was great!  I have several pages of notes....writing down everything I could as fast as I could!  The evening lesson isn't online yet, but the morning one, Staying Connected in the Church is HERE, if you're interested.

I'll just give you the first point that he talked about tonight, plus some thoughts of my own.  It's an absolute necessity that for a family to be connected in the way God would want it to be, that the family unit would be Christ centered.  Dr. Gilmore quoted Dr. John DeFrain, "The business of families is to nurture and be nurtured by one another."  With Jesus at the center, everyone will be concerned with the well-being of other family members.  Selfishness will be replaced with selflessness.

The main scripture used for this part of the lesson was one of my absolute favorite passages that I've used many times on this blog:  Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

A Christ-centered family:

1.  Provides guidelines for living.....consistent guidelines for family members.  Children will feel safe and secure because of these guidelines.

2.  Provides support from like-minded people.  Family members will have the same thoughts/beliefs about discipline, etc.

3.  Provides meaning, values, and rituals that are essential.  Each of these provide a sense of belonging....being a part of something special.  The family unit is special.

4.  Provides a positive and confident outlook for the future.....a Christian outlook of hope, trust, peace, and love.

Because my husband works at a children's home, and because we've been involved in these children's lives for many, many years (him a lot longer and more involved than me), I know that family units don't all look the same.  In fact, many family units aren't blood relatives at all.  It doesn't matter.  Any "family" can be a Christ-centered unit.  In fact, every family SHOULD and MUST be a Christ-centered unit!  It's the most important thing a family can have - Christ at the very center.

I'll share more Family Connections tomorrow, but for today....I am GRATEFUL for families.  I am especially thankful for Christ-centered families who are striving to follow God's Word.  I pray that all families will seek to put Christ in the center of their family.

To find what others are grateful for, join us for GRATITUESDAY at Heavenly Homemakers!