Wednesday, February 22, 2012

WHY NOT FAMILY DAY IN AMERICA?!


February is not only the shortest and fastest moving month of each year (with Valentine's Day and all) but a time to remember a lot of historical events. Nothing is becoming history faster than the traditional North American Family! The typical nuclear family of mom, dad and two or three kids with the suburban home and a privacy fence is slipping fast into the minority. 

This is by no means, a criticism of single moms and their kids or those wonderful grandparents who are now raising their own grandchildren! In fact, I know of a great-grandmother in her energetic 80's who is now raising a great-grandchild! These folks are saints! What this tells me is the men who caused these children to happen failed them by either leaving or not being there, for whatever reason. If anything, this is a HUGE criticism of men - from a fellow man! I know of what I speaking, being a men's ministry leader since 1997....(by the way, in all of Christianity, men's ministry is the most difficult to execute for Jesus! I can explain some other time)! 

What we are seeing though is family re-defined, by mandate, from politicians and judges, who are infringing on our Faith beliefs. These people tell us we have to accept two members of the same sex as they redefine them as a family. What God and His creation tells me is two men or two women in an unnatural relationship are not the same as a mom and dad! Whether these authorities or those in same-sex relationships know it or not, they are under the Law of God against adultery, false gods and if they are granted adoption rights - are in violation of the Commandment of parenting! For instance, how can a child honor "thy father and mother", when society tells that child that he has two dads or two moms?! This alone brings a separate judgment from Christ, Who said that if anyone causes the least of these (young ones) to stumble, it would be better if they had an appointment with a millstone necklace!!! (Read Matthew 18:6

It is hard enough being a regular parent balancing work, bills, obligations, routine home and auto maintenance while raising toddlers and/or teenagers, without outside forces telling us how we should live, eat, drive, pray etc etc... The question is, "Who do these people think they are anyway?!!!"  The other question is "What business is it of some busy body on the local or national news, or some corrupt politician or media person, anyway?" Just recently, we had the United States government telling churches and their supporting organizations they must provide contraception and RU486 abortive pills free of charge to employees! Now, even our churches are not safe from this sort of thing!  

Yes, we deserve a break today! We have Mother's Day coming up....then Father's Day.... Independence, Labor, Veterans, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day....How about American Family Day? We don't need a paid vacation day off for that. We just need to set one aside. Some may say we have family day already and it is the big meal on Thanksgiving or the kids coming home for December 25. That's nice...but those are days of excessive eating and shopping for gifts.

Let's set aside one Sunday per year to fellowship as a family; read together; pray and sing together. If we do that, that one Sunday then becomes two...and three...and pretty soon, we find out we are hooked and woohoo...we're rolling like the Von Trapps in Sound of Music or the Duggers!!


OUR FAMILY MINISTERING YEARS AGO
 IN PETERSBURG, ILLINOIS
My family is very blessed as we do that several times per month for many years, from when the kids were little and involved with musical instruments. Now, in the past two years, their grand parents have joined us as we added several new senior homes and visit each, monthly, to minister;sing; pray and I share a message from God with the folks there. We kick it off with an after-church Sunday lunch at our home with between 7-10 folks each time, depending on who is going with us! It is really heart warming to watch our teenage sons share their musical gifts with seniors in wheelchairs or 95 year old ladies with walkers and most Sundays especially, these folks have their families visiting. Most of these families never go to church or hear the Gospel, so I get to tell them about Jesus or watch my mother in law share a wonderful testimony, with her sweet home Alabama accent...while my wife sings a Southern Gospel classic to them!

The family that shares and loves and praises Jesus together, stays together. One of the silver linings of these dark and rough economic times is that all across America, young adults moving back home and/or sticking closer to their folks.

Friends, let us all try and leverage these opportunities, not to make scrapbook picture memories alone, but to begin building a legacy - a living legacy. Friends, THIS is what we are called to do. You may not hear this kind of thing in church, but you should...and you are hearing it here now!

Here is what our Father in Heaven told His people...and make no mistake WE TOO are His people, and if we do not do these things, we will be held accountable. Being a parent is the biggest/greatest and most fulfilling occupation we will ever have. 

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV)

So come on, America, WHY NOT FAMILY DAY? IF NOT EVERY DAY, HOW ABOUT NEXT SUNDAY?! COME ON, LET'S ROLL, BABY!!!!
TOMORROW:  BUILDING A LEGACY THROUGH MY SONS
THURSDAY:    BUILDING A LEGACY THROUGH MY DAUGHTER
FRIDAY:         RETURN OF FAMILY WORSHIP
SATURDAY:    WHAT IF I HAVE NO TIME?

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