FAMILY FUSION

Tap into 16 of the most creative and inspiring Children’s/Family Ministry Pastors and Leaders without leaving your office or home.  Speakers include: Jim Wideman, Yancy, Karl Bastian and many more…

16 hours of education as these Ministry Leaders share with you their advice and tips and tricks to building an effective Childern’s/Family Ministry.

The best part… Its 100% FREE!  Registration is now open!

Click here to register: http://cmtelesummit.com/index.php?affiliate=80

On Monday, June 21st at 3:00pm I’ll be sharing practical and proven low budget ways to start a Family eXperience at your church.  We’ll unpack what a family experience is and why it is crucial to making the greatest impact on the next generation! 

Join me at 3 for “Launching an FX: tools to start a Family eXperience” whether you are looking to launch your first FX or if you’re just looking for ways to take yours to the next level! 

It’s much easier for us to follow God when life is full of chocolate bunnies but what happens when we’re handed a cross to bear?  Not so easy-huh? What did Jesus do?  I’ve been thinking about that all day. Jesus willingly took the cross and carried it, knowing that it was not in vain and that better days were yet to come.  He endured the pain.  He didn’t deserve it and he even prayed that if it was God’s will, he would take it away.  He was afraid…he was sad…and he was innocent! 

I find great comfort knowing that Jesus can relate to my deepest heartaches.  He was a man who felt intense emotion- he cried just like you and I.  When our heart is broken, his is broken too.  In our darkest hour, he wants to take us to the cross where his ultimate love was poured out.  The cross is a reminder that this world and all of the pain in it, is very temporary compared to everlasting life in heaven.  The cross had a purpose just as ours does.  Isn’t it awesome to know that we don’t have to carry it alone?

“Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.”
— Rick Warren (The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here for?)

I’m a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend, and most importantly, a Christian who is ever so grateful for a loving and forgiving Savior who chose to use me to help tell His story of redemption and restoration.  That’s what my life is all about, pointing people to His grace and mercy and helping them to find their part in His story too!  

My family…My grandmother Millie’s love and faith in God have become a legacy that I can only hope to pass on to my children and grandchildren.  She prayed me through a dysfunctional childhood with an alcoholic mother and drug infested home, she prayed me through my rebellious teen years when I was just searching for significance and meaning in this sometimes cruel world, and she prayed me through my search for faith in a God I was sure couldn’t possibly exist, although everything in my being knew that He did. 

My mother’s courage to rise above her circumstances became such an inspiration to me in my teen years as she battled depression and alcoholism while raising myself and my two younger sisters on her own, without even a high school diploma.  My restored relationship with my father as a teenager became the pillar of strength I needed to help me find my way.  He became my biggest fan and greatest encourager.  He looked past my progress and saw my potential.  He challenged me to become the dreamer I am today.  He taught me that if I could dream it, I could achieve it.  He would say, “The sky’s the limit, there’s nothing you can’t do!” 

Then one day, I held my first of three baby boys in my arms and became determined to give him a better childhood then the one I had known.  But how?  The task seemed daunting and my resources were few.  After all, what “healthy” family could I model mine after?  Certainly not my broken home…so after many years of making tons of mistakes, I finally found a beacon of light and hope.  It was the church.  As I began to learn what it meant to live my life as a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, I became a better parent and slowly learned how to break the negative life patterns I had inadvertently learned growing up.  Today…that’s my passion; to make the light of the church even brighter by creating relevant and engaging opportunities and environments for families to learn and grow together.  It changed my family’s life, I can only hope and pray that God will use me to do the same for others. 

I can’t end without saying that I couldn’t do anything I do without the love and support of my awesome husband Jim.  He’s always there, behind the scenes, helping to make all of my crazy dreams come true.  He’s my champion and my best friend.  He’s quiet and unassuming but make no mistake, he’s my secret weapon.  He gives me a safe space to dream, pushes me to dream even bigger, and then he says, “Just tell me what you need me to do and I’ll make it happen.”  I’m writing this with tears in my eyes as I think about what God has brought us through.  It’s one of the greatest miracles God has allowed me to be a part of and I’m so thankful.  Don’t ever stop fighting for the heart of your family- it’s hard work but so worth it! I promise!

What is the rhythm of your family?  In his book, Think Orange, Reggie Joiner defines rhythm as a strong, repeated pattern.  Every family has a rhythm just as every song has a beat.  If you listen closely you can hear it, and if you watch closely you can even see it. 

This became so real to me yesterday through a conversation with a close friend.  Jeanette became very emotional as she shared with me the details of a funeral service she recently attended for a man from work.  His name was Ed.  Ed was 60 years old and recently died after battling colon cancer for several years.  Jeanette knew that Ed was a Christian; in fact, she said that everyone at work knew.  He had been with the company for 36 years and lived out his faith every day in the workplace.  What Jeanette didn’t know was how he lived out his faith at home.  At the service, his pastor of 32 years got up to read the letters that all eight of his grown children had written to their father.  They all were thanking their father for making God real to them in countless ways; for continually testifying of God’s goodness and faithfulness; for teaching them how to live out their own faith; for teaching them how to love their own children; for taking the time to sit with them and share his faith with them and lead them to the Lord; for modeling for them how to love and respect their spouse; for modeling for them who Jesus really was; for the meaningful talks in the car and at the dinner table; for putting God first in his life and their family second; for teaching them how to love God with all of their heart, soul, and strength; and for modeling for them what it is to serve the Lord by serving and loving others. 

            It was obvious to me that Ed was intentional about creating a rhythm in his home, and that rhythm has now become his legacy for future generations.  I don’t know what the rhythm of Ed’s home was growing up as a child, but I do know that as an adult, he chose to take the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 6 seriously and he lived out a faith that impressed upon his children the very real love of our God. Ed’s eight children are now living and leaving a legacy of genuine faith and an undying love for their savior.  All because one man - a very busy man with a wife, eight children, a full-time demanding job, and an evangelical ministry that impacted hundreds, if not thousands of people - chose to create a rhythm of life and blessings for his family.

            In Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Moses challenges God’s people to choose life and blessings, “Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. What is the rhythm you’re creating- the legacy you’re leaving?  Regardless of the rhythm in your home growing up as a child, you too have the power to create a rhythm for your family that can transform generations.  We all want our kids to say the same things about us that Ed’s children said about their father, but it’s only going to happen if we are intentional about it. We all need to live out our faith and love for the Lord, testify of God’s goodness and faithfulness, and impress these things on our children.  In Deuteronomy 6, a.k.a. God’s first parenting seminar, Moses encourages parents to talk about these things when you wake up in the morning, when you’re sitting at home, when you walk or drive along the road, and when you tuck them into bed at night.  In Think Orange, Reggie encourages parents to take advantage of the natural rhythm of life.  “If families decided to take advantage of the times already built into their routine, the effort required to initiate interaction during some of these times would be minimal.  The return could be potentially enormous.”  He goes on to explain that it doesn’t have to be hard or complicated.  It just needs to be constant and intentional.

            Start now by taking a few minutes to think about the current rhythm in your home.  Then ask yourself what you would want your children to say about you at your memorial service.  Now write those things down in a letter just as Ed’s children did. I promise that if you do this, it will change your life.  Read it a few times and then pray, asking God to show you practical ways to create a rhythm in your home that will bring those words to life.