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F.E.E.D #3
F.E.E.D #3 By Pastor Joe
F.E.E.D is an acronym for “Family Emphasis Enrichment and Development”. From Mother’s Day through Independence Day Weekend, we will be focusing our messages on how we can be better parents, a better spouse, a better son or daughter, how we can be more connected to our local fellowship, and many other virtues which should improve as we grow in our faith.
A secondary purpose is to remind the congregation that we need to focus inward for a portion of our yearly messages and activities. You often hear the term personal development, F.E.E.D will speak to this growth dynamic, so each of us should be prepared to evaluate where we are in our growth process. The last 6 months have been very busy for both Janet and I. While writing this article Janet is probably deciding on which room to tackle next at 615 3rd St SE.
Most of you are aware we’re responsible for cleaning out my parents’ home preparing it for sale. Janet and I greatly appreciate all the help and offers of help so far, we will gladly use as many hands of help as we can. Thanks to all of you who make serving this fellowship rewarding especially during challenging seasons. As we continue our series of messages on “Community” my ongoing personal challenge is to live up to everything even as my words are directed to our church family.
My Mother and Father are now in their late 80’s and life has transitioned into a new phase for them and for all my brothers. The most important thing we can do each day is honor them as the people God blessed us with as parents. Brandi’s message last week focused on the importance of moms, and those who fulfill the role of mom, when the need arises. Never miss out on the moments with your parents, because one day it will end on this side of eternity.
Thanks, Mom and Dad, for everything you did, are still doing which shaped my life and the person I am today. Just consider for a few moments the magnitude of what most of our parents sacrificed during the 18+ years of our adolescent life. For the overwhelming majority of us, it’s our greatest earthly example of love. Decades have now passed, yet the 5th commandment has no time limit. We should be mindful of everything our parents did throughout our years of living under their care, comfort and command.
Let me interject about how our society has completely messed up the God given principle of parents being the sole authority within the home. Obviously there are cases where the optimal parenting model was not what you experienced; divorce, death, and changing societal norms meant you experienced something other than the traditional 2 parent home. Since these articles are posted on Facebook, here is a clarification for all readers to better understand the Biblical model of a family; it would be comprised of a Father(male) and Mother(female) as the best option for raising children.
My heart goes out to those of you who lived in a dysfunctional parental home. Whether you had the traditional set of parents or something else, or nothing at all, don’t lose heart, because God cares about you. The truth is, we all live with some level of dysfunction. Some people call this controlled chaos, but whatever term you choose to use, it’s written about all throughout the Bible. The Old and New Testament have real life stories, of real people, whose family lives were really messy. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being extremely bad and 10 being extremely good home life, the best I have ever seen is about a 7, maybe 8. All “real life’ families have levels of struggle. Don’t assume the Christmas card image happens more than once a year. No one wants a dysfunctional family life driven by poor parenting or no parenting to be the reason why you are mad at God. Choose to be different!
Be intentional about fulfilling the 5th Commandment towards your parents. With God’s help, I pray the last words said to my parents will bring honor and life affirming feelings to their souls.
F.E.E.D is an acronym for “Family Emphasis Enrichment and Development”. From Mother’s Day through Independence Day Weekend, we will be focusing our messages on how we can be better parents, a better spouse, a better son or daughter, how we can be more connected to our local fellowship, and many other virtues which should improve as we grow in our faith.
A secondary purpose is to remind the congregation that we need to focus inward for a portion of our yearly messages and activities. You often hear the term personal development, F.E.E.D will speak to this growth dynamic, so each of us should be prepared to evaluate where we are in our growth process. The last 6 months have been very busy for both Janet and I. While writing this article Janet is probably deciding on which room to tackle next at 615 3rd St SE.
Most of you are aware we’re responsible for cleaning out my parents’ home preparing it for sale. Janet and I greatly appreciate all the help and offers of help so far, we will gladly use as many hands of help as we can. Thanks to all of you who make serving this fellowship rewarding especially during challenging seasons. As we continue our series of messages on “Community” my ongoing personal challenge is to live up to everything even as my words are directed to our church family.
My Mother and Father are now in their late 80’s and life has transitioned into a new phase for them and for all my brothers. The most important thing we can do each day is honor them as the people God blessed us with as parents. Brandi’s message last week focused on the importance of moms, and those who fulfill the role of mom, when the need arises. Never miss out on the moments with your parents, because one day it will end on this side of eternity.
Thanks, Mom and Dad, for everything you did, are still doing which shaped my life and the person I am today. Just consider for a few moments the magnitude of what most of our parents sacrificed during the 18+ years of our adolescent life. For the overwhelming majority of us, it’s our greatest earthly example of love. Decades have now passed, yet the 5th commandment has no time limit. We should be mindful of everything our parents did throughout our years of living under their care, comfort and command.
Let me interject about how our society has completely messed up the God given principle of parents being the sole authority within the home. Obviously there are cases where the optimal parenting model was not what you experienced; divorce, death, and changing societal norms meant you experienced something other than the traditional 2 parent home. Since these articles are posted on Facebook, here is a clarification for all readers to better understand the Biblical model of a family; it would be comprised of a Father(male) and Mother(female) as the best option for raising children.
My heart goes out to those of you who lived in a dysfunctional parental home. Whether you had the traditional set of parents or something else, or nothing at all, don’t lose heart, because God cares about you. The truth is, we all live with some level of dysfunction. Some people call this controlled chaos, but whatever term you choose to use, it’s written about all throughout the Bible. The Old and New Testament have real life stories, of real people, whose family lives were really messy. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being extremely bad and 10 being extremely good home life, the best I have ever seen is about a 7, maybe 8. All “real life’ families have levels of struggle. Don’t assume the Christmas card image happens more than once a year. No one wants a dysfunctional family life driven by poor parenting or no parenting to be the reason why you are mad at God. Choose to be different!
Be intentional about fulfilling the 5th Commandment towards your parents. With God’s help, I pray the last words said to my parents will bring honor and life affirming feelings to their souls.