Family

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With all of the family worship resources and helps we've been plugging recently, it's helpful to have this simple reminder: read more »

Image via Wikipedia I've been thinking a lot lately about Family ministry and how it influences Youth ministry. I've never counted myself one of the 'cool' youth pastor types, and I think partly because youth are part of a family, which is part of the Church. That is what I'm passionate about. We feel strongly that parents carry the primary responsibility for their kids' spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical upbringing. So how does that inform our youth ministries? An article from the Fuller Youth Institute I found recently gives me some direction. The author, David Fraze, relays a conversation between him and a youth ministry mentor: "He continued to explain how the kids he knew that were part of the 50% that “made it” would probably have been okay with or without the youth ministry programming that had been offered them.  Sure, the youth ministry had strengthened the faith of those students and provided them with valuable learning opportunities and great relationships.  But in his opinion, the students who developed into and remained committed disciples ended up that way because they had come from strong, intact and engaged families who were themselves connected to strong, intact and engaged communities of faith. His concern was with the other 50% and the way youth ministry education must change in order to equip future youth workers to reach the students whose faith is not nurtured by strong, intact and engaged adult relationships." You can read the rest here. read more »

Image by aesop via Flickr We're going to take a bit of a break from the Get Into the Story Family Devotionals during Advent. This being one of the two big seasons of our church calendar, it's important to reflect this in our family life. There are many great resources for families to use during Advent. A few are listed on the AAC website. Another one I ran across came from Christ the King Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC. It contains a short devotional including a song for each weekday this Advent. Whichever resource you decide to use, I hope each family is able to make this season one of those stand-out times of year.  read more »

This week's Get into the Story is available here.

A look at how one pastor and his wife modeled the importance of Christ in the home.

This week's Get into the Story is now available.

This week's Get into the Story is now available.

This week's Get into the Story is now available.

I came across this post a while back, and commend it to you. Here's an excerpt: If you want an “experience”, then, don’t look for it in things, in passing, fading things of this world. If you’re married, or are likely going to be married, look for it in the most significant physical thing a person can do, God willing: create (or adopt) a child. Create a tribe of children. You’ll gain joy for yourself that you could not otherwise ever touch in this life. You’ll do something far more significant than anything work or play will allow you to do. You’ll leave a legacy in the form of a child, a living person, not a piece of paper or a deed to be spoken of. Vacations are fun, and books and movies and time with friends is great, but if you seek significance, and transcendence, and deep, untouchable joy, try children, the oldest, most traditional form of earthly delight. read more »