The Boomer, Buster and iParents (Part III)

If yesterday's approach to pulling parents into and onto the faith journey with their own kids isn't enough, here's one more thought.

NOTE: You're not asking parents to commit to something new. You're asking them to commit to someone they'd die for.

"I could create a great program, get a great curriculum, take your kid away on lots of retreats over the next few years without you, and ten years from today your kid will think I'm great. But what good is it if they think I'm great and they think you're an idiot? They can't and won't talk to you about anything? I haven't done you any good if I serve as the surrogate parent. I can't take them 52 minutes a week for the next 10 years and teach them how to communicate with you. I can't take them on 10 retreats and 10 camps over the next 10 years and teach them how to have fun with you.

I can't do it for you. I can't do it without you. We can do a great job TOGETHER.

And if you'll commit to your child - five minutes a night and one hour a week here - I'll commit to you.

Who, in a parents world, is looking them in the eye and promising to help them with the one thing that they need, want, and fear the most?

If you, the church, will do that, you won't have a problem with commitment, attendance or financing anything. If you genuinely*  promise to be their alley in keeping their family together  in a world that can tear them apart, you'll have all the help you need in family ministry.

SIDEBAR: Where does the word genuine come from?
 
genuine  [Origin: 1590–1600; < L genuīnus innate, natural = genu-, as in ingenuus native (see ingenuous) + -īnus -ine¹]from root of gignere "beget" (see genus), perhaps infl. in form by contrasting adulterinusgenu "knee," from an ancient custom of a father acknowledging paternity of a newborn by placing it on his knee.  "spurious." Alternative etymology is from L.

Comments

[Diane]

A interesting three part series! Sometimes I think we try to make it too complex. When it comes right down to it my Grandma Ellen's advice at 100 covers it all. . ."Read the Word and Stick to it!" If we commit to REALLY reading the Bible and soaking in all it has to say to us (and it is a Living Word and so has new things to say every day!) we will find, among many other great passages this one from 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 [now that's a whole lot of you!] These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. [Impress is different than suggest!] Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up [that seems to cover an awful lot of time frames!] Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads [or in other words, make them a REAL part of your life!] Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. [so that others will see, take note and follow example!]

Another passage that needs to make a come back in our Christian world is 2 Chronicles 7:14-- If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. [Interesting to remember that this passage is directed to "my people", not the ungodly person who doesn't know God]

Oh, the Wonderful Words of Life! May they become new and alive and living in you and yours today!

I just came through a 2 week cycle of my bipolar, starting from an extreme high at the time of my grandson's birth on the 11th that quickly unraveled into a "crash" past reality into the world of depression. Wednesday brought about the lift, followed by a sleepless night--God's sign to me that this lesson was over--and now several days of EXTRA HIGH ENERGY & EMOTION! Perhaps if that emotion gets directed God-ward it's not a bad thing! : )

Blessings, my friend!
~Diane