Family Guide
Growing Strong Families in Today's World
Week of February 12-18, 2012
Introduction
This week we conclude our series on making the modern family strong. Here is a summary of each week:
Good Soil: Strong families are cultivated in the “good soil” of worship, intergenerational relationships and service.
Deep Roots: Strong families weather life’s storms by growing “deep roots” of faith, hope. love and forgiveness
Solid Trunk: Strong families are led by adults who choose to abide in Christ, lead with greater love, spread joy and pray for family members in Jesus’ name.
Fruitful Branches: Strong families bear fruit that nourishes the world by being a priestly family that is blessed to be a blessing.
Strong families multiply by adopting people into their fold.As we wrap this series up, let us once again return to our primary guiding texts (on Monday and Tuesday) before we explore extend our perspective from the vine (i.e. the family) to the vineyard (i.e. the church).
Monday, February 13 - Read together as a family Mark 4:1-9, 13-20
As a family review the summary of the series in the introduction. Where are you strong? Where could you use strengthening?
Consider what your family has to offer to other families of Good Sam. What gifts and graces to you each bring to the family of faith? How do you exercise your spiritual influence in the church?
(If you have young children in the family and you planted some seeds a few weeks ago, see how that plant is growing and talk to them about how proud you are of their growth as well)
Tuesday, February 14 - Read John 15:1-17
John 15 is one of those passages that summarize much of the essence of the Gospel. Choose a verse or several verses and commit them to memory. Or memorize the whole passage. Make it a game of it for the whole family (e.g. first one to memorize the passage gets to choose a movie to watch together or an activity to do together. Or some token is given for each member who memorizes the passage.
These is one of those passages that you might draw on heavily throughout your life. It would be good to have it available when needed (i.e. memorized in your head and written on your heart.)
Once memorized you will spend the rest of your life living into the reality of these words of Jesus.
Wednesday, February 15 - Read Isaiah 5:1-7
God has provided you everything needed for the vineyard to yield an abundant amount of grapes. But even though God has done God’s part, we do not always do ours.
Give thank for God’s provisions and confess any way you may not have the kind of fruit God expecrts.
Thursday, February 16 - Read Exodus 3:1-4:17
See if you can identify how many different excuses Moses makes as to why he is not the one to be the spiritual leader of the Hebrew people. Notice God’s response to each objection.
You are a spiritual leader in your home and in the world. God through Christ has provided and will provide everything you need to fulfill this calling.
Will you accept it?
What do you need from your church family to better equip you and your immediate family for this role?
Friday, February 17 - Read Jeremiah 1:4-4-8
Like Moses, Jeremiah objects to his call to be a spiritual leader. Notice the content of his objections and God’s response.
You are God’s chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy community, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Live each day in the strength of the Lord.