Family
January 14, 2010
TCOC, I love you. Just thought I’d let you all know that today.
I’ve been thinking a lot about family these past few weeks. It’s a research interest of mine always and now I officially have my own! During this whole process of getting married, I’ve been able to interact with and communicate with and rely on my various families: my family of origin (Multiple families of origin, really!), my new in-laws, the TCOC staff, Clark, and of course all of you, my church family.
I owe my salvation and relationship with the Lord to two institutions that I believe in so strongly that it is hard for me to articulate my feelings- The Church and The Family. Although both in my experience are far from perfect, I know without any hesitation that they are the most effective way to deliver the Gospel, the hope of humanity, to a hurting and dying world.
Reggie Joiner observes it this way:
There are two powerful influences on the planet-
the church and the home.They both exist because God initiated them.
They both exist because God desires to use them
to demonstrate His plan of redemption and restoration.If they work together they can potentially
make a greater impact than if they work alone.They need each other.
Too much is at stake for either to fail.
Their primary task is to build God’s kingdom
in the hearts of men and women, sons and daughters.
This past Fall, Pastor Jeff challenged us all to incorporate family devotions into our daily routines. Well, this past week has been my first week to experience such a thing! We’re reading through our Daily Message bible, starting in Genesis and the Psalms. We’re keeping it simple, reading through the passages before bed and starting with a few reflection questions listed after the text. Just in a week, it has given us opportunities to touch on topics ranging from grace, sin, the characteristics of God, how He chooses to reveal Himself to us, doubts, questions, faith. We’ve been able to share perspectives, encourage one another, pray together. It’s not some big ordeal, we don’t have to sit down and have an in-depth bible study curriculum to spend time together as a family, reading God’s word, and drawing closer to Him and one another.
I guess I just wanted to encourage you all, remind you of the responsibility that we have to one another, to our families. To encourage you to continue the practice of coming together to read God’s Word, to discuss with one another, to find ways to apply it to daily life, to pray. Or if you’ve gotten busy, to pick the practice back up again, or to start for the first time! We owe it to our families, to those that we love.
Again, I love you my TCOC family. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without all of you.
~Sesalle McDaniel
