Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Extreme Family Makeover

After God completed His creative work in six days, including the formation of man and woman, it is interesting to note that the very first institution God brought into existence was not government. God did not envision government as being the central and primary tool for keeping peace between people, or regulating how people conduct themselves with one another. But, then, neither was the church the first institution God brought into existence after creating human beings. The first institution God gave to mankind was marriage, and with it, the family. In God's plans, it would be the family responsible for insuring that children learned how to relate to one another and ultimately, to others. Parents would be entrusted with the responsibility of teaching their children God's laws because following God's laws would best result in a society all could peaceably live in. Any time we separate ourselves from obedience to God's Laws, we receive the due consequences of our actions with chaos; either in our marriage, our family, or our society (Colossians 1:17).
Quite frankly, the family unit is under attack in America. A boat dock is built on many large, round, wooden posts that are sunk deep into the river, lake, or ocean bottom upon which the dock sits. Someone told me many years ago that we could safely remove one of those posts from underneath the dock and the dock itself would still stand. In fact, we could even remove many of those posts and the dock would still be usable, though not as safe. But, there does reach a point at which the removal of too many posts will result in the dock falling apart. As tragic as the demise of one family unit is to the members in that family, society itself will survive that tragedy. In fact, society will even withstand several family units that are not healthy or that fall apart. But, there is a point at which too many dysfunctional family units will cause the society to crumble. We are quickly approaching that Point of No Return in America.
America needs an "Extreme Makeover" in our families. Over the next five weeks, we will explore some ways that we can restore health and vitality to our specific families at New Hope. We pray that as these families, which are the building blocks or the foundational pillars of our society, are strengthened, that our society as a whole will also be strengthened. We invite you to join us. Here are the topics for each weekend:
October 8/9 - - "The Necessity of a Family Makeover" ( Joshua 24)
15/16 - - "The Foundation of a Family Makeover" (Psalm 127)
22/23 - - "The Keys to a Family Makeover" (Deuteronomy 6)
29/30 - - "The Role of Mentors in a Family Makeover" (I & II Timothy)
November 5/6- - "The Role of the Church in a Family Makeover" (Psalm 78)