proud/blessed to be in the family

Heather and I are so blessed by my grandparents and their family. We gathered for Christmas yesterday at their home and had Church. It is so wonderful to be part of a family who celebrates the Emanuel (God with us).

We all gathered in the living room. Grandpa read the Christmas story from his Bible and afterward we all sang silent night. Before we proceeded to the gift giving my aunt Nina stood up. She had a bag filled with misc. Celtic styled crosses. Each of the couples were to reach in to the bag and grab a cross. After we picked out the cross we told what we were going to give to Christ for his birthday in the coming year. There was much weeping and lots of tissues. Then my Grandfather felt pressed to give his observation of what he had heard from all of us. He said that he heard all of us struggling with the separation of the secular and religious parts of our lives and our need to realize that they are not separate. He pointed out that each of us were so obviously, from the depths of us, trying to find or hear what God would have us be and do with our lives as gifts to Him in response to His gift to us. Grandpa beamed as he said that he believed that the coming year would be a revival, if you will, in our family and would be the catalyst to many revivals to come.

My thoughts…my Grandparent’s home was Church to their family. Their children were discipled in their home and lives from childhood. Because my grandparents struggled to press on in their journey as they have I am at where I am in my journey. I am grateful for that gift.

I had a thought last night that many people like those in my family do not realize that after they go home from Church ’service’ on Sunday mornings they go home to Church. Many others in our churches don’t go home to that and therefore are not raised up as some are privileged to be. I pray that those who are privileged to go home to be ’raised up’ will realize that blessing and pass it on to those who are not….

May we realize it is our job as parents, brothers and sister in Christ to disciple those we are in relationship with. May we not leave it to anyone else.