FRIDAY
So WHAT now WHAT? I often ask myself that question when I read a great book, experience a workshop, or finish a session with my therapist (really!). So when I was studying for this week’s message I stumbled into various blogs, articles, and even sermon manuscripts. I furiously copied many of them into a notepad. The questions below I pulled from those notes and honestly don’t know where to give the credit. I can’t claim them as my original ideas. I merely personalized for FBCG.
Fleshing SERVICE Out in Our Families
1. Memorize Philippians 2:4 Short…but will literally change your
family life if we each live its reality
“Each of you should look not only to
your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
2. The McEvoy’s are addicts to good
questions. Today ask the
question—I wonder what life is like for ____? Ask this for each person at the table. This will give you some ideas for
serving one another and help you live out Galatians 6:2: “Carry each other’s
burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
3. Change roles and
responsibilities for a day. It might be good to switch chores with another
family member. Or instead of switching, why not do yours and your sibling’s?
Practice random acts of kindness. Do it anonymously. Feed the dog when it’s not
your turn. Make your sister’s bed. Pick up your brother’s shoes and put them in
the closet. Take out the garbage.
4. Celebrate selfless
acts of service. Catch your kids doing good things and celebrate servanthood.
Encourage them to serve your neighbors. Challenge them to reach out to a
classmate who is being left out. Cheer them on as they look for ways to serve
at FBCG. Join them in their
serving at FBCG. Honestly, one of
the great strengths of Children’s Ministry is our student helpers…but rarely are
students serving WITH a parent.
Why not? Call Children’s
Ministry today and start serving WITH your student who is serving!
5. Model a lifestyle
of servanthood. Remember it is not what you say, but what you LIVE that is
caught by others! FBCG is filled
with selfless servants. One man who really strikes me as a servant is my friend
Art. For years Art, who has
children who have all been out of the house for years, has been serving in
Middle School and High School Sunday Schools (back to back each week), Sunday
Night Middle School small groups, and Wednesday night High School D group, not
to mention serving on countless short term mission trips. Recently he made the
decision to join our college cadre who is returning to Czech Republic to teach
English and share God’s Love.
We don’t have to make
serving complicated or cumbersome. We just need to help one another. It’s no
surprise that Art’s daughter has frequently traveled to various continents for
medium term mission trips to serve the least of these and why his son Joel is
spending a summer serving a Christian camp in Colorado before joining the staff
of a missions training center in central Florida. When we teach a child to serve, we’re also teaching that
child to become a servant for life because children who serve become adults who serve.
And families that serve together are strong together.
Bruce McEvoyPastor of Family and Serving
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1 comment:
I think it's always important to remember that serving the Lord need not be only in Christian ministries. In fact, I think that oftentimes, Christians serving in a secular environment have many more opportunities to spread God's love and Word. Everything and everywhere is a mission field, particularly if we approach it that way. Who can I reach, who can I model for, who can I serve, who can I love today?
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