Finish Lines
The finish line signifies the end of the race. In life, the race keeps going so we need to create some finish lines. This past Friday was the finish line for my wife Emily and I. We have been in a particularly busy season so three weeks ago I declared Thursday night the finish line. We reserved Friday to spend the day together. I can’t tell you how many times in the past three weeks we have mentioned the finish line, our Friday together.
We all need to create some finish lines for ourselves and our families. Finish lines look like:
- A family weekend
- Family vacation
- Personal retreat
- A day for you & your spouse (even better, a few days)
Finish lines are intentional. We have to create them and honor our commitment to slow down, pull away from the busyness, rest and reconnect with those we love.
Do you need to create a finish line for you and your family?
Read MoreMarriage & Parenting Small Groups
Faith Promise Church is offering several Marriage & Parenting adult small groups that are scheduled to launch this week. These groups are a great opportunity to invest in your Marriage & Parenting and also enjoy connecting with other group members. Checkout the following Marriage & Parenting groups:
Marriage: Close Encounters
Focus: Intimacy
Tuesdays at 6:30 pm – 6 weeks
Parenting: How I Met Your Mother
Focus: Biblical & practical parenting
Thursdays at 6:30 pm – 6 weeks
Marriage: Chase What Really Matters
Focus: Financial Freedom
Wednesdays at 6:30 pm – 6 weeks
Marriage: Taking Your Questions
Focus: Answering common marriage related questions
Thursdays at 6:30 pm – 6 weeks
I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to continue to grow in your marriage & parenting. Please contact Evan Crass at evanc@faithpromise.org in the groups office if you are interested in attending one of the groups listed.
What group would you like to see offered in the future?
Read MoreSingle Parenting Session at the Marriage & Parenting Summit
I am so excited about the most recent addition to the Faith Promise Marriage & Parenting Summit. We have added a session focusing on single parenting. I believe this session has great potential to minister to single parents as we explore biblical and practical parenting insight. Please help us spread the word about this session and The Summit in general as registration closes on February 1.
An added benefit to this session for me, is the opportunity to hear from those in attendance regarding how our Family Ministry Team can better minister and support our single parents.
I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming Faith Promise Marriage & Parenting Summit. To register, click here.
Read MoreRaising Self-Feeders
If you are a parent of young children your heart may have skipped a beat at the thought of your child being able to feed themselves. As parents, we are aware of the various stages of growing independence. For my wife Emily and I as parents of two teenagers this is a big deal. We want to help our kids become “self-feeders.” This concept should not be interpreted as we want them to function in complete independence without our guidance, support and discipline. However, we are intentional about training, preparing & equipping them to hopefully soar as young adults. What about spiritually? Are you training your children to grow in their faith?
Here are some thoughts on how to help your children become self-feeders spiritually:
- Modeling is the most significant
- Provide age-appropriate resources
- Demonstrate value of being invested in a local body of believers
- Conversations about where God is working in your own life
- Help them find areas where they serve
- Encourage generosity with their time and treasure
What other ways would you suggest to help your children become self-feeders, especially spiritually?
Read MoreDon’t Miss The Marriage & Parenting Summit
The 2012 Faith Promise Marriage & Parenting Summit is going to be a blast. The summit is February 3-4 at the Pellissippi & Blount Campuses. The summit is designed to allow each person or couple to select the sessions they want to attend. You can focus exclusively on marriage or parenting or a combination of both. This year’s sessions include:
- Marriage: Getting Started
- Marriage: Close Encounters
- Marriage Mentoring Orientation
- Marriage: Managing Your Finances
- Marriage: Going The Distance
- Marriage: Taking Your Questions
- Parenting: Laying a Spiritual Foundation For Your Kids
- Parenting: How Parents Can Mess Up Their Kids
- Parenting: Parenting Teens and Young Adults
- Parenting: Blended Families
- Parenting: Congratulations, You’re a Parent!
- Parenting: Taking Your Questions
You can get a brief description on each of these sessions by going to faithpromise.org/events and scrolling down to The Marriage & Parenting Summit.
We have a great lineup of facilitators at both campuses. The cost of the summit is only $20 for couples and $15 for an individual. We will have a light dinner on Friday night and breakfast on Saturday morning. Childcare will be provided.
Registration is open now through February 1. Don’t wait to sign up!
Don’t miss this opportunity to grow in your marriage and parenting. I look forward to seeing you at the summit!
Read MoreCheck Out This Great Parenting Resource
Last week, Josh Whitehead introduced me to a You Version daily Devotional called Parenting by Design. I am really enjoying this devotional and strongly encourage you to check it out. The content is excellent. Each day’s devotional is a brief, easy to read, parenting tip/reminder. In addition there is a corresponding verse(s) that connects to the parenting tip. Each day’s reading takes between 3-5 minutes. To maximize this resource and experience, my wife Emily is also reading each day’s devotion. This allows us to discuss the topic and how it applies to our parenting. Take a couple of minutes and check out this resource.
Don’t forget that registration has opened for this year’s Faith Promise Marriage and Parenting Summit. This year’s summit will be held at both the Pellissippi and Blount campuses. The cost is extremely reasonable ($20.00 per couple, $15.00 for one person), the sessions will be excellent (all facilitated by people at Faith Promise) and child care is provided. You can check out all the details or register at faithpromise.org/events. I look forward to seeing you there.
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