Family


Family.

For different people that word has different connotations…

And for me, family extends in a lot of different directions.

There is the “family” I grew up in - Mom, Dad and Mindy.  

There is the family I have now - Jim, Max, Katie and Annie.  

There is the “Allen” family, which included Dad, his brothers John and Ron, their wives and daughters - Liz, Carole, Doon, Dana, and Kim…along with their husbands and children.  This family also includes the Dooleys - Gail and Tom, and their kids.

There is also mom’s side which includes her twin sister, Marty, her husband Dave, my cousins Bob, Katherine and Mark, and their spouses and children.

And then there is Jim’s family - one that includes Mom and Dad, brother and sister, step brothers and sisters a half brother, aunts, uncles and cousins - now all part of my family too.

And there are the Bernards

Then finally there is my faith family - the one that keeps getting bigger with every Bible study and mission trip. 

I suspect as you read this it is feeling a little like some of those boring pages in the Bible that talk about generations begetting (ha! That’s the Bible word of the day) other generations… but as I look at it here is what I see:

This list includes over 100 people. That means over 100 opportunities for love, support, wisdom and grace.  100 ways we can honor God, by how we choose to “connect” with those He put in our lives,  people He chose to be part of “our story”…

The Bible talks about this:

"Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.“ 1 John 4:20

"Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 12:20

Today, as you are looking for ways to honor God - I encourage you to start with your family.



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