And Then There Were Two (Again)

This is 15 seconds of Josh Sallee's concert last week. There is no audio because 53 year old men don't always know how to work their phone. It a fun view from the VIP loft. That's right I said, "VIP!"

We just dropped off our last departures at the Tulsa International airport today (Wednesday, December 4, 2013). Two adults left for California last Monday. One adult and his dog left for Oklahoma City the next day. And two more adults, their two dogs, and my grand daughter to be, left the day after that. We grew from a tidy and quiet two adults to a loud and hectic 7 adults, 3 dogs, and one grand daughter to be for one week. We are back to two again.

Some of the highlights were the hugs, the laughs, the stories, the meals, the concert, and the memories. We all simultaneously cheered when the Thunder’s Michael Westbrook hit the last second 3 pointer and when Auburn returned Bama’s last second field goal attempt for the win. (If it offends Bama fans that we cheered for the Auburn underdogs then Bama’s is going to need to quit winning national championships so we can cheer for them too. I thought “Roll Tide” would understand.)

Some of the lowlights were barking dogs, chaotic and filthy house, the cost of feeding 5 more adults, competing sibling agendas (food selection, T.V. programs, riding shotgun, etc.), and lack of sleep (not to mention the puking dog catastrophe). If you are keeping score, the view from the outside might look like the lowlights may have overshadowed the highlights.

You could not be more wrong. We have been two again only for 2 hours and I miss everyone of them (even the puking dog). There is something overwhelmingly powerful about family. We all know it and we know it even more powerfully when it is gone.

I read a blog today that gave me hope about making a difference in my adults kid’s lives. It also gave me hope about influencing the faith if my grandkids. You can read it below.

Regardless of where you are on your family journey please remember this: God has called you to make a difference in the lives of your kids. You are called to lead them to become vibrant disciples of Jesus Christ. Become a lively disciple of Jesus Christ yourself first. Look for every opportunity to make a lasting memory (Faith Walk). Take every chance to have a conversation about the Bible and faith (Faith Talk). Plan an event/trip where your kids are involved with you in God’s mission (Faith Mission).

You will never regret influencing your kids faith to the glory of God. But I can promise you this, you’ll regret it when you do not have that opportunity like you did when they were younger.

Seniors must remember what it was like to be young, and the young must remember that they may one day become seniors. We must be patient with one another.

If we have a contemporary service for the young and a traditional service for seniors, we teach the young and the old to be intolerant of one another. We are bordering on ageism. The young and the old must come side by side with each other and minister to the glory of God together.

Paul the senior told Timothy the younger, “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity” (1 Tim 5:1–2). Churches in the twenty-first century would do well to take to heart this admonition as it relates to intergenerational ministry.

During a class on discipleship and mentoring I took at Dallas Theological Seminary, I heard Professor Hendricks say something one day that resonated with my spirit: “Every Timothy needs a Paul, and every Ruth needs a Naomi.” His words that day became a guiding principle for how I would carry out ministry. A young believer needs an older believer, someone seasoned in his or her spiritual walk to mentor and guide toward spiritual maturity. We need someone to show us the spiritual ropes to the Christian life. Paul told the Christians in Corinth to “follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). In other words we all need someone after whom to model our Christian walk, someone who has walked with Christ long enough to show us the way.

Follow this link to read the rest of the blog by Aaron Williams: