A Word for Our Arbor Family
A couple of years ago, I was in a friend’s wedding. I was the oldest groomsman by at least six years—and the only one already parenting a teenager. At lunch, the other guys started asking if I, being the “old man” of the group, had any wisdom to share. I simply replied, “The young men in the church are watching. They're watching how you treat your wife and how you treat your family. Show them the best example you can.” I said it because that’s how I learned.
I grew up with a single mom who made sure my brother and I were surrounded by good men in the church. She never called it a discipleship plan. She just made sure we were in Bible study or Sunday school. Looking back, most of what I know about how a husband should treat his wife and how a father should love his kids didn’t come from a class. It definitely didn’t come from home. It came from watching men who had no idea I was taking notes.
Paul tells Titus, "In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely. And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching." (Titus 2:6-7)
Now I’m the dad. And I see my son doing the same thing I once did. He’s watching the men around us, looking to see if what he sees at home is real in the lives of other men, too.
I say all of this because I still remember being that boy who needed the church to show him what a faithful man looked like. Iron sharpening iron and all of that... Some of you are still doing that for me today. Some of you are that for my son, too.
Encourage the young people to live wisely, not with a seminar, but with your life that they can see. They are already in the room. They’re taking notes. We owe it to them to be the best example we can be.
Sunday, September 13, is Generations Sunday! We’re celebrating God’s gift of our multigenerational church family and inviting others to experience the blessing of being part of it. Mark your calendar and start inviting others to join us for what God is doing!
I grew up with a single mom who made sure my brother and I were surrounded by good men in the church. She never called it a discipleship plan. She just made sure we were in Bible study or Sunday school. Looking back, most of what I know about how a husband should treat his wife and how a father should love his kids didn’t come from a class. It definitely didn’t come from home. It came from watching men who had no idea I was taking notes.
Paul tells Titus, "In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely. And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching." (Titus 2:6-7)
Now I’m the dad. And I see my son doing the same thing I once did. He’s watching the men around us, looking to see if what he sees at home is real in the lives of other men, too.
I say all of this because I still remember being that boy who needed the church to show him what a faithful man looked like. Iron sharpening iron and all of that... Some of you are still doing that for me today. Some of you are that for my son, too.
Encourage the young people to live wisely, not with a seminar, but with your life that they can see. They are already in the room. They’re taking notes. We owe it to them to be the best example we can be.
Sunday, September 13, is Generations Sunday! We’re celebrating God’s gift of our multigenerational church family and inviting others to experience the blessing of being part of it. Mark your calendar and start inviting others to join us for what God is doing!