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Date:
January 5th (Ferguson) and 6th (Martin)
Time:
0830 -0930 hrs 
Place: Carrow’s Restaurant, Castro Valley Blvd, Castro Valley
From
the topic below let us start the new year considering the value of family, that we fail not those we love.
God's School of Grace
Theme of the Week: Why Do We Fail Those We Love?
Friday,
December 5, 2008
Key Bible Verse: The man who finds a
wife finds a treasure … The father of godly children has cause for joy (Proverbs
18:22; 23:24). Bonus Reading: Psalm 128:1–6
One reason we can act like grizzlies at home and teddy bears
everywhere else is because we fail to appreciate the treasures we have in
our families. Our families are familiar (notice the similarity of those two
words), and we tend to under-appreciate the familiar. We also carry a basic
presupposition that our family will always love and forgive us, no matter
what. It's okay to appreciate this grace extended
to us, but we often abuse it, taking our family members for granted.
We must realize that our families are treasures—precious gifts
given to us by God. God has called us to care for and love our neighbors;
we shouldn't forget that family is our closest neighbor. We share something
much more intimate than the same street or community. We share the same
flesh, the same heart … the same toilet.
Family, immediate and extended, is one of God's greatest
gifts. And a gift doesn't have to be perfect. In fact, the imperfectness of
this gift makes it God's greatest tool to transform us into what he wants
us to be. It's where we learn most readily to extend grace. This is the
main story of all the families in the Bible.
—Glenn Stanton in My Crazy Imperfect Christian Family
My Response: I think a lesson God wants to teach me
through my family is …
Thought to Apply: When you see families act horribly to one
another and then God still reaches out to accomplish his will through them,
you realize that the wonder of his goodness is overwhelming.—KEVIN (a S.
Carolina friend of Glenn)
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Prayer for the Week
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You've called me,
Lord, to the demanding discipleship of family. Empower me to worthily
represent you there.
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