Demonstration of the Kingdom, Pt. 2

A continuation of a blog

Kari Pitardi wrote about the Black Tribe. It’s an honor to see that we are honoring the Lord and influencing young people with how our family lives out kingdom principles. Here’s the rest of Kari’s words:

I
love to just watch this family. They love each other like I’ve never
seen a family love before. They work together like a well oiled
machine, even with teenagers and toddlers in the mix! Gary & Lisa
gave us a ride home last week, it was the day their youngest son Noah
(4) got to go out to the bush and camp for the first time.

They spoke
to Noah on the cell phone on our way home that evening and just in the three minutes they had on the phone with him, they both spoke truth into
him and Gary prayed for him before they said goodbye.

I’ve never seen
people speak truth over their children the way the Blacks do it.

Telling them that they are men and women of God (at 4 years old!), and
training them in the ways of what it means to actually BE a man and
woman of God. Gary and Lisa model this for them, they live it out in
their daily lives, it’s who they are, not who they try to be.

I’ve
learned so much about family in the short time I’ve spent around their
family these past 6 weeks, more than I’d ever read out of numerous
books or hear at seminars. I’ve been so blessed to sit back in a corner
and just watch them interact with each other, I’ve learned so much from
being a fly on the wall around them. It’s a great way to learn,
especially when you have someone great to learn from.

My parents are awesome; most of who I am is wrapped up in my parents. I look to them for guidance, support

and help all the time.

I desire to be like each of them in many ways. I
desire to build my marriage in ways that they have and will use many of
their parenting skills they used with me if I ever have children.

Our
family wasn’t focused on Jesus, though; we attended church, but the central focus of our family unit was not Jesus Christ.

We are just now
as a family learning about all of that and learning how to apply that to our individual lives and our lives as a family unit.

There are many people and many families in my life that I look up to and desire to
learn from. The Black family is just one of them, but they’ve
definitely had a major impact on my life since I’ve met them and I
desire to model my own family after theirs, which is modeled after a
family Jesus demonstrated.

Gary is completely and totally in love with Lisa, and he’s not afraid
to show it. He treats her like a lady, especially in front of his
children to demonstrate to them how to properly treat a woman. Lisa
does the same.

Gary and Lisa speak to their children (even the young
ones) as if they are already men and women of God, they care deeply for
their children but they don’t coddle them and allow them to act like
babies, their children act like men and women of God even at their
young ages.

Gary teaches his boys what it means to be a strong,
protective man who is the spiritual head of their home. Lisa teaches
what it means to be a caring, tender keeper of the home, taking care of
everyone in their family. Each member of the family is fiercely loyal
and protect to one another.

I love all you guys, Black family, and I miss you already!