Each of us have heard about raising “World-Changers” “Holy kids” etc, how about just raising good, respectful, most of the time using integrity kids? That’s the reality of where we live every day!
As you know, we have six, Tyler 15, Alexis 15, Emily 13, Michael 12, Caleb 9 and Noah 3. We have had a very strong conviction of being there for them the best that we can.We have black and white rules with allowing some room for exploration and mistakes, bible study most mornings, a family mission statement. We demonstrate repentance when we are wrong and teach them to live “Life to the Full” by serving widow’s, orphans, their friends, school, community and especially their own mother!
Do I look stunned in this picture?
May seem like a lot, and sometimes it is, but it is where we feel “Fully alive”! Here is a few practical ways we do it; our mission statement:
“The Black family is blessed to be a blessing. God has given us Spiritual gifts, natural gifts and blessed us with money. But it’s not about us, it’s about giving ourselves and serving our family, our friends, our community, the poor, our enemy’s and the nations of the earth. We are loved and we are lovers, SO WE WIN”! Our two family verses, (That the kids have to quote the Mission statement and the verses often) are James 1:27 and Joshua 1:8.
We took the whole family to Matamoras, Mexico over spring break to minister to the poor for a few days and then party on the beach at South Padre Island a couple days. Our family philosophy; “Work Hard. Play Hard”. My two 15 year olds went with AIM down to New Orleans this summer to gut houses, witness and bring Jesus to one of the most devastated places (Still) on the planet. Two of them went to a two week discipleship program and they all, except Noah, went to a three day event with 7300 other kids worshiping and rocking after Jesus! Michael, our 12 year old is going to Swaziland, Africa with me on Monday, he had to raise his own money and he will never be the same.
Lisa and I would rather invest our time and money into these kinds of things then an elaborate family “vacation” or other “things” that our western mindset says we deserve.
Our kids need “Mountain Top” experiences like the event and mission trips; they need practical day-to-day disciplines, and they need Lisa and I to model what a person fully alive looks like, not more religion and rules, but freedom in serving the one and only true God.
We are stumbling through…
