Jason's new (and 1st) blog - WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR YOUR FAMILY???

Well...this will be my first attempt at the whole blogging thing...be patient, read on, but most of all, make sure you have your seat belt(s) on because if you are easily offended, this may be the best time for you to click the "X" in the top right corner NOW.

Why do I say you might be offended? Several simple reasons...God has laid this topic (and many others to follow) on my heart, and if your walk of faith is on the frail termite splintered top rail of a cedar fence, you may feel some conviction that was not expected. If you personalize what you are reading here, you may feel convicted, but I suggest if that is you, you discontinue the selfish inward path to nowhere and read on...there are no names mentioned here.

And since we are (or at least I am) talking about conviction, I challenge you to take that conviction if you feel it well up, and make positive light of it. God works on us all in many ways, but when there is something we need to correct, that correction comes with conviction. If we would only allow conviction to steer us back on path, we would fall on the Right side of that beaten up fencetop and continue our path as God planned.

Okay, on with the story.

I will not get all Christianese with you...I am no theologian...I am a sinner just like the rest of you...But I can still smile knowing that in the end (of this life on Earth anyway), I will meet my Creator in Heaven where I will begin my life of foreverness.

Family vs Family

Webster's dictionary defines family as:

"The collective body of persons who live in one house, and under one head or manager; a household, including parents, children, and servants, and, as the case may be, lodgers or boarders"

Gag me with an extremely impersonal picthfork, Mr Webster! So, according to you, a family is a bunch of peeps in a shack being led by a dictator...and it gets even better. A family is also a shelter full of transients.

Okay...if you would change a few of the words around and remove many, you may be right.

Let's try it again:

"A group of people under one God"

Okay, still not good enough, but 110% closer! What does the bible say about familes? A LOT!!!

Rather than throw scriptures at you, I am going to simply put down my own observances.

Here we go...and I really mean it this time!

In the last nearly two years, I truly never knew what a family was...well, maybe except for the way Mr Webster likes to put it. A true family will do ANYTHING for you. Sure, you may have parents that say they would die for you...but if you had made poor choices in life, and needed a few hundred dollars to help you out, would they? Would they put off their vacation to Hawaii to be with you in a time of pain when you just need to feel cared for and loved? Would they take a few of days off from work to take care of you if you had pneumonia? Would members of your earthly family jump at the chance to help you move your entire house with only a couple days notice? Would your earthly family get together and make a meal, then bring it to your house every day for a week or more after recovering from surgery? I know that (God forbid) should any of the instances above ever happened to me or any member of my family, someone in our Church family would answer yes to us! And I would also surely answer yes (and we have) to those in our Church family as well. Would anyone in my earthly family say yes? Some questions are just better left unanswered.

In the uncommon case of having a Godly and completely functional family, you may answer yes to most of the above...but in most cases, you will answer no to most. When you put it into context, the whole thought is actually very silly. "So, Dad, I appreciate the offer of taking a bullet for me, but I'd be eternally grateful if I could just borrow 200 bucks so I can keep the electricity on for my wife and kids. But since you won't let me borrow the money, you might as well just take the bullet." Nonsense! Now why would we ever believe such a bold faced lie when compared to the simplest of questions? Hopeful? Maybe.

From my own experience, my Church Family has done more for me in the last year than my family has ever done...and better yet, without asking. How is it possible that people I have only known for year can tune into me so well, know me for such a short period of time and be so giving, putting their own needs aside for my family? I'll tell you how. Through God! And the greatest thing of all? They will be blessed many more times than they blessed me and family!!! What a great concept!

I won't go into detail, but I am beyond serious when I say, my own family would not even think of doing a small percentage of what our Church family has done for us. Sad but oh so true.

These are people that my family and I have come to know, love, honor, cherish and thank God every day for putting in our lives. Let's all be honest and look back at our family life growing up. Not sure about you, but I could probably write a best seller with the proper vocabulary...God just happened to gift me in other areas. Whether you were brought up rich, poor or otherwise, was it all that? Do you look back and remember nothing but smiles and cheer? Or do you look back and see all the pain, sorrow and agony? Better yet, do you look back and see nothing? Perhaps even have several years of missing memory? Get ready to feel hurt and go to counseling, because all of those repressed memories are due to trauma. Is that the kind of family that our God wants you to have? NO! He wants you to feel his unconditional love. He is our one true Father...the one that sent his only Son to die for us on the Cross!

If you haven't had the Church family experience, and currently attend Church, I urge you to put yourself out there, get involved in a small group, serve in events, etc. If you haven't had the Church family experience, and want it, but don't have a Church you attend regularly, I urge you to find one and get involved. If you haven't had the Church family experience, and you are afraid to leave your earthly family, pray for the courage it will take. The Bible clearly calls us to do so...My wife and I are both living examples of this, and it has been one of the single most positive life changing experiences we could have ever imagined.

If you have that rare and incredibly wonderful earthly family, and all of this was a meaningless ramble, then I must apologize.

However, if you want to experience what a Church family is, then get your butt to Church, and accept Jesus into your heart...Yesterday!

Now that you have read all of this, and if you still have personalized any of it, don't get mad at me for your conviction. I suggest you look deep inside and find out why!

ALL THAT SAID, NOW WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR YOUR FAMILY???

***IF YOU ARE PART OF MY CHURCH FAMILY, AND IF I HAVE NOT TOLD YOU HOW MUCH YOU ARE APPRECIATED AND LOVED, THEN PLEASE ACCEPT THIS AS MY FORMAL PUBLIC THANK YOU...YOU ARE ALL GREATLY LOVED, AND WE ARE TRULY BLESSED BY YOU***