Tuesday is for Preaching
Mother’s Day is coming this weekend and I thought it might be a good time to give a message on parenting and the job description of children. Here are some of the opening lines to my message this week. (Watseka, IL campus will have a guest speaker; Ashkum, IL campus will have this one. If you want to hear the whole message, you will have to wait until Monday after Mother’s Day when it is up on the internet at our website.
Text: Ephesians 6:1-4, Colossians 3:20-21
Message Intro:
You want to know how hard it is to raise children in America? In New York City, the school system of New York has the 11th largest security force in the country.
- I have gone white water rafting down the Colorado, Poudre and Kalamath rivers.
- I have gone bull riding in Northern California
- I have managed a million dollar 6 week program with volunteer labor.
- I have taught in 10 different classes in three different Seminaries.
- I have come within 6 weeks a marrying the wrong woman (for me) and called the wedding off.
- For almost 40 years I have lived with reality that somewhere on the East coast there lives a young woman, who is my daughter, who I may never see this side of heaven.
- I have preached before thousand.
- I have starred down gang-bangers, broken up fights, taken weapons from people, counseled battered women, planted churches, preached on three continents, counseled families through suicide attempts and divorce and a myriad of mind-boggling and emotion-draining problems.
I held my mother in my arms as she died and watched my father take his last breath.
I want you to know that I know of nothing
that is more challenging,
frustrating, humiliating, heartbreaking
then raising my children.
I also want you to know that my greatest joys in life all revolve around being a parent. I wouldn’t trade being the father of Maureen, Meredith, Marty III and Aubre for anything in all the world.
The job was hard and it still continues, though they are all out of the house now and moving on with their lives. It was hard not just because the culture is corrupt and the influences upon parents and children are so pressurized and complicated, and not just because each of our kids was different or difficult. The job was hard because I am a sinner—a selfish, pride-filled, short-sighted, lazy, wanting-things-my-own-way, stubborn and irresponsible man.
Parenting may be the hardest job on the planet and so in honor of mothers on Mother’s Day, I want to direct this message to children of all ages to help make Mom’s job easier. … (exposition of Ephesians 6:1-4 on Sunday)
Have a great Mother’s Day.
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