Building Family
You know, as I was spending time with the Lord recently, I couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful thing He's doing in our church family at Antioch. There's just something special happening--a work of the Holy Spirit in our midst, knitting us together across generations into a true family on mission.
It's not just within the walls of the church, either. I see it spilling over into the natural families in our community. Moms, dads, kids, grandparents--all being touched and transformed by God's love in profound ways. It's like we're catching a glimpse of what God's heart for family really looks like.
Just the other day, I was chatting with my dear friend and ministry partner, Mick Murray. We got to talking about how counter-cultural God's vision for family is. In a society that prizes independence above all else, the Lord is calling us to lean into interdependence.
"Jimmy," Mick said to me, "It's not about just going our separate ways and doing our own thing. It's about needing each other, supporting each other, and doing life together. That's what real family looks like."
Those words struck my heart, because I know they're true. In a world that tells us to look out for ourselves, God invites us into something richer--a life of shared joys, shared sorrows, and shared purpose.
That's the kind of family I see forming at Antioch. Imperfect, sure, but genuinely seeking after God's heart. And as we continue to yield to the Holy Spirit's work, I truly believe we'll see generations transformed by the Father's love.
What a gift it is, to get to be part of this story God is writing. I'm humbled, I'm grateful, and I'm expectant for all that's yet to come as we pursue this life on mission together as the family of God.
In this podcast episode we talk more about that:
Because family and relationships are so important, I wanted to share two other resources on family with you that you may not know about.
A few years ago, my wife Laura and I took time to write a book on family called Parenting Without Regret and Laura currently does a weekly podcast called Parenting With Purpose with some other ladies from the Antioch Movement.
If you are looking to strengthen your family, I think these resources will help you.