When you invest time and energy into your family, you’re setting your family up to win.

you may be seated
I just want to encourage all of us today

to keep healthy connections with our
families you know going forward in 2017

we need to make sure that we’re making a
personal investment into our family

members that we’re building strong bonds
and we’re creating trust and security in

our families it’s so easy in this
culture with everything that we have to

do and all the technology that we have
to get things done more quickly we have

to make sure that we don’t just breathe
by one another and not make personal

connections there’s so much to do
there’s so many people to see it’s up to

us to make the choices and priorities to
connect with those that we love you know

Joel and I have to make it a priority to
spend personal quality time together now

Joel and I are together a lot we work
together I’m not talking about

coexisting in a home I’m not talking
about working in a task together I’m

talking about making investments in the
life of people that you love making

personal time to to find out what they
like to be a part of what they like to

enjoy their gifts enjoy their talents
you know Joel and I we love to take

walks together we love to ride our bikes
well go on a date night every now and

then sometimes we just get in the car
and we drive nowhere but these are times

that we have created to just be together
not to talk about work not to

necessarily talk about a problem or an
issue that we’re facing but to just be

together maybe not even talk at all
maybe just connecting in the presence of

the moment you see we’ve got to take the
time and set the priorities and

standards in our life to connect with
those we love you see if Joel and I just

work all the time if we’re together but
we’re just existing and working and and

under the load of life we
not gonna mature and nurture a

relationship that’s going to flourish
that’s going to stay connected see we’ve

got to join our hearts together and
build bridges on those things that we

connect with on a personal basis you see
I know what to expect from Joel because

I’ve spent time quality time connecting
with him he knows what to expect from me

we know what we think I know when to
leave him alone I know when he wants to

sit in this big chair and watch wheel of
fortune I know good things he likes to

do to unplug and those aren’t the times
I go in with all of the things that I

want to talk about you see I’ve learned
him so when I have an intimate and

personal relationship with him knowing
what he likes what he dislikes what I

expect of him what he expects of me
those boundaries that we like to set in

our life when I know these things I can
work with him better when you’ve created

something not just done life together
not just doing life together but

creating a life together
that’s when things will change in your

life see I believe it’s the same way
with our children we can’t always be on

the job raising our children we’ve got
to enjoy our children we need to learn

to communicate with our children see
their gifts and talents enjoy their

individuality experience their ideas you
see we’ve got to get to a personal

relationship with our children we’ve got
to create a connection so that our

connection will grow and flourish
through the years I enjoy my children as

much today as I did when they were
little when they used to say the cutest

things and do the craziest things you
see I enjoy them as adults in college

right now in fact I learn from them I
enjoy them I allow them to have their

their their ideas
now I want to tell you sometimes time

seems so short and we only get a certain
time with our children so we fall into

this trap of making these moments a
lesson in life a teaching moment you’re

spending time with your child and you
can see maybe something that could

happen or something that you’ve
experienced and you want to insert this

life lesson I can tell you I am so
guilty of that I am like super guilty of

that but I’ve learned and you know my
children have helped me learn this that

not every moment has to be a teaching
moment yes we want to teach our children

we want to train our children but we
also want to enjoy our children we want

to develop a relationship with them we
want to connect with them so we have

opportunity in the future now you may
have you know children that are out of

your house that’s okay you can still
connect with your children see it takes

work to form good relationships they
don’t just happen they must be created

we have to sacrifice our personal time
to have quality time with those we love

it takes a commitment it takes an
availability see if we’re gonna build

strong families and strong relationships
we’re gonna have to do our part you know

sharing meals together is a great way to
spend quality time maybe dinner doesn’t

work there soccer practice maybe you’ve
got commitments but can you share

breakfast can you share lunch can you
have conversation over a snack you see

study after study has proven that when
you take time to build relationship over

a meal that your children are less
likely to experiment with drugs and

alcohol that creating this atmosphere
over a meal four to five times a week or

as often as you can it builds such a
bond of trust and so much self-esteem

and character that they’re less likely
to to go off and allow their peers to

direct their life because you’ve made an
investment in their life

I believe it’s our responsibility and
it’s well worth the time and effort to

enjoy our family as a whole you know
this isn’t just a quick fix this is a

long-term investment
see what you plant now you’re gonna reap

flater
you’re gonna enjoy the benefits of your

family so it’s well worth it and single
parents can I tell you that you’re more

than enough God and you are a majority
there’s nothing that God won’t help you

with as you share with your family as
you make some sacrifices even though

it’s tough maybe your children are out
of the house I encourage you to call

them up on the phone and vitam over for
dinner meet them at a restaurant not to

tell them what they’re doing wrong not
to tell them what they can do better but

just to tell them that you’re proud of
them you to tell them how great they are

you see sometimes we want to mold our
family members into the shape that we

want them to be we want to fix all their
problems but I’m telling you right now

we can’t fix their problems only God can
all we can do is love them show

unconditional love spend quality time
and make personal investments just take

time to have fun with your family maybe
you want to go to the movies play some

games whatever you do just make sure
that you’re laughing that you’re having

fun the life is not so serious and such
a struggle that you forget the joys of

life making memories and laughing you
know laughter is a medicine the Bible

talks about a merry heart is like a
medicine I’m telling you it will fix a

lot of things I was reading in the Bible
about Sarah and Abraham and many of you

know the story God had made a promise to
Abraham and Sarah that they would have a

child and years and years had passed and
they’d struggled through life I’m sure

it was weary I’m sure something from
some of the mistakes they had made they

were burdened down one day God showed up
at Abraham’s tent and he said Abraham

this time Nick
cheer you’re gonna have this son and you

know what Abraham did abraham laughed
now the Bible doesn’t tell us why he

laughed but you know what I believe he
laughed

I believe he laughed because he needed a
stress reliever he needed to just help

God okay you know the Bible talks about
you know when you’re looking to your

future you have to be able to laugh you
have to be able to trust God with your

future laugh at those things to come
laughter helps when Sarah heard she was

gonna have a child what she did she let
out a giggle or self you see that stress

reliever but the great thing about it is
that time next year they had that sign

they had that sign I can’t help to
believe that laughter is a medicine

laughter lightens the load listen let
there be laughter let there be fun

nothing is that serious that we can’t
create this atmosphere of laughter see

we have to set our families up to win
and I believe when we take the necessary

steps to build connections we’re placing
value on our family and when our family

feels valued when they feel loved when
you spend quality time you know what it

does it pills respect it builds
character within the family and again

when you face those challenges you’ve
got bridges to one another’s heart

you’ve got each other you’re linked see
we all love to have the people in our

life give us time and attention we love
to be taken care of

it just warms our heart so we have to
remember if it’s good for us it’s good

for them listen let’s create unity in
our home the Bible says where there is

unity there’s a commanded blessing every
one of your family members can walk in

blessing you’ve got the power and
ability to be the one who breathes in

the fun who is the spice of life nothing
is that serious create laughter and know

that where there is community God has
commanded the blessing I want to pray

for your family right now lift your hand
right now if you if you represent family

if you have a family if you want God to
intervene in your family because he I

think he sees your hands and you may
not be connected to some of those family

members you may be saying god I want
this connection can I have it back what

can I tell you one of the greatest ways
you can be connected and isn’t prayer

you see there’s no distance in prayer
you may not be able to be in the

presence of that person that you want
that connection with but can I tell you

this God’s in their presence and if
you’re praying to God God will do the

work because if we pray and we don’t
give up God will honor our prayer God

works by faith he works for perseverance
so know when you pray the moment you

pray the tide of the battle is beginning
to turn God is on your side he wants

that unity in your home I believe all we
have to have is a willing heart and when

we’re really an obedient we’ll eat the
good of the land amen

father I thank you for every family
represented here today all those who are

listening are viewing father I thank you
that we are committing our family a

fresh in a new to you got I thank you
that we will build bridges and not walls

I thank you Father that we will make a
sacrifice to spend quality time with our

family and Lord you will give us ideas
and resources in the time father I thank

you that we’re gonna look at our
calendar and we’re gonna say is that

really important and we’re gonna put our
family on the calendar god I thank you

that you will father draw our families
together that there is anything that

hasn’t been done or anything that’s been
in in the past father I thank you that

you were covering those past mistakes
but you are covering that and father we

are moving forward with you we’re not
walking in guilt or condemnation but

father we know with you every day as a
new beginning

that your mercies are fresh and new and
I thank you that you’re blowing the

mercy of your favor on our families
right now father I thank you that we

will love our families we won’t try to
shape them into people that look like us

but father we will enjoy who they are as
individuals we will learn from them and

grow from them father I thank you that
when we’re tempted father to say the

wrong thing that you’ll just zip up our
lips and allow us father to just breathe

to just take time to know there’s always
time for correction there’s always time

to get our message
there but father that we will create

times of memories strong connections for
the future that father God you will do

this for us you will help us as we look
to you thank you for blessing our family

members we see unity in our family
whether it’s there or not we’re looking

through our eyes of faith and we see our
family united and strong walking in the

commanded blessing in Jesus name and
everyone said hey thanks for watching

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