Greetings in the name of the Lord!
Most of the news this month regards in person get-togethers over the next few months. No surprise there, but I thought we’d open a word from Pastor Randy for the men:
THE HUSBAND'S ROLE
Judging from my own life and lives of so many other Christian men I know, or have counseled, we need some serious help in understanding our roles as husbands. Quite frankly, I do not think it comes naturally, and most of us do not have good role models either. Our duties involve casting the family vision, being the priest of our home, organizational and administrative leadership, maintaining a spiritual atmosphere, loving and nurturing our wives, and children, being a manager, counselor, leader, as well as a consistent role model. We are to be a godly soul-mate, mentor, friend, protector, encourager, and devoted listener, and the list goes on. If you are like me, you will discover that being a Godly husband is an awesome responsibility. Many men fail miserably at it, and I have personally failed often. So, since our responsibility as husbands is a weighty and overwhelming burden, what should we do?
I am not trying to answer this question in this article. It would take a book. I just want us to understand that we must take our role serious enough that we "do marriage intentionally". Going down a river in a raft and seeing where you end up is not God's way of running a household, yet, many of us are adrift in the water of life.
It takes vision, courage, conviction, patience, devotion, love, humility, determination, sacrifice, sensitivity, as well as an unshakeable commitment to your wife or wives to be the servant leading manager of your home. I would like to encourage every man reading this to begin to allow the Holy Spirit to convict you about your role. If you need some guidance on the basic Biblical responsibilities you and I are to be actively engaged in, perhaps you can start be reading "The Exemplary Husband", by Stuart Scott. This book is not written with polygynists in mind, however, if we would learn how to treat each of our wives as suggested in this book, we would be "doing marriage intentionally".
LOCAL group NEWS
A Dallas-area Biblical Families get-together is happening on Sunday afternoon/evening, February 15th! This should be a great time for those in the area to get-together again, or even for those hours away who need some support and connecting. Please write: sweetlissa2@yahoo.com for details on time/location.
The Orlando area fellowship had 8 adults at their last Monday night meeting! Regular home group Monday night meetings will continue – if you happen to be in the area, feel free to join us.
A southern Missouri weekend get-together may be happening before too long – if you are in that general area and would like to talk to the organizer, drop us an email: staff@biblicalfamilies.org
If you’d be interesting in hosting an area meeting at your home, contact us – if there’s not yet enough members near you, that may change over time.
RETREAT NEWS
If you haven’t yet made it to a Biblical Families retreat, you won’t know what you’re missing, until you’ve made it to one. If your family is seriously considering growing, or you are considering joining a family, or you are living in a plural family, we’ve got the fellowship you need – and you’ve got what we need!
Our upcoming North Carolina mountain retreat on March 27th-29th near Asheville has gotten quite a bit of interest and looks to be quite well attended. Many of the cabins at the campground are now rented by our group, but some are still available, and there are hotels close by. We are looking forward to a very “intimate” retreat with shared meals (for those who want to participate), and a great family location. (Much better than a hotel meeting room.) If you haven’t yet written and would like location and retreat details, write us soon: Nathan@biblicalfamilies.org This should be a great time of fellowship, sharing, bonding, learning, and worship.
Next up is our 4th annual Orlando retreat on Memorial Weekend (May 22nd-25th)- Pastor Randy and his family plan to be present and sharing. This will be our “signature” retreat for 2009. Piggy-back it with a vacation, and bring the whole family! Write for details.
We’re just too swamped with these events to nail down plans for the 2nd half of the year, but we’ve gotten a lot of feedback on a West Coast retreat for the fall, and will settle on a date after the spring retreats wrap up. A Dallas retreat will be announced later also.
PRAYER
Can we ask you to pray for Biblical Families? That’s God direction would be the only one followed, that we’d be in a position to help those families that truly need it, that He would protect all of us from negative attention as we grow and keep away those who don’t have a love for God’s ways. Also pray for help in some practical areas: internet, regional and retreat help. We already recognize that we could do more, and we have plans and ideas – but the Lord will have to make a way in helpers, time, and offerings.
As always, let us know how we can serve you, just write us at: staff@biblicalfamilies.org
In His Name,
Biblical Families.org Staff
------------------------------
We’ll close with an inspirational note from Pastor Randy’s wife Lissa:
Where is my trust?
Back in March when we moved to Texas, I received a job offer within a week of relocating. That was wonderful, but the pay was about half of what I had been earning back in Nevada. I was a little nervous going to work for such a low wage, but I really felt that God had led me to this job. So with Pastor Randy’s and T’s blessing I accepted the job. I had a long commute and was spending about $50 a week in gasoline just to go to and from work. The commute was about an hour each way. I also started back to college within a month, so my life was pretty busy. Money was very tight because we were still trying to manage two households and so there wasn’t much time or money for fun or recreation. One day in June, the stress got to be too much for me. I was depressed and feeling so much pressure. Going back to school was much harder than I had thought it would be. I wasn’t having any fun and I felt like I was actually going backwards because my job was so far away and paid so little. On this particular day in June I had been at my job almost exactly three months. I was depressed because while I loved my job and all the people I worked with, I felt like we were coming to a place where we couldn’t afford for me to work there anymore because of the gas costs and time. I was nearly in tears, getting ready to go home when I got an email from my boss. He promoted me and told me that effective with the next month my salary would increase by about 1/3. I was so excited I ran into his office, hugged him and told him how grateful I was for him.
Several times over the past months I have caught myself thinking “if only” this were true, or that were true I could stop worrying and just enjoy life. But the reality is that Paul told us in Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere in all things I am instructed to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Because of this I have been challenged to find myself content in whatever state I am. I don’t always succeed but I do try. It has made me question where my faith is. Is my faith in my paycheck? Or in my friends? My husband or my sister? Is my faith in the wrong place? Am I fully trusting my heavenly Father to provide for me? I look at the journey I have taken in the past two years and I think of how far I have come. I live in a new state, have gone back to college, started a new career, become part of a new family. Every step of the way has been scary and full of risks. But through it all, I had only to hold tight to my Lord and follow his leading wherever he took me.
The God we serve is awesome and mighty. He is also loving and kind. He takes care of the details so that we don’t have to. And His plan is a million times better than anything I could ever think of.
Recently, while going through my latest class, Algebra, I was stressed to the absolute limits I could imagine. Randy was gone, I was still trying to move into a new apartment, my work was very challenging and I was working on a subject I hadn’t even looked at since 1984. Every day was a fresh reminder of how stupid I was and what a failure I am. But God didn’t make me stupid and He didn’t make me a failure. Having the faith to persevere, knowing that God was on my side was difficult but it truly strengthened my faith. I had faith the size of a mustard seed and my God moved the mountain called Algebra.
My goal here is to always remember that once I have placed my trust in God, I need to just let him take care of things. He doesn’t need my help, only my obedience. Another thing I have learned is that he isn’t surprised by anything that is going on. So if something isn’t going the way we think it should, we really only have to remember that it is in God’s hands and He has perfect timing.
Most of the news this month regards in person get-togethers over the next few months. No surprise there, but I thought we’d open a word from Pastor Randy for the men:
THE HUSBAND'S ROLE
Judging from my own life and lives of so many other Christian men I know, or have counseled, we need some serious help in understanding our roles as husbands. Quite frankly, I do not think it comes naturally, and most of us do not have good role models either. Our duties involve casting the family vision, being the priest of our home, organizational and administrative leadership, maintaining a spiritual atmosphere, loving and nurturing our wives, and children, being a manager, counselor, leader, as well as a consistent role model. We are to be a godly soul-mate, mentor, friend, protector, encourager, and devoted listener, and the list goes on. If you are like me, you will discover that being a Godly husband is an awesome responsibility. Many men fail miserably at it, and I have personally failed often. So, since our responsibility as husbands is a weighty and overwhelming burden, what should we do?
I am not trying to answer this question in this article. It would take a book. I just want us to understand that we must take our role serious enough that we "do marriage intentionally". Going down a river in a raft and seeing where you end up is not God's way of running a household, yet, many of us are adrift in the water of life.
It takes vision, courage, conviction, patience, devotion, love, humility, determination, sacrifice, sensitivity, as well as an unshakeable commitment to your wife or wives to be the servant leading manager of your home. I would like to encourage every man reading this to begin to allow the Holy Spirit to convict you about your role. If you need some guidance on the basic Biblical responsibilities you and I are to be actively engaged in, perhaps you can start be reading "The Exemplary Husband", by Stuart Scott. This book is not written with polygynists in mind, however, if we would learn how to treat each of our wives as suggested in this book, we would be "doing marriage intentionally".
LOCAL group NEWS
A Dallas-area Biblical Families get-together is happening on Sunday afternoon/evening, February 15th! This should be a great time for those in the area to get-together again, or even for those hours away who need some support and connecting. Please write: sweetlissa2@yahoo.com for details on time/location.
The Orlando area fellowship had 8 adults at their last Monday night meeting! Regular home group Monday night meetings will continue – if you happen to be in the area, feel free to join us.
A southern Missouri weekend get-together may be happening before too long – if you are in that general area and would like to talk to the organizer, drop us an email: staff@biblicalfamilies.org
If you’d be interesting in hosting an area meeting at your home, contact us – if there’s not yet enough members near you, that may change over time.
RETREAT NEWS
If you haven’t yet made it to a Biblical Families retreat, you won’t know what you’re missing, until you’ve made it to one. If your family is seriously considering growing, or you are considering joining a family, or you are living in a plural family, we’ve got the fellowship you need – and you’ve got what we need!
Our upcoming North Carolina mountain retreat on March 27th-29th near Asheville has gotten quite a bit of interest and looks to be quite well attended. Many of the cabins at the campground are now rented by our group, but some are still available, and there are hotels close by. We are looking forward to a very “intimate” retreat with shared meals (for those who want to participate), and a great family location. (Much better than a hotel meeting room.) If you haven’t yet written and would like location and retreat details, write us soon: Nathan@biblicalfamilies.org This should be a great time of fellowship, sharing, bonding, learning, and worship.
Next up is our 4th annual Orlando retreat on Memorial Weekend (May 22nd-25th)- Pastor Randy and his family plan to be present and sharing. This will be our “signature” retreat for 2009. Piggy-back it with a vacation, and bring the whole family! Write for details.
We’re just too swamped with these events to nail down plans for the 2nd half of the year, but we’ve gotten a lot of feedback on a West Coast retreat for the fall, and will settle on a date after the spring retreats wrap up. A Dallas retreat will be announced later also.
PRAYER
Can we ask you to pray for Biblical Families? That’s God direction would be the only one followed, that we’d be in a position to help those families that truly need it, that He would protect all of us from negative attention as we grow and keep away those who don’t have a love for God’s ways. Also pray for help in some practical areas: internet, regional and retreat help. We already recognize that we could do more, and we have plans and ideas – but the Lord will have to make a way in helpers, time, and offerings.
As always, let us know how we can serve you, just write us at: staff@biblicalfamilies.org
In His Name,
Biblical Families.org Staff
------------------------------
We’ll close with an inspirational note from Pastor Randy’s wife Lissa:
Where is my trust?
Back in March when we moved to Texas, I received a job offer within a week of relocating. That was wonderful, but the pay was about half of what I had been earning back in Nevada. I was a little nervous going to work for such a low wage, but I really felt that God had led me to this job. So with Pastor Randy’s and T’s blessing I accepted the job. I had a long commute and was spending about $50 a week in gasoline just to go to and from work. The commute was about an hour each way. I also started back to college within a month, so my life was pretty busy. Money was very tight because we were still trying to manage two households and so there wasn’t much time or money for fun or recreation. One day in June, the stress got to be too much for me. I was depressed and feeling so much pressure. Going back to school was much harder than I had thought it would be. I wasn’t having any fun and I felt like I was actually going backwards because my job was so far away and paid so little. On this particular day in June I had been at my job almost exactly three months. I was depressed because while I loved my job and all the people I worked with, I felt like we were coming to a place where we couldn’t afford for me to work there anymore because of the gas costs and time. I was nearly in tears, getting ready to go home when I got an email from my boss. He promoted me and told me that effective with the next month my salary would increase by about 1/3. I was so excited I ran into his office, hugged him and told him how grateful I was for him.
Several times over the past months I have caught myself thinking “if only” this were true, or that were true I could stop worrying and just enjoy life. But the reality is that Paul told us in Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere in all things I am instructed to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Because of this I have been challenged to find myself content in whatever state I am. I don’t always succeed but I do try. It has made me question where my faith is. Is my faith in my paycheck? Or in my friends? My husband or my sister? Is my faith in the wrong place? Am I fully trusting my heavenly Father to provide for me? I look at the journey I have taken in the past two years and I think of how far I have come. I live in a new state, have gone back to college, started a new career, become part of a new family. Every step of the way has been scary and full of risks. But through it all, I had only to hold tight to my Lord and follow his leading wherever he took me.
The God we serve is awesome and mighty. He is also loving and kind. He takes care of the details so that we don’t have to. And His plan is a million times better than anything I could ever think of.
Recently, while going through my latest class, Algebra, I was stressed to the absolute limits I could imagine. Randy was gone, I was still trying to move into a new apartment, my work was very challenging and I was working on a subject I hadn’t even looked at since 1984. Every day was a fresh reminder of how stupid I was and what a failure I am. But God didn’t make me stupid and He didn’t make me a failure. Having the faith to persevere, knowing that God was on my side was difficult but it truly strengthened my faith. I had faith the size of a mustard seed and my God moved the mountain called Algebra.
My goal here is to always remember that once I have placed my trust in God, I need to just let him take care of things. He doesn’t need my help, only my obedience. Another thing I have learned is that he isn’t surprised by anything that is going on. So if something isn’t going the way we think it should, we really only have to remember that it is in God’s hands and He has perfect timing.