The upcoming Men's Retreat and Malachi 1:11 have made me think about community. Community is what we need but it is not always easy. I love Men's Retreat and hanging out with the guys and I get nervous about it, too. There are many other examples of how we know we need relationships but we struggle with doing relationship.

Malachi 1:11 gives us help. "For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts."

God's name is so great that all the nations will honor Him. That's ultimate community with a center. When we focus on the greatness of God, we become loving and bold and fellowship becomes purposeful. How have you seen your relationship with God impact your friendships?

I thought I might start by explaining the name of my blog. Malachi 1:1 begins with the word "oracle." Literally, the Hebrew word (Masah) means a "burden." Malachi had a burden from the Lord to bear to God's people. The last verse of the book describes the heart of this message: "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers" (Malachi 4:6). This is God's oracle to us today, too. Intergenerational reconciliation, particularly in our families, is greatly needed. I hope you'll join the conversation that is ahead!

Timothy Smith raises an important issue, in his book The Danger of Raising Nice Kids. What is your parenting model? That is, what does it mean to parent? Most of us parent like our parents. Many of us parent as the world around us expects us to parent.

Tim Kimmel puts this all in a different light.

"The real test of a parenting model is how well equipped the children are to move into adulthood as vital members of the human race. Notice I didn't say "as vital members of the Christian community." We need to have kids that can be sent off to the most hostile universities, toil in the greediest work environments, and raise their familes in the most hedonistic communities and yet not be the least bit intimidated by their surroundings."

That's a new way to think about parenting! I'd be interested to read your thoughts.

Welcome to the Clunkers Series! 

The Clunkers series of messages is designed to help get our families back on the road again, spiritually. On Sunday, September 13th, we focused on how to overcome disappointment with loved ones through unconditional love, seeking progress in relationships, and investing in the eternal outcome of your loved ones. It's sad but true that we trade our loved ones in just like we trade our cars in. But our families should be more like those precious clunkers that were never traded in for the $3500 government bonus on a new car. Some clunkers hold such dear memories that they are priceless. What needs to happen for us to see our spouses and kids as priceless?

Pastor Rick