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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Family Devotions

Did anyone read Eat, Pray, Love? I did, and overall I really didn't like it. I thought the author came across as a self-involved, self-indulgent spoiled brat. She made me roll my eyes and she made me annoyed. She even made me mad. They're making a movie about it and Julia Roberts is playing Elizabeth Gilbert. Ugh. I will admit though that the Pray section of her memoir made me jealous. The connection she was able to make with God filled me with a bit of longing. For some reason I haven't been able to let it go since reading that darn book.

I have actually been looking for a way to better connect and build a stronger relationship with God through Jesus Christ for a while now. The book just confirmed the longing. I love the feeling I get at church with the sermons, the music and community. By Monday though, most of that feeling is gone and I have to wait until Sunday to recapture it. I was raised Christian, but never consistently went to church. I have never read the Bible. We now attend church on a regular basis and I know I want something more, but where to begin?

Every year our church kicks off a new round of small groups and when I saw in the roster that neighbors two blocks away were hosting a small group discussion on Family Devotions, I thought it might be a good place to start. I've felt for a while that I don't want to just go through the motions with the kids of going to church, saying our prayers, etc. I wanted it to mean more. But how could I make it meaningful for us as a family if I wasn't feeling genuine about it?

The Family Devotions series is intended to get families reading small parts of the Bible together, and then reflecting and discussing on what was read. For someone intimidated by the Bible, I figured this would be a great way to get me reading and feeling more comfortable with it.

The first discussion tonight was about broken promises and we read from Colossians 3:12-17:

...you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful...

I get upset with Art the other day about something quite trivial. When I read this verse it struck such a chord with me for many reasons. I feel like I have found just the right place to start my journey.

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