The Waltons, the Brady’s, and the Cunninghams, all seemed like perfect families on TV and maybe you wish your family was more like them, but instead you’re stuck with The Munsters. Even in the best of families, there is conflict, dysfunction and brokenness. Rather than trying to cover up these facts of life, during this series, we’ll dive into the reality of being part of a family in a broken, imperfect world.
What can we help you find?
My Perfect Family
My Imperfect Childhood
April 3, 2016
by Mark Stuenzi
When we grow up without the blessing of a mom or dad, we can spend the rest of our lives seeking to fill the emptiness that we carry forward from our childhood. We see this play out through the story of Jacob and Esau. Lacking his father’s affirmation, Jacob schemes to get his father’s formal blessing by dressing up like Esau. We especially crave our parents’ blessing, and without it, we may become angry and driven, or detached and empty.
My Imperfect Spouse
April 10, 2016
by Paul McGuinness
Our culture puts a lot of emphasis on falling in love, what’s difficult is staying in love. Philippians 2 gives some of the most profound wisdom about how to make relationships, including our marriage relationships, work. One of the reasons so many people have a hard time staying in love, is they build their marriage relationships on insufficient models. Even though he was never married, Jesus provides us with the best model for what it takes to stay in love.
My Imperfect Marriage
April 17, 2016
by Dan White
One of the most common relationship myths is our culture is the myth that says, “If I marry the right person, everything will be all right.” The downside of this myth is that couples can give up at the first sign of trouble, assuming that they found the “wrong” person. If you believe that a good marriage is based on finding the right person, you won’t find much help in Scripture. Instead of asking, “Did I find the right person?” the Bible forces us to ask, “Am I becoming the right person?”
Imperfect Parenting
April 24, 2016
by Mark Stuenzi
The hard truth about parenting is that even when we’ve done our best, our kids can choose to turn away from our faith and values. Despite our best efforts, children don’t always choose the ideal path. How do we respond as parents when our kids fall short of our dreams and desires for their lives? Remember that even God has rebellious kids and his wisdom for us includes praying for them, patiently waiting, loving them, accepting them unconditionally and forgiving them completely.
My Imperfect Past
May 1, 2016
by Mark Stuenzi
Someone once said, “Your present will someday become your past and your past will eventually show up in your future.” Some of the deepest pain we experience in life is the pain of family wounds, and if we don’t deal with those hurts appropriately, we can carry them into our own families. In this message, we will talk about forgiveness and how to set aside the baggage from our very real family histories, and break the patterns of our past.