tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4253506665415753283.post6468348095577483599..comments2023-12-18T16:47:45.600-08:00Comments on my church journey: it takes a family to raise a child? or a church? or a village? or?Norma Hill - aka penandpapermamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02034679415355279691noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4253506665415753283.post-63641597400813004762010-07-14T13:34:28.594-07:002010-07-14T13:34:28.594-07:00hello again, Dan!
I have posted the conversation ...hello again, Dan!<br /><br />I have posted the conversation as <a href="http://normajhill.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">raising our children in community? - a conversation</a>. Thanks so much!<br /><br />I, too, thought was institutional church involvement was equated with relationship with God. <br /><br />And I too had a strongly supportive community, partly church-related, partly our family connections, partly neighborhood.<br /><br />But those things aren't always easily available nowadays, and my kids really didn't have that kind of support - and I came to realize that my efforts to provide it for them myself and within our little family was not sufficient. I didn't know what to do and had to throw myself on Father.<br /><br />I know that my kids didn't see that relationship with Father very much in my own life when they were young - but in their teens and as young adults they have seen that relationship developing (slowly - I'm a rather slow learner, and stubborn, I'm afraid), and I have been honest with them about my questionings and my ups and downs. That is something I really didn't see, that kind of honesty, when I was growing up, despite communities that were supportive in other ways. I'm learning that honesty and openness are so important. <br /><br />So yes, definitely, I agree that relationship with God is key in our childrens' spiritual growth! <br /><br />(One other thing: In my youth, we tended to "be Christians because our parents were Christians" - but when we grew up and moved out, it was awfully easy to lose that. We need to point our children toward developing their own relationship with Father - and that, I think, can seem risky to us as parents! But in the end, it is wise and caring - and forces us to draw even closer to Father and trust Him even more.)<br /><br />lol... maybe I should have added this as a comment on the new post :-)Norma Hill - aka penandpapermamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02034679415355279691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4253506665415753283.post-27139858711509584832010-07-14T11:43:00.266-07:002010-07-14T11:43:00.266-07:00Norma,
Thanks for sharing your insights!
I like ...Norma,<br /><br />Thanks for sharing your insights!<br /><br />I like that you seem to emphasize that a relationship with God is the most important element in the Spiritual growth of our children... I hope to foster that within my family.<br /><br />I had always understood that the amount I was involved in institutional church reflected my relationship with God. It is still hard to shake those ideas. I catch myself making judgments about others based on this false notion!<br /><br />I grew up knowing all about close knit community, it was not necessarily a community of believers, but it was a community that cared for each others' families. These people played a huge role in my development and understanding of the world. I pray that I can be part of a Christ centered community that will influence my kids as much as the community I grew up in influenced me! <br /><br />I would love for you to share our conversation as a post. I was hoping you would as I read through your comment so I could share a link with some other people I think would be interested.<br /><br />-DanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4253506665415753283.post-22806318095703294482010-07-14T10:09:40.466-07:002010-07-14T10:09:40.466-07:00Tough questions. Our 5 children spent a lot of th...Tough questions. Our 5 children spent a lot of their growing-up years in a community where often we were very alone as believers. We had many close relatives there who weren't believers, as well. It really was impossible to hide our kids from the world around them. So we really did try to "raise them to be smart critically-thinking people..." I ended up homeschooling our last 3 years there - and we spent a lot of that time honestly delving into those issues. <br /><br />We finally moved when our kids got into their teens. We went to a "better" community - and I suppose I wish I could say that everything went perfectly after that. It didn't (you can read about it at my blog <a href="http://mothersjourney.shawwebspace.ca/" rel="nofollow">A Mother's Journey</a>), though it certainly became an amazing adventure with Father.<br /><br />Our kids are grown now (all in their twenties) and we have 7 grandchildren. One of our daughters and her family are very joyfully involved in a Baptist church (she being the one who struggled most in her teens). The others don't "go to church" but I know they all believe. We still are "critically-thinking" - and praying - together, though we are scattered far and wide. <br /><br />When they were young, I hoped they would all grow up and be Christians and go to church. When we went through those teen years, I really came to know Father, and my prayers changed - that they too would come to know Father, and would come to joyfully be part of His family, in His plan and purpose for each of them. I see that happening, day by day, step by step. It's a long process, a convoluted journey, definitely an adventure with many unexpected twists and turns - it's surely not a tidy package. <br /><br />But always God is in the center of it. I have had to let Him take over "responsibility" for my kids. And I have peace. <br /><br />My own de-traditional-church-ing in my own journey with Father has been a part of it. It has seemed that the more I myself have been able to let go of "going to church," the more open my children have become to Father ("church" became a real problem for them - some very bad experiences along the way... as it has been for my husband also, who is First Nations and was sent by the Canadian government to a church-run residential school). <br /><br />I am delighted to see my chldren and my Heavenly Father growing in relationship together. (It's improved my relationship with them too).<br /><br />I AM looking for a "community of believers" here... but I guess I am kind of skittish, terrified of being dragged back into "churchianity" ... and my many "church friends" are pretty much avoiding me - I guess maybe I am seen as apostate or something. My closest brothers and sisters now are local street people who have come to know Jesus! We eat and visit together, and talk about Jesus. That's church, isn't it!<br /><br />But then I find myself struggling with thinking that church should be more! I guess the old ways are still clutching to me.<br /><br />Wow! This is way more than a "comment in return." Maybe I should re-post it as a post. Would you mind if I do that, starting with your comment, and then following with mine?<br /><br />I would love to see this become a conversation among many.Norma Hill - aka penandpapermamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02034679415355279691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4253506665415753283.post-59170397607558657972010-07-14T06:10:31.879-07:002010-07-14T06:10:31.879-07:00Great Post!
Several Great points!
My wife and I ...Great Post!<br /><br />Several Great points!<br /><br />My wife and I have very young children (all 3 are under 3 years old) and we have started asking ourselves these questions, since they will be exposed to outside influences very soon we want to deal with that as best we can. This is why we want to start really pursuing and becoming a part of the community of believers. We also wonder, as you talk about in your post, what we do about those we disagree with. Do we try to hide their ideas from our kids? don't let them listen to certain music? don't let them learn about evolution in school? don't let them watch that program or read that book? we want to raise them to be smart critically-thinking people who can deal with problems when we aren't there to protect them. We don't really know what to do exactly and are very open to hearing how others have done it.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing this post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com