Salt & Light: A Guide to Loving Northwest Indiana

Page 78

WAYS TO CONNECT

WITH HEALTHY FAMILIES

<PZT P 3XUUTaT]RT cWa^dVW ?aPhTa ‹ Praise God for the many healthy families that live in Northwest Indiana and do their best to raise their children in loving environments. ‹ Praise God for the many biblical counselors who walk alongside families in need of restoration. ‹ 7YH` [OH[ V\Y YLNPVUZ Z[Y\NNSPUN MHTPSPLZ ^V\SK ÄUK [OL JV\UZLSPUN OLSW [OL` ULLK [V YLZ[VYL YLSH[PVUZOPWZ ‹ Pray that our family and pastoral counselors would show love and compassion every day in their ministry, and that they would have the energy to continually invest into people’s lives. ‹ Pray for young dating couples contemplating marriage to have wisdom and discernment. ‹ Praise God that he has adopted us into his family (Eph. 1:5). Pray that every family in Northwest Indiana would become a part of God’s family. ‹ 7YH` MVY WYV[LJ[PVU VM 5VY[O^LZ[ 0UKPHUHZ MHTPSPLZ MYVT HI\ZL PUÄKLSP[` HUK ULNSLJ[ ‹ Pray that our region would uphold the value of marriage and the family. ‹ Pray for parents to set aside time everyday to spend with their children. Pray for the strength and longevity of the marriages of those families. ‹ Pray that churches and organizations would work together toward fostering healthy families in our communities.

<PZT P 3XUUTaT]RT cWa^dVW H^da ;XUT ‹ 0M `V\ RUV^ VM H MHTPS` [OH[ PZ Z[Y\NNSPUN [V Z\Y]P]L ÄUHUJPHSS` VY YLSH[PVUHSS` JVTTP[ [V WYH`PUN YLN\SHYS` MVY [OLT Ask God how you might share the healing presence of Christ in their lives. ‹ Make yourself available to listen, help, and point struggling families toward effective resources. ‹ Start a biblically-based marriage study in your neighborhood. ‹ Consider becoming a marriage mentor to young couples. ‹ Consider taking counseling classes to provide you with additional skills to help mentor couples. ‹ 6WLU \W `V\Y OVTL [V MHTPSPLZ PU `V\Y ULPNOIVYOVVK ‹ In your relationships, live out what it means to be a healthy family. ‹ Uphold the value of family time together. Set a goal for planned meals together and commit to making those happen. ‹ 9LPUMVYJL H MHTPS` HMÄYTPUN J\S[\YL 9LQLJ[ LU[LY[HPUTLU[ VY WYVK\J[Z [OH[ \UKLYTPUL MHTPSPLZ I` JVUKVUPUN L_[YHmarital sexuality, domestic violence, or divorce.

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