Compelling Statistics

Created by: College At Home

Five Generations

There are only four of us pictured here, but I wanted to share the picture anyway. Unfortunately, my grandma could not be here for Christmas this year. They spent it in the mountains of Arizona with my uncle. He lives totally off the grid. My hero! One day I would like to be just like him.

It is SO cool having so many generations together at once. What a privilege to have young grandparents. My grandparents are actually younger than Pat's parents. Talk about weird. I do not recall their exact ages, but my grandparents are only in their mid-70's. My mom, pictured at right, will be 59 in March. That is pretty cool, too. Pat's mom is 78, I think. His dad was 79 when he passed away in November. He would have been 80 this coming February. I am sure that time will be hard for everyone. I know the first couple birthdays, holidays, and Father's Day's were hard for me when my dad passed. He was only 57 when he died of Male Breast Cancer.

I am pictured to the left in the picture. My birthday was last week, and I turned 38. My daughter, Amy, is 22 and holding our oldest grandchild, Harmony, who is three-and-a-half. Those halves matter when you are young! Have you ever heard a mom tell someone the age of their child and the child chimes in, "AND A HALF!"? I think that is too cute. If only they knew that making oneself older looses it's charm at about 29 years old.

Happy Father's Day!

Today's sermon at church was about Joseph the earthly father of Jesus. We hear a lot about Mary, but not much is said about Joseph. There is a lot we can learn from his willingness to follow God, accept a pregnant wife, and father a child not of his own seed.

Did God have a purpose in choosing Joseph as the earthly father of Jesus? All of God's actions are with purpose. Joseph was a loving man. He made Mary his priority. Joseph protected Jesus despite the fact that he was not his biological son. He was a man of faith.

What do we learn about faith from our parents? Whether or not we realize it we are constantly influenced by the actions of those around us. Who better to determine our character than our parents.

What kind of role model are you to your children and the youth of your community?

How do you live your life?

What ethics are you teaching?

What do you teach the next generation?

You may not have a lot of time. What are you doing with yours?

Joseph was a man of character and strong morals. Maybe it is time we thought about Joseph and the example he set before us. Our society has been systematically destroying the integrity of our families. We need our fathers. Fathers are protectors, teachers of the proper use of power, instillers of work ethic, demonstrators of respect, and examples of morality.

What kind of father are you?