I admit to being quite excited about the upcoming series of sermons. For the next three weeks our topic will be parenting. This Sunday, Father's Day, we'll talk about how to be a M.O.D.E.L. Dad (or Mom). Then, for the next two weeks, we will talk about How To Bring Out the Best in Your Kids.
Right away this topic will either turn people on or turn them off. If you are a Mom or a Dad with children at home, then you should definitely not miss a single sermon - either at Church Requel or on the website. (Yes, we'll have each sermon available here each Sunday morning by 6 AM.) I also imagine that some folks will say to themselves, I'm not a parent... or I've finished raising my kids... this sermon's not for me. Honestly, I don't think that will be true. Basically these talks will be about relationships. Everybody can improve in that department with someone: a spouse, boss, friend, or family member.
One of the reasons I'm so excited about these sermons is because I have received soooo much help in putting them together. It would be wrong to say that I'm the original writer. (Is there anyone who could really write an entirely original parenting series?) Knowing that I have a vacation week coming up, I called my brother Todd - a retired pastor of 28 years, and asked him to send me some ideas for Father's Day. Anyone who knows Todd knows that he is a master of language and a master of acrostics. I used his M.O.D.E.L. idea for this coming Sunday.
My dependence on others didn't stop there. Once I had the basic framework in mind I began thinking through my own parenting lessons learned... as a child... as a parent... and now as a grandparent. The stories really began flowing for me. Of all my sermons, these next three may be the most personal of all. I have stories of significant things I learned about being a dad from (in my opinion) the greatest dad on earth - my own Dad! Then there are the stories of life lessons learned from my own children - each one contributing something special.
At the beginning of the second sermon (June 28th) I repeat a well worn joke about parenting. When Mary Kay and I first got married, I had no children and four theories of how to be a great parent. Now I have four grown children and NO theories of how be a great parent! But I do offer some encouragement for those on the journey. I hope you will be able to watch or listen... or even visit Church Requel sometime over the next three weeks. Hope to talk with you soon! Mark
