Friends For Life — LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries: S3Ep2. Family by Blood or Water | Dr. Dave Rueter
What’s it mean to be in a family these days? Are blood relations what decide family ties? How does Jesus shake up our understanding of family and broaden its definition? How does baptismal water bring people closer together than genetics or bloodline? Listen in as Dr. Dave Rueter leads us in the fundamentals of family.
Bio: Dr. Dave Rueter is a rostered DCE and the author of Teaching the Faith at Home and Called to Serve (both CPH) as well as a contributor to Relationships Count and Connected for Life (also both CPH). Dave is married to Andrea and has two sons, James and Wesley. Since 1998 he has served as DCE for congregations in Huntington Beach, Rancho Cucamonga, and now Livermore, CA as well as on faculty at Concordia University Irvine and the staff of the Pacific Southwest District. Dr. Rueter is certified by the Fuller Youth Institute as the official LCMS Growing Young speaker. Learn more at teachingthefaithathome.org.
“It is my aim here to explore the venture of parenthood … from within the perspective of Christian faith — which has, after all, been one of the principal sources of our culture’s formation on this question, but which … may help to point us in the direction of a true humanism.”
The Gift of Children
Children are not only a gift to their parents but also to the world. God desires that all children come to know the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus.
Jolt Junkies
Many parents are accustomed to a constant complaint litany from bored children. Have kids always been so easily bored? Have there always been so many antsy kids who can’t sit still in a classroom? There is no doubt that a major cause is the impact of mass media on kids.
How to Talk With Your Children
The first duty of love is to listen. When we really listen to a child, our compassion helps us sense the youngster’s needs, anxieties, joys and sorrows as if they were our own.
Holy Mashed Banana Gunk!
Raising children is holy and blessed work.
Getting It Together With Your Family
Families need to be prepared and equipped for the high points and struggles of daily life, as well as the times of crisis. By making a commitment to one another to keep Christ at the center, your family will be better able to weather the storms life may bring.
Controlling the Influence of Media
The article provides steps to help control the influence of the media in our homes.
Birth Plans
As America’s birth rate wanes, our societal fixation on the gestational trimesters, infant milestones and childhood “firsts” increases exponentially.
A New Look at Family Devotions
Do you struggle over family devotions? Maybe some new ideas will help. The goal is to have fun while learning about and sharing God’s love. After all, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones” (Prov. 15:30).
A Mother’s Prayer
Monica never quit praying for her son. God’s answer overwhelmed her.
All Those Glowing Rectangles
Screens make it hard for us to concentrate on real people and experiences, they disrupt our natural rhythms of rest, and they can be disruptive in other ways. Technology is a blessing when used carefully.
Adoption Advocacy in the LCMS
In 1996, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations addressed adoption in the context of practices such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization. While the gift of procreation is a profound and beautiful testimony to the blessedness of marriage and reveals one of marriage’s most fundamental purposes, marital goodness is not limited by procreation. Where procreation is not possible, many couples choose to adopt a child into their family and, regardless of intention, also reflect the divine love that leads God to adopt us as His own (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5).
