For our last six weeks of study this spring, we are watching a video series from a church in the US, North Point. The series is called "Future Family" and is taught by pastor Andy Stanley.
This study requires no homework or reading! We just show up and watch the week's video together and then break into our blocks to discuss the study questions.
Below are the links to watch the videos from home or to share with others, along with each week's themes. Here is the overview from the church's website:
"Family.
We all have one.
While some of us loved our 'growing up' years, others of us couldn't wait to move out and start fresh.
Either way, we want our Future Family to be a step up from our families of origin. Most of us want something better for our children.
But what?
When it comes to family, what does a preferred future look like?
What exactly are we aiming for?"
We hope you will be instructed and blessed by this enlightening teaching on such an important and appropriate topic!
Check out the messages and find the discussion questions at:
http://northpoint.org/messages/future-family/
Week 1: Ideally Speaking
When the ideal is hard to attain, it's tempting to just lower the bar and redefine the ideal. This can be especially true when it comes to Jesus' teachings about family, which many of us have already fallen short of. In this message, Andy Stanley explains why aiming for God's ideal is still worth it, even when our reality makes reaching it impossible.
Week 2: Power Down
In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul drew from Jesus' use of power what is perhaps the most powerful relational teaching of all - an instruction that changes everything in family dynamics. It all comes down to asking a simple question:
What can I do to help?
Week 3: Common Cause
When it comes to family, the only thing we all have in common is conflict. Family conflict is like no other because when you win an argument in your family, you don't really win anything. The conflict is never fully resolved.
What if there was a way to resolve family conflict by dealing with it at its source?
Week 4: All the Fixin's
All children - that's you and me - long for the approval of their parents . . . especially their fathers. It's a longing that never goes away. It gets buried or transferred to other relationships, but it's there. And we underestimate its power. Every parent wants to be approved by his or her child - to be a hero, to hear, "when I grow up I want to be just like you." As that desire grows, so does a parent's insecurity.
Buried beneath the hurt, disappointment, distance, or silence is a desire to be connected to our children and our fathers. It lasts a lifetime.
Week 5: Our Way, A Way
Raising children is one of the biggest challenges in life. It requires all of our strengths and talents. It makes us keenly aware of our weaknesses. In this message, Andy and Sandra Stanley tell you everything they know about parenting. This isn't everything there is to know, just what they know.
Week 6: The Echo
When it comes to family, actions speak louder than words - they echo into the next generation. Your children and grandchildren may forget what you say, but they'll never forget what you do.