Jonathan and I make it a point to have our children with us in the main church service the entire time so that they too can learn to worship God in a proper manner and context.
We show them by example how to publicly worship our living God. That’s what really changes our child’s life.
Our family is our first ministry because it is our first line of responsibility. When it is time to minister to someone truly in need, we are able to do so because we are available, and not already burned out on secondary activities.
Because we are able to, we also enjoy spontaneous opportunities to minister to others through hospitality and visiting.
(added summer 2009: As I update this webpage, I’m realizing that our family’s physical ability to serve in the church has increased over the past couple of years as our children are able to help out with many “to-do’s” like showing hospitality toward widows when we invite them over, acting as greeter at church, helping me with church fellowship hour or child care for other people’s children, cleaning the property on church clean up day, etc. … and because they’ve been raised to love the Lord, they do so cheerfully.)