Five Minute Family

Hosted by Clear View Retreat

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Feb 2026

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About the show

Your family matters. And, it is in the random minutes throughout the day when you can show just how much you love them. Five Minute Family is a quick five-minute podcast to give you encouragement, ideas, and biblical wisdom to get you motivated to begin investing five minutes a day (that snowball into more and more minutes) to transform your family life.

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February 28, 20265 min

Salvation

Who is Jesus? And, what does He mean to you?

May 6, 20254 min

How to Handle a Financial Problem

Good morning, Five Minute Families. How are you doing today? Do you have running water? Indoor plumbing? A roof over your head? A meal today? 23 out of every 10,000 Americans have experienced homelessness, and over 11% of Americans are living below the poverty level. What do we do if we find our family is experiencing a financial crisis?In 2 Kings, we read about a widow whose children would be taken into slavery in order to pay the family’s debts. This was standard practice back then. But, what family would ever want to be broken up simply for trying to live? Obviously, that is not standard practice today, but finding ourselves in tough financial times can happen to any family. So, let’s discuss five steps we need to take based on 2 Kings 4:1-7 (paraphrased slightly for time’s sake) [The widow] cried out to Elisha, “My God-fearing husband has died. Now, the creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves.” Elisha asked her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go out and borrow empty containers from all your neighbors. Do not get just a few. Then go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these containers. Set the full ones to one side.” So she left. After she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing her containers, and she kept pouring. When they were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” But he replied, “There aren’t any more.” Then the oil stopped. She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.” So, what can we learn from this story?First, appeal to God. The widow appealed to God’s prophet Elisha, but we have the privilege of going directly to our heavenly Father. Bring your prayers and outpouring of fear, concerns, and frustrations to the Lord. He can handle hearing all of it, even if it is from a situation you or someone in your family created. Second, be willing to use what you already have. Sometimes, God drops manna from heaven because He knows we have no resources. And, other times, He will expect us to be aware of our current blessings and abilities, so mark them all down. Leave nothing out. Maybe you are great at cleaning the house as a family. Ask your church if they need extra hands for the cleaning crew. If your church can’t pay, maybe then your kids can attend camp at no cost. You get the idea. Third, humble yourselves. Specifically, realize that you may need to ask for help. The widow and her sons asked all their neighbors for their vessels. By asking, they had to admit to these people that they were in need. While we may want to keep our financials in the dark, the reality is that if we are going to trust God, sometimes, we have to open our lives up to others’ awareness.Fourth, wherever the Lord leads your family to work, barter, or get help, put your full effort into it – in front of and behind the scenes. The widow and her sons were the only ones who knew what was happening behind the scenes. And, that is ok. In fact, it is good. We don’t need to always live in a spotlight. We want God to be the one to get the glory, not ourselves.Fifth, expect that God will do more than you expected. The oil kept pouring, so the widow asked for another vessel. And, she didn’t know what the oil filling was for. She did each step without knowing what the full detailed outcome would be but she trusted in the Lord, nonetheless. Not only did God’s provision cover debt, it gave this family the opportunity to stay together and have something to live on. If these five steps don’t apply to you because you are not a family in need at this time, pay attention for signs that someone around you might be in need. Be approachable. Don’t just try to throw money at the problem. Maybe mom or dad needs help writing a quality resume. Maybe they need a cooked meal delivered with all the fixin’s and drinks, big enough for leftovers, to ease a bit of the scheduling burden and give them a bit of breathing room. Listen and try to point out their talents and what they do have while praying for God to move. Being in a tough financial spot as a family can be challenging, but if you stand together, work together, and pray together, God can and will see you through it. Be blessed!

April 29, 20255 min

Are you bored?

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Have you ever thought about what you are going to do when you just don’t want to do anything anymore? Now, we are not talking about wanting your life to end. If you are having those thoughts, please seek help immediately. We are talking here about when you just don’t feel like doing the stuff you know you have to do. You stop liking the direction of your work, the direction of your home life, or the direction of your church, so instead of continuing to work toward something good and positive in those areas, you would rather just leave – find a new job, find a new love, or find a new church.Again, let us define what we are not talking about today. We are not talking about needing a new job to make ends meet or leaving a toxic work environment; we are not talking about leaving an abusive family member for your protection and the protection of your loved ones, and we are not talking about leaving an unbiblical gathering of people that calls itself a church. We are talking about you – those of you who fit the following description - your work environment is healthy, your family is ok, and your church stands on biblical principles. You – you don’t want to engage in these or other relational areas of your life, and it isn’t because you are depressed. You are bored.You might not think you are bored, but the “every day” of your routine, the knowing how a family member will respond before you even see them, the constant tradition of church and church events… all of those put your mind on automatic pilot and can become tiresome. You want something new, something different. Think about that for a minute. As you desire “something new,” it means that you no longer have the same interest in the “something old.” Leaving some or all of your relationships simply over boredom seems extreme, yet if more people were more self-aware, they would see that is exactly what they have done or are contemplating doing. Hopefully, you are not in the “have done it” category, but you might be in the “contemplating it” category or the “I hadn’t even realized I was going down this road” category.So, start with putting your devices down! Phones and other electronic devices offer up new images every second. The authors of one journal analysis stated that “digital media increases boredom through dividing attention, elevating desired level of engagement, reducing sense of meaning, heightening opportunity costs, and serving as an ineffective boredom coping strategy.” And, the reality is that most of us have made idols of our digital media devices. We need to meditate on Psalm 135:15-18 “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.”Do the next thing you need to do, no matter how you feel about it. Sometimes, we need to do what we need to do without the emotions. Feelings of happiness are not a promise. However, joy is a promise when we work with the Holy Spirit. It is a choice and a skill, not a feeling. Part of practicing the skill of joy is taking our thoughts captive and choosing to avoid complaining, and that includes internal complaining even if we have our external complaining under control. God tells us in Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without complaining or arguments” for good reason.And, speaking of good, are you looking for the good things that happened today? Practice gratitude. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Take time to write out the good things that are happening every single day.Our fourth tip today is to get outside. There are numerous studies showing that getting into nature can help reduce feelings of isolation, promote calm, and lift your mood. One recent study of 20,000 participants revealed that you must spend at least two hours per week in green spaces to report better psychological health. Sit outside to drink your midmorning coffee at work, go for a walk with loved ones after dinner, and plan a church fellowship at the local park.And, finally, do try something new… something new that grows with all the relationships you have in your life right now. Maybe ask work if you can head up a different project or go to a course to expand your knowledge. Ask your loved ones to change up what parts of the daily routine that you can. Try a different Sunday school class or start a Bible study at home. Proverbs 21:5 encourages us to plan and be diligent - “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”Remember five-minute families, don’t throw away your lives looking for the easiest path for change – such as those devices. Look for ways to enrich your life and the lives of your loved ones by dropping the boredom and building strong, exciting memories together. Be blessed!

April 22, 20255 min

Emotion as Information

Good morning, five minute families. How often do we hide our emotions as adults, ignore them, and never acknowledge their roots? How often do we try to get our kids to only show their happiness? We have discussed emotions before on the Five Minute Family at the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024. In those past five minute family devotions, we discussed emotions that are shown in the Bible as well as how to demonstrate our emotions in a positive way. Please check those out if you want even more information on how to handle emotions in your five-minute family household.Previously, we mentioned how feelings should not be our guides. Specifically, “Feelings are a gauge, not a guide.” Along those lines, I recently heard the quote, “All emotion is information.” So, today, we want to dive deeper into how an individual needs to evaluate his or her own emotions as information and how parents can help children learn this skill. Evaluating our emotions and gleaning the information they are telling us are important steps to having healthy family relationships. If you have any social media account or watch any screen today, you know that there is so much self-care, self-help, trauma-informed, information floating around out there. Some of it is good and helpful, but some of it leads us into so much focus on self that we literally make ourselves our own god. We are not encouraging you to be so self-focused that you idolize self. Remember, James 4:10, Matthew 23:12, and other verses encourage us to humble ourselves. That means we have to focus our “emotion as information” search on, ultimately, how this helps us grow closer to the Lord.If you or someone in your family needs to do a deep dive into the reasons behind their emotions, here are five ways to get started on building a strong emotional self-control:Use an emotions wheel. There are numerous ones out there, but sometimes simply saying, “I’m angry” doesn’t really convey the depth of the emotion or the impact it is having on us and our family. An emotions wheel or chart will give you a way to better pinpoint what your emotion is and what it is telling you. Identify negative patterns. You can do this through charting. Write down what negative behaviors you or your loved one exhibited. Include then the emotions that you or they can identify came before the behavior as well as the situation you were in. If you or your child aren’t able to follow the patterns yourself, help one another. Parents, we somewhat naturally notice patterns in our children’s behavior, but if we cannot see the patterns in our own, we must ask someone else to keep the chart for us (and we have to be open to honesty). Journal. I know, I know. A lot of people say, but I’m not a writer. Well, ok, then. Be like David and play an instrument, see what different chords you play more often in certain emotional states. If you don’t write or play music, then listen to others’ music. Write down what music makes you feel better and what music causes negative reactions to unfold. Also in the line of journaling, without worrying about making complete sense to someone else, write down single words or phrases that seem to come to your mind often. Watch others. People watching is more than just a pastime. It is helpful to evaluate emotions that you watch others go through. Of course, it is a bonus if you can have a thoughtful conversation and see if your ideas were correct. In the home, this means that we parents cannot assume what our children’s tones or facial expressions mean. Share what you think or how you interpret them, but then let your child give you feedback on whether you are correct. You could even use the emotional wheel for clarification. And, last on our list for today… Seek support. Speak with your pastor, mentor, coach, a trusted friend, or possibly even a medical professional. If you feel as if your emotions are out of control, or that you are angry all the time, you may need someone to help you sort through all those emotions and thoughts. We become better able to take our negative thoughts captive when we properly evaluate the emotions that precede those negative thoughts. The Holy Spirit gives us guidance. Read God’s word daily, and pray continually, especially if someone in your home is having emotional control issues. An angry parent is scary to children and an out-of-control teenager can cause harm to the household needs. So, parents, remember to demonstrate the emotional control process for your children. It is a skill set that is learned. As always, we are thankful that you joined us today. Clear View Retreat is a nonprofit organization that exists to draw families closer together, so check out our website at clearviewretreat.org and let us know how we can support your family or community. Be blessed!

April 15, 20254 min

Responding

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Have you ever ignored a family member? Now, be honest. You know you have. We all have. When we’re angry. When we’re distracted. When we’re tired. But, to what cost? When your child runs up to hug you and you keep typing out a text or when your spouse points out a beautiful bird outside the window and you keep watching your show, what impact do you think you are having on your family?Our loved ones reach out in myriad ways throughout the day. Dr. John Gottman found that in marriages where spouses only responded to those attempts to connect about one third of the time, the couple was less happy than in marriages where spouses responded to each other nine out of ten times. This makes me think of how in the Psalm 13 opens with the statement “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” And later in the same psalm, “But I have trusted in your lovingkindness; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.” Those same feelings can accompany being ignored, but remember we are all human and are not perfect and we can trust in the goodness of God and try to be the nine out of ten times responder. Currently, I am going through some medical stuff. I keep talking to and showing Jim my concerns. He looks every time and gives me a sympathetic response. He can’t fix it, and there really isn’t much he can do to help, but he acknowledges my pain and discomfort and still periodically asks if there is anything he can do for me. It means the world to me that he acknowledges what I am going through.Five points to remember when you are working to make sure you are responding well - or getting better about responding…Even when you “aren’t feelin’ it,” you need to respond positively to your loved ones, or, well, maybe that should be ESPECIALLY when you aren’t feelin’ it. Love is not simply a feeling. Love is an action. God’s word describes love as an action word because it is bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Spend some time this week with your family reading and memorizing 1 Corinthians 13. When you meditate on God’s ACTIONS of love, you will find that it will become easier and easier to respond in love, no matter what you are feeling in the moment.Plan screen-free or device-free times in your family. We are all too distracted to-day. Train your brain away from the dopamine response of the devices and instead get the “feel good” hormone of dopamine by making time to eat together and exercise together. Go for a walk, turn on the music and dance. You get the idea.The flip side of device-free time would be to use your devices as tools for connection. Set reminders, share memes, text one another, video chat, and of course call. Folks have the possibility of being more connected than ever, if we would simply use the tools we have wisely. If you didn’t hug back or respond in real time, seek out your child or spouse, and ask for a do-over. Apologize if needed and then hug. Research shows that a 20 second hug can help to decrease the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, increase the levels of the “feeling connected” hormone oxytocin levels, and to facilitate bonding between partners. One study shows that the length of our hugs matters more than the number of hugs, though, truthfully, with teenagers, you may need to keep your hugs short if you have a teen who is struggling with hugging for a time.God is all about connection. Just think about Romans 5:8, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” As well as John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him pro-duces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” God is our model of intentional intimacy. Seek Him and He will guide your attempts at connection.No matter where you are on the “responding to one another” spectrum, remember that we can all stand to improve while walking this earthly life. God transforms hearts, and transformed hearts can learn to communicate more effectively and love more deeply than they ever thought possible. Be blessed!

March 18, 20255 min

Expectations

Good morning, Five Minute Families. What does your family expect from one another? Do you parents expect perfect obedience? Do you kids expect to get what you want when you want it? Does your family expect that everyone will make mistakes but that you will be responded to with God's grace, mercy, and forgiveness, or do you expect the silent treatment and withholding of love and affection when you do wrong or even when you do right?Our expectations dictate our contentment with our circumstances. Back in serf and lord days, serf uprisings were actually not a common occurrence. When they did happen, the quality of life expectations of the poor serfs' changed. When the little l lord didn't meet the change in expectations, an uprising would occur. Our history-buff son shared with us that this is a concept of relative poverty. Basically, if you expect a certain lifestyle and you have what you expect, you don't feel poor… Or neglected or misunderstood.Is there a member of your family with unmet expectations? Someone who is feeling poor despite the wealth of love or met needs surrounding them. For example, a child who believes he or she should have a cell phone. That kiddo will often be combative and disrespectful despite the conversations you have had with them a million times about why they don't have one yet. Unmet expectationsFive important points to remember about knowing your and your family members' expectations are:First, meditate on Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." In other words, God already knows our expectations. Are we willing to admit them to ourselves? To our family? Are we willing to take our expectations to God and allow Him to adjust them properly? Second, Proverbs 10:28 reminds us that "The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish." Are we as a family expecting good and godly things from one another, or are we wanting to pretend Robin Hood's stealing was fully justified because he gave to the poor? That we as a family can behave badly when our expectations are left unmet and then explain them away because another family member also behaved badly. It is a cycle we have to choose to stop.Third, as a five minute family, meaning we are a family running after God, we must commit to knowing God's expectations of us. In Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" How many of us expect to be able to "get back" at the person who wronged us - or wronged our kid. How many of us are unkind... especially when we're driving? How many of us are such huge "sport fans" that we act like idiots when our kids are playing, no humility and no self-control?Fourth, 2 Corinthians 9:8 states, "and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." If we expect to have better jobs, better homes, better cars, etc, we need to reevaluate what we are focused on. We need to hold to the sufficiency of God, trusting Him to provide our needs. And fifth, let's turn to Acts 3. In verse 5 we learn that the lame man was expecting some-thing from Peter and those with him, "And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them." The lame man was expecting something. He expected a hand-out, a few coins to help him be able to eat. But, Acts 3:6 tells us that Peter responded, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” Peter gave what he had! The lame man got so much more than what he expected. What about your family? Have you ever chosen to lavish them with the best you have to offer despite their only asking for a lollipop?Family member's expectations impact the family unit and, ultimately, the family identity. Make sure your family is keeping the lines of communication open. As we have discussed before unexpressed expectations can lead to alot of unnecessary hurts, so be willing to listen without judgment and go back into God's word for evaluation and possible adjustment to your expectations. Be blessed!

March 11, 20255 min

Radical Candor Explanation

Good morning, Five Minute Families. As we travelled to visit family, Kim and I were listening to a business leadership audio book titled Radical Candor, and while we don’t fully endorse everything in this book, we realized that the concept closely aligns with the key concept we teach here at Clear View Retreat – the concept of intentional intimacy. We want to spend some time today and, perhaps, more in some future weeks as well, exploring the idea of radical candor within the family context and our key concept of intentional intimacy.Kim Scott states that “Radical Candor® is what happens when you show someone that you [c]are [p]ersonally while you [c]hallenge [d]irectly, without being aggressive or insincere.” When Scott plots her two key ideas – care personally as the y-axis and challenge directly as the x-axis – into four quadrants, she has ‘ruinous empathy’ for high caring and low challenging which becomes unspecific praise and sugar-coated criticism. In low caring and low challenging quadrant, ‘manipulative insincerity’ manifests as insincere praise and harsh criticism. In the high challenge and low care quadrant, you find ‘obnoxious aggression’ which comes out as insincere praise and unkind criticism. And, again, in the high caring personally and high challenging directly quadrant you find Scott’s concept of ‘radical candor’ which is sincere praise with direct and kind criticism. *whew*Using four quadrants to – somewhat – succinctly explain the basic interaction of two concepts is an age-old visual aid. In our research we found Robert Turner using it to ex-plain discipleship as well as Dimitri Glazkov further developing his fallback theory within Scott’s ‘radical candor.’ While there are numerous enlightening four-quadrant graphics to learn from, we are going to discuss intentional intimacy primarily from Kim Scott’s radical candor illustrative quadrants that we just described and a little from Dr. Robert Kellemen’s style of parenting graphic in Gospel Centered Family Counseling (a grace-focused parenting family living and counseling theory).Radical candor can be applied to families, but let’s also review CVR’s intentional intimacy concept before we merge the two. We define intentional intimacy as “the passion and desire to pursue being known and to know another deeply for the glory of God.” Every relationship we have can benefit from a mindset of intentional intimacy, even random meetings in life. Unfortunately, many people prefer to get good at interactions with strangers and acquaintances but neglect their own family, and we want that to change dramatically for families. If we get into the practice of desiring to know others for the glory of God, we must choose to also express radical candor in caring for and challenging one another. In the numerous “one-anothering” verses we have shared with you all through the years, the elements of caring for one another and challenging one another are already there. Radical candor is required to live out those verses. John 13:34-35, John 15:12-13, Luke 10:25-37, and Romans 13:8-10 are just four of the sets of verses that admonish us to “Love one another.” And, of course, we cannot forget the second commandment of Jesus’s – love your neighbor.In Ephesians 4:11-16 we are reminded to equip one another through speaking the truth in love.Colossians 3:15-17 continues to point out that we are to teach and admonish one another with all wisdom – God’s wisdom.And, Romans 15:14 rounds out our reminders of one anothering for today when it tells us to instruct one another.One-anothering behaviors are essential to living a life of intentional intimacy, and the two pillars of intentional intimacy we teach in our family camps are family discipleship and biblical community. Family should be our first ministry. Family is also the primary mission field we will encounter as parents; thus, family is the first biblical community we are to interact with. The only thing that makes a community truly biblical is to stand on God’s truth. Likewise, family discipleship is the ultimate show of love within the context of family. God’s truth and God’s love are the most basic summaries of biblical community and family discipleship, again those two pillars of intentional intimacy. So, if we plot God’s love and God’s truth for our y- and x-axes for intentional intimacy, we can see how much the concepts line up with radical candor. Please join us next week as we continue this discussion of intentional intimacy and radical candor. We’ll get into some examples of radical candor in the business world and examples of intentional intimacy in the family. Be blessed!

February 25, 20255 min

Family Identity Questions

Good morning, Five Minute Families. We talk a lot here at Clear View Retreat about family identity. Now, obviously, there's been a lot of research into what is ‘identity’ and the word has been hijacked in so many ways. However, we really need to understand what family identity is, how our family identity impacts our individual identities, and what God has to say about His transformative power in relationship to our family and individual identities. I was reading an article recently, actually, I think it was a Facebook post. And in it the woman stated, "I had small children and could feel pieces of my former identity slipping away." I remembered a moment when Jim and I first got married and my saying to him, “I went from being primarily a daughter, aunt, and teacher to being a wife, mother, and jobless in six weeks’ time." One could say I was having a bit of an identity crisis. But the reality is that, when a new family is formed through marriage, we have the opportunity to be intentional about what type of identity our family will develop. We have to choose to think about some of the bigger questions.First, take time to discuss “What is our family's purpose?” Psalm 96:3 reads "Declare his glory among the nations. His wondrous works among all people." A Christian, five-minute family must have as its primary purpose bringing glory to God. Now, what other purposes God has for a unique family will vary greatly, but you still must intentionally discuss and pray about what your family purpose is.Second, evaluate what individual talents and weaknesses your family needs to ac-count for. Think for a while on Joshua 1:9, "Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" and 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." We are to be strong in the Lord, in the unique gifts and talents He gives us, and we need to acknowledge and rightly deal with any of our weaknesses. Third, ask yourselves “How do we serve God and others?” Just as we are each given different gifts and talents, each family will serve in God’s kingdom in different ways. Some of you are musical; some of you build things. Some families will be full-time homeland or international missionaries while other families will serve those they work with in a regular 9-5 type job. Keep in mind Joshua 24:15, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."Fourth, for the parents, consider, “What do we want our children to think or feel when they reflect back on their childhood and adolescence?” Proverbs 10:7 re-minds us that "The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot." And Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." We must make sure that our children’s home life focuses on the righteousness and goodness of God above all else. If we sink into only experiences or material possessions, we have lost sight of the most important thing we are to instill in them, as Deut. 6:4-8 reminds us, “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.”Fifth, contemplate the question, “What do we not give up on?” Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” We are NOT to give up on love, on family, on God’s desire for us to share with everyone about His saving grace. If you need to rest, rest. If you need to change course, change course. If you need to ask for forgiveness and work to mend relationships, do so. Never forget that it is never too late to do the right thing while you draw breath on this earth. God wants your family to be intentional in your family identity formation. He wants you to experience the abundant love He has for your family. Be blessed!

February 11, 20255 min

Devastation

Good morning, five minute families. We all face devastation at some point in our lives. It can be the death of someone we love; it can be the loss of a job; devastation can come in the form of a natural disaster and in so many other ways. What should we do when we or someone in our family faces a season of devastation?Before we discuss five ideas for helping one another, please remember that not everyone in the family faces the level of devastation from the same event. Of course, sometimes, the devastating event only happened to one member of the family, but as we work together as a unit, we are each impacted by those things that impact another. Sometimes, when devastation is an individual event, the individual thinks they must get through the following consequences and emotions on their own. Others may think their family is re-sponsible to help them in an almost entitled way. We must recognize the differences of impact while not isolating ourselves or our loved one in the process.When our fifth son died, our whole family experienced the same event, and yet, Jedidiah’s death impacted each of us quite differently. One son was going through a time of bullying, but he didn’t want to burden us with his concerns because of the pain he could see etched on our faces. He didn’t resent his baby brother, but he was struggling because he knew that his baby brother’s death had forever changed our family dynamic and thus our family identity. One son had been in the room when we received Jedi’s ashes. He be-came angry and acted out but couldn’t communicate why. Our youngest son lost not just a sibling but the opportunity to become a big brother; he was so looking forward to becoming more like his own big brothers in that way.Jim dove even more deeply into God’s Word. He had already not missed a day of Bible reading in I don’t know how long, but he become protective of his time with God. I couldn’t. I wanted to be calm and kind to our living children, but everything upset me. I didn’t know why God would allow such devastation into our lives, so when I did try to read His word or praise Him in worship, it usually ended in extreme anger. I found that I couldn’t even pray. My last prayer before Jedidiah died was that the Lord would take Him so that he wouldn’t suffer anymore. His very next apnea episode was his last. He died in my arms, the fear radiating from his eyes into my soul. Five of the takeaways we learned from that season of mourning and grieving were:First, acknowledge your own and others’ emotions. Hiding them away won’t help and pretending that you feel what someone else does because you think that is what they need won’t help either. Remember, anger is usually about something deeper. And, a lack of tears does not mean someone isn’t hurting. Share honestly and listen nonjudgmental-ly. Take care of yourself when you can. When you have the energy or ability to take steps forward in physical, emotional, or spiritual well-being, do so. Even baby steps will help you face each new day.Let others take care of you when you can’t. As we mentioned in our shared story, some-times a loved one is in a place of loathing or depression or something else that does not allow them to do what they ought. In some cases, take a plate of food for them if your loved one isn’t eating. Don’t admonish them if they only take one bite. Keep bringing the food. And, for those of you not caring for yourself, take a bite. If you can’t do more, just take the first bite.Try not to make other major life changes that are not absolutely necessary at this time. A family we knew wanted to sell their house where their daughter died immediately after her death. Everyone recommended they wait one year. The mom told me she wouldn’t change her mind. They still live in that home. The memories that she thought would drive her crazy have become sweet reminders of love and joy.Be patient with one another. It can be hard if one member of the family handles a devastating event better than another. Jim didn’t judge my lack of drawing closer to God or not crying out to Him about this sinful fallen world. He prayed for me; he asked our friends to pray for me. He asked our kids to pray for me. He patiently waited until the Holy Spirit could reach the walled off parts of my heart and mind.Five minute families, hold tight to Psalm 34:18 in periods of devastation: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” And remember Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Thank you for listening. Be blessed!

February 4, 20255 min

Who and Whose You Are

Good morning, Five Minute Families. It is good to be with you today. How are you and your family doing? Are you intentional in how you treat one another? Are WHO and WHOSE you are still abundantly clear in your home?As a family, we must remember fundamental truths about WHO we are in Christ. We are created in the image of God. After we have made a profession of faith, we are valuable to God as His children and as His friends. We are born of the spirit, eternally secure in God’s love. We are abiding branches in God’s tree of life, given His peace and reconciled unto Him. We will never be condemned. We are God’s heirs adopted into His forever family, chosen by grace and called into intimate fellowship with Him. Do you treat one another this way?Also as a family, we must keep at the forefront of our minds WHOSE we are. We must never forget that God is sovereign, righteous, just, and merciful. He is personal; he knows the number of hairs on our heads. He is all-powerful and omnipresent. He never changes and thus is holy, faithful, merciful, and loving, no matter what we do.If your family has lost sight of WHO and WHOSE you are, then we suggest these five steps to draw closer to God and to one another.Start small. Just like needing to lose weight, a person who goes on a crash diet might achieve some weight loss, but they will likely gain it all back again and quite possibly more. Those people who succeed in losing weight and keeping it off make dietary lifestyle changes that are sustainable and long-lasting. Loving God is the truest, longest-lasting lifestyle change. However, if you make a long crazy list of all the spiritual disciplines and try to change everything at once, you may give up a short time in. But, if you pray about the spiritual disciplines, choose one, and become diligent about implementing that change, you can then layer on more and more god-honoring habits as time progresses, building your family up. Meditate on Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”As in all goal setting, write down your plan for change. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 brings this encouragement, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”Third, each family member must choose to support one another. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Training up a child is not about teaching them the family business or the skill that mom or dad wishes they had been taught. Genuine support for one another is about spending time together, getting to know one another’s uniqueness, and following God’s guidance into the unique areas each of you have been equipped for.Fourth, get a mentor or mentor family. Apply 1 Timothy 4:7-8, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Prayerfully, learn to live life together, learning and growing and holding one another accountability. Don’t fall into the sinful trap of feeling envious or inadequate when around other god-fearing families. Each family has its own challenges. Build one another up and turn to God and God alone for the source of your strength.And, last, extend grace, mercy, and forgiveness liberally. Remember that Christ died for ALL of our sins; the ones we committed before knowing Him AND the ones we commit after knowing Him. But, if God, in His holy glory, continues to apply His grace, mercy, and forgiveness, then we must follow His lead and understand that our children and our spouses and we ourselves will sin again, and we can find reconciliation. Getting Ephesians 4:22-24 right takes time. Walking like Christ means “To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”Five minute families, thank you for joining us today. Draw closer to one another and draw closer to God, five minutes at a time. Be blessed!