“For some say, ‘His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.'” – 2 Corinthians 10:10

“Family is everything,” it says on the wall plaque. And in Psalm 68:6 we read, “God sets the lonely in families, …”

“HUMANS OF KAITAIA,” is a series of articles in our local paper, The Northland Age, called.

In those articles people, who live in Kaitaia, are writing about the stories of their lives and a picture of the writer is also included.

And I think I remember correctly that many people have written about their families.

Just now I am looking at the article called “My family mean the most to me.” (“Humans of Kaitaia”) I liked it so much that I have kept it.

The writer tells us about his three children and that he loves them, his mother and his wife. And then again he says, “These are the people who mean the most to me.”

I say, a Christian family is everything. Why do I say that? Because a Christian home consists of God-fearing people, namely a God-fearing Father, a God-fearing Mother and God-fearing children.

For God-fearing people the Lord Jesus Christ is everything!

“Where success is god, pride always grows strong and spreads through the soul.” – J. I. Packer

“Wir sind so mit unseren Programmen beschaeftigt, dass es uns stoert, wenn Gott zu uns spricht.” – Maria Prean

“Just perfect for getting your teenager out of the house,” I have been reading for the first time not all that long ago on the cabin.

But today I am reading about a man who had for 18 years his 4 teenagers in his home. What does he say about those years?

He says that he remembers plenty of challenges and demands. They zapped his strength and the strength of his wife at times and took all their reserves, emotionally and mentally. He mentions also the turmoil of rebellion and the struggles through it.

He says also that during those 18 years of parenting, he learned some lessons.

Here are three:

• Love your children unconditionally.
• Help your children learn to love “The Book of Books”, the Bible.
• Show your children how to have a deep love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

But he does not say that one of those cabins is “Just perfect for getting your teenager out of the house ,” but he says, “For 18 years, our home was blessed by the presence of teenagers,” because he is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Included in almost all of the 20 different advertisements on one page in our local paper today is also the same message, only the wording is a little bit different:

“Leave your car in the garage – don’t drink and drive!”

“Don’t drink and drive, arrive alive.”

“Don’t drink and drive? Legend!”

“Take advantage of our courtesy van on Thursdays and Fridays.”

“Be safe, drive sober.”

The message is of course, “Don’t drink and drive, it’s not worth the risk.” “Live for tomorrow.”

Coming Monday, October 5, 2019 is Labour Day. It is a long weekend.” (Labour Weekend)

And this is what great men have said about alcohol:

“Alcohol is a poison men take into the mouth to steal away the brain.” – Shakespeare

“A cancer in human society, eating out its vitals and threatening its destruction.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God – I say this to your shame.” – 1 Corinthians 15:34