"Dynamic Marriage" Class

Coming Soon

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STUDY BLOG

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360 DADS DINNER

February 11th @ 6:30pm

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Winter X-Games

Elementary Aged Lock-In

February 15th - 16th

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Dates TBD

FATHER/SON ADVENTURE

May 30th - June 1st

JUNE 20th - 22nd

SEPTEMBER 20th

PARENTS' DAY OUT

December 6th

COMING SOON

THE GOLDEN COMPASS

BIBLE STUDY

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info@yourfamiliesforward.com

One of the key characteristics of a strong family is time spent together.  Strong families spend time together – quality time in generous quantities with each other.  Too many families find themselves time-bankrupt.  Dad and mom both work.  There’s soccer on Monday, PTA on Tuesday, mid-week Bible study on Wednesday, visitation on Thursday and Friday evening is swimming practices.  Saturday is no better with a men’s study breakfast and a full day at the soccer fields.  Sunday is just as busy, although most of the time we manage to squeeze in time for a church service – with any luck we’ll make it too Sunday School.  So much work, so many commitments, so many responsibilities, so much to do.  We’ve let that become the norm in our families and societies.

As parents, we must guard our family’s time.  We have to make it a priority to spend time together.  We cannot get to know each other if we are never together as a unit.  So parents, the responsibility rests squarely on your shoulders – make time for your family to be together.  Let me offer some suggestions – from my family to yours…

Suggestion #1 – Share meals together

Suggestion #2 – Do house and yard chores together

Suggestion #3 – Play together

Suggestion #4 – Read together

Suggestion #5 – Enjoy faith-based, club and school activities together

Suggestion #6 – Go camping or hiking

Suggestion #7 – Spend special events together

Suggestion #8 – Do nothing in particular – just enjoy each other’s company

One of the favorite ways to spend time together in the Foreman house is reading together.  Bed time is one of my favorite times, because that’s when my kiddos and I go on adventures.  Books and stories can take you places that you can only dream of.  There is a lot of great children’ literature out there - great stories with great characters, morals and adventures.  If you’re in the market for some good books, you might want to pick up some of the Foreman’s Favorites…

• Dragons in Our Midst (Bryan Davis) – A boy learns of his dragon past; a girl has known hers for years.  They combine their faith, courage and love to overcome an evil slayer who seeks to bring an end to dragon heritage forever.  This is a four part series.  The first book, Raising Dragons, is a contemporary fantasy novel that inspires young people to dig deep within to find their God-given strengths and use them to overcome any obstacle.

• Order of the Ancient (Karl Bastian) – This is another series that teaches our kiddos to walk bravely in the midst of challenges.  “Sometime in the not too distant future…There is one government.  One religion.  Somewhere in the midst of this new world order, full of high tech gadgets and hover vehicles, eleven year old Brent Camden is on a quest for answers.  Mysterious events lead him to discover that the world is not as perfect as it seems.

• The Case for Christ/Creator/Faith  (Lee Strobel) – This is an excellent series to help children and parents develop a deeper understanding into why they believe what they believe.  Each book challenges the reader to delve deeper into tough topics rather than just blindly accepting them.

• Game on series (Stephen D. Smith) – My boys have read these over and over.  They are engaging stories of kids in real situations, struggling with what to do and dealing with the outcomes of their decisions – both positive and negative.

And many, MANY more…there is a plethora of great reading out there for you and your family.  Don’t miss the adventures.  And, if you’ll allow me just a couple more plugs, read together.  Don’t just grab the book and send your child off to read alone.  Read together, share the adventures as a family.  And finally, don’t leave out the Good Book, the Bible.  My family has been reading Peterson’s The Message – a contemporary retelling of the accounts in the Bible.  There are amazing, humorous and exciting adventures between the covers of the Bible as well.

I hope to hear from you or see you at a Families Forward experience soon.  Enjoy your time with your family…one day you’ll look up and everything will be different.  Don’t miss the adventure!

For the FAMILY,

Tony