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HEALTHY FAMILIES FOR ETERNITY

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Solomon, through inspiration, offers a<br />

collection of wise sayings for people interested<br />

in living a life without regrets and unnecessary<br />

pain. He counsels: “Hear, my son, your father’s<br />

instruction, and forsake not your mother’s<br />

teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your<br />

head and pendants for your neck. My son, if<br />

sinners entice you, do not consent.” Proverbs 1:8-<br />

10 (ESV)<br />

Parents are responsible for the guidance and<br />

moral instruction of their children, leading to<br />

a prodigious quality of life. When Solomon<br />

admonishes the disciple to hear, he is suggesting<br />

the need for taking heed to the counsel being<br />

given. Not only is the father to be listened to—<br />

but also the mother—whose teaching is from her<br />

faithfulness to the Word of God.<br />

The theme for this year is Healthy Families<br />

for Eternity. This multifaceted notion can only<br />

become effective in the families of the church, as<br />

we train our children to live based on the teachings<br />

that God has provided since the beginning of<br />

time. Only by choosing to live faithfully will<br />

we be able to enjoy the kind of relational health<br />

that honors God, and at once prepares us for the<br />

coming of Jesus Christ.<br />

Requisite for parents to be most influential in<br />

the relational and spiritual health of their children<br />

is that they enjoy a relatively healthy marriage.<br />

Should parents not be married to each other,<br />

Preface<br />

having a robust and working relationship with the<br />

person they are co-parenting with, and a viable<br />

and intimate relationship with God are essentials<br />

for creating a place for healthy and dynamic<br />

discipleship to germinate.<br />

Referencing the kind of atmosphere that makes<br />

for healthy relationships within the home and<br />

prepares a family for the coming of Jesus Christ,<br />

Ellen White states in The Adventist Home: “The<br />

sweetest type of heaven is a home where the Spirit<br />

of the Lord presides. If the will of God is fulfilled,<br />

the husband and wife will respect each other and<br />

cultivate love and confidence”. (Chapter 1, p. 15).<br />

It is our sincere desire that the families in our<br />

churches around the world will become centers<br />

of discipleship and hope. Where the fruit of<br />

the Spirit is the practice of each day—love, joy,<br />

peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,<br />

gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23a);<br />

as we trust God to keep us ready until the day He<br />

comes for us.<br />

For stronger and healthier families,<br />

Willie and Elaine Oliver, Directors<br />

Department of Family Ministries<br />

General Conference of<br />

Seventh-day Adventists<br />

World Headquarters<br />

Silver Spring, Maryland, USA<br />

family.adventist.org<br />

<strong>HEALTHY</strong> <strong>FAMILIES</strong> <strong>FOR</strong> <strong>ETERNITY</strong> REACH THE WORLD<br />

V

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