Celebrate the Win - November 11, 2009

Lessons from NASCAR
Everybody loves a winner!

Christian Families need to "Celebrate the Win" (even before they cross the Finish Line!)

Throughout the Bible God commands His people to celebrate with various feasts, special days and remembrances. The reason Moses gave for why Pharaoh should let Israelites go: "We will go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the LORD." Exodus 10:9

Celebration is more than just a name: It is an attitude before a gracious God. Celebration broke out in response to the prodigal son being restored by his Father. "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate." Luke 15:22-24 We as believers live each day as his children only by His wonderful grace.

Points of Celebration for Families at Church:

• Baby Dedication
• Preschool Blessing
• 3rd Grade Bible
• SMAC for 5th Graders
• Baptism
• Graduation

Establishing Traditions(how you do birthdays, holidays, etc.)

• Rites of Passage
• Celebrating Accomplishments
• God’s Grace to Us List
• Family WorshipHaving Fun Together
• Remembering We Win (because He Wins!)
  

10 Traditions that work great in a family:

1. Outdoors: Hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, fishing
2. Read the Christmas story from the family Bible
3. Give away to others – acts of generosity
4. Slow down and make scientific discoveries
5. Family Fun Night – pizza, family video crazy games
6. Game Night – play interactive games
7. Christian Concerts
8. Daddy/Daughter (and Son) dates, activities
9. Passage to purity weekend/Promise Ring Event
10. Memorable Vacations/Trips
    

Being a Winning Christian Family does not mean the course will be easy but the victory is sure."Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

Winning Race Team: Households that live out the message, power and glory of God to their neighborhood, community and the world.

Pay Now, Play Later - November 4, 2009

Winning Race Teams: Households that live out the message, power and glory of God to their neighborhood, community and the world.

NASCAR teaches that to win the race it takes a lot of discipline and hard work to not only get to the track, but also endure and win the race.

“You can either pay now and play later, or you can play now and pay later. But remember if you play now and pay later you will end up paying much more.” John Maxwell

To be successful family team, team members need to know:
>>>You are what you do daily.
>>>You first form your habits; then your habits form you.
>>>Habits of success are as easy as habits of failure.

Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? Luke 9:23-25

For the Family Team to Succeed – Everyone Needs to Pay Now
For the Family Team to Succeed – Paying the price is a way of life
For the Family Team to go to the next level – they have to give up to go up

How a Family Team “Pays”
• Personal & Family Sacrifice
• Commit Time to Right Habits
• Never Stop Growing as members and a family
• Humility/Unselfishness is the rule not the exception

Train yourself toward godliness, keeping yourself spiritually fit. 1 Timothy 4:7 Amplified

Disciple’s Cross: Having the right habits to to succeed as a Christian Family requires understanding how to have balance in what each member does and what the family does. Avery Willis gave us a diagram called the Disciple's Cross in his study called MasterLife.