The Meadows’ family vision statement is:
Living, loving, learning, leaving a legacy of Christ-followers impacting the world.
It’s an easy statement for us to remember, and it is descriptive of many of our core values:
Life is school
Family
Leading our family to be Christ-followers
Deut. 6:6-8
These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
Do you have a family vision statement? Share it!
Showing posts with label Heritage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heritage. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Family Vision Statement-Q & A
How can you discover the vision for your family?
Think about these thoughts:
Your vision needs to be everlasting, and an on-going goal for generations to come.
What is your calling?
What is important to you?
What will you want to be remembered for?
What makes you come alive?
Next: write your thoughts down. Share them with your mate. Brainstorm and write different phrases.
Try to make it around 10-12 words.
Teach it to your family. Place it on your wall. Refer to it often to cast vision to your family.
What if my husband or wife doesn’t see the need to have a vision statement, but I really desire it?
Pray! Don’t nag, force-feed, continue making suggestions or get in a huff because they’re not on the same page as you. Pray!! Never discount the power of the Holy Spirit. Live your life with your own vision statement in mind. Be consistent to it. Pray!
What makes you or your family come alive?
Tomorrow, we’ll share our family vision statement with you.
Dirk and Robin
Think about these thoughts:
Your vision needs to be everlasting, and an on-going goal for generations to come.
What is your calling?
What is important to you?
What will you want to be remembered for?
What makes you come alive?
Next: write your thoughts down. Share them with your mate. Brainstorm and write different phrases.
Try to make it around 10-12 words.
Teach it to your family. Place it on your wall. Refer to it often to cast vision to your family.
What if my husband or wife doesn’t see the need to have a vision statement, but I really desire it?
Pray! Don’t nag, force-feed, continue making suggestions or get in a huff because they’re not on the same page as you. Pray!! Never discount the power of the Holy Spirit. Live your life with your own vision statement in mind. Be consistent to it. Pray!
What makes you or your family come alive?
Tomorrow, we’ll share our family vision statement with you.
Dirk and Robin
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Write it Down
Robin and I had never written our family vision down until a few weeks ago when we were asked to do it for a project we are working on. I don’t really know why we had never written it down. I’ve been around a lot of people who have written their vision statements and even some that lead seminars to help families with their family vision. But we just had not done it. We knew in our heads what it was but we had never written it out where we could look at it or show it to others and really understand what our vision is all about.
When we did it became clear why everyone should.
Interestingly, because we have been living it for years, it only took a few minutes to do it, and then a little more tweaking the next day.
It’s not magic but it just clarifies what you have maybe known (or maybe not known) about the direction of your family. Since we have written it down I have looked at it for guidance and direction. Your vision statement helps to keep you on track. It can also help others around you to understand why you do what you do. I’m big on passing down to my family what is and has been important in our life. I also want my family to know the direction they might go to accomplish what God has called them into.
Maybe your family is about helping the poor, maybe you’re about loving and serving others, and maybe you haven’t even thought about a direction for your family.
What is your reason for being here together? There is one.
Have you got a family vision statement? Have you written it down? Do you think it’s important?
Dirk
When we did it became clear why everyone should.
Interestingly, because we have been living it for years, it only took a few minutes to do it, and then a little more tweaking the next day.
It’s not magic but it just clarifies what you have maybe known (or maybe not known) about the direction of your family. Since we have written it down I have looked at it for guidance and direction. Your vision statement helps to keep you on track. It can also help others around you to understand why you do what you do. I’m big on passing down to my family what is and has been important in our life. I also want my family to know the direction they might go to accomplish what God has called them into.
Maybe your family is about helping the poor, maybe you’re about loving and serving others, and maybe you haven’t even thought about a direction for your family.
What is your reason for being here together? There is one.
Have you got a family vision statement? Have you written it down? Do you think it’s important?
Dirk
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Attitudes: Exit the Comfort Zone
Last week, I asked a question about openness, which led to a second question:What are you going to do about being put here on this earth? If you agree with me about being open to learning righteousness then what will it take to accomplish what God wants of your life? Openness is an attitude that we have to have every single day. I didn't say that you can't have your own opinions and beliefs but to think we have already learned everything leads us to an unhealthy comfort.
The next attitude we need to develop is removing ourselves from our comfort zone. "But it is so comfortable there", you say to yourself, "why would I want to do that?" It's the only way you will experience where you haven't gone before, and it will lead to personal growth. You know I'm right. This is not the first time you've heard this. Why is this so hard? It's because it is sooo uncomfortable!
Going against the natural state of things is hard. Just like learning to transform ourselves from the nature we are born with. For example, the thought of physical exercise is the biggest hurdle in accomplishing our goal of being fit. And once we actually begin, it feels good. It takes us actually beginning to exercise to get us out of the comfort of sitting on the couch or lying in bed extra long in the morning. But I say we have help. And that help comes from God and His Spirit. Believe me, you can't do it on your own.
What does this have to do with fathering or heritage? I contend that to answer the question at the top of this post we must overcome the fear and laziness that keeps us from fulfilling what we want for ourselves, our kids and our kid's families, and on and on. Fear keeps us from being open to new thoughts and taking risks-getting out of our comfort zone--one thing that just might help us put this puzzle of life together.
Do you see the value of getting out of your comfort zone? What are you doing to remove yourself from that zone? Share with us; what other attitudes can help us overcome the hard issues of life?
Dirk
The next attitude we need to develop is removing ourselves from our comfort zone. "But it is so comfortable there", you say to yourself, "why would I want to do that?" It's the only way you will experience where you haven't gone before, and it will lead to personal growth. You know I'm right. This is not the first time you've heard this. Why is this so hard? It's because it is sooo uncomfortable!
Going against the natural state of things is hard. Just like learning to transform ourselves from the nature we are born with. For example, the thought of physical exercise is the biggest hurdle in accomplishing our goal of being fit. And once we actually begin, it feels good. It takes us actually beginning to exercise to get us out of the comfort of sitting on the couch or lying in bed extra long in the morning. But I say we have help. And that help comes from God and His Spirit. Believe me, you can't do it on your own.
What does this have to do with fathering or heritage? I contend that to answer the question at the top of this post we must overcome the fear and laziness that keeps us from fulfilling what we want for ourselves, our kids and our kid's families, and on and on. Fear keeps us from being open to new thoughts and taking risks-getting out of our comfort zone--one thing that just might help us put this puzzle of life together.
Do you see the value of getting out of your comfort zone? What are you doing to remove yourself from that zone? Share with us; what other attitudes can help us overcome the hard issues of life?
Dirk
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Attitudes: Openness
Being a good father takes change like it does to become a Christ-follower. We are born without righteousness and without what it takes to become a model to others. But through Christ we can be redeemed and set on a course to be one of His workmen. If you look at yourself in a mirror and ask, "What in the world am I doing here," what would you answer?
Surely you weren't put here just to indulge in the world's treasures. That's what an animal does. We have another dimension that can't be filled with "things." It has to be filled with a connection of purpose. I say connection because we are void without that connection to God our maker.
Have you ever known someone who lost connection with his or her father, mother or sibling? The hurt and pain inside of them not having that exchange of love and understanding is excruciating. This is how it is if we don't find or we reject that God is calling us. It's a void that we try to fill with all sorts of things. If and when we do hear God calling us we have to be open and accepting.
Openness is an attitude that we have to have to follow God and His calling. As a father (or a mother) I think openness is one of the hardest attitudes to have and keep but it is essential to having a healthy Godly life. We, as fathers are models to others and a representation of God to our earthly kids. Openness helps us adapt to all the training in righteousness we need in order to be able to answer that next question, "what am I going to do about being here?"
Are you an open person...come on be honest....truly open to learning from different places and sources? Are you still learning?
More to come on attitudes. Think about, "what you're going to do about being here."
Dirk
Surely you weren't put here just to indulge in the world's treasures. That's what an animal does. We have another dimension that can't be filled with "things." It has to be filled with a connection of purpose. I say connection because we are void without that connection to God our maker.
Have you ever known someone who lost connection with his or her father, mother or sibling? The hurt and pain inside of them not having that exchange of love and understanding is excruciating. This is how it is if we don't find or we reject that God is calling us. It's a void that we try to fill with all sorts of things. If and when we do hear God calling us we have to be open and accepting.
Openness is an attitude that we have to have to follow God and His calling. As a father (or a mother) I think openness is one of the hardest attitudes to have and keep but it is essential to having a healthy Godly life. We, as fathers are models to others and a representation of God to our earthly kids. Openness helps us adapt to all the training in righteousness we need in order to be able to answer that next question, "what am I going to do about being here?"
Are you an open person...come on be honest....truly open to learning from different places and sources? Are you still learning?
More to come on attitudes. Think about, "what you're going to do about being here."
Dirk
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Continuing Heritage
As the soon-to-be newest member of the Many Meadows, I've been blessed to witness not only how heritage has affected the family thus far, but also how they continue to build it every day.
I see it in the way Robin and Dirk never say hello or goodbye with out a word of encouragement and Christ-centered love. I see it in the way Andrew makes his relationship with God a priority, gently teaches me to let things go, and calmly but firmly disciplines his girls. I see it in the way Erin uses real-life situations as teaching moments for her boys. I see it in the way Ali spends quality time with her daughters. I see it in the way Katie follows her husband's lead while still voicing her opinions. I see it in the way Anna breathes Christ-filled words of love and encouragement into all those she encounters. I see it in the way Kody and Jacob pursue their passions for music, all the while completing their daily schoolwork and helping Dirk with his business.
To me, heritage is a firm sense of "This is who we are and this is why." But like many other wonderful things, heritage is not something you build once and then forget about. It's a process, an ever-evolving state of being based on core values that never change.
The trick is that you have to be intentional about making sure your family's heritage is always growing. Recently, Dirk read Robert Kiyosaki's book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", and humbly admitted he still has room to learn. (After all, life is school, right?!) Rather than gathering all this financial knowledge for himself, he wants to teach us and learn with us so we can all build a better, brighter future for ourselves as well as generations of Meadows to come. Last Thursday was our first get-together to discuss aspects of the book, and although Dirk facilitated the discussion, there was never a sense of "I know all the answers, so your opinion doesn't matter." And THAT is true leadership: humility, a willingness to listen to others, respecting various ideas and so on.
In getting to know this amazing family better and better, I'm realizing it's never too late to start building a heritage. And if you have already started, it's wise to keep building on it!
Upon which core values are you building your heritage? What are some areas in which you could intentionally improve your heritage?
Abbi
I see it in the way Robin and Dirk never say hello or goodbye with out a word of encouragement and Christ-centered love. I see it in the way Andrew makes his relationship with God a priority, gently teaches me to let things go, and calmly but firmly disciplines his girls. I see it in the way Erin uses real-life situations as teaching moments for her boys. I see it in the way Ali spends quality time with her daughters. I see it in the way Katie follows her husband's lead while still voicing her opinions. I see it in the way Anna breathes Christ-filled words of love and encouragement into all those she encounters. I see it in the way Kody and Jacob pursue their passions for music, all the while completing their daily schoolwork and helping Dirk with his business.
To me, heritage is a firm sense of "This is who we are and this is why." But like many other wonderful things, heritage is not something you build once and then forget about. It's a process, an ever-evolving state of being based on core values that never change.
The trick is that you have to be intentional about making sure your family's heritage is always growing. Recently, Dirk read Robert Kiyosaki's book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", and humbly admitted he still has room to learn. (After all, life is school, right?!) Rather than gathering all this financial knowledge for himself, he wants to teach us and learn with us so we can all build a better, brighter future for ourselves as well as generations of Meadows to come. Last Thursday was our first get-together to discuss aspects of the book, and although Dirk facilitated the discussion, there was never a sense of "I know all the answers, so your opinion doesn't matter." And THAT is true leadership: humility, a willingness to listen to others, respecting various ideas and so on.
In getting to know this amazing family better and better, I'm realizing it's never too late to start building a heritage. And if you have already started, it's wise to keep building on it!
Upon which core values are you building your heritage? What are some areas in which you could intentionally improve your heritage?
Abbi
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Heritage: Fathering
Bad fathering can have a devastating impact on a family not just for the here and now but for future generations. A bad father is not just limited to verbal abuse or physical abuse towards his wife and kids. There is also the absent father or the unintentional father. Even fathers that live eat and sleep in their own house can be uninvolved to a point where the damage can be disastrous.
Plenty of information exposing a bad father is talked about every day in our society but what about good fathering? Fathering that will have a positive effect on our families?
I know for me, the first step is recognizing from where I came. Most guys, if they come from a vexed past, don't want to admit to the way they were brought up or they will gloss over the real facts and not accept that they may have deficiencies. And then we are very prideful to a point of not wanting any help thus creating all kinds of problems. But it doesn't have to end there. It must not end there if we want to change our ways and the direction and heritage of our families.
The next step is asking and finding answers to two "simple" questions.
Why am I here?
And what am I going to do about being here?
Once you can get a handle on these ideas you begin to put into place the attitudes you have to have to be a good father and husband.
I want to talk about those attitudes in the future. But what about now? Can you answer those two little questions guys?
Why am I here? And what am I going to do about being here?
How about you women? Did your father give you peace and security?
Dirk
Plenty of information exposing a bad father is talked about every day in our society but what about good fathering? Fathering that will have a positive effect on our families?
I know for me, the first step is recognizing from where I came. Most guys, if they come from a vexed past, don't want to admit to the way they were brought up or they will gloss over the real facts and not accept that they may have deficiencies. And then we are very prideful to a point of not wanting any help thus creating all kinds of problems. But it doesn't have to end there. It must not end there if we want to change our ways and the direction and heritage of our families.
The next step is asking and finding answers to two "simple" questions.
Why am I here?
And what am I going to do about being here?
Once you can get a handle on these ideas you begin to put into place the attitudes you have to have to be a good father and husband.
I want to talk about those attitudes in the future. But what about now? Can you answer those two little questions guys?
Why am I here? And what am I going to do about being here?
How about you women? Did your father give you peace and security?
Dirk
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A Godly Heritage: Unearthing My Destiny
Little did I know so many years ago when I was running from my family's heritage of living off the land that first my husband and then myself would someday get a very similar calling. Because of the values of hard work, saving and prudence that my parents taught through living on the land it was so ingrained in me that my fat mortgage, fancy cars and perfect manicures just didn't satisfy me. God was stirring things up in Jon and I to do things not-so-normal just as I had before. The very things I was running from began to seep in as desires for my own life.
Erin, age 6
Through our journey and struggle to know what this all meant we were led to take my parent's offer to live on part of the land that I grew up on and to stake our claim on the Meadows' compound. While my dad doesn't give anything away, he has made special arrangements to make it doable. (Let this be a lesson to all parents, that you remove a valuable learning opportunity from your children - even grown children-- when you just give them things). At one time all 7 of us kids lived on the 20 acres, 3 of us in our own houses!
Dirk, Erin, Andrew (1984)
Anna, Katie, Ali, Andrew, Erin (1989)
Oh the blessings from being able to work in this dirt that God once formed with His own hands and has now been given as a special gift to our family, working right alongside wise parents as they continue to pass down learning treasures to us grown children, spouses and grandchildren.
Sierra, Mesa, Will, Kaden
Mesa, Sadie, Lily, Will (2008)
Now it is so clear to me why I struggled so hard living out this calling as I was finding my own wings. What an impact my husband and I, coming from Godly families can have on our world as we raise our boys and what will trickle down into each generation from the strength in this simple-land-living-God-driven calling. I get a vision of my boys and their families and other offspring of the family that might decide to live here too someday and I just smile with God.
This year as my husband I are preparing to build a more permanent home on our little acreage, I have started doing a prayer walk on the land. I pray for any who walk there now, for the generations to come who will be touched by the land and that as we each continue to toil it will be blessed. I feel the prayers that have already been whispered upon this ground I walk, uplifted from my parent's hearts and hands all those years.
Kaden, Jon, Will, Erin
What a blessing it is to have been raised in such a Godly family and taught such a rich heritage that has almost been forgotten in this fast-paced, technological-based society. Now that I've fully embraced what God always had for me I am proud to live out this destiny no matter how weird it might seem to the world.
Erin, January 2009
Do you know the calling God has placed on your family? Are you living fully devoted to that calling?
Erin
Erin, age 6Through our journey and struggle to know what this all meant we were led to take my parent's offer to live on part of the land that I grew up on and to stake our claim on the Meadows' compound. While my dad doesn't give anything away, he has made special arrangements to make it doable. (Let this be a lesson to all parents, that you remove a valuable learning opportunity from your children - even grown children-- when you just give them things). At one time all 7 of us kids lived on the 20 acres, 3 of us in our own houses!
Dirk, Erin, Andrew (1984)
Anna, Katie, Ali, Andrew, Erin (1989)
Oh the blessings from being able to work in this dirt that God once formed with His own hands and has now been given as a special gift to our family, working right alongside wise parents as they continue to pass down learning treasures to us grown children, spouses and grandchildren.
Sierra, Mesa, Will, Kaden
Mesa, Sadie, Lily, Will (2008)
Now it is so clear to me why I struggled so hard living out this calling as I was finding my own wings. What an impact my husband and I, coming from Godly families can have on our world as we raise our boys and what will trickle down into each generation from the strength in this simple-land-living-God-driven calling. I get a vision of my boys and their families and other offspring of the family that might decide to live here too someday and I just smile with God.
This year as my husband I are preparing to build a more permanent home on our little acreage, I have started doing a prayer walk on the land. I pray for any who walk there now, for the generations to come who will be touched by the land and that as we each continue to toil it will be blessed. I feel the prayers that have already been whispered upon this ground I walk, uplifted from my parent's hearts and hands all those years.
Kaden, Jon, Will, Erin What a blessing it is to have been raised in such a Godly family and taught such a rich heritage that has almost been forgotten in this fast-paced, technological-based society. Now that I've fully embraced what God always had for me I am proud to live out this destiny no matter how weird it might seem to the world.
Erin, January 2009Do you know the calling God has placed on your family? Are you living fully devoted to that calling?
Erin
Monday, January 26, 2009
Heritage: Pioneers
God led our family to be pioneers in many ways. While I always just wanted to be “normal”, God didn’t call our family to be that way. I got so tired of EVERY aspect of our lives being so weird.
We lived in the country, we homeschooled, we gardened and raised “meat” for most of our food, we had a large family, all the siblings were born at home, we drove an ugly station wagon, we built our own house, we didn’t buy things that weren’t in the budget, we ate health food. (We did not wear denim jumpers though - and we did cut our hair, so we didn’t really fit in to the norm on either side of the spectrum). The majority of our experiences were centered around the pioneering of the land where our family lived.
In our rearing, we watched and worked right alongside my parents learning life lessons as we put our mark on the buildings now standing, the vegetables we ate, the paths we cleared out on this 20 acres we moved to over 24 years ago.
I bucked hard against this calling my parents said they had been given by God. I remember looking at other families and wishing if only I had been born into another family, I would be more content.
What was I doing in this family? I hated bugs, frogs and snakes. I hated dirt in my fingernails. I hated having to constantly keep up with younger siblings as we worked the land. I moaned, I complained, I rebelled. My parents never gave in or felt sorry for me. They persevered in their calling and continued to teach me that God had put me in this family for a reason.
Along with these lessons we were being trained in perseverance, hard work, and determination as we toiled side-by-side with my parents to generate the way we lived from the things God had given us. This education has trickled down to each of us children as we have gone on to do other things with our lives, tackling our new callings with the same excellence.
And now I’m so thankful that my parents didn’t raise me to be “normal”. I now know a little bit more why satan tried to make me run from my family’s calling, but that’s a story for tomorrow.
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 NLT
Like my experience, is your family more focused on fitting into society than living out the special calling God has placed on you? If so, what are some things you can do to bring that focus back around?
Erin
We lived in the country, we homeschooled, we gardened and raised “meat” for most of our food, we had a large family, all the siblings were born at home, we drove an ugly station wagon, we built our own house, we didn’t buy things that weren’t in the budget, we ate health food. (We did not wear denim jumpers though - and we did cut our hair, so we didn’t really fit in to the norm on either side of the spectrum). The majority of our experiences were centered around the pioneering of the land where our family lived.
In our rearing, we watched and worked right alongside my parents learning life lessons as we put our mark on the buildings now standing, the vegetables we ate, the paths we cleared out on this 20 acres we moved to over 24 years ago.
I bucked hard against this calling my parents said they had been given by God. I remember looking at other families and wishing if only I had been born into another family, I would be more content.
What was I doing in this family? I hated bugs, frogs and snakes. I hated dirt in my fingernails. I hated having to constantly keep up with younger siblings as we worked the land. I moaned, I complained, I rebelled. My parents never gave in or felt sorry for me. They persevered in their calling and continued to teach me that God had put me in this family for a reason.
Along with these lessons we were being trained in perseverance, hard work, and determination as we toiled side-by-side with my parents to generate the way we lived from the things God had given us. This education has trickled down to each of us children as we have gone on to do other things with our lives, tackling our new callings with the same excellence.
And now I’m so thankful that my parents didn’t raise me to be “normal”. I now know a little bit more why satan tried to make me run from my family’s calling, but that’s a story for tomorrow.
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 NLT
Like my experience, is your family more focused on fitting into society than living out the special calling God has placed on you? If so, what are some things you can do to bring that focus back around?
Erin
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Heritage: Imprints of the Heart
It’s a mind picture imprinted on my heart.
Each morning as I was ready to head to school, I’d find my dad… a cup of steaming black coffee, his Sunday School quarterly, and his open Bible laid out on the old oak tabletop in front of him. (He would have already returned from his daily 5-mile run). This memory goes back to my days in grade school and continued on to my days as a teen.
The memory of my dad’s faithfulness to reading God’s Word is one reason I continue to do the same thing each morning (minus the Sunday School quarterly…..oh, and 5-mile run) :)
Now, I know not all of you have a wonderful memory of a godly parent. But, I know everyone has a memory of someone who passed on to you something godly that you emulate today. Something you have now made your own.
This is heritage. Even if it is not passed on to you by a parent or grandparent.
Do you have a memory of something passed on to you by someone that is now part of who you are? Something you plan to pass on to your children? Tell us about it.
Robin
Each morning as I was ready to head to school, I’d find my dad… a cup of steaming black coffee, his Sunday School quarterly, and his open Bible laid out on the old oak tabletop in front of him. (He would have already returned from his daily 5-mile run). This memory goes back to my days in grade school and continued on to my days as a teen.
The memory of my dad’s faithfulness to reading God’s Word is one reason I continue to do the same thing each morning (minus the Sunday School quarterly…..oh, and 5-mile run) :)
Now, I know not all of you have a wonderful memory of a godly parent. But, I know everyone has a memory of someone who passed on to you something godly that you emulate today. Something you have now made your own.
This is heritage. Even if it is not passed on to you by a parent or grandparent.
Do you have a memory of something passed on to you by someone that is now part of who you are? Something you plan to pass on to your children? Tell us about it.
Robin
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Heritage: It's Life
In our family whenever the word heritage was brought up it always made me and my brothers and sisters roll our eyes, groan and take a comfortable seat because we knew we would be getting a lecture. Our dad would spend the next hour trying to teach us why we read our Bibles everyday or why should prefer others.
Looking back I am thankful for what my parents taught me. Being out in the world has shown me that I am different than other students or other employees and I owe that all to the up bringing that my parents worked so hard to keep strong and pure.
I don’t have a great memory. When my siblings tell stories I often have a vague memory. This story however, will be in my thoughts forever. It is a great example of how our dad felt so strongly about raising us with values.
When I was little I was sort of a mischievous little girl. I often did things I knew I shouldn’t and then would deny them if I was asked about it later. One afternoon my sister, Ali came down from her room (which was strictly forbidden to me) saying that someone had been in her stuff (she had a fiber optic flower display that I liked to turn on and look at). Of course, Dad comes right to me asking if I had been in her room.
I could have said that I had not been there. In my mind it was going to save me from being disciplined. But I decided to tell the truth. I had been in my sister’s room I told my dad, just as he had expected. His reaction however, was not what I expected. He stood up with a huge smile on his face, took me by the hand to his room and gave me a piece of candy from his personal stash (big mistake Dad. From then on I knew where your stash was! ;)
He told me how proud he was of me for telling the truth and that it didn’t matter as much that I had been in my sister’s room but he was just so glad I didn’t choose to lie.
This memory will always be with me. My dad knew I had a problem with telling the truth, so when I did he rewarded me greatly. This was one of many turning points in my life when I realized I was in charge of who I was, that I made the choices that affected my life and I wanted to start making the right ones. I owe these realizations to my parents and I will always be grateful for them.
My parents taught me that the life I decide to live not only affects me, but it also affects the generations that will come after me. And that is heritage.
Do you remember a turning point in your life that still affects you for good today?
Katie
Looking back I am thankful for what my parents taught me. Being out in the world has shown me that I am different than other students or other employees and I owe that all to the up bringing that my parents worked so hard to keep strong and pure.
I don’t have a great memory. When my siblings tell stories I often have a vague memory. This story however, will be in my thoughts forever. It is a great example of how our dad felt so strongly about raising us with values.
When I was little I was sort of a mischievous little girl. I often did things I knew I shouldn’t and then would deny them if I was asked about it later. One afternoon my sister, Ali came down from her room (which was strictly forbidden to me) saying that someone had been in her stuff (she had a fiber optic flower display that I liked to turn on and look at). Of course, Dad comes right to me asking if I had been in her room.
I could have said that I had not been there. In my mind it was going to save me from being disciplined. But I decided to tell the truth. I had been in my sister’s room I told my dad, just as he had expected. His reaction however, was not what I expected. He stood up with a huge smile on his face, took me by the hand to his room and gave me a piece of candy from his personal stash (big mistake Dad. From then on I knew where your stash was! ;)
He told me how proud he was of me for telling the truth and that it didn’t matter as much that I had been in my sister’s room but he was just so glad I didn’t choose to lie.
This memory will always be with me. My dad knew I had a problem with telling the truth, so when I did he rewarded me greatly. This was one of many turning points in my life when I realized I was in charge of who I was, that I made the choices that affected my life and I wanted to start making the right ones. I owe these realizations to my parents and I will always be grateful for them.
My parents taught me that the life I decide to live not only affects me, but it also affects the generations that will come after me. And that is heritage.
Do you remember a turning point in your life that still affects you for good today?
Katie
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Heritage: Heir to Heir
Heritage, simply put is “practices that are handed down from the past from heir to heir.”
If you are like me I want those practices to be constructive and profitable. I want this for my family but I want our heritage to touch others in the most effective and efficient ways.
God has put on my heart to try to help people not to see through a tunnel when they make decisions but to see a much bigger picture. Namely, decisions made today that might affect your family many years in the future.
For example: your approach to success may be that job or career. But what if that career proves to tear your family apart? Oppositely, an at-peace, fulfilled person can have such a dynamic effect in his or her life that it can virtually change everything around them.
Other examples can be found in God leading a family to a certain calling. Many times our kids might not understand why we do what we do. They have to be communicated to in a way that is acceptable to them even though they may not be on board all the way. Too many times parents let their kids steer the direction of the family just to get along but that can have a negative impact on the family many years in the future. Can I say it might even lead to the death of a family unit?
Always remember the choices you make today will impact your life today, but how will those choices impact you and your family 25, 50 or 100 years from now?
We are building heritage within our lives for good or bad. How do you want it?
Share with us what you are doing today that just might have an impact on your family many years from now.
Dirk
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Heritage: A Passion
It was at an event. There were several couples and we didn’t know anyone. At a break in our session a nearby gentleman is meeting us for the first time. After the usual name exchange, comes the next we-haven’t-yet-met question:
”So, what do you do?”
Without any hesitation, Dirk answers, “We’ve raised seven children together. That’s what we’ve been doing for the last several years”.
My buttons busted…I was so darn proud of my man!
(The conversation then centered around both families. We never did learn what the other couple did as “jobs”) :)
You see? Dirk is a first generation Christ-following father. He is a curse-breaker. A pioneer.
His passion for teaching “the H word” – Heritage to our children rose from a deep desire and conviction to pass on to them what he learned when he was a teen:
God loved him and saved him from himself. How could he do anything less than give God his whole heart?
From the time our children were born, from Erin to Jacob, and still today, Dirk’s number one goal in his life has been to pass on the knowledge of that saving Love and power to his own children.
And connected to that Love, all the things that go hand-in-hand with that….building our home, living in the country, taking them regularly to church, being involved in their lives….are things that he is also passionate about.
So, when he talked endlessly of heritage and the whys and hows…..and they were too young to grasp what he was even speaking of….they did seem to understand his passion. (even if their eyes glazed over). :)
No, he’s not perfect. He’ll be the first to tell you we made plenty of mistakes and bad judgments in our parenting (and we’re still not finished). But, we’ve worked hard at teaching our children the number one important thing to us: a heritage of Judeo-Christian values, and a heart given fully to Christ.
Are you a first generation, pioneer Christ follower?
Robin
”So, what do you do?”
Without any hesitation, Dirk answers, “We’ve raised seven children together. That’s what we’ve been doing for the last several years”.
My buttons busted…I was so darn proud of my man!
(The conversation then centered around both families. We never did learn what the other couple did as “jobs”) :)
You see? Dirk is a first generation Christ-following father. He is a curse-breaker. A pioneer.
His passion for teaching “the H word” – Heritage to our children rose from a deep desire and conviction to pass on to them what he learned when he was a teen:
God loved him and saved him from himself. How could he do anything less than give God his whole heart?
From the time our children were born, from Erin to Jacob, and still today, Dirk’s number one goal in his life has been to pass on the knowledge of that saving Love and power to his own children.
And connected to that Love, all the things that go hand-in-hand with that….building our home, living in the country, taking them regularly to church, being involved in their lives….are things that he is also passionate about.
So, when he talked endlessly of heritage and the whys and hows…..and they were too young to grasp what he was even speaking of….they did seem to understand his passion. (even if their eyes glazed over). :)
No, he’s not perfect. He’ll be the first to tell you we made plenty of mistakes and bad judgments in our parenting (and we’re still not finished). But, we’ve worked hard at teaching our children the number one important thing to us: a heritage of Judeo-Christian values, and a heart given fully to Christ.
Are you a first generation, pioneer Christ follower?
Robin
Monday, January 19, 2009
Heritage: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
There were some things leading up to Anna’s and my younger siblings' dread of the “H word” that I must admit I, and the siblings closer to me in age, had quite a bit to do with. Well, I would like to delve further into the daily living of the Many Meadows and tell you the prequel to her story, and how at times family life just wasn’t pretty!
Erin
Backtrack to this one night in particular which was also one of our normal “family nights“ that were incorporated through most of our years growing up. After my Dad finished the long-winded droning of blah, blah blah that happened MANY a time when he had us all sitting down, he asked us what he had just talked about. We all looked at each other baffled. “Oh crap, he’s never asked this before after these blabberings. Usually it’s just, "Do you get that?" - and we would of course say, "Yes.”
None of us could recall any of what he was saying, and our attempts at guessing were getting him pretty heated. Well, this is where it got a little ugly. We were ordered to bed somewhat angrily!!! At 7:30 in the evening!!! And the next day when we were called together to discuss this event, and after getting grounded and lectured up and down, he again attempted to get his point across. I don’t know if we all got the gist of what he was saying even at that time, but we knew it was about heritage. Hence the dread of the “H word” was born, and many a time we would (somewhat) jokingly roll our eyes at the start of a yammering by Dad and say, “Oh no! The H word!”, as in Anna’s story.
I will also say that I have been witness to my perfect parents being somewhat “imperfect” and that has become one of the values of the Meadows’ heritage in itself. My parents did not seek to pass down a heritage of human perfection, but one of strong Godly character. This one story is just a small glimpse into how our life really was. There were disobedient children, selfish teens, and yes, sometimes angry, frustrated parents, but the way the bad and ugly were dealt with and not hidden instilled yet another part of our Godly heritage.
And what means so much to me now is that I "get" heritage! No, I didn’t listen very well to all those lectures, but my Dad didn’t give up! And it’s a lot better that I remember that my Dad cared enough to sit down and talk with us about life, even if I was annoyed and didn’t always get what he was saying, than that he was some passive Dad who watched TV or worked all the time.
So your family life might have more bad and ugly than good, but are you still aggressively seeking to pass down a Godly heritage to your children? If you aren’t, then who will?
Erin
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The "H" Word
I remember it all too well. We had just finished our family book reports, and all seven of us kids wanted to hurry up and watch Saved by the Bell Finale (which we had recorded on the VCR since it played during the boring book reports.) Then Dad started talking. We sat on the living room floor as he began to share from his heart. It was then that he said it. The word none of us hoped would come up. The “H” word. Heritage.
“NOOooooo! Now we’re never going to get to watch our show!”— Those were the thoughts that passed through my head that evening. Any time dad started talking about the “H” word, you were sure to be there for a while. Of course I was only eight at the time and didn’t understand why the “H” word was so vitally important.
Heritage. It is one of our family’s core values. The passing down of values and teachings from generation to generation.
Our parents began to talk to us about heritage ever since I can remember. My mom comes from a long line of Christ-followers, but my dad is a first generation believer, a curse breaker who settled in his heart long before he had children that he would lead his family to be lovers of God. It was the basis of all we did. It was why we homeschooled, why we lived in the country on a large piece of land—in the middle of nowhere. It was why we raised chickens, and planted gardens, and learned how to feed ourselves from God’s Word more than anything else.
You may call it weird, Amish, or even Little House on the Prairie, but I call it Heritage. The values and standards I learned during that time of my life are now leading me as I attempt to put my own stamp on the world: How to get along with others, doing everything with excellence, leading out of love—those are just a few of the things that are now hard-wired into each one of us. Not because we took a class on them, but because we lived them, everyday of our lives, as our parents patiently passed them down by simply modeling what it could look like.
That is Heritage. The daunting “H” word that now, I plan on passing to my own family some day.
What type of heritage do you want to leave for your family? Now is the time to start!
Anna
“NOOooooo! Now we’re never going to get to watch our show!”— Those were the thoughts that passed through my head that evening. Any time dad started talking about the “H” word, you were sure to be there for a while. Of course I was only eight at the time and didn’t understand why the “H” word was so vitally important.
Heritage. It is one of our family’s core values. The passing down of values and teachings from generation to generation.
Our parents began to talk to us about heritage ever since I can remember. My mom comes from a long line of Christ-followers, but my dad is a first generation believer, a curse breaker who settled in his heart long before he had children that he would lead his family to be lovers of God. It was the basis of all we did. It was why we homeschooled, why we lived in the country on a large piece of land—in the middle of nowhere. It was why we raised chickens, and planted gardens, and learned how to feed ourselves from God’s Word more than anything else.
You may call it weird, Amish, or even Little House on the Prairie, but I call it Heritage. The values and standards I learned during that time of my life are now leading me as I attempt to put my own stamp on the world: How to get along with others, doing everything with excellence, leading out of love—those are just a few of the things that are now hard-wired into each one of us. Not because we took a class on them, but because we lived them, everyday of our lives, as our parents patiently passed them down by simply modeling what it could look like.
That is Heritage. The daunting “H” word that now, I plan on passing to my own family some day.
What type of heritage do you want to leave for your family? Now is the time to start!
Anna
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Next Week - Heritage!
For the next couple of weeks our family is bringing you a series on Heritage. This is a core value of our family, something that Dirk taught us. It is a strong passion of his. He’ll share a couple of days and then you’ll hear some fun (or funny) memories from some of our kids. I may even have some things to share ;)
We hope our experiences will encourage you to keep going during those difficult days of parenting.
We’ve discovered that the rewards far outweigh the efforts.
See you next week!
Robin
We hope our experiences will encourage you to keep going during those difficult days of parenting.
We’ve discovered that the rewards far outweigh the efforts.
See you next week!
Robin
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