Cultivating Thanksgiving, Patience, and Perseverance

Family Fire: Stoking the Spirit's Flame at Home

It’s in our closest relationships that we experience our greatest joys and deepest sorrows in this life. We need the Holy Spirit in both extremes and at every point in between. Thankfulness reminds us that God loved us first and we respond to Him. In thanks, we receive power to walk patiently in our most trying times, and to persevere. In the last month, Family Fire from ReFrame Media, has explored these themes from a reformed perspective to offer encouragement and sustenance to spouses and parents serving those they love in the day-to-day.  

Family Fire is a ministry from the CRC, and as a resource for you it explores biblical themes relating to our most foundational relationships—to encourage you in your own relationships, and to equip you to help others. 

Here are some of the most recent posts at Family Fire. You can subscribe and receive Family Fire right in your inbox.

Cultivating a Virtue: Lord Give Me Patience! By Steven Koster. 12/4/2014. How can we actually cultivate more patience in our lives and families? Patience is not a grocery item you can pick up at the corner store!  Colossians 3:12 describes it as a required wardrobe essential. 

Help for Parents: Persevering Through Challenges. Nadia Swearingen-Friesen. 12/1/2014. We know God is faithful and will help us to persevere in the midst of parenting struggles, but even the best of parents can still be lured into despair. It becomes difficult to persevere. Difficult, but not impossible.

Living Daily in Gratitude. By Kim Sullivan. 11/27/2014. Fear drives out gratitude by keeping us focused on challenges rather than God’s provision. Many scriptures admonishing us to be thankful in the midst of struggle.

Six Ways to Practice Gratitude. By Joy Bocanegra, MA, LCPC. 11/24/2014. Gratitude is an antidote to discontent. Practicing gratitude means seeing the blessings God has given us rather than complaining about everything we don't have. Our choice of outlook makes a difference in our overall satisfaction!

Devotions of the Early Church. By Deb Koster. 11/17/2014. The first followers of Jesus devoted themselves to specific practices that drew them close to God. We too can practice these devotions in our daily lives. The same Spirit breathes His fire into our lives if we are willing to be filled by him.

The Power of Praying for One Another. By Deb Koster. 11/6/2014. Galatians 2:6 tells us, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  Praying for one another is a powerful way for us to bear one another’s burdens. 

Watch for updates about Family Fire each month on the Network as a digest of recent Family Fire posts. You can explore familyfire.com at any time. And be sure to join our Facebook community (“Like” Family Fire!).

Also, be sure to visit MeetReFrame.com and sign up for a special email series introducing you to ReFrame Media’s family of programs.