Kristen Welch

We are THAT Family

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We Will Never Regret Leading Our Families In a High-Risk High-Joy Life

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“I love what your family is doing, but we could never do that. We are just too _______ [insert one of 1000 reasons].

The statement makes me uncomfortable, but I also understand it.

I feel the same way about 367 days a year. “I can’t do this mission. Our family is too human. We don’t know what we’re doing, I can’t even keep up with laundry. I yell at my kids. We argue and live this grace thing out in ugly ways some days…”

My lists of “I can’t and I shouldn’t” are endless.

But living on mission doesn’t start with doing something for God. It begins with what He has done for us.

The question isn’t Is my family called to a mission?

That question has already been answered.

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It’s simple really. God has called all of us-families included-to welcome others into His family.

God’s mission for the family is expanding God’s family.” -Ann Dunagan

We are called to go. By nature we are a sent people. That’s our identity. It’s the why of our lives.

Do you wonder what God’s will is for your family? It’s to fulfill His mission.

Living a life of going doesn’t just show our kids our obedience, it shows them our love for Christ and his mission for our family.

Dr. David Shibley says, “The normal Christian life is anything but balanced, as popularly defined . . . The normal Christian life is high risk and high joy. The normal Christian life releases the temporal to embrace the eternal . . . God is not calling us to win the world and, in the process, lose our families. But I have known those who so enshrined family life and were so protective of “quality time” that the children never saw the kind of consuming love that made their parents’ faith attractive to them. Some have lost their children, not because they weren’t at their soccer games or didn’t take family vacations, but because they never transmitted a loyalty to Jesus that went deep enough to interrupt personal preferences.”

We wonder where, what, when . . . and we often get bogged down in the unknown details. The way we accomplish this mission will look a million different ways. Where are you going today? The grocery store. The school. The neighbor’s house. Wherever you go, fulfill your mission and shine Jesus. Your small step of obedience might lead you to great destinations or it might just lead you to the dog food aisle. Either way, going is half the victory. Because that is your family’s greatest mission.

A mission-minded family will serve together. Look for needs in your community and brainstorm with your spouse about how you can partner together to meet those needs in a way that works for you. My husband is handy, and I love to cook. My casserole dish and his tool box work well together. Is there a single mom who could use some help with yard work? Is there an elderly couple who needs help hanging their Christmas lights? Look for creative ways you can serve side by side and connect with each other and your neighbors.”
― Lyli Dunbar

God isn’t waiting for us to be perfect or get our act together, so we can change the world; He specializes in using the less-than-perfect places in our lives for His glory.

High risk. High joy.

Worth it all.

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Just Because We Don’t Like to Think About It Doesn’t Mean We Shouldn’t

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This post is sponsored, but all expressed opinions are my own. Next month, my husband and I will do something we have never done before. We will leave the country while our kids are at church camp. This 4-day trip with my husband is for Mercy House. It's something I want to do. It's something we need to do. It's something I've always been hesitant to do. Because I am The Boss of overthinking All The Things That Can Happen when an ocean separates us. But just because we ... Read More

That Time We Had To Cancel Our Cabin In the Snow

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One year. That's how long I had been imagining going to that tiny cabin in the snow. We live deep in the heart of Texas and the closest we get to a white Christmas is when the wind blows styrofoam in the air. Our work is heavy. It's fulfilling and life-giving, but it is heavy. With a new book coming out this month and burnout nipping at my heels, I told my husband I couldn't think of anything I needed more than a couple of days in a remote cabin with my family and a lot of natural ... Read More

We Can Support Persecuted Christians This Christmas

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Nearly 7 years ago, I chased my toddler daughter right into the arms of another mother at the park around the corner from my house. When I scooped her up, I apologized to the stranger who had caught my running tot. She looked down shyly and spoke softy in a thick foreign accent I couldn't place. I was immediately drawn to her. "Where are you from?" I asked. Uzbekistan. Immediately, I had chills. I was a Sunday School teacher and we had been praying for this very country. When I ... Read More

One of the Most Meaningful Things We Can Do With Our Kids This Holiday Season

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It's the most wonderful time of the year. And I'm not just talking about hot cocoa, winter weather, boot cuffs and Christmas gifts. Obviously. I'm talking about the opportunity to talk with our kids about giving and generosity. It's so easy to focus on ourselves this time of year. It just comes naturally. Family and friends ask our kids what they want, they make lists, and before we know it, we've taken a holy time and turned into something about us. But teaching our kids to think of ... Read More

Our Real Problem

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Twenty-four hours after I recovered my blog Facebook page from a malicious hacker, I was ironing wrinkles out of my 13 year old's light blue Oxford dress shirt so he could wear it to the funeral of his beloved archery coach. I swallowed down tears as I straightened my son's necktie, the memory of holding this almost 6 ft sobbing teenaged boy in my lap the day we heard the news, still fresh. Nothing prepares you for parenting moments like these. Nothing prepares you for the often ... Read More

This Just Makes Me Happy

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While my teens were at youth camp this weekend, we turned our beige walls gray. And I decided to rehang all my favorite pieces of art and inspiration together to create a gallery wall. Every time I walk in the living room, I smile. It tells the story of our lives: 1. The REDEEMED letters are my motto. This is my family's word. We are a broken mess. But God. 2. The old white window frames are from a building that was being torn down in a town we lived in more than 13 years ago. It ... Read More

What Kids Are Really Doing Online (& Why We Can’t Ignore It)

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When this email hit my inbox, it made me sick to my stomach: "My second grader spent the night at a friend's house last week. The girls were innocently playing games on the computer and one things led to another and they typed in the word "boobs" on the Internet to see what would come up. My daughter and her friend were exposed to very graphic porn. She can't stop crying and she can't sleep. We are devastated." The blog reader who sent me this email asked me to tell parents to do whatever ... Read More