"What do you really want...REALLY? BECOMING A MISSION-MINDED FAMILY

The Institute for Cultural Communicators (ICC) empowers missional living,

with God at the center, which creates fulfilled families.

Recently my friend, Mary Gunther asked me, "What do you really want...REALLY?

For over 30 years I have been home-schooling my nine children. During that time I have volunteered in dozens of organizations and ministries all to promote the growth and development of my own children . Out of all these groups, only ICC has mentored me and called me up to serve not only my children, but also the community in which we live.

Through attending ICC training conferences and ICC Academy courses I have learned to mentor the next generation of Christian leaders to influence our culture. ICC is helping ordinary students become extraordinary leaders everywhere, from Tennessee to Thailand.

This article by Helen Lee is so beautifully written.

I hope you enjoy this excerpt as you think about "What do you really want...REALLY?

Why do many parents feel so unfulfilled?

Is there a different way for today’s families to live their lives?

I believe that the solution is for parents to understand that we are all called to a mission greater than ourselves. God wants us to embrace all that He has made us to be, with the purpose of serving His mission both in the home and in the world. When we live “missional” lives, with a focus on God’s call to be His witnesses and disciple makers to the ends of the earth, we are better able to experience the fulfillment missing from a mission-less life.

Parents often focus all their energies on their home life and on their children, as evidenced by the many new labels of parenting that have emerged in recent years — tiger parenting, helicopter parenting, free-range parenting and, one could argue, overparenting. All these extreme methods have one thing in common: They put children and the parents’ dreams and hopes for those children at the center of a family’s life. But God never intended for parents to displace the call to share the Gospel from their priority list.

When parents recognize that they were created by God to be His missionaries, in whatever context He has placed them, then they begin to realize that there is a purpose to investing in their children and in their home life, and that purpose is to form their homes into “missional outposts” from which the family reaches outward.

When you think of your home as a missional outpost, you envision it not as a haven primarily for your family’s own use, but as one in which you recognize that all gifts, abilities and passions can be offered in service to God. This perspective is different from parents who pour energies into their children and their activities in order to bring glory to their children — and to themselves.

A missional family recognizes that the purpose of life is the furtherance of God’s plan.

This article was first published by Focus on the Family in the Thrive magazine

on JUNE 6, 2017. Read the entire article HERE

Your whole family can join the Institute for Cultural Communicators where we help dedicated parents and teachers guide ordinary students to become extraordinary leaders right now for the real world. Locally, you can reach out to the leadership team of RI HOPE to start a conversation about membership for the 2021-22 school year.

On March 27th ICC's Forensic Society will provide opportunities for training members ages 11-18 to become character-driven communicators and leaders with excellent analytical and speaking skills. This is accomplished by creating safe environments to practice real-world skills and receive additional coaching before taking presentations into the community. Sign up today to be an evaluator who will give valuable feedback.

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