Modern Family - Step or Bonus?

With father's day quickly approaching our attention turns to our relationships with our own father or fathers.  I recently heard someone refer to their stepson as a "bonus son".  I instantly loved this when I heard the phrase.  This son was not some type of add on or second thought but a cherished blessing that they were so thankful to have.  It reminds me of Ephesians 1: 3-8 (NIV):    

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

The truth is you probably are either in a step-family or you definitely know a step-family.  This would be considered the modern "normal" family for today.  The issue is that when two individuals come together to create a family it can be very hard; add another family to deal with (i.e. scheduling visitation with children) it can move from difficult to excruciating.

Finding ways to navigate these treacherous waters is what "The Smart Step-Family", by Ron Deal, helps to do.  This class will be starting next week at the North Charlotte campus of Mecklenburg Community Church.  Through this material, several key insights are given to help strengthen relationships in a step-family, to review and learn common reactions that children have, explore common expectations step-parents have, and how these can conflict with each other.  Some specific areas that will be explored include:

*An overview of becoming a Smart step-family and all the different types of step-families there are
*A redemptive God
*Testing relationship expectations
*Healthy marriages - key steps
*Creating a parenting team

Whatever your relationship is with your father or fathers there is hope because of your Heavenly father! 


Resources


Smart Stepfamilies Main Site


Mecklenburg Community Church Schedule for the Smart Step-family group