Hey O!  Men, good evening.  It's awesome right now, it's late, it's quiet.  The air outside is cool and the windows are open and crickets, cicadas and the like are signing their tune.  Oh, what a glorious evening.  

Who else is rejoicing at the return to school and learning and purpose for our kids?  It is so important for them to find structure and rhythm again.  Could you imagine for a moment, all the pressure and tension and unknowns of the past 6 months but you're not an adult man, you're a child.  A child.  Imagine how they've felt without routine and structure.  Very little rhythms to follow.  It's like saying you're retired (which is a misnomer btw) and just waking up and going whichever way the wind blows.  That is no way for Endeavoring Men to go through life.

We all require discipline, habit, structure, rhythm, and standards to be able to find and live into our purpose.  Your family, your wife, your children are no different.  Help them with this and you will forever be their hero, even more than you are now.  And oh yeah you'll teach them a life school that very very few ever fully develop...the ability to Finish.

Family Rhythms 

What are yours?

Do you have any?

How did you arrive at them?

Have you ever discussed your family rhythms with your family?  Why NOT?

Family Rhythms

The Rhythms or Disciplines of everyday life are so important.  Most times when we get into these rhythms they are not on purpose.  Sometimes these rhythms come to us from our family of origin.  For instance, my wife grew up with Friday night pizza night; her dad would stop at Johns Pizza on the way home with pies for dinner.  Happened like clockwork.

Food rhythms with families seem to flow easy.  Saturday is pancake day, Sundays are for brunch, etc. etc.

Family Rhythms

A few months ago I listened to a great podcast by Michael Foster that goes by the name of It's Good to Be A Man.  BTW he is right.  He was asking us to identify what our spiritual disciplines were as a family.  What the daily activities we did that showed our wife and kids that we were living into our faith.  It's not a complicated thing, it's really as simple as saying prayers before bedtime.  Blessing a meal prior to eating it, reading the Bible together, participating in the Sabbath, going to Church...

In this current world, our family's spiritual disciplines and rhythms are highly disrupted.  You need to fight to not allow this to continue.  Also, don't forget you are your kids' first best teacher.  You were given your kids to train up in the ways of the Lord.  Do that, every day, don't delay; their souls and eternity depend on this!

Family Rhythms

Some family rhythms can be destructive, you know what these are, stop doing them, it's hard. I know I fight the same urges.

Today's Challenge is this:  

Identify at least 3 Family Rhythms to institute that will allow your family to become the type of family you desire to be.  Implement them.  Enjoy them.

Whether a walk after dinner, more intentional conversation about people's hopes and dreams, a family meeting over the weekend, cooking meals together, or just reading books to your kids, intentional and deliberate family rhythms are a game-changer for all involved.  Act!  Now!

Time to change the game!

Don't Fear That Day!

Jonathan Kennedy