The book Family to Family, authored by Jerry Pipes and Victor Lee, explains evangelism
and how evangelism should be viewed from a family viewpoint. This book also explains how the
level of intimacy within the family has impacted family cohesiveness. Families with healthy
social dynamics consist of healthy, growing individuals who live in the spirit with Christ as their
foundation.1 The book provides examples regarding the benefits of having moments of family
bonding time.
The book introduces the effects of a lack of setting aside time to build family cohesion. A
little over 30 percent of families in America take the time to eat one meal together, and
approximately 10 percent of the family take the time to pray together.2 The authors explain
several key points to effective evangelism, which are identifying the needs of others, paying
attention to others so that we can assess what needs to be done for them, and actually getting out
and about in our neighborhoods and helping our community.
The book Family to Family shows us that we must actively develop relationships with
those around us and bring Christ to others. To develop and educate our communities in Christ,
we must focus on placing family dynamics as a priority. The book teaches that we cannot try to
learn and educate from a distance. True progress stems from getting personal with those you love
and taking the initiative to evangelize to welcome more people to seek salvation through Christ.
The book offers an example explaining how we should greet our neighbors. Never wait until
tomorrow to see what can be done today.
Concrete Response
1 Jerry Pipes, and Victor Lee. Family to Family (1999)
2 Ibid, 5
I enjoyed reading the book because the book helped me understand the importance of
family bonding and how Christ can help strengthen the family. The book triggered a couple of
moments in my life that made me want to do better for the family I currently have now. The
section of the book that covered spending family time with one another resonated with me.3 I
grew up in a one-parent household. My mother was my primary caregiver and did her best to
raise my sister and me. Since she was our sole provider, she had to work a lot to keep a roof over
our heads, clothes on our backs, and food on the table. There were times when she had to work
two jobs to keep the bills paid. I admire my mother's work ethic and willingness to do what is
necessary to keep her sustained. Still, her tireless work ethic left us lacking in many areas
regarding our family cohesion. We were closer as a family, but we have not instilled the
principle needed to develop the spiritual foundation needed to grow.
I would say that I agree with the percentages I previously displayed regarding the
amount of time a family spends together. 1 Timothy 5:8 states, “But if anyone does not provide
for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is
worse than an unbeliever.” My mom fulfilled all the basics for my sister and me growing up, but
she could not attend extracurricular activities because she was always working to pay the bills. I
do not fault mom for what she did not do because she was so busy doing everything else. I wish
both parents were present more often because it would have better prepared me when I had my
own family. My parents were not focused on praying together as a family nor on spending
quality time together, giving me the impression that they did not care about me.
Reflection
3 Ibid, 21
The area in the book that I questioned was regarding parents being vulnerable and sharing
some of their struggles with the family.4 I believe there is a fine line between being transparent
with your children and placing burdens on children. An adult, whether in the church or in their
home, must be able to utilize the necessities to overcome any obstacles. I believe parents should
be vulnerable with their children once they get to a certain extent. Showing vulnerability to a
teenager allows becoming more aware of feelings and how to deal with them.
So parents can make the mistake of sharing too much of the struggle with their kids at too
young. When children are younger, their life experiences shape them for good or bad. Parents are
financially unstable and can place undue stress on their children. I do not believe that parents
should burden their kids due to the circumstances they were forced to live under. The use of the
word struggle and the failure to state a specific age made the statement questionable. My mom
was too vulnerable with us growing up. In hindsight, I knew she was going through a lot and
using us as her kids as unofficial counselors. As an adult, I tend to think, " Why does my mom
not just attend church to get through her problems?” Why not go to therapy? In my opinion,
seeking a pastoral counselor and therapist would have been more beneficial to her. A counselor
could have given feedback that she could’ve used to learn and better her situation. Sharing your
struggles should include expressing your current state of mind without looking for any action
that can lead to a solution for the family's behavior. As a child, hearing my mother share her
struggles with me just made me depressed because there was nothing I could do to fix her
situation.
Action
4 Ibid, 61
After reading this book, I learned much about the importance of evangelism and its
impact on family dynamics. Evangelism has always been the primary approach to spreading the
gospel. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 stated:
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed
them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came
and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Christ intended to not only encourage his disciples to go and produce more disciples, but he
wanted the process of discipleship to continue throughout the world. A quote I like to use for the
the Great Commission is “Reach one, teach one.” We must not keep the good news secret,
especially during these trying times when many people encounter daily challenges. I vow to
enhance myself to spread God's word by conducting more outreach activities, family events, and
counseling seminars.
Community Service
As previously mentioned, evangelism is the primary cause of the spread of the word of
God, but there are others ways to spread the word. I will conduct more community service
events. For many, the word of God can be received by words, but some require you to show
physical signs of the good works of Christ. Mark 10:45 states, “For even the Son of Man came
not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” When people are shown
how much Christ cares, they will become influenced to seek his praise and grace.
Family Events
Another action I will implement after reading this book is that I will host more family
events. In the past, I hosted many family events, but not with the intent to instill the word of
God to my family members. I used to separate my church life from my family life including
grandparents, parents, and cousins. Joshua 24:15 states, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the
Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region
beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But we will serve the
Lord for me and my house.” I plan on influencing my family to accept Christ showing them how
great life can be when you accept Christ.
Counseling Seminars
The last and most important action I will conduct is to host counseling seminars in my
church. As a counselor, my job is to provide spiritual care and support to those in need. Proverbs
15:22 states, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers, they succeed.” Many people in
my community place a negative stigma on receiving counseling or help. As members of Christ,
one of our many duties is to revive the church's spiritual health through education. Hosting these
events will bring awareness to the importance of receiving help. Being around spiritually healthy
people can receive God's word more efficiently.
Bibliography
