Family
I have come to a new understanding of family. This isn't something that happened overnight. But I know that there are many people with whom I am involved that I consider family. And Home is where the heart Is, or so goes the song. We come to be those who welcome others to be part of who we are.
And families work with with what sociologists call 'norms'. That is this is the way we function together. Sometimes that is healthier than others. But when people say, Yes, I want to be part of this family then they are saying yes this is the way we function together.
My D.Min class, the Four Winds, developed at our first meeting together a set of Group norms. Those were the ways we worked together. For example we would have opening and closing worship and share the leadership of that. We would eat lunch together before our first class and we would have lunch together during the week and take the professor out the last day of class. We would come prepared to work and we would expect each day for us to be in class ready. We worked together well. Professors were impressed how prepared we were and how ready to take whatever pre class work had been assigned and move on rather than review. We had read the books and were ready to learn.
Norms function in groups and communities in the same way. But Norms are different than saying, 'we have always done it this way before.' Norms say in the midst of change, and change is life, then this is how we will work together for change.
Look right now at all the negotiation going on in New Orleans, LA, about how the city will and should and can rebuild. The process of that will happen but not without the groups involved saying this is how we will work together for Good.
And isn't that how we determine what is good and not good. Are we working for the building up of the Kingdom or the tearing down?
So family....I hear you say...
Family says come and be part of who we are and here is how we love each other.
Isn't that what scripture says. See, how they love one another.
how do we love each other?
God knows.
God abides
Welcome to the family
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2005
And families work with with what sociologists call 'norms'. That is this is the way we function together. Sometimes that is healthier than others. But when people say, Yes, I want to be part of this family then they are saying yes this is the way we function together.
My D.Min class, the Four Winds, developed at our first meeting together a set of Group norms. Those were the ways we worked together. For example we would have opening and closing worship and share the leadership of that. We would eat lunch together before our first class and we would have lunch together during the week and take the professor out the last day of class. We would come prepared to work and we would expect each day for us to be in class ready. We worked together well. Professors were impressed how prepared we were and how ready to take whatever pre class work had been assigned and move on rather than review. We had read the books and were ready to learn.
Norms function in groups and communities in the same way. But Norms are different than saying, 'we have always done it this way before.' Norms say in the midst of change, and change is life, then this is how we will work together for change.
Look right now at all the negotiation going on in New Orleans, LA, about how the city will and should and can rebuild. The process of that will happen but not without the groups involved saying this is how we will work together for Good.
And isn't that how we determine what is good and not good. Are we working for the building up of the Kingdom or the tearing down?
So family....I hear you say...
Family says come and be part of who we are and here is how we love each other.
Isn't that what scripture says. See, how they love one another.
how do we love each other?
God knows.
God abides
Welcome to the family
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2005
posted by Bobbie Giltz McGarey at
10:07 AM
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