Participants: John Youngberg, Millie Youngberg, Kathy Matthews
Series Code: TAH
Program Code: TAH000159
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00:32 Welcome to Thinking About Home.
00:33 I am Kathy Matthews and I'm glad that you've 00:36 joined us today. Our guests today are 00:39 John and Millie Youngberg. 00:40 They've been professors at Andrews University. 00:44 They've taught there. And they're also 00:45 directors of a Marriage and Family Commitment 00:48 Incorporated. And I just want to welcome you. 00:51 Thank you. I'm thankful that you're here. 00:52 Happy to be here. Good. You know we 00:55 all have the similar burden, don't we? 00:57 We want to make sure that our Church members 01:00 and the family of God understands family 01:05 worship, don't we? We have that burden in 01:08 our heart for them to realize the beauty of it 01:11 all and today's program titled is 01:14 "Making Family Worship Spiritual and Fun." 01:17 And I just want to get started, John with you on 01:21 a question of, should our family worship be 01:23 designed kind of like the Church experience where 01:26 the father is the only to read and you know, 01:29 we're always reverent and quiet and only the 01:32 father does all the suggestions and so forth? 01:34 Is that how we always need to do family worship? 01:37 Well, you know Kathy, I started out a little bit 01:40 that way, but I soon learned that the children 01:42 got bored and Millie said, well why don't you 01:46 pass it around a little bit? 01:48 And when I had a five minute of worship they 01:52 were already bored, but then I had John 01:54 do one night and Millie do one and grandma 01:59 and pretty soon they didn't say they were too 02:02 long anymore. They were twice as long, 02:04 but they enjoyed them because they were in 02:05 charge. So it is a question of participation. 02:08 I believe that we learned differently and there 02:12 is different modalities of learning and if we 02:14 have activity, if we become involved, 02:18 if we talk and we play, we work on fields, 02:23 we remember what we're doing a little bit 02:25 longer and it's more enjoyable. 02:27 So I believe that having the whole family 02:31 becoming involved is very important. 02:34 Should we give another name to family worships 02:36 since worship seems to imply only adoration 02:39 and prays or? Actually in the religious 02:42 world today Kathy, they used to speak of family 02:46 devotions. The Catholics may talk about family 02:48 prayers. Right. We are in a minority 02:52 speaking of family worship yet family worship has 02:56 become such a Seventh- day Adventist word and 03:00 phrases deeply embedded, right, 03:03 in our psychology. And I don't have any problem 03:06 with the word, but we need to amplify 03:08 it's meaning, right, and so it means more than 03:11 just being quiet, right, and secret. 03:13 Right, and there is a time for that, 03:15 but we also want to like you said me, 03:17 use all the avenues of learning and, 03:19 and others join in, right? That's right. Okay! 03:23 Are there some guidelines regarding family 03:25 worship that you have for us? 03:27 Well Ellen White says family worship should be 03:29 brief and spirited and full of life, 03:33 extremely interesting. She says it should be 03:36 the most interesting time of the day that the 03:38 children will look forward to it with great 03:40 pleasure. Can't you just see the children 03:42 maybe they're, they're getting ready, 03:44 maybe mom and dad have told a story in the 03:47 morning, now the kids gonna telling with 03:49 flannelgraph at night back to the family. 03:51 Right. And they're preparing during the 03:53 day to get ready, right, something important 03:56 to them. And that will help them to remember 03:57 and want, I think it would be. That's right. 03:59 It would help them to imprinted on their minds 04:02 and if you do that over and over and over again 04:05 each day of their life, how can they forget? 04:08 That's right. You know we may not, 04:11 we may not always bet a thousand and every family 04:13 worship won't be extremely interesting, 04:16 but we ought to do our best and those memories 04:19 linger on. I still remember that 04:21 we were six children and my father and mother 04:23 we always had the family worship and it made a 04:27 difference on me and we have always had family 04:31 worship morning and evening. 04:32 Still together just the two of you. 04:34 No, and with the kids when they were home and 04:37 so those are sort of some of the things that we 04:39 pass along to the coming generations. 04:42 Right and we want to keep it going on. 04:43 That's right. We actually are modeling when we 04:46 have family worship; we are modeling for 04:48 our children so when they grow up they will be 04:51 able to know how to conduct a good family 04:53 worship experience. Well, how important is 04:56 the variety then to making the family worship 04:59 enjoyable and spirited? Well, I remember we 05:03 wanted to have something on the last day of 05:05 that's for our family, for family worship and 05:08 we kept doing at night after night after night. 05:10 Soon our son say, well this is getting boring, 05:13 can we do something different? 05:15 And I think variety is the spice of life and if 05:19 we have all sorts of different kinds of 05:22 activities, the children are very interested in 05:26 the family worship and they're wondering what 05:28 do we're gonna do tonight? 05:29 So, so what are we going to do tonight? 05:31 Yes. Well, Andrew Philips, Dr. Philips wrote the 05:35 citation of the family worship and he found that 05:38 the most remembered and appreciated dynamic 05:42 family worship contains elements such as quieting 05:46 the people who come to family worship. 05:48 Things like what's the best thing that happened 05:51 to you today everybody shares. 05:54 And then you go on some soft disclosure who you 05:57 are and people participating, and. 06:01 Well, that sounds like somebody outside of the 06:03 family though when you've invited visitors then. 06:05 No we, that's right, even. Or the just family 06:07 members. Even the kids the John says, 06:09 our son John has well, I don't know something 06:12 good must have happen, but I did ran it I guess 06:14 on these three times a day, 06:15 so we all have a little laugh you know, right, 06:18 and so we're, we're telling who we are, 06:20 where we're at in life's journey? 06:22 Encourage the members of the family to, 06:25 to tell their own story, God's story of course, 06:30 but the story of who they are and to have an 06:33 affirmation time. Affirming my good wife 06:37 Millie on a Friday night or affirming the kids 06:40 we're glad that you're walking on life's journey 06:42 and we're right there with you. 06:44 Encouraging them put encouraging them. 06:46 But we also want to have an application to of 06:51 our spiritual things for their needs for that day 06:54 and so, we are concern about their home work 06:57 problems, where is the paper that they lost. 06:59 We're, we're concerned about our son getting a 07:03 job and applying the Bible to that we can, 07:07 we can all pray together that he will find the 07:10 job, we can also...So, you're talking about if 07:13 there are something like that going on, 07:14 that's right, in the life that some thought and 07:18 fore planning could take place, that's right, 07:20 by the parents and they could take the scripture 07:24 and say and claims some promises and then apply 07:28 it to whatever is going on with the child or the 07:31 other person, other spouse and so forth in 07:34 their life. That's true like a child who needs 07:37 a job you might say, well you know it's says, 07:39 seek ye first, for seeking of God now 07:41 these things will be added on to you and so as 07:43 we pray and study God just gonna guide you into 07:46 this work that you won't get and God says I will 07:53 show you things that what you know not. 07:54 You know there is a job there for you. 07:56 You know just apply the Bible in the scripture 08:00 to the needs of the family, right, 08:02 and that makes the family a Close Net Family and 08:05 there is relationship that's going on that's 08:08 beautiful. It's being built. We've talked about 08:11 adoration and praise a little bit. 08:12 Are there some other dimensions then to 08:14 family worship? I think Kathy that 08:17 what we usually talk about worship is praise 08:20 and the adoration, but there are other 08:22 dimensions. For instance, covenant building, 08:26 that we are the Youngberg family, 08:28 you are the Matthew's family what it means to be 08:31 a Matthews and that we have a family covenant, 08:34 but not only with each other, 08:36 but a covenant between our family and God and 08:39 our family in various occasion we've gotten 08:43 together and usually in the solemn special 08:46 occasion, and we've said okay, come what may, 08:50 we may have our differences that have a 08:51 problems, but we're going through together and 08:54 we'll make a promise a covenant with each other. 08:57 Now, just before we got started. 08:58 I ask you about the word covenant and, 09:00 and you've, you've described it a little 09:02 there, but just to find it more specifically 09:05 covenant means. Yes that's, 09:06 that's a solemn though, a solemn promise is more 09:09 than just say and well, my goals for tomorrow are 09:12 such and such. Right, yeah. So, hey, 09:14 we thought this through and by the Lord's help, 09:16 right, and with each other's witnesses. 09:19 This is what we're going to do so help us God. 09:22 Right, so it's just more prominent and 09:24 more solid. That's right, and a family worship 09:26 experience I believe can also claim the blood of 09:30 Jesus over the family that we don't let there 09:34 let our children leave outdoors in morning to the 09:37 wicked world out there, seeing without them being 09:40 covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. 09:42 So, that's another dimension. That's another 09:44 dimension. So, first there is adoration of 09:45 praise. Covenant! And then, and claiming the 09:49 merits of the blood of Christ over the family 09:51 for that day. You know, I think of when you said 09:56 that to me earlier and then now that you're 09:57 saying it I just think that's a most beautiful 10:00 thing to remember that it's, it's, it's probably 10:03 forgotten to a great degree and I really 10:06 appreciate you're bringing that out. 10:07 And isn't that what the Gospel is about, amen, 10:09 the word of Jesus, amen. And we need to apply 10:12 the Gospel to our lives everyday. 10:14 And as little ones grow up and you're talking 10:16 like this, you're using words from scripture 10:18 like that. How much more then can they mentally 10:21 relate later to the Gospel like that? 10:25 It begins to take on a lot more meaning to them. 10:28 Everything Kathy that also there is the whole 10:31 question of instruction and family worship. 10:34 This is where our children learn to get ready for 10:37 Baptism; they learned the Bible doctrines, 10:40 but more than just doctrines they're 10:43 learning, we're actually passing our heritage to 10:46 our family you know the, the Christian Church is 10:50 always only, only one generation from 10:52 extinction. And if we should failed to pass on 10:55 the torch then things would end up, 10:58 of course God won't permit that to happened, 11:00 but we don't wanted to happen in our family 11:03 either. No, no. That the light that we have 11:05 received from our parents or grandparents just 11:08 that that torch should somehow fall from our 11:11 hands, yes, before we passed it onto another 11:14 generation. We want our children saved and we 11:16 want us all together, don't we? That's right. 11:18 Well, there is the transmission of religious 11:20 heritages also includes helping our children to 11:25 find Christ and to accept Him as the Lord 11:28 of their life and leading them to this point and 11:32 it's so exciting when a child says hey, 11:36 I really want to be a Christian, 11:38 and really love Jesus, I'm so sorry for all 11:42 my sins. And I want God to guide me and this can 11:47 be done during the family worship time. 11:49 To learn to love the Lord and want to trust and 11:53 obey Him, right. Is there any other dimensions? 11:56 And the fifth dimension is celebration like we 11:59 celebrate the children's Baptisms, 12:01 have the special breakfast they come and say hey, 12:04 what's the big deal, candles and everything 12:07 is spread out here? And Oh! December 6, 12:11 this is the fifth anniversary of 12:14 our Baptism. I have my new birth. 12:15 And then I took out the pictures of the Baptism 12:18 and show them, took out the Baptism 12:20 certificate that they had signed and said, 12:23 Millie and I are so proud of you boys because 12:26 you're on your journey toward the kingdom and 12:29 we want to support you. And then Millie brought 12:32 out of scrunch his breakfast that just 12:34 kind the kids are like and nobody complaint about 12:37 family worship that day. 12:38 Oh! No, I'm sure they didn't, yeah. So, 12:40 there they are five dimensions; adoration, 12:43 covenant renewal, sacrifice claim in the 12:47 blood, fourth is instruction or 12:50 transmitted the religious heritage and finally 12:52 celebration. Okay, we now let's talk a little 12:56 bit about music in family devotions. 12:57 What do you have there? 12:59 Well, there are so many things that we can't do, 13:01 but music is like a prayer and it's such an 13:04 important part we can learn scripture because of 13:07 our music that we sing, we can learn this very 13:13 songs, but some other things that we suggest 13:15 John plays the piano really well, really, 13:19 and sometimes he just go sit at the piano and 13:22 start playing and we guess what is the song that 13:25 he is playing, so that could be one other things 13:27 you could do. That's right, 13:28 another you might have the children learn a new 13:30 song every month. And I'm saying we have 13:34 like the old economy, the new economy and 13:37 stock market and so on. We have the old music 13:40 and the music in today's life of our children. 13:43 I'm suggesting maybe learn some praise song 13:46 one week or one month, next month learn something 13:51 good hymns with the real message. 13:53 So that they're not loss with those messages, 13:55 that's right, those are such heart felt messages, 13:57 born of the experience. That's right. Oh! 14:00 I like that, what else? And then other we can 14:02 learn the songs that have a special story behind 14:07 them that those are always interesting to tell 14:11 the story and then follow them. 14:12 It is now all with my soul with the man. 14:14 Oh! You're talking about the background. 14:16 Yeah, and the ocean where is wife and daughter 14:18 had died it is well with my soul. 14:21 And then sing the song. Right. One thing I like 14:24 to is, to have the family just right out a little 14:28 beginning of the song like I love Jesus, 14:32 mommy loves, make it up. Yeah, just make it up. 14:36 I love Jesus, mommy love Jesus, 14:37 daddy loves Jesus and so and then put it to 14:40 music or make a song regarding praising God, 14:44 praising the majestic Father of the lovely Jesus 14:48 praise Him for the Holy Spirit who guides us 14:51 daily and so, and then just making the song. 14:53 It's fun. They become, we did this with a group 14:57 perform, Young musicians and we said, put music 15:02 to these words and they did and I said to them 15:05 now. And enjoyed it. They enjoyed it, 15:07 and then I said now this is your first musical 15:12 composition or so you know they're doing 15:14 something. Was this a family member or 15:15 other folks? No, it was, we had a whole group of 15:17 young people over our home, 15:19 who are musicians and actually it was recital? 15:22 Oh! Really? It's really nice. You know, 15:25 we have a video clip on that don't we? 15:27 We don't, we have something that you want 15:28 to show about, about music we could do that now. 15:31 We'll see some real families singing a 15:34 family worship. Okay, alright. 15:39 Only a boy named David Only a little sling 15:43 Only a boy named David But he could pray and sing 15:48 Only a boy named David Only a rippling brook 15:53 Only a boy named David 15:55 And five little stones he took. 15:57 And one little stone went in the sling 16:00 And the sling went round and round 16:02 And one little stone went in the sling 16:04 And the sling went round and round 16:06 And round and round And round and round 16:09 And round and round and round 16:11 And one little stone went up in the air 16:16 And the giant came tumbling down. 16:22 [Foreign Language] 16:54 There's nothing to hard for God to do 16:59 in this world we're living in 17:04 No matter how situation seem you 17:08 could put your trust in Him 17:11 He parted the Red Sea and 17:15 He may bring you through 17:17 Because nothing, oh nothing 17:21 that God cannot do. 17:24 Nothing, nothing that God cannot do He has 17:31 the answers for the problem you go through 17:36 Nothing, oh nothing that God cannot do 17:41 just have faith in Him 17:43 And he will work things there for you 17:46 Nothing, nothing that God cannot do 17:52 He has the answers for the 17:54 problems you go through 17:57 Nothing, oh nothing that God cannot do 18:02 just have faith in Him 18:04 And He will work things there for you 18:07 Just have faith in Him and He will 18:10 work things there for you. 18:12 Just have faith in Him and He will 18:16 work things there for you. 18:22 Amen, shall we pray? Let the words of my 18:25 mouth and the meditation of our hearts; 18:28 be acceptable in Thy sight, Oh Lord, 18:31 our strength and our redeemer 18:33 for Christ sake, amen. 18:36 John is there anything else that you would like 18:37 to say about music in the video? 18:39 I think the video clip show us that worship is a 18:43 creative experience and music is very creative. 18:47 When the children are doing something like that 18:49 it brings out the best within them and helps 18:52 them to be all they can be. 18:53 Right! Millie we've talked about a lot about 18:56 music now, what more can we do in family 19:00 devotions whether it would be spiritual and fun 19:02 when we were using the Bible? 19:04 There are just a lot of interesting things that 19:06 we can do to teach the Bible, 19:09 to bring the Bible alive and to find new things 19:13 in the Bible I think one of the things that we 19:15 can search for is something that 19:17 new that we have never heard before. 19:20 Now, a few years ago we were saying John what's, 19:26 what's new in the Bible and he came up with 19:28 Jebus. Tell us what you said? 19:31 Now, well you know it's popular everybody knows 19:33 about Jebus. Yes, everybody knows about the 19:34 Jebus now, but some little known detail of 19:37 the Bible that can make a lot of difference. 19:39 For instance, Timothy came from a divided home 19:43 and most people would have missed that point 19:46 altogether, divided homes can still have worships 19:49 and change the lives of children. 19:52 Right, well okay, you chose to tell us about 19:55 Timothy rather than Jebus on, 19:56 on these new little pieces that we could find 19:58 in the Bible. What about other stories? 20:02 What can we do with? Well, we can take various, 20:04 yeah, making the stories more alive. Right! 20:07 I think when we start thinking about the feeling 20:10 of those individuals who are Bible characters 20:13 that we have heard about in the past, 20:15 well this comes alive they come alive to us. 20:19 They're more important and we take the story of 20:22 like the paralytic. He was on his deaths 20:26 door and he had friends who want to take him 20:29 over to Jesus and so when we start thinking of a, 20:33 what, what the feeling of the, 20:34 the people who are carrying him John what 20:37 might have been the things? 20:38 So, there were four friends and let, 20:39 let's not forget the four friends and what 20:41 they did he wouldn't have been healed, 20:43 if they wouldn't have been for the four friends, 20:44 for his friends, but the other thing is, 20:46 it was Peter's house and you imagine Mrs. Peter 20:50 when all of a sudden she looked up and saw 20:52 that the roof is coming apart and all the rest. 20:54 How would Peter and his wife felt about the 20:57 pulling the roof apart in order to lower, 21:01 yes right, the paralytic, yeah, and so enter into 21:03 the feelings of all these peoples? 21:05 The paralytic when Jesus says, 21:07 Son your sins are forgiven, 21:09 the peace that must have come over him, 21:11 enter into the feelings of the people. 21:14 And think of the people who were sitting there 21:16 listening to Jesus and all of a sudden look up 21:18 and what's going on here, well they're disturbing 21:20 our special time with this man you know, 21:23 and you start thinking about the feelings of the 21:25 individuals and you begin to identify with them. 21:29 Well I think we have another little video clip, 21:32 don't we? Yes. That we can go into now. 21:35 Tell us little bit about what that's about all? 21:37 Team participation and how the children can do 21:40 things with their hands to make it 21:41 them alive. Okay, okay. 21:45 Well, I decided that we do the paraphrases for 21:48 tonight since we all seem to like that. 21:50 We did. And dad's very good at it. 21:54 Paraphrases of the Bible. Yes, and so, 21:58 I'm going to start off and either of you can 22:00 answer whatever you and whenever you want. 22:03 Okay, this is your first one. 22:06 Permit your baby blues zero tighten ups and your 22:09 peeper blinkers no snoozing. 22:13 Permit your baby blues and your blinker peepers 22:18 from snoozing? Something about slumber. 22:22 Eyes. Keep your eyes from sleeping? 22:26 Yeah, some eye. I haven't a clue. 22:29 Alright, what is it? Allow no sleep to your eyes, 22:34 no slumber and no slumber to your eyelids. 22:37 Where in the world do you find that? 22:39 Where is that? Yeah, it's in Proverb 6:4. 22:42 Proverb 6:4. I don't remember reading 22:45 anything about eyelids. 22:48 How many colors do you think Joseph had 22:50 in his coat? A lot. He had lot the Bible said; 22:55 it was a coat of many colors, didn't he? 23:09 Oh! Lorraine, this is really good. 23:10 Tell me about your picture of Joseph? 23:13 He is so happy. He is looking in his coat, 23:15 and he is looking at himself, thank you Father. 23:19 Do you think that he is saying thank you Father? 23:22 Well he was appreciative of his coat, wasn't he? 23:27 And look it's bright and cheerful. 23:29 Now I see that you drew some sheep. 23:32 Why did you draw sheep on your picture? 23:34 Okay, there is a lot of sheep where he lives 23:37 because he was a Shepherd. He was a shepherd? 23:41 So there were sheep and at his home and out 23:44 in the field; Molly let me see your picture. 23:48 Look at this? Wow! I'm really impressed. 23:53 Tell me about Joseph and his coat of many colors? 23:56 He was happy and he had a big coat that had 24:03 a lot of colors. Do you think he told his 24:07 dad thank you? Yes. Oh! Yeah, I bet. 24:10 He gave him a big kiss for making 24:13 that coat of many colors. 24:16 Every time I see that clip it touches my heart. 24:20 This was the single parent family that you can 24:22 see that the beautiful relationship there with 24:26 the children. Oh! Yes, you know we don't have a 24:28 lot of time left Millie, but I want just to go 24:30 into a little bit about memorizing Bible texts? 24:34 I always have difficulty memorizing a Bible text 24:37 and the older I get its worse. 24:39 But we found a way that it's easy even for me, 24:43 but I'm going to practice on John. 24:45 We're going to have him repeat to first John. 24:52 I have first chapter verse 9 and what we do 24:56 we start with giving the first two words of the 24:59 verse and so, I will give John the first two 25:03 words which are if we and then for each word we 25:08 have the first letter, so lets see how well 25:11 John does, okay? Okay. John I give you the 25:15 first words; if we the second word starts with 25:18 the C. Confess. O. Our. S. Sins. H. He. I. Is. 25:25 F. Faithful. A. And. T, J. Just. T. To. 25:31 F. Forgive. U. Us. O. Our. S. Sins. 25:35 Okay, that's a good way and it's a fun way we 25:38 went to a home one day, the children were all 25:41 laughing and we asked what's going on? 25:44 They said we are memorizing, alright, 25:46 and when they started memorizing they started 25:48 laughing. Oh! Here is a way that Oh! Go ahead. 25:50 But I was going to say music is another way of 25:54 learning the text. Right, that's what I was gonna 25:55 say that the way that we did it was not so much 25:59 that, but putting it to music and it's, 26:02 if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to 26:10 forgive us our sins and cleanse us and cleanse us 26:17 from all unrighteousness. 26:20 And it's First John 1 Verse 9, 26:23 so that's the way we learned a lot of 26:25 scriptures song. Really, a very good way. 26:27 And there is another illustration you have, 26:29 isn't there about demoniac or getting into a 26:32 Bible story. Yeah, you were there and what 26:35 do you see? Let's think about the demoniac, 26:38 John. Do we have time for it very much is that? 26:41 I will just say a word. Okay. 26:43 So, you've come across the lake at night terrible 26:46 storm, Peter gets out and said, 26:47 I never want to put my foot in the boat again. 26:50 All of a sudden these demoniacs come out of 26:52 the mountains and you see Peter running back down 26:55 on the boat jumping and come on guys these mad 26:58 man are after us, so you were there and 27:00 you play this, somebody plays the part of Peters, 27:03 somebody plays the part of the Peter, 27:05 somebody plays the part of the wife of the 27:08 demoniac when they came home that night. 27:10 Right, Oh! Well, and now that's a way 27:12 to really get into, into it, isn't it? 27:14 And it's exciting. Well, our time is already gone 27:18 and it went fast, isn't it? 27:19 And I enjoyed the clips that you had, 27:21 I want to invite you back and I want to invite 27:23 our viewers back with us. And we're going to 27:27 have prayer for you and you pray for us while 27:29 we're praying for you. 27:31 John, will you pray for us? 27:32 Heavenly Father, we are so thankful 27:34 for our families. We're thankful for 27:36 our boys and girls for our husbands and wives, 27:39 and we're thankful that we can kneel together 27:41 and praise Your Holy name and adore You because 27:44 You are there that we can claim them merits of 27:47 the sacrifice of Jesus to save our family that we 27:49 can make a pact of covenant together 27:52 that we can get ready for the kingdom because 27:55 Jesus is coming very soon. Dear Lord acceot our 27:58 family not because we're graving. |
Revised 2014-12-17