Family Connections

Family Connections

These Family Connections articles, written by FBC members, focus on family building blocks, family conversation, family grandparenting, family prayer and devotions, and more--all designed to fulfill God's mission for His church and to enrich your experience of family.

Family Week is set for April 15 - 22 with events for the whole family to enjoy while growing closer through family worship, parent seminars, a family mission project, and more!

"If my family doesn’t even have time to eat dinner together, how are we expected to have family devotions? By the time homework is completed, we’re lucky to have bedtime prayers. Is this another thing to add to my...

"Mr. Latham, don't be pulling on these tubes..."Family-Connections-Logo-small.jpg These softly admonishing words, spoken by a nurse at Baptist Hospital several years ago, were Bill Latham's welcome back to consciousness and to his somewhat unexpected realization that: "I'm alive!"

Since 1982, this church has nourished our family. For four years, you gave Steve and me a foundation for starting a family. You then became the community that helped us rear our three children.

Prayer has always been a part of my life, so when God blessed our home with children prayer only became more frequent. When our children were babies we always touched them, making a circle of three then four, as we...

Many of you have probably seen the blockbuster movie, The Blindside. If so, you know that a defining moment for the Tuohy family came when Leigh Anne Tuohy told her husband to turn the car around. You know how their...

On May 25, 2007, we were blessed with the birth of our daughter, Sarah Elizabeth. While at times it seemed like the clock moved in 3-hour increments based on how empty her belly was or how full her diaper was,...

I had a birthday last month. With each birthday comes a time of reflection for me of the past year and of my life. And one thing that I've noticed in this time of introspection: the seasons of my life...

"For unto us a child is born,unto us a son is given:and the government shall be upon His shoulder;and His name shall be calledWonderful,  Counselor,    the Mighty God,      the Everlasting Father,        the Prince of Peace.Of the increase of His government...

Have you promised yourself that your family will have a more Christ-centered Advent celebration this year? If so, First Baptist has just the right tool for you, a gift from your Family Enrichment Committee. The Advent Devotional Guide will be...

In Song of Songs 2:15, one of the newlyweds encourages the other to "Catch the foxes for us--the little foxes that ruin the vineyards--for our vineyards are in bloom." In other words, this couple understood that some forces would try...

Ahhhhh. That's the sound of anyone who's just experienced a welcome respite from life's busyness in our church's beautiful atrium. Located in one of the busiest areas of our church beside the lobby, the atrium beckons all to enter, reconnect...

I often see God in moments of transition. Budding dogwoods, the first cool blast of football weather, graduation ceremonies, funeral processions. Back in August, I took my son to kindergarten and felt a sense of loss, pride, and personal transformation...

My childhood home consisted of 2 adult males, 1 adult female, a younger brother and me. I feel very blessed to have been reared in an intergenerational home. You might be surprised to know that I long for my children...

Dear Church Family, Over the past four years at First Baptist Nashville, I have been surrounded by loving people in an environment that has allowed me to grow spiritually and slowly mature into who I am today. My family has...

As a long-time member of First Baptist, one of my favorite activities has been Bridge Building Day (formerly known as Catch the Vision Day). I love coming together as a church family to do something productive that benefits our community...

As my son, Chaney, prepares to begin his studies at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, I have been thinking about the lessons I hope he will take with him on the next leg of his journey. These words aren't...

Family ConnectionsWhat does that mean? On the surface, it appears that Sunday School is somewhat anti-family. After all, when a family walks through the church door on Sunday morning we send preschoolers to one area, direct students to another building,...

I moved with my family to Tennessee about 2 ½ years ago. We started looking for a new church right away. Visiting First Baptist was kind of awkward because I didn't know anybody. Then one evening, I got a call...

As we look back after rearing children and seeing the family expand to grandchildren, family is the dearest thing to us. Through joys and trials, good times and bad, family gives meaning to life as nothing else can, outside of...

Stay-at-home moms enjoy a bit of solitude during the school year while their children are off learning new things: time to plan, grocery shop, clean, do laundry, maybe even read a book or have lunch with a friend without the...

       One important fact about me is that my nearest family lives 650 miles away. I'm the poster child for modern American life: single, professional woman, no children, financially independent, living far from family, autonomous. Theoretically, I have no one...

Children's Bible Drill. For many adults, these words take you back to your childhood. I can remember going to church on Sunday nights, having races to find the books of the Bible, and reciting scripture from memory. Of course,...

Every year we have one of those late winter snows that's gone by the time you can warm up your car. Just like the one a few weeks ago, we had a similar freak snow several years ago early...

When students list spiritual disciplines, stewardship is almost never included on their lists. Most teens believe that it is the responsibility of their parents to tithe and give monetarily to the church. While it is true that not all students...

Hagar, the maid of Abram's wife Sarai, found herself alone in the wilderness. Having been forced to leave her home, she was tired, lonely and afraid. Where would she go? What would she do? How would she care for her unborn...

Last fall, a simple movie created quite a buzz around First Baptist Church. Couples from across Sunday School departments met each week to talk about ways to strengthen marriages--thanks in part to the efforts of Sherwood Pictures' film Fireproof. Now,...

There is nothing like a good spring cleaning to get a fresh attitude and outlook. Not only does this apply to our home's physical appearance but it's also true about our family's schedule. By the time spring arrives, we're ready...

Before Trent and I were married last summer, we were told that the best part of marriage is the first three months. Others told us it would take us at least a year to start enjoying it. Conventional wisdom tells...

If you have young children in your life, there's no doubt that the process of learning to walk is etched permanently in your mind. I've had the chance to see it most recently through the eyes of our daughter,...

Teenagers and money...a scary combination for sure. And one that confounds both parents and teens alike. It would be my hope that, in these few short paragraphs, I could deliver complete financial literacy for families but I admit that...

We get asked that question a lot when folks learn that we celebrated our 67th wedding anniversary December 6, 2008. Yes, we married the day before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Ours was a very short courtship. We could have...

Christ said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has...

Every so often, my three-year-old son makes a statement that amazes me. I am awed by how much insight he has to the world and what is truly meaningful. After a bout of recent storms, Daniel mentioned that he was...

Parents have a tremendous responsibility to equip their children for leadership and Christian service. How? Be an example. Parents' actions reflect their values and priorities more than their words do. If you are regular in church attendance and faithful in...

May 12, 2007, I thought to myself, "Today is the first day of the rest of my life and the rest of my life is going to be sad." For you see, this was the last day I would...

When my children were small, my dad lived far from us in western Oklahoma on a farm. During the summer, our children spent extended time with my dad on the farm. There they learned the value of hard work which...

Prior to taking our wedding vows, we literally applied the Boy Scout Motto: "Be prepared!" We sought every source we knew for marriage advice. During our 10-month engagement we consulted many married couples, read books, went to counseling, and attended...

This month Jim and I will be taking our older daughter, Abby, to college. It's hard to believe that 18 years have passed since we welcomed our "precious little baby girl" to the world. I still remember the day my...

Parenting is no easy task...godly parenting even more so. I have the privilege of undergirding those who are parents. As I teach kindergartners in Sunday School and second and third-graders in choir, I am partnering with parents to help lay...

There is neither a foxhole conversion nor heroism story here, just simple service. It was always my desire to serve in the military, so after graduation from college, and a rejected attempt to join the Navy and fly F-4s, I...

In the movie E.T.: the Extraterrestrial, a space alien lands on earth and befriends a ten year-old boy. Since Elliott, the boy, has never encountered an alien, and the alien has never encountered a human, a good portion of...

I have no relatives in the state of Tennessee. When I moved to Nashville to try and make it on my own, I worried if someone would be there to catch my hat when I threw it up in the...

It's a dangerous world out there, and complicated too. Don't talk to strangers? Which ones?! Strangers are walking the streets and surfing the web. And here's some sobering news: most children know more about the Internet than their parents. Today's...

The phone rang and it was my sister. "The ambulance is here and we are taking Daddy to the hospital again," she said. Although they live 125 miles from us, we went immediately. I strongly believe that the care of...

It's 5:30 a.m. and Josh's alarm goes off. It's a Wednesday, and Wednesdays are long days in our house. Josh goes to breakfast with 3 high school guys. An hour or so later, Jackson and I head out the...

Teachers use them every week to teach children in Sunday School. As parents, you can take advantage of teachable moments every day to help your children learn about God and build spiritual foundations for faith. In Deuteronomy 6:7, God commands...

When we were asked to write an article about developing a compassionate heart in children, we felt extremely under-qualified. So how does it happen? Certainly it is a continual process that takes time. For children to understand compassion or...

A few years back Donna and I were directing the Adult 2A Sunday School department and wanted to provide an opportunity for increased involvement in local missions for our members and their families. At that time, Tambi Swiney's class...

When Mike and I married over 35 years ago, I received an unexpected blessing--a loud, loving family of in-laws that included a mom and dad, 3 sisters, 3 grandparents, over 30 aunts and uncles, and cousins too numerous to...

We had it all planned. My brother-in-law had given us a devotional for Christmas, and we were determined to jumpstart our family devotions in 2007. And we did--for about a month. Then, life happened. The hustle and bustle of...

Raising children to be independent can be a challenge. When do you turn over appropriate tasks to them so they can perform their own tasks? One of my seminary professors used to say, “Once a child has learned a...

Now that Chaney is a junior in high school, I appreciate even more the time we spend together as a family playing, traveling, and relaxing. Since Chaney is an only child, Tambi and I have always been his primary...

Sure, you have enough family pictures from the last few years to fill a warehouse! But what about those dusty pictures of ancestors your children wouldn't recognize, but without whom your present-day family wouldn't be the same? Setting aside...

Fifty years ago this Christmas, we were married at First Baptist Church. Our children grew up in this church; all four were married here. Add the four spouses, 14 grandchildren, plus other kinfolks and we have lots of times...

My wife Dale and I used to be pretty serious campers and hikers back in the days before we had children. We always knew that someday we would introduce Gigi (6) and Scotty (4) to the joys of pitching...

Our daughters Anne Grace and Allie often sing Casting Crowns' lyrics, "If we are the body, why aren't his arms reaching? Why aren't his hands healing?" Good questions! This summer FBC's Family Mission Trip helped our family do a...

Recently at dinner, our son James proclaimed that Pacman (Adam Jones) is his favorite Titans player. I'm certain his interest in Pacman only comes from constantly hearing his name in the news. After all, if he makes the news...

We are proud grandparents of five wonderful children. If you're a grandparent--whether of one or ten--you know the joys this title brings! This is a monumental year in our family. Our oldest grandchild, Emily, is beginning her senior year; our...

Protecting Your Child from Sexual Predators It is nearly impossible to watch the news without hearing a story about another sex abuse case. It’s no longer just the dirty-old-man in a trench coat or the stalking weirdo. It can...

After 14 years of having little boys at home with me during the day, it’s hard to imagine that our youngest son, Spencer, will be starting Kindergarten in just a few days. Completing his enrollment paperwork, I’ve answered questions...

I thought she was crazy. I was standing in the hallway at church, listening to a friend tell me that she planned to homeschool her daughter. I searched my mind frantically for some kind of reasonable comment. I was...

On November 27, 2006, Bettye (my wife and best friend for more than 65 years) made that ultimate journey from this world. For her it was a graduation to a visual relationship with Jesus, to whom she had trusted her...

I have a great new bumper sticker on the back of my van. It says My kid has more chromosomes than yours! I love that. I’d be the first to admit that living with Down syndrome is no walk...

When you look at your children what do you see? More often than not, I see cooing smiles, laughter, curiosity, amazement, and joy. I also see determination, perseverance, energy and hope. The other day, my wife Rachel asked me...

Ask your spouse for a date. On any day or night of the week, a date that allows time to focus on each other, without the distractions of daily life, is a good date. Those private times together help...

My family was so blessed to have had a godly mother. A friend once told me it was hard for her to learn to trust the Lord in all things because she was not raised in a Christian home. Learning...

As parents, we do so many things intentionally for our children: driving them to soccer practice and music lessons, providing healthy meals and secure homes. Why? Because we want our children to be well balanced—physically, men-tally and socially. But a...

"We don't really have any problems." "We are just too busy." "People might assume our marriage is in trouble?" Sound familiar? People give a variety of reasons for not attending a marriage retreat. The reality is healthy marriages are living...

Now, there’s a fresh idea! Gather your family and go on a mission trip together. Stand on a spiritual mountaintop together. Imagine the joy and blessing when all the members of your family are a single unit praying together as...

Tevye, the milkman in Fiddler on the Roof, asks a poignant question each one of us would do well to ask ourselves: “And how do we keep our balance?” He answers the question with one word—“Tradition.” He gives more descriptions...

The holiday season brings with it a good probability that extended families will come together to celebrate. Immediately after the prayer has been offered for God's blessing on the food and the celebration, an interesting opportunity will present itself. The...

When I met my husband, I respected him. It is one of many reasons I married him. I saw integrity in the way he lived that impressed me, and I loved him for it. As a woman, I need to...

Put yourself aside and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Philippians 2:3-4 (The Message) The values expressed in this scripture are challenging to live out,...

If we are honest in our manhood, we men possess a desire that has been instilled within us since the early days of our little league sports careers…BE THE BEST! Husbands can be the best husbands by practicing three basic...

Gramma, Memom, Grandpa, Papa - regardless of the name, this role is special and meaningful. What fun to share excitement and pleasures! Grandparents also can provide support and understanding in times of sadness and disappointment. The contributions grandparents make to...

I remember the rickety old stool that I sat on in my mother’s kitchen. While she prepared dinner, we talked. Our conversations were not a lesson on cooking, or a lecture on life; but nevertheless, I learned how to fry...

Let Us Hear From You! At First Baptist Nashville, the Family Enrichment Committee seeks ways for families of every shape and size to grow stronger. Our Evangel articles emphasize creative ways to spend time together. We plan seminars to address...

…there was a little girl who loved fairy tales and other exciting stories. She lived with lots of adults, and someone—a parent, a grandparent, an older brother, cousin, uncle, aunt—was always willing to read to her. I was that fortunate...

Summer is just around the corner! Visions of lazy days stretch ahead into blissful eternity. But things get in the way, and next thing you know, summer vacation is over before you’ve had one. Unless you make a plan to...

Moses made it clear. Parents are called to be the spiritual leaders of their homes: “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit...

The Family Enrichment Committee is not trying to emulate Johnny Carson in borrowing his catch phrase. Indeed, the idea expressed in “there’s more to come” is not original with Mr. Carson. It appears throughout the pages of the Bible from...


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