Sheneka Land
Ministry With Families
Dr. Jackie Johns
Family Meals
Contemporary family life faces the on-going struggle of scheduling warm, communicative family meal times. The fast-paced lifestyles that are required to maintain involvement in secular and church activities cause us to seek meals at the drive-thru or in the frozen food department at the supermarket. It is of little wonder that obesity, health issues, and lack of emotional bonding result from lack of attention to what was once a familial tradition.
Obviously, there is to be no return to the 1950’s model of family mealtime, but families still must find means to engage each other at the dinner table. Statistics prove that children who are exposed to planned times together as a family at the dinner table are healthier and more well adjusted emotionally. As a result, the possibility of tobacco, drug, and alcohol use is greatly diminished.
The mission of the Christian family is to empower each other; that is, all family members help each other to reach his or her full potential through encouragement and support. The family must slow down, stop, and listen to one another in order to accomplish this goal. The family dinner table is an excellent site for empowerment to take place.
However, we must be aware of distractions that can hinder effective interaction between family members. First and foremost on today’s list is the cell phone. When our family eats at the dinner table; whether it be home or in a public place, my husband collects and stacks all phones in the center of the table and no one is allowed access to his or her phone until the family meal is completely over with. T.V., iPods and radios are distractions as well. While soft music playing in the background can set a relaxing tone, medium to loud music hinders important dialogue.
Even the family pet can become a distraction to meal time. It’s too easy to become sympathetic to big, brown eyes begging for food and miss the words our family members may be sharing. It’s best to lock the family pet up during meal time.
Parents must set the tone for productive family conversations. These conversations can be initiated before anyone even arrives at the dinner table. Children can be involved in the meal-planning and setting the table. Including children in planning family meals, whether at home or away, can initiate a desire for an event of togetherness. And even the dreaded tasks of clearing the table and washing dishes can become a time of shared community.
Rather than becoming distressed by the challenge of creating family mealtimes according to past traditions, maybe the modern-day family can discover new ways of creating intimate family mealtimes. Even a fast-food pickup can become an empowering family event if all are seated at a picnic table for a half-hour or so on the way to the next sporting event. Though context is important, it’s the quality of togetherness and slowing down to listen to each other that will enhance our family relationships. Slow down, stop, listen and eat!
Ministry With Families
Dr. Jackie Johns
Family Meals
Contemporary family life faces the on-going struggle of scheduling warm, communicative family meal times. The fast-paced lifestyles that are required to maintain involvement in secular and church activities cause us to seek meals at the drive-thru or in the frozen food department at the supermarket. It is of little wonder that obesity, health issues, and lack of emotional bonding result from lack of attention to what was once a familial tradition.
Obviously, there is to be no return to the 1950’s model of family mealtime, but families still must find means to engage each other at the dinner table. Statistics prove that children who are exposed to planned times together as a family at the dinner table are healthier and more well adjusted emotionally. As a result, the possibility of tobacco, drug, and alcohol use is greatly diminished.
The mission of the Christian family is to empower each other; that is, all family members help each other to reach his or her full potential through encouragement and support. The family must slow down, stop, and listen to one another in order to accomplish this goal. The family dinner table is an excellent site for empowerment to take place.
However, we must be aware of distractions that can hinder effective interaction between family members. First and foremost on today’s list is the cell phone. When our family eats at the dinner table; whether it be home or in a public place, my husband collects and stacks all phones in the center of the table and no one is allowed access to his or her phone until the family meal is completely over with. T.V., iPods and radios are distractions as well. While soft music playing in the background can set a relaxing tone, medium to loud music hinders important dialogue.
Even the family pet can become a distraction to meal time. It’s too easy to become sympathetic to big, brown eyes begging for food and miss the words our family members may be sharing. It’s best to lock the family pet up during meal time.
Parents must set the tone for productive family conversations. These conversations can be initiated before anyone even arrives at the dinner table. Children can be involved in the meal-planning and setting the table. Including children in planning family meals, whether at home or away, can initiate a desire for an event of togetherness. And even the dreaded tasks of clearing the table and washing dishes can become a time of shared community.
Rather than becoming distressed by the challenge of creating family mealtimes according to past traditions, maybe the modern-day family can discover new ways of creating intimate family mealtimes. Even a fast-food pickup can become an empowering family event if all are seated at a picnic table for a half-hour or so on the way to the next sporting event. Though context is important, it’s the quality of togetherness and slowing down to listen to each other that will enhance our family relationships. Slow down, stop, listen and eat!