Always Two Questions

There are two questions that are asked of me at most Rites of Passage. The first is, “Where was this for my older children?” That is normally followed by the statement, “Maybe they would still be in church if we would have done this for them.”

The second question seems to be more sensitive to the person asking. It is, “Where was this for me?”

These are not easy questions to answer, except to say that we are trying to (re)capture something that is “of God” and so needed in our churches today. It is not just about a spiritual blessing. It is also an issue of speaking truth - - truth about who and whose we are.

Far too many Christians have never been told that they are loved because of who they are and not what they do. Blessings counter the lies and deceptions of satan.

A significant dynamic that we see at Rites of Passage weekends is the high number of men and women of all ages who come forward to receive a Father’s Blessing. I have witnessed men and women in their 80’s kneel to be blessed.

Afterwords, many have told me that they have known for years that “something was missing” but they just did not know what it was until that night.

I believe that churches must focus on being families that bless one another.

Clearly a foundational work on this subject is The Blessing by Gary Smalley and John Trent. One of my favorites is Rolf Garborg’s book The Family Blessing.

Blessings change life and help shape our destiny. No one in God’s family should ever wonder if they have been blessed.

Here is a question for readers - - When did you receive a Father’s blessing? Leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Seeing it for the first time, Again

During the past two weekends, I have been privileged to be a present as two different churches have conducted Rites of Passage celebrations for their young adults. New Life in Venice, FL and Pioneer Valley in Huntington, MA are two of the growing number of churches that are intentionally recognizing their sons and daughters as young adults, rather than teens, adolescents or merely youth.

I am always "blown away" by these weekends.

One of the aspects of the Rites of Passage weekend that leaves me reduced to a pile of human rubble is The Father's Blessing for the current adults.

The first night is a time of teaching to prepare the church with a clear understanding of Biblical principles and to be ready for the actual Rite of Passage. It is at he close of this session that the opportunity is given to the current adults to receive a Father's Blessing if they have never known that blessing. Men and women of all ages respond to the invitation for their pastor and leaders to stand in the gap as "spiritual fathers" and speak a blessing over them. Lives are absolutely changed. Every time I have had the privilege of seeing this take place, over three quarters of the church has responded.

Over and over, I have witnessed the power of the "Blessing."

Several years ago when I first wrote, Men of Honor Women of Virtue, my friend, Pat Morley advised me to make the first chapter of the book, the story of my own blessing, back in 1994. It was then that along with the publisher, we made the decision to move, what was originally Chapter 17 to what is now Chapter 1.

I absolutely love being a part of Rites of Passage. I have said on many occasions that I still cannot believe that God actually lets me do this.

It is always amazing to see the Father's Blessing for the first time, again.