Positively Good Productions
"Making a Positively Good difference"
Introduction
The family is not an institution designed by man.
According to Genesis 2:22-24, the first institution
God established for human interaction was family.
We see from Scripture that family was created by God
for the benefit of man, and man has been given
stewardship over it.
Clearly the earthly family, intended by God
as an institution for spiritual instruction,
is very important in God's eyes.
We can also see that families are close to God's heart.
From the beginning, when God created man,
He said, "It is not good for man to be alone,"
so He created woman as a “help-meet, suitable for him”
(Genesis 2:18). Then, He blessed them and told them,
“Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
(fill) the earth” (Genesis 1:28).
Even after they fell into sin, God continued
with His plan for families, and even spoke prophetically
of the salvation that would come through the seed
of the woman (Genesis 3:15).
Later, after the Flood, He reiterated His plan to Noah
and his sons, “Be fruitful, and multiply,
and replenish the earth” (Genesis 9:1).
God continued His plan when He chose Abraham
and miraculously gave him a son in his old age
(Genesis 21).
Despite the corruptions family has suffered
throughout humanity's past, family is widely considered
as the oldest and most indispensable institution
where civility is first taught.
It is the first educational institution.
It is the first social unit for developing qualities
of the heart. The family serves as each person's first
classroom in communication.
A family's ethnic heritage may set norms for
communication that influence generations unless they are
consciously altered. Well-functioning families work at
managing their communication patterns. Such families
develop the capacity to adapt and create change, to share
intimacy and to manage conflict. Well functioning
families value the goal of effective communication.
Family is the core of all humanity.
Family is the cornerstone and one of the primary
building blocks of our society. Family members are
influenced by their cultural backgrounds that affect
lifestyle and behavior.
The family is the basis, the backbone,
the foundation, the framework, the infrastructure,
the root of civilization, our sanctuary, and the bedrock
from which all other communities and nations stem from.
If the family does not provide the basics
for its members...
it delivers to the doorstep of society...
an under-developed person.
May we protect, maintain,
and strengthen families.
This project is about broken pieces
and God's power to turn those broken pieces
into masterpieces.
The genesis of this project was born in prayer and
from a cry deep within my spirit while, once again,
in the classroom and season of pain.
We have no right to believe that God will do
or allow anything to hurt or hinder
our Spiritual growth.
We believe that life's difficulties and troubles
are not intended to impede our progress,
but to catapult us to greater heights.
Adversity, trials, tribulations, and suffering
can shape us better than anything else.
Strength of character is shaped through trials.
It is like a good fertilizer for the mind, body, and soul.
It can stimulate tremendous growth
and bring out the very best in us.
“And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love Him,
who have been called according to His purpose.”
Our family, since dad passed, has been
filled with conflicts.
Dad strived to make our home a worthy place
for God to make His abode. Despite our family situations
he tried to help us to maintain a Spiritual environment.
Although spirituality must come from within,
we can sometimes nurture Christlike qualities
through external influences. We can surround ourselves
with reminders that God has a place in our homes.
Dad was good about steering us towards activities
that would allow us to pray, spend quality time
with family, to be kind and considerate, to show
gratitude, respect, humility, and responsibility.
He was pretty keen at setting a Spiritual tone
for the home.
When he passed it was much like the hub was removed,
and the spokes flew in many strange directions.
Although stress and disagreements in families are
common, they can become destructive… especially
when conflicts and clashes are pushed and pulled
in many directions and they get out of hand.
Sometimes, indifference and misunderstandings
in families can metastasize into toxic resentment.
Consequently, what my family is now realizing is...
toxic resentment, no support system,
no safe haven,
sibling estrangement,
and what some may consider as...
'Cold war'.
I believe this story has a purpose.
I have come to realize that the afflicted can be most
effectively used by God.
Afflictions, as painful as they are, can benefit us
greatly. Some may think they are above getting hurt,
or they may think an admission of problems and pain
is an admission of weakness or failure.
The truth is...
God uses the problems in our lives to teach us
to depend on Him and to help us grow into
the spiritual maturity of Christ.
In the Spiritual realm there must be growing pains...
just as in the physical realm.
It is important when pain comes our way
to honor the experience, as it is usually a great teacher.
Honoring the experiences we have in our lives
is an invaluable way to communicate with God,
our greatest Teacher.
Consciously acknowledging the events of our lives
can deepen our relationship to our experiences.
This is important because it brings us into closer
connection with God, life, and the moment.
Only when we acknowledge what's happening to us
can we truly benefit from life's teachings.
Afflictions stir us to pray and keep us dependent on God.
As long as we can handle things in our own strength,
we won’t see God’s power.
It’s when the burden becomes unbearable...
that we see God's power made perfect
in our weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9
I don't believe suffering is indicative of God's disfavor,
but of God's favor.
I believe God permits sorrow, grief, tears, and heartaches.
Through the seminary of affliction, I believe,
God grooms, prunes, molds, and shapes us
in wonderful, much needed ways we would have
never learned or known any other way.
I believe one can learn, grow, know and do better
after going through the, humbling, seminary of affliction.
I know God can do things far beyond our puny
comprehension.
I believe, through my own knowledge, observation,
and experience that God is able to reach down
and touch the point of our greatest need,
and in due season He will make all things right.
God has a purpose for every trial
that comes into our lives.
Nothing happens to us without God’s
approval or purpose.
When we are faced with a crisis, trust...
there is nothing God can NOT do.
God will help us, heal us, protect us,
and uphold us... bringing us through whatever
the trial may be.
Troubles point out our weaknesses
and prompts us to rely on God.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ’s sake:
for when I am weak, then am I strong”
(II Corinthians 12:7–10).
Adversity is a call to re-evaluate our priorities.
Adversity is the catalyst for self-discovery
and new growth.
The problems we are encountering, have a purpose.
We are not going through the desert
or wilderness in vain.
It is during those barren desert
and wilderness experiences...
God is at work doing something in us...
with us... and for us.
Adversities motivate us to have a closer walk with God,
and they help us to grow to be more like Jesus,
and less like our carnal-selves.
Adversity is designed to strengthen our faith.
Every step in life prepares us for the next one.
We may not realize it,
but where we are now is providing us with
vital life lessons for our next adventure.
People who have proven themselves to be more powerful
than the opposing forces and have managed to get to the
other side of adversity, more likely than not, discovered a
part of themselves they did not know existed.
Trials and tribulations are inevitable.
James did not say...
“If we encounter problems consider it joy,”
but...
“When we encounter problems
consider it joy.”
Regardless of the circumstances we are facing...
God can make all things work to our good
and to our benefit.
When we can see God's hand
in our trials and tribulations...
we can become empowered by crisis
rather than impaled by them.
We can become victorious rather than victims.
God's purpose for us is that we grow and experience
the life He intends for us.
May we continue to grow in His grace
knowing that with God...
no matter what our trial or test may be...
no matter how severe or destructive the storm…
it can never be big enough
to prevent God from accomplishing His purpose.
By the grace of God, I have been bountifully blessed
to benefit and glean from the life experiences of many
determined people, nations, cultures, and generations.
I've been truly blessed by mentors who generously
passed-on wonderful pearls of wisdom
and treasure troves of truth, beauty,
and pragmatic advice.
Their rich experiences and deposits sown...
have been invaluable to me.
Some of the important and painful life lessons
I'm learning more about and have learned...
I simply cannot afford not to pass them on.
It is my prayer these offerings will be encouraging,
useful, and substantial for anyone who may be
experiencing worry, heartache, pain, regret, and
family dysfunction.
In His Love,
