Building With Care

Through skillful and godly wisdom a house, [a life, a home, a family is built,  And by understanding it is established on a sound and good foundation.

– Proverbs 24:3 AMP

Although there is no such thing as a “perfect” family, God can equip us with the wisdom we need to build a strong family. With the guidance of the Bible, prayer, and spiritual relationships, we can each establish our homes on a sound and good foundation. 

Amy and I are so grateful for the much-needed guidance of our friends over the years, who continue to stand beside us and help us build our family. This is one of the reasons we love being a part of the Bay Area Christian Church, where we can learn from countless parents and friends who are passionate about building strong families and spiritual character in our kids.

Building with care as parents of teens

This summer has been transformative not only for the hundreds of teenagers who were inspired at Y-Camps and “Level Up” night  to pursue God, but also for the parents of those teens. We recently launched a new “Let’s Talk Night” series for parents of teens using a podcast from Deep Spirituality about breaking the Myth of the Perfect Family. Together, we are learning how not to try to be perfect parents, but to be faithful and loving parents who help our kids become who God destined them to be.

The responses and changes taking place have been inspiring. After the first Teen Parent Let’s Talk night, one dad in San Francisco shared how much it helped him to identify and admit negative emotions involved in parenting – especially in moments he felt hopeless, powerless, anxious about his son’s future. He found great encouragement and hope from realizing he was not alone. He got to hear the experiences of the other parents in the group, and the other dads shared their how God and the Bible renewed their emotional strength to deepen their love for their kids, resulting in closer connections and breakthroughs for their teens. 

Another parent shared about growing up in a single-parent home and not knowing how to parent a teen, but feeling grateful to have spiritual relationships to learn from. Several other parents shared that although the pandemic has had a negative and isolating impact on their families, the summer Teen Parent Let’s Talk Series has helped them decide to reconnect with friends so they can be spiritually influenced instead of isolated.

Overall, these Teen Parent Let’s Talk Nights have stimulated spiritual conversations, inspired the building and rebuilding of relationships, and provided a solid biblical foundation for our marriages and families to grow!

Building with care as single parents

Not only have parents of teens been learning to build strong spiritual foundations for their families, but single parents from all over the Bay Area have also been inspired to build with spiritual care when it comes to parenting. 

 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

– 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 NIV

Just last weekend at the BACC Common Ground building, Bay Area single parents from all walks of life came together for a parenting devotional called “Dear Mom and Dad.”  A diverse panel of single parents provided rich spiritual and practical help for parents to deepen their connection with God and with their kids through vulnerability and open communication. This then led to a great discussion about understanding the environments kids are influenced by daily, but how God works through spiritual friendships among parents to build strong families—as it takes a village to raise our future generation!

We’re looking forward to hearing more ways God is transforming our families this summer as he helps us build strong foundations, changing the Bay Area and beyond one family at a time!

Until next time,

Ray & Amy Kim

San Francisco Lead Ministers