May traditionally has been a full month for my family, and this year is even more so as we’ve been navigating all the feels of the ups and downs of life. We not only have the special celebrations of a college selection, a birthday, and our wedding anniversary (25 years this year!), but we also stumbled through our first mother’s day after the passing of a parent. What we experienced this month isn’t new to this world – people have been grieving loved ones and celebrating family milestones for millennia. However, we are comforted by the Holy Spirit, who enveloped my family with love and peace, buffering us throughout this rocky journey. Thank you Epic family for loving us so well!

How great is our God who surrounds us with people willing to be partakers in the mission of the Holy Spirit, sharing the laughter and pain of life’s roller coaster! Epic church, you have POWER given to you by the Holy Spirit, and with God’s guidance, you can play a huge part in nurturing and serving our community, including other families with children. 

Kids naturally are willing to help people in need, especially those whom their family values, so they readily will take action to serve people when parents make space and time for this in their family routines. Be discerning on best practices according to the age and stage of your children, but there are always ways your family can support others in the Epic community or in the city. 

A few ideas for families to serve together:

• Pray for other Epic families and their Epic Kids teachers: build a prayer board with photos or written names and pick a person to pray for each day from the board.
• Sign up to cook a meal for a family with a new baby, or a foster family, or a person who has a health challenge. Find out more about these opportunities here.
• Ask the Students leaders if there are ways your family can serve for their next youth night. Maybe your family can help serve dinner to the students, or perhaps you could prepare decorations for an event.
• Partner up with another Epic family to serve the city! Whether that involves making care packages for the homeless, volunteering at a food pantry, or assisting with a park clean-up day, San Francisco will be a better place if Christian families are good ambassadors for Jesus where we live.

What joy to see a child take up the servant leadership of Jesus, as they live out the greatest commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Taking that step into serving and leading like Jesus is a picture of us following the Holy Spirit’s guidance, taking a step of faith out into the deep. Follow me here–take a look at Luke 5:1-11. Jesus is calling fishermen as disciples. Think about this: Jesus was a carpenter, so what did he know about fishing? Turns out, everything! Jesus asks to borrow Simon’s boat, first to teach from, but then to call Simon to, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Jesus knew that Simon Peter would need help to reel in the nets, which he promptly did, calling his partners, James and John. When Simon Peter heeded Jesus’ directive, acting in faith, his community stepped in alongside him to serve and help manage the situation. Ultimately all three were blessed to be called into discipleship. 

So Simon Peter had to trust Jesus’ word, launch out into the deep, and rely on his community to experience the blessings God provided. Likewise, we see in John 21:1-14 how Jesus again provides an abundant catch of fish when the disciples took a leap of faith to follow his direction and let down their net. Together, the disciples hauled in the fish, and after breakfast, Jesus restores Peter, affirms His love and forgiveness, and commissions Peter yet again to follow Him. (HT to Pastor Susie from Midtown Church for passage insights)

How powerful is God the Holy Spirit who helps us take steps of faith, following Him and launching out into the world, living and loving in the name of Jesus. Let’s do this together Epic church; let’s witness and serve with our families and friends. We can be the servant leaders who Jesus calls to follow Him.

We hope this monthly blog is encouraging for your family. For more week-to-week information on Epic Kids @ Home family lessons, activities, and prayer prompts, please visit the Kids page on our website and join our Epic Family Facebook Group. We post resources each week to support your family in Bible study. 

Grace and peace,

Annikki

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