Category Archives: Family

Dr. Gary Smalley, Champion to Marriage and Family Passes on to Heaven

“Life is relationships; the rest is just details.”   Gary Smalley

The PTL Television Network, Jim Bakker Show, the Bakker family and all of us here at Morningside are praying today for the friends and family of a wonderful man, Dr. Gary Smalley who passed into heaven over the weekend in Colorado Springs, Colorado.    

Dr. Smalley devoted his professional life to guiding others in repairing marriages that were all but broken.  He and his beautiful wife Norma began an organization devoted to families and to the intimate and heartfelt ministry of developing good and solid marriages in 1979.  Their organization eventually evolved into retreat centers in 10 different cities.

Gary’s heart was to educate and inspire couples to love better and last a life-time!  But, even with the thousands of couples that he has helped through his retreat centers, counseling, speaking engagements and books, he spoke proudest of his two wonderful sons, Greg and Mike, his beautiful daughter Kari, and the amazing families they are raising. Every single day, there was never a doubt that he was completely aware of the love and blessings he had with the light of his life, his wife Norma.

Gary Smalley became one of the country’s best-known authors and speakers on family relationships. He is the author and co-author of 60 books along with several popular films and videos. He has spent over 35 years learning, teaching, and counseling. In a heartfelt post on facebook a friend wrote these words,  

“For the zillions profoundly impacted by Gary & Norma Smalley’s ministry and all those who have resurrected & salvaged dead-end relationships…and for those who just want to know how to do relationships right….this will be a loss heard around the world for decades to come.”

According to a post by his daughter on her facebook page, Dr. Smalley’s last days were spent surrounded by his loving family. The last words spoken over him were “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;”  Numbers 6:24-25

According to an article in Christian News Today, a celebration of life will take place Saturday, March 19 at 3:00 p.m. at College of the Ozarks Chapel in Point Lookout, Missouri. It will be open to the public for all who wish to honor Smalley’s life and legacy.

Our hearts and prayers are with Dr. Smalley’s family and friends but we also feel the joy of knowing that he is where love begins and ends, held within God’s loving arms.  

 

Happy Mother’s Day To Our Mom…Lori Bakker

Proverbs 31:28, 29 (NIV) 28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

Dear Mom,

Years ago, God fulfilled a dream for all of us by bringing you into our lives!  You have always gone above and beyond as a mother and have never wavered for what God wanted for us. We know it has been hard for you sometimes.  You have held our hands when we were hurting, and rejoiced when we were happy. We appreciate so much how you have always strived to do your best as well as knowing when to be loving and when to be firm.   You never compromised when you knew what you felt was the right thing to do and stood strong through every struggle, always ready to share your wisdom.  When we have struggled, it has been your prayers that lifted us up and helped us move forward.  Most important of all, you have loved us, each of us…unconditionally. In so many ways you have shown us how special we are to your heart. Continue reading →

Film Created By Homeschoolers Coming To Theaters

A family-friendly movie created by largely Christian homeschoolers is going to be released in theaters on April 6th.

The movie, “Beyond The Mask”, is a historical thriller revolving around the Revolutionary War.  An assassin for the British East India Company seeks to redeem his life by stopping a plot against the American colonies.  Through the process, he discovers faith in Christ.

The movie stars Andrew Chaney, Kara Killmer (Chicago Fire) and veteran British actor John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Lord of the Rings).  Rhys-Davies said he was very impressed with the 400 homeschooled students who created the film.

“I sort of like mavericks who challenge the Hollywood studio system,” he explained. “There are many subcultures in the U.S., and they always defy my expectations, and I welcome homeschoolers. I find them keen and enthusiastic, with a moral code and impressive integrity. I really liked working with them—and they made a jolly good romp of a film.”

The film’s director, Chad Burns, told The Christian Post the movie will be a quality Christian film.

“We live in a Facebook culture that is obsessed with identity—with every post and every Tweet,” he said. “People build these elaborate masks. People want to be seen as a successful student or a successful magazine editor or a successful mother—whatever the category. Jesus said that unless we’re finding our identity in Him, unless we’re resting in His finished work, we’re never going to find that satisfaction and fulfillment we’re looking for.”

NJ Church To Host State’s Largest Easter Egg Hunt

A New Jersey church is hosting the largest Easter Egg Hunt in the history of the state.

Liquid Church will be hosting 14 different Jersey Egg Hunt events at four locations on April 4th and 5th, with over 100,000 eggs.

“At Liquid, one of our core values is that Church can be FUN. We hope families joining us for the Jersey Egg Hunt will have a chance to experience church in a refreshing way,” said Tim Lucas, founding and lead pastor, to Christian Post.

The church will be holding a 90-minute experience that will include a CD of worship music from the church’s worship team for each of the parents who attend the event.

The church was founded in 2001 and has about 3,500 attendees each Sunday.

“Our vision is simple: we take church to the people,” Pastor Lucas said. “There aren’t Easter Eggs in the Bible – but we want to build a bridge to families.”

“Outreach is our heartbeat as a church.”

 

All Fun and Games, Until the Darkness Begins (Pt. 3)

I had promised myself that I was DONE smoking weed forever. And I was done smoking! At least…until the very next weekend…  I’m sure many people in that world can relate to that vicious cycle. So, the next weekend I was at one of my favorite spots down by the lake with some of my buddies.   “Hey, we’re gonna go smoke, do you want to come?”  I told them, “yeah, I’ll go with you but I’m not smoking anymore.”  Walking back into the woods with them I remember this big tree that cut right across the path, it was the perfect place for us to sit. Continue reading →

All Fun and Games, Until the Darkness Begins (Pt. 2)

It was my birthday weekend; my buddies were passed out from smoking weed laced with something that had caused all of us to hallucinate. I was the only one awake. The feeling of being entirely alone swept through me in horrifying waves of fear. While everyone slept, odd memories started to come forth and I remember thinking about God and Heaven and hell. This voice in my head began contradicting and disproving the Word of God to me, whispering it through my brain. I remember running to the bathroom and vomiting blood. That was when I really knew I hadn’t just been smoking weed. I still do not know what it was that had been slipped to us, I just remember sitting on my stairs feeling as if I had been sucked into another world. Was I crazy? No. Was I high? Yes. That is what drugs do, but I was aware enough to know that this was not just a simple case of hallucination. Continue reading →

All Fun and Games, Until the Darkness Begins (Pt. 1)

It has always struck me as funny how people’s image of you is never the image you have of yourself. Whenever I tell people here at the ministry my testimony, they are always a little bit shocked.  Most here have only known me for perhaps the past four to six years and when I tell them that I used to dabble in drugs and not live for Jesus, they are like “What?!”  Even Pastor Jim, when I first got here and I told him some of my testimony said, “Well my goodness, I thought you were a good church boy all along!” Continue reading →

The Ultimate Valentine

Traditionally, people have considered Valentine’s Day a time to celebrate romance but I prefer to think of it more as “Love Day”. Did you know that the word” love” or “loved” is mentioned in the Bible over 400 times! It seems to me that every positive emotion we could ever have is tied directly to this all-encompassing love. Without it, everything we do has no meaning.

There is no doubt that God wants us to love each other! In 1 Corinthians 13, He tells us very clearly how important love is and exactly what that one little word means. Anyone who has ever been to a church wedding will have heard this, but have you taken the time recently to REALLY hear what He is telling us? Continue reading →

Building Family Traditions

When God gave me and Jim our five beautiful children, I wanted to create traditions in our family that they could remember over the years and pass down to their own children (as Little Lori is now doing).

One of those traditions that I dearly love is reading the “Legend of the Candy Cane” at Christmastime.  I believe it’s so important to honor the birthday of Jesus at Christmas in everything we do, so this was a perfect blend” of the “sweet” things that go along with Christmas!

Our children also love reading the “Christmas Story” (another family tradition) along with the “Legend of the Candy Cane.” In fact, some of them even learned to read with these family traditions! Continue reading →