The Family: Your Multi-Billion Dollar Investment

Yesterday, after writing this post about technology and faith formation, I headed off to church.  Rich Melheim was in town, and we did a variety of events.  He attended all 3 services and presided at our traditional services.  What a contrast between the traditional services and our Worship Together service, a service where we've tried to put his suggestions into practice--we've had lots of success with that one, and the energy is so different.

Melheim then did an afternoon training event to talk about his Faith 5 practices (talk about highs and lows, read the Scripture, tie it to highs and lows, pray, and bless) and an evening event which was equal parts stand-up, singing, and presentation of important neurology, sociology, and psychology--and not one, but 2 pillow fights!

Yesterday's post talked about some of these ideas.  Here are some other nuggets.

--Ten years from now, technology will be giving us 3D holograms--we'll spend our online lives in 3D--what does it mean for work?  Think about the implications for porn and for relationships that exist in a world where you can create your own sexual beings online and make them do whatever you want.

--For most of human history, when it got dark, we went to sleep.  It was too expensive to burn a candle, and anyway, most people didn't have books to read (also too expensive) or other reasons to stay awake.

--In teen life, whoever's the least healthy person determines how much sleep everyone gets.

--Your brain creates the most new neurons during hours 6 and 8 of sleep. 

--Your new neurons need something to do, or they die.  Give them a new language to learn, or music to enjoy.  Don't do the same thing the same way every day.

--Baby girls have 11% more of their brain dedicated to language than boys.  Boys have 11% more of their brains devoted to action than girls.  For boys, learning needs to be turned into action or it will be turned into aggression.

--Teens get a license to drive, but their pre-frontal cortex won't be fully formed until their car insurance rates go down (ages 25-27).  Kids need parents to be their pre-frontal cortex and to help them make good decisions.

--If you have a teen who won't talk about the day's highs and lows with you, take away the cell phone.  Say, "I'm paying for this communication device, and you won't communicate with me?  No more cell phone."

--He asked, "Which would you rather have, Bill Gates' fortune or your family?"  Most of us say our families--which means we should be treating our families as if they're a multi-billion dollar investment.  Surely we can take 10-20 minutes a day for that investment.

--Churches are trying to form small groups, but they tend to forget about their original small groups:  the family.

--Remember that you're not in charge of answering prayer.  Your job is to pray.

--Again and again throughout the day, Melheim stressed the love and care and blessing that should be part of families.  He reminded us that we won't be here forever, and even the longest life is just a tiny drop in the march of history.  He implored us to tell our loved ones that we love them--and to tell them each and every day.