"And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers before the coming of the great a nd dreadful day of the Lord."  Malachi 4:6

In these increasingly challenging times the church, and our children and families, have come under siege.   The foundational strength of the family has begun to erode, leading to "fatherlessness" in our culture.  Loss of family strength has weakened and sidelined the church's influence in the midst of a culture that desperately needs the healing message of Jesus Christ. We are at a critical point in our nation and world in turning our hearts back to one another. One powerful way to bring about such a shift in our hearts is by blessing one another within our family units and among our close friends.

With concern for the strength of our families, we invite you to join in a cooperatively sponsored initiative
between Transform World 's Family Challenge, Family Sphere, and Celebration Challenge, calling for October 4th to be a day of "Bridging the Generations." This will be a day for fathers and mothers to bless their children, for children to bless their parents, and for friend to honor friend through spoken blessing.  We have faith that this simple act will begin to repair the breach in our society, and to restore and strengthen one another, bringing healing among the generations and within our relationships.    

Why October 4th:

• It represents the 50-year-anniversary of the historic protests, which broke out on the UC Berkeley Campus.  That movement, which inspired a rebellion that tore through the generations, led to a "fatherlessness" which is even now impacting our culture and the world.  Biblically, the 50th year is the year of jubilee, a time of aligning ourselves with God and His Word, in order to return to His ways and repair our present society.  In light of this, a powerful reconciliation effort will be held on the campus of UC Berkeley this day.
• It is the "Day of Atonement," the holiest day in the Hebrew calendar.  For Christian believers, this day is a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus paid on the cross for our sins.  It is a day of remembrance and of turning from sin and rebellion back to the Word of God and its foundational truths.

How to bless:

• For families:  Simply gather as a family to take time to pray over each other with a positive word of blessing, destiny, purpose, and commitment.  
• Father/Mother to children, and Children to fathers/mothers.  
• Call or email children who are not present to express a blessing over them.
• For families broken by separation, or where there has been hurt/division:  Reach out in love to family members where relationships have been broken and express your care and love for them in a blessing. (Use the story of the prodigal son as a foundational reference: Luke 15:11-32)
• For friends:  Purposefully connect with or call to bless, friend to friend.
• For broken relationships:  Purposefully call someone who has hurt or opposed you, to bless them as Jesus said, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) Tell them the ways God has used them for good in your walk with Him. Confess any offenses you have caused them.
• To make the time of blessing more meaningful, we would encourage a time of food and fellowship.

Example of a blessing:  

• Key components of a blessing:  Love and acceptance, placing value on the person, acknowledging his/her gifts and special future, committing to honor them and build relationship with them.
• Example:   "I want to take a moment to bless you and thank God for you (name).  I am so thankful for you.  You have been a great blessing to me.  I value and honor the (gifts, abilities, personal attributes) God has given you.  I  believe God has great plans to prosper you, not to harm you, and to give you a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11, be as specific as you can be).  I am personally committed to stand by you and to support you toward the fulfillment of God's plan for you.

Scriptural promises of the Blessing:

• Proverbs 10:22  "The blessing of the Lord makes one rich and he adds no sorrow with it."
• Psalm 5:12  "For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield."
• Psalm 10:7  "The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked shall rot."
• Psalm 37:22  "For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth."

Ephesians 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."

Fred and Sue Rowe -  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.