Family camp time - “yippee”. Yeah I know some of us remember when it was the annual church outing, but things have changed a little, and now with so much on the go, it seems that this is a little “blast from the past” - well for me it is “yeah, lets do it”.

I want to give my girls some good memories of meal times that sound like a train station, a Saturday night that will have them laughing every time they think of person X or Y doing something hilarious, and of full days with hundreds of other like mined folk having a blast. Luckily with “modern” inventions of jumping castles and the like, there will be plenty of things for them to create these great memories with.

I wonder if in some ways heaven may have aspects of this - a bigger bunch of people all loving Christ and living and socialising together. Our modern society has us living our lives in our little boxes and often only connecting with people at meetings, functions and reasonably short social times like braais and such. So, about 300 people having a weekend together will be just great.

• noun (pl. families)
1 a group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit.
2 a group of people related by blood or marriage.
3 the children of a person or couple.
4 all the descendants of a common ancestor.
5 all the languages derived from a particular early language.
6 a group united by a significant shared characteristic.
7 Biology a principal taxonomic category ranking above genus and below order.

When Michael Eaton presented the second part of the Whole Counsel of God’at Cornerstone recently, one thing he said which really impacted me was that when we are saved, it is our last individual act because after that one becomes part of a corporate body, part of God’s family of believers, a tightly interwoven group.  If you look at definition 6 above, this really does define a very special relationship and I have been thinking about the true nature of family.

Just a quick note before we run down to the coast for a break (and hopefully practice what we preach), and that is to encourage us all to use our holiday time well. Time to spend with family or friends - time to appreciate and strengthen our relationships.

As a family we plan on doing some walks on the beach and lots of time playing board games and the like. Card games like Canasta where one team tries to “annihilate” the other, which obviously breeds lots of chirps and quick retorts that can be very funny at times.

Our relationships are where we find acceptance and true meaning and it is worthwhile to invest time in them. I also pray that everyone uses this time to let Jesus speak to us, and get us ready for a fantastic powerful third term of practically loving Joburg.

During our Bible study last night we got to discussing keeping promises in the family environment. I was struck again as to just how important this is. It actually is so crucial for us, it is so vital.

When we see the look on a child's face when he or she has to hear, again, that Dad or Mom won't be doing something that they promised, it shows. The reality is I think it is hard to say just how deep this goes. How deep are their emotions affected by not being able to trust in something that has been promised?