Five Minute Family

Good morning, Five Minute Families. It’s “big words day” here as we focus on theology for the family. We are going to wow you with spectacularly complex topics and bore you with their explanations. Our words are going to have almost as many syllables as Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, which of course is quite atrocious. Wait right there, mister! We are not going for complex and boring! Five Mi...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Do you feel qualified to be a parent? What do those around you think of your parenting? Are you equipped to be a good parent? Maybe you are a teen parent, still needing to grow up yourself. Maybe you are a confused young adult who wasn’t sure you even wanted children. Maybe you are in a difficult marriage and children have further complicated communication and c...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Today is the final part of our three-part series looking at what God is able to do FOR us, what God is able to do IN us, and what God is able to do THROUGH us. I remember when the boys were little, and life was all about diapers and food and toys and diapers and food and naps and, well, you get the idea. There was no room to “do” anything for the Lord because al...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Thanks for joining us this morning for part two of our three-part series looking at what God is able to do FOR us, what God is able to do IN us, and what God is able to do THROUGH us. As 1 Corinthians 12 points out, God gives us spiritual gifts to use for the good of one another. A family can be filled with so many different personalities and interests that some...

Good morning, Five Minute Families! Today we begin a three-part series looking at what God is able to do FOR us, what God is able to do IN us, and what God is able to do THROUGH us. Do you know what God is able to do FOR you? God calls brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers to share with one another the encouragement and truth He reveals to each one of us. We are not walking through this earthl...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. If your family is like most in America, you are in the middle of summer break. Many of your best laid plans for summer may have already fallen through. So, let’s discuss ways to recapture these summer days while establishing some good habits for the future. I don’t know about y’all but the summer break time has totally gotten away from me. One of our sons stayed...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. We just wrapped up a marriage retreat at CVR and are looking forward to a family camp coming right around the corner. We love to encourage families to grow closer to Christ, encourage strong biblical marriages, and journey with those who grieve in life losses. One thing we cannot do in ministry is sit around and do nothing. Sounds obvious in a lot of ways but it...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. We hope you have enjoyed the Gifts of Marriage series. We had a newly married couple ask for a copy of the transcript of this series recently and want to let you know how you can get your own copy. Head over to our blog at the clearviewretreat.org website or look at the Five Minute Family podcast on your favorite podcast app or contact us directly from our Faceb...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Marriage is ordained by God and recognized by society as a foundational function for relationship development. God gives us good gifts. And, in marriage He gives the couple the gifts of companionship, passion, and purpose, to name but a few. Last week we discussed the elements necessary for good companionship, and this week we will be chatting about passion. Pas...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. “Marriage. Marriage is what brings us together today.” While June may not be the most popular month for weddings, it is special to us and many of our family and friends as the month when they entered into that sweet institution of marriage. Why is marriage called an institution? Marriage is one of the many social institutions recognized by researchers and studie...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. You have heard us mention accountability in past devotionals. The reality is that we will each give an account to God for our actions. Matthew 12:36-37 says, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” But, God, thankfully, does...

Good morning, Five Minute Families! We hope you are enjoying your days with your loved ones. Parents, the time is short, though the days may seem long, so always remember to take at least five minutes a day to soak in the joys of each of your children - their individual characteristics, their unique contribution to your family, and the ways you can celebrate who God created them to be. In this tim...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. It is getting warm outside and we have to begin to manage daily life a bit differently - bug repellents, sun protection, and pollen are but three of those springtime changes. In addition, motorcyclists are out. Keep an eye out for our motorcyclist friends and their safety! Now, on to our topic for today. “But God” Most believers have heard sermons or been touche...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Thank you for joining us this morning as we conclude this short two-part devotional on temper tantrums. Last week we discussed where tantrums might be coming from, for family members of all ages, as well as how to get through the tantrum itself. Today, we want to discuss life after the tantrum. Galatians 6:1 reminds us that if anyone has done something wrong, we...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. We are instructed in God’s word to live life in a “one anothering” way - to love one another, to forgive one another, to encourage one another, and so many more. The two words “one another” are used approximately 100 times in the Bible. Variations of it abound in Scripture as well. So, I ask, how exactly does a family ‘one another’ when someone has a tantrum? No...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. We are closing out our series that focuses in on four essential truths found in Romans. We have discussed God’s righteousness, His redemption, His resources available to us as individuals and to us as families, and now we will close this series discussing revival. In Romans we learn about Israel’s rejection of God’s gift and that the Gentiles became grafted into...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Last week we discussed how in Romans the Lord gives us sometimes unconventional resources we need to live righteous and redeemed lives, but since recording it, Kim and I really felt that we needed to add a second part and be more detailed about how a family together can utilize these resources of the Lord. Basically, as a Christian family, how are we to live? So...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. How has the beginning of spring been treating you? The longer days, the warmer air, the buds showing up. There is something about the revival that spring brings, allowing us to take a deep, refreshing breath, and say, “ok, Lord, lead me into the next steps.” And, that is exactly what we encourage here at Clear View Retreat - no matter what has come before, no ma...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. We are back in our series about four essentials of faith that we can see deeply defined in the book of Romans. Two weeks ago we began with righteousness, and we walked down the ‘Romans road’ together. This week we are exploring the concept of redemption. Once we are justified with God’s righteousness, we can live new lives - redeemed lives, and we can make new c...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Weather patterns across the US have been crazy with late spring-like weather mere hours before freezing temperatures and a blanket of snow. Memes abounded last week about the “spring of deception” or “third winter.” Our scheduled plans had to change yet again to accommodate something we cannot control. Part of life is coming to terms with what we can control and...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. We are Jim and Kim Nestle with Clear View Retreat, a family retreat ministry that reaches out to families in both the ‘storms’ and ‘norms’ of life. We are thankful that you have joined us today as we discuss the Christian family’s identity. Please note that when we speak about ‘Christian family identity,’ we are not talking about the way the world has warped the...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. We have all heard the love verses. Even people who do not attend church are likely familiar with the “Love is patient. Love is kind” beginning of 1 Corinthians 13:4. We’ve discussed the types of love here on Five Minute Family before, so that isn’t where we are hitting on today. Today, we are looking more deeply into the verbs found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. The...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Today we are finishing our series on fasting. We are to the T in our FAST acronym: F - First things first, A - accountability, S - satisfaction, and T - trust. A few questions to kick us off: Would you trust God if you have your life threatened? To have you sold into modern-day slavery? To be thrown in jail under false accusations? To be ignored for years? It se...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. How is your fasting as a family going? Today is our third in the series on fasting. We are using the FAST acronym to discuss this spiritual practice. F - First things first, A - accountability, S - satisfaction, and T - trust. Today is about satisfaction, specifically finding our satisfaction in the Lord. As Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply every n...

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Did any of you choose to enter into a season of fasting? Are you still planning how to fast as a family? Join us this morning as we continue our deep-dive into fasting. We are using FAST as an acronym to discuss this oft-forgotten spiritual discipline. F - First things first, A - accountability, S - satisfaction, and T - trust. We are to the A - accountability....