{"id":1677,"date":"2016-01-11T23:58:24","date_gmt":"2016-01-12T05:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/focuspressblog.com\/?p=1677"},"modified":"2016-01-11T23:58:24","modified_gmt":"2016-01-12T05:58:24","slug":"so-you-think-your-family-is-messed-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2016\/01\/11\/so-you-think-your-family-is-messed-up\/","title":{"rendered":"So you think your family is messed up?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New Year\u2019s holiday is a time for family, friends, and reflection. Many families spend the holiday season on the road, traveling to parent\u2019s or sibling\u2019s homes. Blow-up mattresses or sofa beds are pulled out for the children, as 12-20 people descend on a house that normally has 4-5 people living in it (or two in the case of older parents!). Board games are dusted off and old memories are rehashed, as family members reminisce. <\/span><\/p>\n

Oftentimes, during these special times, conversations will turn to a cousin or uncle who \u201cran into a little trouble with the law.\u201d Or maybe Mom or Dad shares the latest update of the troubled marriage of so-and-so, or your niece who had a baby before getting married. Then there\u2019s usually at least one story of a distant relative who went off the deep end, and is now battling addiction. It really doesn\u2019t take long to realize that your family does not resemble those iconic images painted by Norman Rockwell. In fact, the more you think about it, the more you realize your extended family is messed up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, congratulations! You are in good company. I know we don\u2019t often like to talk about it, and we certainly don\u2019t want to share it with our church family\u2014less they think we are not perfect. But the reality is most families are pretty messed up these days. We have families all around us (and maybe in our own homes) that are struggling with things like divorce, addiction, pride, materialism, worldliness, prison, child-support, etc\u2026 But again, let me remind you that you are not alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

The book of Matthew was a book written by a Jew, to other Jews, about a special Jew. In the first chapter, Matthew gives the genealogy of Jesus Christ from Abraham all the way to Jesus\u2019 father, Joseph. But take a minute and consider just a few of the individuals mentioned in that list:<\/span><\/p>\n