This Sunday at Church I want to encourage you to do the following: Pray any pastoral counseling today would be used by God.
I have been working all week on preparation for my upcoming overseas travel to teach on biblical parenting. I have been spending a long time thinking about single parents, as one of the sessions will be dedicated to the topic of the challenges of Christian single parenting. I hope to be done with the outline tonight.
But that got me thinking about my own church. Have we ministered to single parents?
Take the opportunity this Sunday to prayerfully consider how you can minister and encourage someone who is the only parent for their family. Is there a single mother, a single father you can go up to and pray and encourage? It must not be easy for them. If you are at lost with words, you can pray for God to strengthen them, to give them wisdom, for the kids direction and of course their salvation.
For helpful resources see my Review: Two Biblical Counseling Booklets for Single Parents
Thanks for remembering single parents. I know it is not ideal but there are so many struggling to parent with little help or support.
I am praying with you.
[…] This Sunday at Church: Encourage a Single Parent in the Congregation — The Domain for Truth […]
I pray for single parents all the time. I have to confess my church and this really breaks my heart does nothing to reach single parents. Thank you for this prayer. Praying for my church as well to be welcoming to single parents.
Praying for your church and praying for my church as well with this area! I pray also you and Nathan have a blessed Lord’s Day
Praying that all went well with the youth yesterday and service today.
Ahh thank you for your prayers! Things went well! It was one of those Sundays everything exceeded my expectations. How are you???
I’m managing!!!!
I hit the send too soon! So glad it exceeded expectations!!!!
Great post, and great idea! It’s hard enough to be a parent when there are two of you, so must be extra difficult when there is only one.
Good comment that puts things in perspective of how hard it must be!!! Have a blessed Lord’s Day brother!!!
Hope you had a great weekend, and have a productive week ahead.
Likewise with you Andy!
[…] This Sunday at Church: Encourage a Single Parent in the Congregation […]
[…] This Sunday at Church: Encourage a Single Parent in the Congregation […]
From what I’ve heard from them, single mothers and single women are viewed more as a threat in church circles: wives are uneasy and for men, boundaries problematic. May God enlarge our hearts to obey His word and show the grace we have been given to these ladies who are more often shunned and overlooked than not.
~Dora
Amen to this sister Dora: “May God enlarge our hearts to obey His word and show the grace we have been given to these ladies who are more often shunned and overlooked than not.” Amen!
May all pastoral counseling be used by God.
Amen this I pray
Many Single moms at my church. A lot come from a lot of brokennesses and heart break. Thankfully my church does a Single Parents ministry. They are getting the spiritual care and healing they need.
May the Lord bless your church
Thanks for this good exhortation. Truth be told, I think there’s an unspoken bias in church fellowships against single parents because it’s not the “ideal.”
I can see that bias. I pray churches would be more “redemptive” and not just ideal…God’s redemption is the whole theme of the Gospel! How was your Sunday?
RE: Sunday
Thanks. It was relatively easy. I was done with my work by lunch and audited the rest of the day. Yesterday, I cut the front lawn between periods of rain, but rested most of the day. I was really tired. I’m at the tail-end of my diet which has also been a “stressor.”
How did your Sunday and rest day go?
While my church reaches out to single parents, their needs sometimes far outweigh our response. A solid and blessed starting point begins with prayer. May the Lord lead our actions.
Encouraged to hear that about your local church reaching out to single parents
Thank you for this post SlimJim, praying! The Lord is faithful ☺️
Thank you for this post SlimJim, praying; the Lord is faithful ☺️