My New Resolution: “Family Night” Is In My Future

In late 2010 I received a copy of Gabe Lyon’s The Next Christians in the mail.  It arrived unsolicited.  It even had a note from Gabe.  Very cool.  I read it very quickly.  Almost didn’t put it down.

I can tell you for sure that it helped raise a growing awareness of the arrival of a post-Christian era.  Along with a handful of other books and articles, The Next Christians opened my eyes to the reality that we’re not in Kansas anymore.  My reaction was equal parts disturbed and hopeful.  Disturbed at the damage the changes would bring.  Hopeful at the new opportunities to truly be salt and light in a post-Christian culture.

In a chapter near the end of the book,  In Community, Not Alone, Lyons describes the efforts by David and Kate to create a Thursday night scene in their Hollywood Hills home “where relationships could be cultivated.”  Good music.  Good food.  Good conversation.  They call it “family night.”

I loved this paragraph:

“For David and Kate, creating community among their collective of friends is a non-negotiable.  They’ve learned that society’s path tends to end in loneliness, emptiness, and ultimately disappointment.  They’ll do anything to fight that cultural tide–host the best parties, befriend new people, and find substantive friendships wherever they can.  Without this community, they would be compromising the core of their faith.  It’s that foundational to how they live.”

Re-reading The Next Christians this morning I came across this passage again.  And like the first time I read it…I knew intensely that we need to start our own.  Stay tuned.  Family night is in my future.

What do you think?  Have a question?  Want to argue? You can click here to jump into the conversation.