I'm so thankful for such a thing as grace in the family, the domestic family, and in the church family.

And you know, I'm going to tell you something, and this is after 41 years of parenting, and I certainly don't have it all figured out or altogether.

But I can tell you this much. I don't think our kids expect us to be perfect.

I really don't think they do.

I think us being perfect parents would be too great a burden to bear.

Flawless parents, too much.

I think they expect us to be real.

Music I think they expect us to be real. And let the church say, hallelujah, amen, in the name of Jesus.

I'm going to read to you at a first lesson on in's chapter 2,

verses 3 through 12. You and I are going to settle in on verses 7 and 8, but I want to give you a little bit

of context here. This is believed to be the very first letter of the Apostle Paul, very early in

his ministry, about in AD 51, just approximately, writing to a

brand new church, maybe just three months out from having been there. Early, early letter,

early, early time in the New Testament church. And he writes these words and dry bones, hear the word of the

Lord. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we

have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed God is witness,

nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made

demands as apostles of Christ. but we were gentle among you,

like a nursing mother, taking care of her own children. So being affectionately desirous of you,

we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because

you had become very dear to us. For you remember brothers, our labor and toil,

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