Reply To: Raising Children in a Fulfilled Framework

[Hayden]

Thanks Dell and everyone else, I really appreciate you all.

Where Anna and I have landed is that we will do church, but we want to find one together that actually works for both of us. For her, church is mainly about community and fellowship, which I respect. For me, I need to be able to genuinely tolerate (and ideally enjoy) being there on a Sunday, otherwise it just breeds resentment.

Pentecostal church really isn’t something I can do long-term, so we’ve agreed to explore other expressions. I’m leaning more towards Orthodox or Presbyterian. I’m drawn to the reverence, structure, and discipline, especially in Orthodoxy. I don’t agree with everything theologically, especially their end times theology, but I really respect the way Christ is honoured and taken seriously, and I think that kind of reverence and discipline could actually be good for me as a husband, a dad, and a person.

So for now, we’re approaching it slowly, together, with honesty, prioritising our marriage, our kids, and peace in our home over forcing anything. That feels like the healthiest path for us at this season.