Genealogy is, widely considered to be, one of the fastest growing hobbies in the U.S. We have become consumed with constructing our family tree in an attempt to trace our lineage. Fortunately, the Bible does an excellent job helping us trace the ancestry of our faith family. Pastor and author Jacob Armstrong takes an in-depth look at our faith lineage focusing specifically on the messy family dynamics found in the book of Genesis. As we begin to understand the life stories of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau we find that their pattern looks a lot like ours—we are called, we mess up, and God continues to redeem us. Find out how your “messy family” fits into God’s family and how you are a part of God’s plan for the world. Additional components for a six-week study include a DVD featuring pastor and author Jacob Armstrong and a comprehensive Leader Guide. Also available for your church is a helpful guide to small groups titled The Connected Life: Small Groups that Create Community. Chapters include: The Myth of the Perfect Family - The Gap Between What God Says and What You See - No, Nothing Is Too Hard for the Lord - Loss and Promise in the Family of God - Promise Maker and Promise Keeper - The Beauty of Imperfection Jacob Armstrong is the founding pastor of Providence Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Providence's vision is to see those who are disconnected from God and the church to find hope, healing, and wholeness in Jesus Christ. Jacob is the author of Renovate, A New Playlist, Treasure, The God Story , Upside Down , Loving Large , Interruptions , and The New Adapters . God's Messy Family Finding Your Place When Life Isn't Perfect By Jacob Armstrong Abingdon Press Copyright © 2018 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-5018-4356-3 Contents Introduction, 1. The Myth of the Perfect Family, 2. The Gap Between What God Says and What You See, 3. No, Nothing Is Too Hard for the Lord, 4. Loss and Promise in the Family of God, 5. Promise Maker and Promise Keeper, 6. The Beauty of Imperfection, Conclusion, Acknowledgments, CHAPTER 1 THE MYTH OF THE PERFECT FAMILY My wife and I have a group of people with whom we "do life." We sort of do everything together. I think that is what "doing life" means. We have been part of a small group at our church with these people for nearly ten years. Our kids have grown up together; actually we have all grown up together. Most of us are married, some are single. We have seemingly gone through it all: illnesses, graduations, promotions, demotions. We have experienced life together and, sadly, death together. Just last year we lost one of our beloved group members to cancer. I don't even like to say that we are "like" family. We are family. Several years ago, when my wife Rachel was pregnant with our third daughter, a couple from our group, Brian and Hollie, told us they were adopting a child. They had just been approved to adopt a son from Ethiopia. We followed their plans closely. We prayed for them and bought them baby gifts. We ate with them at our local Ethiopian restaurant as we dreamed about life with their new son and tried to learn more about his culture. I remember when they were told his name: Tamirat Yishak. One night at the Ethiopian restaurant they asked the waitress the meaning of Tamirat. She said, "America." Brian and Hollie thought that was strange, a son named America. As they discussed it with the waitress, the restaurant owner came from the kitchen and cleared up the confusion. He said, "No, no, no, you misheard her. His name does not mean 'America'; it means 'a miracle.'" Brian and Hollie decided to keep the name his birth parents had given him: Tamirat Yishak. We call him Ty for short. He is our miracle. Ty and my daughter Phoebe have grown up together since they were babies. They are both spirited, and they've had many disagreements and more than one argument over a toy. They laugh together. They cry together. They get on each other's nerves. Sometimes they play for hours without even noticing the passage of time. Ty and Phoebe are family. But when our two families are together — five girls and one boy (sorry, Ty!) — it is ... well, a mess. We clutter up the kitchen. We spread out toys. We track mud onto the floor. And it's loud, trust me. But it's our messy family, and we love it. Meet God's Family Most likely there are parts of your family that are a mess — either your biological family or a family of friends. That's what this book is about, a really messy family. It's about what I would call the family in the Bible. A family known as God's family. They are a big, beautiful mess, and the best part is that we've all been adopted into it. It's important you know that. You have been included not in a perfect family, but in a family where your imperfections are known and you are loved anyway. Understanding your place in this family may be the most important thing you ever do. But