Three thoughts for the weekend

By Joe Castaneda I was recently doing a series of interviews for jobs at the camp. One of the questions I ask is, “What are some values your parents have passed on to you that you will try to live by?” As I reflected on that question myself, I thought I would share with you three values my parents gave to me. What about you? Did your parents pass on any values to you that you still try to live by? Share with us your thoughts in the comments here or on Facebook!

1. Keep God first in everything: My parents lived their faith by conviction, not convenience and not out of fear. They operated out of a key belief that God cared deeply for them and how they lived, and they desired to please Him first. They weren’t perfect parents (they’d be the first to admit this), but they worked hard to keep God first above all the noise of jobs, kids, bills, vacations, good days and bad days. I’m thankful for this value they passed on to all of his kids.
2. Have fun in the car: We took a lot of road trips as a family. My dads clan lived in Oakland, CA so at least once a year we took the 10-hour dive down to Oakland, always in one stretch. That was back in the day when you could crawl in and out of that small window between a truck cab and truck bed, as well as lay in the back window of a giant Ford LTD without penalty. My parents, especially my mom, worked hard to make those trips fun. We played games, we worked on spelling (I still know how to spell “hospital” because of one of those trips), we read, we listened to stories, we ate and we always sang, “For He’s the Jolly Good Fellow...” whenever we crossed state lines. That simple lesson reminds me to have fun on the journey, in or out of the car. Whatever road you’re traveling right now, look for the joy. I’m guessing if you’re doing pretty well on number one, you’ll find number two a bit easier!
3. Be hospitable: I didn’t realize it growing up, but it wasn’t normal for everyone to always have guests in their house. I thought that was just what everybody did! I can only remember a few periods of time where we didn’t have a guest living at our house. I had several “older brothers” that I found out weren’t actually my brothers when I was 18-years-old! (I always wondered about Paul Vinje, he seemed too short, too smart and too Russian to be related to me (Mexican-Dutch parents!)) but...I just assumed he was family! My mom frequently had an extra spot set at the table, where I met many pastors, missionaries, national youth workers, single moms, college students and others. What a blessing! Traci and I have had the joy of continuing that tradition of having guests, housing students and sharing whatever resources God has given us.

What about you? What are some values that your parents have passed on to you that you still try to live by? One of the great blessings of living the Overboard Life is sharing it with others, and passing on to your children great, Godly, values that can shape their future.

Go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water!