Growing Up In Church
If you haven’t met us before, we are Brandon and Katie Blakeslee & family. You may also know some other Blakeslees at this church! We regularly attend the second service on Sunday mornings, sitting on the right hand/organ side of the sanctuary—Not that seats are assigned or anything. :) You may also periodically notice us in the A/V Room.
Although we’ve only been members of Christ Church since 2019, this congregation has been a part of our story for much longer. Brandon grew up in this church and was baptized here. Our children, Sylvia (7), Noam (4.5), and Eli (2), were each also baptized here and by Pastor Andrew. Katie and I (Brandon) met and became friends at Wyoming Park High School in 2005, moved apart after graduating, met again and fell in love in 2013, and finally got married (at Christ Church!) in 2015—10 years ago this past May. We began attending in 2017 after moving back to Grand Rapids from Chicago. As a teen and especially after leaving home as a young adult, I did not assume I’d one day be attending the church I grew up in with my wife and kids—But here we are. God is good.
Most days we're just trying to keep our heads above water, but on top of baths and meals and school supplies and the endless pile of shoes that they grow out of way too quickly—God has pressed into our hearts the desire to, above all else, raise our kids to love and know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Of course, this has require Katie and I together to critically evaluate and sometimes painfully revisit our own individual upbringings as we consider what our commitment to a Christ-centered household looks like. As teens who often strayed toward more cynical takes on Christian culture and liturgy (and had many conversations about this together in high school—who knew??), it has been a surprise and a revelation to discover what God has sanctified and redeemed in our hearts through parenthood. Sometimes, when we are worshipping to cheesy praise music in the car or pausing a movie in our home to talk about it (ha!) or forcing our children to stay at the dinner table just a little bit longer while we work through the church’s yearly devotional book, we turn to each other and say (with a smile), “if only our high school selves could see us now!” This is the work of the Lord in us.
This past year, I (Brandon) started making it a specific priority to pray with my children before I put them to bed. It may seem like an obvious choice, but so easy to fall out of. Making prayer just as important and necessary as brushing teeth and putting on pajamas helps me connect with them more deeply. Plus, it has practical benefits of getting us ready for sleep. It helps me tune in to whatever anxieties or restlessness they may be feeling that day, and also helps me come to terms with my own. Bringing these things into prayer has perhaps been more helpful for me than the kids, but I know hearing their father offer words of petition, thanksgiving, and praise to their Heavenly father is a seed in their heart that I trust the Holy Spirit will be faithful to grow.
In summary, what a privilege it is to grow up in a healthy, Christ-centered church . We are humbled by God's obvious guidance in bringing us here to Christ Church, and how He has used both the people and the pulpit here to convict us, teach us, sanctify us, and draw us closer to Him. We know so many of you are right there with us. Thank you!