Well, you are partly right – your family is your first ministry. If every parent believed this, we would have fewer problems in our world. I caution you, however, not to take your "ministry" lightly. Being the father, you are the authority in your home. This responsibility is not license to rule with an iron fist, but an admonition to be the spiritual leader of your home.

Any vibrant ministry needs to be focused first and foremost on Jesus Christ. Next, a ministry has three distinct, but inseparable functions: it meets physical needs; it leads people to Jesus; and it helps people to grow in their faith in Jesus (John 6:1, Matthew 28:19-20). If your ministry fails in one of these areas, it fails in all three.

So what are your plans for Sunday? Do you lead your family in prayer, Bible study, and worship? Do you minister to others' needs? Are you leading your children and others to faith in Jesus Christ? It is very difficult to do these things without the support of the body of Christ in a Bible-believing, Christ-honoring church. For that reason we should not forsake the "assembling of ourselves together" (Hebrews 10:25). There is simply no substitute for corporate worship.

There is nothing wrong with an occasional outing with your family. Vacations can be a wonderful opportunity to grow with your family and teach your children. Please, though, don't fall into the trap of placing your family before God (Exodus 20:3). You will love your family best if you love God first.

Dr. Adrian Rogers, preacher/teacher of Love Worth Finding Ministries, and one of America's most respected Bible teachers. Under his 32 years of pastoral leadership, Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN, grew from 9,000 members in 1972 to more than 29,000.

 Most important to Dr. Rogers have been the tens and thousands of believers who have had their faith strengthened and thousands of others who have for the first time entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Dr. Rogers passed away on November 15, 2005