"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:15
Our Mission
Custodes Vitae Familiae
This is not merely a motto — it is a mandate. The Slifka family has been called, commissioned, and equipped to guard what God has entrusted to us. That guardianship extends in four directions: inward to our own family, outward to the Church, downward into the earth, and upward toward the Kingdom of God.
The first and most sacred arena of guardianship is the home. A father who leads his household well is not merely a good man — he is a faithful steward of God's most intimate institution. Scripture commands fathers to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), and charges husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church — with a love that protects, provides, and lays down its life (Ephesians 5:25–27). Joshua's declaration — 'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord' (Joshua 24:15) — is not a passive hope; it is an act of covenant leadership. The Slifka family guards the spiritual climate of our home, the purity of our relationships, the formation of our children's souls, and the integrity of our marriage covenant. We are the first line of defense and the first source of blessing for every person who bears our name.
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:4
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.”
Ephesians 5:25–27
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
We are not only guardians of our biological family — we are members of a far larger household: the family of God. The Church is not an organization we attend; it is a body we belong to, a family we are responsible for. Scripture calls every believer to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2), to spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24–25), and to use their gifts in service of the whole body (1 Peter 4:10). The Slifka family takes its place in the local church not as consumers but as contributors — guarding the unity of the Spirit, protecting the vulnerable, strengthening the weak, and investing our time, treasure, and talent in the health and mission of Christ's Bride. To guard God's family is to take seriously what Jesus takes seriously: the Church for which He bled and died.
“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2
“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.”
Hebrews 10:24–25
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.”
1 Peter 4:10
“Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Ephesians 4:3
From the very beginning, God placed humanity in the garden to work it and keep it — to cultivate and to guard (Genesis 2:15). The dominion mandate of Genesis 1:26–28 is not a license for exploitation; it is a commission for stewardship. We are made in the image of God and called to exercise His kind of dominion — creative, ordered, life-giving, and responsible. The Slifka family takes seriously its role as stewards of the earth: in how we build businesses, in how we treat employees and communities, in how we invest our resources, and in how we leave the world better than we found it. We are not owners of creation — we are its caretakers, accountable to the One who made it and declared it good.
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens... God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.'”
Genesis 1:26–28
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
Genesis 2:15
“The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
Psalm 24:1
We do not guard the Kingdom of God as though it were fragile or in need of our protection — the Kingdom belongs to the King, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). But we are called to represent it, advance it, and establish its values on the earth. Jesus taught us to pray, 'Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven' (Matthew 6:10) — a prayer that is also a commission. We are ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), sent into the world as His representatives, carrying the message of reconciliation and the culture of heaven into every room we enter. The Slifka family is a Kingdom outpost: our home, our business, our relationships, and our generosity are all expressions of a Kingdom that is already here and not yet fully consummated. We do not wait for heaven — we bring it.
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10
“We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”
2 Corinthians 5:20
“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Matthew 16:18
“The kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
Luke 17:21
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19–20
The Family Creed
We are the Slifka family.
We are a covenant household under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
We did not choose this name by accident — we carry it with purpose.
We are not a perfect family. We are a redeemed one.
We believe in one God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe the Bible is the living, infallible Word of God.
We believe Jesus Christ died for our sins, rose from the dead,
and reigns as Lord over every room in this house.
We worship God — not comfort, not success, not the approval of men.
We pray without ceasing. We study His Word. We hide it in our hearts.
We fast. We rest. We gather with His people.
We are disciples who make disciples.
We honor the covenant of marriage as holy and unbreakable.
We love sacrificially, forgive quickly, and speak truth in love.
We keep Christ at the center — the third strand that cannot be broken.
Our marriage is not just a love story. It is a kingdom partnership.
We raise our children in the fear and instruction of the Lord.
We discipline with love, affirm with blessing, and release with faith.
We do not raise children — we raise arrows, aimed at eternity.
Every generation of Slifkas will know the God of their fathers.
We work with excellence and integrity, as unto the Lord.
We lead by serving. We build by giving. We advance by kneeling.
We hold wealth loosely and give generously.
We are not defined by what we own — we are defined by Whose we are.
We forgive as we have been forgiven — completely, without condition.
We speak truth boldly and receive correction humbly.
We protect the weak, honor the aged, and welcome the stranger.
We are not conformed to this world — we are being transformed.
We are guardians — not of our own comfort, but of what God has entrusted to us.
We guard our home, our marriage, and our children's souls.
We guard the Church — the family of God — with our time, our treasure, and our presence.
We are stewards of the earth and ambassadors of a Kingdom that cannot be shaken.
We live the Great Commission — making disciples of all nations.
We live the Great Commandment — loving God and loving people.
We cultivate and guard the earth as faithful stewards of God's creation.
Our home is a Kingdom outpost. Our table is open. Our lives are not our own.
We will tell our children what God has done.
We will write it down. We will speak it aloud. We will live it out.
One generation shall commend His works to another.
The Slifka name will be associated with faithfulness — forever.
As for me and my house — we will serve the Lord.
This is our covenant. This is our creed. This is our inheritance.
We receive it with gratitude. We guard it with our lives.
And we will pass it on.
SLIFKA
Custodes Vitae Familiae
Guardians of Family Life
This creed is grounded in the 12 Rules of Life — the full covenant of the Slifka family.