In God We Trust	|	Family	|	Scripture and Meditation

FAMILY

Dr. Carson and his son B.J. playing pool at home.

God, says Dr. Carson, designed families to be the social, educational, and moral foundations upon which to build one's life and the world. Families are endangered today by a culture that devalues their sacredness and function, substituting instead the impersonal communities of the media, professional sports, celebrities, and the Internet.

Carson, his wife Candy, their three sons - Murray, B.J., and Rhoeyce - and Carson's mother Sonja live together in Maryland. They enjoy playing pool, tennis, and board games. Carson's wife Candy, an accomplished musician, and their three sons all play musical instruments - piano, violin, cello, and viola - together. Like their father before them, the three Carson boys have grown up in a home environment in which TV viewing is curtailed; in which books and school work prevail; and time spent as a family is a priority. Carson arrives at the hospital most days by 7:30 a.m. Most evenings he is home by 8 or 9 p.m., in time for dinner with his wife and children. When he travels, he arranges whenever possible to bring his family with him.

As Seventh-Day Adventists, Dr. Carson and his family honor the Sabbath, on which they gather as a family to discuss their faith and how to build upon it. Uninterrupted time, such as this, strengthens the bonds that keep his family whole. "Strong families and values have the added benefit of helping children resist peer pressure," he notes.

Church and bible study provide additional, comforting environments of trust and support. Each provides more opportunities to share troubles and successes with an extended family of Christians.

In all three of his books - most extensively in The Big Picture - Dr. Carson writes about his marriage, home, and church life, and the essential need to set and abide by priorities in a family that requires much of its busy members, not the least of which are understanding and self-responsibility. In each of his books, he praises his wife as his partner and as an individual.