I have been learning what it means to be a man for the past ten or so years; it is not something you come to learn automatically either, it takes time and other men to help you achieve it. In those years I have learned a lot about myself, and in the process come to find my calling in life as well. I have a desire to help other men find out what it means to really be a man. So today as I was doing battle with the weeds which comprise my yard, I found myself once again thinking those deep thoughts which come to me as I do work which doesn't require much thinking.
My thoughts turned to leadership and what it takes for a man to truly be a good leader. As I was thinking about this, I thought of those examples I have seen in movies which have spurred me to become the best man I can be. I don't always achieve it, but they motivate me none the less. I think every man should aspire to be a good leader, and in doing so this will help the world we live in.
The first man I saw in film who captured my attention and showed this to me, was Duke Leto Atriedes from the science fiction book turned movie Dune. I remember seeing this movie when I was about 21, and was so impressed at how he was willing to lay down his life, and the life of his son Paul in order to save the lives of the men who worked for him. To this day, I always try to emulate his example when I am in a leadership role.
The second man who impressed me was Hal Moore from the movie We Were Soldiers starring Mel Gibson. In a speech to his men before they left to go to Vietnam, he told them he would not be able to promise that they would all return alive, but he would be the first to step on the battlefield, and the last to leave. His example to his men spurred them on into battle, and he led from the front, not the rear.
The third man to inspire me is Jesus; the epitome of a man's man. He told his disciples, "Follow me, and I'll teach you how to fish for men." As I thought about this, it occurred to me that He didn't tell His followers to follow His agenda, or even what God had for them as men, but to follow Him. Leaders lead, it's just what they do.
I actually stopped mowing at this point, grabbed my iPod and wrote this: Jesus didn't say, "Come follow an idea, or even God's plan for your life." He said, "Come follow Me." Men don't follow ideas or plans, they follow men who get out front and lead. In today's society, we hear a lot about the plans God has for us, the ideas and plans of men and what they are trying to achieve, but it takes a real man to lead.
Real leaders have ideas of course, and they lay out the plans of what it will take to achieve those ideas, but the true test of a leader is not how good of an idea they have, but it's those who get out in front and take the lead. They lead by example, not by words alone. Of course their words can inspire those of us who are following to take their ideas and make them become realities, but I want to follow a leader who is in the middle of what is going on, not just pointing and telling others what to do.
And it takes a real man to get out front and lead. Of course when you're out front leading, you will be the one who takes the hit first. This is why I believe so many men are not true leaders. They stay in the rear and let others take the hits meant for them. It's not really fun to lead either. I say this because when you are leading there are always those who stand on the sidelines and talk about how you should be doing it better. Of course these are the naysayers who like to rain on everyone's parade. They usually do this because they are just afraid to get out there themselves.
It's like Sylvester Stallone's character Rocky said in the movie Rocky Balboa, "Ya gotta be willing to take the hits." And real leaders take all the controversy, ridicule and bad mouthing in stride, because they are the ones out there, and not those who are doing the talking. I'm reminded of a speech Teddy Roosevelt gave called the man in the arena speech, it is one of the most motivating speeches I've ever heard, take a look.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
I love how he says, "...so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." That pretty much sums up leadership, "...who spends himself in a worthy cause..." This is what I desire in my life, and I hope you do as well. Let's get out front and lead.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Thursday, February 19, 2015
What Is Your Name?
One of my favorite movies is Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe. I sat down for a few minutes before bed last night, flipping channels and came across it in my perusing. As I usually do when it's on, I stopped to watch. It was the scene where Maximus fights in the Collusieum for the first time.
If you've not seen the movie, Russell Crowe plays Maximus, a general in the Roman army. He is betrayed by Ceasar's son who murdered his father for the throne. Maximus ultimately becomes a slave placed in the world of gladiators. I saw something in the opening battle scene last night I had not noticed before, even though I've watched this movie countless times.
As the gladiators are being slaughtered, Maximus takes command and leads the men with him in an upset victory. I heard in my heart as I watched this the voice of the Holy Spirit say, "Once a leader of men, always a leader of men." And that is so true. Maximus knew who he was, and regardless of his situation, he reacted to the situation at hand based on who he knew himself to be.
What I love about this scene is the power portrayed by Maximus. Ceasar's son calls him a slave demanding he tell him his name. Maximus turns and tells him exactly who he is. If you watch closely, you will see how scared he is of Maximus too.
As men, we should be able to give an answer of who we are to all the voices in the world which try to keep us down. And we have to know who we are before the voices call us out. Watch the scene again, and notice how Maximus doesn't have to think about it, he takes command of the situation, saying exactly who he is. Can you do that?
As a Christian man, knowing who you are in Christ should be one of the first things you learn. Jesus is our example, and if you study how He answered the devil when in the wilderness being tempted, you'll see a man who knew who He was, and didn't hesitate to answer his enemy right back.
One of the best tools for finding out just who you are in Christ is a little mini book written by Kenneth Hagin titled "In Him". In this book you will find all of the Scriptures listed for who you are, what you have and what you can do, "in Christ". I recommend getting it today and start immediately finding out just who you are. So when the voices show up calling you one thing, you can answer back with the truth.
Strength and honor, for the Kingdom and the King.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
What Are You Jibber Jabbering About?
I am a Christian. What this means to me is I believe in Jesus the Christ, the Savior of all mankind. And as a Christian, I also believe the Word of God, or that the Bible is the inspired work of Him. It was written by men, over the course of thousands of years, but the inspiration for it came from God, and it is His written Word to all who will believe it.
One of the Christian things I have experienced in my walk with Jesus for the past 26 years is what is commonly referred to as the baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Jesus told His disciples about this before He ascended to Heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father. (Acts 1:4-5) He called being baptized in the Holy Spirit a gift. Now who doesn't like gifts right? Yet one thing I've noticed as a Christian is how controversial this one aspect of Christendom can become, which shouldn't surprise any of us, there was quite a disturbance in the city on the day of Pentecost too.
Jesus had told the first disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, which they did, and on the day of Pentecost (50 days after the Passover) the Holy Spirit was poured out and those 120 disciples who were in the upper room were filled.
One of the Christian things I have experienced in my walk with Jesus for the past 26 years is what is commonly referred to as the baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Jesus told His disciples about this before He ascended to Heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father. (Acts 1:4-5) He called being baptized in the Holy Spirit a gift. Now who doesn't like gifts right? Yet one thing I've noticed as a Christian is how controversial this one aspect of Christendom can become, which shouldn't surprise any of us, there was quite a disturbance in the city on the day of Pentecost too.
Jesus had told the first disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, which they did, and on the day of Pentecost (50 days after the Passover) the Holy Spirit was poured out and those 120 disciples who were in the upper room were filled.
Acts 2:1-13
When the day of Pentecost came, they (the disciples) were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residenets of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitiors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs - we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."
There is something I would like you to notice here, look at verse 5, "Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven." Isn't this interesting? The crowd who gathered on the day of Pentecost and heard the first disciples speaking in tongues were God-fearing Jews, or the religious people of the day. Some of those religious people (who didn't understand what the baptism in the Holy Spirit is) made fun of the disciples saying, "They have had too much wine." It shouldn't surprise us then today when the religious people of our day and time make fun of this gift or belittle it as unimportant.
One thing I've heard people say over the years, is the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues is to help us as an evangelical tool so we can witness to people in their own language. They base this from verse 8 where the people talked of hearing the disciples speaking in their native languages. Yet there were no conversions to Christ until after Peter stood up and addressed the crowd. Let's look at that for a second. Acts 2:14 says, "Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you, listen carefully to what I say." He then went on to explain from Scripture about what was happening, and what it was Jesus had done, and in verse 37 it says those who listened to Peter were cut to the heart and asked what they could do. He then instructed them to repent and be baptized and they too would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He went on to say this was for all whom the Lord our God will call.
This gift of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues is for you and me today. It is a wonderful gift which I can tell you has increased my knowledge of God's Word and has helped me more than I can ever say. I am truly thankful to God for this in my life. I hope this has whetted your appetite to learn more. I'd like to offer you two little books on this subject which can help you to grown in the knowledge about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. They are:
The Holy Spirit: Two Occurrences by David Emigh Why Tongues by Kenneth Hagin
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at godsfirstknight@yahoo.com. For the Kingdom and the King, shalom!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Going Through The Motions
What is a man to do when he finds himself being pulled in so many directions at once? I mean we can't go cry to our mommies (although I've met a few who still do that). There has to be something to help us, dear God please let it be so. Otherwise I might just scream! Does anyone else out there even know what I'm talking about, or am I the only one?
The world tells us to perform to find our self worth. Do more at work! What do you mean you can't do the yard work and spend 70+ hours at your job? What kind of man are you anyway? Aren't you Superman? The world will make you feel like a true loser if you continue to try and go its way. It's not set up to help men get ahead in life, it's there to tear us down. The god of this world will see to that if you let him.
I've heard it said that when people would yoke together two oxen, they would pair an older more established ox with a younger one to train the younger. When Jesus is telling us to take His yoke and learn from Him that is the picture of what He is telling us. Come on, let me show you how to do this life. He is our example of how we should live as men. He didn't come to put more burdens or heavy loads on our already taxed lives, He came to show us a better way.
I don't mean to say that He came to show us how to be lazy, because all throughout Scripture the Lord tells us that we are to work and provide for the needs of our families, but we can learn from the examples that Jesus left us in the Bible as to how we can fulfill all that is required of us and still find enjoyment as well. One of the things that I absolutely love about Jesus in the Scriptures is that He never got too busy to spend time with His Father in prayer. Time and again you see Him going to a solitary place by Himself and praying. That should really be our first clue to a satisfied life.
Jesus was able to accomplish all that He did because His priorities were in the right place. How about yours? Do you spend time with the Father every day? Or is your prayer life more like based on when you need something from Him? I have found that a time of being in the Bible daily, and talking with God on a regular basis is the most important thing in my life. Does that mean that this keeps me from making mistakes? Not really, but I wonder how many more mistakes I'd make if I wasn't doing this.
To bottom line this for you men, it's tough at times to meet all the needs that we have, but it is going to be even tougher if you aren't spending quality time with God every day. So get out of bed thirty minutes earlier than usual and spend some time with Him and in the Bible each day and see if your world doesn't begin to get just a little bit better.
Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Where Is Your Pile Of Garbage?
One of my jobs at home is to see to it that the trash is emptied and taken to the dumpster. It's something that I have been doing for most of the twenty-five years that I've been married. I usually toss it into the back of my pickup truck and dispose of it on my way to work.
About a month ago my truck broke down and has been sitting in my driveway ever since. Because of this, I have been unable to take the trash to the dumpster. The only problem is that we have continued to have trash accumulate in our house, so I have been tossing the bags of trash into the back of my truck thinking that eventually I will either get the truck fixed or find another way to dispose of it.
Today after getting home early from work, I decided that before showering, I should bag up all of the trash in larger trash bags that weren't soak from the morning's rain and get it all to the dumpster. Well while re-bagging a month's worth of garbage I began thinking about trash in regards to people's spiritual life. You see what I found out is that the further down into the bags of trash I got, the more nasty it all became. And this is just how it is with all the junk that we hold onto in our hearts.
Everyone has things that they have done, or have had done to them that invariably try to tangle us up and hinder us in life. Jesus (through the Apostle Paul) told us to get rid of all those things that try to hold us down. (Hebrews 12:1) And the longer that we hold onto those things, the smellier and nastier they get, just like that month old trash at the bottom of my pickup truck.
What things are you holding on to, that perhaps you should get rid of? Have you taken a look at yourself lately? Are you stinking? If so, then do something about it. Don't lay there wallowing in that filth, give it to the Lord, remember He said to cast all of your burdens (stinky trash) onto Him. (1 Peter 5:7) We weren't meant to carry that junk, so give it to the Lord and let Him remove the stink and shame in your life.
Tomorrow is Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and His defeat over the devil and the works of evil. How about a fresh start? Find a church near you that preaches Jesus and go find the God that has been looking for you ever since you first graced this planet with your presence. He loves you, stink and all, He just doesn't want you to stay smelly...so come to Him and let Him clean you up.
Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!
About a month ago my truck broke down and has been sitting in my driveway ever since. Because of this, I have been unable to take the trash to the dumpster. The only problem is that we have continued to have trash accumulate in our house, so I have been tossing the bags of trash into the back of my truck thinking that eventually I will either get the truck fixed or find another way to dispose of it.Today after getting home early from work, I decided that before showering, I should bag up all of the trash in larger trash bags that weren't soak from the morning's rain and get it all to the dumpster. Well while re-bagging a month's worth of garbage I began thinking about trash in regards to people's spiritual life. You see what I found out is that the further down into the bags of trash I got, the more nasty it all became. And this is just how it is with all the junk that we hold onto in our hearts.
Everyone has things that they have done, or have had done to them that invariably try to tangle us up and hinder us in life. Jesus (through the Apostle Paul) told us to get rid of all those things that try to hold us down. (Hebrews 12:1) And the longer that we hold onto those things, the smellier and nastier they get, just like that month old trash at the bottom of my pickup truck.
What things are you holding on to, that perhaps you should get rid of? Have you taken a look at yourself lately? Are you stinking? If so, then do something about it. Don't lay there wallowing in that filth, give it to the Lord, remember He said to cast all of your burdens (stinky trash) onto Him. (1 Peter 5:7) We weren't meant to carry that junk, so give it to the Lord and let Him remove the stink and shame in your life.
Tomorrow is Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and His defeat over the devil and the works of evil. How about a fresh start? Find a church near you that preaches Jesus and go find the God that has been looking for you ever since you first graced this planet with your presence. He loves you, stink and all, He just doesn't want you to stay smelly...so come to Him and let Him clean you up.
Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!
Which Voices Do You Hear?
Why is it that we so easily give in to the enemy? We decide to make a stand to do what's right and true according to God's ways and immediately the enemy is there whispering in our ears telling us it can't be done, most of the time through the voices of our friends and family. And if we are not careful, we will buy into his lies and answer back, "Yes, this can not be done."
In the story of David and Goliath (found in 1 Samuel 17) every thing was set against David. The giant was much bigger and way more prepared as a warrior than this ruddy complected young man, his brothers were against him, and even King Saul told him that defeating the giant couldn't be done. Even Goliath talked to him telling him that he was going to kill him. If ever there was someone who had no one on his side, it was David.
I really love the heart of David throughout this story. He is not dismayed when his brother calls him out in front of the other soldiers, he just says, "All I did was ask a question!" Then turns from his brother to ask another man what would be done for the man who killed Goliath.
When the king hears that David will face Goliath, he tries to talk him out of it, and David ends up encouraging Saul by telling him of his past victories over lions and bears when he was taking care of his father's sheep in the wilderness. Taking it all back to the covenant that he had with God (something which Saul and every other Israelite actually had access too as well). David knew where the true strength of his abilities came from. Finally, David ignored the voice of the giant as he taunted him, turning Goliath's own words back on him and saying that this battle belonged to the Lord.
There comes a time in every man's life when you are going to have to stand up and ignore the voices that try to keep you from fulfilling what God wants you to accomplish. It will not be up to anyone else to see that it happens, but you. This is where the rubber meets the road so to speak, and you will be tested to see if you truly have what it takes to come through.
This happened in my life a few years ago, and I had to ignore the voices of some of my closest loved ones in order to see God come through. I was taking some men on a men's weekend boot camp based on the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. I knew that this would be a powerful time for the men, and was looking forward to attending it myself. The man who was going to drive the van for me was in a car wreck the morning we were supposed to leave and had been taken to the hospital.
I received the news about this while I was in the shower. While shampooing my hair my wife asked, "Will they (the event people) refund his money if he ends up not being able to go?" I didn't respond, I just continued getting ready for work. As I drove to work, I received another phone call with the news that I should make other arragnements concerning the van and who would drive it as the man probably wouldn't be going with us on the weekend. As I hung up the phone, something on the inside of me rose up and I had to say, "No!"
I began talking with the Lord, telling Him that I knew this man wanted to go, he had actually been the first to sign up and pay his money for the trip months in advance I knew that it was going to be an important weekend for him, and really wanted to see him make it. The Scripture Matthew 18:19 came to my mind, which says, "I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you." So I made a decision right then to believe God, and not listen to the other voices I'd been hearing that morning.
When I talked with the man later, I asked if he still wanted to go, and he said that he did. So we agreed together according to Matthew 18:19, and believed God. He left the hospital, and made it to the church in time for us to leave. He didn't drive the van, but he did attend the weekend and only took two pain pills the entire time he was there. He told me later that it was such a good weekend for him, and that God had done some things in his life that wouldn't have happened otherwise.
It was amazing to watch God work, and the only reason that it happened was because I decided to believe what the Word of God said instead of listening to the words of others that I had been hearing that day. I'm not saying that the other voices were evil or of the devil, because they weren't. You see even when Saul was talking to David about not fighting Goliath, it was out of concern for his welfare. His motives were good, even if they weren't helpful to God's cause.
Sometimes we are forced with a decisions of whether or not we are going to believe what is true, even in the face of concern from our friends and family. Jesus said that the things He did we would do, and even greater things also, (John 14:12) but we have to believe that we can do them first and then act on what the Word of God says in order to see it come to pass in our lives, regardless of what any other voices might be saying.
So I guess my question is, which voices are you listening to today? The ones that say it can't be done, or God's voice which says, "Dare to believe Me, and see it done." If we're not listening to the words of God, then maybe it's time we got into His Word and started listening. Just a thought.
Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!
I really love the heart of David throughout this story. He is not dismayed when his brother calls him out in front of the other soldiers, he just says, "All I did was ask a question!" Then turns from his brother to ask another man what would be done for the man who killed Goliath.
When the king hears that David will face Goliath, he tries to talk him out of it, and David ends up encouraging Saul by telling him of his past victories over lions and bears when he was taking care of his father's sheep in the wilderness. Taking it all back to the covenant that he had with God (something which Saul and every other Israelite actually had access too as well). David knew where the true strength of his abilities came from. Finally, David ignored the voice of the giant as he taunted him, turning Goliath's own words back on him and saying that this battle belonged to the Lord.
There comes a time in every man's life when you are going to have to stand up and ignore the voices that try to keep you from fulfilling what God wants you to accomplish. It will not be up to anyone else to see that it happens, but you. This is where the rubber meets the road so to speak, and you will be tested to see if you truly have what it takes to come through.
This happened in my life a few years ago, and I had to ignore the voices of some of my closest loved ones in order to see God come through. I was taking some men on a men's weekend boot camp based on the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. I knew that this would be a powerful time for the men, and was looking forward to attending it myself. The man who was going to drive the van for me was in a car wreck the morning we were supposed to leave and had been taken to the hospital.
I received the news about this while I was in the shower. While shampooing my hair my wife asked, "Will they (the event people) refund his money if he ends up not being able to go?" I didn't respond, I just continued getting ready for work. As I drove to work, I received another phone call with the news that I should make other arragnements concerning the van and who would drive it as the man probably wouldn't be going with us on the weekend. As I hung up the phone, something on the inside of me rose up and I had to say, "No!"
I began talking with the Lord, telling Him that I knew this man wanted to go, he had actually been the first to sign up and pay his money for the trip months in advance I knew that it was going to be an important weekend for him, and really wanted to see him make it. The Scripture Matthew 18:19 came to my mind, which says, "I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you." So I made a decision right then to believe God, and not listen to the other voices I'd been hearing that morning.
When I talked with the man later, I asked if he still wanted to go, and he said that he did. So we agreed together according to Matthew 18:19, and believed God. He left the hospital, and made it to the church in time for us to leave. He didn't drive the van, but he did attend the weekend and only took two pain pills the entire time he was there. He told me later that it was such a good weekend for him, and that God had done some things in his life that wouldn't have happened otherwise.
It was amazing to watch God work, and the only reason that it happened was because I decided to believe what the Word of God said instead of listening to the words of others that I had been hearing that day. I'm not saying that the other voices were evil or of the devil, because they weren't. You see even when Saul was talking to David about not fighting Goliath, it was out of concern for his welfare. His motives were good, even if they weren't helpful to God's cause.
Sometimes we are forced with a decisions of whether or not we are going to believe what is true, even in the face of concern from our friends and family. Jesus said that the things He did we would do, and even greater things also, (John 14:12) but we have to believe that we can do them first and then act on what the Word of God says in order to see it come to pass in our lives, regardless of what any other voices might be saying.
So I guess my question is, which voices are you listening to today? The ones that say it can't be done, or God's voice which says, "Dare to believe Me, and see it done." If we're not listening to the words of God, then maybe it's time we got into His Word and started listening. Just a thought.
Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Being A Dad...It Ain't Easy
There's a song from years ago called "Cats in the Cradle" which was written and performed by Harry Chapin. It's an interesting song about a guy who was too busy for his son when the boy was growing up and then as the father begins to have time for his son later on in life, the son, following in his father's footsteps now has no time for his dad.
Really it's kind of a depressing song, yet it is one that I like to listen to often. I do so, not because I'm one of those people who get off on depressing, dark stuff, but rather because it helps me to stay on track with my own children, even though my son is 20 and daughter turns 18 tomorrow.
I've been told that I'm a good father by many people in my life, and while I do believe that, there have been many, many times where I wondered how much counseling my kids were going to need once they became adults. I'm trusting that the Lord will work out anything that I may have done wrong with my kids.
You know it's funny ~ there is an instruction manual for just about every thing out there, except for raising children. Oh, I know we've got the Bible and I thank God for that, but how many of you have looked cover to cover trying to find answers for something not specifically talked about in the Bible? I just thank God for the Holy Spirit and His counsel when there are no clear answers in the book.
Let me tell you a funny little story about my youngest son Noah. He went to be with the Lord about 3 years ago, so I can tell this story without any repercussions from him. It was probably six or seven years ago and I was emptying the bathroom trash can when I saw a condom and condom wrapper on the top of the garbage in the can. I immediately knew that my youngest son had once again been rummaging about the house and had gone through my bathroom drawer where I kept them.
Actually I'm pretty proud of myself, I followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and just waited for the perfect opportunity, which actually came later that day. I was sitting on the porch when Noah walked by and I said, "Sit down for a minute son, I want to ask you a question." He sat down and I asked, "Did you get into my bathroom drawer today?" He said, "Yes." So I continued, "Do you know what that was that you found?" At this he kind of just sat there not saying anything, so I explained in vivid detail what a condom was used for, and how it is actually used.
As the blood was leaving his face, I realized that he had actually been blowing it up like a balloon. The thought of him turning one of my condoms into a balloon still brings a smile to my face to this day. The point of this story is that this particular circumstance wasn't covered with chapter and verse in the Bible. But by following the leading of the Holy Spirit I was able to educate my son and have a great laugh with my wife later.
I think one of the most important things to remember while you're raising your kids is to "be there" when you're there. Don't just check out when you get home after work, engage your kids in conversation, dance with your daughter or wrestle with your son ~ just be there, then you'll have no regrets once they grow up and move out.
Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!
Really it's kind of a depressing song, yet it is one that I like to listen to often. I do so, not because I'm one of those people who get off on depressing, dark stuff, but rather because it helps me to stay on track with my own children, even though my son is 20 and daughter turns 18 tomorrow.
I've been told that I'm a good father by many people in my life, and while I do believe that, there have been many, many times where I wondered how much counseling my kids were going to need once they became adults. I'm trusting that the Lord will work out anything that I may have done wrong with my kids.
You know it's funny ~ there is an instruction manual for just about every thing out there, except for raising children. Oh, I know we've got the Bible and I thank God for that, but how many of you have looked cover to cover trying to find answers for something not specifically talked about in the Bible? I just thank God for the Holy Spirit and His counsel when there are no clear answers in the book.
Let me tell you a funny little story about my youngest son Noah. He went to be with the Lord about 3 years ago, so I can tell this story without any repercussions from him. It was probably six or seven years ago and I was emptying the bathroom trash can when I saw a condom and condom wrapper on the top of the garbage in the can. I immediately knew that my youngest son had once again been rummaging about the house and had gone through my bathroom drawer where I kept them.
Actually I'm pretty proud of myself, I followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and just waited for the perfect opportunity, which actually came later that day. I was sitting on the porch when Noah walked by and I said, "Sit down for a minute son, I want to ask you a question." He sat down and I asked, "Did you get into my bathroom drawer today?" He said, "Yes." So I continued, "Do you know what that was that you found?" At this he kind of just sat there not saying anything, so I explained in vivid detail what a condom was used for, and how it is actually used.
As the blood was leaving his face, I realized that he had actually been blowing it up like a balloon. The thought of him turning one of my condoms into a balloon still brings a smile to my face to this day. The point of this story is that this particular circumstance wasn't covered with chapter and verse in the Bible. But by following the leading of the Holy Spirit I was able to educate my son and have a great laugh with my wife later.
I think one of the most important things to remember while you're raising your kids is to "be there" when you're there. Don't just check out when you get home after work, engage your kids in conversation, dance with your daughter or wrestle with your son ~ just be there, then you'll have no regrets once they grow up and move out.
Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!
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