Happy New Year

God's Boys will be good boys!

Christmas Sermon

God's Boys will be good boys!

The Beauty of the Post Feminism Feminist!

God's Boys will be good boys!

They look people in the eye. They are articulate, smart and aggressive. They are unapologetically accomplished.

I had to remark on what I saw of the beauties coming out of Starbucks. I was so impressed by their demeanor and look. Not so painted, not so vain, drinking coffee and hanging with their male friend. Not looking for his attention, by paint and polish, but they looked like they were game planning. What a beautiful, delightful thought of the comradery of male/female, female/male hanging out. Working on world-changing life plans. They don't seem at all daunted that we don't have a woman president, or a minority. It is our turn, they were saying.

I do hope that you are one of those kind of mature young men.

I do hope that you know how to respect such a great thinking group of women that you have been blessed to pursue, perhaps date, in the coming years and days. It takes a great man to notice and rightly respect a millenial woman!

I trust that you are up to the task! Go to it, MAN!

Breakfast at Dunkin on The Saturday, October 21st

God's Boys will be good boys!

Who knew that the loss of keys could end up giving us a great chance to regroup and talk with our adult son? Small mercies and great providences. Lord willing and the creek rising gives rise to wonderful memories sometimes! Just ask IRMA.

I had a fatted coffee:light with cream{replenishing my blood loss from going to the doctor?:} Enoch had a donut, which I ate also and an egg sandwich on a croissant. Dad talked about an inspiring message he had just heard from Warren Weirsbe and I talked about baby foods and eating styles and En talked about his not being listened to and we all had a wonderful conversation. We were smiling in the picture, at least. We only do this when we are bidden by a false start to the morning and a wonderful son who woke up and took his sister, even though dad couldn't find his keys. All is well?

The Observant Young Man receives a blessing!

God's Boys will be good boys!

I was so impressed that you notice that women have a couple of means of communication at their disposal. Most men are so interested in projecting themselves that they never even care about how women communicate with eachother.It is not enough to recognize communication of which you are not privy, if you won't pursue a method of reading the encrypted texts.

Just a thought!

Learning the difference between a terse and precise answer and an elaborate explanation!

God's Boys will be good boys!

When I was a child, we were constantly discouraged from giving elaborate details about any circumstance whatsoever! We were told to answer, yes or no and no other specifics were required. We were beaten, based on the evidence and we had no lawyer or recourse. Your best advise was to lie and deny, because the result wouldn't change, regardless. I don't think that is the right way. Neither do I think that you should engage children in long discussions when they are guilty of some wrongdoing. Their perceptions are childish. They will not understand the severity, until their maturity. Suffice it to say that was wrong and this is the consequence. That is enough. We give them tools to judge right and wrong and bring strong discipline based on those rules. Hopefully, this will mold their behavior to live within the light of conscience.

From what I see in the South, there is an element of specificity that is neglected in this way. In New York, we look at that as taking up too much time and energy. What else is more important, my southern friend reminds me, than to give greater tools to the conscience to do what is right? Oh dear, my NY mind says, this is too much work and we wouldn't get anything else done, if we took every step to the right and left to task by the word of God. New Yorkers ridicule the expressions of conscience that seem too fastidious to us. Take a half an hour to tell us that you went here or there, when I asked you something else. Is that an oversensitive conscience? Was the journey started at 8 or 8:30? Did you have to return for 2 or 3 items? I didn't ask you that! We get frustrated and our minds wander and we hear nothing of that story for frustration at wading through the details. Was it completed or not? That is all we care. God cares for both! God wants to knead details into the completion and completion into the longwinded. I hope that our children will learn the art of a direct answer and the sharpening of conscience that our Southern Brethren know.

Love of Genuine Honesty!

I had never heard a greater expression of evangelical preaching and "Being Always Ready" as Franklin Graham the other day.

God's Boys will be good boys!

I was aghast. I guess my over preachy cynism had kicked in. I was happily surprised when the commentator asked the esteemed Pastor and respected leader of Samaritans Purse, what was the need and how would it be spent. He went on to say the need was certainly financial and physical, but the greatest need was for people to pray with these people, personally. Ministers and human hands to carry the burden of pain with these people is more than money.

Their perception of God is eskewed and they think he is angry with them, personally. We must show the heart of God in such times, with care and compassion. It was an amazing expression of the need of the hour.

If you ever get a chance to share about the Gospel, I hope you can do as well! Love you, Son.

ON the Parsing of Phrases and Cliches

God's Boys will be good boys!

In the War of Words and the Tongue our Measure and the Battle of “Railing Accusations”, I, nor the angels know exactly what it was that the Devil did that stole the Glory from God. We all look into this fierce heated furnace of taking the glory from God and try to avoid it.

We do well to simply say to the devil, “The Lord rebuke you!” He is a liar and the father of such. It seems that it is the pursuit of the angels to clean up the languages of the nations to shine forth the Glory of God, in the inner man. Wimbledon, this year seemed to represent that to me.

The glory of power, represented by the Williams’ sisters versus the glory of youth, represented by Garbine. I said, to myself it is astounding that she is Spanish. I always see Cervantes’ perceptions, when the Spanish are spotlighted. He seems still striving on their behalf.

A few years ago, I saw her touting her abilities and I said to myself, “What an impudent child, to think that she can beat the “Power”.” She said it and she proved her abilities in subsequent battles with them. She is a force to be reckoned with. She is a symbol of something godly. A humble demeanor and a fierce game was her uprising.

To use a movie reference, Is it audacious to think that a woman can swim the English Channel? Is it silly to think a twelve year old can win the Grand National with a horse of hers? {Natonal Velvet} It may be, but God is showing forth a greater battle of the rising to God on the humbling of our most mischievous part of our bodies, our tongues.

The match was held in secret, so I wasn’t privy to the details of the intricacies of the hammering of that truth. The outcome was obvious to me and to everyone. DeNada is more humble than “You’re Welcome”. It is really nothing, whatsoever we do that can be exalted in our own estimations or anothers.

Thank you, Thank you and again I thank you, said Ferrer. You are welcome, you are welcome said Mawi in response. Thank you is always welcome, but De Nada is more acceptable than You are welcome to it. Sometimes you’re welcome hides a bitter spirit of hoarding, etc.

At Trafalgar…Spain actually won in this battle~~~~go figure?

the benefits and value of a playful laugh?

God's Boys will be good boys!

I had the privilege of enjoying an inexplicable laugh with a little friend, yesterday. It made me remember a day that we went in the car with uncle and all 4 of our girls that were born at that time, couldn't stop laughing. Our dear cousins looked in the back of the car like we were strange. Uncle explained to our incredulous cousins that that is what girls do. They giggle. We giggled and giggled as much as we cried. Sometimes we provoked the giggles by a joke or a tickle, but most times we could just look at each other and find the joke.

Sometimes our dad didn't get the joke and he would try to control us and squash the joke. That is not a good thing to try to do as a dad. Let them giggle. Try to enter into the giggle as much as masculinely possible.

One good joke my father was able to laugh with us about, was when we made him our puppet. We put our hands through his arms and used our hands to act out what he was saying with his funny ladylike voice. We laughed for the whole night, each taking turns being dad's hands. I highly recommend that young fathers and old take time to giggle with their girls.

Appealing a grade without losing your decorum?

God's Boys will be good boys!

tis a daunting task, suggests mother!

I read your request and I gave you my editorial corrections, for the most part. Personally, I believe in accepting an untoward grade and perhaps that is why I haven't graduated yet. It will all come out in the wash, I say. Still, I respect your use of the written word to implore a reconsideration of the grade, on your behalf. Our forfathers would have said "They crucified my Lord..." Is godliness accepting the decision of the teacher? Sometimes. A quiet request to reconsider is in order, I think. People will pay God for all of their unfair dolings. I'd see God's hand of humbling as in Shimei with David. I accept his cursings, said David. Maybe God will see it and have mercy on me for my times of misjudging another. God is in control, whatever the outcome. All the best, dear boy.

Thanks for the discussion in the car

God's Boys will be good boys!

I am always glad to hear your opinion about the academic and the sensitivity to these things.  You make some very important points that we are taking into consideration.  High School was a challenging time for you and your experiences are very helpful as we look at our Ethan's struggles this week.

I wouldn't call it academic abuse, though.  I would call it biting off more than you can chew, perhaps. He did very well in his own ability.  He misused time, some, as we all do.  But all in all we are rejoicing that he went this far in a challenging academic environment.

I take full responsibility for placing the bar, too high at times in my aspirations for your use of your minds.   It is an emotional thing not to be able to accomplish what you have started.   I apologize to you and to Ethan for expecting so much.  Thanks for your understanding.

Please feel free to let us know when we are doing the same thing with Ezzy.   Love you,  Mom

Don't forget to snuggle your children

God's Boys will be good boys!

Make sure that the cogs in your son's memory are repleat with memories of snuggles from his dad!

I gave in to Josh, today and tried to rock him to sleep. It was only because he is a new big brother and I know that this is an exciting and stressful time for a youngster. I know that stress, first hand. Every other year it was my experience for years and years of my life. Nobody really remembers that big brother needs a hug also.

Don't miss the chance to make him a man, by firmness and also by sensitivity.

I Will Praise HIm, Still---May this be your insistent determination, I pray.

God's Boys will be good boys!