Word for Today, Wed, 19 May 2004: Training That Lasts

#1 · May 18, 2004, 4:21 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on May 18, 2004, 4:21 pm
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Word for Today, Wed, 19 May 2004: Training That Lasts
Dear friends,

Larry Davies, my friend who pastors a church in Virginia, is
crossing over new thresholds this year. His daughter Lisa
graduates and moves on to new horizons - away from home.

Perhaps some of you have children in similar situations, or
perhaps you are in the midst of raising children (I am, I have
children aged nine, five, and three).

My prayer today echos the words of the writer of Proverbs, who
said, "Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they
get old, they will not depart from it." (paraphrase). My
children learn from their surroundings, both good and bad. It is
my job to teach them to discern what's good and bad - even in me
- and to teach them right from wrong. That includes being a
positive role model, but it also means pointing out my own
errors, confessing them in front of my family as sin, repenting -
turning away from them, and doing what's right.

I don't know about you, but that's a big and important task. I
definitely cannot handle it on my own, it's too big and too
important. I need my help meet, my wife, but even more
importantly, we desperately need Jesus Christ, to direct us,
correct us, train us, instruct us, using His very Word and His
Spirit as a guide. I need to remember that I cannot handle
things on my own, I need Christ.

When you have a big job to do, how do you go about meeting the
challenge? I submit to you that God needs to be at the center of
all of our thoughts and activities, both large and small, not
just in church, but each and every day. Such things are
especially important in our own homes. Pray for me. I pray for
all of you regularly.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

____________________________________________________________
Sowing Seeds of Faith...

From: Dennis, Jill [mailto:Dennis.Jill@mhsil.com]
Subject: encouragement
Mr. Davies, I just received the book "Breaking the Peanut Butter
Habit". I was so excited -- I wanted to get it since it came
out but never had a credit card. I finally got a credit card and
one of my first purchases was that book. I was so excited to hit
submit and buy that book. It came within days and you even
signed it --- pretty cool I thought. Thank you for your ministry
-- I have been reading the Sowing the seeds devotionals for a
long time and I really enjoy them. I get behind sometimes
because I was getting them at work. But the Lord has been good
and we have been able to get a computer and the internet at home
and now I can get e mail at home. I will be able to spend more
time reading each devotional. God Bless you and your ministry.
Jill Dennis

You too can get your own signed copy of, "Breaking the Peanut
Butter Habit," by clicking here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm

-----Original Message-----
From: Virginia A. Moody [mailto:vamoody638@hotmail.com]
Subject: RE: Positively Single Special Announcement
Hi All, I am Virginia A. Moody and I live in Washington state
and would like to receive e-mail from other Christians located
in my area of Pacific Northwest area. I live close to Seattle.
Is there a Singles Group (Positively Single) in my area?

"Precious Memories, Graduation and Lisa" Larry Davies

I was moving from the city to a small town to serve my first
appointment as pastor of a local church. Preoccupied with
unloading furniture, the children were left to entertain
themselves. Lisa was five years old and eager to explore her
new surroundings. She walked up the street to a neighbor's
house and within a few minutes came back full of excitement.
"Daddy, Daddy!"

"What, sweetie," I replied.

"I already made lots of new friends!"

"That's great!" I said, wondering where she found so many
children so quickly. "Where are they?"

"Right over there," pointing in the general direction of one
child.

"I see only one friend. Where are the others?" I asked.

"No Daddy! Look closer! The rest of my friends are dogs!"

You just met my daughter, Lisa: The little girl who never missed
an opportunity to make a friend, whether it had two legs or
four. Lisa was the child who took the term "Sleepover" to mean
every night and whose motto was "have sleeping bag will travel."
My darling little girl, Lisa, turns twenty-three this month and
just graduated with an Associates Degree. How did she grow up
so fast?

Like most parent-child relationships, there have been many
precious moments and more than a few hair-raising worries
raising Lisa. If there was one word which could best describe
her, it would be "Adventure."

Like the time she went with a friend to a weeklong summer camp.
Lisa assumed the camp was about trips to the pool and making
crafts. She had no clue that her so-called camping experience
was actually designed for "woods survival training." Lisa
summed up her experience adequately when she said: "Daddy, there
were no bathrooms! Yecchh!"

Within a few short months, Lisa will ride off to a new
"adventure" and play "sleepover" every night of the week as she
moves to a nearby university. As a parent, most of my
day-to-day tasks of rearing children are finished. So, what did
I try to teach my children as a loving parent?

* "Teach your children to choose the right path and when they
are older, they will remain upon it." (Proverbs 22:6) Lisa, I
did my best to be a good example for you. Please remember the
values I stood for and forgive my many mistakes.

* "Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is
useless." (Psalm 127:1) I pray you learn the value of working
hard but please, never forget God's desire for you to keep your
priorities in life focused on God and family.

* "See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows
us to be called his children and we really are!" (1 John 3:1)
Lisa, even through the worst moments of our family crisis, I
always felt the assurance of Gods love for me and for you. Just
as you will always be my precious little girl, you are also
eternally a precious child of God.

Lisa, I pray you will continually be comforted knowing your dad
is extremely proud and lovingly watching while you continue the
journey toward becoming a responsible adult. But I also pray
you never lose your sense of "adventure" and your eagerness to
make new friends. In a few short months, I hope to receive a
phone call with an excited voice saying, "Daddy, Daddy!"

"What sweetie," I'll reply. "How are you doing?"

You may say: "Daddy, I'm doing well and already made lots of new
friends and you know what? Some of them are still dogs!"

-----Original Message-----
From: Hope.Steele@ky.gov [mailto:Hope.Steele@ky.gov]
Subject: RE: "Acts of Kindness: The Best Kind of Witness"
Larry, Here's a couple acts of kindness I've witnessed first
hand:

** When going thru a fast food restaurant drive-thru, pay a
portion or all of bill for the person behind you in line. You're
touching not just the person whose "debt" you've paid, but the
lives of the cashier, passengers in your and the next person's
vehicle, and many others that these people come in contact with
after your act has lifted their spirits!

** This one's a little more personal, as it happened directly to
me: Right out of high school, I worked as a cashier in a busy
fast food restaurant. We were always cautious of any sales
people trying to get us to buy their products, which we weren't
allowed to do while we were "on the clock." So when we saw a man
in a suit walking swiftly toward the counter one day with
several bouquets of carnations, we were ready to send him away.
He asked if we'd like some flowers, and we explained our policy.
But to our surprise, he didn't want to sell them to us- he
wanted to GIVE them to us, free of charge, no strings attached!
Wow!! Needless to say, we all worked with just a little more
"pep in our step" for the rest of that day! And to this day,
those were the best flowers I ever received: not because they
looked any different from other flowers, but because someone
cared enough to share them with us without a special occasion
and when we had done nothing to deserve them!

Read Sowing Seeds of Faith... everyday! Click here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/Devotions.htm

Are you receiving prayer concerns from around the world? Join
our prayer team today. Check it out by clicking here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm

How can I regularly support your ministry? Become a Sowing Seeds
Ministry partner. Click here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/ministry_partner.htm

Jesus said: "You are the light of the world--like a city on a
mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your
light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it
shine for all." (Matthew 5:14-15)

"Breaking the Peanut Butter Habit: Following God's Recipe for a
Better Life" now on sale only through our website.
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm

This mailing proudly powered by Subscribe Me(TM) Professional -
Enterprise Edition www.subscribemepro.com

=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! - Internet access at a great low price.
promo.yahoo.com/sbc/

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Word for Today, Wed, 19 May 2004: Training That Lasts
Dear friends,

Larry Davies, my friend who pastors a church in Virginia, is
crossing over new thresholds this year. His daughter Lisa
graduates and moves on to new horizons - away from home.

Perhaps some of you have children in similar situations, or
perhaps you are in the midst of raising children (I am, I have
children aged nine, five, and three).

My prayer today echos the words of the writer of Proverbs, who
said, "Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they
get old, they will not depart from it." (paraphrase). My
children learn from their surroundings, both good and bad. It is
my job to teach them to discern what's good and bad - even in me
- and to teach them right from wrong. That includes being a
positive role model, but it also means pointing out my own
errors, confessing them in front of my family as sin, repenting -
turning away from them, and doing what's right.

I don't know about you, but that's a big and important task. I
definitely cannot handle it on my own, it's too big and too
important. I need my help meet, my wife, but even more
importantly, we desperately need Jesus Christ, to direct us,
correct us, train us, instruct us, using His very Word and His
Spirit as a guide. I need to remember that I cannot handle
things on my own, I need Christ.

When you have a big job to do, how do you go about meeting the
challenge? I submit to you that God needs to be at the center of
all of our thoughts and activities, both large and small, not
just in church, but each and every day. Such things are
especially important in our own homes. Pray for me. I pray for
all of you regularly.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

____________________________________________________________
Sowing Seeds of Faith...

From: Dennis, Jill [mailto:Dennis.Jill@mhsil.com]
Subject: encouragement
Mr. Davies, I just received the book "Breaking the Peanut Butter
Habit". I was so excited -- I wanted to get it since it came
out but never had a credit card. I finally got a credit card and
one of my first purchases was that book. I was so excited to hit
submit and buy that book. It came within days and you even
signed it --- pretty cool I thought. Thank you for your ministry
-- I have been reading the Sowing the seeds devotionals for a
long time and I really enjoy them. I get behind sometimes
because I was getting them at work. But the Lord has been good
and we have been able to get a computer and the internet at home
and now I can get e mail at home. I will be able to spend more
time reading each devotional. God Bless you and your ministry.
Jill Dennis

You too can get your own signed copy of, "Breaking the Peanut
Butter Habit," by clicking here:
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm

-----Original Message-----
From: Virginia A. Moody [mailto:vamoody638@hotmail.com]
Subject: RE: Positively Single Special Announcement
Hi All, I am Virginia A. Moody and I live in Washington state
and would like to receive e-mail from other Christians located
in my area of Pacific Northwest area. I live close to Seattle.
Is there a Singles Group (Positively Single) in my area?

"Precious Memories, Graduation and Lisa" Larry Davies

I was moving from the city to a small town to serve my first
appointment as pastor of a local church. Preoccupied with
unloading furniture, the children were left to entertain
themselves. Lisa was five years old and eager to explore her
new surroundings. She walked up the street to a neighbor's
house and within a few minutes came back full of excitement.
"Daddy, Daddy!"

"What, sweetie," I replied.

"I already made lots of new friends!"

"That's great!" I said, wondering where she found so many
children so quickly. "Where are they?"

"Right over there," pointing in the general direction of one
child.

"I see only one friend. Where are the others?" I asked.

"No Daddy! Look closer! The rest of my friends are dogs!"

You just met my daughter, Lisa: The little girl who never missed
an opportunity to make a friend, whether it had two legs or
four. Lisa was the child who took the term "Sleepover" to mean
every night and whose motto was "have sleeping bag will travel."
My darling little girl, Lisa, turns twenty-three this month and
just graduated with an Associates Degree. How did she grow up
so fast?

Like most parent-child relationships, there have been many
precious moments and more than a few hair-raising worries
raising Lisa. If there was one word which could best describe
her, it would be "Adventure."

Like the time she went with a friend to a weeklong summer camp.
Lisa assumed the camp was about trips to the pool and making
crafts. She had no clue that her so-called camping experience
was actually designed for "woods survival training." Lisa
summed up her experience adequately when she said: "Daddy, there
were no bathrooms! Yecchh!"

Within a few short months, Lisa will ride off to a new
"adventure" and play "sleepover" every night of the week as she
moves to a nearby university. As a parent, most of my
day-to-day tasks of rearing children are finished. So, what did
I try to teach my children as a loving parent?

* "Teach your children to choose the right path and when they
are older, they will remain upon it." (Proverbs 22:6) Lisa, I
did my best to be a good example for you. Please remember the
values I stood for and forgive my many mistakes.

* "Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is
useless." (Psalm 127:1) I pray you learn the value of working
hard but please, never forget God's desire for you to keep your
priorities in life focused on God and family.

* "See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows
us to be called his children and we really are!" (1 John 3:1)
Lisa, even through the worst moments of our family crisis, I
always felt the assurance of Gods love for me and for you. Just
as you will always be my precious little girl, you are also
eternally a precious child of God.

Lisa, I pray you will continually be comforted knowing your dad
is extremely proud and lovingly watching while you continue the
journey toward becoming a responsible adult. But I also pray
you never lose your sense of "adventure" and your eagerness to
make new friends. In a few short months, I hope to receive a
phone call with an excited voice saying, "Daddy, Daddy!"

"What sweetie," I'll reply. "How are you doing?"

You may say: "Daddy, I'm doing well and already made lots of new
friends and you know what? Some of them are still dogs!"

-----Original Message-----
From: Hope.Steele@ky.gov [mailto:Hope.Steele@ky.gov]
Subject: RE: "Acts of Kindness: The Best Kind of Witness"
Larry, Here's a couple acts of kindness I've witnessed first
hand:

** When going thru a fast food restaurant drive-thru, pay a
portion or all of bill for the person behind you in line. You're
touching not just the person whose "debt" you've paid, but the
lives of the cashier, passengers in your and the next person's
vehicle, and many others that these people come in contact with
after your act has lifted their spirits!

** This one's a little more personal, as it happened directly to
me: Right out of high school, I worked as a cashier in a busy
fast food restaurant. We were always cautious of any sales
people trying to get us to buy their products, which we weren't
allowed to do while we were "on the clock." So when we saw a man
in a suit walking swiftly toward the counter one day with
several bouquets of carnations, we were ready to send him away.
He asked if we'd like some flowers, and we explained our policy.
But to our surprise, he didn't want to sell them to us- he
wanted to GIVE them to us, free of charge, no strings attached!
Wow!! Needless to say, we all worked with just a little more
"pep in our step" for the rest of that day! And to this day,
those were the best flowers I ever received: not because they
looked any different from other flowers, but because someone
cared enough to share them with us without a special occasion
and when we had done nothing to deserve them!

Read Sowing Seeds of Faith... everyday! Click here:
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/Devotions.htm

Are you receiving prayer concerns from around the world? Join
our prayer team today. Check it out by clicking here:
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm

How can I regularly support your ministry? Become a Sowing Seeds
Ministry partner. Click here:
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/ministry_partner.htm

Jesus said: "You are the light of the world--like a city on a
mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your
light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it
shine for all." (Matthew 5:14-15)

"Breaking the Peanut Butter Habit: Following God's Recipe for a
Better Life" now on sale only through our website.
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm

This mailing proudly powered by Subscribe Me(TM) Professional -
Enterprise Edition http://www.subscribemepro.com

=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! - Internet access at a great low price.
promo.yahoo.com/sbc/