General Jody’s MARCHING ORDERS

Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, 300, Casablanca.  What do these all have in common?  In my opinion, they all have great endings.  What?  Are you nuts?  In the first 3, all of the “heroes” of the movie die in the end!  Bogart does not get the girl!  How can that be a good ending?  While the heroes die in these movies or sacrifice something very valuable, their life is spent in a purpose, a destiny, that is much greater than themselves.  Their legacy continues long after they are gone.  The very thing that they spend their life doing is what makes them who they are.  Leonidas is not only king, but he is first a warrior.  William Wallace dies not for stubborn vanity but for the freedom of Scotland.  They lay down their own fleshly desires and fears and pour every ounce of themselves into something bigger than themselves, no matter the cost.

There is something deep inside each of us that longs to be a part of something bigger than we are.  To spend our lives in a worthwhile endeavor that will live on long after we are gone.  There is a void in our heart that longs to be part of a great adventure, a heroic story, and leave a legacy for generations to come.

Read the last 3 chapters of the book of Revelation again.  See the great ending that God has planned for those who love him.  As we devote our lives to Him, seeking His face, sharing His word, reaching the lost with Christ love, setting the captives free with His power and grace, that deep longing in our own hearts is put to rest.  That empty void is filled with His great love.  We are filled with a heightened sense of the presence of God, and in giving of ourselves as a sacrifice to His will, we like Wallace, experience FREEDOM!!!

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It’s amazing to me how much more a dance recital means to you when it is your precious little ballerina (or in my case ballerinas) performing. For those of you who do not have daughters or whose daughters have never participated in a dance recital, you are truly missing out (and will probably not understand what i am saying). Last night, my little princesses were able to perform in the Jubilee Dance Academy’s annual recital. Before i had children, i could not imagine why people would sit thru something like that. No on can dance, they just get on stage and stand there looking bewildered. Like i said, that was before i had children of my own.

Now , look at the attached pics. How could I have been so hard hearted? Just look at how precious these little princesses are. I don’t think i will ever hear Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “Cinderella” the same way again.Thank you Deanna for this opportunity and for being a blessing to my family.

What a great time we had last Friday night!  It was so fun to just hang out with everyone.  We had almost 100 people in attendance to see “Enchanted”.  Thanks to everyone who came.  let’s do it again soon.

A special thanks to the folks at Old Chicago for the incredible pizza and to Vernon Griffin at Fall River Smokehouse for the popcorn.

I just wanted to express my appreciation to Scott Stimac for inviting Kim, the girls, and me to help the Wake Forest Fire Dept with their annual fish fry this year. Kim and I were able to help fill the containers with slaw and potatoes while the girls were breading the fish for frying. I think they got more flour on themselves than the flounder. The food was great and the friendships even better.

Scotty is a volunteer with WFFD. He gets to drive the big ladder truck and really has a passion to teach the children fire safety. He has an easy going demeanor that makes him endearing to the children. As we talked over lunch, he told us several stories and I came to realize he and I were in the same line of work, seeing lives saved and helping ensure the next generation grows up knowing more than we did.

Kim and I learned several interesting items from Scotty’s stories that would “preach”, however to see the firefighters come together with their families, working very hard to make the event a succes, and maintain a sense of community and humor throughout the event, was exciting and refreshing at the same time. These families have achieved a community and relational connection that shows what can happen when a group of people, who are passionate about what they do, come together with a common vision and purpose.

Thank you Scotty and all of the fire fighters at WFFD for making my family like a part of yours.

Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray form the words of knowledge. Proverbs 19:27

We all need coaching and instruction if we have a desire to grow, learn, and become more useful to the Kingdom of God. Anything that is not growing is in the process of dying. In order to continue to grow, we must continue to learn. The best athletes in any sport still have a coach. The purpose of the coach is to encourage the player to become even better and point out minor corrections that can enhance their performance. Who is your coach? Who are you coaching? Have you stopped listening to instruction? The great thing about learning is that the more you learn, the more you realize just how little you know. Let this realization drive you to open up to receiving instruction from a trusted coach and mentor.

And He said to them, “How is it that you had to look for Me? Did you not see and know that it is necessary [as a duty] for Me to be in My Father’s house and [occupied] about My Father’s business?” Luke 2:49 AMP

Jesus at the age of 12, when He stayed behind in Jerusalem, already had a drive and a destiny. He knew that it was His duty, His necessity, His driving force in His life to carry out the business, the plan, the will of His Father. At the age of12, what drives our young people? Is it God’s purpose or peer pressure? Is it to make wise choices or the foolish things of the world?

As parents and family, we have a God given responsibility to prepare our children to make the right choices. In Western society, we have constantly pushed back the age to which children are held accountable for their actions and choices while they are living in a world that forces them to make choices younger and younger. Our 8-9 yr olds are now being faced with choices that we never encountered until we were much older, yet at the same time, we have done little to prepare them for these choices. As parents, we have to talk to our children and understand the world they are growing up in. We have to actively participate in their lives.

We as a family and as a body of believers must come together to support our children, encourage other parents, and work together to prepare our children (which is much easier than to repair them as youth and young adults). It is our responsibility to help them “grow in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.”