Haircuts for Father's Day. What a mature look, you've got.

When we first moved to NC, 3 year old Ezra sat in the backseat as we trudged the children to school, daily.

Today, he is not the fellow that he used to be. Not quite as grown as his middle-school elder brother and not as tolerant of mother's pontifications about angels and God's care for us and thus. Dominion enters the minds of the fellows that I am watching grow. Not monetary, as much of the rest of the world is, but dominion, nonetheless. They are not growing up with a bottom-line mentality, simply because of the lack that we enjoy, or endure. They want mental dominance over eachother. This is an anomoly to me. I don't remember desiring that. Maybe that is an older sister's mystery. The line between the naive young fellow that can be manipulated by "Santa and fairies" and the level headed fellow that recognizes a real congame is an interesting, if not sad story to watch. The Bible is the straightening rod and as you watch their little minds lining themselves according to it, it is a straightness that is visible. It cuts mother to the heart that her baby is growing into a little man and that is the place where mother's manipulations cross God's directives. She stands corrected. How do we tell the truth of that which is real and that which is philosophical? "O Word of God Incarnate...O Wisdom from on high..." If their hands are in the hand of God and in a relationship, they may wander from truth, but will return erelong.

How can a young man keep his way pure?

Oh, what a question that King David penned for us. It is amazing that he would direct us through so many generations to wonder, is there a way to be pure, to find purity, in the world that we live in? He seemed to see himself, in the sheep that God had given him to tend. Wandering from lust to lust are sheep and so are we. What a beautiful observation that we can learn from? How do I direct my desires from the sordid and narrow, to the less base?

David answers us and finds some direction that he has given us, "by taking heed according to Thy word." "Thy word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You."

Hiding God's word in our hearts and seeking God for daily wisdom and strength to pick our eyes back up from the dust, is the answer that David found to his problem and we would do well to learn the lessons that he learned, early in life.

Shepherd of My Heart

Brotherly Love

And the winner is...Ezra!

The quarter is yours, my good lad. I was very impressed that you did not want to hold that accomplishment over your older brother's head. You really didn't want me to give you the quarter in front of him. I am sure that you had your reasons. He may have weadled you out of it in some, elder brother sort of way. So, I am not making too much of it. How, oh how can I get you fellows to do well and work together is the dilemma? For now getting you out of the bed and seeing the gleam of competition in your eyes when you have beaten your oponent in the most basic of skills is thrilling to me. I don't want "one up manship", I want the thrill of victory to motivate excellence in whatever you are able to do and the yearning to go to the next endeavor. I do hope that you will get that from this exercise of the wake up drill. Happy spending your quarter!