Back To School

I did not post last week, my parents were in town and we were out and about doing the activities of summer and visiting loved ones. It was a very busy time, one of those times when it seems like there is a collision of schedules into a very short time frame. One of the significant events was sending our youngest son away to University.

This past Monday was the beginning of school for our public schools. I read many entries on Facebook of parents taking their children to school either for the first time and of course many to a new grade. It begins again. Some have high school seniors, some are sending their children to kindergarten, it is a day of excitement, sadness and emotions.

As JoLynn and I are again, "empty nesters", let me impart some perspective to parents who are somewhere in the middle years of raising children. I know you have heard it before, but do treasure these early years of raising your kids. These are the years they are most dependent upon you for everything and the years they are most impressionable. If in general we raise our children for 18 years before they begin to leave home for school or careers (it does stretch out past 18...) then we have to realize by the time they turn 9 years old, our job is half way done! But it isn't just a math realization. The second half is not equal to the first. Things significantly change after age 9. Our children grow more decidedly indepentdent, they want to make more and more of their own decisions, especially about spending their money and fashions being worn to school. In the second half they begin to develop friends that generally take more of their time, activities that take more of their time and then there comes their ability to drive. Before we are aware enough to catch it, our time with our children slips away and we feel like our home is only where they sleep, eat and shower before they are off again.

I write to share my thoughts with you on this matter so that you can take steps now, set priorities now to help you not fall prey to the tyranny of your children being swept up and away from you before the time is right. Other than the basic dependecies of where they live and eat, it seems like our children are in a functional way leaving home earlier and earlier. A wise parent will see this and help preserve the integrity of the family.

I encourage families to continue to go to church together, to not allow extra-curricular activities interfere with family or church ministries. It is a natural thing for children to begin to want to do other things than go to church as they grow (they also want Snickers candy bars for dinner instead of meat and potatoes) but I encourage parents to hold the line, set the priorities and the agenda and lead your children instead of the other way around.

These child raising years will be the minority years of your life eventually, even though they may represent half your life at this point. Make these years count for your family and for God. Do whatever you can to help shape your child's spiritual future by keeping them close and on track.

Unexpected Sources of Help

I am amazed and yet not amazed at how God comes through. I am amazed because I never know how God will answer our prayers but I am not amazed that God does answer our prayers. I got word to day from my good friend, Pastor Mike Rose who pastors the Juneau Christina Center in our Captiol City. Two years ago they embarked upon a very ambitious vision to build a community youth center. Financially this was going to be and has been a stretch, yet they plunged into the project with everything they had. From personal experience, I know that every project has a low point, a place in the life of the project where all the tanks run dry it seems. Financial tank, emotional tank, energy tank, resource tank, etc. all seem to point to empty at the same time. It is at this point that doubts come in, fears can enter the heart and all your critics seem to have voices louder than those who believe in you. It can be a dark time for a leader, a time when all your friends seem to be somewhere else. It can be a dark time for a church when you wonder if the project will ever get completed and the financial strains will ever ease. A descriptive phrase about times like this, "not my favorite."

Well, Pastor Rose and JCC were at this low point of their project. It was stalled as they were out of cash and that is what was needed to order the last work to be done so they could open the doors. Lots of critics began to wag their tongues, there was no obvious place where help could be found. This past Sunday they made a presentation to their church about what was needed to open the doors and begin this new ministry. Not knowing what to expect they trusted God. There was no obvious sign that what they needed was on its way. If there is anywhere in Alaska that the recession we are experiencing nationally is affecting our state, it is our Capitol.

The outcome of this past Sunday? They received an offering of over $100,000 dollars! One hundred thousand of that offering came from one individual! Who would have known? Who could have predicted? The person who gave the large gift had never done so before. It was a truly unexpected source of help. Wow! Way to go, God!

The point of this? I am amazed at how God works. I am not amazed that He does what He does. That is good for you and I as well. At our low points we can believe for the unexpected. How God will do it, we may never know, that He will do it, we can expect.

Men's Do Something!!

What a time we had! 19 men set out to shoot the rapids on the six mile river on the way to Hope, Alaska. It was an exciting experience, definately one that anyone who is interested should try. Chugach Outdoor Center was the rafting company. Their guides treated us very well and the equipment we used was excellent. The day really started after we were briefed on all the rules and donned all the equipment. We were instructed on how to swim 100 yards down the six mile river to the other side. It was a bit intimidating to plunge into that frigid glacial stream when you are nice and warm and dry. However, that is when you discover how good your gear is. Mine was great, dry as a bone after my swim. At that point we broke into teams to paddle the rafts.

The first river miles are spent learning commands from your guide, "Forward 2", "Left turn", "Back 3", you get the idea. Nervousness rises as you approach the first rapids. You shoot through without a problem. Confidence swells. And so the day goes. Our raft was an exceptionally good team and that helped us out a great deal. There would be several sets of rapids to run and then beautiful periods of drifting with great scenery.

The day climaxes as you enter the "third canyon" which the guide has been building up all day. These rapids are bigger, trickier and more dangerous. Anxiety rises, confidence wanes as the sun that has been warmning you disappears behind the steep canyon walls and the roar of water fills the silence.

The third canyon is a bit more of a challenge, as one rapid in particular caused some problems for two rafts, one of which was ours. Believe it or not, this actually increases the excitement and fun. Such great laughter and team action make it such a great experience.

We all had a great day which was topped off with moose and caribou sausage on the grill. There was a lot of talk about making this an annual event, so if you missed this trip, be ready to pounce on the opportunity when it comes up again next year.