Solomon Ministries

The following is my article from the Father’s Day June edition of Metro Christian Living. I read the June edition this weekend and told Marilyn it was one of the best editions I have ever read. Great insights for fathers from fathers. Pick up your copy of Metro Christian Living or visit their website at http://www.metrochristianliving.com/

For other “Morning Reflection” articles by me, sign up at www.solomonministries.org

Hope you enjoy:

I can remember it like it was yesterday. Twenty-one years ago, my wife, Kimberly calls me for an unexpected lunch date. We had been married for two years. She pulls out this strange looking plastic contraption that had a little cross in the middle of it that had turned purple. I knew from the excited look on her face that whatever this thing was, it was a good thing. I guess after sensing my dumbfounded look as to what all this meant, she announced that we were going to have a baby. I could not believe it. We screamed and danced and hugged and nine months later she gave birth to our first born 11 pound 3 ounce son Peyton. I was now a father.

My first test of being a mature father came when they first brought our new baby in the room with us. Kimberly was obviously exhausted after delivering a small pre-school sized baby. Family was gathered in the room and it came to pass…literally…and the nurse asked who wanted to change this first poopy diaper. Ever been in a situation when every eye in the room turns to you? I looked back as to wonder why they were all looking at me. After sensing my dumbfounded look as to what all this meant, Kimberly suggested that I should change the diaper. I spent my summers doing construction work and this diaper changing business was a new experience. What I found when I opened that diaper looked something of the sorts of an asphalt plant explosion. I slightly heard the nurse saying something about some medical term, meconium. All I knew was that it was time for me to step up and be a mature father.

Our boys are 20 and 18 years old now. We have celebrated Father’s Day and every year I am so proud of these boys and the men they have become. I have made more mistakes than I can shake a stick at but still God has blessed us in so many ways with his grace. Only because of God’s grace, we have celebrated twenty three years of marriage together as a couple being faithful to each other, a marriage that has produced two incredible boys who have grown up to be outstanding young men.

But I find myself this Father’s day season examining the definition of maturity that Paul writes about in Ephesians 4. He describes being mature as meaning, “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” That my friends, is the greatest Father’s Day challenge that we can ever have. It is also what our children and churches and society need more than anything these days…. Men who are willing to take their maturity seriously.

Sure, there are millions of men who are mature enough to get a woman pregnant, but there are far less willing to be a father to those that they have brought into the world. Yes there are men who are willing to do their share of diaper changing duties, but there are far less who are willing to be faithful to their wives and live out the marriage vows that they have made. Fathers can be mature enough men to provide their families with all the comforts in this life, but there are far less who are committed to attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

The good news of the gospel is that it is never too late. Christ can and does forgive all our shortcomings if we ask and turn from them. Only in Christ, can men really become mature fathers. Dads, the greatest gift that we can give our children in return of them celebrating Father’s Day with us, is to become MATURE in Christ. God bless us all as we become mature in Him.

Scot

Well tonight we jump. It’s high school graduation night for our second and last child. I imagine my mixed emotions are shared by a ton of other moms and dads who will watch their kids make this big transition. Lots of reminiscing happens on days like this. Our son played high school basketball and their team had a great year and overachieved to make it to the state tournament. He fouled out late in the second half and I am sure it was the longest walk of his life back to the bench. It  was officially over. For me, it was a long walk as well. As I watched him walk off that court for the last time, my mind went back to all the scratched up knees from driveway ball, all the  Upward games at church, all the hours in the gym and weight room, all the summer leagues. all the away games, senior recognition night and the likes. And now it was over. As much as I love sports, I realized that there won’t be any games in the future where I will ever watch my own sons play. Tough moment to say the least. Knowing your son had closed a very meaningful chapter in his life, is an emotional moment. But at the end of one chapter comes the beginning of a new chapter. So that’s where we are.

For some reason, I can’t get this other picture out of my mind. It’s a picture of Bowen jumping off a cliff on one of our family summer camping trips in Alabama. The picture takes on new meaning on graduation day. I remember taking the boys to the swimming pool when they were toddlers. The day came when it was finally time to jump. We have all been through that process but I remember it like it was yesterday. I jumped in and held out my arms for him to jump to me. He wiggled and jiggled and squirmed on the very edge of the pool but wasn’t real sure if it was ok to actually jump into the unknown like I was asking him to do. From my perspective, all was well. I loved this boy more than anything in the world. One thing I knew for dead sure, and that is, that I wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. From my perspective, I would drown myself before I would let my son drown. So I stood there with all the confidence in the world because I knew he could trust me with his life.

Funny how the roles have kinda reversed today. It’s as if parents are the ones wiggling and jiggling and squirming today as we see our kids on the edge of the unknown. We are about to let our kids do something they have never done before. It’s time for them to go into the unfamiliar waters of college. It’s time again for them to jump.

How comforting to know that they aren’t left alone to jump into the deep end all alone. How comforting to know that the Heavenly Father is the one now who is standing there with his arms open as if to say, you can trust me with your life. If you jump to me, I’m gonna take care of you. I love you more than anything in the world.

So jump son jump! Jump right into your Heavenly Father’s arms. He is the one who created you. He is the one who has protected you. He is the one who has provided for you. He is the one who has died for you. He is your sustainer, redeemer, savior, and friend. Jump with all the trust in confidence and faith that you can muster. You have nothing to fear. Keep jumping all the rest of your life into his arms. And when your life comes to an end, your Heavenly Father will be on the other side of glory and you will jump one last time into his loving arms and spend the rest of eternity there as His eternal child.

CHASING SOLOMON MINISTRIES to support GLOBAL CONNECTIONS Dear Friends, Christmas 2008, I had the opportunity to do a “Chasing Solomon” conference in  Kenya, Africa. While we were there, I had a chance to participate in a number of the ministries that had been started there by Global Connections. My “chance” introduction to the Puckett family happened one day at My Friends Place Deli in Ridgeland. Hal Lott used to let me put copies of Chasing Solomon at his restaurant. Anna Puckett happened to be in there one day and picked up a copy of the book because she had heard about it. About that time, I walked into the restaurant and Hal told her, “that’s the guy that wrote it right there.”

Scot is busy working on a newsletter to you about a new fundraiser that Team N2N is taking on. He asked me to go ahead and post the flyer so that you know what is going on. Download the flyer – Blue Ridge Fundraiser (notes from the flyer) Donate to Global Connections as Team N2N bikes the Blue Ridge Parkway this April 24-30. Funds raised will contribute to the work going on in Kenya, Africa. You can learn more about the specific projects by visiting their website. There are two ways to give a tax-deductable gift: 1 • Visit GlobalConnectionsOnline.org and click on ‘Donate Now.’ On the ‘Program Designation,’ dropdown menu, select ‘Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway‘ 2 • Mail a check to Global Connections - P.O. Box 9630 • Columbus, MS 39705 Make sure you include “Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway” on the memo line and let us know your name and contact information so we can thank you.

Pandemic: “Occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.”

Have extra-marital reached pandemic proportions? Is this silent killer the 10,000 pound gorilla in the room that doesn’t get discussed? Do our pastors feel the liberty to preach and teach openly about God’s truths relating to affairs? Is there a forum for dialogue anywhere? I certainly don’t have all the answers but it seems like the problem may be getting worse rather than better.

Download this article Too often, I take things for granted. I think most of us would agree that we are guilty at times of that. The thing that concerns me is whether I do anything about it or not. Sure, I might pay lip service to it and express my thanksgiving. I might even take it a step further and have a thought of actually doing something about it. Too often it ends there. Thanksgiving Day is a great example of these instances. It is a time when we express thanks for all the things we take for granted. It may play out something like this. All the family comes together for a Thanksgiving feast. We pray and say thanks for our abundant blessings. Then I sit down and can’t find the deviled eggs on my plate because they are on level one which is buried under level two vegetables and the top level of congealed salad. I may be very thankful for this food, and often take it for granted, but then what?

Can you remember your top five favorite showers of all time? You know, the ones in which you got out and remember saying, “That’s one of the best showers of my life!” I can remember a number of times when I have had one of those, “Wow I feel so much better now” showers.

One came after the one (and need I say the only) marathon that I ever ran. After a 26.2 mile sweaty, stinkathon, I couldn’t wait to hit the shower. You runners are familiar with that layer of salt on your skin after a race. You go to the shower and pray that it was installed with one of those metal garden power sprayers. I am pretty sure that Lava soap was invented with marathoners in mind. Each bar of Lava contains a small handful of pea gravel that really helps as an abrasive agent to break down the film of salt that is caked on your epidermis. I remember scrubbing myself as if I was the Karate Kid practicing his wax on wax off moves. But man did I feel good once I got out of that shower, clean as a whistle.

 Is it just me or does it seem like wisdom is absent these days. I’m talking about in all areas of life. Just like Elvis, it appears that wisdom has left the building. Where has the wisdom in the government gone? Where is the wisdom in corporate America? Is there any wisdom on Wall Street? Has wisdom left the building in our churches? Now let’s bring it closer to home. Where has the wisdom gone that is needed to be a good parent, or a good spouse, or a good friend, a good employer or employee? If one were to try to find the answer to these questions, where would he go?  That’s the question I’ve been asking myself lately. And the result? I spent a month with Solomon.