Blog update notice:  Some of you may have noticed that my "blogs that I enjoy" list is a little different — the order has changed.  The reason for the change is that I have now placed them in alphabetical order to make them easier to find faster.  Or maybe I changed it for something to do as I wait for my wife.  I don’t know…but there it is 🙂  Enjoy!

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David at Here I Stand has just tagged me to write about the five things I want my kids to know when they grow up.  Since my wife and I don’t have children…yet…I still want to participate; because even though we are not raising children in our home we are still involved in the lives of many children: our niece and nephew, and the many (O.K….few) kids we have here at Salem and Belmont.  I have a great desire to see the kids here raised with good values and to know God.  So here are five things I want children to know when (and as) they grow up.

(1) You are loved — you are lovable — you are never alone.  I know, I know, this sounds like three things and that I am cheating but hang on.  In my youth ministry training we learned that everyone has a deep seeded desire to know that they are loved, lovable and not alone.  We need to know that someone loves us.  We need to know that no matter what happens, how we look or what we do we are still lovable.  We need to know that even though the rest of the world may abandon us, we are never alone.  God loves us unconditionally.  Three basic necessities of live.  All children (no matter the age) need to know this.

(2) Don’t let anyone look down upon you because you are young (and don’t look down upon someone else because they are young). I believe there is much we can learn from children and they need to know this.  Too often they are put down and told to remain quiet in the church.  They aren’t given leadership opportunities because they aren’t "old enough".  But God uses each person no matter their age.  Just look at: David, Jeremiah, Mary, Timothy, to name a few.  They made a little difference…don’t you think?

(3) Remember who you are and whose you are.  The world likes to label us.  We are too often defined by what we do (i.e. career, job), by what our last name is, or what we have done in the past.  The most important definition, though, that we need to cling to is the one given to us by God through our baptism.  We are God’s children.  But also along those lines, remember your roots and don’t forget your family.  Even though your last name should not define what your life should be about it is a reminder of who you are and where you came from.  You are your parent’s child and God’s child (two things that will never change).

(4) What you do and how you live means more than what you say.  One of my biggest pet peeves is hypocrisy.  We too often hear politicians say one thing and then do another.  And the same happens with everyone.  If I stand in the pulpit and say "do not gossip" and then go down to the coffee shop and gossip; people will remember my actions.  Actions speak louder than words and people ARE "listening".

(5) Golf is a great game.  How can I not teach my kid the game of golf…seriously.  Some of my favorite memories are with my dad on the golf course.  Last week, when our niece turned 3, my wife and I gave her a little set of toy golf clubs.  I couldn’t resist.

So there you have it.  As people have been saying through their blogs, this list is definitely bigger than the five listed here.  How our children are raised has a direct impact on all our futures so thank you, David, for the tag.  This was fun.

Now who to tag…most of the blogs that I read have been tagged already so I am going to cheat and not tag anyone…well…kind of.  If you are reading this and have not been tagged, consider yourself tagged (I know, I know, that is cheating…but it works).  Enjoy 🙂

-edh-