Socialization

One of the things I see in kids of all ages is the behavior of being uncomfortable or even terrified of social situations.

Let me explain it like this. In our business we deal with all kinds of dog owners. Most of them give great care to their dogs. Some of those dogs when they come into our office are terrified and that terror can be manifested by behaviors as mild as trembling or as severe as aggression (fear biters).

These dogs are not abused, far from it, they get the best of care. The problem is they have received either poor or no socialization training. Those dogs invariably never see anything but their own back yards and when faced with a social situation they have not experienced before they become terrified.

The same thing happens with kids, they are fed well and in every way taken good care of but they are not encouraged to experience social situations. They don’t know how to interact with adults, they haven’t been trained in common basic courtesies such as greeting someone with a hand shake, making eye contact and interactive social conversation.

Parents should encourage, train and seek opportunities for their children to engage in social interaction.

In my office owners not only bring their pet in but also their children. Frequently those kids are playing some hand held video game. That’s disrespectful to me and a disservice to them. Make them put those games away and pay attention. Make them shake my hand and speak to me. Show me some signs of respect.

When I was in the sixth grade my parents encouraged me to walk the neighborhood with our lawnmower, knock on doors and seek lawn mowing jobs… three dollars a yard as I recall. From the time I was in the eight until the eleventh grade, I threw newspapers and at the end of the month had to knock on my customer’s doors to collect my wages.

I had to engage in those activities because my parents did not lavish money or the things money can buy on me or my brothers. They taught us how to work and how to interact with adults.

Dog owners can give great care to their pets; proper food, proper medical care, play time and discipline. And yet these pets can soil a Veterinarian’s office and bite the people who are trying to help it.

Socialize your dogs and your kids. Keep me from getting bit and help your kids excel in life.

From Good to Better

I read an article awhile back about a college basketball coach and his star player. The star player was consistently good and was satisfied with being good but the coach knew he could be even better. The coach in his efforts to motivate his player to greatness reviewed for his player what he had “left on the floor” i.e., scoring opportunities he had missed.

I see some of the same things in families. Parents raise pretty good kids but could better parenting skills result in better kids? Could good kids turn into exceptional kids?

The reality is our kids are going to have a huge impact on our future happiness. Will our children have excellent morals, will they be true to a mate, will they in turn be good parents and create… grand children? Will they excel in life?

So, how do we develop better parenting skills? To be better parents we must go to the author of parenting to get the basic fundamental principles of parenting. In addition, the scriptures authorize another concept… wise counselors. For instance, the scriptures instruct older women to teach the younger women how to love their kids. How interesting.

In future weeks I plan to explore parenting in more detail.

In my opinion, teach a kid respect, how to work and the value of earning things and you won’t have left much “on the floor”.

Victoria Anne Perkins

Here she is, our first grandchild. I've got to tell you, I was not ready for the emotions of seeing this baby for the first time and hearing her cry. Thank God she is healthy and whole. Jo Len had a c-section and some complications but four days later she was at Sunday morning services. Amazing.

Julie and I always said we would not be the kind of grandparents who were always shoving photos around for everyone to look at, but this baby is VERY pretty. Check out the Parkway Facebook page. I've created an album there.

Auditorium Class Summer 2011

The Man’s Role in the Family as a Husband

- Being a husband and loving your wife

- Leadership

- Stresses in Marriage - Finances

- Stresses in Marriage - Infidelity

- Stresses in Marriage – agreeing on how to raise kids

- The unbelieving or denominational mate

- The Loss of a Mate

- How to Disagree with your mate

The Man’s Role in the Family as a Father

- Fatherhood and young children

- Fatherhood and teen children

- Fatherhood and adult children

- Fatherhood and teaching a child "the way he should go"

- Fatherhood and nurturing vs. provoking (Eph 6)

- How to discipline a child

- Being a son to elderly parents

The first half of the summer will deal with husbandry, the second half with fatherhood. Our focus will be on providing speakers who are older and therefore more experienced. We will have younger speakers who will primarily speak about what they have seen in their parents and grandparents in regards to marital and parental relationships. The Elders will take the lead on these classes

Two Become One or Two Remain Two?

In Ephesians 5 the relationship between Christ and the church is compared with the relationship between a husband and a wife.

Ephesians repeats what is stated in Genesis in regards to the husband and the wife. Namely, that the “two shall become one flesh”. This relationship is revealed as a “great mystery”. However, Ephesians states that this “mysterious” relationship also applies to Christ and his people.

In short, husbands and wives become one through a lifetime of sharing life’s troubles and life’s blessings. These experiences, when coupled with two people obeying God’s commands, regarding marriage, result in two people having a deep appreciation for each other and a mate that is highly valued and regarded as irreplaceable.

Too often in the early years of a marriage troubles seem insurmountable and the marriage and its vows are broken and the two remain two. In addition, even when the marriage remains intact, if God’s laws regarding marital responsibilities are not followed the two remain two. However, when the two overcome life’s obstacles and respect God’s laws, the two can become one. There is no greater physical blessing on earth.

Similarly people often give up on Jesus Christ and the process that leads to oneness with him. They give up on the three hallmarks of Christianity; Bible study, living sin free lives and lives of service to one another.

Just as there is no greater physical blessing than being one with a mate, there is no greater spiritual blessing than being one with Jesus Christ. Don’t miss out on the two greatest blessing God has to offer. Pay the price to make it happen.

David Garza... newest baptism.

David's sister, Cecilia, was baptized recently... big month for the Garzas. Congratulations!

Harps In Heaven? (David Smitherman)

When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Rev. 5:8

Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. Rev. 14:1-2

And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. Rev. 15:2

As Bible students are aware, the Revelation was “signified” (ASV) unto John by the use of figurative language and one must be constantly aware of this in their reading and study. Before reaching a firm conclusion about what a text is teaching, we must look closely at the context. Taking figurative terms and making them literal continues to be one of the biggest reasons why so many erroneous conclusions have been reached in regard to what is being taught in Jesus’ message to John.

For example, in an attempt to justify the use of musical instruments in worship to God, it is argued by some that since musical instruments (i.e., harps) are found in heaven it must be appropriate to use them now. But before we conclude that harps have the approval of heaven, let’s make sure they are in heaven in the first place. Let’s look at the contexts in which they are mentioned.

Rev. 5:8 In vs. 1 we read of a book with seven seals, and then a lion in vs. 5. In vs. 6 a throne and a lamb with seven horns and eyes are spoken of. Then, in vs. 7, we have harps and bowls of incense. What is it in the context that would lead anyone to conclude that any of these are literal?

Rev. 14:1-2 In these verses John sees (1) a Lamb standing (2) on Mount Zion along with (3) 144,000 people who have (4) the name of the Lamb and His Father written on their foreheads. All of these are but symbols: Lamb (purity), Mount Zion (heavenly rule), 144,000 (all the redeemed), engraved foreheads (God’s ownership). Why should the harps be literal when everything else is figurative? They are simply symbols of musical praise.

Rev. 15:2 mentions, along with the harps, a sea of glass and those standing upon it. There is as much reason to literalize the sea of glass as there is to make the harps literal.

Chapters 4-5 contain much information about God’s “throne”. We understand (hopefully) that this is not a reference to a large, ornate piece of furniture upon which God sits, but a symbol of God’s rule.

In Rev. 7:9 John sees a “great multitude…clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands.” Do we expect there to be literal white robes and palm branches in heaven, or are these terms symbolic for purity (white robes) and victory (palm branches)?

And, finally, there is that street of pure gold, Rev. 21:21. I trust we all understand that this is not a reference to a literal roadway paved with the most precious of all metals, but to the beauty and grandeur of God’s abode.

We will all become better students of this great book when we recognize figurative language for what it is and reach conclusions about what each figure symbolizes by careful examination of the contexts in which they are found. Inconsistently assigning literal meanings to obviously figurative language will inevitably lead us, at best, into misunderstanding passages intended for our blessing, Rev. 1:3. At the worst, such poor handling of scripture may result in the belief and practice of things which do not have the approval of heaven. And such is the case with instruments of music. There are no harps in heaven and there should be none in our worship to God today.

David Smitherman