My last born is 16 years old!

Happy 16^th Birthday, Daniel!

February 17, 2014

DARE TO BE A DANIEL

DARE TO STAND ALONE!

DARE TO HAVE A PURPOSE FIRM!

DARE TO MAKE IT KNOWN.

Psalm 119:9-16

English Standard Version (ESV)

How can a young man keep his way pure?

    By guarding it according to your word.

With my whole heart I seek you;

    let me not wander from your commandments!

I have stored up your word in my heart,

    that I might not sin against you.

Blessed are you, O Lord;

    teach me your statutes!

With my lips I declare

    all the rules of your mouth.

In the way of your testimonies I delight

    as much as in all riches.

I will meditate on your precepts

    and fix my eyes on your ways.

I will delight in your statutes;

    I will not forget your word.

Daniel, wow! My last born is 16 years old.

Old enough to get G1 driver’s learner's permit.

*cringe*

Watching you and your brother grow has to be one of the best gifts God has given to me.

You’re now almost as tall as your Dad and almost as loud as your brother!

You’ve shown a strength of resolve in what you want to do.

You have a keen sense of right and wrong and would vociferously defend yourself.

I can definitely see apologetics in your future as you defend your faith in a culture that devalues it.

Your drumming skills have grown tremendously.

You learned to play the acoustic guitar on your own with that extraordinary focus you have when you have a passion for something, like your video editing and producing.

You’ve developed strong bonds of friendships in school and go willingly to the youth group, not just for play, but because you have a genuine hunger for truth.

This past year you wowed me by memorizing the entire book of James, and you did it so easily too.

You are no longer ‘Mom’s’ boy.

You are growing to be God’s man and I love that, even though I will always miss my ‘baby’.

One thing we still have and I thank you for that, is that you still make eye contact with me and smile and wave whenever I drop you off to school.

Such a simple act. Such meaning for me. Thank you.

At the beginning of the year, God gave me Psalm 1 to pray for you and here it is:

Psalm 1

Amplified Bible (AMP)

1 Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.

2 But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.

3 And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].

4 Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]. But they are like the chaff [worthless, dead, without substance] which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked [those disobedient and living without God] shall not stand [justified] in the judgment, nor [b]sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God].

6 For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly [those living outside God’s will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought).

Prayer:

Father, may you give Daniel a deep hunger for truth as found in your Word, and may he hide Your Word in his heart so that he might not sin against you.

May you grant him the wisdom and discernment to combat the lies thrown at him by Satan in this culture by using the Word he has hid in his heart, just as Christ did in the wilderness.

May he be like a tree with firm foundations that is fruitful with Your glory and may he prosper.

May you give him an uncompromising stand for truth in all areas of his life.

May you give him a heart of gratitude.

May you give him a tenderness towards those in need.

May he see and love others through your eyes.

May he never hold unforgiveness in his heart.

Give him a hunger for Your Presence in prayer, Lord.

May he realize the need for silence and solitude to hear from You.

May You give him friendships laced with godly counsel and may he not fall into the counsel of the ungodly.

Would you protect him from the kind of heartbreak that crushes his spirit, Lord.

Holy Spirit, fall on Him with power and anoint him for Your purposes. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.

With Love, thoughts and prayers always,

Mom.