Successfully Launching Our Children

Last Thursday evening, our son Cal proposed to Miss Sara O. Povlish. Cal and Sara met each other in a Border's Bookstore in San Antonio, Texas on September 20, 2008. They became the best of friends and are looking forward to spending their lives together.

The cool thing about Cal's proposal was Mike and I were able to witness the whole event. After all those years of Junior/Senior Proms and high school homecomings, we got to see our son propose to the woman he adores. We even have pictures!!!!

The next day was equally important. Cal graduated from Navigator Training and got his "wings." This means he is a rated officer in the United States Air Force. His new fiance, Sara, pinned his wings on his uniform. It was a wonderful event in Cal and Sara's life together and it was a huge accomplishment for them both.

It is a joyful thing to see our children grow up. It is super rewarding to see them launch successfully.

If you are a young parent, it may feel as though the launching stage may never come, but it will arrive. Try to think of the most important things you want to pass on to your children and work really hard in achieving these goals. The time you have with them will pass by ever so quickly. You turn around and the time is gone. No kidding. So, think long and hard about what God's goals for your child are and work with your child to achieve those goals.

I hope that the launching of your child(ren) will be as rewarding as this has been for us.

Blessings, Murphy

A Spiritual Business Plan

Recently someone asked me to share my business plan with them.

Murphy Toerner and Associates, Inc. has grown into a wonderfully effective and multi-faceted Christian counseling center. We currently have 8 counselors serving in two locations (Baton Rouge and Hammond, La.). In the near future, we plan to add another male counselor at the Baton Rouge location and another female counselor at the Hammond location.

When the request was posed to me, I almost chuckled because I know that my business plan consists of asking the Father what He wants me to do and then doing it. I know this is not considered "good business practice," but for my simple approach to running MTA it has been very effective.

Since my years on Young Life staff, God has proven that if He wants me to be "up front," I don't have to scratch or claw to work my way into being "up front." He showed me that whatever was supposed to happen, He would do the work. All I had to do was wait, listen, and obey.

How well do you wait on the Lord?

How well do you listen to Him?

How well do you obey Him once He has directed you?

Pay attention this week to these qualities. Take note of how you're doing in each area. Then, make an adjustment if you need to.

Trauma

I want you to know that if you have been hurt, abused or traumatized, God understands that it will take longer for you to trust Him. He is not mad at you. He is not in any hurry. He knows that you were more controlled than loved; you were more manipulated than cherished. He is aware that you were “used” by one or more adults in your life and then you were thrown away. You were discarded. (I want you to know that I am very sorry for every way you were hurt.)

God is perfectly patient with all of us, especially those of us who have been hurt, abused and traumatized. He knows that we have been damaged. God is like no one we have ever known before. His love is different. He is committed to pursuing us. He has all the time in the world and we are supremely important to Him. He will love us … and love us … and love us some more until we believe (trust, have faith) that He is real and His love for us is real. At some point, most of us will respond to Him and to His unadulterated love. How could we resist the greatest Lover of our souls? In time, as His love unwaveringly continues, we will fall in love with Him. We will love Him with a love that we had not thought possible for our wounded hearts.

Uncommon Graces - by John Vawter

A list of uncommon graces:

• GENTLENESS
• ATTENTIVENESS
• LOYALTY
• CANDOR
• MERCY
• KINDNESS
• REPENTANCE

Take a moment and review each of these Christ-like graces which are rarely demonstrated in today's culture.

How would you rank your ability and consistency of demonstrating these graces to others in your everyday life? Use a scale of 1-10 (where 10 represents "outstanding")

What were the results?

How do you feel about your findings?

Ask God what He wants you to do, via His help, to grow in each of these Christ-like qualities.

Uncommon Graces - by John Vawter

Taken from the foreword -- written by Dr. Leith Anderson(p.8)

...(T)he number one reason for Christians to live Christianly is Christ. Our motivations to do good is to please Jesus and be like Jesus. But there is a second powerful motivation -- seeing the impact of our grace in the lives of others.

Victor Hugo's classic Les Miserables keeps coming back to the public in stage musicals and screen movies. It is the story of a convict who is treated kindly by a French bishop who gives him a place to stay in the bishop's home. In return for generous hospitality, the convict steals the bishop's silver. He is arrested by the police who have the man, the stolen goods, and every intent of sending him back to prison and hard labor. However, the bishop insists that the silver is a gift and the man is set free. The impact of the bishop's uncommon grace is so profound that the convict's life is transformed. Unexpected love, forgiveness, and generosity change him from a hardened criminal into a respectable civil leader whose entire life is marked by kindness to others. He, too, becomes a man of uncommon graces.

Imagine if we were all like that bishop returning good for evil, love for hate, generosity for greed, and hope for hopelessness. We would be more than like the bishop; we would be just like Jesus!

In Uncommon Graces, John Vawter has candidly and compassionately tackled the topic and the tension. He is no "do-good wimp" who blindly allows others to take unfair advantage of him. He is no 'hardened legalist" who knows the law but forgets the grace. John realistically understands our complex human nature and calls us to live uncommonly and graciously as Christians who represent Jesus and transform others.

Parent Job Description

This is hysterical. If it had been presented this way,

I don't believe any of us would have done it!!!!

POSITION :

Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma

Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION :

Long term, team p layers needed, for challenging,

permanent work in an

often chaotic environment.

Candidates must possess excellent communication

and organizational skills and be willing to work

variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends

and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.

Some overnight travel required, including trips to

primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities!

Travel expenses not reimbursed.

Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

The rest of your life.

Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,

until someone needs $5.

Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.

Also, must possess the physical stamina of a

pack mule

and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat

in case, this time, the screams from

the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.

Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges,

such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets

and stuck zippers.

Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and

coordinate production of multiple homework projects.

Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings

for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

Must be willing to be indispensable one minute,

an embarrassment the next..

Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a

half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.

Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

Must assume final, complete accountability for

the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and

janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :

None.

Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,

so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :

None required unfortunately.

On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :

Get this! You pay them!

Offering frequent raises and bonuses.

A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because

of the assumption that college will help them

become financially independent.

When you die, you give them whatever is left.

The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that

you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :

While no health or dental insurance, no pension,

no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and

no stock options are offered;

this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love,

and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

Forward this on to all the PARENTS you know, in appreciation for everything they do on a daily basis,

letting them know they are appreciated

for the fabulous job they do...

or forward with love

to anyone thinking of applying for the job.