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A Dad Who Loves His Daughters March 3, 2012 Rachel and I will be off to Africa on Monday. One of the things that I’m really looking forward to on this trip is the opportunity to spend a life-changing trip with my daughter. This is a trip that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. I’m praying that God will do things in us and through us on this trip that will create a tighter bond between us. I had such a trip with Liz when we served the Lord together on a short-term trip to Mexico a few years ago, and I’m expecting to have a similar experience with Rachel next week. I’m a dad who loves his daughters. I’m so proud of Rachel for the way she’s made the transition to life in Athens. She has been involved in leadership at ACC in a variety of ways: leading on the worship team, starting a drama ministry, making friends and helping them grow in their faith in the Lord, and developing a closer relationship with her brothers. Yeah, she’s still a teenager, and she makes mistakes, and she still has typical “brother and sister” times with her brothers, but for the most part she’s doing a great job of being a big sister. Sandra and I established a “you have to have your parent’s approval before you date” policy when the girls were younger – and it stands to this day. As a youth pastor, I’ve seen student after student get involved in dating relationships that last a few days, a few weeks, or a few months. During that time they’ve opened their hearts and bodies to things that they weren’t ready for, and they were hurt by it. Not only that, they were picking up baggage that they’re going to have to carry for the rest of their lives. The girls weren’t happy about the plan at first, but they’ve come to see that waiting to date until they’re ready for marriage is a great plan. A couple of years ago at an Acquire the Fire (ATF) event in Amherst, Massachusetts Rachel purchased a pair of plaques. One sits on her desk and one sits on mine. The plaque states that she is giving the key to her heart to me to protect for her until the right time for her to consider marriage. I appreciate that she trusts me with making this important decision. Yesterday I got to spend a few hours with Elizabeth as I went to pick her up from college for her spring break. Liz is a fine young lady with a great heart for the Lord. We talked about her heart for reaching others for Christ and her plans to be involved in a dark and lost part of society: the entertainment and media industry. She’s a talented actress, and her plans are to use that talent to gain access to the field so that she can pour salt and light into their lives. I don’t know if she’s ever going to be a famous Hollywood or Broadway star, but I know that if she continues to place herself in a position to be used by the Lord she’ll see Him do great things in her life and through her. As I think of what I want for my kids I have to agree with Peter’s desire to see those He loved in the Lord when he wrote: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!” -PJ |
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James E. Bogoniewski, Jr. |