For those of you who do not know me, I have a brief biography. I am a Christian, a father of four, three sons and a daughter, with one more daughter coming soon, I pray. I am a husband to Jane Ellen, who has been my partner in life for over 25 years. And I am a business man working in the healthcare industry. I am dedicated to scouting because of the ideals set out in the Scout Oath, the Scout Law and the Scout Motto. I value the three aims of scouting to build men of character, good citizens and to promote physical fitness. I am especially committed to this troop because of its faith-based sponsorship which adds citizenship in the kingdom of heaven as its primary mission.
Two weeks ago, I presented Romans 12:1 to these young men in our devotional reading.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1
There is a similar text from Paul’s letter to Timothy. This scripture is the hallmark of the AWANA program “Approved Workers Are Not Ashamed”.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
This is our job description. As I mentioned before, I am a businessman and I have people reporting to me. I evaluate their performance routinely and give them feedback on where they can improve. When I read this scripture, I evaluated myself … and it appears that I won’t be getting a raise … but our Lord Jesus is perfect and has already taken up my slack and paid the price of my failures. I, on the other hand, will be remaining on probation until I am perfected in heaven.
I bring this up tonight because while evaluating myself, I identified quite a few weaknesses that need to be worked on. Due to the limitation of time, I’ll only cover two here tonight. One is the lack of courage. I tell people that I am introverted by nature and have a difficult time speaking publicly, especially about the Good News. That is a pretty way of saying I am afraid of failing or looking stupid in front of people. But just like I tell the people who work for me in their evaluation, if something they do poorly at needs enhancement, the best way to improve is through practice. I guess that is why God has the knack for placing me in positions where I have to speak in front of people.
The other weakness I recognized is pride, masked as the desire to be independent. I seldom ask for help because I do not want to depend on others. I am not so afraid of being let down as I am admitting that I cannot do it myself. Again, I am reminded of an old adage, “practice makes perfect”.
So I stand in front of you tonight, practicing …, extolling the virtues of Scouting, what it can do for your sons, now and in their future and I am asking for your help.
As I said in my letter “We have an awesome opportunity and responsibility to train our young men to be spiritual beacons in our community, our nation and in the world. I pray that you will join us as we work together to equip these young men to be steadfast in the truth of God’s Word with the guiding aim of Scouting to build men of character.”
There are many jobs in scouting. Some are logistical while others provide a leadership role to scouts and scouting volunteers. We have sign up sheets in the back for you to look at but let me list a few for you now.
Two weeks ago, I presented Romans 12:1 to these young men in our devotional reading.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1
There is a similar text from Paul’s letter to Timothy. This scripture is the hallmark of the AWANA program “Approved Workers Are Not Ashamed”.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
This is our job description. As I mentioned before, I am a businessman and I have people reporting to me. I evaluate their performance routinely and give them feedback on where they can improve. When I read this scripture, I evaluated myself … and it appears that I won’t be getting a raise … but our Lord Jesus is perfect and has already taken up my slack and paid the price of my failures. I, on the other hand, will be remaining on probation until I am perfected in heaven.
I bring this up tonight because while evaluating myself, I identified quite a few weaknesses that need to be worked on. Due to the limitation of time, I’ll only cover two here tonight. One is the lack of courage. I tell people that I am introverted by nature and have a difficult time speaking publicly, especially about the Good News. That is a pretty way of saying I am afraid of failing or looking stupid in front of people. But just like I tell the people who work for me in their evaluation, if something they do poorly at needs enhancement, the best way to improve is through practice. I guess that is why God has the knack for placing me in positions where I have to speak in front of people.
The other weakness I recognized is pride, masked as the desire to be independent. I seldom ask for help because I do not want to depend on others. I am not so afraid of being let down as I am admitting that I cannot do it myself. Again, I am reminded of an old adage, “practice makes perfect”.
So I stand in front of you tonight, practicing …, extolling the virtues of Scouting, what it can do for your sons, now and in their future and I am asking for your help.
As I said in my letter “We have an awesome opportunity and responsibility to train our young men to be spiritual beacons in our community, our nation and in the world. I pray that you will join us as we work together to equip these young men to be steadfast in the truth of God’s Word with the guiding aim of Scouting to build men of character.”
There are many jobs in scouting. Some are logistical while others provide a leadership role to scouts and scouting volunteers. We have sign up sheets in the back for you to look at but let me list a few for you now.
posted by Alan at 7:41 PM
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