This is the prayer that was offered for the opening session of the Michigan Senate June 15, 2010. It was delivered by Patrick Mead, the preaching minister at Rochester Church of Christ, a very dynamic church in the suburban Detroit area. This is a prayer that all legislative bodies should hear and heed.
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, we approach you this day and ask you for guidance. We remember that you promised to give your servant, Solomon, anything he asked for and he earned your approval by asking not for riches or power or fame but for wisdom.
Father, we ask you for wisdom for our State has entered troubling times. Good, decent, hard working people have found themselves out of a job and unable to find another one. People are losing their homes. Pensions have evaporated and a spirit of fear has entered our hearts. Our prayer is that You will guide the decisions made in this chamber in such a way as to bring peace, freedom, and security to our families and our State.
Father, turn our hearts from the petty and mundane to matters profound and wise. Let us not look first to our own careers and our own position but, rather, let us examine the matters placed before us to see what is right, what is good, what is decent, what is honest, and what is honorable. And when we find what is honorable, help us to have the courage to choose that path regardless of any pressures placed on us by our own weak hearts or by the machinations of others.
We are mindful of the fact that we are all here today because of the blood of others. Others wore the uniform of this nation and gave up families, homes, loved ones, safety, career, and riches in order to serve a higher calling. We honor them and we thank you for them, Father. Help us to never forget that their tribe continues to this day. To this day, good and faithful men and women are in the field, under fire, under harsh conditions, serving people they will never meet. Bless them. Protect them. Bring them home soon in victory and honor. Bring them home soon whole and healthy.
Let those in this chamber never forget the sacrifices that have allowed them to be here. I pray that they will never use the people they serve in a dishonorable way. Never let them climb for position on the backs of those they are supposed to serve. Never let them gain power and influence by using the money and labor of others for their own purposes. Let them treat the people they serve, their labor, and their hard earned money and goods as sacred things; a sacred trust to be treated gently and with much care and prayer.
Let us see their faces. Let us feel their beating hearts. Let us feel the sweat on their faces. And let us deal with them and with our state in a way that allows us to stand before you one day without fear, certain that we have loved the least among us, that we have served all with pure motives, and that our hearts are pure before you. Bless this house and bless the State of Michigan, we pray.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
If you would like to hear more of Patrick Mead's teaching, you can find the Rochester Church website here.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters
I have not posted anything here for a long time, and I thought it would be good to get back into form with a book review.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters
by Meg Meeker, M.D.
I am always looking for something to help me be a better father to my three kids. There are lots of good books out there, and lots that aren't so good. However, it seems as if I have found more books about raising sons than I have about raising daughters. Partly, I think this is because of a recognized need in our culture. Boys in our culture are caught in a trap. There has been little to help them understand what manhood is, and even less to help them attain that. So there have been some great books written to address that need. On the other hand, because I work in a men's ministry, I see the results of this lack of training, upbringing and focus for boys.
But I recently realized that my daughter was nearly grown, and while I have put a lot of effort into helping her grow, I needed to do more. So I began to search for information. Dr. Meeker's book came to the top of the stack, and I'm glad it did.
Dr. Meeker is a pediatrician, and has seen thousands of girls from birth to late teens in her practice. She has an extensive background of doctor-patient experience to draw upon, and she has a secret for you. You, Dad, are the most important person in your daughter's life.
Our daughters are literally assaulted by a society that tells them they can never be thin enough, popular enough, or well-dressed enough. From the time they can walk they are supposed to be sexy. From the time they start school, they are told they must please boys, must measure themselves against sex-pot actresses and singers, must live up to the world's standard of beauty or they aren't worth anything. They are assaulted daily, and their chief defense against that is how their fathers see them, speak to them, teach them, and treat them.
Dr. Meeker pulls no punches. She tells stories of girls whose fathers have crippled them emotionally, and who seek affirmation in hook-up sex, drugs, and alcohol. She also tells stories of girls whose fathers have armored them against such things by their own love. Some have gone to the wall for their daughters, and their daughters thrive because of it. She tells stories of fathers who didn't do everything right, but when the crisis came, they stood up for their daughters and drew them back from the brink of death. There are stories here to make you weep and stories to make you cheer. And they are all true.
In addition, Dr. Meeker sets forth statistics and studies that show how important fathers are to their daughters, and just the kind of stresses and pain our daughters face. There are many facts and stories here about eating disorders, which are literally causing our daughters to waste away before our eyes. Naturally, as a pediatrician, Meeker has seen many such cases. She also has treated many teen girls for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and she give absolutely frightening statistics about our daughters (and our sons, but the daughters are the focus here).
Depression ranks as one of the major health issues for teen girls, and Dr. Meeker has seen and treated much of it. She says that she has come to view depression in girls as another STD, because it is always linked to sexual activity.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters is not just a listing of the woes and troubles that face our daughters, though. Meeker details positive, active ways you can strengthen your daughters, lift them up, and ensure that they succeed in life, in love, and in spirit. While Meeker is obviously Christian and writes from that viewpoint, this isn't a preachy book. She does stress the need for faith in your life and your daughter's, but she doesn’t specify any specific faith. She sees faith as one of the major factors in your daughter's health. As such, those who don't want to read a "Christian" book on raising their daughters will find this book eminently readable and applicable to their lives.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. Get it, read it, use it. Your daughters will thank you.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters
by Meg Meeker, M.D.
I am always looking for something to help me be a better father to my three kids. There are lots of good books out there, and lots that aren't so good. However, it seems as if I have found more books about raising sons than I have about raising daughters. Partly, I think this is because of a recognized need in our culture. Boys in our culture are caught in a trap. There has been little to help them understand what manhood is, and even less to help them attain that. So there have been some great books written to address that need. On the other hand, because I work in a men's ministry, I see the results of this lack of training, upbringing and focus for boys.
But I recently realized that my daughter was nearly grown, and while I have put a lot of effort into helping her grow, I needed to do more. So I began to search for information. Dr. Meeker's book came to the top of the stack, and I'm glad it did.
Dr. Meeker is a pediatrician, and has seen thousands of girls from birth to late teens in her practice. She has an extensive background of doctor-patient experience to draw upon, and she has a secret for you. You, Dad, are the most important person in your daughter's life.
Our daughters are literally assaulted by a society that tells them they can never be thin enough, popular enough, or well-dressed enough. From the time they can walk they are supposed to be sexy. From the time they start school, they are told they must please boys, must measure themselves against sex-pot actresses and singers, must live up to the world's standard of beauty or they aren't worth anything. They are assaulted daily, and their chief defense against that is how their fathers see them, speak to them, teach them, and treat them.
Dr. Meeker pulls no punches. She tells stories of girls whose fathers have crippled them emotionally, and who seek affirmation in hook-up sex, drugs, and alcohol. She also tells stories of girls whose fathers have armored them against such things by their own love. Some have gone to the wall for their daughters, and their daughters thrive because of it. She tells stories of fathers who didn't do everything right, but when the crisis came, they stood up for their daughters and drew them back from the brink of death. There are stories here to make you weep and stories to make you cheer. And they are all true.
In addition, Dr. Meeker sets forth statistics and studies that show how important fathers are to their daughters, and just the kind of stresses and pain our daughters face. There are many facts and stories here about eating disorders, which are literally causing our daughters to waste away before our eyes. Naturally, as a pediatrician, Meeker has seen many such cases. She also has treated many teen girls for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and she give absolutely frightening statistics about our daughters (and our sons, but the daughters are the focus here).
Depression ranks as one of the major health issues for teen girls, and Dr. Meeker has seen and treated much of it. She says that she has come to view depression in girls as another STD, because it is always linked to sexual activity.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters is not just a listing of the woes and troubles that face our daughters, though. Meeker details positive, active ways you can strengthen your daughters, lift them up, and ensure that they succeed in life, in love, and in spirit. While Meeker is obviously Christian and writes from that viewpoint, this isn't a preachy book. She does stress the need for faith in your life and your daughter's, but she doesn’t specify any specific faith. She sees faith as one of the major factors in your daughter's health. As such, those who don't want to read a "Christian" book on raising their daughters will find this book eminently readable and applicable to their lives.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. Get it, read it, use it. Your daughters will thank you.
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