Entourage......

Carol and I have the most awesome child - awesome in SO many ways! Early on Carol and I have spoken in great detail to him about the people he hangs out with - His Peeps. I have to say he has some great friends. Friends that bring him up a few notches and friends who walk with him and are GOOD kids. I do believe Kyle has good decision making skills and he chooses his peeps wisely! It is so easy to get into trouble and when you have some friends who take you down the bad decision paths - its always easier to go with a crew than to go alone.
Kyle will be heading to middle school next year and I pray that Carol and I have instilled in him to be a good kid, has good decision making capabilities, to be kind and caring, to help a friend in need, to be the friend the new kid in class needs, to work hard and really care for his close peeps. With so many problems in the family today it is amazing even some of our kids turn out ok. I come in contact with many kids each week and my heart breaks for so many of them. So many reach out and have been asking to have lunch with me at school - just once! I hate that I can't do that..... I love being able to get down at their level and just let them talk, let them be heard, ask how they are doing and if things are ok at home. I love being able to share my life and my family with SO many of them! It is amazing the stories and things that kids have to endure, overcome and survive. Life is hard for so many of them :(
I have someone close to me that seems to always be in trouble these days. Maybe mom and dad never came down on her or kept the punishment that was dished out and let her off easy or maybe always came to the rescue and got her OUT of trouble instead of her tasting the punishment. Maybe it is the fact that disappointment is confused with punishment and to her they mean the same thing - thus when she messes up and makes a bad choice - its disappointing someone instead of just learning right from wrong and PAYING the consequences of her actions. In many cases, these are kids just wanting to fit it... they are not leaders and just going along with the crowd. Hey thats easy to do.... but Maybe its the limelight of sticking out and being different because so many other kids look up to them, they think they are pretty or just plain cool. So this brings the opportunities to make bad decisions at every turn. They want to please people and not let ANYONE down. They want to be all to everyone - including the people they really dont care about. Why have 1678 friends on myspace? Nobody can honestly say they have or even KNOW that many people. Everyone is their friend..... BFF - BGFF whatever.......
As adults we all know that there are only a handful of people in our lives that we let speak truth to us - some of us don't even have anyone! We screen calls, look at caller ID, let the answering machine answer the phone for us....so many of us hide from people and keep people at arms length. We all need people, a close handful of people (friends and families) that can speak truth to us. Tell us when we are messing up, love on us even when we do, and walk with us no matter what. Never letting us get down that road that leads to destruction. They are willing to go to those hard places in life with us. I think this is where many young people make their mistakes, (adults too) they dont have a good handful of peeps that are grounded in Gods word. God's word sets it all apart. He wants us to aim higher and be part of something so much bigger than we are. He wants us to look beyond what we see and see what He sees. He wants us to focus on others and not on ourselves. I love watching the Project 252 kids at church - you can see right away which of these young folks HAVE IT ...and those who don't. There is such a difference between them.......
I started Judo when I was 7 years old. I studied martial arts for MANY years but the thing that has always stuck in my mind was when I started participating with the adults, I was still just a kid, is it brings a new game... we have to work that much harder. It raises your bar when the bar is WAY over your head. Our lives need to have people that we look up to. People who we think are better parents, better Christians, better leaders ... better....... get the point?
If we aim low....we will hit low. If we aim high, we will hit high. I am not doing life with people who are below me - they all have something that makes me aim higher! My Rock Group families are a perfect example and each one of them brings something extra out of me. They challenge me and in turn I hope I am doing that for them in some way.
Its the same with our kids. I am lucky that they are only smoking.... I don't buy it! Status quo is just going with the flow... doing what everyone else is doing.... you want to being authentic, to being different .... if that is what you are wanting to do ... then follow Jesus and watch your life change. Watch the others take notice that you are different - that everything about you has changed. Let your hair be the color God gave you ... plug up that low top that draws the boys off your eyes.... which is the way to a mans heart and not your well.. you know.... no need to stand out anymore because by following Jesus - you will!!!! The friends that are dragging you down who right now you think you can't do without - they can either go with you or get out of the way. ~~~This has taken place in my life not too long ago........ It even happens when your old! LOL
I am telling you this - Gods bar is way higher than our own........ aim high loved ones. AIM HIGH.
God has so much more to give you, show you and teach you than we are at currently. Open His book, think on His thoughts, capture and throw away those bad and discouraging thoughts, read His word, surround yourself with Godly people and let them bring you up a few notches. Only let a handful of peeps to speak truth and by all means - Let God be your standard....
The ditch for some of us is only a few decisions away.... who would be willing to walk with you there? Not many...... so take a look around you and really look at your ENTOURAGE -
Which direction are you headed?????? I asked my Rock Group families this time last year.... to delete someone in their cell phone because all they do is drag you down - you can't please them no matter what you do... they seem to take all your energy, even with little things.....They bring you trouble and thus keeping you from all God wants you to be.

Guess what? Its YOUR move........

Lonnie~