Better Dads Better Kids

Written as a speech given at the Decatur 9/11 memorial service in 2023. 

You can learn more about my book at betterdadsbetterkids.com

 

Everybody has a 9/11 story .. I look forward to hearing Pastor Robs in a few minutes.

The story I like to share was actually on 9/12 –  my neighborhood which really wasn’t that neighborly at the time gathered on a back porch and started singing hymns.   It was one of the most beautiful choirs I ever heard.

I like it when people like me.   I prefer to go along to get along.  But at some point, you have to be more worried about offending God than offending man. 

Start you off with a quiz … if we are driving 

What does Red mean?

What does Green mean?

So this is a smart group… Marty wasn’t sure about you

What would happen if we let everyone make up their own rules when it comes to driving cars.  If people move here from Europe, will we let them drive on the left side of the road since they are used to that.

Can you imagine how expensive your car insurance is going to be if we decide to allow people to develop their own set of rules?

But that is what we are seeing in our culture today. All religions and lifestyles and families are viewed as equally valid.   

In 1956 we thought the communism ,socialism, marxism and atheism that the Soviets were promoting was bad and should be stopped.  

Our answer… America adopted the slogan of In God We Trust. We also added under God to the pledge of allegiance. 

Is that still a go today or is it time to remove those slogans from our society? 

Proverbs 14:12   what seems right to man – leads to death … some men thought flying planes into buildings was right but what did it lead to,,,, death. 

Romans 8:5-8 asks if we are going to live by the flesh or by the spirit.   For one day 9/12, we felt a need to quit living by the flesh and started living by the spirit again.  

To me that answer of hope,,,, is quite simple.  It is the same place it has always been.  In God we Trust

Look up the forefathers monument.    Do you know that when the Pilgrims arrived in America they were greeted by an Indian that spoke English?  (talk about a miracle)  Look up the story of Squanto.   The woke agenda is now telling us that the Pilgrims were evil.  

I believe God’s plan starts with Building the Home with a Mom and a Dad.   If we BuildtheHome….. We can get the miracle we need to change the World… 

We need to get the L out of our kids, they are stuck in the WORLD (the flesh) and we need to get them stuck in the WORD (the spirit) …    World/Word  get the L out..

We do that by getting the L out of us.   

If you had a good Dad, you need to keep that tradition going.   If your dad could have been better…. You need to stop that pattern right now and be the Dad that God has called you to be. 

No written word, No spoken plea, can teach our youth what they should be,not all the books upon the shelves it’s what we as teachers, coaches, parents and dads are ourselves.  

Many kids in the inner cities don’t have a fatherly figure and it shows.   Maybe we can’t get their father to stand up and be the man he was called to be.  But we can point them to the Heavenly father. 

With my name being James – guess what is my favorite book of the Bible?  

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials ³ because the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like the guy who runs the red lights ⁷   ( I might have made that part up) that person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

If we want God to Bless us, we have to follow his commands and every so often God has to stop us and send us a wake up call like he did on 9/11.   Never forget!   

Are you living by the Biblical principles that this country was founded on or have you adopted the woke ideology that uses Bible verses to promote abortion?  

We have decided that Love and Unity in this country is to be nice and let everybody have their own set of rules. You can’t do that on the streets.  Red has to mean stop and Green has to mean go regardless of how much someone has been oppressed.   Likewise, if we are going to unite this country, the only thing that is going to work is uniting under the banner of the one true owners manual… in the God of the Bible we trust.  

Tomorrow will once again be 9/12 and when things seem hopeless … we need to turn to the hope of God and follow his ways and keep his commands.

If you want to learn more go to betterdadsbetterkids.com   Jim Minton at betterdadsbetterkids.com