An Important Letter to Parents

(This letter appears in the Contenders for the Faith Handbook )

This book is written to be a child-rearing aid for parents as much as it is an instrument for self-improvement or skill-building program for the young man. The aim of this program is really threefold.

Most importantly, this program is oriented to emphasize the reality of God and the vital significance of one’s very own personal relationship with Him. If a young man comes away with nothing else from Contenders for the Faith (which is hardly likely), it is our personal prayer that he will have at least this to guide him on his journey through this land to that eternal city.

There are merit awards offered strictly for practical effort in spiritual areas, emphasizing to the young person that such areas are just as important as any other area of development. Young men sometimes need to be regularly reminded of this as an integral part of their endeavors.

Also, Scripture and godly thoughts or concepts are incorporated wherever possible as an integral part of the practical skills learned. This helps you as a parent make Jesus an integral part of your son’s life.

Next, there are all those practical skills that do not fall under the "three R’s". Some are real necessities. Others can be lived without, but will be sorely missed. This program provides the parent with a helpful itinerary with which to address those things that a son should know something about before he must face the world to make his own way. It also provides a challenging, yet encouraging, method to tackle these things, and enjoy the process. By supporting him in this process, you are accomplishing this second most important thing that you wish to do for him while you have him.

The structure, incentive, groundwork and much of the detail work are already provided. It can be a colossal undertaking to teach these things "from scratch." It is better for you to spend your precious time where it will count most by lending your greater maturity, understanding and experience where necessary.

Lastly, this program will impress upon a young man something that, though important to you as a parent, is fast becoming lost in our society, and even in churches throughout the land. That is the importance of the family unit. If there is no strength inside the home, there will be none outside it. A faith that is not strong at home, will fail without.

The skills in this book are designed in such a way that many of the skills can be nearly learned by the young man without any help from others, but do not miss out as a parent on the opportunity to be part of that learning process whenever possible. The old adage, "The family that prays together stays together," is not really the whole story. For a family to truly pray "together," they must be a family that does everything together. The young people must feel a part of your team if you wish them to really pray "with" you. So, do not hesitate to jump in and build your family.

You will find that many of the skill requirements in this book will be aimed directly at helping parents build family unity, even in the mundane everyday tasks of life. Family, Home Care, Stewardship and many other skills offer incentives for young people to view proper performance of duties and chores as an avenue of growing up and becoming responsible, rather than simply as drudgery.

These "tools" are designed to help the parents. When used, they will not only be a considerable help in day-to-day family life, but they will also help build a lifelong family unity, and greatly enhance your parenting experience.

There are so many important ingredients to help with that. For instance, does your son love to do projects or things with his hands, but has little interest in reading? It is not uncommon for a young man to feel this way. Of course, you are happy to see his interest in practical and mechanical things, but you would like to see him read also. That is exactly why you will find that for most of the skills in this book he is required to read a book about the subject. Reading becomes more interesting when we are soon to do what we are reading about. Also, young men who do not read for the joy of reading, often learn in this way that reading is a valuable way of learning about many of the things in which they are truly interested.

If these three goals are your goals as a parent, then join the thousands of other parents that are using this program to attain them. It makes no difference whether you use it in a large group such as a church, a smaller group such as a home-school support group, a single family, or even with just one child.

Does a dad need to be proficient in all these areas in order to help his son develop skills? Absolutely not! As was already mentioned, you will notice that one requirement is the same for most skills. That is to read a book on the subject. When Johnny reads the book, if Dad is unfamiliar with the project, he can skim it also. In many cases this is all that he will need to get up to speed. He will then be able to help Johnny in his endeavors.

Just as it is important for you to teach God's Word and precepts to your son, it is also vital to teach him practical things. Dad, if you have never taught your son how to cut a board or hammer a nail, so that he is able to craft or build independently, you are missing some of the greatest joys of parenthood. When he earns a badge he will need you to verify that he fulfilled the requirements. He will need you to run him to the library to get a book on the subject. You may as well join him in some of the fun.

If Johnny wants to learn a skill that is not in your repertoire, learn it together! You will never regret it. (And you just might have as much fun as he does.)

Sincerely,

Jeff Zakula

(Learn more about the Contenders for the Faith Handbook !)

The Bridge Builder

An old man going a lone highway
Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm vast and wide and steep,
With waters rolling cold and deep.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting your strength with building here.
Your journey will end with the ending day,
You never again will pass the way.
You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you this bridge at eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
The chasm that was as nought to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim—
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him."

Will A. Dromgoole