Train a Child, Proverbs 22

"Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Proverbs 22:6
My daughter Kayla, Green Belt Karate

Children teach us so much about ourselves. We want our children to have a better life than we did and to avoid our mistakes. My daughter Kayla and I trained for two years in karate and I was impressed at how quickly she learned and how good she was. She has a fierceness and aggressiveness in her that is downright scary. As a parent, it was comforting to know that she now has this training in her subconscious and the self confidence she has as a result of her training.

Children are like sponges. They love to learn something new and explore on their own. We should be available to train them in the path of life. Thise requires more active involvement and guidance.


"Like a Child"

Proverbs 22:15 - "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him."

Spanking children is controversial, but the bible teaches that this is required when raising kids. My children know their are three possible outcomes to their decision to be disciplined. They know the consequences in advance and when they choose to be disciplined, I usually ask them why they made that decision. Their answer normally is "I don't know."

Three outcomes are possible at the corporal punishment stage. They have the opportunity to bring in new information. Maybe I misunderstood the situation and circumstances. Absent of new information, they will receive their "licks" or I may offer them grace.

I believe my children have learned more from grace. With grace they know that they deserve to receive a spanking, but because I love them I set that aside and we pray. We pray that they learned their lesson and they realize that God loves us and he often sets aside our punishment (but we never know what outcome he will choose).

Finally, there are times when grace is not offered and they pay the consequences for their actions. Those are sad and tearful times, but in the end our children realize that we love them deeply and want the very best for them. Fortunately, those times are rare in our household.

On Mission, On Assignment, and in the ZONE!

Andy Valadez
e-mail: andy@marketingdynamics.org

The Rebellious, The Foolish, and The Wise, Proverbs 17

" . . . and parents are the pride of their children."

Proverbs 17:6


"I'm Watching You Dad"

I love being a dad. I enjoyed watching this video that I found on GodTube.com As a test, I watched with my daughter. Her take? It was "Weird!" - children.

Writing daily analysis of Proverbs is challenging. I find that I have to search, pray, and seek out the meaning for the day or one that reveals itself as I read the Proverbs for the day. As I read over Proverbs 17, I continued to focus on the theme of rebellion, foolishness, restraint, judgment, knowledge, and justice. Much of it seemed to lead to back to parenting.

We are in the midst of a culture war in America. Many in our culture lack parental instruction and guidance. Many of the rebellious and foolishness may even come from Christian homes. Generational failures have happened throughout history.

As Christians, we may be failing to connect with our children and equipping our offspring with the justice and wisdom offered in the bible.

I realize that I must live out the example for my children and that has its own perils (I know I fail daily). How will they learn right from wrong from my wife and I and others in our family? Will they themselves choose the wise path?

Fortunately, our father in Heaven calls us his children and he is our pride. He wants the best for us and has already shown us an example in Jesus Christ. How will we lead the next generation and answer the challenges of a rebellious and foolish culture? We are called to be wise and we have a helper in the Holy Spirit. Our children grow up fast, will we be their pride?


"Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman

Proverbs 17:15 - "Acquitting the guilty and condeming the innocent - the Lord hates them both."

We live in a time where the guilty seem to go free and the laws are made for the criminals. We have seen righteous judges be challenged by the culture and taken down for their judgment. The war on righteousnes is a sign of a populace that lacks wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 17:24 - "A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even tempered."

We are judged by what we say and how we say it. That requires us to think about the people we are talking too. In sales, salespeople are taught to ask questions of the prospect. Get them talking and they will tell you everything you need to know to make the sale.

Proverbs 17:28 - "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tounge."

I enjoy when my eldest daughter cautions the younger to keep her mouth shut. She says, "Shut up Kenna, you are going to get us in more trouble." Even a child knows when to keep the situation cool. I also enjoy when I ask my children a thought provoking question and see them think about their answer. One of those answers I hope to give them is "I don't know." Better to say you don't know and get the right answer.

On Mission, On Assignment, and in the ZONE!

Andy Valadez
e-mail: andy@marketingdynamics.org

10.01.08 A New Day, Proverbs 1

It's a new month and I am looking forward to going through the month in Proverbs. It has been interesting to notice how I am reminded of certain verses in my day to day dealings with people and the inpsiration that comes along with the study.

I decided to create "Wisdom Cards" for my children. Some of the subject matter is innapropriate for children under 13, but many of the verses are helpful. I will write these on cue cards and hand them out to my children to read every morning or have them available for study as a demonstration on how to gain wisdom beyond their years. The key is to make it relevant to their daily lives.

Interestingly my friend Gordon just called (a Marketer's marketer) and wants to help me with the idea. He says parents need every tool they can get in these trying times!!

Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

I love this verse, a parent to a child. "The Fear of Lord" part usually gets most people. They don't understand that the fear mentioned in the bible is a holy fear, a respect, and understanding that the Lord is not your "homey", a "cool dude", or "my best friend" (he is better than that). He knows you better than yourself and will do what is necessary to keep you on the right path (to the point of death or prison). Why would he want to lose you to hell?

I liken this understanding to my Marine Drill instructors at MCRD San Diego in 1988. I was a young civilian. Our platoon was introduced to our drill instructors. The men were lean, mean, and squared a way. We had never met serious Marines like these.

United States Marine Corps Drill Instructors Photo by Ed Crisostomo, The Press-Enterprise

Our initial reaction was typical, "What have I gotten myself into?". These drill instructors lived up to their reputation. We all feared them. The psychological trauma was overwhelming. The drill instructors job was to teach us everying we needed to know to be a basically trained Marine in 3-months. That required them to control 65 young recruits and for them to set the tone for instruction. How they did that, was instilling the fear of God in us. We couldn't help but learn. If you and I want to learn wisdom, we have to fear the Lord first, clear out our minds with our agendas and accept his discipline.



Proverbs 1: 20 – “Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:”

I love this verse. It tells us that wisdom is yelling out to us. We just have to listen. Like turning on a radio. Tune in to the "Wisdom Channel". Would love to see a TV network called "Wisdom TV".

Proverbs 1:33 – “. . . but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease without fear of harm.”

What a comforting verse. Many are going through trials, tribulations, and uncertainties in these times. I heard of a story of a man on his death bed at over 80 years old. He was asked about any reqrets he had. He said "That most of my life I spent worrying about things that never happened to me." Live life, seek wisdom, and walk in safety and peace.

Please comment on your readings of Proverbs 1, today!! God bless!

On Mission, On Assignment, and in the ZONE!

Andy Valadez
e-mail: andy@marketingdynamics.org