Fwd: [The Life of a True Worshipper] A Dying Shame

Begin forwarded message:

From: Sharan Coleman <gapsec46@gmail.com>

Date: November 17, 2008 9:23:33 AM EST

To: Twyla Mckissick <tmmckissick@hotmail.com>

Subject: Re: [The Life of a True Worshipper] A Dying Shame

You're so right Twyla.  I couldn't agree with you more.  Why didn't you respond on the blog?  Anyway, the problem must be a generational thing.  Because, if it's just common sense, how do you explain the number senseless murders committed by people like Second Son every day, Twyla, EVERY DAY!  I agree that some things are just common sense, but if so, these young people must not have any.  Where do you think common sense comes from?  in your story, you had a support base.  It may not have been your biological father, but you had someone.  You stated yourself that you had people in your life who taught you those things you deem as "common sense."  Truth be told, "common sense" or as some call it, "mother wit" are taught, just like prejudice.  They come from the values, character, and life skills that someone has instilled in us as we grow up.  All I'm saying is that some people are not growing up with those things you and I believe should be a natural part of childhood.  It takes love for a person, to take the time to show them right from wrong, or to instill in them values, character, Christ, or life skills.  It takes loving someone enough to want to see them be a better person.  However, you can't  give love to someone else unless you have it to give.  I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but a lot of parents have no clue of how to love their children.  I can name a few of my "Godchildren," who were always around our house, whose parents didn't have a clue about giving them love, because they didn't have it to give.  One in particular was adopted and raised by her grandparent, who she didn't discover was her grandparent until she was an adult.  She also discovered her brother was her father.  It explained why she only received rejection her whole life.  The grandmother probably resented the fact that she had to raise another child right when she thought she was through, I don't  know.  I will tell you this, the mother and the son are both struggling every day looking for love in all of the wrong places.  The spirit of rejection is one of the devil's most powerful tools.  He has used it to destroy so many lives.  However, if the "true worshippers" or the Body of Christ could just share the love of God with more people, instead of sitting up in churches looking down on people who are not like them; if they would just walk the walk, and not just talk the talk, the love of God could do so much healing to these people walking around with this spirit of rejection, hurt, anger, you name it.  After all, the bible says that love covers a multitude of sin.  The hurt, anger, hatred, it all stems from the spirit of rejection.  These young people are hurting and they are angry and they don't know what to do with this anger, so they do stupid things.  You can call it common sense, but everything starts with the spirit.

On Nov 16, 2008, at 10:32 PM, Twyla Mckissick wrote:

Sharan, 

Some things just need to be classified as lack of common sense. As I read your story so many things come to my mind. Take me and my brother and sister for an example. Her father spent way more time with me and brother than my true father did, but my true father did pay my mom child support and got us every weekend, holiday, and so forth. Nevertheless, my true father made sure that we had everything that we needed. From the best of clothes and shoes, to money in our pockets, but it was my sister father and my step mom who taught us our morals and taught us how young men and young ladies should act and look. Not our true blood parents. You know the story with my brother and how his life did a whole 360. He blame our parents for his drug use and his continued failures in life. Now he has been drug free for 5 years and working on becoming a minister, and spread the word of God to everyone (whether you want to listen or not). Even though our lives took so many dramatic changes and we never tried to kill or steal from others. Life experiences taught me a lot and made me to become the person I am. Even though I may slap my face into a wall every now and then. We have NEVER thought about robbing, stealing, or killing anyone to get anything. Even when my brother was going through his dark times, he blamed, but never complained. We never even knew about his feelings about our parents until the final stages of his rehabilitation process. I say all of this to say that some things are just common sense. My dad did everything for us, but when we were with him in weekends and so forth, it was my step mom who spent time with us. My dad was either sleep or at work and when we did do things as a family, it was always about him and what was going on with him. He never ask us about school or talk to us about life and what to and not to do. My dad, father and mother has been together since they were 10 and have been married over 60 years. My grandfather is the best man you could ever know and my father is in no way the father to us, like his father was to them. My grandmother started taking us to Church way before I know that I would walk or talk. Life and our positive part of up bringing, made us want to be better than our parents and not fall short. God is in all of us, but in the end it is up to make sound decisions and listen to him and abide by his word or go astray and suffer the consequences. All and all, some things are just common sense. 

Life is too short. Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness. Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you cannot change. Love deeply and forgive quickly. Take chances...... Give everything and have no regrets. Life is to short to be unhappy. You have to take the good with the bad, smile when your sad, love what you got and remember what you had. Always forgive but never forget. Learn from your mistake with no regrets. People change and things go wrong, but always remember that life goes on.....................

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Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:55:27 -0800
From: gapsec46@gmail.com
To: tmmckissick@hotmail.com
Subject: [The Life of a True Worshipper] A Dying Shame

The other day, my husband came to me with a real life tragic story that I want to paraphrase, with a twist.  I want to call this "A Tale of Two Sons."

There were two sons by two different fathers.  

The first son was close to his father.  His father taught him how to be  a man.  He supported him in sports, he gave him extra money for dates, he was an ear to listen to his problems and a shoulder to cry on.  He taught him how to respect his elders and how to be respected as a man.  He was there for his high school and college graduations.  He was there handing out cigars at the birth of his first grandchild.  He was simply the father most boys and young men would love to have.  Although the mother was in the home, his father was his "rock."  They were like two peas in a pod, almost inseparable.  Even when he moved away from Georgia to Ohio, a week didn't go by where they didn't talk on the phone.  If they weren't talking on the phone, they were emailing each other on the computer.  Needless to say, this son LOVED his father.

The second son is now about 17 years old.  He was the oldest son of four kids.  His father worked 12 hour shifts at the Mayfield Manufacturing Plant.  Although he hated his job, he worked six days per week just to make ends meet for his family of six.  His daily routine was to get home around 6:30 p.m., have his wife bring him dinner in front of the television while he tried to catch some of the news, take a shower and go to bed, just so he could get up the next morning and do it all again.  He spent little time to no time with his kids, not because he didn't like them or was a mean man, it was just all he knew to do, because that was the way his father raised him.  So even though he was present in the home, he didn't have time to be present in Second Son's life.  When Second Son played sports, he wasn't there, when he needed extra money for dates, it wasn't there, when he needed an ear to listen to his problems, or a shoulder to cry on, he wasn't there.  There was no one to teach him how to be respectful or earn respect of others. Each day he had to come home from school to watch his father be there, but not be there.  He was physically present, but that was it.  He hated hearing his friends tell him how lucky he was because at least he had a father--at least he stayed and didn't run off.  Because he couldn't disagree more.  So, as if he didn't have enough on his plate, he had to deal with the added guilt he felt, for not appreciating his father for staying.  His love for his father turned into a love/hate, and then to full blown hate.  Not, just for his father, but for all fathers.  He hated the fathers who were there for their sons, as much as he hated his own father for not being there.

Suddenly,  First Son's father dies.  First Son is grief-stricken over the death of his father.  He tries to get his head around it but, being in Ohio, it just doesn't seem real.  He drives his family to Georgia for the funeral services.  He arrives at his father's house and the realness of it all is overwhelming.  He decides that he's got to get out of that house.  If he stays, he's going to lose it in front of his family, including his mother.  As he walks out of the kitchen into the garage to exit, he sees his father's cadillac.  He sticks his head back into the house through the garage door and tells his mother he will be right back.  He says he's going to take his father's cadillac to the car wash.  So he and his cousin drive up the street to the car wash.  He pulls into the car wash, goes inside and pays for the car wash.  As he walks back to his father's car, Second Son walks behind him and tells him to give him the keys to the car or he'll shoot him.  First Son knows he should just put his hands in the air, turn around slowly and give Second Son the keys.  But this is his father's car.  And, although he could hear his father say, "Boy, are you crazy!  It's just a car!  Give up the keys!"  He can't make himself do it.  So, instead, tries to plea with Second Son.  He tells him that it's his father's car, his father just died, and he wants to keep the car as a memorial.  Second Son could see how broken up First Son was over his father's death and it just made him more angry.  He yells to First Son, "Give up the keys or I'll shoot!"  First Son starts to run with the keys, and Second Son, shoots him, in the back, and kills him.  

Senseless killing?  Absolutely!  So many people died in that story who didn't have to.  Again, I have to ask, where is the Body of Christ?    Where are the true worshippers?  There are so many areas where, if the TRUE worshippers were about our Father's business, this tragedy could have been avoided.  Let's start with First Son.  What if he had been ministered to by the Body of Christ?  If he had a relationship with the Lord, would he have become so grief-stricken that he chose to risk his life over a car?  Grieving with the Holy Spirit is a different grieving than without.  I can attest to that.  I've had enough tragedy in my life to know the difference.  When my mother died, instead of running away from God, I had God to run to, and I can truly say, His peace does pass all understanding.  Then when you read things like, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and you know your loved one is saved, then it is extremely helpful with the grieving process.  

Second Son is easy.  If he was saved, he could have used his personal relationship with Christ to easily substitute for the lack of his father's presence.  And, God could have used him to minister salvation to his father and get him saved, perhaps changing their relationship.  He certainly would not be walking around with a gun trying to take what did not belong to him.  People in relationship with God just don't do things like that.  There are so may other ways things could have been different.  Help me out.  What do you think could have changed, had the Body of Christ ministered salvation to these two sons.

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Posted By Gapsec to The Life of a True Worshipper at 11/16/2008 11:28:00 AM

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Sharan Coleman

Managing Partner

CDG Management Consulting, LLC

Office:  (770) 506-1904

Cell:  (404) 889-5509

Home:  (770) 506-0853

gapsec46@gmail.com

I have observed something else in this world of ours. The fastest runner doesn't always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn't always win the battle. The wise are often poor, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don't always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being at the right place at the right time.  Eccleaistes 9:11

Sharan Coleman

Managng Partner

CDG Management Consulting, LLC

Office:  (770) 506-1904

Cell:  (404) 889-5509

Home:  (770) 506-0853

gapsec46@gmail.com

I have observed something else in this world of ours. The fastest runner doesn't always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn't always win the battle. The wise are often poor, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don't always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being at the right place at the right time.  Eccleaistes 9:11