My computer crashed over the weekend and while restoring my backed up data I came across this letter I wrote about three years ago. Even reading it again today made me proud. My son just turned 12 last week and is quite an inspiration to all who meet him. I hope you enjoy this. (sorry if this is the wrong forum...if it is, admin, please move to the correct one.)
Today is October 1st. My family and I have just returned from a nice dinner and as I sit here writing this letter tonight, I am one of the proudest men in the world. You see my 9-year old son, Austin, broke his fast tonight. Why would that make a dad proud? Let me tell you the story.
In October of last year the church we were attending went into a month of prayer and fasting. At the end of every service our Pastor would ask for a show of hands of who would be fasting for the coming three to four days. One morning Austin asked my wife if children were allowed to fast. She said, “of course they are. Why are you asking?” Austin told her that he noticed that none of the children raised their hands to volunteer for a fast day but stated that he would like to.
My wife told him that would be great and spoke to him to make sure he understood what fasting was and what it meant. When he acknowledged that he understood he told her that he probably couldn’t perform a complete fast but that he wanted to fast from his favorite food, pizza. What he said next amazed my wife. My, then eight-year-old, son told her that he wanted to fast for one whole year.
You have to know Austin’s love for pizza to understand this sacrifice. After encouraging him to just go as long as he could, and preparing herself to help him in case he could not perform the task, Austin set out on his commitment. Everywhere he went people ate pizza. One of our family’s favorite restaurants was a pizza place. Friends would invite us out to eat and of course we would end up eatting pizza. Austin would normally order chicken fingers.
One of the most touching moments for me came in February of this year. It was the night before we left California to move to Florida. We were loading the moving truck, all of our dishes were packed and only a few groceries remained to be packed. My wife had run an errand and I was left with the kids. It was dinner time and since there were no dishes to eat on I naturally called Dominos and ordered pizza…not thinking. When the pizza arrived I turned to see Austin staring at me…with big “puppy-dog” eyes. My heart sank.
As I apologized he asked me, “Dad, do you think God would mind if I had just one little piece?” I tried to neither encourage nor discourage him from changing his mind, I simply told him that God would honor whatever he had done and to do whatever he felt was right. He turned away, went to a box and picked up a container of Top Raman noodles. He brought them to me to heat up and while we sat at the table eating pizza, Austin ate his noodles.
The temptations continued after we moved to our new house. Right after Austin started his new school they had a party and served pizza…his Sunday School class had a pizza party…everywhere he turned pizza was being served. Through it all, my son stood firm and tall…he would not eat pizza. He honored his vow to God and tonight finally sat down to his first piece of pizza in a year. Of course we bought him his own.
You see, what makes this story a little more special is that Austin has Cerebral Palsy. He is a special child to start. He inspires everyone who meets him. At church you will find him on the front row worshipping God with all his heart and soul. If it’s Sunday morning and he hears worship going on, he’s ready for class to be over so he can get out and worship God with everyone else. He is truly an amazing young man, who’s goal in life is to be a preacher, and we are expecting great things for him.
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We were created with two ears and one mouth...if we listened twice as much as we spoke we'd be in a lot less trouble.
You ought to be ashsamed of yourself. I am a 49 year old man and made the mistake of reading this at work and now I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face.
If anybody sees me after I pack up the laptop and am on my way out they are going to think I am nuts!
__________________ "I think some people love spiritual bondage just the way some people love physical bondage. It makes them feel secure. In the end though it is not healthy for the one who is lost over it or the one who is lives under the oppression even if by their own choice"
Titus2woman on AFF
"We did not wear uniforms. The lady workers dressed in the current fashions of the day, ...silks...satins...jewels or whatever they happened to possess. They were very smartly turned out, so that they made an impressive appearance on the streets where a large part of our work was conducted in the early years.
"It was not until long after, when former Holiness preachers had become part of us, that strict plainness of dress began to be taught.
"Although Entire Sanctification was preached at the beginning of the Movement, it was from a Wesleyan viewpoint, and had in it very little of the later Holiness Movement characteristics. Nothing was ever said about apparel, for everyone was so taken up with the Lord that mode of dress seemingly never occurred to any of us."
Quote from Ethel Goss (widow of 1st UPC Gen Supt. Howard Goss) book "The Winds of God"
Who'd of thought a computer crash could uncover such a blessing?!
What a great story about your son. Little wonder why you're so proud.
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The Bible is open to those that want Truth, and if they want Truth, they find Truth. They watch individuals squabble over Bible symbolism on the Internet, and leave the Message boards to enter into the real world where live people dwell, and they find Truth. The World Wide Web is full of Internet Ayatollahs who speak their mind. There is only one Truth, and it is not hidden. No matter what anyone says, Truth still converts the sincere. -DD Benincasa, 12/06/03
You ought to be ashsamed of yourself. I am a 49 year old man and made the mistake of reading this at work and now I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face.
If anybody sees me after I pack up the laptop and am on my way out they are going to think I am nuts!
Wow. He isn't even my son and my chest is sticking out with fatherly pride! That is so cool. He stuck to his guns even when pizza seemed to be all around him. What a good son!
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People who are always looking for fault,can find it easily all they have to do,is look into their mirror.
There they can find plenty of fault.
Austin has put the rest of us to shame. What an amazing young man you are raising! Be proud, Dad. Be proud.
(and for the record, I am going to be praying about what it is that God might want me to fast from and for how long. I know that he will tell me. I'm just praying that it's not pop. LOL)
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Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of a battle ! ! ! !
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