No. 791 - OUR KIDS ARE IN A WAR!

No. 791

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

OUR KIDS ARE IN A WAR!

It may have started out as a minor skirmish, but today the Kids of America are in a real war. They are in a war between the forces of good and evil, and millions of them are losing their lives, and their souls, to an enemy more cunning and deceptive than they have ever faced before.
Thousands of our children and young people lose their lives each year to illegal drugs, suicide, crime, accidents caused by drunk drivers, and many other reasons due to poor choices. In many cases these choices were made because these children grew up in homes where they did not receive any spiritual or moral training. Their second-best line of defense was lost when the judges and the courts took God out of our schools and because of hypocrisy the church has lost a great deal of her influence. Today, millions of America’s youth do not attend church at all.
Of course, the best line of defense is for children to have Godly parents who teach by precept and example and prepare their children to live and compete in a world filled with unhealthy choices on every hand. Sometime back I received an opportunity to preview a book by Reba Bowman titled, “Battle Ready Moms Raising Battle Ready Kids.” Looking back I am so glad that I took advantage of the offer because, in the area of child rearing, it is the best book I have ever read. This book was written for mothers who have decided they are not going to sit back and hope it all works out. It’s for mothers who have the courage to strap on their boots and enter the battle. It’s for mothers who take their God-given responsibility as a parent seriously and refuse to relinquish their duty as watchman on the wall.
Reba Bowman is uniquely qualified to write this award-winning book. She grew up in a home with Godly parents and later became a coach, a professor and a college dean of women. She has dedicated her life to helping teenagers and young adults. She says, “As a coach, I have ridden thousands of miles with them, pushed them, fussed at them, encouraged them, and laughed with them. As a professor, I have challenged them, instructed them, and rejoiced with them. As a dean, I have prayed with them, cried with them, disciplined them, and eaten lots of pizza with them. It seemed as if time stood still for many years, because I was spending more time with young people than I did adults.”
One thing I really admired and appreciated about Reba’s writing is that because today’s kids, as the title suggests, are in a war, she uses a military analogy to make her points. The titles of the four parts of the book are Part One: My Mama Wears Combat Boots. Part Two: My Mama Ain’t Playing Games. Part Three: My Mama’s Standing Guard. Part Four: My Mama Is the Real Deal. After I finished reading this book I was convinced that every mother and grandmother in America would do well to read it, as it contains “live” ammunition that will strike a fatal blow to the enemy.
To return to my opening thought, our kids today are in a battle with the forces of evil on every hand. If you have children and grandchildren and are concerned about their future and the challenges they will face in the weeks, months and years to come, I encourage you to read this book. You will be glad you did. Again the title is “Battle Ready Moms Raising Battle Ready Kids.” ISBN 9781615796717.
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a public speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034. To begin a bookcase literacy project visit www.bookcaseforeverychild.com. You won’t go wrong helping a needy child.)