Author: Janet Chester Bly

  • Every Child Deserves to Know

    Every Child Deserves to Know

    Every Child Deserves to Know

    Little children remain the most helpless of all God’s creatures. Every child deserves a mom, a dad, a teacher. Every skill on this earth has to be learned, from birth to death. They need someone to care for them as babes, then hold their hands and lead them as toddlers, till they finally walk on their own.

    Perhaps it’s your job to show them how to sit blocks one upon another. The only thing a child knows for sure is how to knock them down. Destruction seems built into children—part of the sin nature, I’m sure. But the most crucial times come in a lifestyle choice, an attitude, a way of doing things right. There’s also a foundation of facts to know. Every child deserves to know certain truths.

    God is real, alive, and personal.

      Children come with imagination, creativity, and some have make-believe friends. The teddy bear can seem personal. Can to be talked to. On the other hand, there are a lot of live and real things such as tall, growing green trees that aren’t personal at all. Children deserve to know the difference.

      Every child deserves someone who loves them.

      Maybe it’s Mommy or Daddy, or a grandparent or guardian, who provides a true love that doesn’t give up. They need to learn about love through actions, as well as words. And that grasp makes it easier to believe a Heavenly Father loves them.

      Unfortunately, the world’s full of troubles.

      We might prefer to isolate kids from this truth . And, of course, we try to protect them. But we can’t hold on to them forever. They’ll venture out where it can be harsh and cruel. That’s a part of even an abundant life. If we never let them fail, or struggle, or face challenges, they won’t know how to respond.

      Another important truth: Jesus has overcome the world.

      Tough stuff doesn’t always go away. But Jesus will walk them through it. Because He was triumphant on the cross and over the tomb, by rising back to life, there’s victory for all, including a child. Those little ones deserve to learn, as soon as they’re able, that Jesus is always with them.

      The Bible is completely reliable.

      As they grow up, they begin to read story books. As soon as they’re able to understand, they need to be told, the Bible is different than every other book. In these pages is the truth about God. They need to learn that not only because you tell them, but because you act upon the Word. It guides you along your way.

      Every child deserves to know the best secret: obedience to God leads to a fulfilled life.

      That’s why they learn obedience in small things now. Not just because you’re bigger, tougher, or meaner, but because this gives them streets smarts for doing life. That’s why we teach them to learn to follow certain life rules young. Eventually, not only will we please Him, but also satisfy our own best and highest desires.

      Life with Jesus is full of adventure.

      Our heavenly Father is a God of unexpected surprises. He is, as C.S. Lewis in the Narnia Tales says, “a wild lion.” That is, you never can know for sure what He’s going to do, because He has His own way of doing things, even in how He answers our prayers. He brings blessings, such as special people into our lives. He’s already there in the future planning something for you and for our children. They deserve to know they don’t need to be afraid, but to look forward to adventures.

      Every child deserves a family.

      Father and mother, brothers and sisters, Grandma and Grandpa are part of the unit of a God-given family. God designed society that way. He has a lot of lessons to teach. In a family we learn to give and receive forgiveness, and how to really love by getting up close and personal with others.

      What is life? For one thing, it’s a prep school for eternity.

      Maybe it’s the death of a pet or a grandparent. As soon as they’re able to recognize life here is short and terminal, they deserve to realize God has that plan in mind.

        Yes, there’s something in us that says we ought to live forever. But life here is just a training ground. We’re given some years to get ready for heaven. So, God stuck us in a family of some sort, to learn how to love, how to forgive. See if we choose to follow Him and know Him. If so, we win forever. And that’s what life’s about.

        They deserve to know God made them that way.

        A kid’s song says, “I’m something special!” And it’s true. They’re important, just as they are. God made them and He doesn’t make any junk. If they’re tall or short, if they have a big nose, there are no mistakes. Whatever talents or abilities, they need to learn to use what God’s given them.

        Finally, God will always hear them.

        Nobody can pray too much, whether young or old. Little ones deserve to know God cares about everything. Any time they want to pray, they should.

        No one can force a child to believe in God or Jesus. Certainly, I would lead the pack if I could make my children become Christians. But I can’t. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit and God in their lives. They have to come to that place of confessing Him on their own. But I can prepare the environment, work up the fallow ground, get the soil ready for good seed to be planted. I can teach them lots of things, by saying the words and showing the actions.

        And when all of this is done, I can relax and know I’ve done my part. I can trust God for His.

        Amen and Amen!

        Stephen Bly

        1st Presbyterian Church, Fillmore, California

        December 30, 1979

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        “Every Baby Ought to Know” AUDIO PODCAST by Stephen Bly:

      1. Sixteen Hands Horses

        Sixteen Hands Horses

        A FULL SIXTEEN HANDS HORSE

        At 6’2” I’ve never been accused of being small. In fact, my size 12 cowboy boots are an embarrassment in a world where the smaller the foot, the better. But that’s why I look for a fairly big horse. When I climb on some little Texas pony, my feet drag the trail.

        My horse, Sundance, stands right at sixteen hands. In measuring a horse, a hand equals four inches. This measures from the ground to the top of the horse’s withers. So, a horse of sixteen hands stands about 64”. The horses where I live are larger than those in the southern plains. But, of course, men have been getting taller the past hundred years. So have their horses.

        A Rare Sixteen Hands Find

        Back in the Old West, a sixteen-hand horse was a rare find and considered as big a riding horse as there was. It’s not too surprising then that the cowboys took the term “a full sixteen hands” and began to apply it to men as well as horse.

        Now, when applied to another cowhand, the term had nothing to do with a man’s size or build. It was the supreme compliment of the range to say a man was a full sixteen hands high because that meant he was as trustworthy, reliable and capable a man as ever rode a western trail.

        What Mattered in Old West

        A reputation meant a whole lot in the Old West. And a man who earned the title of a full sixteen hands had the highest and most noble reputation of all. Physical stature and looks meant little. A man’s strength of character and will impressed the most.

        Now, I don’t think times have changed all that much. A man’s real strength can never be seen merely by glancing at his appearance.

        God’s Point of View

        The Bible says, “Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7; Galatians 2:6).

        The Lord pays more attention to inward attitudes. Some men stand a full sixteen hands. They might not look like body builders or ride tall horses but they have built lives of honesty, integrity, loyalty, and commitment to God’s principles. They are pillars of moral strength and families, churches, communities all across the country.

        Stephen Bly signature

        Stephen Bly

        Circa 1995

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        “A Full Sixteen Hands” Audio Podcast: SIXTEEN HANDS PODCAST

      2. Common Courtesy

        Common Courtesy

        Common Courtesy Wake-Up Call

        A common courtesy minor event caught me by surprise. My 9-year-old son, Aaron, rushed through the door of our local Community Center ahead of me. One of our good friends called out, as she exited carrying an arm-full of packages, “Please hold the door open.”

        To my chagrin, he yelled out, “I can’t!” and kept running to the playground. It hurts to see how selfish and rude children can be at times.

        Proverbs 27:10 says, “Never abandon a friend–either yours or your father’s. Then you won’t need to go to a distant relative for help in your time of need.”

        Parenting Wake-Up Call

        At that moment, it hit me. I had not done a good job of teaching Aaron respect for my friend or adults in general. Kids have to learn common courtesies. They will either learn directly from us or copy behaviors of kids around them. As I walked from the Community Center, I developed a strategy to help Aaron catch-up on some social manners I had neglected to define for him.

        Common Courtesy Helps

        First, I determined to not let any future mistake go unchallenged. Every time he was rude, I’d find a private time to to carefully explain his mistake.

        Second, I’d teach manners and common courtesy by repetition and reason. I began to look for examples, followed by explaining why we should treat others this better way.

        Third, I’d give a more drastic lesson of the traits I wanted to see in him. I looked for extra opportunities myself to give aid to others when around Aaron.

        Did it help?

        Well, it might take years to determine the final verdict. But I did notice some progress in the social graces. At a crowded shopping center, I waited for Aaron as he very carefully held the door open for every woman going into a department store. Watching him having fun being courteous, I wasn’t about to stop him. So, I patiently waited.

        Stephen Bly

        Copyright©1989

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        “Courtesy Wake-Up Call” Audio Podcast by Stephen Bly …

      3. Best Day of My Life

        Best Day of My Life

        Best Day of My Life

        A best day in my life happened this way. At age 23, I was married to Janet Chester, had two children, and farming, doing what I wanted to do. Happy with my wife, I loved my sons and family. Ranching and farming tends to be very cyclical and seasonal. You do the same thing at the same time every year.

        Then, Janet on her own, and eventually me alongside, decided, “You know, there’s something more to life.” It wasn’t a complaint. Horrible things weren’t happening to me. But I wondered about the “more.” And I didn’t know what that might be. We didn’t come out of homes where the Lord got talked about much. Janet’s single parent mom worked awfully hard to support five children. And I grew up in a wonderful family where mom and dad loved each other and my sister and me. But we didn’t talk about the Lord. And I knew nothing about the Scriptures.

        Since we knew many people found help in the Bible, we began to read one. The first three nights after I returned home from work and got the boys to bed, we read the Preface to King James. And then we got to Genesis and through the whole Old Testament that summer, an hour each night. Some of it we understood and some we didn’t. But we found God was real in these lives of saints and sinners. We knew He wasn’t real in ours.

        Best Day Next Step

        About the first week in September, we said to each other, “Now that we’re in the New Testament, we should go to church. Maybe someone can help us understand everything.” So, we attended the most convenient church, right down the road. We showed up one Sunday morning sitting in the back, trying to hide, because we felt out of place. And what do you know? They announced their “Rally Days” and the start of home Bible studies. In fact, the next night a home hosted a Navigator’s study, “Introduction To Christ.” So, we signed up. Attending included the host couple and the teacher, all mature Christians, and me and Janet.

        Before long, we discovered we needed to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. And I remember the best day event and the place. I was in the field farming, trying to irrigate. A shovel over my shoulder, I walked along some furrows on my own, making sure the water ran through. And I kept thinking about all the new things we’d been learning about Jesus. I meditated on the verse in John 1:12, “To all who received him, to all who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” And I thought, “That’s me. I want to become a child of God. I want to receive Christ as my Lord and Savior.”

        Best Day Moment of Truth

        Then, I said out loud, “Lord, I don’t know very much. I don’t know very much about you. But I believe you are who you say you are. And I believe you did what you said you did. Also, I believe you’re going to do what you said you’re going to do. But I know I don’t deserve it and I’m sinful. However, you died on the cross for me and I want to know you as Lord and Savior.”

        I found out later that Janet made the same commitment a few days before. That turned out to be a best day for both of us.

        My perspective on everything changed, on being a man, a husband, and father. As a rancher and citizen. My views altered on who I was, as well as the world and the universe. All of a sudden, the God who maybe existed was the God with me every day and each hour. The love I only heard about I now experienced in my heart and soul. That’s still on my Best Day List.

        Stephen Bly

        Copyright 2010

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        “Best Days of My Life” Audio Podcast by Stephen Bly:

      4. Keep Up the Corners

        Keep Up the Corners

        Keep Up the Cattle Drive Corners with Stephen Bly Audio Podcast

        An old-time cowboy scratched out some notes in a journal as he worked on a big cattle drive from south Texas to the Kansas railheads in the 1870s. Often he mentioned how the trail boss kept after them to “keep up the corners.” A search through the book finally uncovered what that might mean.

        Keeping Up Corners 
        This phrase meant to keep the cattle drive herd moving at a reasonable and sustainable pace. The strongest cattle did not march over or just trot off and leave the weaker ones. The cowboys let the cattle spread out enough so not to get overheated but bunched up enough not to widen to an uncontainable size.

        KEEP UP THE CATTLE DRIVE CORNERS

        It was important that the entire herd grazed at a speed and in a manner that brought them together. So, when the boss shouted, “Keep up the corners!”, it was a signal to tighten control. Make sure the cows moved in a way best for all concerned.

        Now it Seems to Me 

        From time to time someone ought to shout, “Tighten up the corners,” to you and me concerning our families. And according to the Bible, dads have a mighty important role.

        “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

        Part of that responsibility includes making sure the whole family grows spiritually. Understand your wife’s spiritual condition and make sure she has plenty of opportunity for worship and prayer, study and fellowship. She needs quiet times as well as the freedom to use her gifts, talents, and ministries given her from God.

        Keeping Up with the Kids Too 

        The same is also true for each of the children. The next step in the spiritual life of your three-year-old will be different than your eighteen-year-old. But they both need to continue to grow in the knowledge of the Lord and become the person He created them to be.

        We usually assume that if we’re moving along in the spiritual journey, the rest of the family will automatically go at our pace. Or if we drag our feet, they’ll stay back with us. Maybe we need from time to time to hear the Big Boss holler, “Keep up those corners!” Or its spiritual equivalent. And what do you think that might be?

        Stephen Bly

        Circa 1997

        Cattle Drive Image by Rizwan Gabru from Pixabay