ADVICE DAD NEVER GAVE YOU

Ralph Sorter

   Being the young congregation that we are and the age I’m getting to, I’m often finding myself in the role of a father where kids come for advice.  That’s OK with me.  Hope you can find a blessing in these short articles.

   I’ve discovered there are things I cannot control.  That may not sound profound, but when you come to grips with it, you stop trying to force change within others.  I can’t control politics (though I vote), I can’t change economics (though I save and invest), and I can’t change people (though I give them tools for positive change).

   I went all the way through my bachelor and master degrees using a typewriter.  Now that I’ve conquered the fear of technology of the computer, I can’t live without it.  So it is with changes in people.  We go through life hammering out the keys the old way because change is threatening.  But once I try it, I find a whole new motivation to do things differently.

   You can’t change people either, though you try with earnest effort.  People change because they have motivation to change.  That motivation comes from inside and it comes from the Holy Spirit. 

   If you want to see change in someone: Model it, and pray for it.  If they see you handling it a better way, they may lay down the old typewriter and pick up a keyboard.  And the Holy Spirit works in the secret parts of man where motivation stems from.

   Sometimes change happens around you and you don’t like it.  Well then, you’ve got a choice…go with the flow, or ware yourself out trying to swim upstream!  No one said we have to go through life like a grumpy old bear.  Instead of fighting the tide, we can be like the sea otter and float on our back as we snack on the delicacies the change of tide brought our way.

A Message from HOPE’S

Marriage & Family Ministry

ADVICE DAD NEVER GAVE YOU

Ralph Sorter

   Being the young congregation that we are and the age I’m getting to, I’m often finding myself in the role of a father where kids come for advice.  That’s OK with me.  Hope you can find a blessing in these short articles.

   I’ve discovered there are things I cannot control.  That may not sound profound, but when you come to grips with it, you stop trying to force change within others.  I can’t control politics (though I vote), I can’t change economics (though I save and invest), and I can’t change people (though I give them tools for positive change).

   I went all the way through my bachelor and master degrees using a typewriter.  Now that I’ve conquered the fear of technology of the computer, I can’t live without it.  So it is with changes in people.  We go through life hammering out the keys the old way because change is threatening.  But once I try it, I find a whole new motivation to do things differently.

   You can’t change people either, though you try with earnest effort.  People change because they have motivation to change.  That motivation comes from inside and it comes from the Holy Spirit. 

   If you want to see change in someone: Model it, and pray for it.  If they see you handling it a better way, they may lay down the old typewriter and pick up a keyboard.  And the Holy Spirit works in the secret parts of man where motivation stems from.

   Sometimes change happens around you and you don’t like it.  Well then, you’ve got a choice…go with the flow, or ware yourself out trying to swim upstream!  No one said we have to go through life like a grumpy old bear.  Instead of fighting the tide, we can be like the sea otter and float on our back as we snack on the delicacies the change of tide brought our way.

A Message from HOPE’S

Marriage & Family Ministry

ADVICE DAD NEVER GAVE YOU

Ralph Sorter

   Being the young congregation that we are and the age I’m getting to, I’m often finding myself in the role of a father where kids come for advice.  That’s OK with me.  Hope you can find a blessing in these short articles.

   I’ve discovered there are things I cannot control.  That may not sound profound, but when you come to grips with it, you stop trying to force change within others.  I can’t control politics (though I vote), I can’t change economics (though I save and invest), and I can’t change people (though I give them tools for positive change).

   I went all the way through my bachelor and master degrees using a typewriter.  Now that I’ve conquered the fear of technology of the computer, I can’t live without it.  So it is with changes in people.  We go through life hammering out the keys the old way because change is threatening.  But once I try it, I find a whole new motivation to do things differently.

   You can’t change people either, though you try with earnest effort.  People change because they have motivation to change.  That motivation comes from inside and it comes from the Holy Spirit. 

   If you want to see change in someone: Model it, and pray for it.  If they see you handling it a better way, they may lay down the old typewriter and pick up a keyboard.  And the Holy Spirit works in the secret parts of man where motivation stems from.

   Sometimes change happens around you and you don’t like it.  Well then, you’ve got a choice…go with the flow, or ware yourself out trying to swim upstream!  No one said we have to go through life like a grumpy old bear.  Instead of fighting the tide, we can be like the sea otter and float on our back as we snack on the delicacies the change of tide brought our way.

A Message from HOPE’S

Marriage & Family Ministry