Quote 05

I have noticed that several of the blogs I check regularly have had infrequent posts lately. This is a busy time of year and my attempts to keep this blog beneficial to me and others has become a lesser priority of late. And so, I have chosen the easy route... a good quote as a post. Now, I actually wasn't even planning on posting until I read this. It was definitely a challenge and motivation to my heart. This comes from William Stills and concerns the sending of kids off to college.

"Every autumn I have a spate of letters from fond parents, teachers, guardians, and monitors, appealing to me to follow up on such and such a youngster who is away from home at college for the first time, and who has to be hunted, followed, shadowed, intercepted and driven to Christian meetings. I have scarcely ever known this desperate technique to work. I understand the panic of parents and guardians, but it is too late then to try high pressure tactics. Prayer, example and precept, in that order, are the means of bringing up children and young folk in the faith. Nor will high pressure tactics and brainwashing techniques avail when young folk have gone off on their own. Some young folk, alas, will have their fling and sow their wild oats, and come at last to heel, sadly, like the prodigal son. It is where Christians pathetically put their trust in external techniques and artificial stratagems that young folk go astray. Nothing takes the place of the realism of holy living and secret wrestling before God in prayer for our youngsters. We must commit them to God so utterly that we dare not interfere or tamper with their precious souls."
(William Still, late Pastor of Gilcomston South Church, Aberdeen, Scotland)

HT: Ligon Duncan

PS - I found this post to be quite insightful