1st Birthday of 2013

Jamin Marshall Dake

Happy 17th Birthday!!!

"How blessed is the MAN who does not walk 

in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:1

Tuesday was Jamin's 17th birthday, so I went back and picked a few pictures of this boy-child who is quickly becoming a man.  How does a mother let go???  So few years ago he was this boy-child running, frolicking, playing, learning, and now, he is this man whom a mother has to step back a bit and set free.  How does she do this?  I have seen how when a mother holds too tightly to sons how this affects them.  When older sons need so much affection from their mothers, they only see potential wives as their mother, making for problems from the very beginning of a marriage.  Sons must depend and look at, lean on, learn from, talk to their fathers.  This is not to say they step totally away from their mothers, no, just closer to the men, preferably their father in the process of manhood.  

Mothers must step away a bit, it hurts, but when they don't, if they choose to marry, the sons will have a much more difficult time leaving and cleaving, and Scripture clearly states the man will leave his father and mother and will cleave to his wife, but how can he if he is so strongly held onto, or holding on to his mother.  I am learning.this.slowly.  Yes, we have a way to go, but I want to make it easy for him then, so now.slowly.letting.go.  

When boys are small they need their mothers much more than we think; a father is so very important, but the nurturing, growing, tending, pruning, teaching, cultivating, discipling, disciplining, in the early years needs to come from the mother.  The father always, always is to lead in the midst of all the training.  If the mother has no real role, you can see boys who do not listen, are more rowdy, unruly, sneaky, disrespectful, and not very responsible.  The early years are when these are taught, and most men do not think about the nurturing process.  God didn't give all men, most men, the innate discernment to see the trickiness or manipulativeness of wee ones.  God didn't make them that way, that is why He gave us different roles in the raising of our children.  Dads main role (he always has an important role, but much more so later) in their sons lives come later when they have achieved respectfulness and responsibility.  This sets the stage for the son to become the man God will have him to be.  Some may disagree but I have seen this over and over and over again in boys lives, so moms, love them now, early, and then slowly, watch him be a man, God's man.

Here is my boy-child, from about 5 years ago becoming a Godly young man.  I am so very proud of him.  Last year, on his 16th birthday, we held a ceremony called the "Rite of Passage into Biblical Manhood," and he received letters from Godly men who surround him, a charge from his father, and received a sword, representing the "Sword of the Spirit."  It was a wonderful ceremony and he can still read the encouraging words from the men for him to "Continue On."  Go here and here to see what we did.  

Jamin's life verse is Psalm 27:1

"The Lord is my light and my salvation

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?" 

OK, Hello Kitty is NOT very manly, it was his sister's guitar strap and he was just playing the bass.  Normally, he DOES change the straps if he plays.  I just had to clarify... :)

Love this!  Father and Son...yes.

Birthday Boy!  Not too much on smiling, it's a man thing...

Just seeing the box brought a smile though!

My father and My husband and MY son, 3 Godly generations.

I am so blessed!

We made a new ice cream cake I found on Pinterest, I am beginning to think it is evil - takes waaaaay too much of my time - but great ideas...

Layer a 9x13 with 12 ice cream sandwiches, you may need to cut a bit off.

Spread 1/2 a tub of cool whip...we just used an 8 oz. tub.

Pour 1/2 a jar of caramel topping and chop up your choice of candy.  We used Hershey's chocolate bars, 2 here.  The recipe showed Reese's cups.

Place ANOTHER layer of 12 ice cream sandwiches!

Yes, the rest of the cool whip...

The caramel topping and chopped candy, we used 4 bars on top!

OH, he was happy!  There's the smile!  Dimples and all!  He doesn't like us talking bout those...so cute!  Sorry, Jamin, my blog.

Already reading a book on "How to Make Whips."  He loves learning how to do and make things.

And, his big gift the Dad picked out, a 12 gauge shotgun.  He was very happy.

The cautious man at work; 1st thing you do is clean it after making sure it is NOT loaded.  
Truly, a man's man.

His sisters got him throwing knives, books, money and shotgun shells from grandparents with some green stuff too...the kind you can spend...

I believe he had a wonderful birthday!  We ended it with a trip to The Outback Restaurant in Cleveland.  Mmmmm, mmmmmmm, good.  Meant to get a pic there, but the food was just too good, I forgot, plus it was kind of dark.  We came home and, of course, ate more Birthday ice cream cake!  What a way to end the day!

He is a very special young man and I am so proud of my man!

"When I was a child, I used to speak like a child,

think like a child, reason like a child;

when I became a man, 

I did away with childish things."

1 Cor. 13:11

Too many men do not put away childish things, they try to stay a child, and we have an entire generation of childish men, playing, tricking, teasing, irresponsible, disrespectful, non-working men-boys never wanting to grow up.  

We need a new generation of Real Men, Godly Men, not Childish Men.  Raise them up Moms and Dads!  Step up to the plate! 

Brian Free and Assurance

"I Want to Be That Man"

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody