You know, I just love children. Perhaps nobody loves them more than I do, and I have to say that many perhaps love them as much as I do, but not more.

After our number four was born, I was talking to a member of this church who shall be remained nameless,

and I said, you know, if I could afford it, I would have a house full of them.

He looked me in the eye and said, Michael, you do have a house full of them. Stop. Only a friend

can do that. And yet there is a phenomenon that at least it breaks my heart in two when I hear

parents say something like this. We want to do

whatever our children want. We want to go wherever our children want to go. We make decisions on

the base what our children like. Sadly, the consequences of this kind of thinking is beginning to be filled in our culture.

I want you to hear me right, please.

God called the parents to lead the children and not the other way around.

And you know, that came home to me not long ago.

When my grandson was visiting, and he was just beginning to walk, and he discovered that if he can hold onto your hand or your finger, he can drag you around.

And he was just delighted that he could walk.

And he would get up early, and so do I, and so there was our time together.

And as soon as he gets out, he grabs my finger and he wants to walk. And I walked with him for

a little bit. Then we came into a landing in our living room. And he realized for the first time

that he could really get up the stairs, one step, holding onto my finger. So he was proud of himself,

so he went down again. Then he tried up again. And then he went down again. Well, after I got so

dizzy, I realized that God has not called me to be led by a 14-month-old boy. I realize that. In fact, Stephen Farrow laments this

phenomena that is happening in our culture. And he tells a story about a member of the

British family, royal family some years ago when he came to the United States and spent

a few weeks in the United States.

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