Life lessons from family tragedy

Daughter plots parent’s murder-life lessons learned

Life lessons can be learned from the tragedy in 2007 when a 16-year-old daughter planned to murder her parent’s with the assistance of her boyfriend whom her parents disapproved of. This was a church going family. The father was the pastor of the church with their three children including the 16 year old in the worship team.

This appeared to be a family who were blessed but it all changed when she met her 19 year old boyfriend. The parents disapproved with one of the reasons being the age difference. the parents one day noticed her boyfriend’s myspace page with comments relating to alcohol and sexual activity. The father took her to one side and told her, “You were not raised this way.” A big argument followed with one of the parents taking her cell phone off her.

The daughter then plotted her parent’s death with the aid of her boyfriend and his associate. The girlfriend of the associate was drawn into the plot.

On the night of the murders, the two guys entered the property with one of the girls driving the vehicle. The 16 year old daughter kept the dog quiet.

The guys went inside and started firing shots with the father taking 11 shots but survived. The mother and the two brothers, aged 13 and 8 were killed. The murders were so barbaric that I am not going to go into the details here but it does show a complete lack of regard for human life and that the two lads who did the killing must have had a great deal of ill feeling towards the parents.

It was not long before those who were involved were arrested with the two lads who did the killing getting life without parole, the 16 year old daughter got 40 years plus another 25 years while the other young lady got 40 years but could get parole after 20 years.

The father survived the attack and made a full recovery. He later gave speeches on the dangers of going around with the wrong crowd.

Making friends with the wrong people is the downfall of many people. Young women are particularly vulnerable because will be pursued by men with questionable motives. It has been said “Girls date their self-esteem” and it may seem flattering when some guys may them feel good about themselves but people with insite can read between the lines. Insight comes from life experience and that is where parents prove helpful.

The number one mistake this 16-year-old made was dishonouring her parents. They tried get her to leave her boyfriend but she refused to. They saw material on his myspace page relating to alcohol and sexual activity. The father had a talk to her saying, “You were not raised this way.” An argument followed with one of her parents taking her cell phone off her.

It was alleged that she plotted to kill her parents for the following month leading up to the attack.

UNFORGIVENESS & THE OLDER BROTHER

The Prodigal son’s older brother

The party was in full swing. The father had killed the fatted calf to celebrate the return of his younger son who had returned home after squandering his inheritance on wayward living. At the party there was music and dancing there and every one was so happy, none more so than the father to receive his younger son back.

Then the older son returns home, sees all the music and dancing and calls out to one of the servants, “What does all this music and dancing mean?” The servant excitedly explains, “Your brother has returned home and your father has killed the fatted calf because he received him safe and sound.”

The father then said to his older son, “We had to celebrate son, for your brother was lost and now he is found, he was dead but now he is alive.”

The older brother became angry and resoonded, “WHAT, he shouldn’t be welcomed home, he should be horsewhipped. All these years I have been serving you but you never even killed a goat for me so that I may feast with my friends yet as soon as this no good son of yours wastes your property you killed the fatted calf for him. He’s a disgrace to the family.”

The father responds, ‘Son, you are always here with me, everything I own belongs to me but we had to celebrate for your brother has finally come to his senses.”

The older brother: “But what about me, I never lost mine.”

The father;”Yes, what about you son, can’t you forgive your brother?”

The father hit the nail on the head. In the older brother’s mind, he had been treated unfairly and this was creating a barrier between him and his brother. This barrier can be described in one word, “unforgiveness.”

Earlier on in this heated exchange, the father tells the older son that everything he owns belongs to him (The older brother). This suggests that the older brother has not accessed his inheritance yet due to his unforgiveness and hostility towards his brother.

It is all very well owning a lot of material possessions but at the end of the day but some people place too much emphasis on material posssessions at the expense of relations with other people. The older son refused to even come to the party even though his father pleaded him to come.

Unforgiveness, can really block the blessings that God has for you and this parable is a perfect example.

Does anyone have any take on this parable

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THE WIDOW’S OFFERING (Mark 12:41)

THE WIDOW’S OFFERING (Mark 12:41)

Written by R A Stewart

Jesus sat near the temple treasury, he watched the citizens as they dropped in their money. A number of rich men dr opped in a lot of money. Then a poor widow appeared and she driopped in two little coins. Jesus then said to his disciples “I say, this poor widow, as poor as she is, gave all the living she had but all the others gave what they had to spare from their riches; but she, as poor as she is put in all she had to give.”

This incident is all about attitude. The rich people when they gave money into the offering made a song and dance about it. They wanted everyone to know what good people they were because of their ability to give.

The widow in contrast, gave all she had and gave anonymously or though she though but because Jesus pouinted out how generous she is, we all know about her donation over 2000 years later.

God’s definition of generosity is different to that of the world. He measures generosity in terms of what we have sacrificed. It is not what have given but what we have left over. The widow’s heart was in the right place, she gave with the right motive.

Two pharasees who heard Jesus, spoke at the temple asked Jesus “What right do you have to say these things, who gives you this right.”?

Jesus struck a raw nerve and these people questioned him about his preaching but notice hope that in this incident, they never tried to defend themselves or their giving or rather their motive for giving.

People tend to go to the pastor with various problems but not one in a hundred person would go to their pastor and admit that they have a problem with greed. It is one thing that people will not admit to and these pharasees had their greed and their motives exposed by Jesus. It must have been a big blow to their pride and their ego.

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THE PRODIGAL SON

The Prodigal Son Luke 15-11

The younger son

This is the parable of the Prodigal Son, sometimes called “The Lost Son,” the younger son said to his father, “Give me my share of property that is due to me.” So the father divided his livelyhood equally between the two sons. After a few days, the youngerson sold his part of the property and left home with the money. He went to a faraway land where he squandered his money on reckless living.” He spent everything he had and when a famine spread throughout the land he was left with nothing. So he joined himselves to the citizens of that land and work there where he took care of the swine (pigs). He was jealous of the pigs because they were so well fed but no one gave him anything. At last he came to his senses and said, “All of my father’s servants are better fed than me and yet here I am starving! I will go to my father and say, Father I have sinned against you and God, please make me like one of your hired servantts.”

So the younger son quit his job at the piggery and set off for home and whuile he was still far off, his father saw him and took pity on him. He ran towards him shouting, “My Son, My Son,” and hugged him. The younger son responded, “I am not worthy to be called your son.”

The father then said to one of his servants, “Quick put some sandals on his feet and a silver ring on his finger and kill the fatted calf for we have cause for celebration.”

The feasting begun.

There was music and dancing there and everyone was havuing a good time.

Now let us take a look at the younger son’s life.

1-He didn’t want to wait until his father had died. He wanted his share of his inheritance now. The want it now metality is the reason why that the credit card companies are making so much money.

2-After the money was gone, he got a job feeding the pigs but was jealous of the pigs because they were so well fed but no one gave him anything. Now isn’t that interesting because he had lots of friends when he had lots of money but as soon as the money was gone so were his friends. That tells us that false friends do not hang around when your money runs out.

3-He came to senses and concluded that he was better off at home with the father. Many people drift from the faith, make a mess of their lives and return home to the father because they realise they are better off with God than without him.

4-When he was still a long way off his father saw him and took compassion on him. He didn’t rebuke him and get angry, no he was pleased to see him. I know a lot of father’s would have blown a casket saying, “Right, you are paying for that and if you are going to live under MY roof then this is going to be how it will be like.”

5-The father, told the servant to kill the fatted calf for we have something to celebrate. That tells us that the father wants only the best for his children. It wasn’t just a calf but the prize calf.

This parable teaches us about the loving father as he showed unconditional love towards the rebellious son who humbled himself, saying, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”

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THE PRODIGAL SON

The prodigal son

written by Robert (Bob) Stewart

The older son

The older son came in from the field and when he saw the music and dancing, called out to one of his servants “what does all this music and dancing mean”?

The servant answered him, “Your brother has returned home and your father has killed the fatted calf for him because he has received him safe and sound.”

The father, who followed the servant out of the house said, “we had to celebrate son, because your brother was lost and now he has been found, he was dead but now he alive.”

But the older son, far from being pleased became angry and responded, “WHAT, he shouldn’t be welcomed, he should be horse whipped. all of these years I have been working like a slave for you and you never even killed a goat for me so that I may feast with my friends yet as soon as this useless son of yours wastes your money on prostitutes you killed the fatted calf for him.”

The father responded, “son, you are always here with me, everything I own belongs to you but in the meantime we have something to celebrate, your brother has come to his senses.”

The older son says, “But what about me, I never lost mine.”

The father, “Yes, what about you son, can’t you forgive youer brother.”?

Listen son, says the father, “Selfishness took your brother away from us and now its keeping you from him.”

Let us analyise the older son’s response.

1-He referred to his brother as “this useless son of yours.”

He couldn’t even bring himself to say, “my brother.” Some people are like that when they refer to others of a different faith by saying, “those people over there” as if they were aliens from outer space as if everyone has to be a carbon copy of their own lives.

2-He called his brother “useless”

Using labels such as this often has a negative impact on other people because they often live their lives according to their label and people often feel valued according to their labels.

3-He accused his brother of wasting their father’s money on prostitutes.

How did the older son know what his brother spent the money on, or was he just making assumptions? I think he was making assumptions. The problem with making assumptions is that they are usually wrong and based on whether your point of view. People choose what they want to believe and because the older son had difficulty in forgiving his brother, anything he said about his brother was going to be negative.

4-The main complaint of the older son is that he was treated unfairly compared to his younger son and at the centre of it seems to be money.

The love of money manifests itself in the way people speak about other people’s money. He also complained about the fatted calf being killed for the younger son and about what he thought his brother spent the money on.

In today’s world people see what others have got and want it too, its called “keeping up with the Joneses.” The fact that people don’t have the money to purchase such and such, just put on the visa or master card and what is at the centre of it all? GREED.

Now let us take a look at the character of the father.

1-When his younger son returned, he killed the fatted calf for him so what does this tell us? A good father wants the best for his children irrespective of what they may have done. That just shows you how generous the father is.

2-The father was partient with his older son, he tried to persuade him to enter the party but he refused.

3-The father was willing to forgive and forget the sins of the younger son. In fact, after the younger son returned home, it was only the older son who talked about his yoyunger brother’s sins.

4-The father spoke in present and future terms. “Everything I own belongs to you” (future), “You are always here with me” (present), “We had to celebrate” (present)

The older son kept on referring to the past when talking about his brother.

5-The younger son may have done wrong, but the father still acknowledged him as his son, unlike the older son who couldn’t even bring himself to say “my brother”

 

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A PERSON WITH WISDOM HAS INSIGHT

Two woman went to King Soloman to settle a dispute. They both had a baby boy and one of them accidently rolled on her baby during the night and killed him and she swopped babies and the real mother knew the live one was hers and Soloman grabbed a sword and told them he will cut the baby in half and give one to each woman. The reral mother said “Don’t do that, give her the baby” but the other woman said, “Go a head and kill the baby so that neither of us can have him”.

Soloman answered “Give the first woman the child, she is the real mother”

1 Kings 3-9

WISDOM FIRST

If you had the choice between having wisdom, wealth, long life, or whatever you want what would you choose? Solomon chose wisdom and because he chose wisely God gave him these other things (1 Kings 3-9) Most people would say “Oh but if I had wealth I would get all of these other things”

It doesn’t seem to work that way. Wisdom allows us to make the right choices. If you won the lottery tomorrow and didn’t have wisdom then your so-called good fortune will have to potential to destroy your life. Money tend to make us more of what we are.