Click on the World to go to our International page!

June, 2001

When we asked for permission to print the following poem, the author replied, "I did not discover the majesty of the Lord until I almost experienced my third divorce…. I came from a long line of broken homes; in my family (divorce) was almost ‘no big deal.’ When I discovered the reality of my actions, I also discovered how badly my parents’ divorce affected my life. Sadly, I had already ruined two families by then. God has long since restored my third marriage and we are very happy and blessed. My two grown sons have different moms. Much of the damage done by the divorces still affects them, but they have made much progress.

"It’s been years since all this happened and since I allowed God into my life. For so long I refused to have anything to do with God and blamed Him for many of my problems. When I changed my attitude, He changed my life. Now I write poems to speak to people’s hearts about what God can and will do for them."

Where Have All the Daddies Gone?

By Chick Velasco

If you listen quietly

You can hear the babies cry.

Their Daddies have all moved away

And no one's told them why.

Just because they are so small,

We think they do not know

What it is we've done to them,

When we decide to go.

That's a lie we tell ourselves

To make ourselves believe

That it really doesn't matter

When we decide to leave.

Not only does it matter,

Hear me when I say,

They don't need us just on weekends;

They need us every day.

As I sit and write these words,

I can't describe the pain

As I recall the things I did;

I relive it once again.

I cannot even see the page,

My eyes so full of tears,

Still I cannot cry them dry

After all these years.

I love my sons so very much

But I did not put them first.

I was just so selfish

That I behaved my worst.

I left them with their Mommies,

I left them all alone,

I saw them on the weekends

And sometimes on the phone.

Why did I leave my sons behind?

Did I think I could be free?

I blamed it on their mothers

When the fault belonged to me.

Listen when I tell you,

These words I speak are true.

There's no freedom in the prison

That your acts create for you.

The day will come when you will see

What you have done so wrong.

You'll know your babies didn't get

What they needed all along.

You'll realize that it's your fault

And there's nothing you can do.

You will not get a second chance

To see your babies through.

Before you know it they are grown,

And their choices aren't so good,

Because their Daddy didn't teach

Them all the things he should.

Oh, they will always love you,

But that just makes it worse,

For in your heart you'll always know

You've given them a curse.

And in your heart you'll always know

That love is not enough.

You need to teach them every day

And do the "Daddy" stuff.

They need you there to laugh with them,

To hold them when they cry,

To hug them and to kiss them,

Make them the apple of your eye.

I often wonder what went on

Inside their little hearts

When I packed up and went away

And ripped their lives apart.

If you leave your babies,

That's exactly what you do, 

Then one day you realize

Just what you've put them through. 

Then every time you see a child 

Your heart will start to swell.

You'll remember what you've done,

It's your little piece of hell.

There'll be nothing you can do

To satisfy the guilt,

It's like a dagger in your heart

That's buried to the hilt.

Every time you see a Daddy

Doing what is right,

You will know that you have failed

And you can never make it right.

Every night when you lie down

You'll hear your babies cry.

You'll taste the salty teardrops

That trickle from your eye.

You'll ask the Lord for mercy,

And He'll forgive you, too.

He'll wrap His arms around you,

And He will help you through.

Still you have to face the sunrise 

Each and every day,

Always knowing in your heart

It was you who walked away.

My Father up in heaven

Has forgiven me that sin,

But I cannot leave this prison

That I am living in.

I can only promise

To be here every day,

So when my children call on me,

They'll know I'm back to stay.

Even then the pain persists,

It never goes away.

I'm shackled to this prison

I live in every day.

I have no one I can blame;

The fault is only mine.

I'm the one who made the choice

To leave my sons behind.

So many other Daddies

Have done the same as I,

And if they listen quietly

They can hear their babies cry.

They can hear them crying, 

No matter where they roam,

Yet all those tears would turn to joy

If Daddy would come home.

I heard another baby cry

Just the other day.

She told me that her Daddy

Had packed and moved away.

I went off by myself and cried,

Knowing I'm the one.

I caused this problem long ago

...Her Daddy is my son.

That's why this is a prison

I am living in,

Because my former selfishness

Has hurt someone again.

Even though the years have passed

And I have changed my ways,

I cannot reverse the damage

Of my younger days.

So in this prison I will stay

Until my days are through,

Always wishing I could change

What I cannot undo.

If you are a Daddy, 

Do not move away.

They need you more than weekends,

They need you every day.

Every day that you are gone

Is a day you can’t retrieve,

And it soon creates a prison

That you can never leave.

If I could do it all again,

I would not move away.

I'd spend some time with all my kids 

Each and every day.

Poem used by permission. E-mail the author at dropnhook@aol.com

OUR EYES ARE ON YOU, LORD!

by Marilyn Conrad

Most of us were affected by the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Many had loved ones or friends involved there. All across our nation lives were changed by that distant battle. Events that happen in the natural often parallel what happens in the realm of the spirit. The Persian Gulf War awakened the Body of Christ to the reality of the spiritual battle we face.

We are in a battle for the home. Today that battle grows more intense. Divorce, drugs, and sexual abuse are at an all time high. We know that 50% of all first marriages end in divorce. Are you aware that recent statistics show that 60% of all second marriages end in court? That 70% of all third marriages and 80% of all fourth unions end in divorce?

There must be strength and power in the Body of Christ to fight this attack against our homes. When my husband divorced me, I was shocked at the lack of support I received for the healing of my marriage. All my Christian friends told me they hoped God would do something, but they really didn’t know what He could do. Although they hurt for me they suggested that I just go on with my life. The said I should just put the past 27 years away and make a new start. In other words, I should accept defeat and start over.

That was not what I felt the Lord was saying to me. As I studied His Word I discovered that God hates divorce and marital separation. (Malachi 2:14-16 NIV) I also found that He is very displeased when we make vows and do not keep them. (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5) Marriage is a covenant, not a contract with loopholes written in. Those entering the marriage covenant become a family, and marriage was intended to last a lifetime: “until death do us part.”

God says that a man who does not care for his family is worse than an infidel. (1 Timothy 5:8) However, one study shows that husbands, no longer burdened with a family, experience a 42% increase in their standard of living while their former wives show a 73% decrease in theirs. Women and children suffer, not only emotionally, but also financially when there is a divorce.

When we were born again, the enemy sent his tanks rolling across our borders. We are in a war whether we like it or not. The battle for our homes rages, and many soldiers are in need of some R&R, rest and recuperation. In the second book of Chronicles, in Chapter 20, the Ammonites and Moabites came against Judah. Jehoshaphat was afraid so he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah to ask help from the Lord. In verse 12 he says, "…for we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." (NKJV)

Moses’ Camp Fire Check-List

By Gerry Hiebert
Canadian National Director

If it’s your idea, it’s too small
Moses wanted to save one man; God wanted him to save a nation.

Gone but not forgotten
Feeling abandoned and ignored? Moses spent 40 years counting sheep before God called him. Even then, his job description didn’t really change; just his flock’s size and constitution.

Some things only look like they’re ruined
Same as Moses’ bush, your marriage may be on fire. Just remember it can’t be consumed as long as you’re standing!

Take off your shoes!
God shows up when we least expect it. You might be standing on Holy ground right now and not even know it.

Your answer is on the way
God dispatched Aaron long before Moses started to catalogue his excuses.

God can even use sticks
If God could use a wooden staff to impress a Pharaoh, don’t be surprised if He thinks you might be useful, too.

Timing is vital
Moses had the right idea at the wrong time. It didn’t work.

Attitude is essential
At the right time he had the wrong attitude. It still didn’t work.

The full meal deal
At the right time with the right attitude, God used Moses to do the impossible. It works every time!

Don’t expect to be overwhelmed by gratitude
Just like the Israelites, others won’t always appreciate what you’re doing for them.

Prodigals will return to the Son in 2001!