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Old Testament: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

New Testament: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV)

Gospel: “Peter seeing him saith to Jesus: Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him: If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me.” John 21:21-22 (KJV)
   
It happened Sunday evening June 27, 2010. I received the honor of pinning the Royal Rangers Gold Medal of Achievement on my son’s uniform. The magnitude of his accomplishment enhanced when I discovered nation wide fewer than 7,000 young men have acquired this coveted medal.

 I prepared to stand before my son who, once dwarfed by my shadow, now towers over me. I thought upon the medal and my attention fixed on the solitary word inscribed upon it. “READY” speaks volumes to my heart. Tears trace my eyes. I reminisce.

    According to Webster’s New College Dictionary, the adjective ‘ready’ means: 1. Prepared or available for service or action. 2. Mentally disposed. 3. Liable or about to do something. 4. Prompt in apprehending or reacting.

    This adjective appears in the Royal Rangers Motto which reads: “Ready! Ready for Anything! Ready to Work, Play, Serve, Worship, Live, and to Obey God’s Word!” This simple motto is supported by the Royal Ranger’s central them found within their pledge which states: “With God’s help, I will do my best to serve God, my church and my fellow man; to live by the Ranger Code; to make the Golden Rule my daily rule.” (That golden rule is found in Matthew 7:12. “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.”)

    I became acquainted with Royal Rangers in 1985 while attending seminary in Springfield, Missouri. I did volunteer work with a local chapter, but I never believed the program would be of long term significance to me.

  Following seminary, my wife and I traveled to Germany to do missions work. During this time my son, Peter was born (1990), and shortly thereafter, I was brought on active duty as an Army chaplain. Following a tour of duty in Georgia, and several years of separation due to Army Reserve operations, we finally settled in the Dallas, TX area where I was hired as an administrator (1998).

We began attending Mountain Creek Community Church, a non-denominational church, which recently started a Royal Rangers chapter (Post 362). At the age of eight my son asked to join the program, but he did not fully commit to it until he was nearly eleven. I wanted to be involved in the church’s chapter (and I was asked to become involved), but 9-1-1 changed that. My civilian job (preparing ministers to become military chaplains) intensified, while my Army Reserve chaplain duties required extended efforts in providing pastoral care to deploying soldiers.

January 2003 totally changed my family. My unit was activated and I was sent unaccompanied to San Antonio, TX. I was gone weeks at a time. My absence from my family was hard on every one, and I felt I was failing my son as a father. I received one significant promise which helped. A senior member of our Royal Rangers reassured me: “We honor your military duty and your sacrifice. We’re here, and we’ll help your son get through this.” That man and the staff of Post 362 kept their word.

How do I say thanks to those men? How do I say thanks to the men who helped fashion my son with the convictions, and beliefs I tried to instill? How do I say thanks to the men who helped my son develop leadership skills? How do I say thanks to the men who helped my son understand critical term such as: honest, courageous, loyal, courteous, obedient, and spiritual? The words “thank you” seems so little, but I convey them to the Royal Ranger Leaders with the greatest sense of appreciation and admiration. In my heart I shout: Thank God for Royal Rangers!

Reminiscing ends. I am called to stand before my son. Already he has received accolades from the Texas Governor and one of our U.S. Senators. A medieval sword of honor has been presented to him. I step forward to pin on the medal signifying the completion of the highest level of achievement the program offers. I chance a glance into the eyes of the person who was once a little boy and who is now a young man. I see in him one who has learned to work, play, serve, worship, live, and to obey God. What more could a Christian father desire?

I look at the medal and tug at it stating: “It looks good on you, son.” The solitary adjective captivates my eyes and I hear the Holy Spirit whisper confirmation: “He’s ready!”