The Results of Not Counting the Costs Ii: (Dressed in Gray) [Kids Edition]

By Chaplain Ken McCoy Doctor of Ministry

The Bible says in Proverbs 18:21, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. The young boy we meet in this book, Timmy, is consumed with the words that his parents speak to him on a constant basis. Finally he finds hope through the understanding his granddad and great-granddad give him about why his dad says the things he says. Not only does Timmy get set free from his fear, his entire family comes to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Parents, grandparents, this is a book you should read to young kids who have not started to read on their own yet. It is a great bed-time story, and it was written so you would read it one chapter a day. It will give the child time to meditate on what is taught in each chapter. Kids will anticipate getting back to the story each night and discussing with you what they are learning. For those kids who do read, just let them read it on their own. It will teach every child some of Gods principles and give them an understanding of how Gods word applies to all of our lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512741247

Chaplain Ken McCoy Doctor of Ministry

Dr. McCoy is a retired peace officer from the state of Georgia. He retired as deputy warden of Clayton County Prison in Lovejoy, Georgia. He served as deputy warden of administration, care and treatment, and security. He worked in corrections for more than twenty years, in both state and county government. During his career, some of his duties included being a tactical commander, a mental health officer, a special management officer, a senior counselor, a gang investigator, and a hostage negotiator. He taught drug classes and Bible studies. He has been in jail/prison ministry for more than thirty years. He holds bachelor degrees in Biblical studies and religious education. He holds a master of theological studies degree and a doctor of ministry degree in Christian counseling. Ken is an ordained minister, a board-certified Christian counselor, and a board-certified chaplain. He is a board member for The Board of Examiners for Georgia Christian Counselors and Therapists, and a board member for the American Chaplains Association. Ken and his wife, Lynn, live in Locust Grove, Georgia. Lynn works in corrections for the state of Georgia.

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Copyright © 2016 Chaplain Ken McCoy, Doctor of Ministry.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-4123-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4124-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016907443

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/12/2015

Contents

Introduction

Chapter One First Memories

Chapter Two Sunday Mornings

Chapter Three Pappy's Teachings

Chapter Four Visiting Jimmy

Chapter Five Harvest Time

Chapter Six Decision, Decision

Chapter Seven Good Ground

Chapter Eight A Lesson in Trust

Chapter Nine The Perfect Gift

Conclusion

This book is

dedicated to God Almighty, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit of God. You have forever taken me in your arms and seen me through every challenge that has ever entered into my life. You have made me victorious, not because of anything I have done, but because You loved me first. I thank You for never letting me go, and I thank You for showing me the way to trust You in this life. You have always provided my every need and I want for nothing, except, for my relationship with You to grow deeper every day.

Thank You Father for causing me to draw near to You. You are worthy of all of our praise.

To my grandchildren,

Ali Faith, Presley, Danica, and Nathaniel

May each of you know God loves you

so much that He gave His Son Jesus so you could have life and have it to the fullest.

Psalms 17:6

Children's children are the crown of old men...

Introduction

W e get the privilege of visiting the life of a young boy just starting out. He is blessed to live where he does, and we get to see the growth of him and his family. We get to experience through him what our words can do to people. We get to see the importance of having relationships that both stimulate us and challenge us to do what each of us must choose as right and wrong.

Right and wrong become big factors in the life of this young child. He struggles with his parents words, and has to check out everything that is said to him through his granddad and great- grandfather. He fears going behind his parents back, but he knows those two old men have more knowledge than anyone else in his life.

His siblings are little help to him as far as doing what is right and wrong. They love using him to get attention off of themselves with their parents. It's manipulation skills that children seem to learn early; part of me would like to say that it's the sin nature that we are born with. Kids learn early how to get their way, and if not dealt with immediately, it can become the driving force of their entire existence. Believe me when I say this; prisons are full of manipulators. That's what they did before prison, and that's what they do while incarcerated.

Thank God for Timmy's sake, he had relatives that believed what Proverbs says about raising your children. Proverbs 22:6, Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. You see, Great-granddaddy Pappy loved his family and wanted all of them to know his best friend, Jesus Christ. You will see that he had no greater mission than to see that all of his relationships were built on his love for Christ, and Jesus' love for him.

Timmy learned of God's love early. God's love became the most important thing in Timmy's life. With that loving force behind him, he also learned early that he had a calling. That calling was fulfilled only by his acceptance that God knew what was best for him.

What we also find in Timmy's life is a young boy who learns what it means to give back to others. Timmy's heart is shaped by the old men around him who have had a relationship with God just about forever. The teachings Timmy receives from his granddad and his Pappy are life lessons that can't be denied.

Lessons received from our elders are to be cherished if they bring true life to a situation. Patience is what it took to teach Timmy, and patience was the virtue that his granddad and his Pappy possessed. No one else in Timmy's life ever came close in defining what true patience was, other than these two men. And not only did these men show and teach patience to everyone around them, they were also the most humbled men Timmy ever knew. Humility was the trait that stood out most to Timmy when he was very young concerning his Pappy and granddad. Patience overtook it only because each man was so willing for Timmy to become the man God wanted him to be.

Life, well we get to see where it lead Timmy. May we all learn the lessons he learned; and may we finish the race that God has set before us.

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CHAPTER ONE

First Memories

H i. My name is Timmy. I'm telling my story today because I believe I have something to say that might help you with your life struggles. I have searched my heart, my mind, and everyone else's around me to find some truth in this life. I don't know why parenting is so hard, or life itself, but I know this, words can cut you to the quick, and they can put a fear in you like nothing else. My struggles began early, and I thank God every day, now that I'm older, that He was always there for me. Let me tell you how it all began.

I was born in the late nineteen-twenties. I didn't have many neighbors except for my granddad and his dad. They were both someone all of us kids could run to when we had no other place to go. They actually lived in a town called Wisdom: population two. That's what the sign said. Where I lived, just three minutes away, didn't even have a name. It was just my family: mom, dad,