Waco Section Royal Rangers

This is the seventh article in the Week of Prayer series sponsored by the Waco Section Royal Rangers blog. Each article has focused on a different prayer emphasis as it related to the Assemblies of God, the Royal Rangers Ministries, leaders, and boys. At the beginning of this week, you were charged to take part in the Week of Prayer and pray over several specific needs as well as praying for the prayer emphasis from that day’s article.

It has been our hope that you have been blessed and challenged by each of these articles and that you will continue to keep the prayer emphasis in your prayers in the days and months ahead. Throughout this coming year, keep the 2008 theme in mind, “Nothing’s too Hard for God.”

In America today, more children are growing up in dysfunctional homes than children growing up in two parent homes. As a result of these dysfunctional homes, children that grow up in them are likely to face a much more difficult life. While you may have boys in your Royal Rangers program that have both a mother and father that live at home, it is highly likely that you have boys in your church that are currently growing up in a dysfunction home, and likely without a father’s influence.

I want you to consider for a moment that following statistics concerning boys that grow up in fatherless homes, they are:

• 5 times more likely to commit suicide
• 20 times more likely to have a behavioral disorder
• 14 times more likely to commit rape
• 19 times more likely to drop out of school
• 10 times more likely to abuse chemical drugs
• 9 times more likely to be in a state operated institution, and
• 20 times more likely to be incarcerated in prison.

Let’s also consider these statistics:

• Over 30 million children in the U.S. do not have a father living with them and over 1/3 will not see their father at all in the next twelve months.
• Ninety percent of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.
• Over 71% of high school dropouts are from fatherless homes.
• Young children growing up without a father’s involvement are ten times more likely to be extremely poor.
• There are 20 million children living in single parent households.
• Sixty-three percent of youth committing suicides come from fatherless homes.
• The majority of teen mothers come from homes without fathers.
• Seventy percent of juveniles in state operated institutions come from fatherless homes.
• And if you examine the prison population, 85% of all youth sg in prison grew up in a fatherless home.

These statistics are staggering and each one of them tells us a story. However, this isn’t all. These aren’t the only sad statistics. It is said that one in six boys will be sexually abused by the time they are 18 years old. That means, it is probable that at least one boy in your Royal Rangers ministry has been sexually abused. In 2002, it is estimated that 78 million boys under the age of 18 were sexually abused or raped. According to the UN, more than 200 million children have suffered from sexual abuse, and most of these crimes are not through prostitution or committed by strangers. This means the child typically knows the person that abused them. The typical abusers are relatives, such as a father, an older brother, or an uncle, or a family friend or another trusted adult. However, it is also important to keep in mind that there are female abusers as well, such as a mother, an older sister, an aunt, or a babysitter. Boys that have suffered from sexual abuse go through a whole wide range of emotions and typically remain silent on the abuse, due to the stigma that real men would never allow the abuse to have occurred in the first place. What people who hold to that stigma fail to understand is how can you expect a 7 year old boy to prevent the abuse by someone older, bigger, or more powerful than them?

We haven’t even touched topics such as child abuse and neglect. If it isn’t apparent that we have a problem in America, than I suggest you re-read the above statistics again. We need to keep in mind that Christian households are not immune to these problems. In the Assemblies of God, 1,100,000 of the 2.8 million constituents are under the age of 25. However, there are millions of children in America. One of the goals of Doug Marsh, national director for Royal Rangers, is to make Royal Rangers effective for every boy.

Part of the way that we need to become effective for every boy, is that we need to minister to all the needs of the boy. The Royal Rangers emblem contains four gold points representing the four ways a boy grows: Mentally, Physically, Spiritually, and Socially. This coming from Luke 2:52, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Royal Rangers as it currently stands is already designed to actively help a boy grow in each of these four areas; however Royal Rangers currently isn’t effective to reach every boy. There is more work that needs to be done to make it that way.

We as leaders need to do what we can to make Royal Rangers exciting for every boy, and work to include every boy, regardless of whether or not they like to camp. We also need keep these boys that are in our church as well as those in our communities in prayer. They are facing difficulties left and right. Not only can they be suffering from things mentioned above, but they also have to deal with peer pressure as it relates to drugs, alcohol, and other crimes. We as leaders need to be on the lookout for symptoms related to drug and alcohol abuse. We need to be watching for signs of child abuse or neglect. We also need to be on the lookout for sexual abuse, not only by those in the parents home, but by those that are working with children. There is a reason why every church is strongly encouraged to perform background checks on every person that works with kids and why Royal Rangers requires the pastor’s signature for every adult to attend Royal Rangers events. It is for the protection of the kids. If you suspect that a boy in your Royal Rangers ministry is or has been abused, please follow the guidance of your pastor and the laws in your area as to the proper reporting of suspected abuse cases and who are mandatory reporters. Please be cautious if your pastor advises you not to report the abuse and he/she doesn’t report it. In many states, it is a crime to suspect child abuse and not report it to the proper authorities.

I recently ran across a song by a country artist that deals with child abuse. While in the song, it is talking about a girl, it could very easily be talking about a boy. I am including the lyrics to that song. It is titled Concrete Angel sung by Martina McBride. While reading the words, please let the Lord speak to you. Too often, there are many signs that a child is being abused, yet the adults that are suppose to have the interest of the child at heart, often ignore these signs, or turn away from them because they don’t want to believe that abuse is happening or they don’t want to be reminded of their own abuse. The child is typically afraid to break the silence for years after the abuse. That is why we have to help them break that silence.

She walks to school with the lunch she packed,
Nobody knows what she’s holding back,
Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday,
She hides the bruises with the linen and lace.

The teacher wonders but she doesn’t ask,
It’s hard to see the pain behind the mask,
Bearing the burden of a secret storm,
Sometimes she wishes she was never born.

Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone,
In a world that she can’t rise above,
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she’s loved,
Concrete Angel.

Somebody cries in the middle of the night,
The neighbors hear but they turn out their light,
A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate,
When mornin’ comes it’ll be too late.

Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone,
In a world that she can’t rise above,
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she’s loved,
Concrete Angel.

A statue stands in a shaded place,
An angel girl with an upturned face,
A name is written on a polished rock,
A broken heart that the world forgot.

Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone,
In a world that she can’t rise above,
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she’s loved,
Concrete Angel.

Don’t think that boys can’t suffer from child and sexual abuse, because they do. The following song is a rap song that was compiled on a CD for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape that deals with the issue of male rape and how it can be overcome. The song is titled Survival Story sung by I.B.

Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality

Conceived by wine and spirits, third born of four children.
He’s Askin’ God why as he’s starin’ at the ceiling.
His momma don’t know what he’s feeling, or does she?
Now he asks himself, do my parents really love me?
Don’t like when people hug me - I get really really scared.
I’m five years old, livin’ in a nightmare.
Somebody’s comin’ - I can smell the cheap liquor.
He’s thinkin’ about the empty faces on the family picture.
He’s lullabied by the cries of his baby sister,
The echoes get louder, then the tears get thicker.
He’s scared as he buries his head under the pillow,
Wishing he could fly like the birds outside the window.
He’s wonderin’ if his pain will ever turn to joy,
He’s told it’s his fault cause he’s a bad little boy.
Nevertheless, he wipes away the tears and prays everyday
The Lord’ll take away from him. Come on.

Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality

Another page is written, more done deeds forbidden.
He’s contemplatin’ bad things and I don’t think he’s kidding.
He’s 17 now and his childhood’s missin’.
It’s a shame that he never had someone there to listen.
He wants out this prison, but afraid to take action.
I can’t give up.
That would give the bad man satisfaction.
Lord, tell me what a kid should do when life is cruel.
He skips gym class, too embarrassed to shower at school.
His guidance counselor is cool, but his eyes are closed.
If nobody ever asks, then nobody ever knows.
It just goes to show the victims always suffer,
But life will get better even one way or another.
But in the meantime, his days are gray and nights are dark.
His innocence stolen and the pain left its mark.
His bruised heart still beats every day,
Holdin’ on to the notion that he’ll find a better way. Come on.

Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality

He’s now a grown man and the demons passed away.
He’s still strugglin’ anyway, he came to see that brighter day.
But how easy is that with the pain he’s still facin’,
And knowin’ that this could happen to the next generation.
No bad contemplations, he smells sweet victory.
The future’s gonna be blessed and the past, well that’s history.
I’m gonna wake up everyday with a smile on my face.
I’m alive and I’ve survived- It’s time for me to take my place.
He’s never been enlisted, but a purple hearted soldier.
You can’t keep a good man down.
I thought they told ya, Hold ya head up high.
Don’t let ‘em shake ya.
No matter what they throw at ya, never let ‘em break ya.
Understand I swear it by my right hand.
Believe me when I tell you this can happen to a man.
I know it firsthand and that’s all I’m gonna say.
How you like me now?
I’ve made it to that brighter day. Come on.

Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality
Rights And Pride Equal Resistance, Ability, Power, Equality

I hope through all of this, it has become abundantly clear that we need godly men to stand up and fill in the gap for children. We need to provide a godly role model to the boys in our Royal Rangers ministry. While there is no complete substitute for a dad, a godly father figure can go a long way.

As godly male figures, you can transform a boy by just living your life for God. You can also transform a boy by spending time with him. We are blessed to be able to be a part of a ministry that allows us to minister to the whole boy. Boys need godly men. In some ways, boys are more fragile than girls. Have you ever watched a boy with a dream have that dream torn to shreds by an abusive father? That can be devastating to the boy. Yes, in some cases, it can be a motivator to that boy to prove everybody wrong. But how many times has a boy had a dream, and someone tell him that the dream is not possible, or that it is a stupid dream, or that it will never amount to much. Yet it is a dream that could have changed lives. The old adage, sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, is the biggest lie grown ups tell kids. The emotional effect that words can have far reaching and long-lasting effects. The Bible tells us that the tongue is a powerful instrument. It can bring forth words that are edifying and can build someone up and bless them, or it can bring forth words that tear down, bring destruction, and curse them. We need to be careful what we say, what we do, and how we live our lives. Boys all around us are watching. Are they seeing Jesus or are they seeing another man?

The following is a poem that I recently read in John C. Maxwell’s Developing the Leader within You. It is something that we as leaders need to keep in mind.

The Little Chap Who Follows Me

A careful man I want to be,
A little fellow follows me;
I do not dare to go astray
For fear he’ll go the self-same way.

I cannot once escape his eyes.
Whate’er he sees me do he tries.
Like ME he says he’s going to be-
That little chap who follows me.

I must remember as I go
Through summer suns and winter snows,
I am building for the years to be-
That little chap who follows me.

It is my hope that while you have read this article, that God has placed a burden in your heart for the boys of this nation that are suffering, suffering from child abuse and neglect, suffering from sexual abuse, suffering from living in a broken and dysfunctional home without a father. It is my prayer that you will take that burden and pray about what God would have you to do, and how you should respond.

Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you today and we thank you for this ministry that you have risen up to minister to the boys of this nation. Father God, we lift up in prayer boys in our church that are growing up in broken and dysfunctional families. We ask that you send your comfort and your peace, that surpasses all understanding, into the hearts and lives of those boys. We also ask, Father God, that for those boys that are being abused, whether it be physical and emotional abuse, or sexual abuse, that you will give that child the strength to break the silence and to tell a trusted adult. Father God, we ask that you give us your strength to minister to these boys and to serve as a godly male figure in their lives. We ask that you strengthen us and give us the sight to see when boys are hurting and suffering, Father God, that we can be a comfort and a help to them. Father God, we lift up those that work with abused children, that they will be strengthened to do their job well, and be comforted as they help those that are hurting. Father God we ask that you give guidance to the leaders of the Assemblies of God and of Royal Rangers as they work to make this fellowship and this ministry relevant, accessible, and effective to everyone. Father God, we ask that you send boys to our churches and to this ministry that are needing to be comforted by you and in need of a godly male figure. We ask this all in your precious name, Amen.

David Trower
Sectional Web and Publications Coordinator