Today I took my son back to college. Its a nice drive through beautifully wooded East Texas. Along the way you travel through a good sample of small town America. A man on his lawn tractor took time to wave as I drove by and at the gas station two complete strangers gave me a robust, "How you do'in!" It made wish for the times when I had the pleasure of living in the country and how beautifully simple things can be.

My wife and I were blessed with one child, a boy, we love more everyday. He's a Junior in college and like his mother very focused. He had allot of scholarships to choose from, and much to our surprise chose to attend a Christian University. The university gave him 85% of the cost which made us proud to see our son learning that hard work pays off. He spent allot of time studying and working out in high school. He played soccer in high school and is a defender for his college team. He learned some tough social lessons in school, these lessons challenged his Christian beliefs.

He didn't talk about how he handled personal relations except one. A good friend had approached our son about a party and incouraged him to come. He went only to find alcohol and marijuana present. His friend said you don't have to do anything but he chose to leave. The rest of his time before college he felt like a man on an island except around kids from the church. He wasn't invited to parties not because he had snitched but because he wasn't 'cool enough'.

We easily remembered when all the guys had their little 'surfer cuts' (bowl haircuts), and almost all looked alike. The same group played soccer together since about 7 years old. There were a few changes but the team remained basically the same. All the guys were sweet little boys who loved sports, they could've been brothers. As they got older they became more competitive and this caused some to leave because the parents didn't like that. They wanted everything equal despite the skill level and interest. They felt discipline, motivation and focus had no place in kids sports. Unfortunately these families never realized that the competitive spirit and hard-work were the fun part for most of the boys.

As I drove on I remembered his innocence and how he would over-hear something at school and would ask for explanations. I gave him 'G-rated ' versions as best I could. His exposure to information awed me, it came hard and fast. Some things I wished he never had to hear but I knew it was inevitable. We are in an era where we have to hear every detail on a loud speaker, pasted on a bill board or on TV. There was a time when discretion was a virtue and private or personal was just that. Morality seems to be on the run,

The farther I drove the more I tried to imagine the world he would inherit. The moral split in America caused me to worry about his families future. The thought of drugs and alcohol seemed to pale in comparison to the other issues that faced his society. He works hard and has been rewarded for his effort so far but what does that mean in a socialistic society? Will he be faced with immorality at every turn? What about his children? When will government tell him he has too many children and decide its best to terminate pregnancies or neuter him. What about health care? If he continues to work hard and pay his dues as its been here from the beginning, will he have to pay for those not paying their fair share? Will he have to take a number for his sick child behind those less motivated, less willing, not to mention those not here legally? How can effort mean nothing and have no value? Who will fight for the rights of those who played by the rules when it wasn't the politically correct thing to do?

We arrived at his beautifully wooded campus and unloaded his gear and made his bed. I noticed the smile on his face and his excitement was obvious, so I asked, "Are you glad to be back?" He looked at me and said, "I belong here ." This was followed by the a feeling I had felt before, it was the Holy Spirit telling me it will be ok. My son in his world protected by truth, love and fellowship and I had to head home. We huged many times promising to see each other soon and we had tears for our seperation as I left. I prayed for Heavenly Father to guide and bless him because our future is in the hands of the these moral  young Americans. God Bless them all.