Letters to Young Boys, by Daniel Whyte IV by GLM Omnimedia Group

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Letters to Young Boys

by Daniel D.P. Whyte IV with Danyel Ezekiel Whyte V

OTHER BOOKS by Daniel Whyte IV 1. The Thanksgiving that Almost Wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t (co-author)

Letters to Young Boys by Daniel D.P. Whyte IV with Danyel Ezekiel Whyte V

LETTERS TO YOUNG BOYS Cover Design by Jack Kotowicz of Velocity Design Group

First Printing 2007

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner, except for brief quotations included in a review of the book. ________________________________________________________ The Bible quotations in this volume are from the King James Version of the Bible. The name TORCH LEGACY PUBLICATIONS and its logo are registered as a trademark in the U.S. patent office. ISBN 0-9785333-3-X Printed in the U.S.A.

DEDICATION This book is dedicated to Almighty God To my father and mother: Rev. & Mrs. Daniel Whyte III My brothers: Danyel Ezekiel and Duran My Sisters: Daniella, Danita, Danae`, Daniqua, Danyelle Elizabeth and Danielle And to all young boys across this nation and around the world!

Contents Before We Begin...............................................13

PART 1: FAITH-WALK.....................15 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The Pendulum....................................17 Reading Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Word............................23 Talking to God....................................27 Obedience Matters..............................31 Your Duty..........................................35 Finishing Up.......................................39

PART 2: CHARACTER-TRAITS..........43 7. Clarifying Character.............................45 8. WANTED: Honest Boys.......................47 9. True Courage.....................................51 10. Purposeful and Persevering..................55 11. Humility..........................................59 12. Consistency Matters..........................61 13. Self-Control......................................63 14. On Being Responsible........................67 15. Discipline.........................................71 16. Finishing Up.....................................73

PART 3: LIFE-TALK......................75 17. School is Serious Business...................77 18. On Being a True Reader.......................81 19. Role Models.....................................85

20. Confidence Matters..........................87 21. Simply Speaking................................89 22. Friends and Family...............................93 23. Your Mission in Life.........................97 24. True Success...................................99 25. Finishing Up...................................103 26. A Final Note..................................105

RESOURCES: My Favorite Passages of Scripture...........109 Great Books for Boys.............................111 Great Websites to Visit..........................115

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS God is worthy of all praise, Who in His gracious providence, allowed me to write this book. Without Him, I, nor this book, would ever be. I wish to thank my father, Daniel Whyte III, for his great advice, instruction, and encouragement; my little brother, Danyel Ezekiel, for his ever-present inspiration; my sister, Daniella, for proofreading the manuscript; my mother for editing the manuscript and I also wish to thank all of the other members of my family for their help on this project. I would also like to thank Dianne Haskett and Jack Kotowicz for the wonderful job they did on the cover. Much Thanks! 13

Before We Begin (An Introduction)

by Daniel Whyte IV I believe that God allowed me to write this book to help other boys just like me. God’s Word tells us that, even though none of us is perfect, we should try to help those around us. Also, I would like you to know that I am not writing this book from an, “I’m better than you” standpoint, rather, I am writing this book to share with you some of the life lessons that I have learned, and to also challenge myself to be a better young man for the glory of God. If you genuinely do your best, strive to do what is right, have a heart that loves God and longs to get to know Him better, to serve Him better, and to obey Him better, God will bless you immensely. –Daniel Whyte IV

1: FAITH-WALK Part

Letter 1:

The Pendulum

Dear YB (Young Boy): A pendulum is a metal ball that hangs on the end of a iron rod, like the kind you see in a Grandfather Clock. If you would hold the metal ball up at a certain point in the air, and then let it go, it would start to swing. But, no matter how long or how fast it swings, it would never again reach that certain point in the air, where you held it before you let it go. In a way, a pendulum is a picture of humanity. God held the pendulum at that certain point in the air when Adam and Eve (the first human beings) were in direct communion with God in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned, God had to drop the pendulum. Why? Since God is holy and perfect, He 19

requires, and can have nothing less, than holiness and perfection in return from His creation in order for us to stay in direct communion with Him. After Adam and Eve sinned, every single human being born into the world has sinned. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “All [that includes you and me] have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” The pendulum began to swing after God had to drop it. This swinging represents man trying to get back into direct communion with God, through his own efforts (good works, etc.); but as man keeps trying (and the pendulum keeps swinging), man continues to fall short of his goal. (Remember: The pendulum never again reaches that certain point in the air where it was once held.) Because God is perfect, and He requires perfection from all humans, the punishment for sin is death, and, eventually, eternal Hell. “For the wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23). God, Who is loving and merciful, felt compassion for us human beings, and decided that He would provide a way for us to be saved. To do so, there would have to be a sacrifice on God’s part. However, seeing that

God could not give up His perfection, because then, He would be less than God, He had to give up something perfect! “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever [that includes you] believeth in Him should not perish [in Hell] but have everlasting life [in Heaven].” –John 3:16 Finally, the pendulum quit swinging and came to a stop when God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to die on the cross for us. Because of the blood that He shed, and the death that He died, “While our we can believe in Him, and physical death trust in Him, for our is inevitable. salvation from Hell. Why Our spiritual can we do this? The death is reason is simple:

avoidable.” Jesus Christ came to this world as God in the flesh. In other words, He walked the earth as God among men, perfection among imperfection, holiness among unholiness. He lived a perfectly sinless life upon planet earth. And because He did so, He conquered sin. When He rose from the dead on the third day, He conquered death, and in so

doing, He conquered Hell. You may be saying, “Well, that’s fine for Jesus Christ and all, but what about me? I’m not perfect. How do I get that salvation?” Well, Jesus Christ didn’t do all of this for Himself. Look at it this way: If the wages of sin is death, and Jesus Christ didn’t sin, why did He die? This answer is simple. He died for you and me. He died for our sins. He took our sins upon Him, died in our stead, and suffered our hell. Don’t understand it all? You don’t have to. All we have to do is believe it to be saved. Jesus Christ did all that was required on God’s part for man’s salvation. The one thing that you have to do is trust in Him. That’s right, simply trust in Him. The Bible says: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). It also says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). If you believe that because we are sinners, God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the 22

cross for our sins, and that He was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day, and you are willing to allow Him to come into your heart and save your soul and change your life, please pray the following prayer: Dear God, I know that I am a sinner, and that I have broken Your laws. Lord, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to go to Hell, so thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for my sins. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead for my sins. Please come into my heart, save my soul, and change my life. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen. I hope that you will make the decision to let Jesus Christ become the Lord of your life. I guarantee, it will be the best decision you ever made. Walking in the Light, Daniel Whyte IV