To My Sons

These two scriptures the Lord directed to me for you today (August 15, 2011).

Ecclesiastes 11 ¹CAST YOUR bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.    ²Give a portion to seven, yes, even [divide it] to eight, for you know not what evil may come upon the earth.    ³If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
    ⁴He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
    ⁵As you know not what is the way of the wind, or how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you know not the work of God, Who does all.
    ⁶In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening withhold not your hands, for you know not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
    ⁷Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.
    ⁸Yes, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all; yet let him [seriously] remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. All that comes is vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility)!
    ⁹Rejoice, O young man, in your adolescence, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your [full-grown] youth. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
    ¹⁰Therefore remove [the lusts that end in] sorrow and vexation from your heart and mind and put away evil from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity [transitory, idle, empty, and devoid of truth].^(A)   Meditate on the Word of God,

Proverbs 3 ¹MY SON, forget not my law or teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;    ²For length of days and years of a life [worth living] and tranquility [inward and outward and continuing through old age till death], these shall they add to you.    ³Let not mercy and kindness [shutting out all hatred and selfishness] and truth [shutting out all deliberate hypocrisy or falsehood] forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them upon the tablet of your heart.^(A)    4So shall you find favor, good understanding, and high esteem in the sight [or judgment] of God and man.^(B)    5Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
    ⁶In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.
    ⁷Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil.^(C)    8It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones.
    ⁹Honor the Lord with your capital and sufficiency [from righteous labors] and with the firstfruits of all your income;^{(D)    10}So shall your storage places be filled with plenty, and your vats shall be overflowing with new wine.^{(E)    11}My son, do not despise or shrink from the chastening of the Lord [His correction by punishment or by subjection to suffering or trial]; neither be weary of or impatient about or loathe or abhor His reproof,^{(F)    12}For whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
    ¹³Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding [drawing it forth from God's Word and life's experiences],
    ¹⁴For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, and the profit of it better than fine gold.
    ¹⁵Skillful and godly ^[a]Wisdom is more precious than rubies; and nothing you can wish for is to be compared to her.^{(G)    16}Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand are riches and honor.^{(H)    17}Her ways are highways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
    ¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who lay hold on her; and happy (blessed, fortunate, to be envied) is everyone who holds her fast.
    ¹⁹The Lord by skillful and godly Wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding He has established the heavens.^{(I)    20}By His knowledge the deeps were broken up, and the skies distill the dew.
    ²¹My son, let them not escape from your sight, but keep sound and godly Wisdom and discretion,
    ²²And they will be life to your inner self, and a gracious ornament to your neck (your outer self).
    ²³Then you will walk in your way securely and in confident trust, and you shall not dash your foot or stumble.^{(J)    24}When you lie down, you shall not be afraid; yes, you shall lie down, and your sleep shall be sweet.
    ²⁵Be not afraid of sudden terror and panic, nor of the stormy blast or the storm and ruin of the wicked when it comes [for you will be guiltless],
    ²⁶For the Lord shall be your confidence, firm and strong, and shall keep your foot from being caught [in a trap or some hidden danger].
    ²⁷Withhold not good from those to whom it is due [its rightful owners], when it is in the power of your hand to do it.^{(K)    28}Do not say to your neighbor, Go, and come again; and tomorrow I will give it--when you have it with you.^{(L)    29}Do not contrive or dig up or cultivate evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly and confidently beside you.
    ³⁰Contend not with a man for no reason--when he has done you no wrong.^{(M)    31}Do not resentfully envy and be jealous of an unscrupulous, grasping man, and choose none of his ways.^{(N)    32}For the perverse are an abomination [extremely disgusting and detestable] to the Lord; but His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him).^{(O)    33}The curse of the Lord is in and on the house of the wicked, but He declares blessed (joyful and favored with blessings) the home of the just and consistently righteous.^{(P)    34}Though He scoffs at the scoffers and scorns the scorners, yet He gives His undeserved favor to the low [in rank], the humble, and the afflicted.^{(Q)    35}The wise shall inherit glory (all honor and good) but shame is the highest rank conferred on [self-confident] fools.^(R)

   You have been blessed to have come from very wise heritage, your great grandfather Burden Douglas Baggs and at least 12 generations before him were farmers all the way back from Ireland and England.They sowed seed and had to wait patiently and faithfully for it to sprout.  When I was taking care of PaPa, there wasn't anything that brought him more joy than to ride down to your Uncle Keith's farm, or one of the other farmer's farms and look at the growth that occurred each day.  It was amazing even with poor eyesight how PaPa knew exactly what was growing!  I learned how PaPa Baggs had learned how to wait patiently and trust God to believe all was well with the crops.  He knew the danger signs, and what to do to give the plants the best start and how to take care of them throughout each step of the growing process.  It takes great patience and faith to be a farmer.  Your great grandmother and grandfather moved from Georgia (near Savanna where Colt and I visited your great great grandfather’s grave site (Archibald Baggs) and the cemetery he founded) after slavery was abolished and they couldn’t afford to keep their plantation going just just before the Great Depression; they moved to Miami Florida.  In 1926 there was a great hurricane.

Great Miami Hurricane 1926
The "Great Miami" Hurricane was first spotted as a tropical wave located 1,000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles on September 11th. The system moved quickly westward and intensified to hurricane strength as it moved to the north of Puerto Rico on the 15th. Winds were reported to be nearly 150 mph as the hurricane passed over the Turks Islands on the 16th and through the Bahamas on the 17th. Little in the way of meteorological information on the approaching hurricane was available to the Weather Bureau in Miami. As a result, hurricane warnings were not issued until midnight on September 18th, which gave the booming population of South Florida little notice of the impending disaster.
The Category 4 hurricane's eye moved directly over Miami Beach and downtown Miami during the morning hours of the 18th. This cyclone produced the highest sustained winds ever recorded in the United States at the time, and the barometric pressure fell to 27.61 inches as the eye passed over Miami. A storm surge of nearly 15 feet was reported in Coconut Grove. Many casualties resulted as people ventured outdoors during the half-hour lull in the storm as the eye passed overhead. Most residents, having not experienced a hurricane, believed that the storm had passed during the lull. They were suddenly trapped and exposed to the eastern half of the hurricane shortly thereafter. Every building in the downtown district of Miami was damaged or destroyed. The town of Moore Haven on the south side of Lake Okeechobee was completely flooded by lake surge from the hurricane. Hundreds of people in Moore Haven alone were killed by this surge, which left behind floodwaters in the town for weeks afterward.
The hurricane continued northwestward across the Gulf of Mexico and approached Pensacola on September 20th. The storm nearly stalled to the south of Pensacola later that day and buffeted the central Gulf Coast with 24 hours of heavy rainfall, hurricane force winds, and storm surge. The hurricane weakened as it moved inland over Louisiana later on the 21st. Nearly every pier, warehouse, and vessel on Pensacola Bay was destroyed.
The great hurricane of 1926 ended the economic boom in South Florida and would be a $90 billion disaster had it occurred in recent times. With a highly transient population across southeastern Florida during the 1920s, the death toll is uncertain since more than 800 people were missing in the aftermath of the cyclone. A Red Cross report lists 373 deaths and 6,381 injuries as a result of the hurricane.
This is when Burden, Rosa (your great great grandmother), your great Aunt Esther (Pa Pa’s sister), your grandfather Elmer Gordon Baggs, moved to Montverde, Florida.  Your great grandfather and great grandmother did not give up, they got a home on Lake Florence, bought a farm we called “The Muck Farm” and an orange grove.  Together by fishing, farming and working together they had two more children, your great Aunt Melva and great uncle B.D.
I have tapes of your Pa Pa and Aunt Esther talking about growing up and some of the experiences.  Pa Pa said his daddy was like the town mayor, preacher and doctor.  If anyone died he would preach the funeral, if anyone was sick or in need, he was right there to help them.  Pa Pa said he was a very wise man and people would always come to him for advice.  When daddy grew up he joined the airforce and this is when he met my mom Addie Odie Collier.  This is a tremendous story of romance, love and intestinal fortitude.  They built the stand, once called Baggs Drive In where people would drive up and my mom would actually pick out people’s produce and bring it to their cars.  New mothers would bring their babies to be weighed in between doctor’s visits and my mom would record the growth of the babies.  This was in the 50’s.
On your daddy’s side, your Grandmother and Grandfather Glenn and Helen Hoenig, were also two individuals to be proud of in spite of your grandfather’s mental problems which I believe was a result of him being tortured as a Japanese prisoner of war.  He received medals and recognition from the U.S. government.  He could play the piano and also cooked dinner for Princess Grace of Monaco and a dinner party they had for some guests.  I am researching and recording information about the Hoenig family as I am able to find out information.
There is no doubt that there is a great calling on both of you, and I believe Gary Jr., Christopher and even your father.  He was a very talented gymnast in high school and became a father very young and gave up pursuing college.  There is no doubt he could have received not only an athletic scholarship but an academic scholarship as well.  Instead he took on two or three jobs at times to support and raise Gary and Christopher.  Unfortunately the three of them did not have the stability and security that both of you had when they were young.  There upbringing is a sad story, because Helen (your grandmother died) and things fell apart quickly for your dad’s dad.  He was lost without her integrity and support.  I think this led to a lot of the problems in their family on top of your grandfather Glenn’s mental problems.  They didn’t have the understanding about bi-polar disorder that they do today.  I pray that Christopher will receive the help and support he needs and that the Lord will heal his mind and deliver him from this dreaded disease of the mind.
I am so proud of both of you boys and I know the Lord loves you and is leading and guiding you both into all truth.  You both have been given many talents, but more than this, He has given you the Holy Spirit and He will comfort you and give you strength when you need it, if you will rely on Him.  He has also given many angels charge to watch over you.  You have so much to be thankful for and the Lord wants you to love Him with all your hearts, minds, bodies and soul.  If you can’t do that at times, or it seems that He is not there, don’t believe it.  He will NEVER leave or forsake you.  This is an eternal promise.  This life is just a vapor and is temporary and God has plans, positions and purposes for all of us, beyond this life.  He is recording all that we do that is of eternal value and is preparing a great place for us all to be together throughout eternity. 
I know as a young person, you have many questions about the Lord, I still have questions at my age, but I know one thing, and it is that Jesus is alive, He was raised from the dead after suffering a horrific death on the cross.  There is a song that the grave couldn’t hold Him down and this is true in spite of what the skeptics or those that doubt there is a God.  He will make himself known if you will make an attempt to get to know Him.  At times, I’ve had to ask God to help me have faith because even faith is something that is difficult to have.
These past few years have been very difficult.  There have been times of joy, hope, excitement and also times of great despair.  God tells us to think on things that are good, things that are lovely, things that are true.  Philippians Chapter 4 tells us best.
  ⁴Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!^{(A)
    5}Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). The Lord is near [He is ^[a]coming soon].
    ⁶Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (^[b]definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
    ⁷And God's peace [shall be yours, that ^[c]tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall ^[d]garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
    ⁸For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].
    ⁹Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of ^[e]untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.
    ¹⁰I was made very happy in the Lord that now you have revived your interest in my welfare after so long a time; you were indeed thinking of me, but you had no opportunity to show it.
    ¹¹Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be ^[f]content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.
    ¹²I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want.
    ¹³I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who ^[g]infuses inner strength into me; I am ^[h]self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].
    ¹⁴But it was right and commendable and noble of you to contribute for my needs and to share my difficulties with me.
    ¹⁵And you Philippians yourselves well know that in the early days of the Gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church (assembly) entered into partnership with me and opened up [a debit and credit] account in giving and receiving except you only.
    ¹⁶For even in Thessalonica you sent [me contributions] for my needs, not only once but a second time.
    ¹⁷Not that I seek or am eager for [your] gift, but I do seek and am eager for the fruit which increases to your credit [the harvest of blessing that is accumulating to your account].
    ¹⁸But I have [your full payment] and more; I have everything I need and am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent me. [They are the] fragrant odor of an offering and sacrifice which God welcomes and in which He delights.
    ¹⁹And my God will liberally supply (^[i]fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
    ²⁰To our God and Father be glory forever and ever (through the endless eternities of the eternities). Amen (so be it).
    ²¹Remember me to every saint (every born-again believer) in Christ Jesus. The brethren (my ^[j]associates) who are with me greet you.
    ²²All the saints (God's consecrated ones here) wish to be remembered to you, especially those of Caesar's household.
    ²³The grace (spiritual favor and blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) be with your spirit. Amen (so be it).
This chapter is my prayer for you two wonderful men.  Again, there is not another mother that has ever been born that has been blessed more than I have.  I have no regrets and would not exchange one moment for the opportunity to fulfill the greatest occupation and calling on the planet which is being your mom.  Truly, God has blessed me abundantly and above anything I could ever hope or imagine, and my prayer is for you to know and understand how much God truly loves you, it is a wonderful feeling knowing the trials of this world are simply what the word means, trials, temporary tests of our faith, leading us and guiding us into the knowledge that God has a glorious plan and future for us.  I know He has lots of adventures, romance, love and exciting things in store for both of you.
As things grow darker in this world, and the signs of the times remind us that the whole world is quaking in the desire for Christ to come again and bring us into the time when He will create a new heaven and new earth for us to enjoy in total peace and total love together.
Please use your time wisely.  The years pass quickly.  I am ALWAYS here for you both and you have so many friends and family that love you so much.


Loving you both always,
MOM