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I was thinking how thirty-one years ago in September 1978, I went to my first seminar entitled "The Wars of David".  I remember some of what was taught there.

What makes it interesting to me is that going to this seminar was my step into leaving my parents house and coming into my own.  My son, currently age nineteen, is living on his own and it is important to him that he becomes his own person.  There are some things I like, other things I have concerns about.  But nevertheless, baring life-threatening situations, I have to let him be and let God work in his life where he is at.  It is a part of the process of guys growing up and becoming adults.

For me, being in a very controlling home, I never had that.  My mother was not the type of person who understood that I needed the freedom to learn how to become an adult.  Instead, her tight control signaled to me that she never believed I could do it. 

But the Assembly gave me a way out.  It gave me a way to justify writing off my parents and becoming my own person (though I didn't realize at the time that once inside the Assembly I wasn't going to be allowed to be my own person there either!)  It gave me an out from my mothers tight reign on my life.  Following God trumped following mom.

This seminar was significant because it represented a time where I was starting to move away from my parents control and move towards something I thought I really wanted for myself and become the person I wanted to be.  OK, all didn't work out as planned and the Assembly didn't turn out in the long run to be that expression of New Testament Christianity that gave me the spiritual significance I was looking for.  But, for good or bad, it started the long process of growing up.

Great post Dave.  I was in the Assembly at that time (1978) and know I went to the Seminar you mentioned (Wars of David). Unfortunately I didn't save the notes from a lot of those Seminars, and don't recall a lot about it.  But I had a similar experience in leaving my mother's house too (although my experience with that happened in 19-74-1975 time frame in the Assembly).

Well said concerning your son.  I wish him the very best! I'm glad you are letting him become his own person and leaving him in God's hands.   :)

--Joe