Philosophy of Life; To my Children

To my future sons and daughters, princes and princesses each, all warrior poets! I love you, all of you, with all my heart.


My children, this is not a set of rules for you to follow. I have forged ahead of you through the wilderness, and I as your father, only ask that you follow my footsteps. The path I traveled was treacherous, but I have made it safe. See, in the dirt and muck, my footprints. Step where I step. Follow this map. Let it guide you. I love you my children. Stay safe. I will always be there to guide and protect you.

- Your father

Where do I begin my children? I too am a beloved son of a loving, strong, almighty Father. The Lord God is my daddy and he is my King. I was born to be a knight in his kingdom, just as you my children were born to be princes and princesses. I abjure you, my children, to live as Knights and Princesses in God’s Kingdom. Follow Psalm 15 with all your heart.

Psalm 15: O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD;who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent.He who does these things shall never be moved.

This is how our King requests his children, his Knights, to live. Inscribe the words on your heart and apply these verses to everything I say my family. Now, mankind was made to live among community in relationship with others, and relationships are vital, but not just vital; absolutely necessary for life. Man was not made to be internal, or else God wouldn’t have walked with Adam in the Garden. Man was made to be external, to relate and be related to. This is why you, my children, were born into our family. Babies can’t make it without relationships. They die without love. Relationships are the framework for love, always remember that! Adam had full, perfect access to our Lord and King. But God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” And so our Lord made Eve from Adam. The man now had a wife, and he was made one flesh with her in the first marriage. Adam was not made complete; he was not one flesh without Eve. You see, our faith is not a religion, but a romance. The Great Romance. Love is the center of our faith, for our God is love. Marriage is special to God. Both of the genders reveal two halves of the Creator. The man is the ultimate Warrior, the Provider, and the Protector. The woman is the lavish Supporter, the Nurturer, and the Captivator. Remember my children, only through marriage will you fully understand this intimate part of our God.

Love is the promise of pain says C. S. Lewis. This is true. Know that love is a commitment to one person for all eternity. This person and this person alone you choose to give your heart too. Be careful with your hearts my children. Do not give them to the undeserving, those who will take it and ruin it. Guard your hearts fiercely. You live in a world that is evil, fallen, and cursed. Everything is a mix of blessing and curse. Nothing will ever be perfect again, trust no one, yet you must learn to treat everyone as innocent until proven wicked. My children I have yet to learn how to do this. I tend to mistrust everyone I come across, partly because of my own unhealed soul, but you can, you must learn from your father’s failing. Become greater than I am.

Nothing is more important than family and faith my children. This world you live in is only half of reality. There lies beyond where our eyes can see a world entirely spirit but entirely real. Every action you do sends ripples into the spirit world, affecting the forces of both good and evil. Remember this. Watch every thought, every motive, and always search for the heart of the matter.

Everything belongs to God. All money is not yours, so my children just keep enough to get by. Give the rest back to our Lord and thank him for what he has given you. Remember the rich young ruler, who though he had the character of Psalm 15, could not part with his wealth. Christ demands all or nothing my children, and in everything you do I beg of you to go all or nothing. Never be lukewarm. In a world of such pain and wickedness, being lukewarm only helps the cause of evil. My children, only through relationship can you deal with grief and sorrow. This world pains me beyond words, but can I fix it? No, not as much as I’d like to anyway. Little things, yes, but I am no Gandhi. Take hope that this world is temporary, that these troubles only last a little while. Should we ignore the woes of the world? Certainly not! We as knights have a duty to our fellow man. We, like our God, have the power to rescue, and if we know of pain and woe and do nothing we have sinned! To allow evil is the same as committing it, remember this children!

Wildness is God’s schoolhouse. My children, an education is a good thing, but don’t let head knowledge overcome heart knowledge. Head knowledge is meant to be transformed into heart knowledge. Gain wisdom, gain experience. My children only through living in community can you experience life. Do not isolate yourself, even when all you want to do is be alone, but drown yourself among friends and family. Trust teachers that make you think. You can’t teach heart knowledge, but you can guide to heart knowledge. By doing you fully understand, remember this sons! Remember this daughters! Surround yourself with those who will give the objective truth about your life. No one, no matter how wise, can see themselves clearly, and to live in ignorance of one’s self is unwise. Take up journaling. Through this year of my life I have journaled hundreds of pages, some full of anger, others sadness, others joy. I’ve overcome and dealt with many difficult things through journaling. My children it’s a means to get out your emotions, to not bottle them up! As your father I bottle up my emotions, and I can only pray that one day I won’t lose my head and explode on you my precious children. Always make sure your mom and I talk daily, and I pray that we will always guide and show you that we have a real love relationship so that you will know what to look for in your mate.

My daughters, I beseech you, I beg of you upon my knees to avoid the men mentioned in 2nd Timothy 3: 1-8 which says:
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.

My daughters, trust no man unless he has been put into the fire and refined as silver as Zechariah says in chapter 13. Only those of God are real men, only can the redeemed become real men. I beg of you to not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever.

My sons, find and treasure the woman mentioned in proverbs 31: 10-31. Cherish her, for she is rare. Sons, remember that the heart is what matters. Beauty will fade, but the heart will grow ever more beautiful, always remember that my sons! Remember that your wife is your reward and treasure from God.

As Proverbs 5: 15-19 says:
Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe…be intoxicated always in her love. (Bold added)

My children, as a youth and a man I have struggled with lust and impure thoughts. It is every man’s battle, and it is my personal sin. I beg God that you will not struggle as I do. This sin seeps into your soul, wrapping it’s tendrils around your heart. It enslaves and impurifies you. No sin affects you as this one, because it is a sin that poisons mind, heart, and soul, it is a sin against yourself, God, and God’s creation you lust after. Watch your eyes, heart, and mind. Guard them with your life. For the sake of your future mate.

Remember, as Jesus says, it’s not what you take in that poisons your soul, but what you vomit up. Whatever comes out of your mouth reveals what is in your heart my children. Contemplate every word, for speech is a sword that can save or kill. Every word, every action, sends ripples into the spirit world, always remember this!

My sons, I charge you to always pursue and rescue your wives! Never let a day go bye in which she falls asleep without feeling wanted! Never! My daughters pursue your husbands! Love them will all your heart, and always lean on their strength. It brings out the man in them.

You are rescuers. You are made after a rescuer God. It is part of the Great Romance. The Bible is his story of our rescue. God loves to boldly come through and save for our sake, he always comes through, and that is my charge to you children. Always come through.

Set free the captives in darkness. Isaiah charges us with this. Know this: It is not a mistake to rescue the innocent from the wicked! Never think it is! You will face situations where it will seem like it is the wrong thing to do my children, but always rescue! Always protect! Remember this; endurance leads to character, and nothing is more valuable than character! Character leads my children to hope!

As your father I want you to know that I am always cultivating character in myself. You will fail often. But God is strong to forgive. Never condemn yourself for failure.

Micah 7:8-9 says:
Rejoice not over me, O my enemy, when I fall, I shall rise, when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause, and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light. I shall look upon his vindication.

Remember this verse my children. When you fall, you shall surely rise! When you sit in darkness the Lord will always be a light! When you walk in the valley, when you let go of God’s hand, he still has a hold! He will never let go! When your hand is weak and tired his hand still has a hold!

I will never let you go. I will always fight for, nurture, protect, and support you. I love you, all of you, each in a special and unique way! You are all pieces of my heart, and you are all vital to my life. I love you. I can never say that enough. I love you, and I’m proud of you.
My sons, hear me now, you have what it takes! You are wild, you are barbarians!
My daughters, I see you, and you are truly beautiful in every way! You are warriors, you are captivating, and you are free!

Find the man and woman that completes your life that you may grow to be as happy as I am. I have endured a life, and by God’s strength I’ll take a stand now on your behalf. For you my future children I throw my addiction down. For your sake, and for the sake of your mother. I love her. Know this, and I love you. Follow my footsteps. Follow my map. I have made your path straight, I have leveled mountains for you. Follow me. Lord, that I may be a leader and a father, shaped and molded after you, my King and my God.

I love you with all I am, forever,
Your father, Ryan Alan Winchester