I woke up and it was a good day. Dog woke me up a little early, but that is fine. I didn't look like the undead when I did the first mirror check, either. That's always good. There was even coffee brewed, waiting for me in the kitchen. Got to see Dad and my brother hobble around all tired, which just makes me smile. They look like penguins until they are awake.
The morning stayed in that good "flow" until I hit the road.
On the road this morning I felt fearful. It always feels like I'm jumping into a pool of sharks when I seat myself into the driver's seat of a car. (Phobia? Not quite.) Once I'm driving I'm usually fine, but initially, my heart races. Today, though, I got more unnerved than is typical. I worriedly wondered if I was messing up when a semi wouldn't get off my bumper. It rattled me a lot!!
Small, huh? But I arrived home after driving and felt pretty worthless. I probably was a stupid driver, I thought. What if I had hurt someone? I really don't want to drive to work today!
That went on for probably a couple minutes before I remembered-
Feelings aren't truth.
I felt fearful and like a mess-up. But look at what Paul says in Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Paul had confidence in God.
Putting your confidence in something is really a pretty big deal. A dancer puts her confidence in her dance partner that, when she starts to gracefully (and rapidly) fall, he will catch her (and make the crowd roar). A NASCAR driver puts his confidence in his team that made the car race ready... that he will have good steering, that the tires have the right amount of air, that the brakes are in order (that he is Safe!) A lawyer puts confidence in his secretary that she is handling his or her business and customers well. A patient puts confidene in their nurse that this needle really does need to go in their arm, or that it really is necessary to swallow that pink pill. That confidence is faith. It is accepting something as true.
Though I FEEL nervous...
...TRUTH is, I'm driving. And apparently I can do all things through Christ. Jesus helped Paul preach, teach, heal, serve, travel.
Jesus can help a skittish young woman drive.
Today, I'm thankful for truth and that I can keep my eyes and heart on it instead of feelings.
(PS: Later found out I did nothing wrong while driving!!! :) )
Friday, June 29, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
"Uh?"
I'm thankful for children.
I think of the kids at VBS I got to lead (and follow) last week. There was quiet Kegan with a sweet, crinkly-eyed smile that was all the more special because he only let it shine occasionally. He was faster than all the other kids when we played "asleep, awake"- a form of duck duck goose...
There was Jay, a bundle of energy, love and curiosity in the shape of a boy. Jay has a big laugh and loves anything dealing with people or tools, from a pencil to an airplane he can throw around the gym. He was proud to have the loudest singing voice in his music class and often asked, "Did I do good?"
Jay's sweet smile and his efforts to do his best to listen though it was HARD when there was so much stimulation around him, are priceless.
Halley is a little sprite of a girl who gazed around with big eyes at everything around her silently. Walking through the hallway, she sometimes would lift her hands and twirl, seemingly just for that simple joy of spinning and her dress floating around her. She did not talk much, but at the most unexpected times would run up and give a teacher a hug and a smile, with two words... "Thank you."
It is like she is straight out of a fairy book.
So many WONDERFUL VBS kids... Then this weekend, I visited family for my brother's graduation party. Two kiddos were there, a gal age 5 and a boy, 18 months. The girl, Krissy, LOVED to talk about her favorite things and LOVED a red balloon she carried with her. She giggled when playing "toss the balloon" finding it the funniest thing ever when the balloon "tried to escape."
The little man, Danny, loved sharing. He found confetti on the floor and would walk up to everyone-- "Uh?" and smile, holding out confetti. He went on a gator ride with my cousin and her boyfriend, and you could hear him squeal with delight.
Society in general treasures kids... We love their quirks, adore them from their Skittle-sized toes to their button noses, enjoy their fancies and can't help but get excited along with them at the workings of the world.
Just maybe God feels that way about us adults, too. We are often referred to as His children in the Bible.
Anyway, I needed to spill my guts out. I'm thankful for kids.
And God... is thankful for you.
I think of the kids at VBS I got to lead (and follow) last week. There was quiet Kegan with a sweet, crinkly-eyed smile that was all the more special because he only let it shine occasionally. He was faster than all the other kids when we played "asleep, awake"- a form of duck duck goose...
There was Jay, a bundle of energy, love and curiosity in the shape of a boy. Jay has a big laugh and loves anything dealing with people or tools, from a pencil to an airplane he can throw around the gym. He was proud to have the loudest singing voice in his music class and often asked, "Did I do good?"
Jay's sweet smile and his efforts to do his best to listen though it was HARD when there was so much stimulation around him, are priceless.
Halley is a little sprite of a girl who gazed around with big eyes at everything around her silently. Walking through the hallway, she sometimes would lift her hands and twirl, seemingly just for that simple joy of spinning and her dress floating around her. She did not talk much, but at the most unexpected times would run up and give a teacher a hug and a smile, with two words... "Thank you."
It is like she is straight out of a fairy book.
So many WONDERFUL VBS kids... Then this weekend, I visited family for my brother's graduation party. Two kiddos were there, a gal age 5 and a boy, 18 months. The girl, Krissy, LOVED to talk about her favorite things and LOVED a red balloon she carried with her. She giggled when playing "toss the balloon" finding it the funniest thing ever when the balloon "tried to escape."
The little man, Danny, loved sharing. He found confetti on the floor and would walk up to everyone-- "Uh?" and smile, holding out confetti. He went on a gator ride with my cousin and her boyfriend, and you could hear him squeal with delight.
Society in general treasures kids... We love their quirks, adore them from their Skittle-sized toes to their button noses, enjoy their fancies and can't help but get excited along with them at the workings of the world.
Just maybe God feels that way about us adults, too. We are often referred to as His children in the Bible.
Anyway, I needed to spill my guts out. I'm thankful for kids.
And God... is thankful for you.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Not Keeping Score
I'm thankful that the work we do does not equate with who we are.
It is both a frightening, disconcerting thought and a freeing one, really. It used to bother me and still from time to time trips me up.
Who am I, if what I do does not define me? How else do I define myself?
Verses to consider:
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! (1 Corinthians 5:17)
My efforts to validate myself through what I do aren't what give me value.
I already HAVE my value. I already am just as good as my neighbor, my uncle, my brother, my friend Kelsey from kindergarten who I haven't spoken to in 15 years.
Why? I am created by God, the Living God. I am loved by Jesus Christ. Every one of us. That there is what's on my bar code (well, if I had one). "Treasured by God." It scans again and again on everybody else's value measure too.
What do I do with that? If I am so valuable without doing anything, then why do I....well... do stuff?
Why does Alan go for honor roll, why should I help at the shelter, why should I advise my kid sister to not punch the boy that broke her favorite toy?
Three things.
A) Let's say I am compassionate. At the homeless shelter, there are hurting people. I am able to put my compassion to good use there. Or let's say I'm ambitious. I have big dreams and i like a challenge. That can go into my striving for honor-roll grades. I'm puttng to USE how I am. (one might go for honor roll, another might put his or her ambition elsewhere). I'm compassionate, I'm ambitious, I care about mercy and think my sister can solve the dispute in a better way than punching the other kid. I'm exercising who I am.
Would it be a waste of me not to?... Is it not fully living to exercise how I'm made in constructive ways?
Colossians 3:23
Colossians 3:17
You may say "I am an angry person. I get frustrated easily. So then, do I exercise that aspect of me?" No. That damages other aspects of what is important to you, like relationships and opportunities. Things like acting out in anger fall into the sin category because they attack life-giving things. Anger itself isn't sin, but fueling it to an erruption point and those actions in the erruption, are sin.
B) God asks us to live like Jesus did. "Follow Me"
Jesus had a heart for the broken, so he healed them.
Jesus cared about people knowing the truth, so He taught.
Jesus said a good leader is one who is the lowest, like a servant. So He washed the disciples' feet.
etc., etc. I might go to the homeless shelter, then, because God cared for the poor and commanded that we love our neighbors as ourselves- neighbor defined basically as anyone we come into contact with (Parable of the Good Samaritan). As I get to know God better, too, and allow the Holy Spirit to take up "more" of me---- (like a sponge- I wanna be dripping and leaking the Holy Spirit! Up to me to be a receptive sponge or not. It usually takes time to become more receptive, like growing always does [unless u are a 14 yr old boy who grows a foot overnight])--- as i allow th Holy Spirit to take up more of me and I become more like God as I get to know Him better, then I become concerned about people who are struggling or hurting. God's love for others grows in me.
I volunteer or help or love other people because that is what God wants of me. That is what is important to GOD!
Even as my heart changes, what becomes the desire of MY heart!
Love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Luke 10:27
I'd like to point out one other, very less theological thing. I think at least.
C) We only have this one shot when it comes to life on earth. Once the bullet is fired, it doesn't get fired again.
I don't want to waste myself, and I don't want to waste this LIFE. I want to invest to live the fullest life God gave me the resources and chance to live. Sure, Heaven will be great, but I am alive NOW. You don't wait for the water park to open in winter, you find a sled and a hill and go sledding! Meager comparison, but you get my drift. God gave me this life.
You know... actually, there is Scripture that goes with that perfectly. The parable of the talents. When you are given something, don't waste it or hide it! Invest it. Matthew 25:13-30; another similar one is Luke 19:11-27.
I'm glad what I do doesn't define my value! I'm also so glad I (and every person) was made with so much value. Didn't earn it at all-
And that's the point!!
Grace
some Scriptures
Psalm 139
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:4-5
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Where do you find yourself- are you striving to like yourself and earn approval from others by what you do? Or do you find your worth in Christ and the fact that God MADE you and DIED for YOU?
What strengths has God made you with? How did God design you individually? Can you see how God uniquely designed someone else you know? (Consider encouraging them with what you notice!)
How can you spend more time with God?
(Discuss these with a friend or someone you look up to, or go through them on your own.)
YOU ARE TREASURED! God bless!
(PS... i can't help but leave this song.. Remind me Who I am by Jason Gray. one of my favorites... it KIND OF relates to this post.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyY8zfjBMQ&ob=av2n )
It is both a frightening, disconcerting thought and a freeing one, really. It used to bother me and still from time to time trips me up.
Who am I, if what I do does not define me? How else do I define myself?
Verses to consider:
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! (1 Corinthians 5:17)
My efforts to validate myself through what I do aren't what give me value.
I already HAVE my value. I already am just as good as my neighbor, my uncle, my brother, my friend Kelsey from kindergarten who I haven't spoken to in 15 years.
Why? I am created by God, the Living God. I am loved by Jesus Christ. Every one of us. That there is what's on my bar code (well, if I had one). "Treasured by God." It scans again and again on everybody else's value measure too.
What do I do with that? If I am so valuable without doing anything, then why do I....well... do stuff?
Why does Alan go for honor roll, why should I help at the shelter, why should I advise my kid sister to not punch the boy that broke her favorite toy?
Three things.
I'M MADE VALUABLE. "YOU DON'T WASTE GOOD CROPS!"
A metaphor: if someone leaves 10 dollars on the table, you don't let the two year old shred it. No- you use it for a good reason. Imagine a one-hundred dollar bill! Or, vegetables. If you are hungry and you have a crop, do you leave it for the elements to decompose? NO! You eat them!A) Let's say I am compassionate. At the homeless shelter, there are hurting people. I am able to put my compassion to good use there. Or let's say I'm ambitious. I have big dreams and i like a challenge. That can go into my striving for honor-roll grades. I'm puttng to USE how I am. (one might go for honor roll, another might put his or her ambition elsewhere). I'm compassionate, I'm ambitious, I care about mercy and think my sister can solve the dispute in a better way than punching the other kid. I'm exercising who I am.
Would it be a waste of me not to?... Is it not fully living to exercise how I'm made in constructive ways?
Colossians 3:23
Colossians 3:17
You may say "I am an angry person. I get frustrated easily. So then, do I exercise that aspect of me?" No. That damages other aspects of what is important to you, like relationships and opportunities. Things like acting out in anger fall into the sin category because they attack life-giving things. Anger itself isn't sin, but fueling it to an erruption point and those actions in the erruption, are sin.
JESUS SETS THE EXAMPLE.
B) God asks us to live like Jesus did. "Follow Me"
Jesus had a heart for the broken, so he healed them.
Jesus cared about people knowing the truth, so He taught.
Jesus said a good leader is one who is the lowest, like a servant. So He washed the disciples' feet.
etc., etc. I might go to the homeless shelter, then, because God cared for the poor and commanded that we love our neighbors as ourselves- neighbor defined basically as anyone we come into contact with (Parable of the Good Samaritan). As I get to know God better, too, and allow the Holy Spirit to take up "more" of me---- (like a sponge- I wanna be dripping and leaking the Holy Spirit! Up to me to be a receptive sponge or not. It usually takes time to become more receptive, like growing always does [unless u are a 14 yr old boy who grows a foot overnight])--- as i allow th Holy Spirit to take up more of me and I become more like God as I get to know Him better, then I become concerned about people who are struggling or hurting. God's love for others grows in me.
I volunteer or help or love other people because that is what God wants of me. That is what is important to GOD!
Even as my heart changes, what becomes the desire of MY heart!
Love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Luke 10:27
I'd like to point out one other, very less theological thing. I think at least.
ONE BULLET IN THE CHAMBER
C) We only have this one shot when it comes to life on earth. Once the bullet is fired, it doesn't get fired again.
I don't want to waste myself, and I don't want to waste this LIFE. I want to invest to live the fullest life God gave me the resources and chance to live. Sure, Heaven will be great, but I am alive NOW. You don't wait for the water park to open in winter, you find a sled and a hill and go sledding! Meager comparison, but you get my drift. God gave me this life.
You know... actually, there is Scripture that goes with that perfectly. The parable of the talents. When you are given something, don't waste it or hide it! Invest it. Matthew 25:13-30; another similar one is Luke 19:11-27.
I'm glad what I do doesn't define my value! I'm also so glad I (and every person) was made with so much value. Didn't earn it at all-
And that's the point!!
Grace
some Scriptures
Psalm 139
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand —
when I awake, I am still with you.
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand —
when I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:4-5
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Where do you find yourself- are you striving to like yourself and earn approval from others by what you do? Or do you find your worth in Christ and the fact that God MADE you and DIED for YOU?
What strengths has God made you with? How did God design you individually? Can you see how God uniquely designed someone else you know? (Consider encouraging them with what you notice!)
How can you spend more time with God?
(Discuss these with a friend or someone you look up to, or go through them on your own.)
YOU ARE TREASURED! God bless!
(PS... i can't help but leave this song.. Remind me Who I am by Jason Gray. one of my favorites... it KIND OF relates to this post.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyY8zfjBMQ&ob=av2n )
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Mi Padre
I just want to shout out thanks for my father.
He has always had a good heart. People naturally trust him, which is pretty neat in the work world. When he worked in irrigation, he earned the trust and friendship of the hispanic workers there on green cards, who often didn't get along super well with the managers and supervisors in the irrigation company. Two of the fellows even became like family, helping at my mom's flower store and visiting the house on occasion. I'll never forget when us and a bunch of dad's crew drove a tiny red go-kart (with quite a punch) up and down the street of my rustic neighborhood! One man, "Pica", crashed into a street sign... He was fine, but the laughter rang loud that day in my quiet neighborhood.
My dad saw them as men, not as workers; the latter seems prevalent often times I'm sorry to say. But I'm thankful for my dad's example in that; I'll never forget him laughing and crying with this group of Hispanic men. Now today at his current job, he is the guy people go to when they need to talk about a problem or want advice. He won't gossip.
My dad works hard. He often regrets not finishing out college; I'm sorry he regrets it, but I am proud of every job he's done and for seeing just how much he cares for my family. He worked his way up in the irrigation industry from a kid on the golf fields running sprinklers and pulling weeds, to part-owner of an irrigation company. After that he invested full-steam effort into my mother's flower shop. At a rough point, my father worked three jobs to try and keep our family afloat.
Three jobs. He only managed to get four hours of sleep a day generally. That is nowhere near enough. He did it without complaining, but with worried determination for the family.
I'm glad now that he has one job and our family is doing well :). But I'm thankful for my dad's love manifested in selfless, hard work for the family and for that lesson in determination that inspires me to be relentless, be a go-getter, and never give up. I'm a shy person, but thinking of him always helps me to be bold.
Particularly today, I'm thankful for His walk in Christ.
My dad grew up in the Catholic church as an altar boy; he had foundations of faith. He married my mother, also a Christian. She is from the Protestant church. My mother attended Catholic classes so she and he could be wed in the Catholic church. They had a beautiful wedding!
After day-to-day life set in again, my mother and father had trouble finding a church they both agreed on. So they taught Bobby and I at home about God, and our family accidentally got into the habit of not attending church.
As the daily grind went on for years, it came to where God seemed distant for my dad. He still prayed, but God wasn't at the forefront of his life.
After a very difficult stretch of time, Dad had lost everything he had worried for years about losing. Now that it was gone, he had to take a seat in faith's chair, vulnerable to what all could now go wrong and sitting in God's palm.
God took care of my family, in huge ways that I can't begin to list. Dad rejoiced at God's care for our family and his own individual life, and committed to following God fully again.
Dad started going to church with me occasionally in high school. We went to a Methodist church and a Catholic church, switching it up weekends. Dad came to like Fishers United Methodist Church. Starting late in my freshman year of college, after the stormiest of times had cleared up to reveal beautiful spring and calm for my family, Dad became a regular church attendee. He is especially fond of the 9:45 service.
Dad also started listening to K-Love more and more, gradually. Now he listens to it while he does deliveries at work. He plays it at home at least once a day, because "it helps me focus on God," he told me.
He recently said that he guesses he's changed. He uses strong language less, which is just how my family generally speaks; worries much less; and is one of the most thankful and generous people I know. Readily, if the conversation turns towards God, He has a smile and something to give thanks about.
That is why I began writing. I realized how much of a life of gratitude my Dad lives, and how He loves to give thanks for what God does.
My dad teaches me so much and is definitely a role model for me, in character, life, and spiritually.
Thanks, Padre!
Feliz dia del Padre!
:)
He has always had a good heart. People naturally trust him, which is pretty neat in the work world. When he worked in irrigation, he earned the trust and friendship of the hispanic workers there on green cards, who often didn't get along super well with the managers and supervisors in the irrigation company. Two of the fellows even became like family, helping at my mom's flower store and visiting the house on occasion. I'll never forget when us and a bunch of dad's crew drove a tiny red go-kart (with quite a punch) up and down the street of my rustic neighborhood! One man, "Pica", crashed into a street sign... He was fine, but the laughter rang loud that day in my quiet neighborhood.
My dad saw them as men, not as workers; the latter seems prevalent often times I'm sorry to say. But I'm thankful for my dad's example in that; I'll never forget him laughing and crying with this group of Hispanic men. Now today at his current job, he is the guy people go to when they need to talk about a problem or want advice. He won't gossip.
My dad works hard. He often regrets not finishing out college; I'm sorry he regrets it, but I am proud of every job he's done and for seeing just how much he cares for my family. He worked his way up in the irrigation industry from a kid on the golf fields running sprinklers and pulling weeds, to part-owner of an irrigation company. After that he invested full-steam effort into my mother's flower shop. At a rough point, my father worked three jobs to try and keep our family afloat.
Three jobs. He only managed to get four hours of sleep a day generally. That is nowhere near enough. He did it without complaining, but with worried determination for the family.
I'm glad now that he has one job and our family is doing well :). But I'm thankful for my dad's love manifested in selfless, hard work for the family and for that lesson in determination that inspires me to be relentless, be a go-getter, and never give up. I'm a shy person, but thinking of him always helps me to be bold.
Particularly today, I'm thankful for His walk in Christ.
My dad grew up in the Catholic church as an altar boy; he had foundations of faith. He married my mother, also a Christian. She is from the Protestant church. My mother attended Catholic classes so she and he could be wed in the Catholic church. They had a beautiful wedding!
After day-to-day life set in again, my mother and father had trouble finding a church they both agreed on. So they taught Bobby and I at home about God, and our family accidentally got into the habit of not attending church.
As the daily grind went on for years, it came to where God seemed distant for my dad. He still prayed, but God wasn't at the forefront of his life.
After a very difficult stretch of time, Dad had lost everything he had worried for years about losing. Now that it was gone, he had to take a seat in faith's chair, vulnerable to what all could now go wrong and sitting in God's palm.
God took care of my family, in huge ways that I can't begin to list. Dad rejoiced at God's care for our family and his own individual life, and committed to following God fully again.
Dad started going to church with me occasionally in high school. We went to a Methodist church and a Catholic church, switching it up weekends. Dad came to like Fishers United Methodist Church. Starting late in my freshman year of college, after the stormiest of times had cleared up to reveal beautiful spring and calm for my family, Dad became a regular church attendee. He is especially fond of the 9:45 service.
Dad also started listening to K-Love more and more, gradually. Now he listens to it while he does deliveries at work. He plays it at home at least once a day, because "it helps me focus on God," he told me.
He recently said that he guesses he's changed. He uses strong language less, which is just how my family generally speaks; worries much less; and is one of the most thankful and generous people I know. Readily, if the conversation turns towards God, He has a smile and something to give thanks about.
That is why I began writing. I realized how much of a life of gratitude my Dad lives, and how He loves to give thanks for what God does.
My dad teaches me so much and is definitely a role model for me, in character, life, and spiritually.
Thanks, Padre!
Feliz dia del Padre!
:)
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