3 Key Relationships of a Godly Father

For the past 58+ years, I have been blessed with a godly father. As I think about him (who he is to me; what he has done for me; and how he has been used by God to shape who I am today), there are three key ways my dad has interacted with me that stand out as most important. I have tried to incorporate each of these in my relationship with my kids, and I would challenge any reader to do the same.

A Friend

Over the years, my dad and I have developed a mutual friendship. We both like being with each other and we have the greatest time doing things together. We have shared life together. Dad, obviously, initiated this process when I was little. He spent time with me when he could have done things with others. And he did it because he wanted to.

As I grew older and began to participate in sports, academics, and the arts, he was at every event. I honestly cannot remember a time when he and mom weren’t there supporting me. I know he had to have missed one every now and then, but it happened so infrequently it didn’t matter. The thing I remember the most, however, is that we spent time reliving each event and talking through what happened. It was as if we had both been active participants. And I Loved It.

After college, I had the unique privilege of being in business with dad. I got to see the way he thought, processed, attacked challenges, and he invited me into his inner circle. We were partners. We fought side by side. We laughed together, cried together, we got frustrated together, and we celebrated --- together. But it wasn’t all work either. We went fishing and hunting in the mountains of Montana, often with my grandfather, dad’s dad.

LAST WORDS: Truely I say to you ...

Here are some nuggets I took away from a sermon delivered by Pastor John Fuller of Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Sunday, March 3rd, 2013

Luke records two of Jesus' LAST WORDS in chapter 23 when he recounts the dialog between Jesus and the two thieves who hung with him on the cross. The first are His prayer to God on behalf of mankind when he looked over the crowd gathered at the foot of his cross and said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (34) The second LAST WORDS are found further down the passage when he responds to one of the thieves request, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (42) Jesus' response, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”; the topic of today's sermon. (43)

Before addressing the comments of the thief, Pastor John first reminded us of the role of the cross in God's redemptive plan for mankind:

 "The primary purpose of the cross is Jesus' response to us and our sin."

 

Serving the Lord by Serving Others: 4 Examples and a Warning

These are some nuggets I took away from a sermon delivered by Pat Campbell (Missionary to Peru) at Calvary Baptist Church in Manning, Iowa on February 24th, 2013.

Biblical Definition of Service:

• Romans 6:17-18 - service flows out of a heart of obedience
• Ephesians 2:10 - service is what we were created to do
• Titus 2:14 - those who serve do so with a peculiar zealousness; it is passionate in nature

4 Examples from Colossians 4:7-17

1. Aristarchus (4:10) he had joint ownership a a fellow prisoner, co-worker
2. Tychicus (4:7) was a confidant, he was trustworthy, a brother in the Lord, he delivered letters of Paul to the churches
3. Epaphras (4:12) he was called "one of you", "laboring for you", a teacher and prayer warrior
4. Archippus (4:17) was reminded that the ministry he performed was not from Paul, and not his own, but rather was a ministry from the Lord. It was God he was serving as he served Paul.

1 Warning

• Something happened to Demas he started out as a "fellow worker" (Philemon 23-24)  but ended up deserting Paul (2 Timothy 4:9-11). Why? He fell in love with the things of the world.

We don't seek wisdom because it's a good idea; we seek wisdom because we're dead if we don't.

I received this in a daily email from Ransomed Heart Ministries:

"God has given us all sorts of counsel and direction in his written Word; thank God, we have it written down in black and white. We would do well to be familiar with it, study it with all the intensity of the men who studied the maps of the Normandy coastline before they hit the beaches on D-Day. The more that wisdom enters our hearts, the more we will be able to trust our hearts in difficult situations. Notice that wisdom is not cramming our head with principles. It is developing a discerning heart."

John Eldridge, "Waking the Dead", Page 100.

We are in a battle - how prepared am I today to engage?

Quote to Remember

I was watching "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" with my family the other day and came across this quote:

FRODO: "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

GANDOLF: "So do all who live to see such times; but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."

How true! There is much in life that we do not get to decide. But every day we are faced with an awesome responsibility - What to do with the time the LORD has given us today. That I will always be able to choose! So I have a question for you: "What will you do today with the time you have been given?"

"I Can't Do That"

The following are nuggets I took away from a sermon by John Fuller at Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Sunday, April 29th.

When we are faced with a situation where we say that we "can't do that", what really lies behind this is the question, "Will I continue to be comfortable and safe?"

In Mark 6:6-13, Jesus challenged his disciples to do something they had never done before. They could have said, "I can't do that." But they did not. Instead they:

• Did what was risky - They left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They went to a people they did not know. They had a mission that would cause them to be accepted or rejected. They were asked to do what would be seen by many as "weird."
• Were obedient - They went in obedience to the Jesus' command.
• Took faith steps - They took one step at a time; only the next step is important.

The result: "They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them."

In Luke 14:25-27, Jesus points out the importance of our relationship with him if we are to do the things he asks us to do.

• When we follow Jesus there can be no other relationship more important.
• We must be prepared to give our very life for his purposes - daily.

"We were put on this planet to be an active partner with God and not to be a consuming spectator!"

Comfy and safe = Christ Fan
Risky, obedient, and faith steps = Christ Follower/Partner

A Christ follower believes that he "can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13 NIV1984)

So how can I be a "Can Do" Christ Follower/Partner

• It starts with a "burden." Is there something in your life that you feel like "I have to ..."
• What is happening around you that makes you angry? How can you be involved in something that could help correct it?
• Is there an area in your life where some "walls" need to be torn down? What would you be willing to do if this or that wasn't in your way?
• Make this statement a regular part of your prayer life: "Lord, I am open to ..." The blank is something you have been thinking about doing.
  

“We Can't Talk About That …”

On April 22^nd, 2012, Jesse Tink, Waterloo Campus Pastor, delivered a message titled, “We Can’t Talk About That …” at the 11:00 service for Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The following are nuggets I took away from his presentation.

We can no longer afford to follow the cultural norm of Iowa and classify certain things as topics “We cannot talk about” any longer. Iowa Christians have used this excuse to avoid talking about issues that are distancing brothers and sisters in Christ and holding back the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individuals and the church collectively. We must be willing to brave the tough conversations.

He used the example of Abigail going to meet David in 1Samuel 25. From that passage he outlined the following principals of how to have that conversation:

·         (v 18) Make It Right QUICK!

Delaying the conversation does NOT help or make it go away; it only makes it harder and bigger. When you know something is wrong, or when you have been wronged, go as soon as possible and set a time to talk with the other person. This is the principle behind Matthew 18.

·         (v 23) Go In Humility

Do not go in anger, judgment, resentment, bitterness, etc. Go in humility seeking to speak the truth in LOVE (Ephesians 4:15). I do not know all the facts and I am never completely innocent. Seek to find your part in the problem, ask for forgiveness, and make the necessary corrections so it doesn’t happen again. Go to learn.

·         (v 25) Tell The Truth

Do not message the truth. You must tell all the truth. God can only move through the whole truth. Understand that before having this conversation I can only know a part of the truth at best. I need to hear what the other person has to say and they need to hear what I have to say.

The Last 10% - We need to ask ourselves and others what hasn’t been said yet. The norm is for us to only communicate 90% of the truth. We instinctively leave the most important part of truth for the last and if possible will avoid revealing it if given a chance. Before a conversation is done ask yourself, “What am I not saying; what I have left out that needs to be said if the person is going to understand the whole truth?” When the other person has finished talking, be sure to ask, “Is there anything else that you need or want to say?”

·         (v 28) Trust The Truth

Believe that the truth is the only way and best way to move forward in your relationship with this person. God can only move through the truth.

·          (v 30) Go With Genuine Concern

Go with a genuine concern of what will happen to this relationship if you don’t get it worked out. Have enough love and concern for the other person that you cannot help but go and talk because they are too important to loose.

·         (vs 36-8) Timing Is EVERYTHING

Sometimes when you go right away you will realize that this is not the best time. If that is the case, don’t leave until you have set a time and place to talk.

This was a great presentation and really meant a lot to me. This is one area in which I need to work harder. If you want additional input on how to have this kind of conversation, I would highly suggest taking a look at the December1, 2011 post titled, “Speaking the Unspeakable” by Kim Sawyer.