Dad

June 4, 2009


DAD


The words pierced the end of a very busy day
....bringing a rush of emotion, shock, energy and sadness with them.

"Your Dad is gone."

He had just slept his way into eternity.

For a long time he had not wanted to eat, and had resisted attempts to do so artificially.
He was down to 95 pounds, almost the same number as his age.
And he was the record holder for longevity in the family.
The last of his many lifetime goals to be achieved.

He made it.

And now, he really made it...
into the presence of God forever.

At the very end...the creeping finality of it all was affecting everything, but he "woke" one more time, long enough to recognize Mary Ellen, his dear wife, he greeted her...
and smiled playfully at her.
Then he lay back and within a short time was "gone."

Way to go, Dad.
You finished strong.
You tied up the pieces.
You ended with a smile....
And your peace, a gift from walking right with God,
put a finishing touch to your faith...and ours.

You crossed the line trusting fully.

You crossed the line smiling broadly, playfully.

You joined the patriarchs of old who
"breathed their last,
"pulled up their legs,
or just were "gathered to their fathers
....and finished in peace and full of faith.

We will miss you.

Oh, you have been diminishing for years....
But we will still miss what remained to the end.

The little jokes
...sometimes even too far! :)
The words of kindness
..."I'm proud of you, son. You're my only boy, you know."
The over-and-over stories
- the big events of our lives. You kept those in place.
The constant invitation to "come and see us."

And I cherish the memories...
*of sweat dripping off the end of your tie...preaching so hard in summer campmeetings.
*of the overloaded 20' canoe...and we didn't even quite know where we were going
*of the huge storm on Lake LaRonge...and mother's brief and imploring prayers
*of pants hitched with forarms - displaying coal dusted hands.
*of new chrome-blessed cars...had to have fins, and power
*of music, and teaching, and hard, hard work.
Saskatoon, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa....the world.

On tough days, I think I am pretty close behind you.

On good days, though, I know I have a long way to go.

And you have shown me a lot about finishing well.

See you again
....in His time
....then it will be forever.

I love you.

David.

Worshipping...and

While continuing my journey through the Bible a few days ago, I found myself reading about the settling of the people of the region in Samaria (I’ll bet you didn’t know this passage was even there :))….and in the middle of fairly complex stuff, I was literally startled by this text:
“They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices.
Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols.
To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.”
II Kings 17:40-41

It stung: “worshipping the Lord..and.. serving their idols.”

It points to the casualness that can become of worship.
- “Neat words….and I love the picture on the screen…but we sing them too many times.”
It points to the insidiousness of idols…that steal into our hearts.
“Yeh Bill….that 96 incher sure fits above the fireplace well.”
It points to the rampant splits that can occur in our souls.
“Missions is really important….why, I give at least $20 each month to reach Asia.”

God, would you heal our hearts?….would you expose the idols to ourselves?…and would you purify our hearts that we may worship in “spirit and in truth?”
For the sake of the Name above every other….Jesus.
Oh, yes, and for the sake of our children, too.
Amen.

May 26

FEAR

An elevator with glass doors?
I would back into a corner.
A hotel with multi-story atrium and rooms all around it?
I would pray for a spot on the main floor.
Scheduled to fly?
…I would close my eyes at takeoff and pull down the shade.
Stairs – with open spaces between them?
…not good.
Escalators open to the sales areas below?
Just keep looking at your feet.
Fear and height were at times almost interchangeable.
I had never enjoyed heights, but now it was ridiculous.
In my wipeout emotionally, irrationality had taken hold.
That’s part of why my mountain bike had hung on the side of the garage wall for the past three years.
……..Until Saturday.
“Want to take a ride?”
It was my daughter and her husband beckoning me to join them.
With crash helmet in place, I did.
And went some miles on streets, then paths, then gravel paths, then up and down paths, then across stream paths……and that is where I said, “enough for today.”
But, Jesus and me had won.
Fear was moved even further back and away from my life.
I enjoyed the ride.
Seems true – facing your fears is the best way….with Jesus.
Selah.

Kindness

May 20


KINDNESS


Lots of unkindness out there.

Harsh words.
Raised finger/s.
Loud voices.
Long stares.
Veiled threats.
Agitated gestures.
Curled lips.
Piercing eyes.
Profanity.
Pushing.
Shoving.
Cutting in.
Cutting down.

Harshness comes from quick reactions,
selfish reactions,
pressured reactions,
surface reactions.

Just got off the phone with someone I have never met.
Wife of a very gifted pastor looking for work.
Family on the edge.
Urgency and fear in her voice.
The clock is ticking before they have to do something.

I listened for a long time.
And she finally said: "I've called a lot of people and you are the first one who has taken time to listen and seems to care. Thank you."

And it seemed that a special thing called hope was birthed a little bit inside her.

And mayby there is something I can do for them.

And mayby not.

But at least I listened...and felt their pain....and prayed for them.

And offered myself to God to make a contact for them...and be a part of the solution. Not a further layering of the problem.

Kindness.

Jeff Lucas spoke about kindness at the men's retreat....and I am thankful for an opportunity to put feet to words.

Today...be kind.

It can make a great difference in someone's life
.......yours too.

"The fruit of the Spirit is.....kindness." - Galatians 5:22

Selah.

David

Strong

Tuesday, May 19, 2009


STRONG


A picture of a man doing a gut-straight, elbow prop body stand was featured on the promo brochures for Honorbound Men's Conference 09. "Strong" was our theme.

What a time we had...with each session tying into the theme in high impact ways.

Among the things I will carry with me always:
* Jeff Lucas studies on Elijah...notes about kindness, not quitting, "I'm Jeff. And I'm 53...and"
* The fabulous weather all weekend.
* Responses strong to every teaching session with people breaking through into a new place in God each time.
* The testimony of the group who brought 15 men...and three made a commitment to trust Christ on Saturday night!
* Don's teaching about receiving Christ....and then receiving the Spirit.
* Awards for the strong arm contest.
* Glenn Jones and the band...wow, they did it again.
* The huge turnout on Sunday morning!
* The many pastors and presbyters present with their men.
* The Saturday night altar time.
* The offering of over $1700.
* Almost all the HB shirts sold...gone.
* The accapella singing on Sunday morning.
* Hugs and eyes shining with the presence of God.
* The$600+ dollars for Teen Challenge raised in the golf tournament.

What a great weekend it was!

Someone (who has been to all the HB retreats) called this one "the best ever."

We returned to the city full of joy and gratitude in our hearts to God.

Every perfect gift is from His hand.

Thanks to those who prayed strongly for this event - reports of men awakend during the night, pacing the floors, down on their faces in prayer.

Now...let's keep the fire alive.

Be strong in the Lord...today, and tomorrow...and.... daily.

Selah...

David

Aim

Wednesday, May 13, 2009


AIM


Two things had come together at about the same time.

One,
a word from someone very close to him that had made him wonder if something was up...if there was some disfavor in the air...a hint of suspicion or distrust.

Two,
then came the last blog...talking about speaking the truth in love....and highlighting the fact that sometimes we don't speak the truth and just smooch things over and look the other way.

Together,
coming within hours of one another, the two things proved to be alarming.

Sleeplessness.
Tears.
Down.
Dispirited.

And about "aim?"

The "him" in this blog is a marksman.
He can hit small targets from hundreds of yards away,
in fact, uses weapons that hold records for flawless shooting at over 2,000 yards distance.

But now his aim was off...and his buddy said. What's wrong with you?

Our aim is affected by our feelings.

Clear hearts and focused minds make a lot of things in life hit the intended targets.

So what to do if our "aim" is off?

He faced what he was feeling with open candor.
He asked questions to see if there was distrust.
He explained how circumstances had placed him in a corner.
He was vulnerable and open.

And it was all a bunch of miscues.

And he cried a bit...and others did too.

And then there was laughter.

And a good night's rest.

And peace.



So....how's your aim these days?

Got a few things in the air that need to be cleared up?

Better do it....
because the path of life is just too short
and eternity is just too long
to miss the mark.

Selah..

David