Saturday, June 19, 2010

Faith of our Fathers

Father's Day.
A day to honor fathers.
Today, the role of a father is sometimes misunderstood. But, God's plan, is explained in Ephesians 6:4.
"Fathers, don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them.
Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master." (The Message)
The father is to be the loving head of his family - the leader, the protector and provider -
a man walking close to God.

For centuries we have godly examples of the faith of our fathers.

In the Old Testament, Abraham is called the father of many nations. God spoke to Abraham and told him to pack up his family and move. God led him and his family to the promised land - Canaan. Abraham and his family were blessed abundantly for their obedience to God.

In the New Testament, a good example of a godly father, was Joseph. He was chosen by God, to be Jesus' earthly father. He was a man of faith, who listened to God. He kept his family safe, when Herod wanted to kill all male babies because he heard the Messiah had been born. Even though we don't read a lot about Joseph, we know he was a man who loved Jesus and spent time with him; after all, Jesus was known as the carpenter's son.

Early history of our country is filled with stories of our forefathers who left us a legacy of tradition and values. Many were like Abraham. They packed up their families and came to a new land - a land of promise, where they could worship God freely. Many of our forefathers believed in a land established on the Word of God, so much, they were willing to die - and many did. Today, many fathers are still dying for their belief in our country as a nation under God.

The faith that carries on today is rich and filled with promise. The fathers of old went through difficult, often severe times; but they held onto the faith that Jesus is Lord. His Word is true and He abides with us, no matter what. They were strong in the Lord and the power of His might. That faith is alive in our fathers today.

We are thankful for fathers who are willing to live the faith that endures and is victorious through Chrsit. We are thankful for fathers who love us and are willing to sacrifice and pass on to us the reality of a living God who is faithful.

Like the old song says, "Faith of our fathers! Living still. In spite of dungeon, fire and sword: Oh how our hearts beat high with joy, Whene'er we hear that glorious word! Faith of our fathers! Holy faith! We will be true to thee till death!"

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

It's a doggone good day

Every morning I go through my to do list.

To do...what to do...what to do first?

I decided to mow our overgrown lawn, even though I really wanted to go to the gym. 'Better mow while it's still cool,I thought.
Mowing is good for my soul. I enjoy the outdoors. I enjoy the sense of accomplishment when I see the lines of freshly mowed grass.
I pray, reflect and listen to my ipod.
This will be good, I thought. It's been a difficult week and even though the 'elephant' (as my friend Lori calls that feeling) of loss (the heaven home going of a friend) is still in my heart, there is a smile.

I felt better today.

I was at peace...I was ready to spend my quiet time mowing.

The dogs followed me to the garage to get the mower.
I was already in 'reflection' mode and was looking forward to my 'mow' time.

Griz ran into the middle of the yard.....he had to do his business.
Ok.
I came inside and got a bag...cleaned up his mess.
I returned to the mower, ready to begin.

Kaylee ran into the yard....
You guessed it.
So, I came back inside and got another bag.

Ok...now I can begin, I thought.
I went to the mower - it wouldn't start.

The dogs started chasing each other in circles right where I would be mowing, if I could get the mower started.

I stopped trying to start the mower for a minute; reviewed the situation and started to laugh.

I put the dogs inside.
I thanked the Lord for His peace. His joy. For humorous situations.
I did grumble a little when I picked up the first 'pile' - as if Griz thought, 'Aha! She's going to mow...now's my chance to poop.'
When Kaylee followed suite, I had to reflect and see the humor.

So the mower won't start.
Big deal.
I'll go out and try again in a little bit.

It's all good. . .. I thank the Lord for giving me a few chuckles.

It's going to be a good day.