Father's Day
Tomorrow is Father's Day. I have learned much about the impact a father has in a family moreso this week than I have in a long time. My ex is dying with cancer and I have spent some very close times with my daughter and my son the past 2 days. My daughter told me that me staying all night with her in the hospital, met more to her than I will ever know.
Regardless of the way my ex treated me, I forgave her years ago. When our son was killed 5 years ago, next month, she treated me bad again but, my daughter led her to Christ yesterday. I will stand in my pulpit tomorrow and preach a message on being a Godly father. In my young years, I tried to be a Godly father, like my dad was but, I failed very badly. You can't make someone love you and many mistakes were made in my first marriage. In 1973, I gave my life to Christ and remarried in 1974. I began preaching in 1976 and have been a minister now for 34 years. I have lived the last half of my life, reaching out to others, trying to help others and trying to live a life that is pleasing to God and to my fellow man. I visit jails, nursing homes, hospitals, and I visit those who aren't even members of the church I Pastor. I was blessed to have a good dad and he was a preacher too. I am glad he got to live to see me saved and to hear me preached before he went to be with the Lord. Finally after years of being an embarassment and a burden to my mom and dad, they became very proud of me. Now, I face the death of my first wife in the near future and I will be there for my son and daughter in any need they have. They know I am different than I was, when I was a young 28 year old mixed up young man in 1972.
There is so much of my life to tell and I have been asked to write a book before I get too old to do so. I may do that and if for nothing else, it will be a record of who I was and what I became, that my grandchildren and great-grandchildren can read.
Regardless of the way my ex treated me, I forgave her years ago. When our son was killed 5 years ago, next month, she treated me bad again but, my daughter led her to Christ yesterday. I will stand in my pulpit tomorrow and preach a message on being a Godly father. In my young years, I tried to be a Godly father, like my dad was but, I failed very badly. You can't make someone love you and many mistakes were made in my first marriage. In 1973, I gave my life to Christ and remarried in 1974. I began preaching in 1976 and have been a minister now for 34 years. I have lived the last half of my life, reaching out to others, trying to help others and trying to live a life that is pleasing to God and to my fellow man. I visit jails, nursing homes, hospitals, and I visit those who aren't even members of the church I Pastor. I was blessed to have a good dad and he was a preacher too. I am glad he got to live to see me saved and to hear me preached before he went to be with the Lord. Finally after years of being an embarassment and a burden to my mom and dad, they became very proud of me. Now, I face the death of my first wife in the near future and I will be there for my son and daughter in any need they have. They know I am different than I was, when I was a young 28 year old mixed up young man in 1972.
There is so much of my life to tell and I have been asked to write a book before I get too old to do so. I may do that and if for nothing else, it will be a record of who I was and what I became, that my grandchildren and great-grandchildren can read.
Replies
My husband also started preaching around 1976. We are not what we should be, but praise the Lord, we are not what we used to be!
I am so proud of you and I know your children are as well... And, yes, they need you more now than they ever have... Keep up the good work DAD!! :O)