Lessons From Dad

   Fortunate is the man who has a godly Father who shows him how to live.  I was very fortunate to have a father who did just that, not always with his words but certainly with his actions and example.  This had a profound impact on my life.  As we approach Father's Day I wish that I could thank him again for all he meant to me and all he taught me about living.  In addition, on June 21, dad would have been 97 if the Lord wouldn't have graciously taken him home over five years ago.

     So as I approach these two dates my mind has been going back to some of the lessons that I learned from him.  This list certainly isn't complete but it does include several things that quickly come to my mind.

     (1)   There is no question that the most important lesson he taught me was that there is nothing in life more important than knowing the Lord and serving Him.  He demonstrated this daily in the way he led our family and how he served the Lord.

     (2)   All that we have belongs to the Lord and should be used for Him.  Our home was always open for hospitality and ministry.  Our car was used weekly to take others to church.  As I learned later in life, dad sacrificed financially to keep our young church afloat when church bills couldn't be met.  He realized that anything he had came from the Lord and really belonged to the Lord.

     (3)    He showed us that it is vital to exercise the spiritual gifts that we have been given.  It didn't matter how old you were physically, there was no retirement option in serving the Lord.  He showed this by working to the very last hours of his life completing conference finances and reports.

     (4)    He demonstrated that it is critical to provide for your family even if it meant having to work several parttime jobs to do this.  He worked hard so that mother could be a mother and a housewife and care at home for us.  He knew how to work very hard and how to work to represent and serve the Lord.

     (5)    He showed us how to trust the Lord when disappointments came along.  He grew up in the depression and then had to scrape for jobs following World War II.  And then, later in life he suddenly and unexpectedly lost his job to downsizing.  But he never complained and the Lord continued to provide jobs each day for him until he finally retired.  He knew God would provide.

      (6)  He taught us to live and work with integrity, to be reliable, responsible and honest.  He taught us how to be organized, a lesson that I saw in practice when I served as executor of his estate.  He taught us how to live on a budget and keep detailed records of our expenses, a lesson that has helped us survive adequately in years when teaching salaries were minimal and my wife served as a stay at home mother and housewife as my mother did.

     (7)   He showed us how to take time to help and encourage others who were in need.  Both of my parents gave up many of their things and time to help those who were in need.

     (8)   From him we learned by example that one needs to be faithful in your church attendance, your ministry, your work and your responsibilities as a father and head of the home.

     (9)  He taught me how to speak correct English.  I admit that at times I didn't appreciate being corrected, but he knew how important proper English would be throughout life.

     (10)   He taught us to honor, respect and encourage our pastors.  Maybe it was because he saw how some members treated his stepfather who raised him as a pastor's son.  It was always wrong to criticize and undermine the pastor.  As an elder he worked very hard to see that the pastor was taken care of, especially financially.

      (11)  And a lesson that I've tried to pass on to my sons, treat your wife/mother with full respect.  Don't allow your children to raise their voices, criticize or disobey their mother. Doing so was a major offense. He would never, never allow that and neither have I.  

     (12)   Family is important.  No matter how busy dad was with work and church responsibilities, he always had time for family.  And most importantly, he was a true prayer warrior for everyone, but especially for his family.  He maintained a prayer list and family members were always at the top of the list.  That is a great gift.

     Now some of you may say, Barry that is great, but God didn't give me a godly father.  That may be true, but that gives you even a greater responsibility today to start to be a godly man or a godly woman.  Put Christ first in all of your life and begin a Christian heritage for those who follow you.  Dianne and I have complied a list of things we've wanted to pass on to our family and we've posted that list on our living room wall where we are reminded regularly of our responsibility to them.  There is nothing more important that you can do than modeling godliness to your family.  If you haven't, get started today.