I REMEMBER. There we were, dad and daughter, walking across the farm yard hand in hand at the end of a long day. The sky sparkled brilliantly with stars that lit up the summer night. The heat of the day had been cooled by the light evening breeze and my dad’s brow was no longer wet with sweat. His face was relaxed. He had given the day his best. Now at dusk and deepening darkness, this was his family time. Having finished the last of the chores, we were heading to the house to mom and the other kids. But these moments were magical to a young girl who absolutely adored her dad! All was peaceful, and this father walking beside her was the epitome of peacefulness. Dad knew I was learning about the stars and constellations and planets in school … so he offered to take time to stop and help me find them in the vastness of the night skies. We gazed upward and marveled at God’s creation, knowing that He had hung every star in place, right where they hung as we saw them. Taking that time with me might have seemed like a small thing to my dad … but it meant everything to me that night as a young girl. You see, I’ve never forgotten! With Father’s Day upon us, it’s such a natural thing to reminisce about our dads … and memories come rushing in without effort. This week an old hymn has been frequently on my mind … in years past it was perhaps the most sung hymn at church on Father’s Day. The words have gotten loud enough for me to catch the songwriter’s message in a way I’ve never quite understood before. Have a listen: “Faith of our fathers! Living still, in spite of dungeon, fire and sword: O how our hearts beat high with joy – When e’er we hear that glorious word! Faith of our fathers, holy faith! We will be true to thee till death!” I thought about my dad and my husband’s dad … both now in Heaven in the presence of the Lord – and how their strong faith impacted us. Yes, their faith is living still! Then, I thought of godly men of past generations, even back to the patriarchs of the Old Testament and the apostles and other trail-blazers of faith in the New Testament. Back to the old hymn … it is still so timely. The next verses talk about “our fathers who were chained in prisons dark,” and yet who “were still in heart and conscience free.” And then, we are written about: “How sweet would be their children’s fate, if they like them could die for Thee!” Did you get that? Oh, that whatever fate we face for our God would be considered “sweet” by us, and that we would remember. Remembering the faith of our fathers, that we would boldly say, “We will be true to Thee till death!” I love how the old song goes on to embrace the fate of others and our opportunity to make a difference in their eternal destination: “Faith of our fathers! We will strive to win all nations unto Thee, And through the truth that comes from God, Mankind shall then be truly free!” And lastly, the songwriter did not forget to remind us how to live our faith out every day … “Faith of our fathers! We will love both friend and foe in all our strife: And preach Thee, too, as love knows how, by kindly words and virtuous life.” You see, when we’re singing and worshipping, the message is meant to impact us - as well as to deliver honor and praise to our God! That song really carries a spiritual punch, doesn’t it? Go ahead, read it over again … this time more slowly and with great focus. That will lead you right into God’s Hall of Faith Famers that you can read about in Hebrews chapter 11. There’s a long list there … yes, imperfect men, but nonetheless, men who captured God’s heart with their faith in Him. He remembered. And He wanted us to remember. So he had their names inscribed on scrolls to be forever preserved for us to be challenged and encouraged by. God starts at the beginning and their names roll on down through the generations. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, David, Samuel … and on and on. At the end of the chapter, God records what their acts of faith accomplished – nothing short of miraculous and huge feats – all because of their faith! And then God lets us know how we are connected to them … “Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.” And though these “pioneers blazed the way”, like it says in the first part of the next chapter, we’re told to “keep our eyes on Jesus, and to study how He did it”. He’s THE Role Model: “because He never lost sight of where He was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – He could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever.” Knowing all that - “will shoot adrenaline into our souls.” The faith of our fathers lives on – and so shall ours live on. What will a future songwriter have to say about OUR faith? What I do know about the fathers who are closest to me … my husband and our three sons, my two dads gone on before, and brothers and friends … the writer will be able to write that they witnessed in you a living faith that you walked out every day as you pointed others to the joy of knowing Christ. Your faith is as real as the air you breathe, and while you’ve had to climb out of valleys as well as reach for the mountain peaks in life, your hands are always firmly in His, and your faith carries you through as you lead your families by example! Happy Father’s Day! I love all of you!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
- WHAT GREAT FUN it was to make last Sunday “all about our children!” … and of course, we all loved being a part of their celebration! How we thank God for our children and our youth ~ they truly are the future of our church and our great nation! Let’s remember to be constant in our prayers for God’s hand to be upon them always!
- SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY WISHES are in order for Merv and Kathy Hendrickson on June 21st! May God’s love abound in your lives and in your marriage, we pray!
- LOOKING AHEAD . . .
- THIS SUNDAY, JUNE 19TH: 10:00 A.M. - HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all our dads … as we honor them AND our Father in Heaven as we celebrate with WORSHIP & PRAISE in God’s House today! We pray that Pastor Doug’s message will be a blessing and encouragement to every dad in church! And enjoy the rest of the day with your family, dads!!!
- NEXT SUNDAY, JUNE 26TH: 10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP, with Pastor D beginning a new series called, “Two Words To Change The World,” using a variety of scriptures from both the Old and the New Testaments. Call your friends who do not attend church anywhere, and invite them to come with you … you won’t want to miss any of these powerful messages!
- NEW PRINTED SCHEDULES will be out soon for a Women of Faith meeting; a Dad/Son event in July; a summer picnic in the park in August; a Progressive Dinner in September; Women of Faith Conference in October; a Harvest Festival in November; Caroling to shut-ins in December, along with a cookie exchange for the gals, and a special Christmas Eve service/program … and more, like concerts, rallies, hymn sing, and seminars! Jump on board for the rest of the year and let God use the gifts He has given you to bless the body of Christ as we reach out to others!
- PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES . . .
- BEING CONNECTED to so many who need God’s touch (that’s ALL of us!) … aren’t you glad that we are connected to God through praise and prayer and His Word? On our hearts are Cierra, Justin, Johnny and Cherry, Ernie and Audry, Wayne, Sean, and God’s perfect will concerning a permanent home for Elevation North! He is so ABLE!!! Pray daily, praise often every day, and expect miracles, in Jesus’ Name!
- REMEMBER … “The love of the Father is like a sudden rain shower that will pour forth when you least expect it, catching you up into wonder and praise.” ~ Richard J. Foster
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
