But They Hurt You...

Dear Daddy,

I really liked napping in church this morning. The new pastor has a very tranquil voice. You and Mommy had strange looks on your face when I woke up though. People were all around and talking to you. Everyone seemed so excited to see me. Everyone had smile on their faces...everyone except you two. You and Daddy weren't frowning but you seemed different. Your bodies were all stiff and you were holding me extra close when people got near. What was wrong? All of those people seemed to love having us around. Why don't we go more? Why did you and Mommy look so uncomfortable? Grandma told me you both used to work with those people. Does that have something to do with it?

Your son,

Carmen

 

Dear Carmen,

You are right, all of the people you saw today do love you. Most of them love your mother and I also. Yes, we did work at that church a few years ago. You mom was the choir director and I was the youth director. They even called me Youth Pastor. Then, a few people really hurt us. That was the reason for the feelings you observed today. That emotion is called tension and it happens when people enter an environment where where the possibility of danger is present.

Your mother and I have been wrestling with a dilemma. That church holds the greatest concentration of people that love the three of us. At the same time, it houses a den of vipers that slither around waiting to strike when the opportunity presents. We really want you to know your Father above and can think of no better place than this church though. We want your exposure to God to be surrounded in love and good examples. This church provides that. Yet, it also exposes you to human failures and shortcomings, the very behavior that is implanted in all men from birth due to original sin. What do we do then?

We have thought about it long and hard. We have discussed it at length and come to the following conclusion:

• We are going to involve our family in the church once more.
• Life is both the good and the bad. If we were to allow you to figure out your faith by being around only "good" Christians, then we would be doing you a terrible disservice. One of the foundations of our faith is forgiveness and you can never know what it is to be forgiven until you have been forced to forgive. You will get that opportunity when around people who are out for themselves.
• We were forgiven. We owe it to you, ourselves, and most importantly to Jesus to pay that forgiveness forward. It starts with this church.
• We have been loved so much by members of that congregation and we owe it to them to return that love. There is no better way to honor that love than by allowing them to do what they do best, showing you with affection.

In Romans 12, we are ordered not to hold grudges. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says The Lord." We were made to love and forgiveness is necessary for love to exist. We love you and we need to love that church as well.

With love always,

Daddy

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Blessings For Hire

The most peaceful time!

Dear Daddy,

Am I blessed? I want to be! Someone told be that God will bless me if I do what he says. That is like when you give me presents for being good, right? I think I should do what God says then. If blessings are like presents, I think I should. I like presents and I think I would like blessings too.

Love Always,

Your Son

Dear Son,

Yes, you are blessed with every breath you take, with every ray of son you take in, and every second the clock ticks by. But son, do you think that only "good" children receive blessings? Would you not agree that life itself is a blessing and that even the least of humanity receives it?

Indeed, when man turns away from wicked ways and toward his Father, the blessing seem to flow more abundantly. But this is just a mirage. Even the best children are not immune to the sufferings associated with growing.

It is wonderful that you want to do well by your Father but do not mistake blessings, or presents as you call them, for rewards of service. Blessings are not for sale nor can one earn more blessings by doing good. Blessing are offered equally to all. The problem is not the blessings prevalent, or lack thereof, in ones life. It is ones ability to recognize a blessing when it is present. Sometimes they are disguised cleverly but they are always there. One must simply open his eyes and heart to discover them.

Eternal Love,

Your Father

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Plan and Purpose

Welcome,

 

To the left you see my son and me. Who are we and why would we blog? I want to share a new perspective with you…

 

I feel blessed to have been given this amazing son and I hope to share some of our journey together. I am Shane; I am a stay at home dad and he is a go where I go son.

 

Together, we are on this journey through life where we will both be learning....a lot. Everyone thinks that my job is to teach him but I hope to learn just as much, if not more, from this little guy.

 

At sixteen, I began a lifelong pursuit to know more about God, my Father and yours. So really we began this journey together 19 years ago. Yes, I was rebellious! I did not always agree with what He had to tell me. However, I've recently learned that He never steers me wrong and I do not want Carmen to make the mistakes that I have made.

 

 

 

Three months ago, when Carmen was born I realized that life begins with God's will! The true vision I see for this blog is simple: Together, Carmen and I will live and learn according to God’s will. If you choose to come along on this ride, I can’t promise where it will take you. I can only assure you that together we will experience the love and purpose of life that can only come from experiencing God awesome power!

 

So, this is me, a regular guy, a loving dad, and God’s servant. Carmen and I hope that you will join us each week for a cup of coffee, bottle of milk, and some life lessons from our one true Father.

I am Shane and these are my Letters From A Father learning lessons from our Holy Father.

 

 

 

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