A Daddy's Proud Heart

My daughter with two of her friends after The Color Run, a 5K race.

One of the things which literally thrill a father's heart, is when his kids do something on their own, without any coaxing from him.  And if what they choose to do is physically challenging when their father never does anything like that, it makes that even that much cooler I think.

I experienced this yesterday as my daughter April (#7575 on the right) participated in her first 5K run . In case you were unaware as I was, a 10K run is 6.2 miles long, so that means according to the math that a 5K is 3.1 miles long.  (Thanks for helping me with the math yesterday sis, it was  SO hot and my brain was melting I think!)

April, along with her friend Mallory and another April joined together to participate in "The Color Run", a fun way to be healthy, be happy and be you.  Watch the video to see what these girls actually were a part of.

What makes me the proudest about my baby girl is that many months ago April started attending a work out boot camp.  Truthfully I thought it was a fad and that it wouldn't last more than a few weeks, and I told her as much each time she talked about paying to go to boot camp.  I don't know if it was to prove me wrong or that she was really enjoying the punishment, but she surprised both her mother and me as she continued month after month working out and getting physically fit.

She would even make an effort to go work out before she had to go into work, and on the rare occasion when that wasn't possible, she would come home after work, put on her running shoes and run around our circle driveway in the dark, always telling us to "not" watch her.  I saw a screen capture between her and Mallory on the night that she ran 1 mile without stopping.

Seeing her develop in the discipline of getting fit is wonderful, because it proves to me that she's figured it out.  She's figured out that she can do anything that she believes she can.  And that is a great place to be, because Scripture says that "All things are possible to him/her who believes."  (Mark 9:23)

My little girl is growing up, and even though that saddens me at times, I am one very proud dad.  She really is becoming a very amazing young lady, and I know God has great things in store for her.  Thanks for giving me the opportunity to brag on her just a little bit today.  Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

He Lives

Here is another guest blog which my son Micah wrote a while back. He is attending Hillsong College and living large in Australia.  Wish I had done something like that when I was 19.  Anyway, I wanted to share it with you guys, it's a really good one.

Micah on our family cruise ~ 2011

So today I got the opportunity to join a songwriting group here at college. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was when I heard about it.  The past week, or maybe even past two weeks, almost every thought of mine has revolved around the idea of writing worship songs.  I even messed around with a couple of ideas because I just couldn’t stop thinking about songwriting.  I don’t know if this will ever be something I will do a lot of or not, but I’m going to give it a try. Basically I’ll be writing a new song every two weeks and bringing it to the group, and we will all look at each other’s songs and stuff. It’s awesome. I was asking God for some direction a couple of days ago concerning this issue, and I guess this is what He’s given me.

What I really am writing about tonight though is not the songwriting group, even though it’s such a good opportunity for me.  For our first meeting today the leaders of this group told us that our first song write was going to be an Easter feel.  Like Jesus is risen kind of stuff (not like the Easter Bunny or egg hunts). I was super excited because I have never really written anything along those lines before. I was crazy eager to write, so when I got home from school I got right on it.  I sat down and came up with a few little things that I thought sounded okay, but they weren’t great so I stopped messing with it.  

As I went inside from the garage (our music room), I began to think about that fact that Jesus is alive.  Alive in spirit, person, alive in us and really there are so many aspects to that fact that He is alive. It is an absolute reality that our God is alive and not dead.  For some reason as I was thinking about this and talking with a God a little bit about it, I started to think about losing loved ones.  In my life the past few years I’ve seen a few deaths that have not been easy.  My little brother, my pastor and more recently one of my uncles.  

Of course other people have passed in this time also.  I hate death.  Even after the amount of loss that I’ve had to deal with in my life, I still don’t know how to deal with it.  Complete separation from someone you love is so hard.  I would never wish the pain of losing a loved one on anyone, I don’t care who they are.  It’s terrible. 

Why would this be on my mind when I’m talking to God about how He is alive?  Why would I be reminded of the loss of life when I am deliberately thinking about God’s life?  I was really perplexed at my own thoughts.  I actually became sad.  I thought about my brother.  I really miss him and I hate that he is gone.  I have had such a hard time coping with this loss.  I thought about my pastor and how much I hate everything about the fact that he has passed on.  I thought about my uncle and how saddened I am by losing him.  

There are things in my life that need healing from these losses and they’re taking forever.  God has done some awesome things in my life but I have really been in heartache over these losses. I think tonight though I finally came to a point where I actually gave God some room to move in this area.  I think tonight I finally allowed God to show me things about this.  Really, it was like He did it without me even knowing it.  I was going about my night just doing random things like doing the dishes and I think I played some guitar.  Nothing really spiritual honestly.  

But suddenly as I was just going about my night, something clicked.  God is alive. He is alive.  There are people in my life that have died and left this earth, but God is alive.  Even though I have lost  family, God is alive.  Even though I’ve lost friends, God is alive.  I can put my trust in God and know wholeheartedly that, In EVERY season of my life the one that I love the most (Jesus) will never die, but is always alive and strong!  I can know that even though my life has, at times, been filled with uncertainty, God is ALWAYS there.  He is alive! 

It’s such a fresh and renewing revelation.  It’s something I’ve always known and believed but for some reason it’s so real to me tonight.  I’m still saddened by the loss of my brother, my pastor and my uncle; but tonight I have been moved to a different level of recovery from it. I think that there are stages people go through after losing somebody. I believe God is walking with me through each step and each day gets better and better and knowing that He is alive has helped to see so much clearer.  I have more joy because I know that my God is alive and right now my brother, my pastor and my uncle are more alive than they’ve ever been.  They’re all three with God in His matchless presence living it up.  

God is so good and He is so alive.  He’s with me as I’m typing this.  He’s with you as you’re reading this.  Know that even though things in your life may be dying and falling apart, there is a God who you can hold onto who will never change.  He is our complete security and we know that every morning we wake up that He is there to be our tower, anchor, provider, stronghold and really He is everything that you and I would ever need and so much more than that even.  Know that God loves you and He is alive in you and wants to use you for great things! He is always there for you whenever you need it!  

I’m sorry this was so long, and it was pretty emotional.  I just felt like somebody might need to read this! Hope God has showed you what He showed me tonight!

God and Pooper Scoopers

A very good friend of mine, Austin Maschino shared an observation which he had written about.  I thought it was so good I asked if he would mind if I posted it to my blog for all to see and he agreed.  Thanks Austin.

Tonight when I came home, I noticed one of my neighbors taking her dog out and she was carrying a pooperscooper.  It struck me as funny just because the phrase “pooper scooper” makes me laugh.  Then, as my mind tends to do, I wondered what that dog was thinking.  In the mind of that dog, his master is like a god.  She provides shelter, food, water, probably toys, and attention—all the things he perceives as love.  The dog knows she is a superior creature and the source of the comforts he enjoys.  Then he goes outside and, seemingly embarrassed,“does his business” without looking his master in the eye.  (Ever noticed that about a dog?)  But as soon as he is done, he looks up as if to say “I’m done.  What’s next?” She immediately scoops it up and throws it in the trash.  If he could reason, he must be thinking “Why does she do that?”

At this point, my internal musings ceased for a minute.  Then it hit me.

Is this not kind of like what it is with us and God?  We thank Him for providing us shelter, clothing, food, and all of the blessings He gives us.  We know He is superior and the source of all that is good.  Then we go out and make a mess.  But if we look up and say “I’m done. What’s next?”,He scoops it up and throws it in the trash.  Unlike a dog, we can reason and ask “Why does He do that?”  The answer is simple.  He does it because He loves us.

The Story of Your Life

The movie industry is a billion dollar business engaging in the telling of stories for the masses.  I was thinking about that this morning, and wondering exactly what it is about movies that draw people in so much and I came up with this reason.  People may watch movies because they feel that their lives are not as exciting as they wish they could be, and want to see a story that is exciting and not mundane.

Now before you think that I'm griping about life, or that I think there is something wrong with people, put that out of your mind, that is not my point here at all.  What I find interesting is that we are all created to do something on this planet.  But not all of us find that, or are even looking for it for that matter.  There are countless millions of people who are just existing on this planet, waiting for the end to come for whatever reason.  They never really live, and find escape for their lives wrapped up in the stories that others are telling.

While you may find your life boring, or not as exciting as the latest action movie, the story of your life is a very important one.  You might say, "Yeah, Dave, but I'm just a stocker at Wal Mart, how could that story possibly be a good one?"  How could it not?  I mean after all you, the lead actor in your story, were created by our Heavenly Father and put here on this planet at this point in time for a reason.  There is a reason you are here, and it is an important one.

I love what Samwise Gamgee tells Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy:

"By right we shouldn't even be here, but we are. It's like the great stories, full of darkness and danger, they were. and sometimes you didn't want to know the end.  Because how could the end be happy?  How could the world go back to the way it was after so much bad had happened?  But in the end, it's just a passing thing, even the darkness must pass. and when the sun shines, may it shine the clearer.  Those were the stories that stuck with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why.  But I think I do understand.  People in those stories, always had the chance to turn back only they didn't,  because they were holding on to something."

"What are we holding on to, Sam?"
"That's theres some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. and its worth fighting for."

"Do you remember the shire, Mr. Frodo? It'll be spring soon. the orcherds will be in blossom, and the birds will be nesting in the hazel thicket.  And they'll be sowing the summer barley in the lower fields. and having the first of the strawberries with cream.  Do you remember the taste of strawberries, Mr. Frodo?"
"no sam. i cant recall the taste of food. nor the sound of water. nor the touch of grass."

"I can see the shire. Hobbiton. Bag-end. Gandalf's fireworks. The large banner, and the party tree."
"Rosie Cotton dancing. She had ribbons in her hair. If ever I were to marry someone it would have been her. it would have been her."
"I'm glad you're here with me Samwise Gamgee. here at the end of all things."

I love this because at the heart of it, Sam is saying that their lives matter, no matter what, they do.  And your life matters, regardless of how mundane it may feel at times, it matters greatly.  If you were just to engage and begin to see your life as full of meaning, well I'd venture to say that you would begin to live a life that really was full of adventure and would rival that of anything which Hollywood can put on the silver screen.  

I guess what I really wanted to say is that you matter. Your story matters, and we need you to play your part!  Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Words From Your Father

It is a fact that words in fact can hurt or they can heal.  And words from your father can  do that more than anyone else's.  It is not by chance that God instructed the father's to talk to their children at all times about Him and the mighty things that He had done for them.

What I have found to be true in life, is that there are so many people who have grown up without a father's influence in their lives.  And some of them were with fathers who had not left them.  There are a lot of "absent" fathers in this world, men who are hard workers who provide for their family, but just check out once the cross the threshold of their homes.

And truthfully, these may be the worst kinds of fathers.  What I mean by that is when there is no father present physically, it is easier to deal with the lack of words of affirmation from him.  The lack of good words is still tough, but when you see him sitting there night after night and not engaging you, that is much harder to handle.

I have known many young men in my life who have not had the opportunity to have a father in their lives, and I find that very sad for them.  Mainly because each one of them longs to know their dad, to feel his embrace and needs to know that he is proud of them.  Yet there is one constant in this life that applies to every man no matter whether his father lived in his home or not, and that is the fact that our Heavenly Father God is a father to the fatherless.

What does it mean to be fatherless?  We just celebrated father's day this past Sunday, and I had the chance to think about it, since it was the first father's day in which my children were not at home with me.  Both of them are out living their lives, and walking in the stories that God has written for them from the foundations of the world.  It really didn't bother me either, I'm proud of Micah and April and glad that they are experiencing life.  After all that is what we as fathers are supposed to do?  Train them to go out and take on the world?

What I have found true in my life is that even at 48 years old, I need to hear words of affirmation.  I think it is hard coded into us as humans.  Even Jesus needed to hear from his Father, and as He came up from under the water when John baptized him, He heard these words.  "This is My Son in Whom I am well pleased."  So if the Son of God needed to be affirmed then why do we find it odd that we do too?

This is not to bash fathers, but there are so many of us out there that are still longing to hear those words that Jesus heard.  I know that a lot of dads out there don't really know what to say, or how to say it.  Some are hard on their kids, seeing that as a way of making them tougher and able to handle the challenges that come their way.  Others are just passive and don't say anything, or do anything because they don't want to make waves.  The bottom line is that we all want to hear our fathers tell us that they are pleased with us.

There is a clip from the movie Rocky Balboa that I love.  It is the scene where his son thinks that the idea of Rocky getting back into the boxing ring is going to be bad for the both of them. For the son, mainly because it is going to damage any type of reputation he has.  Click this link to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5OookwOoY to watch the clip.  But as you watch this clip, I want you to do something.  Instead of just watching it for the sake of watching it, I want you to pretend that Rocky is your Father God, and that you are the son listening to him.  Put yourself into the scene and hear the words of your Father talking to you.  This can be a powerful thing, I know for me it was.

And whether or not your dad lived in the home or not, whether he said good things or bad ones to you, or i he said nothing at all.  Understand that you have a Heavenly Father who loves you, and always has.  He has your best interests in mind, and wants only the best for you.  If you are harboring resentment because of your father's lack of interest in you, then forgive him today.  Holding onto that pain will only hurt you, not him.  Forgive him and begin to move forward today, you'll be glad you did.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Comfort Isn't The Goal

I've been reading a book written by Donald Miller called "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years", it's a good book, and this morning there was this part about how people in abusive relationships tend to go back to their abusers even if they have the opportunity to get free from them and stay with family or friends, because of the familiarity of their situation.  Even as bad as their life is there, they know and understand what to expect, and they get a sense of control from that.

The dictionary defines comfort as a state of ease and satisfaction of bodily wants, with freedom from pain and anxiety. Nobody wants to be or feel uncomfortable do they?  As human beings, we tend to seek out those things which will bring us comfort.  We work so that we can have the creature comforts of home.  We purchase things that will make our lives easier.  Take for instance, the remote control for your television.  How many of you actually remember the days when you were the remote control for the family?  Sitting there close to the t.v. (but not too close, it can damage your eyesight remember) turning the dial to each of your four channels in hopes of finding something to watch.

Life is not really made to be comfortable however.  If you actually enter into it, and work at it, you will find it to be messy and uncomfortable most of the time.  Think back for a moment to some of the times in your life that you cherish the most; those situations where you experienced the human condition to the max.  Were they comfortable?  Did you feel at the time you were loving what was going on?  Probably not.  But I know from my own personal experiences that those times in my life, when I reflect on them do give me a sense of accomplishment and knowledge that I am in a better place because I entered into the challenge and ignored my desire for comfort.

Thinking about comfort this morning, I remembered the Pixar movie "Wall-E".  Now, I'm not a big fan of this movie, mainly because of the underlying story of how wasteful we humans are, and that we are only concerned with ourselves.  (There is some truth to that, but I go to see movies to be entertained, not berated.)  Yet there is an interesting thing in the movie, and that is how the humans built their space ship to provide all the amenities and comforts that they could ever need.  It was so bad that the people had become so fat and lethargic from all of the comfort that they couldn't even walk on their own anymore.  It's a great picture of taking comfort too the extreme.  I wonder if that is the direction humanity is really taking?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my comfort.  I don't want my life to be disrupted by stress or anxiety, even though I know there are times when those things enter in.  Let me ask you this, how much time do we spend working to be comfortable, dodging the problems instead of just entering into them?  I know it's in the times I experience challenges that I learn and grow as a person.  I can't really remember any times where I actually grew while enjoying some type of comfort.  It may happen, but more often than not it doesn't.

And herein lies the point that I wanted to get across this morning, comfort isn't the goal.  If we are just trying to work more comfort into our lives, we have missed the point of what life is truly all about.  Jesus told us that in our lives we would have challenges to face, but not to be upset by that, but to be of good cheer, because He had overcome the world.  (John 16:33)  Or in the words of one of my new heroes Phil Robertson, be happy, happy, happy.

What I really like about this passage of Scripture is that Jesus doesn't sugarcoat it for the disciples.  He tells them just how it's going to be.  He says, "Listen fellas, you are going to have trouble, just don't let that bother you. I have overcome the world."  For years when I would read this passage of Scripture I would tell the Lord, "Yeah, well that's good for you Jesus, You're not here and I am."  But one day as I was meditating on this, I heard His voice in my heart say, "David, if you are in Me, then you too have overcome the world."  Wow!  That turned my world upside down.  That meant that as long as I stayed hooked up with Him, then I would be able to overcome anything the world threw at me and stay, happy, happy, happy.

What I hope that you have gotten from reading this, is that comfort, while a good thing, is not the goal.  We should enter into life, experience all that it has for us, using the challenges that we each face to learn and grow in the process and become better people.  Let's get out there and face the world today!  Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!