I love my dad. And he loves me.

At a grad celebration last year.
Dad's always been this excited
about parties.

I love my dad. Period. I don't have to qualify my love with "... if only he would..." or "... but I wish he ..." I love my dad with all his strengths and quirks.

My dad fell in love with a gal in his youth group and married her the week they turned 21 and 18. Yikes. (Who do you know who's that age?)

Dad and Mom agreed to love each other more than anyone else. More than parents. More than children. When I was 5, I was shocked when I asked Mom if she loved us most: she said she loved Dad best of everyone in the world. I never forgot her healthy model of marriage and devotion.

Dad and Mom flew to Springfield with us
to celebrate grad last year.

Once in a while, Dad would grab Mom and swing her around the kitchen when he came from work. We'd cling to them and squeal, "Daddy, Daddy, put Mom down," along with her "Dearie! oh Dearie!" Ha ha. What do kids know? They were young and having fun.

My three brothers and I knew we were safe from harm. Dad was the man of the house - and he went off to work every day, provided both love and spankings as needed, and taught us practical things.

By the "servant" sculpture, at grad

• You can exercise in the middle of the LR with the kids jumping all over you.
• If you coil a tree with copper wire that's hooked to  a car battery, the neighbor's dog will no longer pee on it and the tree will grow again.
• Plywood boards propped on a scaffold and doused with water make a fine ice slide during Winnipeg's winters.
• Using the garden hose to clean children with poop-y diapers speeds up potty training. (Yeah, Mom was gone that time.)
• Reading TIME magazine with full concentration while babysitting gives children tacit permission to clamber up and down inside the storage closet. It provides them with happy memories of the "closet of mystery," even though Mom wondered who made such a mess of the neatly hung winter coats.
• Having devotions every morning, whether or not the kids are with you, leaves a huge impression about the importance of scripture and prayer.

Dad in the middle of the tribe,
a few Christmases ago

When we were little, I had no idea that he was happy to be my dad. Mom told me that when I was in my late teens, which thrilled me. Regardless, I always felt safest with him. I knew Dad's love for God, his willingness to obey God's Word, and his love for his family buffered us from whatever would hurt us.

I'm probably as much or more like my dad than my brothers, so I like how he does things. He's encouraged us since we were little, with "You can do it!" He's applauded our accomplishments with a grin or "well, that's good." He's pushed each child forward to be courageous rather than cautious. He's modeled creative thinking when obstacles couldn't be solved with traditional solutions.

There's no one in the world like my Pop! He smiled when we said we were going to Indonesia. And I know he and Mom will be our champions, our supporters, and our spiritual advocates as we go.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD.

I trust my Heavenly Father on this new venture, because my dad has been a most trustworthy and honorable man. I'm proud to call him my father!

Read more:
*How great are God’s signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation. Daniel 4:3 (NIV)

*God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. Acts 19:11 (NLT)

*We know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. Galatians 2:16 (NLT)

Moravian Prayer: Lord, we see proof of your extraordinary love in the miracles you performed in days of old. Open our eyes that we might see and be the miracles of today and tomorrow. Amen.

Lent Day 15: Thankful for meltdowns

The music flowed over me, harmonies splashing, melodies soaring, and rhythms relaxing in one worship song after another. It was time. Maybe past time.

Once in a while I have a meltdown. Winters are very hard on me: the lack of sun and time outdoors gradually shuts down my systems. This morning, after working in rooms away from my sun-simulator lamp for 2 weeks, everything collapsed. So I staggered over to piano and sat down, eyes closed and hands ready.

One after another, choruses and hymns of praise and thankfulness began to wash off the weariness of study, the darkness and grey climate, and the puttering that fritters away hours of depression. After a half hour, I opened my eyes and wiped away the tears. Renewed. I walked upstairs to my office and flipped on the lights (besides a south window, I have 5 overhead bulbs and a super-Verilux sun lamp). I opened my computer and started the day's work with a lighter heart.

Sometimes God needs us to come close, to relinquish the ideas and hopes of days past and future to wait near in his presence. As we open our hands and hearts in worship, he refreshes us from the inside out.

Jesus stole away for hours with his Father. As I worship, I remember, "Even in this, O Christ, you are a model of life and Life." Thanks be to God.

Do you need time with your heavenly Father today? What gifts can you offer him, that will refresh you and glorify him?

Read more:

*Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28: 6-7 NIV

*My words that I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children's children. Isaiah 59:21

*The word of the Lord endures forever. That word is the good news that was announced to you. 1 Peter 1:25

Moravian Prayer: We give thanks to you, gracious God, for the gift of Christ - your communication of who you are and what you want us to be. We have experienced your good news and we are determined to pass it on to future generations through our words and actions. Guide us in this endeavor. Amen.