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.

Father's Day to a loving meanie

 

What do you think of when someone says, "Dad"? Is your dad someone who makes you think of God as a loving advocate or an overbearing authoritarian? Is there no middle ground?

We always hear how "good dads" go to sports games, play with their kids, and spend time with their families. My dad participated in our lives, but he did more. He established boundaries of authority and respect that have served us abundantly into adulthood. I'd like to say a big thank you today to a dad who took his fathering seriously. While he enjoyed us, nurtured us, and provided well, he also instilled in us high morals and godly principles.

My father was strict. We all knew he said what he meant and meant what he said. He proved it to us with spankings, groundings, and restrictions.

Yet we never doubted his love. When we had disobeyed and received due punishment, we quit doing wrong, knowing he cared about us enough to set us straight. Being the second child, I landed in the first wave of "this is how good children behave." I guess my older brother and I caught the brunt of "good training." It didn't help that I had a flash temper and minimal self-control as a youngster! Our two younger brothers fared better at the end of the rod. Probably L and I wore Dad and Mom down: surprisingly, our other two siblings turned out fine.

The youngest remarked to me a few years ago, "You know, I never saw Dad discipline us in anger. Dad's attitude was, 'You deserve this punishment, so here it is.' Then we'd be done. He never held over hostility to us kids afterwards or showed his frustration."

Today most Americans would call strict parents like mine "mean" or "cruel." Spanking is out of fashion and illegal as the government overreaches into normal families to try to prevent abuse by evil parents. I deplore abuse and cruelty, let's be clear about that.



However, Dad truly demonstrated how a good parent behaves. Never malicious, he allowed a good appeal. We had open discussions about anything we wanted to talk about around the kitchen table. We weren't afraid of him... unless we knew we were deliberately disobeying. Then we looked over our shoulders, knowing we'd earned what was coming.  

Thanks from the bottom of our hearts, Dad. We love and trust God today because we learned to love and trust you completely.

As a mom of grown kids and an appreciative daughter, here's a word to young dads on their special day of honor. A great parent will not let their child rule the roost and abdicate their responsibility by letting a child run wild. Watching some kids sass and hit their parents, I shudder to think of these crazy adolescents on the loose in a few years. Employers, coworkers, and even prison guards may be cursing these children's irresponsible parents in the future.

Dads, please do your duty. Scripture not only encourages, but demands that you establish and enforce worthy rules and boundaries! Pray and read the Bible with your kids. Go to those games. Hug your kids. Hold down a steady job - even if it's not your dream work - to provide for the family. But don't neglect the core character training God has entrusted to you. No one else can - or will - do it for you. Your kids and their future depend on it! 

Read more:
*Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Deut. 8:5 NIV

*Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge? Psa. 94:10   NIV

*The LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. Prov. 3:12 NIV

*The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Heb. 12:6 NIV

*Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. Heb. 12:10 NIV