my {earthly} father

today i want to talk a little bit about my {earthly} father.

when i was 6 or 7{can't really remember}, he led me to my {Heavenly} Father.

thus began my journey of healthy Hope.

i remember being in our little yellow house on the corner of elm street,

 asking Jesus to come into my heart.

i don't remember a whole lot growing up,

but i remember that day, and i remember a change in my life.

the transaction that occurred when i placed my tiny trust and faith in Someone much bigger.

the only One who could wash clean my dirty, sinful heart and make me a brand new creature in Him.

on that day, i became a child of the crucified, buried, and risen King!

born again. 

oh, how the angels must have rejoiced!

i thank God for my Godly {earthly} father, who taught me about the Lord

and was not ashamed to share his faith.

he still isn't.

when i was a {bratty} teenager, my family used to gather for family devotions every morning.
it was just me and my parents because my sister was already out of the house.
 i thought it was totally uncool to have to sit with my parents right before the bus came and read from
the Daily Bread and quote scripture.
i know that in my self absorbed teenage world,
 i sat with my arms crossed and my eyes rolling into the back of my head.
nobody else had to do it, so why should i?
what i know now, is that what i learned during those times never left me.
when we hide God's Word in our hearts, something wonderful happens.
the verse we always quoted was psalm 19:14.


"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."


now, i'm pretty sure positive that i didn't try to live out these words everyday of my life, even though i said them.
what i do know, is that the faithfulness of my parents and the repetition of these words resonated deep within my heart and have encouraged and challenged me numerous times.
now we teach them to our children.
and i pray that they don't sit crossed armed with eyes rolling


"remember who you are and what you are."

more wise words from my dad.
words never forgotten, but many times ignored.
i thank the Lord for His Holy Spirit who continually works to draw His sheep back to the fold.
no matter where they are.
i have failed miserably, friends.
many. times. over.
but God loves His own enough to chasten them,
and remind them of the path that they ought to be on.
i'm so thankful that He leaves the 99 to seek out the one.
that He rejoices in finding the one lost sheep.

i'm thankful for a dad who taught me God's truths.
i'm thankful that he persisted when i was a brat and i rolled my eyes.
with God's help, he made a huge difference.
his faithfulness to Him has blessed many and will go on for many generations.

 i love you very much, dad,  and i'm thankful that God chose you for me.

xo,