In Memory of my Dad - Happy Father's Day!

Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

photo from zoom50.wordpress.com

I want to write this post in honor of my Dad. He had my greatest respect, trust and love and I will forever hold him dear in my heart. My Dad passed away in July 2004...I love you dearly Dad. It's been a while but we shall meet in heaven some sweet day.

My Dad

photo from funjooke.com

As I think about my Dad, I wonder how he became the gentle, kind and generous man that he was. I wonder if being a Dad to six little girls would help build those characteristics into a man.  He loved my mother , he could make my mom's eyes twinkle beautifully like nothing else except  his tender love ever could. He was fun to be around, joking around with us girls often times. But he was faithful to the calling of God on his life as a husband and father and a preacher of the gospel. We lived out in the country on a small farm milking cows and selling the cream and farming some land.

Now to start with a few special memories - I remember as a little girl oftentimes playing hair dressup with him. He would sit on the chair and allow me and my sister to give him a "hairdo".  We would comb his hair anyway we wanted and pin it up with bobby pins. Usually we would end off the hairdressing session by adorning him with a kerchief just like my mother would always wear. That was so much fun for us. Or he would sit on a chair in the kitchen and stretch out his legs and we would use his legs as a slide. - Climb up onto his lap and slide down over and over. Also very fun. One day I remember we had company over and my Dad and his guest were in the basement visiting.  I ( his little girl) decided to go downstairs also but I took a huge tumble down the stairs but guess what - Dad was right there at the bottom of the stairs ready to catch me before I got down too far and I didn't get hurt at all.  One time my Mom had her ironing board out and had been ironing clothes. I didn't know that the iron was still hot and I placed my whole hand flat on the iron. Why I would do such is beyond me but as I remember my Dad spent the rest of the evening tending to my hand, helping me to cool it and keep me comfortable. That is just the kind of man he was - always thinking of others.

His tender spirit would show up from time to time. I can still see him in my mind sitting on his favorite chair in the livingroom listening to a record on the old record player. ( Now we have CDs but back then we had records and eight track cassettes) I can see him sitting there listening to his record of Jim Reeves singing the song "Daddy, my Daddy teach me how to pray" The song was about a little boy coming and asking his Dad to teach him how to pray. The lines went something like -"........ You've taught me lots today, You brought me home a brand new kite and taught me how to fly, there ain't no other kid whose Dad can knock a ball so high, I want to thank God for you, but I don't know what to say - So Daddy, my Daddy, teach me how to pray......." It was a really nice gentle song and I saw my Dad fight back the tears every time he would hear that song play. It seemed that it touched his heart as a Father in a special way. 

Thank-you Heavenly Father for my Dad. Amen.

Don't keep the faith to yourself.....

Sharing the Faith. That is the name of my blog. It seems simple enough because here on my blog I am sharing my faith. But the story goes a little deeper than what you see on the outside.
You see, it relates back to my childhood and growing up years. As I have posted in earlier blog posts .....( link to posts here
http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/04/coming-to-jesus.html

http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/04/baptism.html


in my family we are fans of Billy Graham. His teaching throughout the years has been a great blessing to our lives. We used to listen to the Hour of Decision broadcast every Sunday afternoon at 1:30. Oftentimes the message would be by Billy Graham himself,  preaching from a recent crusade but other times he would have other members of the Billy Graham Team bring the message. One of the Team speakers was a man by the name of Leighton Ford. He was a good preacher too. But at the close of his message, he would always end it the same way saying "Don't keep the faith to yourself - Pass it on!" That sounds like great advice, don't you think? Well my Dad didn't think it was worded quite accurately. My Dad would say " Don't keep the faith to yourself - Share it!". So what is the difference here?

I think why my Dad was bothered by the statement to "pass on your faith" is because your faith is a personal thing. None of us can redeem his brother. That is what the Bible says in Psalm 49: 7-8  None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

I cannot give you faith. I can share my faith with you and then it is your decision whether to make it your own or not. An example I think of is a family heirloom - a clock that my mother passed on to me. It is a very old chime clock. See picture of it here.



The clock I inherited


My Mom's Mom  ( that is my Grandmother ) inherited it, then she passed it on to my Mother, and now my Mother has passed it on to me and some day I will pass it on to one of my boys. So in passing down something valuable such as this clock, it is completely the decision of the giver whether or not I receive the gift. I inherited it. While when I share my faith with you, you must be decide whether you will receive what you have heard and whether you will choose to make it your own.

So I kind of like my Dad's idea "Don't keep the faith to yourself - Share it!!"

My Dad passed on to glory in 2004. If you would like to read a post about him link to post here:

http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/04/my-dad-man-of-god.html

http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/04/daddy-old-time-preacher-man.html

Good-bye Canadian Penny...

 

Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves....That is a quote my dad used to tell us.
Or another common saying is .... A penny saved is a penny earned! BUT...


A handful of Canadian pennies - my picture

....today we are saying good-bye to the penny here in Canada. To tell the truth, it is just a bit sad that we have come this far in our hurried lives and in our greed in this country. My local grocery store has not wanted to deal with pennies already for most of a year. They will always give or take, which ever is required so they can go with the nickel instead.  They tell me that at the end of the day when they add things up, it makes very little difference at all.
I have fond memories from my childhood saving up every penny in my little change purse and then the joy of going along to the store with my dad to get some toffee. Oh so good!!!
I was thinking about the penny earlier today and remembering how the penny was used in school to teach the value of each coin, ( the nickel, dime, and quarter) and the dollar bill. Yes, back then we had 1 dollar bills. Now of course we have the loonie ( which is $1 coin ) and the toonie ( which is the $2 coin). I began to wonder how the schools will teach the children what the value is of each coin. eg. the nickel is made up of 5 pennies - what will the teacher say now? The nickel is worth 5 pennies but the children will not even know what a penny is or was. This is a confusing thought.
I also heard on the radio today that there is now talk of getting rid of the nickel as well. What??  Call me old fashioned but I would rather keep things as they were in the old days...keep using the penny and the nickel!
 As Bible believing Christians, we know where this is all heading. Where you ask - to the cashless society and the mark of the beast. Someday no one will be using any real money at all. There will be no buying or selling except with the mark of the beast...666. None of God's people will take the 666 mark. Sadly those who accept this 666 mark will be doomed to hell.
Revelation 13:16-18  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Revelation 19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone



The Canadian Penny - my picture

Here is a short piece on death of the penny from the GLOBE AND MAIL:

The penny is beginning to drop.

Canada’s most ubiquitous coin will play a dwindling part in everyday business beginning today, as Ottawa phases it out to cut costs. The passing of the penny will affect the full spectrum of the nation’s economy, from big banks to the corner store – forcing businesses and consumers to change some of their habits.



Some retailers are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to revamp their cash-register systems to automatically round total cash purchases to the closest nickel and train staff about the changes.

But many smaller shops are far from prepared for the overhaul, and will count on cashiers to calculate the rounding manually, potentially slowing the checkout process.

Ditching the penny will inevitably cause confusion in the coming weeks as retailers adopt an array of different strategies to deal with the move. Discount giant Wal-Mart Canada Corp. will continue to take and give change in pennies until next month, when its systems will start to automatically round out total cash transactions (including tax) to the nearest five cents.

Grocery titan Loblaw Cos. Ltd. will begin this week rounding down cash purchases to the closest nickel. And Sears Canada Inc. is leaving its cashiers to manually figure out the rounding, without current plans to update its systems.

Most major retailers, including Tim Hortons, will round cash transactions to the nearest five-cent increment. But the coffee chain, which still does most of its business in cash, will stop giving out pennies as change this week, although it still will accept them

The Royal Canadian Mint stopped producing new pennies in May. After Monday, it will stop shipping them to retailers and banks, saving the federal government about $11-million a year in production costs.

The move was announced nearly a year ago in the federal budget. Still, Canadians are mostly in the dark about the death of the penny, according to a recent poll commissioned by Home Depot Canada.

There is more to the story  link here : http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/currencies/retailers-banks-and-shoppers-adjust-to-life-without-the-penny/article8155151/




Christmas Memories ( the story I wrote for our newspaper in 2005 )

 I wrote this story in 2005 to participate in a writing contest for our local newspaper  "The Carillon".  I did not win a prize but I did get "honorable mention" so I was pretty happy about that.

Here is the link to my other Christmas story- it is fiction, also  written for the newspaper:
 http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/12/new-beginnings-christmas-story-of-hope.html


The following is a true story from my growing up years.

My Christmas Story written in 2005

Christmas Memories from the 1970's

Even from my childhood, Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. Back then, there were no lights or decorations, just the excitement of a little farm girl looking forward to Christmas! It was the one and only time of the year when there would be presents. I was the youngest of six girls in the family.
Preparing for Christmas began early in December, when in Sundayschool I would get my poem which I was required to memorize. It was not easy to memorize a poem of High German words and verses. I would set my heart to memorizing it as soon as I could. Then my mother would begin to sew new Christmas dresses for my sisters and me. Usually they would all be the same pattern, though not the same fabric. To my mother, the most important thing was that the dress would be long enough to cover my knees.
Soon it would be time for the school Christmas party. I really looked forward to this. Here we would all share a special lunch. Some children were required to bring sandwiches while others brought cookies or cupcakes. Our desks would be placed in a circle around the outer part of the classroom. We would share the lunch and to top it off we were treated to a bottle of pop.
After lunch recess, it would be time for the gift exchange, at which time we would present a gift to the child whose name we had picked several weeks earlier. Then it was time for the parents to come to school to see the children put on the play of the Birth of Christ. The part of an angel would be mine.
After many days of waiting, Christmas Eve would finally arrive. Not only was Christmas finally here but it was also my birthday. Though my birthday was not celebrated,  I would be reminded that I was a Christmas gift to my parents the year that I was born. But now we would celebrate the birth of Jesus! Supper and chores would be early on Christmas Eve, as it was time to get ready for the Sundayschool Christmas program. What excitement as my sisters and I could wear our new Christmas dresses for the first time. We would pack all eight of us into the family car and head off to church, which was five miles away. Here we would sing our favorite German Christmas carols. My favorite was "Leisse Rieselt der Schnee" which talked of snow falling down lazily as we await the coming of the Christ Child. Then each child was called up individually to come to the microphone to recite the verse that he or she had memorized. This made me so nervous and yet it was very exciting! Then the treat bags were handed out to the children and also a gift which was either a Catechism or a Bible. Soon our happy family was ready to go back home.
Once back at home, my Dad would read the Bible. After that was done, we ( my sisters and I ) would each get out a mixing bowl. We would put our name on a small piece of paper and place it in the mixing bowl. Then the mixing bowl was set out on the couch or on a chair. After all the children were asleep, my parents would put some candy, chocolate snowballs and peanuts in the bowl as well as an unwrapped gift or two. What excitement on Christmas morning when I would hurry downstairs to see what was in my bowl! My favorite gift I remember was a mother doll that was about five inches tall with a baby doll in a small pink carriage.
Then it would be time for breakfast, chores and then off to church for the Christmas Day service. After church on Christmas Day and also on Boxing Day ( known to me then as the Second Holiday of Christmas ) , we would have a quick and simple lunch and then head off to our grandparent's house. On Christmas Day we would go to my dad's family's home, while on the Second Holiday of Christmas we would go to my mom's family's home. Both family gatherings were more than an hour's drive away and with eight of us in the car, that seemed like a long ride. Here we were expected to recite our Sundayschool verses. After this we were given a treat bag and a small gift such as a handkerchief or a small toy. The day would be spent visiting and playing with cousins and of course enjoying a scrumptious meal prepared by my grandmother. Grandmother would make so much extra we were all glad to get a jar of Plumi Moos and her special cake with bananas and whipped cream on it home to enjoy later. The next several days and weeks would be spent playing with our new toys and munching on the treats of Christmas!
These are the memories of the Christmas of my childhood which I will always treasure. What a joy it is to remember the people and places of Christmases past as we make memories for the future!

To read more about my parents, please check out the following links-
http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/04/my-dad-man-of-god.html
http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/04/my-moma-woman-of-faith.html

To read more about my Grandparents please check out the following links -
http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/06/grandpa-peter-and-grandma-g.html

http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/05/grandpa-hermana-gentleman.html
http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/06/grandma-anna-precious-memories.html

For the recipe for Plumi Moos please check my recipe blog - link to recipe here: http://bakeandtasterecipes.blogspot.ca/2012/11/pluma-moos-moms-recipe.html

The Oil and the Wine...

Revelation 6: 5-6 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

I was listening to Back to the Bible yesterday where Woodrow Kroll was teaching on the four horsemen of the apocalypse. What caught my attention was his explanation of the line in verse 6 of Revelation 6 where it says : and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.  The first seal is the antichrist making his appearance, the second seal is a war on the earth and then the third seal  represents a famine. During the times of this famine, it will cost a person's entire daily wage to buy food sufficient for just one person. Then we come to part "and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine".  What does that mean?? Woodrow Kroll seemed unsure of the meaning but he suggested that in the days of this tribulation there will still be a divide among the rich and poor people on the earth. The poor struggling to put food on the table and the rich having excess described by the terms oil and wine. BUT, I would like to share a different perspective on the interpretation of "the oil and wine". My Dad ( he has already passed on to glory) was a preacher and Bible teacher and he had quite a different explanation for this. He believed that the "oil and wine" refers to medicine and heathcare being available to those in need of it. (Whether it will be government run is not clear but  perhaps you could think of organizations such as The Red Cross etc) Let me explain why he thought "oil and wine" could refer to medicine and healthcare. We all have heard Bible teachers say you must interpret Scripture with Scripture. When you look in the story of the good Samaritan - what does the Samaritan use to dress the wounds of the injured man who fell among thieves. Luke 10:34 says And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. We can see from this that oil and wine were used in Biblical times for medicinal purposes.
 So to conclude, I cannot say whether Woodrow Kroll has the correct interpretation here or whether my Dad does but for the benefit of those living in the days of the tribulation period, I would hope that healthcare and medicine would be available to them in those days.

Heaven - Eternal Life!

John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
 It is eight years now since my Dad left this earth - around 9:10 AM on July 21, 2004 he passed throught the door of death and into Heaven. We wonder what will Heaven be like?  We know that being with Jesus in the presence of God the Father will make it so awesome - we cannot really even begin to imagine what it will be like. I'd like to post a few Scriptures about Heaven as I remember my Dad today. 



Jesus will welcome us home to Heaven!

My Dad as a young man.  I imagine how Jesus will have welcomed him home to heaven eight years ago. "Well done, good and faithful servant".
Below is a picture of my Dad reading to my twin boys ( his grandsons) years ago. He did so love his family.

So what can we know about Heaven?
1) Jesus is preparing our heavenly home for us - John 14:2   In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
2) We will dwell with God - Revelation 21:3 - and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God
3) There will be no more pain, tears, sorrow or death at all! - Revelation 21:4 -And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
4)  The Glory of God and the Lord Jesus will be the light in heaven - Revelation 21:23  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof
5) No evil of any kind will be allowed into heaven - Revelation 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
6) The throne of God is there and we will be serving God - Revelation 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
7) There is no end to heaven -a gift given and it is eternal, we are safe there - John 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand
As I think about heaven, I find myselft longing for heaven more and more. This earth really has nothing to offer in comparison at all. Try to think of the most exciting thing here on earth that you like to do - then put that up against being with Jesus in the Presence of God at His throne serving Him, no pain or sorrow of any kind forever! -  we see that there is no earthly pleasure here that can even begin to compare. So let us fully and whole heartedly commit our lives to the Lord Jesus and let us be ready to meet Him.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

When Will Jesus return to Earth?? - your thoughts??

The last couple of weeks I have been asking the question - Do you think Jesus will return to earth during your lifetime? in a poll here on my blog. Well time is up and the results are in. Five people voted to answer my question and 100% gave the answer Yes, it could well be.

I remember when I was a teenager in youth class at my church, my Dad (being the pastor at our church at that time ) was asked his opinion on when he thought Christ would return to earth. Dad was always studying Biblical prophecy and such and he had a good understanding of what is to come including the tribulation etc. His answer to the class (back 30 years ago ) was that he did not really expect it to happen in his lifetime considering what events must all take place prior to the Lord's coming but he stressed that he believed that Jesus would return in our lifetime - that is in the generation of the youth in his Bible class. So it is an interesting question to ask and I also believe that the coming of Jesus - His return to earth is very near and could most certainly happen in my lifetime, in my generation. So thank-you to everyone who participated in answering my question. Thanks very much.

Dad in Heaven.......

Sunday June 17th is Father's Day. I wonder if they celebrate Father's Day up in heaven? If you have been following my blog you will know that my Dad is in heaven as I have written a couple of posts about him. But on Father's Day, even though he is in heaven,  I like to remember him since hey - he gave me life plus he also  had a very positive influence in my life. Since he has been gone, there have been times when I have wished he were here so that he could give me advice or that he could see the accomplishments of our children. He did dearly love his grandchildren. In those times when I have felt I needed my Dad, God has reminded me that He is here and that He wants to be my Daddy and fill every void that is there due to my Dad not being here any more. I praise and thank God that He is my Daddy. He is my Heavenly Father.  2 Corinthians 6:18 says:

 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty

This is a picture of my Dad.

I found the lyrics to a song my Dad really liked. It was sung by Jim Reeves and written by Kathryn Twitty.

Daddy my Daddy Teach me how to Pray

One night a sleepy little boy knelt beside my bed
He smiled and looked into my eyes and this is what he said
Daddy, my daddy, you've taught me lots today
So daddy, my daddy, teach me how to pray.

You brought me home a brand new kite showed me how to fly
And there ain't no wonder kid who's dad can knock a ball so high
I'd like to thank God for you, but I don't know what to say
So daddy, my daddy, teach me how to pray.

I'd had to turn and leave his room, he began to cry
I didn't want my boy to know but so did I
His best pal forsaken him but what was there to say
For daddy, yes daddy, had forgotten how to pray.

(Daddy, my daddy, teach me how to pray.)...

Dad's final message to the family

In this post I want to share about my Dad's final message to the family. It was Christmas 2003. None of us knew that this would be our last Christmas together but it seemed that Dad knew it. We were all gathered together to celebrate Christmas at my parents home. Everyone had been able to make it out to be together for Christmas, that being all  24 of us in total. The dinner meal was finished and we all gathered in the livingroom for an afternoon of visiting and sharing and giving gifts.
Dad's health had been slowly deteriorating since the diagnosis of cancer a year earlier. He had been through surgery for the cancer  and many chemotherapy treatments. Combine that with a  heart attack that  had weakened his heart and having battled diabetes for years, he was not a strong man any more. He was getting weaker and walked with a cane. We all loved him very dearly and we hoped that he would be able to regain his strength and health and perhaps live to see his grandchildren grow up.
As we were all sitting there, suddenly Dad rose to his feet and it was clear it was time for all of us to stop visiting and listen up. It was sort of frightening because with him being so weak, any stress that he placed upon himself could trigger another heart attack. But leaning on his cane, he began to speak from the book of Joshua chapter 24: 14-15 where it says :
¹⁴ Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

¹⁵ And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Dad specifically wanted to stress that we as his family were to serve the LORD.  It was his desire that after he would be gone that we should all continue to live for Christ. He was choosing that for all of us though it is a choice we must each make as individuals. In a sense it was a challenge to us but it seemed more like a "gathering in of the flock".  Somewhat like if a hen gathers her chicks together to safety under her wings.
Tears flowed freely as he spoke to us. We all knew how hard it was for him to give that message to us in his condition but we are so thankful that he left us with those words and that memory.
A few weeks later in January, the cancer broke his leg and he was not able to walk anymore. He spent most of the next six months in the hospital in paliative care, where they had to increase the pain medication and his mind was not nearly so clear  anymore.  His love for all the family continued especially making an effort to bless  his grandchildren  who were very precious to him and he would always say goodbye to each one by name when they visited him in the hosptial. He passed away in July of 2004.
 It's been a while Dad, but we'll see you up there in glory when we all get to Heaven. We'll be together again.

Daddy - the old time preacher man

In this post I would like to share a bit more about my Dad. He was born in 1925 in Mexico but came to Canada with his parents as a very young baby. He spent most of his growing up years in the Kleefeld area of Manitoba. My Dad and his family were also among the group of Mennonites that moved to Paraguay in the late 1940's where they hoped to find a peaceful life.  I mentioned this move to Paraguay in an ealier post about my Mom. My Dad was among an early group of men that flew to Paraguay to prepare the way for the others that would come by ship later. He quite liked the adventure of going to Paraguay and had many fond memories of the time he spent out there and he even learned to speak a bit of Spanish.  After coming back to Canada, he worked for an English farmer (in the Carman area) which he also enjoyed very much. He married my mother in 1951.
My parents started farming in a very small way and gradually built the farm to a more moderate size. They started with just few acres of land and milked a few cows, sold the cream etc.  The Lord was faithful and provided all that was necessary to raise the six girls that were born to them.
My Dad always knew that the Lord had placed a calling on his life to be a preacher of the gospel. The actual call came in January of 1976 at the small country church that we attended. He was ordained as a preacher of the gospel in April of 1976 and began preaching immediately thereafter. He continued to farm on the side with the time that was available to him. The church did not provide a salary to the preachers so continuing to farm  was the right thing to do. The church denomination was involved with was is known as circuit preaching. There were churches of our denomination scattered throughout southern Manitoba and so my Dad was put on a schedule that would take him to each of these churches by rotation and thereby preaching in a different location every Sunday morning. He would spend many hours during the week preparing the sermon he would preach on Sunday. The drive to the church for any given Sunday morning ( other than our own local home church) would take about an hour or longer depending where the location of the church was that he was scheduled at that particular morning. This meant an early start to the morning chores. The cows  needed to be milked and fed before getting ready for church. It was very plain to see that Dad loved preaching. He preached his last sermon in January of 2002 at a little church at the village called Stuartburn.  At this time we already knew that Dad was not well, but we did not know that it was cancer. My husband and I took our family to hear Dad and Grandpa preach his last sermon. Our children were ages 9 and 9 and 5 and 3 when they heard Grandpa preach the last time. I don't remember much about the sermon but I know he talked some about the terrorist attacks that had happened in New York on September 11, 2001 which was just a few months earlier and that laid heavy on his heart.
I hope to post more in the next little while about my Dad, and his final message to the family. 

My Dad, a man of God

From time to time I want to share stories here about people and events that have impacted my life in various ways. This will include my parents, family, friends, school, church etc. Many times it is the little things that have happen that create the special memories in our lives. It is my hope that if in years to come my decendants will want to know what their ancestors were like they can look here on my blog and find some stories of things that have happened in the past. Today I want to share a bit about my Dad and I am sure much more will follow in the days to come. My Dad passed away in 2004 after a courageous battle with cancer. There are many life lessons we can learn from our parents, some of the lessons would be spoken words and others would just be from what we have observed from them over the years. Proverbs 1:8,9 says -
 ⁸My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
 ⁹For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

As I think about my Dad, I wonder how he became the gentle, kind and generous man that he was. I wonder if being a Dad to six little girls would help build those characteristics into a man.  He loved my mother , he could make my mom's eyes twinkle beautifully like nothing else except  his tender love ever could. He was fun to be around, joking around with us girls often times. But he was faithful to the calling of God on his life as a husband and father and a preacher of the gospel. We lived out in the country on a small farm milking cows and selling the cream and farming some land.
Now to start with a few special memories - I remember as a little girl oftentimes playing hair dressup with him. He would sit on the chair and allow me and my sister to give him a "hairdo".  We would comb his hair anyway we wanted and pin it up with bobby pins. Usually we would end off the hairdressing session by adorning him with a kerchief just like my mother would always wear. That was so much fun for us. Or he would sit on a chair in the kitchen and stretch out his legs and we would use his legs as a slide. - Climb up onto his lap and slide down over and over. Also very fun. One day I remember we had company over and my Dad and his guest were in the basement visiting.  I ( his little girl) decided to go downstairs also but I took a huge tumble down the stairs but guess what - Dad was right there at the bottom of the stairs ready to catch me before I got down too far and I didn't get hurt at all.  One time my Mom had her ironing board out and had been ironing clothes. I didn't know that the iron was still hot and I placed my whole hand flat on the iron. Why I would do such is beyond me but as I remember my Dad spent the rest of the evening tending to my hand, helping me to cool it and keep me comfortable. That is just the kind of man he was - always thinking of others.
His tender spirit would show up from time to time. I can still see him in my mind sitting on his favorite chair in the livingroom listening to a record on the old record player. ( Now we have CDs but back then we had records and eight track cassettes) I can see him sitting there listening to his record of Jim Reeves singing the song "Daddy, my Daddy teach me how to pray" The song was about a little boy coming and asking his Dad to teach him how to pray. The lines went something like -"........ You've taught me lots today, You brought me home a brand new kite and taught me how to fly, there ain't no other kid whose Dad can knock a ball so high, I want to thank God for you, but I don't know what to say - So Daddy, my Daddy, teach me how to pray......." It was a really nice gentle song and I saw my Dad fight back the tears every time he would hear that song play. It seemed that it touched his heart as a Father in a special way.
More to come on "Dad" another day but the song  sang by Jim Reeves holds true for me too as I think of my Dad -  "I want to thank God for you"