SAD DAY.....Miss you Dad!

2 Corinthians 12

⁹But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


Today is a sad day in my family. Here is my mom's post on Facebook:


January 23, 2001 The saddest day in my life!!!! The day I lost the love of my life, you lost a father, grandfather, great friend, your pastor. Yes, we lost Jack on this day and he will never be forgotten. I do thank God for my family who surrounded him the night he passed away and have surrounded me ever since then. I thank God for the life he has given me, the gift of helping those who are in need. But what a price to pay for that gift! May God be with all of us today as we remember. We know he is looking 
down on us at all times. Rest in peace Jack. Love you Ellen

My Brother Jack also wrote a wonderful Poem for today: (He's a pretty talented guy!)

Time Heals Everything (Jack Rhoades, Jr.)

Time heals everything,
Or so they say.
But whoever said that
Never loved this way.

How can time heal
And how can it cure
The pain of a loss
Still present and pure?

Yes, time does pass
And lives go on,
But the emptiness is there,
Knowing what’s gone.

Days turn to weeks,
And weeks turn to years
Yet, the loneliness persists,
And even the tears.

To think you’ve moved on
And the grief’s in the past,
Is simply not true,
It will ever last.

Time doesn’t heal
A loss like this,
When it’s your dad you need
And your dad you miss.


Today is the anniversary of my Father on Earth joining my Father in Heaven. My Dad was a great man. He worked hard for us. Supporting 6 kids has never been easy. Late in his life he heard and answered the call to go into full time ministry as a Methodist Pastor. He was always open to God and his calling. He was so wise. I have shared before the great times we had with our weekly Cracker Barrell breakfasts. I treasure those times. I also treasure how he loved my kids. He was such a fantastic Grandpa. My kids adored him. This Godly man was the true leader of our home in every way. He was our spiritual leader and so much more.


When you lose someone like we lost Dad, you are at your weakest moment in your life. The loss weighs heavy then and it weighs heavy now. As you can tell from my Mom's post, she has continued to be "weak" in this loss. But, my Mom is the perfect example how God can take our weakness and make them our strengths. Mom has taken her weakness and turned it for God's glory. She has been there for so many people. She can truly say she knows where they are coming from. She is a Chaplain and has been a great leader in grief recovery. God has used her through this weakness and made her strong! 


Praise God he is our strength and our shield, an ever present help in times of loss. Praise God!

Strengthen my Gates!

Psalm 147

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹²Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
 ¹³For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.
 ¹⁴He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.
 ¹⁵He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

I think this is kind of an interesting verse. God wants to protect us from this world. He knows the evil that lurks outside our gates. Knowing that he wants to protect his own, then why does he count on our "Man-made Gates" to protect us. The verse says he strengthens the bars of our gates (to protect us.) He doesn't need our gates to protect us. He certainly has the power to thwart any attack. Yet, he still uses our gates.

God wants us to do everything we can to protect ourselves. We need to build the gates. He will take what we build and make it better. But, he wants us to build the gates. People who choose to do nothing because they depend on the Lord, are wrong.  God wants us to be active in our own lives. The Lord will take whatever we do and make it better. If we do everything to be the best teacher we can be, he will take that effort and make us better. If we guard our hearts from the dangers of porn, drugs, and alcohol, he will be faithful and give us the BETTER tools to do that. If we work hard to remain faithful to our spouses, he will reward that work with a stronger relationship. If we work hard at our jobs, he will bless us with the ability and opportunity to succeed. God never wants us to sit idly and wait for his action. He wants us to act and then he joins our action.

God will never abandon us. He will never give us more than we can handle. He knows the gates I build are good but not good enough. He knows in order to get the protection I need, he needs to intervene. God rewards us for our efforts to do his will. We are sinful people. The harder we fight sin, the more strength he gives us to win the battle. He takes what we do for his kingdom and magnifies it for his purpose. God is with us. He will strengthen our gates.

Failure!

Psalm 91 (New International Version)

⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
   nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
   nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
   ten thousand at your right hand,
   but it will not come near you. ⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
   and see the punishment of the wicked.


I can bet you know someone who has fallen away from the Lord. You might know a Pastor who has failed publicly. You might know a friend who has sinned and left the Lord. It happens. I have wondered at times why God put's these people on Public display. It seems they are so damaging to witnessing and spreading the message of Jesus Christ.

Sin grieves God. Sin is not unique to those who do not know the Lord. We all fight the Battle of Sin. Unfortunately, some fail. I am not one to judge why, or to comment on how. God knows these things. But, as a sinner saved by the grace of God, I need to be on constant alert. One of the ways we can stay vigilant is to "Observe". We need to observe those around us that have failed. We need to observe the punishment of the wicked. We need to witness the Grace of God and compare it to the consequences of rejecting him.

These observations should help us stay focused on him. If we do, we will not fear the terror of darkness. We will not feel the pain of the arrows around us. We do not have to fear pestilence or plague, or cancer, or loss. We do not need to fear failure. We are promised his protection. We need to stay alert. Keep the Faith. God is with you. Do not Fear. You do not need to worry of Failure as long as you leave God in control.