3 Things I've Learned from my Dad

All children should honor their father, but my dad made it easy. I've learned many, many things from my dad. So many that I couldn't even begin to chronicle them. But on this Father's Day, I would like to share a few of the things my dad has taught me.

1. The Lord is Lord all the time and everywhere.

My father never allowed being a Christian to be a part-time occupation. Faith wasn't something that happened on Sunday and then cessed to exist on Monday-Saturday. Rather, Dad saturated everything is the simply idea that God never stopped being God and therefore we should never stopped living under His authority. Thus, he taught me to leave God out of nothing, whether it was going to church, playing softball or changing oil.

2. The Bible is a big deal.

This is something Dad never really had to say. I mean, he did say it but he didn't have to. Because every morning for as long as I can remember, I've seen my dad sitting in his little study - the dark basement corner illuminated by a small lamp - reading the Bible. Now, my dad's not a reader and yet he puts zealous bookworms to shame with his devotion to a single book, the Book. Therefore, as a very young guy I learned that this book they called the Bible matter to my dad. My best memories of bonding with my dad was not the normal father-son bonding moments like playing catch or working on the car. We did all those things, but that's not what stands out. What stands out is sitting around the dinner table talking about the Scriptures.

3. Truth is more than head-knowledge.

My dad's not what you would call a theologian. But in another sense he's exactly what you would call a theologian. Were he ever to write a theological work it would look more like Proverbs than Romans. He's a very practical person who wants to connect everything to the nuts-and-bolts reality of daily living. For him, truth isn't a concept floating in the sky. It's a pathway to walk. Truth is something to be lived, not just thought about.

These are just some of the things that I've learned from my dad. I'm very thankful to have such a man as my father.

Happy Father's Day!!!

---

See also:

Why My Father's a Paradox (And Why I Love It)
3 Reasons I Appreciate My Mom

3 Reason I Appreciate My Mom

There are many, many that I appreciate my mom. Too many to count. But on this Mother's Day, I'd like to share three of them with you.

1. Her care for people.

I naturally ask "why?". My dad taught me to ask "what?". But my mom taught me to ask "who?". I love my mom's tender heart which touches everything she does. Even little things like listening to people come from her desire to serve others. Without making airs or stirring up commotion, my mom makes an impact on everyone she gets to know. Her quiet spirit can penetrate hearts and silence storms. She cares for people like a bird flies. It's just a part of who she is. It's a marvelous gift and I'm so thankful for it.

2. Her faithful service.

My mom has an unassuming nature about her and thus much of what she does goes unnoticed. But that doesn't seem to bother her. Though I'm sure she's had her down moments, I'm so very grateful for the faithful, consistent service of my mother. She gladly performs the little things that no would notice unless she didn't do them. She's never felt the need to grab the spotlight. Rather, for the past twenty years I've seen her cheerfully serve everyone around her.

3. Her love for God.

But above all I'm thankful that my mom's highest priority is glorifying God. I know that everything else I appreciate in my mom - her openness, her sincerity, her compassion, her faithfulness - all stem from her love for God. I'm so very grateful that she saw fit to instill that in me.

For all that you are and all that you've done, thank you mom! Happy Mother's Day!

The Big Deal

Isn’t it funny how some things that seem only mildly important to some people are essentials for living to others? For example, to my little sister getting her dress dirty is a crisis equal to the apocalypse. To my little brother, blue jeans and napkins are practically synonyms.

Sometimes, we have similar differences of emphasis with God. Lately,I’ve been studying the issue of honoring parents and I’ve realized something; this is a really big deal to God. Under Old Testament law, the dishonoring of parents in the severest of cases was a capital offense. Translation: they took this issue so seriously that if you didn’t stop disrespecting your parents the authorities would kill you. Pretty intense, no?

Before you dismiss this as out-dated, Old Covenant precautions, bare in mind that twice Paul, once in Romans 1 and again in II Timothy 3, listed disobedience to parents along side idolatry, fornication, homosexuality, pride and some of the vilest sins imaginable.



I looked at that and thought to myself, “What’s the big deal?” I mean, I understand that obeying my parents is important and that we should do it. But punishable by death? On equal terms with paganism? Seriously?

I knew there had to be a reason. After all, God’s ways are higher than our ways (thankfully!). Our Father doesn’t just make up a bunch of rules for the fun of it. Therefore, I began to dig a bit deeper. Well, upon doing some study I think that there are several reason why God puts such an emphasis on this issue throughout the Scriptures. But there’s one in particular that I want to zero in on.

In both Romans 1 and II Timothy 3, Paul is describing the symptoms of a corrupt, godless society that he knew would emerge in what he called the Last Days. In the II Timothy passage, he ends his list of abominations - which includes disobedience to parents - with the phrase, “For of this sort are they which creep into houses…” He then goes on to describe how false teachers were winning over idle women and corrupting homes.

Almost at the beginning of humanity itself, God established the institution of the family. And since his fall, our adversary the devil has been trying to undermine this most vital of God-ordained establishments. In the Garden of Eden, he got Eve to challenge her husband’s position. Only a few generations into humanity, polygamy was introduced. Then we have infamous showdown at Sodom and Gomorrah, which some historians believe outdates the pyramids. So, attacks on the family have been around for centuries and haven't gotten any better.

We’re all familiar with at least the first part of Exodus 20:12. “Honor thy father and thy mother.” But then it goes on to say, “That thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” This is the first commandment with a promise. There are benefits, not only the next life but in this one, for honoring our parents.

The family is the cornerstone of society. So how can we have a godly society if we don’t have godly families? Our culture will never be God honoring unless it has a Biblical view of the family. When we dishonor parents, not only are we challenging a direct command from God Almighty, we are undermining the very basis for society itself. We are distorting the institution of the family and thereby defiling society as a whole. That's the big deal.