Happy Birthday, Dad! The sharecroppers farmhouse of your maternal grandparents, where you were born in 1932, no longer stands The road it was on is part of a tilled field. One of your Flint, MI homes, which stood next to your church, Bethlehem Methodist, is gone. So is Flint Tech High School. Also add the AC Spark Plug Engineering Building where you were employed for decades. All of these structures were hollow, temporary frames that housed eternal souls. The building that wont be torn down is still ahead for you, Dad. Because you are relying on Him as the Forgiver of your sins and have made Him the Lord of your life, Jesus is building a mansion for you (John 14:2) in the city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). Your works will follow you there (Revelation 15:13). For example: 1) 59 years of marriage to Mom, For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part. You didnt desert Mom as she struggled with health issues almost her entire life. In fact, her last two years on dialysis drew you two closer than ever and you felt it was a privilege to take care of her. 2) Being a man of Gods Word - the Bible, and prayer. Crawling out of your Army bunk at night to sit in a lighted stairwell to read from the Scriptures tells how highly you valued Gods words for your soul. The blessings of daily prayer and Bible reading have built strong, sturdy, eternal pillars into your soul. 3) Being a dedicated dad. Your responsibilities of employment, church and more kept your hours filled, but you were still around our home as much as possible. You went to every basketball game and track meet that you possibly could. I remember shooting free throws with you and playing catch. Neighborhood kids loved to hang out with you because of your gentle, good humor. You turned down a possible job promotion because it would take you away from home when we were teens. Trips to Tiger Stadium were more than I can number. Because you loved to travel, we may well have visited 40 states on family vacations through the years. Because you knew of my love for Civil War history, you deliberately took a detour on a trip so that I could pay a visit to Antietam. You regularly lead us in family prayer, a Bible verse and a spiritual thought before bedtime. You are still highly dedicated to Dave, Cheri and I, though we are in our 50s. Your love, daily prayers, example and giving are still making a difference in our lives, in those around you and around the world. 4) Years of service as a Sunday School Superintendent; as a board member for Flints Carriage Town Ministries; speaking monthly about Jesus to the homeless at CTM (while Mom was helping prepare food in the kitchen); singing solos, duets with Mom, church choir and a mens group that traveled to various Senior Living facilities; giving of your means to support the local church and its many arms that reach around the world; other means of service. 5) Countless unseen acts of kindness, known only to God and the individual involved. May your special day bring you blessings from your Heavenly Father and those whose friendship you treasure. Dave, Cheri and I cannot possibly thank you enough or articulate properly what you, as well as what youve done for us, means to us. Please accept our humble, deep, inadequate, yet all-encompassing Thank You So Very Much! We thank God for you, Dad! Happy Birthday, Dad! We love you! - Dave, Cheri & I
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 11:41:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015