MEDIOCRITY

Mediocrity is something I have struggled with most of my life. It is something that has created many missed opportunities and immeasurable heart ache for me and my family.

Recently, a good friend approached me and asked if I would accept a guest on this blog. This is something I would not do lightly. But Colonel Paul Longgrear, US Army retired, is a man who shares my heart for the fathers of this age.

Paul is a true American hero and I recently had the honor of attending his induction into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame. His story is an extraordinary one and one Google search will show you why I enthusiastically said yes to Colonel Paul’s inquiry.

Please read his words and insights closely. He is a man I have personally learned a great deal from.

En servicio como Padre

Dave

MEDIOCRITY – Paul Longgrear

Years ago our family lived in a county with two school systems. The two high schools were only four or five hundred yards apart and from the start were arch rivals even though one was only nine years old.

The older school dominated the younger school all nine times they played in football. The old school played for the state championship three times and won one of them. At one point they racked up a 29-1 record and won seven region titles. They excelled at football and the newer school was only mediocre.

In spiritual parlance we might consider the word coined by Jesus, “lukewarm”. If one is not going to do his best at something, he might want to not attempt it in the first place. Does this mean mediocrity is bad? Is striving for excellence always good?

If one has to revert to the flesh to achieve excellence; excellence would probably be bad.

Is it better to be a sluggard or turn to sin to win?

Behavioral performance can be based on genetic influence or it can be learned through environment. If a man is born into a family of over achievers, he will be influenced just by being a member of that family. On the other hand if that same person is born into a family of under motivated members he again will be influenced by that environment. He may flow with the character of the family or he may defy the norm and be just the opposite in either case he is influenced by that environment.

Whatever the influence or cause, excellence is refusing to settle for less that one’s best. Mediocrity, on the other hand, is settling for the minimum that will suffice. “If the deadline is 3:00 P.M. why get it completed earlier”, the sluggard might ask.

When I decided to leave my home state of Arkansas to seek my fortune, I followed Horace Greely’s advice and went west to California. Within a matter of days I had a job at a large Los Angeles area lumber yard. Because I had a couple of years of college, the boss put me in charge of the stall that contained small lumber and ply wood.

He assured me it was a mess and challenged me to try and get it straightened out within a couple of weeks, if possible. I had two summers of experience in the lumber yard business and within three days had everything in order. Why did I do that? My mother raised me to work hard and she was the hardest working person I knew. Hard work was not an option in our family, it was the expected.

My wife and I raised three children who were all very good workers and have done very well for themselves. I was always a poor performing student because I was academically lazy. As a result, I was determined my children wouldn’t be.

Our oldest child was diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, the second child never had to crack a book in school and the third labored to meet his, self-imposed, classroom goals. I am honored to say that all three are college graduates and one has a doctorate in education. The one with the learning disability was assured that she was as smart as her brothers and the same results would be expected of her.

Which of them do you think has the doctor’s degree? The laborer, he refused to be mediocre.

We had the same standards for each of them; do your best! I learned as a child that too much pressure to perform could cause a student to cheat. Life taught me, excellence can never be achieved by lowering moral standards.

There are no shortcuts to excellence. Diligence and determination mixed with perseverance are the ingredients necessary to fulfill what God has placed in all of us. It should also be noted that talent will not assure excellence. If very talented people accept less than their best for themselves, they are mediocre.

Remember the schools we mentioned at first. The difference was attitude. When the two schools walked on the football field it was obvious which team thought they would win and which team only hoped they would win. The coaches convinced the first team they were going to win every game because they were prepared to win through work and preparation. During the week they practiced smart, hard and long.

Leadership is the key to creating an environment of excellence and overcoming mediocrity. Whether one is a manager, a coach, the parents of children, or commander of a military unit, leadership is the key.

Leadership is nothing more than motivating someone to do what they are supposed to do. How well they do it is determined by how motivated they are.

There are only two ways to motivate; inspiration or intimidation. Think about by which of these ways you are motivated. Now think about how you motivate those around you.

We will discuss this in the near future.

A Cat Named Pinky

In our relationship with God, we must realize there is a difference between the spiritual world and our physical world.

Although the bible clearly states, in Matthew 16:19, “Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”. There is a difference in how we see ourselves on earth and how God sees us in the spirit.

When I was a very small child my oldest sister Fern, as I recall, brought home a cat. This cat was a grey brindle with four white feet and a very pink nose. Based on what she saw, my sister named this cute little kitten Pinky.

It was fully her intention for this little kitten to be her playmate. He was to cuddle with her, play dress up, help her make mud pies, have dinner engagements, all the things little girls do.

Unfortunately, deep in the DNA of little Pinky lay and 18 pound, six toed behemoth that had an uncontrollable urge to roam and dominate.
He undoubtedly had a very nasty disposition when it came to other cats, dogs, coyotes, snakes, and just about every other animal the Arizona desert presented him.

I remember well into my teens, Pinky would saunter off into the desert often for months at a time. He would return, sometimes six to eight months later wearing the scars and licking the wounds of his most recent campaign.

The name my sister gave this cat was Pinky, but God knew this cat as something altogether different.

As fathers, it is extremely important we know what is in our DNA. We must know of what we are made. We must define our life in such a way as to live and worship in alignment with how God made us.

Pinky’s life was in conflict with how my sister envisioned he would be. He was wild at heart, but somehow my sister came to accept that. She accepted him when he returned, nursed his wounds, cuddled with him, loved him, wept and prayed for him when he walked back off into his world.

One such day, Pinky, sauntered off into the Arizona desert and never returned. He was found not far from our home and was buried with great respect in our back yard pet cemetery.

If we expect to be the best father we can be, we can’t be like Pinky and wander off into a secret world away from our family and loved ones, but we must examine the callings we have in our spirit and ask God to help us use them for his Kingdom and to help us be a better father and husband.

We must earnestly seek God, that He might reveal to us the make up of our spiritual DNA and thus our true nature. I ask you to seek God to find out………. by what name does God know you?

En servicio como Padre
Dave

Monotony breeds familiarity

A few days ago, my wife and I were talking about some of the people we have met. You know who they are, the people who have lived their whole life in the same area. They have never traveled outside their state, many not outside the county, and a few not outside the city they live in.

In the course of our discussion, my wife expressed something that pricked me deep in my soul. She said “monotony breeds familiarity.”

As I pondered this thought, the picture of these people came to mind. They seem to have a very limited view of the world, in many cases they have a negative view of people outside their general area, especially those from outside their geographical region.

The monotony of seeing everything the same way day in and day out has created a familiarity with the things around them that breeds distrust, even anger, with that which is different.

I am reminded of Saul in the book of I Samuel. In this story, Saul comes to a woman who has a familiar spirit in an attempt to get in touch with the prophet Samuel who died earlier.

Saul sunk deeper into disobedience with this action and it cost his life and that of his sons.

When confronted by Samuel with the question; “why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul’s response was interesting. “I am in great distress” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets of by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.” (I Samuel 28:15)

Saul was acting the same way and making the same choices for so long that he no longer was aware of how he was conducting his business. His life entered into a form of monotony. He came to the point that he could not make a decision for himself. When his prophets no longer could advise him and Samuel was dead, he turned to a familiar spirit to come up with answers.

Websters defines monotony as 1: tedious sameness 2: sameness of tone or sound. (m-w.com)

When we become so accustomed to the same things, actions, places, words, etc, life becomes tedious. If we don’t take reasonable action to change monotony, we become indifferent to the things around us. As a result of this indifference, we let our guard down and our enemies take advantage of us.

We don’t see it or hear it because of monotony. By the time it becomes apparent to us, we have no idea where to turn. This is where familiarity becomes our enemy.

We choose the comfort of familiarity and reject a new or different way of approaching our issues.

God created man in His image. (Gen 1:27) As such, He endowed us with all of His attributes, including the ability to create. Satan, on the other hand, was not created in the image of God. He doesn’t have the ability to create and must use what already exists, that which he is familiar with.

If the enemy can keep us tied up in familiarity, he can keep us from realizing the victorious life that God has created us to live.

Monotony breeds familiarity, and familiarity coaxes us into a life of inactivity and, ultimately, a sub-optimization of what God has created us to be.

Wake up! Break out of monotony before it is too late.

En servicio como padre
Dave

How much are you worth?

“How much your worth is how much you give, not what you own”.

In an article by Rabbi Socks, the above quote resonated deep within me. Having grown up in a family of eight kids, we grew up with a measure of poverty. My father was the custodian at the county court house, and my mother a maid at a small motel. Together they scraped together enough money each month to keep us fed, clothes on our back, and a roof over our heads.

We were a family of little and we expected little.

As I grew into adulthood, I vowed I would never put my children in the same situation I grew up in and I pressed every button I could to get ahead.

With my success came the natural trappings of nice home, nice cars, all the things that show the world we are a successful family.

By all standards I was a successful, but not affluent provider for my family. My worth increased over the years with higher salaries, more expensive cars, and more expensive homes. Not able to purchase multiple homes I considered my worth to be less than many who lived a more lavish lifestyle than I. My measure of worth was shallow and weak but was shared by most people I worked with and around every day.

What I didn’t know was that this measure of success was not God’s measure. God looks at your heart and what He was seeing in my heart was not the heart of a successful father. What he was seeing was a heart of pride.

So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t. (Romans 12:4 The Message)

One day I went to work like any other, by the end of the day, I was going home having been laid off from my job. At 50 years of age, it was a terrifying circumstance. All the pride I had in my success did not help me at that moment. I was devastated and found no hope in the success I previously garnered.

At this time, God began to show me my pride and how it was hindering His ability to help me succeed. The words of Job explain the lesson, I would learn over the next nine months as I struggled to find another source of support for my family.

When things go badly, when affliction and suffering descend, God tells them where they’ve gone wrong, shows them how their pride has caused their trouble. He forces them to heed his warning, tells them they must repent of their bad life. If they obey and serve him, they’ll have a good, long life on easy street. But if they disobey, they’ll be cut down in their prime and never know the first thing about life. (Job 36:5 The Message)

As I look around me today, I see many young men who are moving down the same path I was on. They speak of all God has done for them, but what is obvious in their words is they are really saying “look at all I have accomplished”. The same spirits that lied to me about success, are lying to them today.

Although I try, only a few are willing to listen to my story. The message from our society and it’s measure of success is that this is a man who tried and failed.

God has fully restored me to my former level of success. The difference now, is that I am driven by a totally different measure. I now subscribe to the message hidden in Matthew 6:30: “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” (The Message)

Fathers, don’t worry about missing out on anything. If you learn to measure your success according to God’s metrics, you will find all your human concerns will be met and more.

En servicio como Padre

Dave

A Father’s Journey along the Yellow Brick Road

The Wizard of Oz is a story that is common to most people in the United States and in many places around the world.

The story, about a young girl, Dorothy, and her small dog, Toto, who are thrust into a strange world through the fateful encounter with a Kansas tornado.

After arriving in “the Land of Oz”, Dorothy encounters many strange and unusual characters, some good and some evil.

It is a classic tale of good over evil, but woven throughout the story are lessons that should not be ignored by anyone, the least of which by us fathers.

Clearly, the primary embodiment of evil is the “Wicked Witch of the West”. A female characterization of Satan. The Wicked Witch oppresses and controls everyone in this wondrous land through her evil deeds and the help of her minions, the “Flying Monkeys”.

The purpose of this article, though, is not to focus on the wicked witch, but instead to call attention to several characters, Dorothy met in this magical land. The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wizard of Oz. These characters are in many ways quite simple, but in this simplicity, represent the failings of many fathers today.

When Dorothy and Toto meet the Scarecrow, they soon find that he, like them, is on his way to see the Wizard of Oz. In his case he is going to request the Wizard give him a brain. He believes he doesn’t have a brain because, among other things, he has been told he doesn’t have a brain. After all scarecrows are stuffed with straw, not brains. This belief is further supported by the bad decisions he has made along his journey to find the Wizard.

Like most of us, the Scarecrow has encountered the Wicked Witch and her minions and has been told he could never have a brain. He is unworthy of a brain. Sound familiar?

Later in the story, Dorothy encounters the Tin Man along the yellow brick road. When she and the Scarecrow find him, his joints are rusted and he is paralyzed and unable to help himself. It appears the Wicked Witch’s minions have doused him with water knowing he would rust.

How many times along your journey have you been doused with water. Without someone to “oil your joints”, you are soon paralyzed and of no use to anyone. Without the anointing of this oil, the oil of the Holy Spirit, you would slowly rust away, never having accomplished the purpose for which God created you.

In the case of the Tin Man, Dorothy and her friends find the oil and assist in getting him free again. The Tin Man explains his desire is to have a heart and he is on his way to see the Wizard in hopes he will give him one. Without a heart, he is just another hunk of metal without any purpose in life. He soon joins them on their journey

The third character, the Cowardly Lion, is encountered as Dorothy and her new friends pass through the forest. The Lion desperately tries to stand his ground but he is totally inept due to his fear of the potential outcome. He is easily overpowered by Dorothy’s small dog Toto.

The Lion breaks down in tears describing his lack of courage and explains that it has kept him from being the true king he is supposed to be.

Over the years I have encountered men who have been sub-optimized in their jobs, their marriages, their ministries, and worst of all in their role as a father. Lack of courage is the feet put to the spirit of fear. Fear has been the single greatest reason why the men of this present age have been unable to become the warriors and kings that God created them to be. The world tells them they will fail if they strike out or resist the enemy, so they don’t for fear of failure.

Eventually, the small group arrives at the Emerald City and are ushered into the presence of the Wizard. An impressive character with windows, and spires, smoke and mirrors. The very voice of the Wizard is enough to make the small group shake in their shoes. He tells them he is too busy to answer their requests and tells them to come back another day. As the group cowers trying to figure out what to do next, Toto, pulls back a curtain and exposes a man speaking into a microphone and pulling levers and pushing buttons.

I can’t help but think the Wizard represents the modern day church. What most people of this world see is just the outward manifestation of the work of men. It is not the infinitely more powerful God that we worship. The church is busy pulling levers, pushing buttons, and speaking into microphones in an attempt to fashion God into something that can impress the world.

Ultimately, the things that each of these characters seek they already posses. They just needed to accept them and put them to use. It isn’t that easy in the real world, or is it? If we accept Jesus as our personal savior, and submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit, our understanding of all these things will be opened to us and we will finally, like Dorothy and Toto find our way home. If we continue to put our trust in a God fashioned by the works of man, we will be lost in the Land of Oz constantly seeking that which can not help us.

En servicio como padre

Dave

Why am I alive?

Why am I alive?

A question you may have asked yourself many times. It seems each of us must have a purpose to our lives. We are constantly seeking a meaning to our existence.

I have watched over my lifetime as men and women who, in my eyes, seemed to be making a greater difference in their lives, have met sometimes tragic circumstances and were taken off this earth.

Why were those who are doing so much good taken and I still remain?

The fear of living your whole life and leaving this earth without making a difference to someone, has caused men to explore untamed lands, climb high mountains, seek cures for illnesses, and even enter politics. Men have chased after strange women, done odd things to their bodies, subjected themselves to dangerous situations, and worshiped other gods. All because they needed to find purpose and meaning to their existence.

The search is insatiable especially in these days when the whole world seems to be changing right before our eyes. Countries and their leaders are falling, storms rage from out of nowhere, the earth explodes in the rain of searing hot ash and poisonous gas. Men are faced daily with their mortality and also with their insignificance. At times like these, we seek after something that will say our life matters for something or someone.

Our inner man cries with a loud voice, but no one or nothing seems to hear. Like the tree that falls in the forest, we feel no one even notices. We become more frenzied in our actions. Driving as fast as we can though we don’t know why. We strike out at those whom we love, or who love us, for no apparent reason. We seek to amass great wealth on great quantities of material items, though we admit we don’t need them.

It all just seem so normal. We are convinced by those in our culture that we need to accomplish, or experience things in this way. We tolerate all the discomfort because it’s just supposed to be that way. King David once felt that way, he was overcome with his own weakness and his seeming inability to recognize trouble until it arrived on his doorstep. In Psalm 4:1-2 he says:

1. When I call, give me answers. God, take my side! Once, in a tight place, you gave me room;
Now I’m in trouble again: grace me! hear me!

2. You rabble—how long do I put up with your scorn?
How long will you lust after lies?
How long will you live crazed by illusion? (The Message)

King David was frustrated he let everyone down, especially himself. He had no where to turn, after all, he was the King, where was he to turn but to God? In the end, he realized the value of where he turned. Not to the powers that be in society, but to the God of all creation. In Psalm 4: 3-8 he begins to speak the truth that is already in his heart:

3. Look at this: look
Who got picked by God!
He listens the split second I call to him.

4-5 Complain if you must, but don’t lash out.
Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking.
Build your case before God and wait for his verdict.

6-7 Why is everyone hungry for more? “More, more,” they say.
“More, more.”
I have God’s more-than-enough,
More joy in one ordinary day

7-8 Than they get in all their shopping sprees.
At day’s end I’m ready for sound sleep,
For you, God, have put my life back together. (The Message)

Why am I alive? The answer to that question can be complex or it can be very simple, it depends on what you have chosen to do with your life. As a father, you are called to be an example to your children and a head to your household. As a husband you are to be what Adam failed to be, the voice of reason and right actions. In the end it is all wrapped up in the few lines from Isaiah below:

God’s Message, the God who created the cosmos, stretched out the skies, laid out the earth and all that grows from it, Who breathes life into earth’s people, makes them alive with his own life: “I am God. I have called you to live right and well. I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe. I have set you among my people to bind them to me, and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations, To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light: opening blind eyes, releasing prisoners from dungeons, emptying the dark prisons. I am God. That’s my name. I don’t franchise my glory, don’t endorse the no-god idols. Take note: The earlier predictions of judgment have been fulfilled. I’m announcing the new salvation work. Before it bursts on the scene, I’m telling you all about it.” Isaiah 42:5 (The Message)

You are alive to make a difference in someone’s life.

En servicio como Padre

Dave

Is Dad a brand name?

We are only a couple of weeks away from, what has become a great winter tradition in the United States, the viewing of the annual Superbowl commercials.

In this tradition, companies spend ridiculous amounts of money to buy a minute of television air time, and to produce the most creative advertisements and thus get their brand name in front of people around the world.

Names like Nike, Pedigree, Fed-EX, and Capitol One are likely to be seen.

The purpose of these advertisements is to instill a connection in the minds of people so when they have a need they will remember the brand name.

It’s sort of like selling your name in search of future rewards.

For the past several decades brand names have become increasingly more important in society world wide. In watching coverage of some of the recent disasters; Katrina, Ike, The Asian Tsunami, and most recently the Haiti earthquake, you will see the impact of brand name appeal.

As people are rescued. in these disasters, be it from rooftops, floating debris, or dug from beneath tons of rubble from a collapsed building, they often are wearing a Nike shirt, a Los Angeles Dodgers hat, or some other brand name which has become a symbol of success or affluence. Even in the scenes from the poorest of nations, Haiti, Sudan, Afghanistan for example, people manage to grab hold of a brand.

In the United States, young men and women have lost their lives over a pair of shoes or a shirt bearing a particular brand name. People have had their fingers cut off and hands otherwise mangled, to get a ring or watch of a particular brand. People have been shot or stabbed, even had their children drug alongside a speeding SUV because the vehicle was a favorite carjacking brand.

The people of the world have become so fasinated with brand names they will spend huge sums, often sums they don’t have, to acquire merchandise of a particular brand.

As I look around the internet it is becoming increasingly apparent that fatherhood is becoming a subject of interest. Much like wedding sites, fatherhood sites are springing up everywhere. Some are becoming so popular they are attracting sponsors and are becoming sites that dispense merchandise as well as advise.

This in and of itself is not a problem. There is no reason anyone should be condemned for using their own creativity and experience to make a living. The problem comes when the line between fatherhood and brand identification become blurred.

Fatherhood is not a brand name!

Fatherhood is the relationship between a father and his child. It is a sacred and ordained relationship that is natural to the human experience. It is spiritual as well as physical in nature and, when done in excellence, mirrors the relationship between God and man.

Psalms 16:4-5 talks about our relationship with God in these terms;

“4) Don’t just go shopping for a god. Gods are not for sale. I swear, I’ll never treat god names like brand names. 5) My choice is you, God, first and only. And now I find I’m your choice.” (The Message)

If God is our example of the perfect father then, likewise, we should never treat fatherhood like a brand name. Fatherhood in not for sale. Like our relationship with our Father God, we should strive to keep fatherhood an intimate and personal relationship.

En servicio como Padre

Dave

40 Short years

Today is Sunday January 3, 2010, the day Marsha and I celebrate 40 years of marriage.

As I think about the past 40 years, it seems like such a short time.  We began this journey in a small Methodist Chapel in Colorado City Texas.  It was during the Vietnam war and I was in the Air Force.  We, like many other young people then, wanted to get married in case things went badly in the war.  We knew Vietnam would impact our lives in one way or another.

Over the years we have lived in states like, Illinois, New Mexico, Texas, Nebraska, and Georgia.  We have met wonderful people in each of these states and many are good friends to this day.  We were even called by an old boss, and friend, yesterday whom I worked with in Nebraska. 

Our five children were born in New Mexico and Texas and have been the greatest blessing of all for these past 40 years. Followed closely by the 32 foster children who God gave us the opportunity to take care of over a 26 year period.

Over all, we thank God for his constant presence and oversight.  He has been with us when we were wondering where the next meal would come from, through the birth and or adoption of our children, and has celebrated the many victories we have experienced over these many years.  He has taught us to be better parents, friends, colleagues, and lovers.

I look forward to what the next 40 years will bring for us.  In everything, we know our children, grand-children, friends, and especially God will be along for the ride.

Thank you to each of my readers who have taken the time to listen to what God has put on my heart over the past few years.  You have become a part of my extended family.

On a personal note, I want to thank Marsha for being the partner God destined her to be.  She has put up with my weakness and has made me much stronger.  She has been my eyes when I could not see clearly.  She has tolerated my misunderstanding of what spiritual headship meant in our early years, and has helped me refine what it is today.  She has gotten more lovely over the years and I am proud she chose to join me on this journey 40 years ago.

God bless you all.

En servicio como Padre

Dave

Father of the Decade

As I began to consider this concept, I thought it would be fairly easy. After all, how many fathers are there in the world? There must be many that stand out. How much news has been reported in the last ten years? There must be great fathers among the reports.

Soon after beginning my research, I realized this was going to be a difficult, if not impossible, task.

There are fathers in the news alright.

Recently there was Dr. Umaru Abdulmutallab, the father of Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, otherwise known as the “underpants bomber”, or the “undergarments bomber”, or something like that. He is charged with attempting to blow up a Northwest flight headed for Detroit on Christmas day. Dr. Abdulmutallab showed his concern for his son and all mankind, when he sought out the United States embassy in Nigeria to report his son turned to extreme Islamic jihadism and might be a threat to the United States. Certainly an act of love.

Then there was Mr. David Goldman, who finally won custody of his nine year old son after a five year international battle in a Brazilian court. He was hailed a hero as television cameras captured him shielding his son while whisking him into a waiting car, the beginning of a long journey back to the United States and readjustment with a father he has barely known.

How about Tiger Woods? A man with a beautiful family, a wife and two loving children. After a late night car accident in his own front yard, somehow involving a golf club and a broken car window, his life unraveled squarely in the public eye. Mistress after mistress came forward with stories of infidelity and deception. I can only imagine the impact on his children and his wife.

Perhaps the story of Michael Lohan. The estranged father of celebrity Lindsay Lohan, arrested for violating an order of protection that was requested by his ex-wife.

Most fathers don’t get in the news for being great fathers. On the positive, take the example of the following individuals:

Billy Graham, one of the most recognized names in the world. He is known for his ministry that is credited with immeasurable numbers of people who have come to a relationship with Jesus Christ. He has been the “pastor of presidents”, the author of books, and the voice to the nations. All that being said, his role as a father doesn’t come to mind when his name is uttered in most circles.

Oral Roberts, recently passed and has been recognized as the one who brought Christ to the television. His efforts a televangelism changed the role of the evangelist forever. Many people were healed under the hand of this gentle servant. He was a father and husband, who loved and was loved, but he is not known for his greatness as a father.

Finally, I mention Derek Loux. A musician and spiritual leader who is known for being a champion of adoption. He recently passed, after a tragic automobile accident, leaving behind a wife and ten children. Of his children there were two biological daughters, five daughters adopted from the Marshall Islands, and three sons, adopted from the Ukraine. A man who made fatherhood a priority in his life and ministry.

In my research for the “Father of the Decade”, I found that fathers who take their role to heart; recognize their role as prophet, priest, and king. They emulate the life and example of Jesus Christ and because of that; they are recognized for other accomplishments in their lives.

Fathers are heralded in the eyes and hearts of their wives and children.

When they accept their charge as a father, they make a difference that lasts for generations, but is seldom recognized by the news writers of this world.

Several of the men I mentioned are truly great fathers and the greatest legacy they will leave is their role as a father.

Now as I come to the end of my search. I recognize that the “Father of the Decade” isn’t one father but the generation of men who over the past ten years have realized their call as a father. They have recognized it and placed it in their heart. They have not always been perfect, but they have committed themselves to be the best they could be. They have pledged not to make the mistakes of others and to ask forgiveness when they did. They have sought help and mentors along the way and made their steps straight.

In the end I realize the “Father of the Decade” is you!

En servicio como Padre
Dave

Unopened Gifts

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows
James 1:17 NIV

We have heard if from the time were were children. This is the season of gift giving. In both the Christian holiday of Christmas and the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, the practice of giving gifts is the highlight in many of our eyes.

We spend months, days, and hours online and at the mall seeking the perfect gift. One drive by the local shopping center, this time of year, will confirm the importance of this aspect to the majority of people.

Every year, my wife and I struggle to determine the wishes of our children and grandchildren. The task gets harder each year due to the increasing advances in technology and the ever expanding stores of goods acquired by each of us.

We live in an increasingly material society. We have need for little and even less tolerance for, what we see as, marginal quality. We expect to be entertained or lavished upon by our gift givers.

Gift giving permeates out lives. We give gifts at work, at school, at church, at lunch with our friends, not to mention the gifting with our family.

It seems we have become masters of gift giving, but for what purpose?

The problem comes when we turn to the other side of this equation. The side that involves receiving.

We have so much of everything, we soon become insensitive to our role in receiving.

We all know the feeling, when a gift is given, that is not exactly what the recipient wanted. The reaction is evident in their eyes. The gift is destine to be re-gifted.

The rejection of a given gift is probably the greatest gift giving fear we have.

Some years ago, I worked in a joint venture company, between American and Japanese companies. The practice of bringing a gift was a very important part of doing business with our Japanese partners. During any visit it was important that a gift was brought to the host. Although the gift was graciously received, it was considered inappropriate to open it in front of the giver. If for some reason you did not like the gift, it would be impossible to hide your dissatisfaction. By not opening the gift in front of the giver they were spared the embarrassment of having to apologize.

How many of us would knowingly bring reject a gift? How many of us would take it one step further and never open the gift? I would guess the answer would be few.

Yet, on a daily basis, and especially at this time of year, many of us do just that.

We celebrate the greatest gift ever given. The birth of our savior Jesus Christ.

Year after year the battle rages about taking Christ our of Christmas. Eventually we bow to the wishes of others and greet them with “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings”. We remove the baby from the manger.

The greatest gift ever given remains unopened in the hearts of men and women throughout the world. We reject the grace and mercy of a loving God. A God who was willing to give all of Himself, that we would no longer taste the disappointment of the creations of our fellow man, both emotional and spiritual.

At this time of year, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This year take it one more step, receive the gift that He has given. The gift of His son Jesus Christ. Bring a change into your life that you never thought possible.

You will experience the blessings of the full gift giving cycle. The blessings of giving and receiving.

Merry Christmas

Dave