Following the story of Puerto Rico, I had the intention of writing some stories about our long time ministry in Nicaragua. But because of the current civil unrest, I decided it might be best to wait for at least a few weeks to see what might happen there in the midst of the chaos that is going on. Many of you are probably keeping up with the events through Norma’s commitment to the GC face book. If not I hope you will follow this link (Ginger Creek ENGAGE Nicaragua) to keep up with the occurrences and reporting on that storyline. In the meantime, I decided to dedicate a couple of postings on our life. This is a story that will be in two parts, about walking down life’s road, just wondering what the next turn will look like. Several years ago, I was asked by our men’s coordinator to write some short stories of encouragement to our men. That was over 12 years ago, and I wrote those stories until it gradually led to the initiation of this blog. This two-part story began a chapter in my life that sums up these last 12 years that put me on a journey of peace like I had never experienced before. The first part is the story of a father and son; the second is about a very close friend.
A Surprise For Father’s day
Just a little over a month ago, I celebrated my 70thbirthday, and two weeks later experienced Father’s day 2018. This year, I received the greatest birthday or Fathers day gift a man could ever receive.
I was sitting with my youngest grandson in deep theological discussion on the issue of time. He and his sister had just spent the last 24 hours with us, and now on this beautiful summer morning he was contemplating how he might be able to turn an “over-nighter” into two nights. Sitting all curled up in my lap, he asked if I could take him to Oasis, (a children’s youth program at his church) and then pick him up afterwards in order to sp
end “just one more night” with grandma and grandpa. In the end he succeeded, but at that moment my mind was thinking a little bit differently about the concept of time.
 |
| Elijah age 6 |
 |
| Abigail, soon to be 10 |
 |
| preparing for the big canoe race |
The journey with my son has been going on now for 41 years, I was with him at his birth, his baptism and his wedding. I watched him grow into the man that he is today. But this Fathers day put a complete new perspective on our relationship
About twelve years ago, David and I were sitting in McDonalds, having breakfast and pondering what we might be doing in the following 10 or 12 years of our lives. We had been involved in a 24 week program at our church, called “Men’s Fraternity” and had been given the task of preparing a man-hood plan for the rest of our lives.
Looking back to that day at McDonalds, and thinking about our “man hood plan”, neither he nor I could have made the plan that God laid out for each of us. Although in my mind I was formulating a goal for the next 10 years of my life, I never would have dreamed that plan would be fulfilled in the manner that God saw fit to complete it. I probably would have never included in my plan being an Elder and mission leader at my church, nor choosing to work in the two countries of Nicaragua and Puerto Rico that God had planned for us to work. My only real plan was to be willing and ready to go, when and where He says go. And certainly I would have never dreamed of receiving the wonderful gift I received on that beautiful fathers day morning some ten years later on June 17, 2018. But God gave me a gift that day that I will always cherish, and one that could only come from a beautiful and wise creator God.
 |
| note the man at top center |
I was sitting in the balcony enjoying the second service of our weekly worship at our Church. I usually do not attend both services, but this was different. We had just completed a wonderful first meeting, and in all honesty, in this second service, my mind was not engaged in worship like it should have been. I was just sitting back enjoying looking at people from a different perspective. Looking over the congregation at long distance and across the whole auditorium, I spotted a young man who had just walked off the stage after an awesome performance with the worship team. He was just sitting relaxed and taking in the Pastor’s message during the second worship hour. I pulled out my phone, and reaching over the bars of the balcony, I snapped a picture. For a brief moment, I grew very emotional and experienced what seemed like a heavenly vision of what appeared to be my father sitting with his arm wrapped around a chair by his side. My father passed away when I was 15, and the image I saw was an exact replica of the way I saw him after he would sit down after worship, waiting to get up for the termination of service. That picture memory was embedded in my mind as I had seen it so many times in my childhood. The picture enclosed is of poor quality, but it captures the essence of what I was seeing.
So what does all this have to do with a father’s day gift? First of all, it was a gift of pleasant memories of my father as I pictured him in my mind. And secondly, the young man who sat there was my son. He had been invited unbeknownst to me, on this particular Father’s day, to be the guest worship leader for the services. One might imagine this whole thing was contrived by a father, who just happened to be one of the elders, or even consider it was part of a “man hood plan”, but that was not the case, it goes much deeper than that. It was a part of God's plan
 |
| David with wife Marsha |
After services, he and his wife took us out for lunch to a nice restaurant, but that gift could not even come close to comparing to the gift I had already received, of worshipping with my son and his family, and his being the guest lead musician on stage for the day.
This was a gift created and contrived in the heart of an almighty loving God by giving a very special gift of music to my son long before either of us was ever conceived. It was not only his gift, but it was also a gift to me, just to be able to sit and enjoy watching him play and sing. It is one that will last longer than any “man hood plan.” It lasts forever, and I will cherish this day as the best Father’s day gift that I could ever receive.
