I learned about my Dad by reading old newspapers about his Navy and Army service in World War II. I also heard stories about him from my Mom and other relatives. But the way I knew him best was by living with him, hearing what he had to say, and seeing his love for me in daily actions—like playing “catch” or praying together.
Ever talk to a spouse, friend, student, or coworker, and they haven’t heard a word you said. I’ve learned it pays to get people’s attention before I launch into what I want them to hear. God always pays attention to what we say.
It’s funny, but at some of the more challenging times in my life, ice cream has helped me. When I had a severe case of the measles, my Mom tenderly cared for me and gave me medicine with a nice bowl of vanilla ice cream.
Today is Mother’s Day. I think of my Mom who raised eight kids with the help of my Dad. Each day they had to focus on the job at hand: feeding, clothing, teaching, loving, and sharing their lives with us. We were a religious family and even had group prayer together. In her own way, my Mom taught us (often by example) to trust God in our everyday lives. God’s Word shows us how that trust brings perfect peace.
Lessons from Scouting Days
I have many fond memories of being a boy scout. There were 10-mile hikes through beautiful forests that ended in a refreshing swim in a cool spring, nights of camping under clear, star-filled skies, the fun of learning to swim and rescue others at summer camp.
I recently looked through my old scout handbook and found this:
“A boy who doesn’t know first aid is of little use when someone is hurt. A boy who can’t swim has little chance to rescue a drowning person. As a Scout you will know what to do–and do it. ”
II Timothy 4:3,4 [Moffatt Translation]:
For the time will come when people decline to be taught sound doctrine, they will accumulate teachers to suit themselves and tickle their own fancies, they will give up listening to the Truth and turn to myths.
The devil thought he’d won it when they laid Christ in the tomb,
His plot to kill Messiah and to spread hate, death, and gloom.
But God Almighty had a plan, and to our foe’s surprise,
Our lord got up in glory, out of the grave to rise!
I went for a beautiful walk this week up the hill from where we live. After plentiful rains, the literally acres upon acres of yellow-green mustard plants glistened in the sun. Bright golden fields of Brown-eyed Susans were punctuated by the royal purple of lupine and phacelia. I looked for my favorite—mariposa lilies—on the way up to the top, but did not find them in their haunt from two years before when rains were also abundant.
Simon Peter was one of Jesus Christ’s most intimate friends and co-workers. He knew what he was talking about when he spoke to Cornelius and his household.
Acts 10:38:
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
I remember spending countless hours in front of the mirror during my teen years. To me, so much of my life depended on my current hair style, the clothes I wore, or the state of my acne. I was constantly worried about what other people, especially my “friends,” thought of me. And the whole basis for my self-evaluation was my outward appearance.
I also remember during that time trying to know more about God. Books on Zen Buddhism and other Eastern thought were popular in the early 1970s. I vividly recall sitting in the rocking chair in our basement wondering about my destiny. I even tried to read our Jerusalem Bible, but gave up in the genealogies at the beginning of Genesis. I deeply worried about my future. I was taught that if I committed even one mortal sin before death, I was doomed to a fiery eternity in hell. I did not know the Creator as a personal Father. I did not realize how much He knew about me!