I wish...

 

My Dad was a preacher and my Grandfather on my Mom's side was a preacher. 

Today I was thinking about these two great men and Father's Day coming up in a couple of days. I cannot remember any one particular sermon they shared and I am sad about that. I wish I had videos of them, or at least copies of their messages. I love listening to other pastors preach, but I think it is obvious that these two would be my favorites. I have a dedicated few beyond them that I really love listening to. Chuck Swindoll, Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, and a host of others that speak in such a way that FAITH in JESUS makes sense. I don't always agree with their Theology. Andy Stanley recently has had some rather radical ideas that I STRONGLY disagree with. But, as I have grown in my own faith where I can listen to the WORD of GOD from a Pastor, disregard some parts and focus on others. If you listen to Andy Stanley from his earlier days, the messages are really powerful. Voddie Baucham is one of my favorites and he can be pretty radical. John MacArthur and I differ on many key theological points but I often love his attention to detail; John Piper is a good one and has a lot of KEY INSIGHTS. Gary Hamrick is probably lesser known but I love listening to him.

I started thinking about all of this as I was reading a single verse of Paul's final letter, 2 Timothy 4:13

"When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers." (2 Timothy 4:13, NLT)

Paul was in prison and nearing his execution. Everyone had abandoned him except Luke. He was lonely and knew his death was imminent. I wonder what was on some of those papers. I wonder what valuable insights were lost. Obviously, if God wanted us to know what was in those papers, they would have survived. But, I was thinking about all the wisdom and thoughts from my Dad and Grandpa that were NOT preserved. One thing I do have, that I will always treasure, I am fortunate to have a couple of BIBLES that both my Dad and my Grandpa used. I love reading them, holding their pages just reflecting on THOSE TWO doing exactly the same thing. 

For Me, I have written a blog of some sort all the way back to 2011. Nearly 1900 posts have been preserved on BLOGGER. If my daughters, grandkids or future distant relatives want to know my thoughts, my study with God, they will always have them. I really wish I had those same things from my Dad and Grandpa. I often look back on our time together and even though I do not remember the exact conversations or the exact words they preached, those words and sermons are a part of who I am. 

As Father's Day is just a few days away, I always look on that day with a little bit of sadness because I miss my Dad and I miss my Grandpa. It has been too long to go without having breakfast with my Dad at Cracker Barrel. It is has been too long since I have heard one of my Grandpa Lewis's DAD jokes. For those that still have your fathers, take every moment as a treasure. You never know how many more you will have. Treasure your memories and preserve all the thoughts and insights you can. I WISH I HAD JUST ONE MORE DAY, ONE MORE CONVERSATION, ONE MORE BREAKFAST, ONE MORE JOKE, or I was able to listen to ONE MORE SERMON!

Happy Father's DAY!