Common Sense Reborn

June 18

Father,

You made a promise to Abraham.

Your promise was fulfilled by your Son and sealed by the Spirit.

By grace through faith, I belong to this beautiful kaleidoscope called the church.

In your family purchased by Jesus and birthed by the blood of Jesus are people of different ethnicities and cultures.

As a member of Abraham’s family, I stand in unity and oneness with my siblings.

Teach me to love my family members the way Jesus loves me.

Teach me to pursue the unity that the blood provided.

May we be forever united in love and harmony to the glory of God.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.  (Gray, Derwin “How to Heal Our Racial Divide” pg 44)

Day 115 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.  Two American families received daunting news that their sons have been captured by Russian separatist in the Donbas region.  Russia stated in the beginning of this conflict that any outside volunteers would be treated as mercenaries and not given the same protections that prisoners-of-war are expected to receive upon surrendering in conflict.  Again, I ask for you to keep Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh in your prayers that they are treated fairly and sent home to their families to bring the accounts of their historic battles back to the U.S. to remind this country of the privileges and freedoms we all take for granted.

I did not think I was going to be able to sit down and type a post today.  I was scheduled to work an overnight security job but when I showed up, a Chatham County Deputy parked right in front of me.  The organizers of the event had mistakenly overbooked for their needs and I was asked to go home, since I had the same job tonight as well.  While missing out on the pay was not welcome, being able to get back to my family and sleep in my bed last night was very welcome.  And it allowed me to wake up refreshed and able to put this together without dozing off at the computer.

Tomorrow is Father’s Day.  I am trying to write something meaningful, but as I type this, my son is crying because he’s not a morning person and everything we say to him right now that is not what he wants to hear sends him away to his room in tears.  My oldest is arguing with me about practicing soccer over the summer because it is “so hot out right now”, she sees no point in practicing to keep her skills sharp.  Despite all the headaches children can bring, being a Father is the best gift God has ever blessed me with.  Being a father gave me a purpose that I never expected to receive.  I love investing in my kids, playing with them, being a “boat” for my son around our community pool (despite just wanting to swim and get a work out in), watching Disney+ shows with my daughter over any popular grown-up streaming shows, and trying to spend any free time I have with my son and my daughter, even though Mrs. Z and I can’t remember the last time we had an outing with just adults.  The best part about being a Father is getting to be a kid again.  I do not adult very well, I would rather be battling imaginary zombies than reading about the best stocks to invest in.  Mrs. Z always says that it is like having three kids in the house (soon to be four kids when baby SGZ number 3 arrives in August).  I hope that as I grow older as a Father, I can be half the loving, caring, and compassionate Father as my Dad has been and continues to be for my sister and I.  My Dad worked tirelessly to provide for his family, and was always there for all our crazy adventures when my sister and I were little.  He chased us around the yard as a palm frond monster; made home-made detective movies as “The Big Boss” (complete with pillows stuffed in his shirt); and took us on many camping trips, teaching us to fish, make fires, and find those perfect sticks for roasting marshmallows.  Unfortunately, my sister and I followed the way of many teenagers, and as soon as we had the freedom and friends to find independent fun, being around our parents was no longer fun or “cool”.  

I am not looking forward to those years.  They are quickly approaching and my daughter already has a great group of friends who she will be running off with, no longer wanting to spend time with me.  But such is life.  I only hope that I will always be able to provide for her the way my Dad has always been able to provide for me.  And I hope I can teach all my children to know and love their Heavenly Father.

I pray that all of you reading this had an earthly Father that loved and poured into you like your Heavenly Father does.  I know that this is not always the case and there are many boys in the world that never become men when they learn they have created life and the responsibility that privilege entails.  For those of you whose Dad’s did not do the job right, please know that Jesus and God’s heart breaks for you.  We are all designed to be loving, caring parents, but, unfortunately, too many let selfish ambitions and narcissistic self-love outweigh the joy of raising children to be responsible, compassionate, intelligent and productive members of society.  

There have been three really good Father’s Day themed songs released in the last two weeks.  Benjamin Hastings’ “A Father’s Blessing” is a sweet melody written to his daughter.  The Sound released a song titled “Jesus In My Dad”, written about his Father and the love taught to him by that seemingly great man.  Click the song below to hear an amazing track that reminds me of my own Dad, and reinforces that I witnessed Jesus working through my father all throughout my life.

But my favorite right now is Matthew West’s newest single “Before You Ask Her”.  For any Dads out there with daughters approaching their teenage years, this song is both a heartfelt reminder of the special bond between father and daughter, and also a heartbreaking reminder that one day, we will all have to give our children away to build their own families. 

Thanks for reading, and Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there!