Coached By My Dad to Be a Dad....

Yesterday was father's day. I had a Godly man as a father. He was dedicated, stern when needed and loving the rest of the time. He died too early. He had a unique charisma and the ability to bring people together. I am not sure he knew it, but it was a talent that most people do not have. His talent is probably why he could coach a team sport so well and with success. People liked to play for him. His teams usually won and he never truly worked the teams over with strict discipline or exercise, but He would encourage and let everyone play and then the team would rally around the entire group of people and the wins would come.

As I reflect on Dad's ability, it occurs to me that the other people who typically would compete with dad's style were the one's that truly desired more of his talent and not his wins. There were over 800 at dad's funeral that bright March day in Sunny Southern California.  His death was quick and he did not suffer. In the days to come, new coaches would be discovered and things would move along, but Dad's legacy touched people and to this day, I still get comments on what a great person he was.

As his son, Dad made sure we knew how to do things and practiced discipline in everyday life. The two top priorities he demonstrated was that he loved the Lord and that he loved my mother and us. He took us to church and lived a life of graciousness to God's people. He also made it a priority to make sure that we knew He loved us. Attending piano recitals or weddings that I was playing for, even when he did not want to. Driving me to work at Beaumont Laundry and getting up with me when I was the substitute for a friends paper route. He would sit to watch a science fiction Star Trek movie or television "something or other" even when he would have rather been watching Dirty Harry. He made sure that we knew that we mattered to him and that we should never forget it.

I sit here next to Matthew and realize that I am a dad to five this year for the very first time. God has blessed me and brought me to a new place. I don't know if dad is coaching in heaven, but I can tell you that Dad coaches me in being a dad. My desire is that my children know that I love the Lord. I also want Matthew, Alice, Nicholas, Kendyll, and Nathan to know how much they matter to me. My prayer is that God will bless me with the wisdom to live those desires everyday so they will know how truly wonderful our God is.

“Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the LORD. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” Psalm 68:4-5 NIV

Thanks Dad, and you know I love ya, Don