Surprise!

It’s been a busy weekend, and as so often happens, the blog entry got relegated to the back burner. LOL… doesn’t saying that something is on the “back burner” sound much better than “procrastination”? It’s already technically Monday, and whatever was on the back burner is going to stay there. So often, my plans are preempted by God’s plans when His Holy Spirit intervenes in my life.

This past Sunday was Father’s Day. Even though it’s belated, if you are a father, I’d like to wish you a Happy Father’s Day.

My eldest daughter, Jennifer, surprised me with the most wonderful Father’s Day present. Instead of attending Our Savior Lutheran Church in Orange as she normally does, she brought my little grandson, Jeffrey, out to “help” his Pop-pop direct traffic at Messiah for Father’s Day. Indeed, with Jeffrey’s help, you may have noticed traffic being a bit more tied up and somewhat slower this past Sunday. While I am perfectly willing to put myself at risk directing traffic in the street, Jeffrey is far more precious! So, with him in my arms, we directed traffic from the sidewalk. Mostly, we laughed and waved. I would wave, people would wave back, and Jeffrey (assuming that they were waving at him) would wave back to them. Even though he’s still a couple months shy of being 2 years old, he has a killer smile and an infectious laugh. From the smiles on everybody’s faces, we could use a dozen greeters that exude Jeffrey’s joy and excitement.

Once the 10:15 service had started, Jennifer and I walked Jeffrey across the campus to the new fountain. As soon as we came out of the Life Center, and he saw the cross, he wanted to “see it!” He loved it. So much so, that we had a difficult time convincing him to walk around to see it from the front. Of course, once he got a glimpse of the cascading water, he couldn’t wait to get close enough to put his hands in the water. Surprise! A two-year old teaches us not to just stand back and admire what we have, but to actively seek to put your self in the middle of the action. By the way, we discovered the secret passage hidden in the design of the fountain. Have you?

As we walked back toward the Life Center, we discovered a new secret that has only come about since the installation of the fountain. The fountain, gardens, and walls now effectively hide our parking lot from passing traffic. They also greatly reduce the road noise that reaches into our campus. Now, when you approach the Life Center from the fountain, your uplifted voice will cause an echo off the building. Jeffrey had fun shouting (well, as much as his little voice can shout) out the word “echo”, and hearing it come back off our building. It reminded me that what we do and say reflects into the world. Does what we say and do reflect the peace and joy and love of God, or are we just an empty echo?

Since I worship at the 11:45 service, and since the 10:15 service was not even half over yet, we walked back to the North end of the campus to let Jeffrey play on the play equipment in the big sand area. While Jennifer and I sat in the shade at a picnic table, Jeffrey explored every facet of the play equipment. Since adventure and risk are an inherent part of a boy’s makeup, he was soon doing things that took his mother’s breath away. I was delighted to see him grow, and stretch, and try… and succeed! Can God be any less delighted when we grow and stretch in faith? What have you been afraid to try? Listen... can you hear God encouraging you? With God’s encouragement, is there anything that you can’t succeed at?

Well, before I knew it, people were streaming out of the service, and it was time for me to resume my parking duties. It was time for Jeffrey to go home, too; lunch and a nap beckoned. In our final service of the day, as Pastor Bob asked if there were any special prayer requests, I gave thanks for all the blessings that God continues to pour out into my life.

I got to spend time with my daughter and my grandson, and… I got to share them with so many of my brothers and sisters at Messiah. How awesome was that?!? We didn’t spend any money, and we didn’t do anything exotic, but I probably enjoyed the best Father’s Day experience ever! Are you looking for the blessings in your life? Believe me… they’re there… you just have to look.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave