March 2, 2008

I spoke of my father in the February review podcast. This week marks the seveth year of his passing. I won't rehash what I've already said but I will say that his impact on my life is so deeply rooted that I couldn't extricate myself from it if I tried. I wouldn't want to but it's taken me many years of growth to understand this.

I spent the last couple of hours with an old friend. We sat outside on my patio in the cold talking about our lives and the paths they've taken. I've known him for over a decade and when we met we were fairly cynical and fairly crazy in our pursuits. We spoke of the amazingly stupid decisions we'd made over the years. It was one of those, "what were we thinking?" sort of talks. Each of us grew up in solid Christian environments. We played some old Christian rock music in the background that represented our youth as we talked.

Each of us is now in full time ministry on many levels and the path of the last decade is one of utter redemption. The root of the problem ultimately is that until we can come to the end of ourselves we can never experience the grace and mercy we so desperately need to live a life of faith or for that matter to really experience God. Isn't that what Jesus said though? If you want to find your life you must lose it?

My dad was a man of integrity. Always. I can't say that about myself but I can say that I no longer live but it is Christ living in me and that makes me a new creature. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. Isn't that each of our stories? It's time that we live like that because we have a job to do here. We must bring the Kingdom and we can't do that feeling like we're disqualified. In the month end review I said that a life well lived is worth it. It is. Everything you do matters and you never know the seeds you are planting. You may never know when they sprout up. It may not show up until you are long gone. It is that way for my father. If he knew the affect his life had on me now...... If he could see the Daily Audio Bible and fruit of his good life he would be certainly be proud but he would be grateful to his aunt who led him to Christ. The chain goes backward from there to lives well lived along the way. In a real way what we read every single day in the scriptures are stories of redemption and lives well lived. It matters. It's time to take our place in the story of God and carry the cross, resurrection and ascension of Christ forward for those who come after us.

Onward Comrades,

Brian