a fly on the wall: Dad--part 1

We have gotten to visit my parents the last 2 weekends in a row. We went to see them, and then they came to see us. I will tell you details about those visits in a minute. First, I would like to say that after visiting with my dad this past weekend, I realized something...I should not post stories that demonstrate me making bad decisions. For example, in the future, if I run over any animals while driving and I close my eyes like I always do...you will not see a post about it. Dad doesn't like to read about things that may cause a little danger to his daughters or granddaughters. So I will no longer post those! We had great visits with my parents. I am so thankful for these visits. SO thankful! Let me tell you a bit about them. Last Sunday, we left right after church, ate sandwiches we had packed while we flew down the road...I mean drove safely under the speed limit down the road for 5 hours, and made it just in time to surprise dad right before his deacon ordination. You see, my dad has been a pastor for 25 years, and before that, he was a music and youth minister. My parents moved to their town a while back...trusting the Lord, but not knowing fully what he has in store for them. Their heart is to fully invest in their grandchildren and to be obedient to the Lord in whatever He brings their way. Right now, at this moment, it means being a deacon in their church. Let me just tell you how absolutely PROUD I was of my dad as he was ordained. They do a question/answer time, where any deacons and then members of the church can ask dad any question. I would be a nervous wreck. Dad was calm. I was so glad I got to hear his answers...he is so smart! Autumn definitely takes after him! At that moment, listening to his answers, I realized how incredibly blessed I am. He sat up there answering questions about the Bible and his views on everything...he is the same man up there answering those questions that I saw at home. He is not perfect. He has never claimed to be perfect. He doesn't know everything. He never claimed to know everything. He strives in everything he does to please the Lord...he strives to be obedient to what God calls him to do. One of the questions they asked dad was, "What do you believe to be your spiritual gifts?" My dad quickly answered that teaching was one of his strongest. I totally agree. He loves to learn and LOVES to teach and will MAKE SURE that you understand and learn...you might guess that it sometimes took/takes me longer than other people to understand! Dad said one of the greatest statements about teaching...he said, "Part of what makes a good teacher is to remember what it is like not to know." Yeah. That is powerful. To remember what it is like not to know...not to think how dumb that person must be for not getting it...but to remember what it is like not to know, then we can teach so much more effectively! I loved being there for the ordination. I do have pictures from that night, and I will post those, but I was in the mood tonight to post these!