In person my dad is quiet and unassuming. One might even consider him average upon first glance. Closer evaluation will quickly render that first opinion void. As I write this my dad is in Ghana, along with my mom, picking up his three newest children...Stella, Stephen, and Annabelle. His 25th, 26th, and 27th respectively. He may be a quiet and behind the scenes kind of guy...but he has done big things in his life, fueled out of his humble relationship with his God.
I kind of think raising 27 kids is a big thing, don't you?!
And he makes killer chocolate chip pancakes.
My father in law spent his entire life quietly and faithfully leading others to the Lord and discipling countless people. A memory imprinted in Jeremiah's brain is his dad sitting at the table each morning, eating his breakfast of eggs and hash and pouring over his Bible. His passion for the lost led him to spend 8 years in the amazon jungles of Venezuela doing what he does best...fixing things and sharing his faith. Mosquito's, extreme heat, monster gnats and all. Today he serves as a missionary to the missionaries...traveling and leading teams to encourage and build up other missionaries serving all over the world. I'll never forget the trip I took to Haiti with him and the obvious respect all the Haitian people held for him.
He plays a fierce game of scrabble as well.
And of course I can't leave out the father of my children. I'm pretty sure if I were to interview them about what they like best about their daddy this is the sort of thing you'd hear:
"He wrestles with me"
"He teaches me ninja moves"
"He swims with me"
"He builds me forts"
"He teaches me stuff"
"He builds me tracks"
"He gives me snacks"
What they don't realize yet at their young age is the gift they have in him...a dad who takes having fun and enjoying his kids with great seriousness...a dad who teaches and excruciatingly patiently walks beside his children as they learn to ride a bike....a dad who passionately and tenderly loves their mom...and a dad who prays for them and sets the example of what loving Christ looks like, fleshed out day in and day out.
And he has been known to stick asparagus up his nose a time or two.
Happy Father's Day...to all the incredible fathers in my life!
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