This weekend I am preaching a message called GOD IS FATHER at Newspring.  I will also be preaching it this summer at our Crossroads Youth Camps.  The text is Luke 15, commonly called the parable of the prodigal son.  It has always seemed to me that the story Jesus told was as much about the father as it was about his two boys, so with the help of the Holy Spirit, I hope to show that God is like the loving, merciful, patient, extravagantly generous and forgiving father in Luke 15.

Since tomorrow is Father’s Day, and I intend to see my own daddy, I have been thinking about him alot the past few few days.  I intend to give him a letter that will contain the following words, since he does not read blogs, not even mine.  The only reason I publish this in a public forum such as this is simple; I want the entire world to know what an Godly and dedicated man my father is and how much I deeply and genuinely love him.  He deserves to be honored, and though you will most likely never meet him, you can at least know that a man named Joe King was the best daddy a boy could ever hope for.

Daddy,

Where do I even start?  I guess I will start by saying the first two things that come to mind.  Thank you and I love you.

You are, without a doubt and without equal, the greatest man I have ever known.  I cannot think of a single man of any age or background that can compare to you.  You have been everything as a daddy that a son could ever want or need.  You were kind and loving to me, providing for my basic needs as well as giving me gifts that were extravagant, like the go-cart that I nearly killed myself on and the Ford Bronco that I flipped on that dirt road.  You made me work and I am so glad you did, because now I love work and cherish the memories of you and I working together on the farm, cutting wood or picking corn, or wiring the new house, or working on the tractor.  If I had known what special times those were while we were sweating and working together, I would have paid closer attention.

Thank you for teaching me to tell the truth, to respect my elders, and to love the church.  These lessons are now bearing fruit in my life as I become a man.  I see a cynical world that loves lies, but you always valued honesty and the truth above all things.  Thank you for disciplining me when I lied and for not giving in when I begged you to let things slide.  You saw into the future and knew that one day I would have to live in a world that was tough, where people have to be accountable, and you forced me to learn things the hard way.  Thanks for making me go to church and sit still during preaching.  I am so blessed that you were my Sunday School teacher when I was young.  To see my daddy standing with a Bible every Sunday morning instructing me and my all my buddies in the ways of Christ went way deeper into m soul than I realized then, but I am realizing it now.

Thank you for being faithful to mama.  You came home every night after work.  You helped around the house, made sure the bills were paid, and loved her faithfully, even though times were very hard and there were many struggles.  I I know how to love my wife now because you showed me how for all those years.  How does a young man even know how to be married or how to love his wife without the kind of example I had in you?  

Thank you for adopting me.  You and mama waited a long time to get me and Brad, but you didn’t give up.  I cringe at the thought of how my life, and Brad’s, would have turned out if God had not put is in your home.  You rescued me and took me as your own, as indeed I am, and even as I type these words, I weep at the very thought that my life and ministry all exist because you took me in and loved me.  

Thank you for teaching me to pray, to tithe and give, to work hard and take pride in my accomplishments, to save my money and put God first in my finances, and to be compassionate to everyone, especially the poor and the sick and those in need.  You were a Man of God when I was just a little boy.  Now I am becoming a Man of God because of you, and I am raising my boys to be Men of God because I want them to have the character and integrity that you have.  I want them to be like you, daddy, because you are such a great man.

Thank you for being there.  You were always home if you weren’t at work.  You took me fishing.  You came to all my ball games.  You called my name from the stands on Friday nights and even at m college graduation.  You played baseball with me in the front yard and even took me to see Ric Flair wrestle Dusty Rhodes.  You took us to the mountains and to the beach and to Washington, D.C.  You worked so hard all those years to give us a good life, and you were there.  The constant presence in my life that I needed so bad then, and still need now.

I am so sorry that you have been so sick these last few years.  I know it has been more difficult than I could ever dream, but even as you laid on the hospital bed about to be taken back for triple bypass, you grabbed the doctor and the chaplain by the hand, and told all the nurses that you loved Jesus, and that He would take care of you, and you took 5 minutes to share your testimony with a room full of medical professionals of how God had been your faithful friend and father since you were 10 years old.  That one 5 minute testimony before open heart surgery made the biggest impression on me.  At 66 years old, you have more influence on me now than you ever have.

Thank you for fighting to stay alive.  You could have given up and went to be with Jesus years ago, but your love for your wife, your boys, and your grandchildren made you stay here and fight for your life.  I want you to keep fighting because I want my boys to know you.  They need to know the greatest man I have ever known, and I just pray that God will give you more years with us.  

Finally, on this Father’s Day, I want you to know how much I still need you.  I cannot imagine a world without Joe King.  I always think about you and feel loved, secure, safe, and cared for.  You are the one I call for counsel, for advice, for wisdom, and for encouragement.  The thought of not being able to see you or pick up the phone and hear your voice makes me afraid.  What would I do without you?  Who would I be without you?   You chose to be a daddy to me even though your daddy left when you were 10 years old.  Somehow by God’s grace, you were everything I ever needed.  You were perfect.  The perfect daddy.  My best friend and my hero, and I love you more today than I ever have.

Happy Father’s Day, daddy, from your biggest fan.

Clayton