10. follow me on bloglovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/8847651/?claim=4pq3ubexbtn">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

9. father's day

My Father…

My father is a man of small stature, but he is a man of great grit and grace and is known by his friend and former N.Y. Giants full back Lee Rouson as “the Rock”. For those of you with any familiarity with pop-culture, this is not in any way a reference to the WWE star Dwayne Johnson, but rather a reference to the Apostle Peter (the Greek noun Πέτρος can be translated “rock” or “Peter”). As a kid, my father played the role of Saint Peter in our church’s dramatization of the Passion of Christ. The role was very fitting of my dad’s personality and character. My dad, a mechanical tradesman from northern New Jersey (don’t ask “what exit?”), is a blue-collar man’s man. Very much like the Apostle Peter, my father is a man of action – my dad is the first to speak-up and the first to act. He is not one for polished polity and he is definitely not “politically correct”.  As a former Sergeant in the United States Air Force, my dad is also a natural leader of men – not the type of leader to rally the troops with long-winded inspirational speeches, but the kind of guy that leads by the example of great exploits. 

My dad is not only like the Apostle Peter, but in many ways he is very much like a rock – strong and steadfast. Physically , my dad’s body has withstood some of the most devastating blows – falling head-first  from a three-story building, a major car accident, two strokes, and a quadruple bypass heart surgery are just a few examples. Spiritually, my dad is known for is unwavering, faithfulness to the truth of God’s Word – he will not budge. To my dad, the Bible is sufficient for life and godliness and it is the ultimate and final standard of truth. This is precisely why a man of NFL status and stature can literally tower over my dad, look down at him, and with the greatest respect and highest regard, address him as “the Rock”. 

In many ways I am a chip off of the ole rock (not block). Not because I have pro athletes addressing me by ultra-masculine nicknames (although that would be cool), but simply because I am a product of my dad’s purposeful fathering. My dad taught me (many times by example) so much about what it means to be a godly man. One of the most treasured lessons I took away from the years that I spent as the son of my father’s house was the valued lesson of fighting – fighting for the truth, fighting for the honor of a woman (of which I have done for my wife, just like my dad did for my mom), fighting temptation, and fighting in the defense of the defenseless.  My father (along with my mother) not only taught me practical lessons about life, like fighting and how to properly treat women, but they intentionally instilled in me a high view of God’s Word. Because of my parent’s faithfulness to raise me in the fear and admonition of the Lord, I grew up trusting my Bible, believing that it was without error and authoritative. These fundamental, yet great truths have been so instrumental in my life. 

My Son …

On April 12^th, 2013 Katie and I experienced a whirlwind of emotion. We welcomed our first son, Judah Blaze, into this world at 1:14 pm and just a short time later at 2:55 pm he passed away in Katie’s arms.

When the most violent of waves have beaten against my adult life, I continue to find myself fixed upon the firm foundation that was laid for me as a young boy – the Bible. As a father who has grieved the death of his son, the Bible has taught me three things this father’s day. 

1. God has created all things - The Bible is explicit and clear, God is the creator and sustainer of all things –

“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with their entire host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.” (Nehemiah 9:6) 

“I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and created calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7)

“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”(John 1:3)

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities –all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16) 

 

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)

In summary, God is the source of all life – he is the primary cause of our existence (Gen. 1:1). All life exists for God’s pleasure – “all things were created through him and for him”. God has created all things in accordance with his divine, pre-determined, and perfect will – “and by your will they existed and were created”. 

2. God created my son – If God has created all things, than my son was purposefully and intentionally created.

King David, speaking of his own existence, stated “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.” (Psalm 139:13-15). These words of David are an expression of the intimate role that God plays in creating all human life. Without any reservation, I can confidently say that God knit my son together in his mother’s womb, for God’s own magnificent glory. 

3. God ordained the death of my son – If God has created all things for his glory, and is in control  of his creation, than God not only ordained the time of my son’s birth, but also the time of his death. 

Job understood God’s sovereignty over life and death. When mourning the death of his own children, Job uttered these words, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:21). The Bible tells us that God gives and God takes away, but he does so with the greatest purpose and intent. Job’s personal reflection of the human life is a great example of this; “Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass” (Job 14:5). In short, God has pre-determined our time of birth and our time of death. This truth captures the Biblical illustration of humanity as clay pots – God is the potter, sovereignly making what he chooses out of his clay (Romans 9:19-21). 

Because God is sovereign, he does not make accidents or mistakes; “I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). With such truth there is great comfort –knowing that my son’s life and death happened according to God’s perfect plan is beyond comforting. John Calvin said it best, “Ignorance of providence is the ultimate of all miseries; the highest blessedness lies in the knowledge of it.”

Katie and I have taken great comfort in knowing that God was (and still is) completely sovereign over the life and death of our son.  We trust in God’s predetermined and perfect will for our lives. We also know that he is using Judah’s life to shape and mold us into the image of Christ, for his glory – “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:28-29).

These truths have taught me to say, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36)

Soli Deo Gloria – To God alone be the glory!

Kasey