Happy 27th

Today is a special day; my oldest daughter Elizabeth turns 27 years old. She was child number two; my first child is Jonathan who affectionately called her “Rizabay”. Elizabeth has turned out to be a great woman who has not lost the gentle smile that met my face when I first held her 27 years ago; she still lights up my world.

Elizabeth has been through a whole lot of changes in the past 27 years; just this past year alone. She was married last September and this coming November she will give birth to her first child. (Did I tell you that I’m going to be a grandpa? Oh that’s right, I did. See APRIL 17, 2010 posting “A SECRET”).

I’ll admit, I really didn’t know what I was doing as a dad when she came into my world; but that didn’t seem to matter to her! Through her unconditional love I learned that I could love in return; something that I didn’t think that I had the capacity to do. Each night when I got home from work, she greeted me with a hug and a smile and a drawing for me.

And her birthday becomes a good time to remind myself that God has been faithful to me as a dad all of these 27 years. Any success or part that I had in raising her up has to do with God working in my life and being faithful to a young dad who had no idea what he was doing. (Pretty cool beard though! Can you tell that it was the 80’s?)

God has shown me how to teach, correct, discipline, and raise her. He has shown me how to be there for her when the call came in the middle of the night during a bad storm. He has shown me how to pray for her when she called on her cell phone, as she was driving through tornado-like high winds, dogging the falling trees so that they didn’t hit her car. He taught me how to trust Him to get her through a tough time in her life.

So today I say “HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIZABETH!”

May God Bless you with many more.

Have you celebrated your New Birth Day yet? Have you been ‘Born Again”? Jesus said; “Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' (John 3:7 NKJV)

How do you do that? In the Bible, the Apostle Paul wrote to a church in Rome; “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame”12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For "Whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:9-13 NKJV)

Still not make sense? Go to these links for more help:
http://www.harvest.org/knowgod/

http://www.riverofhopeministries.org/getright.php