Things I learned from my father

In honor of Father’s Day, I thought I would share a few things that I learned from my dad.  This is my meager attempt at a Father’s Day gift. Hope you enjoy!

1. Jesus - first and foremost, my father taught me about Christ.  My earliest memories involve church, Bible stories and singing praise together as a family.  I never knew a time that Jesus wasn’t part of my life, even before He saved me personally.  I am so grateful for that, because I know it is rare.  My testimony may seem “boring”, but I wouldn’t change it for anything!  More than anything else, I am so glad my father showed me Jesus.
2. MUSIC - My dad is truly the most musically talented person I have ever known, and I have known LOTS of musicians.  He was my first piano teacher and then continued to be my musical mentor throughout my whole life.  He taught me about music theory, music history, worship, performing, composing, recording and the list goes on and on.  He encouraged me in every musical endeavor and was the primary factor in my choice to major in music.  And, then as an adult, he helped me through my Master’s degree in music and we spent 7 wonderful years as colleagues in teaching music at a college.  I honestly have no idea what my life would be like if it hadn’t been for the HUGE impact he had in this area.  It is such a blessing to still be serving in the music ministry beside him.
3. To not give up on the church - This will probably be a longer blog post in the future, but let me just say that our family went through a lot in ministry.  Church splits, lies, rumors and continual disappointment were so hard and I watched my parents go through all of it.  After all of that, my dad is still ministering by being an Elder and serving in music ministry. I am continually amazed at how he pushes hurtful things aside and focuses on serving Christ.  What a beautiful testimony that has always been to me. Even when I would want to give up on the body of Christ, my dad never has and I respect him so much for that.
4. Humility - I mentioned earlier about my Dad’s talent and yet, he has always been completely humble.  He knows his own weaknesses and has never let his gifting puff him up. Music ministry is an easy place to get a big head, with people seeing your abilities and often commenting on it on a weekly basis.  But I have never seen my father be prideful or put himself on a pedestal.  His humility has been a wonderful example to me as I have followed in his footsteps in being part of music ministry.
5. Humor - If you don’t know my dad very well, this may be a surprise because he can be so quiet, but my dad is one of the funniest people I know.  He has a really dry wit and he has always made me laugh.  I think that I got my sense of humor from him and I am thankful for that.
6. To drive - My dad was the best driving teacher ever.  He was calm and patient and never made me feel nervous.  Even when I would do something stupid, he would remain steady and lovingly show me the right way.  Learning to drive was a very stress free thing for me and I know it was because of my dad.
7. The kind of man to marry - of all the things I am thankful for about my dad, this is one of the things at the top. Growing up with a godly, loving father made me confident that it was worth waiting for that kind of man to marry.  I never was tempted to settle for less because I knew how important it was to have a husband like my dad.  When I got to know Oran, I was mostly struck by his wisdom, his gentle nature and his strength, which are all things I saw in my dad as well.  I am so grateful for that lesson and know that my girls will grow up seeing the same example in their dad.
8. Tithing - There was never a Sunday morning I don’t remember seeing my mom or dad write the tithe check before we headed to church.  It was just something they did.  Even in the difficult times of job loss and uncertainty, they never skipped giving to the Lord.  And to be honest, I don’t even remember them explaining that to us, it was just something I saw them do and it stuck with me.  When I went to college and had a small little stipend for being an RA, I got $62.50 every two weeks.  I never even thought about it, I just gave the $6.25 to my church almost as a reflex.  I was glad to do it, because I saw my father lead our family to do it.  What a precious lesson!
9. To cook - Most of the basic cooking I learned before heading to college came from my dad. He taught me to make scrambled eggs and hamburgers.  He taught me how to chop vegetables and how to make coffee (even thought I don’t drink it).  He showed me how to grill meat.  I’ve learned a lot of things since then as well, but the basics came from him and I so thankful for that! 
10. My worth - Every girl goes through awkward years, and I went through a lot!  I also struggled through difficulties with friends and often questioned my value and my beauty.  But, I never wondered what my dad thought of me.  He complimented me on things I did, always told me I looked beautiful and encouraged me in my talents and gifts.  I know that I avoided many pitfalls that girls can fall into because I had a dad that instilled in me my worth and value to God.

My dad would be the first to admit that he has many flaws. We all do!  But by God’s grace, he has been used mightily in my life to shape me into the woman I am today.  Dad, you will never fully understand how thankful I am for you, but just know that I love you and appreciate you more each year.  The only thing better than having you for a dad is my kids getting to have you as a Grandpa.  I love you!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Jessica