Dad

I had an awesome conversation with my dad this morning.

He was reading a book about the the history and culture of the intertestamental period while I was transferring some files to my computer and we just started talking. I asked him what the book was about and my new-believing dad's eyes lit up as he explained to me the beauty of the unity of the Old and New Testaments. He was talking with his hands, he was smiling, and there was this sense of awe in his eyes and all I could do was sit there and smile. Apparently this book he was reading was one that he is now reading for the third time or so, but he said that now he can fully understand the connection of the OT and NT. "100%" is the expression he used.

He talked a lot about how the Bible never made any sense when he used to go to church about 15-20 years ago. He was always baffled about how the Old Testament and New Testament could be talking about the same God, and he never received a satisfying answer until now. He shared that he was "lucky" that certain events took place at the perfect time to allow him to come to a point where he could finally catch a glimpse of the perfection of God.

Then we talked about pastors. My dad shared how it absolutely blows his mind how difficult it must be to be a pastor. To be someone who preaches with absolute conviction and it's not enough for the pastor to understand certain truths, he has to relay them to mass of people consisting of lives in various stages and circumstances. He encouraged me to be a pastor of integrity, one who would be committed to preaching the Truth and showing people a glimpse of who God really is as He reveals himself through His Word.

That was the first time my dad ever encouraged me in my calling to be a pastor. It's quite spectacular.

I've been praying for my dad to come to believe the Almighty God since I was 7 and now at 22 I am finally able to have a real conversation with him. Our relationship is being redeemed. It's quite glorious how God answers prayers.

I must say, I was very impressed by some of the things he had to say. I can tell that he has been reflecting a lot on the Word, and he has much wisdom from his 50 years or so of living.
I guess there is much to learn from my dad afterall.

"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in seven years." - Mark Twain