There are days when I finish most of what needs to be accomplished at work and I get to study a little more, pray a little more, or get ahead for next week. Sometimes like everybody else I end up reading news stories that really are of little or no importance. Does it really matter that some recently divorced liberal over at the Huffington Post wrote a column proposing the government not allow people to marry before age 25?Article here No, it does not. Our culture does not even realize the meaning of marriage anymore so why listen to the drivel.
Fathers day is coming up and it has weighed on my mind. These past few days I have been thinking about the beauty of having mentors or being one. I do not mean a once a week 30 minute interaction at the Boys and Girls club. That is okay, but in my world I am talking about the men that have truly affected the way I live my life and do my ministry. I am blessed beyond imagination in this department.
First and foremost(in the human realm), there is my Dad. Bill Threet. My Dad taught me a lot of things when I was younger and still continues teaching me today(though distance separates us). Mostly he showed me things in the way he lived life. I have said this before to many people, but it bears repeating. My Dad is the kind of man that usually only had one day off a week. He would be off Sunday and maybe half of Saturday. However, when we were young he was very likely on that Sunday off to not only make it to church, but then haul a lawnmower across town to some shabby ball field so that our teams that he coached would have a place to practice where you could actually see the ground balls. Because of my Dad I know what it means to sacrifice and because of him I know that the best way to get a kid to learn how to catch is to hit balls at him until he quits using his head for a glove. He showed me how to give all you have for your family and for that I am eternally grateful.
My mentor, my grandfather, my Papa. This will be our first Father's Day without him. Dr. Kenneth Threet. I miss him more than I have ever missed anyone in my life. Outside of Jesus, he was and will continue to be the greatest influence that I have in my life as a minister . Should I be half the man of God he was I will consider it a job well done. He is gone, but his work remains. I possess a treasure trove of over 20 binders filled with his sermons that he preached over the years. I will us one of them next month to marry my sister. It will be my first wedding ceremony, and hopefully her only :) Papa will be there with us through his influence on all of us, and through his diligent efforts to preserve his life's work in the service of God. I heard a sermon preached last night about wounds and scars. Maybe when it comes to Papa I am still nursing a wound that has not healed to form a scar.
Dr. Stan Ballard has been my pastor the majority of my life. He is a man of God to model after. Especially in these last months since my grandfather passed, he has become a father in ministry to me. He is quick to listen, advise, and pray with me when I need a helping hand. His ministry has touched nearly every corner of our family as our pastor and as a dear friend to my grandfather the last 10 years of his life. I am thankful for him, and will always consider him my pastor.
My father in law Paul Pipher has also had a major impact on my life in the 4 plus years I have been married to his daughter. He is a study in the benefits of hard work, perseverance, and integrity. He accepted me when I was a no account hillbilly that married his daughter(while my mother in law tried to poison me with candy the first time we met :) I'm kidding Sandy ) and now probably likes me a little better as a no account hillbilly minister that is the father of his only grandchildren. I want to thank him for being there these past couple of years for our family whenever we needed anything. Whether it was a place to live while we got settled in Virginia or a car problem, he was there. Thank you for everything you mean to me, Sarah, and our boys.
There are two other men that bear mentioning here, but I will not brag on them too much because I have to see them regularly. Rev. Marc Reynolds is a dear friend and mentor. I served under his ministry as a volunteer youth director for several months and we still communicate often. No bragging here, he might see it and call me and then I will have to deny I said such nice things. Dr. Daryl Harbin is the most immediate to me in location. I serve under his leadership here at Zion Baptist. I have learned lessons from him already that I will carry forever. Lessons on faithfulness, leadership, and discipline. These two men are very near and dear to me and I thank God for their influence.
With Father's day for me also comes my birthday. June 18th is always near or on Father's Day. The last man in my life that has left his mark is one that never really got to be a man. My twin brother Ryan Threet has influenced my life's path since before we were born. He died at 18 months, but the legacy of courage he left behind remains. Somehow, I still miss him though I don't remember him and I trust he is in heaven with three of his grandparents right now.
Now, no Father's Day post can be complete without mentioning God the Father. God who gave His Son for us. God who is father to the fatherless. His mercy, grace, and righteous judgement reflect what all earthly fathers should strive for. Should something happen to me I would hope my boys could know that God is their father even before I am.
I feel like Joshua. I am so blessed to have these many Moses' in my life. They have taught me, prepared me, and shown me how to lead, follow, and be faithful. I hope I can live in obedience like Joshua because of the great mentors that God has blessed me with and follow Joshua's example when he said"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Remember all the men in your life on Father's Day, but most of all remember God, THE Father.
Bro. Russell
Fathers day is coming up and it has weighed on my mind. These past few days I have been thinking about the beauty of having mentors or being one. I do not mean a once a week 30 minute interaction at the Boys and Girls club. That is okay, but in my world I am talking about the men that have truly affected the way I live my life and do my ministry. I am blessed beyond imagination in this department.
First and foremost(in the human realm), there is my Dad. Bill Threet. My Dad taught me a lot of things when I was younger and still continues teaching me today(though distance separates us). Mostly he showed me things in the way he lived life. I have said this before to many people, but it bears repeating. My Dad is the kind of man that usually only had one day off a week. He would be off Sunday and maybe half of Saturday. However, when we were young he was very likely on that Sunday off to not only make it to church, but then haul a lawnmower across town to some shabby ball field so that our teams that he coached would have a place to practice where you could actually see the ground balls. Because of my Dad I know what it means to sacrifice and because of him I know that the best way to get a kid to learn how to catch is to hit balls at him until he quits using his head for a glove. He showed me how to give all you have for your family and for that I am eternally grateful.
My mentor, my grandfather, my Papa. This will be our first Father's Day without him. Dr. Kenneth Threet. I miss him more than I have ever missed anyone in my life. Outside of Jesus, he was and will continue to be the greatest influence that I have in my life as a minister . Should I be half the man of God he was I will consider it a job well done. He is gone, but his work remains. I possess a treasure trove of over 20 binders filled with his sermons that he preached over the years. I will us one of them next month to marry my sister. It will be my first wedding ceremony, and hopefully her only :) Papa will be there with us through his influence on all of us, and through his diligent efforts to preserve his life's work in the service of God. I heard a sermon preached last night about wounds and scars. Maybe when it comes to Papa I am still nursing a wound that has not healed to form a scar.
Dr. Stan Ballard has been my pastor the majority of my life. He is a man of God to model after. Especially in these last months since my grandfather passed, he has become a father in ministry to me. He is quick to listen, advise, and pray with me when I need a helping hand. His ministry has touched nearly every corner of our family as our pastor and as a dear friend to my grandfather the last 10 years of his life. I am thankful for him, and will always consider him my pastor.
My father in law Paul Pipher has also had a major impact on my life in the 4 plus years I have been married to his daughter. He is a study in the benefits of hard work, perseverance, and integrity. He accepted me when I was a no account hillbilly that married his daughter(while my mother in law tried to poison me with candy the first time we met :) I'm kidding Sandy ) and now probably likes me a little better as a no account hillbilly minister that is the father of his only grandchildren. I want to thank him for being there these past couple of years for our family whenever we needed anything. Whether it was a place to live while we got settled in Virginia or a car problem, he was there. Thank you for everything you mean to me, Sarah, and our boys.
There are two other men that bear mentioning here, but I will not brag on them too much because I have to see them regularly. Rev. Marc Reynolds is a dear friend and mentor. I served under his ministry as a volunteer youth director for several months and we still communicate often. No bragging here, he might see it and call me and then I will have to deny I said such nice things. Dr. Daryl Harbin is the most immediate to me in location. I serve under his leadership here at Zion Baptist. I have learned lessons from him already that I will carry forever. Lessons on faithfulness, leadership, and discipline. These two men are very near and dear to me and I thank God for their influence.
With Father's day for me also comes my birthday. June 18th is always near or on Father's Day. The last man in my life that has left his mark is one that never really got to be a man. My twin brother Ryan Threet has influenced my life's path since before we were born. He died at 18 months, but the legacy of courage he left behind remains. Somehow, I still miss him though I don't remember him and I trust he is in heaven with three of his grandparents right now.
Now, no Father's Day post can be complete without mentioning God the Father. God who gave His Son for us. God who is father to the fatherless. His mercy, grace, and righteous judgement reflect what all earthly fathers should strive for. Should something happen to me I would hope my boys could know that God is their father even before I am.
I feel like Joshua. I am so blessed to have these many Moses' in my life. They have taught me, prepared me, and shown me how to lead, follow, and be faithful. I hope I can live in obedience like Joshua because of the great mentors that God has blessed me with and follow Joshua's example when he said"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Remember all the men in your life on Father's Day, but most of all remember God, THE Father.
Bro. Russell
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