My Dad

I have been meaning to do this for awhile. I was recently asked to speak at a teen conference called a YES Conference. It was about saying Yes to God. I was asked because the person who asked me was pretty sure I would say yes. When he introduced me, he talked about how often I say yes. Will you chaperone a teen all-nighter? Yes. Will you go pick up some pizzas? Yes...etc...

I talked about my call on my life and how I came to say yes to God and His call. I talked about saying yes to being an NYI president. I talked about saying yes to helping with a new start church. I talked about saying yes to the things God asked of me and saying yes to the little things like picking up pizzas, helping a neighbor and friends. I finished talking briefly about how I learned this spirit of saying yes from my dad. I told them my dad it seemed had held almost every position in a church but pastor. Then for a short time after his pastor left, the District Superintendent came to visit. My dad told them with no pastor, there were some decisions that needed to be made. The D.S. asked my dad what he thought the decision should be and then went with that one. Basically my dad didn't preach (he was petrified to stand in front of a crowd), but he was to be the "pastor" decision maker until the new pastor came. So that got me to thinking about all the jobs my dad has had. I wanted to list them here for myself and for future generations of his family who someday will learn the culture of saying yes to God.

My dad has been, in no particular order: board member, board secretary, NYI president, Missions president, Work and Witness Coordinator, Sunday School teacher (several times, different ages, mostly jr and sr hi), usher, head usher, money counter, church bus driver, church custodian, all around church handyman. He has been on multiple work and witness trips. The trip that he coordinated he took about 8 teenagers on the trip with them. People told him he was crazy, he told them the teenagers listened better than some of the adults. He also stayed retired when he was ready to go back to work to help build the addition to the church in Milford.

He was never one to stand up front. He didn't sing and he didn't preach. He would shake while at the pulpit to make announcements about the missionary society. But while he was the mission president the two years he was in charge of speakers for Faith Promise he managed to get Jerry Porter and Harmon Schmelzenbach. (If you are a part of the Church of the Nazarene, you know these two names.)

My dad said yes to all those postilions. I assure you, he was asked and didn't ask himself to do any of them. He said yes to helping people move, and drug his two older sons along to move the big stuff. He said yes to staying late and cleaning up. Growing up, I am sure it was not always true, but it felt like we were always the first ones there and the last to leave. Mom and Dad both said yes to vacuuming the floors and putting up chairs. They said yes to making food and visiting the sick. They said yes to my brothers friends moving in with us when they had no place else to go.

I definitely grew up in a culture of saying yes. A culture I hope I will continue to pass on to my girls.I know my sister has done a great job of passing that culture on to her children. Hopefully my dad's legacy of saying yes will continue for generations to come.