A Father's Love Letter

My Child,

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you. 
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. 
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways. 
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. 
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image. 
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring. 
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. 
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation. 
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book. 
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live. 
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. 
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb. 
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born. 
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented
by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love. 
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father. 
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. 
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father. 
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. 
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. 
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. 
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love. 
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing. 
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you. 
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession. 
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul. 
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things. 
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me. 
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart. 
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires. 
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine. 
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager. 
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles. 
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you. 
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart. 
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes. 
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. 
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being. 
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you. 
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you. 
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love. 
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me. 
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…
Will you be my child? 
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you. 
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad, Almighty God

Dusty Roads

July 28, 2013

Dusty Roads

Ever since you were little,

I was there while you slept,

And I watched over you as the sun rose,

Above the horizon

And I made a decision a long time ago,

When my feet were heavy,

And the road was dusty,

To go to Jerusalem

My back hurt in the morning,

When I woke up from sleeping on the ground,

And my eyes were tired,

As people started coming to see me,

From all around….almost every day.

But I made a decision,

Every step of the way,

To go to Jerusalem

For the world, for those that would love me,

For those who would never, ever love me.

I went for them –

And I went for you.

Oh I know all about you….

Since you were little;

I’ve made sure that you were taken care of.

And when you were unaware,

When you worried, I was there,

Always doing more for you then you realized.

And before you were born I made a decision,

In the garden,

During the trial,

In front of Pilate,

On the way up the hill to Calvary,

Each step, every breath, every moment,

I made a decision…..

To give my life for you.

I know you’ve been troubled at times,

And lonely, afraid, and discouraged sometimes.

But if you never give your heart to me,

Or give anything to me,

I want you to know that I made my decision,

Gave my word,

Kept my promises,

And chose to risk everything for you.

When you woke up this morning,

I was there.
and I made my decision long ago,

…..I will always be there for you.

I know you don’t always agree with me.

I know sometimes I make you angry,

And confused.

But I want to be your Lord and your friend.
I bought you with my own life.

……Not so I could hurt you or desert you,

But so that someday,

When the dusty roads and the tears are all gone,

We can be together forever……

By Randy Stahla

www.DesertSnow.org

The Starfish Story

July 20, 2013

Thank you WWDD and little Daniel Barden!!

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. 

When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. 

People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, 

"Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can't save all these starfish. 

You can't begin to make a difference!"

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. 

But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean.

 Then she looked up at the man and replied, 

"Well, I made a difference to that one!!"

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. 

~adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley~

"Perseverance through great odds and against the criticism of others is the very hallmark of value-based idealism, as is refusing to accept failure. The understanding that we hold in our hands the power to change a life, a mind, or a circumstance today~right now~ is a powerful insight and motivator. At the same time, idealistic acts, even highly symbolic ones, have the power to inspire others to act, and sometimes in numbers significant enough to make a major or even complete impact on the problem at hand. 

Perhaps most inspiring of all is to witness the idealistic power of children and young people in action. The idealism of youth is a powerful force for leading to change in the world. Often it is our youth who put into action values that we have instilled in them but have failed to act on ourselves. Therefore, the world depends on the idealism of youth to lead the way."

Everyone Matters

Is This You

Oct 30, 2006

My Favorite!!

The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."

It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.