Christ - The ReeseSource

CHRIST - THE REESE SOURCE
THE NEWSLETTER OF NET WORK MINISTRIES, INC.
JUNE 2010 EDITION

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Father’s Day. We gathered at one of my daughter’s house for a cookout. My two sons-in-law were also celebrating being fathers. I might add that they are great fathers.

Let me ask you several questions for you to ponder about your father:

What was your father like? Was he a great father, a good father, or a poor one? Was he there for you? Did he show love and affection? Or, was he physically or emotionally absent? Was he physically or emotionally abusive? Was he a spiritual leader in the family? Or did he abdicate that role to your mother? Was he a sober, honest man? Or did he have addiction problems? Was he faithful to your mother? Was he present in the home or did death or divorce remove him from there while you were growing up? Do you know what shaped his formative years? How was his dad? Ladies, here’s an important question for you. Did he show you warmth and physical affection particularly in your formative years? By that, I mean hugs and kisses…Daddy love. Guys, here’s one for you…Did your father give you the vote? By that I mean, did he communicate to you that he knew you had what it takes?

In reference to that last question about getting the vote from your dad, guys, I feel that
we, as men, spend our lives seeking to either prove our fathers right, if they “gave us the vote” or wrong, if they didn’t.

As an illustration, in the television show, “E.R.”, a hospital drama, there is a scene where one of the young doctors is sitting on the steps outside the hospital, head in hands. One of the nurses walks up and asks him what is wrong. He responds, “My Dad died.” She asks if he had been sick, he says he didn’t know. He says, “Did my Dad say ‘Call my son. I want him by my side?’ No. The young doctor then says, “Everything I ever did was to prove him wrong. He said he was wasting money on my med school because I would never pass, but I did! He said I would never work in a good hospital, here I am! I had a plan. I was going to pass the boards in a few weeks and go see him and say, ‘Look dummy, I did it. I am a specialist!’ But it is too late. He is still laughing at me!”

Father wounds run deep. Father wounds last a long time. Father wounds can shape the course of a person’s life. But there is a flip side to this. Healing of those father wounds is possible. You have a heavenly father who can and will help you. The first step is to recognize that those wounds are there. Then you can ask your Father in heaven to help you forgive your earthly father for the hurt he inflicted. If your father is still alive and available, you can, with God’s help go to him and tell him you forgive him, understanding that his response is between him and God. You will have done your part. You must also know that God is for you. He loves you just the way you are. Ask God to fill the emptiness that you feel with His presence, peace, and love.

Now, let us go back to those questions about your father. Men, if you are a father, and realize you have failed in some or all of the areas addressed by those questions and desire
for a different outcome in your children’s lives, there is hope. In the Bible in the Old Testament, the prophet Joel says this in chapter two verse twenty-five, “ The Lord will restore the years the locusts have eaten.”, meaning the God can repair the damage done and restore relationships. (CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE)
Ask the Lord to give you the strength, the will, and the courage to go to your child or children and ask for their forgiveness. Tell them you love them. Then, seek the Lord’s help in changing the behaviors that drove them away or drove a wedge between you. I am not saying that your children will forgive you or that the relationship will be restored, but
that God can do this if He wills it, but we must ask without doubting and trust the results to Him. You will have done your part.

On the positive side of this issue, guys, seek to affirm your child in all the ways you can. Tell and show them that you treasure them. Always look to catch them in the act of doing something good and affirm it. Be sure to major on the majors, not on the minors. Spend both quality and quantity time with them. As Lee Iacocca, former chairman of the Chrysler Corporation said, “No man, at the end of his life says, ‘I wish I had spent more time at the office!’ Fathers with daughters, tell them how beautiful they are, tell them what a treasure they are. Hug them and hold them often. If they don’t get this kind of physical Daddy love from you, they may seek it elsewhere.

In summation, it is not too late to be a great father. With God’s help, you can begin now to be the kind of father He intended you to be. Confess your shortcomings to Him and to your kids. Ask Him, without doubting (James 1:6), for the wisdom to make the changes necessary.

It is not too late to receive father love, even if you no longer have the physical presence of your father. Your Father in Heaven is waiting to take you in his arms and give you the ultimate in Father love, if you will only ask him. He is waiting!

MINISTRY NEWS AND NEEDS:

Our ministry continues to flourish; however, we have been running at a deficit for some time now. We are unable to meet the full payroll this month. We are meeting our other monthly financial obligations.

Bless each one of you for your friendship, encouragement, and support!

NET WORK MINISTRIES, INC. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

NET WORK MINISTRIES, INC. EXISTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF BRINGING TOGETHER GOD’S PEOPLE AND HIS RESOURCES TO PRESENT THE HEALING MESSAGE OF CHRIST’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, THROUGH WORD AND DEED, TO A HURTING AND LOST WORLD.


NET WORK MINISTRIES, INC.
2671 OLD HICKORY DRIVE, N.W.
MARIETTA, GA., 30064-1833
678-986-4814
E-mail address – peggyandbuck@yahoo.com
Website: www.networkministries.blogspot.com