My Grandfathers wisdom.

Today I went to my dad's house to do laundry and study for a mid term. while looking for a pen i opened my dad's desk drawer and see a hand written letter that peaked my interest with the words "Dear Rob" and started with "there was a time in my walk with the lord..." Which seemed odd to me because my dad was not a believer when i was growing up. I couldn't think of anyone who would be writing so personally to him about the lord. I couldn't help but read on, feeding my curiosity when i got to the second page i glanced at the final greeting and it brought tears to my eyes, at the bottom of the page was "God bless you - love Dad."

letter written to my father from his dad.


Dear Rob or "here i am again"

there was a time in my walk with the lord that i focused on the new testament report and was not very interested in the old testament except for a few selected passages. some of this came from the focus person in the pulpit
However, when i began to really "get with Gods program" it became clear that god is the same yesterday today and forever. God's move in people's lives in the old testament is important to note. you see god moves in miraculous ways in the lives of mankind a First time...as a pattern for a move in the lives of mankind a second and often a there and so on, for example Elijah was given seven miracles his faithful assistant Elisha was given the "double portion he asked for ...13 during his life and the 14th was the dead man resurrected to life when put into the same grave as Elisha... and touched Elisha's bones.
the read sea parted for the Hebrew nation to escape from Egypt. forty years later the waters of the Jordan river piled up for wandering Hebrews to cross over on dry and to the promised land at Jericho then, the walls of Jericho came down the fell outward, not inward so that everyone then and now would know it was truly the hand of god and not any clever achievement of mankind.
and so it goes god moves in might ways throught the old testament to show himself as our provider and leader. after god demonstrated his presents among us in the old testament he continued he continued with the gift of jesus in the new testament. just think if where would we be if the jews had all accepted jesus as the son of god and they alone had the gift of fellowship with the true god and creater. God's chosen people had been put into a place of rejecting jesus as their own in orderto get His message of salvation out to the rest of the world, just think, the Jews have all the background and history of God moving in their behalf through out the ages and are still blinded they live right among the teaching and and experiences that Jesus had and most of us Christians have never been to Israel.
the Jewish rejection of Jesus seems to be part of God's plan in fact Revelations does predict that Jews will come to accept Jesus in the end times.
with the way the world is lining up against nations it conflict may become one of religions...or develop into something of that sort. search the scriptures, if god has it worked out that way -keep the faith and don't take the mark. (of the beast)
in your "new found" walk with Jesus search all the scriptures and hear the teachings of various men of god. Broaden your walk,(with the lord), attend various fellowships to pick up on some one truth chick may have been puzzling to you- guard against being critical-take what will minister to you and let the rest not bother you.
God bless you -love, Dad-

Lately the lord has been showing me that he will work in a way in which that you cannot doubt that it was him working things in your life for your good. I had never knew my grandfather as a spiritual man and by the looks of it these are not rants of a "cultural christian" but of a man with a personal relationship. In the last few years he came down with Alzheimer's. It breaks my heart that I can't talk to him about his faith. I wish I knew the lord growing up, I wish he was a part of my family, Maybe things would have turned out much different if he was, some of the tragedies of my past wouldn't have happened and I wouldn't have had to go through so much pain, but today is the first day that i realize that maybe, Just maybe the LORD worked things this way so that 23 years later i would know the realness of the Lord not traditions taught to me, not an Hour my family sets apart on Sundays. not a set of call and responses or formulas to feel not so guilty. I know the LORD and I don't think I would trade the tears and pain I went through for my relationship with him.