Personal Recognition

The beginning of the new week has my mind full of many thoughts that I could share on this blog. I could review some of what I "did not say" during the declaration of yesterday's message. I could talk about the developing story lines of "March Madness" which is at a fever pitch in Kentucky at this time of the year. I could even write about some of the dreams, plans and visions that I have for my life as well as the lives of the people that I serve today. But my heart seems to be headed in a different direction as I sit at my desk to share what God has placed on my heart. It has always been my desire to only share what I truly believe was important to share and that those "important" thoughts come from deep within my heart that had been previously impacted by what I was writing. I trust and pray that can be said concerning today's blog post.

 

Tomorrow is an important day in the Willingham family. Our Dad will celebrate his 88th birthday. This milestone will not garner much attention across the larger part of this world's population but it does gather much attention from those of us who hold him close in our hearts. I am honored to be the oldest child of my parents. I am blessed with five wonderful siblings and each of them have their own unique perspective of our Dad. My Dad is a veteran of WWII. He served in the infantry and his unit was involved in some of the major battles in the European theatre. He received several battle field awards and recognitions during his time of service for his country. He has taught me to have a greater respect for those men and women who serve our country and our Dad has been involved in the Chaplaincy ministry of the Disabled American Veterans over the past years. Dad and Mom have continued to serve these former soldiers and their families though prayer, concern, and personal visits. I could write about these acts of kindness but that is not the full reason that I am sharing today.

 

I must write about the impression that my Dad has made on me and continues to make on me to this very day. I was born into the home of my parents in 1953. My Dad was a minister before my parents were married. He had traveled across the state of Alabama as an Itinerant Evangelist for several years prior to meeting the woman who would become his wife and our Mother. FYI, he met our Mother during one of the many Revivals in which he participated. But that is not the reason that I am sharing this post. I grew up in the home of a Pastor. I learned some wonderful lessons very quickly as I began to notice my parents actions toward people. Our Dad would be called a Bi-vocational Pastor in today's vernacular. He had two jobs and this is probably a prejudiced statement but he was excellent at both of them.

 

Our Dad probably never heard the word "mentor" mentioned in his days of Ministerial training. Let me quickly add that most of our Dad's training if not all of his training was "on the job experience." But I soon realized that my Dad was teaching me through his actions as much as and maybe even more than through his words. He modeled or lived out what he would preach on Sunday. No, I am not trying to paint my parents as perfect people or perfect Christians by any means. He and my Mom certainly faced their own set of struggles both inside the church as well as outside the church. As a young child I could not fully understand what kept my parents moving forward even as they faced challenges and difficulties in their personal lives as well as in their role of spiritual responsibility. But retrospect has taught me many things that I could not explain or understand as I watched them up close and personal for many years.

 

They possessed a quality that I think is very important to the modern day church. They desired to practice what they preached. There was an inner fire that was not stoked through the applause and recognition of human beings. Many times the servants of our parents generation served without much fanfare, appreciation and even financial support. But they were driven by a cause that was greater than their egos, greater than their pride, greater than their own needs being met and greater than the tactics that the enemy used against them. In my opinion those elements and many more associated with them must become important once again. This blog post could easily turn into a full chapter of a book but I sincerely felt that I wanted to recognize my Dad on the eve of His 88th birthday and let him publicly know that he has made a difference in my life. He mentored me through his actions and not just his rhetoric. His actions were not written in a book that reached the top sellers list but his actions reached out to people across Alabama. There are many people who could attest to these facts that I am stating. His actions were never reviewed by the news media but they were lived out in prayer times in church, shepherding visits in the hospital, assisting families as they walked through the valley of the shadow of death, food for hungry children, money for fuel, clothes for the needy, and even taking people to church who did not have transportation. I am not only a proud son today but I AM A THANKFUL SON.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! YOU ARE APPRECIATED, LOVED AND RESPECTED!!