This month, families everywhere will be celebrating Father’s Day. My Dad passed away, July 10th, 2001 and I miss him as much today as I did then.

We lost Dad 24 years ago, however, we started loosing the Dad we all knew about 8 years before that due to the horrible mind robbing disease of Alzheimer’s.

Unlike the man that my Dad became after Alzheimer’s, the Dad I grew up with could do anything. He could tune up the car, build a house, milk a cow, and talk for hours to a stranger as if he’d known them all his life. They didn’t call him “Windy Willie” for nothing.

He was giving and caring and people said he would give the shirt off his back for someone in need. I remember one time he picked up a service man who was hitch hiking and took him where he needed to go even though Dad was going in the opposite direction. He was a good man, a family man. A man who loved the Lord, his family and showed it every day. We weren’t rich but Dad was a good provider and worked hard. He knew what a good work ethic was.

In high school he earned 13 letters in sports. He could swim and dive, play tennis, basketball, run track and he even boxed. He was undefeated! In my eyes he could do anything. He could talk about the Bible and quote scripture better than most people. Even after I got married and moved away from home I knew that I could always call and say, “hi Dad remember the scripture that goes something like this….” and then he’d say “oh yes it’s found in……” I was always amazed at how he could tell me the scripture just from my paraphrase of the little bit of it I knew. He could preach and preach he did. In Bellingham, Everett and Pullman, Washington, in Emmett, Idaho and Vancouver, B.C. He loved preaching and sharing the Gospel and often referred to preachEing as his “first love.” Dad wasn’t perfect, but those who spent time around my Dad knew he loved the Lord. One valuable lesson he taught me was to “hate the sin, and love the sinner, and that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) He also taught me that we are free in Christ, and no longer under the law but under grace. (Romans 8:2). He also taught me that “All things are lawful to me, but all things are not profitable; all things are lawful to me, but I — I will not be under authority by any.” (I Cor. 6:12 Young’s literal translation) I learned it this way – “all things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” I have often been reminded of this teaching from my Dad when I have been tempted to do something which I know I should not do. The most important thing my Dad taught me was that Jesus loved me and that He was my friend.

Alzheimer’s robbed me and my brothers of the Dad we knew, and yet every once in a while the Dad we knew would come back for – oh so very a short time. Just a glimpse of the old Dad who was smart and witty and who could do anything. Sometimes people with Alzheimer’s become mean and sometimes even violent, but I saw a different side at times when Dad became more loving, and it meant so much to hear him say, “I love you” even though he could not remember my name, he knew I belonged to him.

For many of us, memories are all we have left of our Dad’s. As Christian’s, however, we have a heavenly Father who continues to care for us and loves us so much that He sent His Son to die on a cross, so that we “might have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10). Our Father in heaven, also give us eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. I look forward to seeing my Dad again in heaven and to worship at the feet of Jesus with all the Saints who have gone before. Spend time with your earthly Father as we celebrate Fathers Day, and spend time with your heavenly Father in prayer, worship and study of His Word.

Happy Father’s Day to all!

For a lot of us, memories are all we have left of our earthly Father’s, but thanks be to God that we have our heavenly Father who cares for us and loves us so much that He gave up His only Son so that we can have life, “and have it more abundantly.”