The Father's Love
by: Jan Hicks
I sat in church a few Sunday’s ago when the June newsletter came to mind so I asked Jesus, “Who can I write about Lord, who and where is the image of the one to be in our father’s day issue.” He said, “Write about me child!” “There are so many that perceive me wrong. Tell them who I am.”
Did you know, the way we look at our earthly daddy is our first perception of our heavenly Father? My daddy has gone home to be with Jesus now. He was an honest, trusting, dependable, loving, giving, moral, hardworking, and the best friend I could always count on….kind of Dad! That’s exactly what I expect of Jesus. Everyone doesn’t have that kind of dad. Many of you have/had dad’s that hurt you, beat you, and/or molested you. Dad’s you could never depend on. Dad’s that abandoned you, some on their on, some through work or divorce. Dad’s that screamed and yelled, disciplined through abuse.
Whether you realized it or not, that was your first image of who you thought Jesus would be. You really expected HIM to treat you in the same way. Jesus is NOT like our earthly dad. If you are not loved with a father’s love, then you are not prepared for the love of God. If your image of Jesus is less than what it should be, then you are carrying wounds of your past, wounds of your earthly father’s treatment. I ask you to stop right now and say a little prayer asking Jesus to take away those wounds, those hurts and bring the image of the true Father to you. Jesus wants to be the Father you never had, the one you can depend on to never leave your side, to love you through all you do, and wherever you are, NO MATTER WHAT! Jesus doesn’t bring fear, condemnation or abuse. HE disciplines with love and nurtures you through the hurts in your life. HE comes to bring salvation, to heal broken hearts and to set the captives free. If you need someone to pray with you so you know the true love of Jesus, call your pastor, Christian friend, or our prayer line. Let us help you get past your hurts and receive the love that Jesus has to offer.
“Grace be with you, mercy, [and] peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” 2 John 1:3 |
Introducing
Todd Hernandez
Our New Webmaster Todd is a humble fellow with a heart of love for his family and especially for his Savior, Jesus Christ. Talking Todd into a picture took lots of prayer and much coaxing but the opportunity came when he and his family visited Gulf Shores, Al. the last week of May.
Todd is the oldest of four siblings. He was born in Georgia but moved to Childersburg, Al (just west of Birmingham) at the age of 4. He has lived there for 33 years. Todd and his wife, Kay, have been married 17 years. They have three children, Adam 15, Clay 12 and Hannah 9.
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I was visiting the Childersburg area last year when I mentioned some changes I needed on the ministry web site. Todd volunteered to help and he’s been faithful since with his time !!!
Todd has been a computer operator with a textile company in Sylacauga , Al. for 5 years. The fascination of the computer has brought Todd to try things like web sites by grabbing books, software, or whatever he can, and through trial and error to make it work.
Todd was not raised in a Christian home. When I asked him about his acceptance of Jesus Christ. He said he met his wife Kay in the 8th grade. He discovered the only way to spend time with her was to go to church with her family on Sundays. They had a pretty bold pastor at the time and he |
would come up to you and say, “Are you saved?” One day Todd had to look him in the eye and say, “No, I’m not.” Shortly thereafter Todd fell to his knees asking Jesus into his heart. Todd has been serving the Lord ever since.
Todd enjoys his family. They spend lots of time together in church, at band practice, soccer and ballgames. All of them are musically inclined, playing piano, guitars, bass, harmonica, and trumpet. He says, “My wife even plays the tambourine!!!!”
Todd’s advice for young fathers would be to serve the Lord, and to cherish their families. He said, “Pray for patience, most of all, pray for discernment. I have to rely a lot on my prayer life for my spiritual well being. The Bible is the instruction book to go by. I know I’m not the best father in the world, but if you find him and cut his heart open, you wouldn’t find any more love for his children then I have for mine.” “A supervisor told me one day, ‘The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement’ and with the Lord’s help, I want to be a better Christian, dad and person.”
Christians United Ministries is truly blessed to have Todd as part of our team. Thank you Todd for your sacrifice of love!!!
Special thanks to Terrie Anne Hyke who designed the web page
as a gift to our Lord and maintained it through October 2000.
God Bless you for your giving heart. |
