The Greatest Stoy

My Father in Law is an amazing man. First of all he is 78 years old and still working. That by itself is incredible. But more than that when I think about his age and more importantly his life experience, I can't help but be blown away. Think about it if he is 78 that means he was born in the 30's. Imagine all he has lived through. WWII, the Cold War, Vietnam, Korea, Pearl Harbor, TMI, the bombing of Iwo Jima and Nagasaki he can remember where he was for all of these and more.

Furthermore I like to think of all the music he's lived through. The big bands of the 40's and 50's. The beginning of Rock and Roll, the metal era. He LIVED when bands like Led Zepplin, The Who, The Beatles, Rush and so many others all got there start and made their way to fame.

Think of all the cars he's lived through. Abby told me that he has owned every "classic" car, before they became classics.

The most amazing thing is the stories that he can tell. Before Abby and I got married He and I went to dinner a few times. I loved to just sit and listen to the stories he told. He would tell me tales of when he was a young man and worked on the railroad down outside of Enola. He told me one time that they used to make coffee in a huge pot. He and his coworkers would boil water and just put the grounds directly in the water. When it turned black they would kill the heat source and let the grounds settle. Then they just scoop it off the top and consume. He told me you could stay awake for 3 days on a cup of that joe. Take that McD's frappe crap.

Anyway, it's safe to say that he has seen and experienced some pretty amazing stuff. But you know what more amazing still? Of all the things he's lived through he would tell you that nothing compares to knowing Jesus Christ as his LORD and God as his Loving Father. Of all the awesome stuff he's lived through, he never truly lived until he came to realize that God the Father loves him with a love that spans across eternity and breaks through anything that stands in its way.

One of the many things I love about him is that he doesn't get all caught up in the dogmatic....stuff of Christianity. Denny Hall lives his life knowing that God loves him and that good enough for him.

When I was a kid, there was an autistic kid who lived in my neighborhood. He died several years ago from his condition. But a few years before he died he started going to a small church on the outskirts of our neighborhood. His funeral was held there and the pastor who gave the eulogy said something that will stick with me forever. He said that when Sean found out that God loves him just as he is, Sean immediately gave his life to Christ. That's all he needed to know. He didn't worry about whether Speaking in Tongues was still relevant to the church. Or if Calvin was right about pre-destination. ALL HE NEEDED TO KNOW IS THAT GOD LOVES HIM JUST AS HE IS.
Why can't we live just like that. Why do we let the...i'm going to say it....stupid dogmatic things of our faith get in the way of the simple truth that God loves us. God's love for us is so intense that He wouldn't even let death itself stop it. The Bible says that God dances over us with joy, quits us with His love and rejoices over us.

God loves you just as you are, this isn't a "I need to get in shape before I can go to the gym thing." God loves you just as you are, broken, messed up, He does his best work when He's working with broken clay.

Admittedly I don't know if I really have a point I'm coming to except this, God Loves You and you need to live life as though you know that fact. When you do, life is a whole lot simpler.

May our LORD be with you!!