A father's delight!

A few weeks ago I asked folks from Chain of Lakes how Jesus has changed their life for the better.  I was doing a sermon series on Evangelism.  I was sharing with our congregation that the start of effective evangelism is knowing our own story.  When we can communicate how our lives are better because of Jesus, then we’ve gone a long ways towards having an effective conversation about faith.

I received a number of written responses from people to this question. 

I received so many that I decided to share one with the congregation in my sermon yesterday.   I was touched by the response.  When I wrote the sermon I didn’t know who wrote the response, and really wasn’t even interested in knowing who wrote it.  I thought it was a terrific response.  This was what the person wrote:

“By having Jesus in my life I have learned to accept and love people for who they are, including myself.  By accepting my flaws and knowing my strengths and weaknesses.  Jesus has also opened my eyes to nature and the beautiful wonders of creation that so many of us take for granted.  With all the pressure and expectations from social media, Jesus accepts and loves me for who I am.  Jesus teaches me how to be compassionate and how to be a good friend and mentor.  By sharing my gifts with others and showing people the word of God, I feel worthy.”

Yesterday afternoon, my daughter, Hannah, (her picture is above with my Grandmother who just turned 101) asked me about this statement.  Imagine my surprise and even shock when she told me that she was the one who wrote it!  Wow!  I was so touched by this that I couldn’t help but give her a hug.

I’ve had people ask me on occasion how it is for Hannah to attend both a Presbyterian church and a Catholic church.  The question behind the comment is obvious—isn't it confusing for her to learn from two denominations that are so different?  Her experiences have obviously made a difference—and I couldn’t be happier about it!