Inspirational Words- Father's Day

Sweet Song Ministries, LLC ~ Non Denominational Church and Ministerial Outreach

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

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This month's INSPIRATIONAL WORDS is dedicated to fathers, and to all those special
men who have provided a fatherly influence in our lives.

And, on a personal note, I would also like to dedicate this page to the memory of my own father, who passed away May 21, 2006. My father was a Christian man who loved his Lord, his family, and good Gospel music. As much as I miss him, I know he is experiencing what I can only imagine and dream of; and, I find peace in knowing that when my life on earth is over, my father will be waiting for me with open arms. I now have one more reason to go to Heaven for.

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Click Here: I Can Only Imagine

Benton Glenn Powers

Mar 25, 1922 - May 21, 2006

"I thought the night would never end, but as morning broke, I knew nothing would ever be the same again. It was 8:55 a.m. when the sounds of birds chirping outside the hospital window broke the silence. His heart had stopped and mine was breaking. The Bible says that to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord, and in tht moment, my father was being transported by angels to a home he had longed for, one where he would never again feel the pain he had felt in those final hours prior to being put on the ventilator. "In our Father's house are many mansions: if it wre not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you". John 14:2 - Excerpt from Chapter 1 "Heartbreak", Sweet Song, by Pam Powers Moore, Copyright 2006.

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Devotional:

"Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our Father, our Redeemer; Thy Name is from everlasting." Isaiah 63:16

Commentary:

We observe Father's Day on June 15'th. It is a day set aside to honor our earthly father. Each of us, who has a "living father" will undoubtedly try to get in touch with, if not see, our father. Since my father has passed away, it will be impossible for me to see him, but his memory still remains, and I can still feel his presence in my heart.

All of us, as children, or maybe adults, have heard someone comment on us looking like a parent, or maybe our children looking just like us. Maybe they had the same nose, the same color hair or eyes, or maybe even seemed to be a picture of us when we were younger.

Those of us, who don't have an earthly father living, and, are a born-again Christian, have a FATHER who IS alive! When we became born again by the Holy Spirit, and were adopted into HIS family, then we had the right to call Him Father. He is our Heavenly Father, our Redeemer, the Christ, the first person of the Trinity. He Is ALIVE in our Spirit!

Do we resemble Him? Could others tell that we are one of His own?

As a child of our parents, we are instructed to honor thy father and mother. We are also to honor GOD, the Heavenly Father.

Mark 12:30 says, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

God is a God of love. If we are to be 'like Him', then we are to love as HE loves.

He is the most holy. Do we measure up? Not within ourselves, no. But, if His Spirit is living within us, then we should act as Christ, for we are the vessel which houses His Spirit. If we let the Spriit lead our lives, then we will resemble Christ, just as our children resemble their earthly Mother and Father. We will love as Christ loves, without reservations, without judgmental attitudes, without showing prejudices, and many other characteristics of a person who has not accepted Christ into their lives.

My grandmother used to tell me that my life might be the only Bible some people read. If you can't find a resemblance to your Heavenly Father within you, won't you please ask Him to remold and make you a shining vessel that will shine forth that others will be able to see His presence in you?

Stories to Touch the Heart and Warm the Soul:

I would like to share a story I found while looking through my files, and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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Dad was hiking back to the base with a handful of buddies as a truck pulled up beside him and an officer shouted an invitation. He instantly recognized the voice.

They piled into the truck for the short ride back to base, chatting with their benefactor. He turned out to be really nice, a regular guy who didn't put on any airs just because he was an officer. Or a movie star.

That was all there was to it - a brief and pleasant encounter with a famous man. But it was a man Dad would respect and admire for the rest of his life.

James Maitland Stewart - Jimmy to his friends and fans, which was just about everybody - was already a famous actor at the beginning of 1941. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington had made him a star, and Philadelphia Story gave him an Academy Award. He loved to fly, having taken lessons in the 1930's while sharing a house with lifelong friend Henry Fonda, who also shared with him a passion for building model airplanes. By 1941 Jimmy had both private and commercial pilot's licenses and owned his own plane, a Stinson two-seater.

Stewart saw the war coming for America. He knew what he had to do: he would use his skills as a pilot to defend his country. It was that simple.

As much as Jimmy wanted into the Army Air Corps, it seemed that it did not want him. Drafted in 1940, he failed his physical exam - he was underweight for his height in spite of prepping for several months with an exercise program. But Stewart appealed the decision, and on his second try (and, it is rumored, with a friend at the scales) he made his weight.

Although the Army used his start status in some limited PR work, he went out of his way to shun the limelight and avoid special treatment. In basic training he did his share of K.P. and guard duty like any other buck private. He earned his commission from corporal to second lieutenant and his pilot wings by going through the same training and passing the same tests as every other pilot in the Air Corps.

Stewart wanted into the fight, and the path he chose was in heavy bombers. He made his way through an increasingly difficult progression of training programs, becoming qualified on the B-17 in February of 1943. Every member of his class was given a combat assignment - except Stewart, who was assigned as an instructor pilot to Gowen Field.

This is where Dad and Jimmy crossed paths, if only for a few minutes. But for Stewart, Gowen Field was a frustration. It was obvious he was being withheld from combat because of his movie star status. But he had resolved to not use that status to gain special favors, so he toughed it out and did his duty - for the time being.

Not that Gowen Field was safe. One of Stewart's good friends was killed in a training accident, and Jimmy went out to the mountains to help retrieve the body. In the process he fell and badly injured his back , and his 5' 6" commanding officer ended up carrying him down the mountain. This earned him a long stay in the base hospital.

It was only when it was rumored that he was to be taken off flight duty and put to work making training films and selling war bonds that Jimmy decided to break his rule. He went to his C.O., Colonel Walter Arnold - the man who had carried Jimmy off the mountain - and presented his case. By the end of the day Stewart was on his way to a B-24 squadron finishing its training in Sioux City.

Stewart went on to fly twenty missions over Europe, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. He was universally respected for his dedication and professionalism, as well as his popularity with the crews and his brother officers - and not the least, for his piano playing in the off hours at the office's club (his favorite was Ragtime Cowboy Joe).

Jimmy Stewart eventually became a Brigadier General in the Air Force Reserve. But most Americans know him for his many acting roles. And every Christmas season when It's A Wonderful Life hit the TV, or when Winchester '73 was on the late movie, Dad would tell the story of how Jimmy Stewart gave him a ride.
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* As seen on http://www.skydozer.com/Gowen.html
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Thought For The Day:

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." – St. Francis of Assisi