Fatherly thoughts: Rain, snow or shine

Dear Laura,

Your PePa and I used to run together early in the mornings when I was a boy. He had a big impact on my love of running.

We'd run around the neighborhood and to the nursing home and back. It didn't matter how cold or muggy it was in the mornings. We just hit the road. I didn't have fancy running clothes back then ... just whatever I could find on the floor.

We usually went pretty slow and didn't go that far ... maybe a mile or two. It's one of my favorite memories of your PePa.

Your PePa also loved reading his Bible. I’d often catch him reading it just about every night before he went to sleep. His nightstand seemed to be full of Bibles, commentaries and other books about faith. Reading didn't appear to be that fun to me at the time, but I thought my dad was real smart because of all the studying he did night after night. As I grew older I often went to him with a lot of questions about my faith. He was always willing to help me through them – one by one.

Today, you'll find a crazy stack of books on my nightstand - a Bible, some devotional books and other reading material. I don't read every night, but I find that it's the best time for me. I also still get out in the mornings for my runs ... not every morning but a few mornings each week.

Running and studying God's Word are just a couple of things I saw my Dad do each week. He didn't just talk about those things. My parents didn't just go to church once a week. They lived out their faith in front of me. I hope you'll be able to say the same thing about your mother and me. Maybe some day you'll want to run with me in the mornings. If not, that's OK, too.

I do hope you grow to love Jesus, and I hope you see our faith lived out ... rain, snow or shine.