It's the Tuesday before Father's Day! Happy Day to you Father's and Father figures out there! It's that time of year where we celebrate everything about fatherhood. I was very blessed to have my dad around during the formative years. He was an outstanding example of what a Christian, husband, and father were. He faithfully served others as he attended his church. He provided for his family. (sometimes not so easy as a barber during the long haired period of the '60s) and he was a heroic example. I know about how Father God loves me due to that heroic example. He is in heaven now as a part of my particular "cloud of witnesses", cheering me on as only a father can do.
Maybe, that is not your situation today. Perhaps the person you think of as a father doesn't share your blood line. This makes them no less a father. I am also blessed to have an outstanding father-in-law and step-father who are great examples of Godly men. So, please join with me and take a minute today, find the person in your life who most closely resembles your father (remember, biology does not a relationship make), and thank them for the role they play in your life.
Just in case I don't see you, Happy Father's Day, Jack and Vernon!!!
And remember, sometimes even a good father needs to "rock the boat".
Ah,
1974. 4th Grade. Because mom and dad were avid country music fans, it
was rare for Wade and I to get exposure to popular music of the
Rock-N-Roll variety. But thanks to uncle Mickey we got exposure to Rock. Lynryd Skynyrd (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Simple Man")
, Black Oak Arkansas, and The Marshall Tucker Band were all favorites
around him. He liked a little bit harder edge to his music. His was
not reflective of the popular music scene. Most of the popular music in
the '70s was a little weird.
Let me give you an example. The top 5 songs for 1974 on Billboard's Top
40 were:
5) Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
4) (You're) Having My Baby - Paul Anka
3) The Streak - Ray Stevens
2) Seasons In The Sun - Terry Jacks
1) The Way We Were - Barbara Streisand
(Billboard Top 1000 singles 1955-1992 compiled by Joel Whitburn (C) 1993 Hal Leonard)
What
were we thinking??? To add insult to injury, the first Disco single to
hit #1 on the pop charts came in this same year. There is a debate
that arises, however as to which band, (I use the term very loosely) was
the first to hit #1 on with a Disco beat. Some say the song "Love's
Theme" - Love Unlimited Orchestra (Barry White) which hit #1 early in
1974. Others point to the 1974 hit "Rock The Boat" by One Hit Wonder, The Hues Corporation. (Believe it or not, Disco still
lives. Like so many other fads that last, its name has transitioned to Club or Dance music.) We'll leave the determination as to which
really was first to those who are far more Disco elite than we.
"Rock
The Boat" hit #1 July 6, 1974. While not an immediate success for The
Hues Corporation, a play on The Howard Hughes Corporation and skin
color, "Rock The Boat" would gain steam after getting played in the
clubs and discos of America's largest cities. It went on to sell over 2
million copies and solidified itself in music culture. Shortly after
its recording the lead singer, Fleming Williams, would leave The Hues
Corporation and not see the acclaim that came with the success of the
song. "Rock The Boat" even inspired its own dance involving folks
sitting in a row and acting like they are rowing a boat...things that
make you go hmmm.
Boats
are a focal point in many of the stories in the Bible. In The Old
Testament we can read about the boat that Jonah boarded to run away from
God's calling on his life (Jonah - Holman Christian Standard Bible). In The New Testament we read about the shipwrecks that the Apostle Paul survived as he had struggles on his mission trips (2 Corithians 11 HCSB). But the most famous boat in the Bible would have to be the one that was constructed from gopher wood.
It
is very difficult to find someone on the earth who has not heard the
story of the world wide flood. In fact, most religions/world regions
have legends and folklore surrounding such an event. Here at The Notes,
we maintain that the flood narrative of the Bible is the true, literal
occurrence in which all of these legends and myths are based. The
Readers Digest Condensed version goes like this:
After
man had disobeyed his one and only rule in the perfect Garden of Eden,
he was cast out. As Adam and Eve's descendents got further away from
the perfection of Eden, they grew more and more evil. So much so, that
the God who created them in the first place sought to destroy everything
He had created due to the corruption and wickedness in which man
unceasingly participated. God planned to carry this destruction out by
flooding the entire expanse of the earth in water. However, Noah found
grace in the eyes of God. He was the lone person that God found that
was not completely evil. Note, Noah was not perfect. He was a man that
was seeking after God. Noah's life was enough of a testament to his
righteousness that God communicated with him a way of escape from the
destruction that was coming. It was a way that had never been conceived
in the culture of its time. The Bible calls it an ark. We would call
it a big boat. Noah went sailing on it with a cargo full of love and
devotion...
For perspective on the size of Noah's ark:
The rest of the story you can read in Genesis 7 - 9 (Genesis 7-9 HCSB)
There
are many points that can be made by the story of Noah and his family,
especially on Father's Day. First, Noah was a father that sought after
God. Genesis 6:9 says of Noah, "These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God." Before
Noah could lead his family, he had to have his relationship with God in
a right place. Noah built a structure that no one in his culture could
imagine would ever be used. Noah's neighbors probably wondered where
he got the notion to build his boat. He was probably ridiculed and ostracized by the folks that saw him consistently working on the ark. Yet, he continued to "rock the boat" with his contemporaries to fulfill the command from God.
Secondly, God established his design for marriage and sexual relationships between 1 man and 1 woman a second time with whom He placed on the Ark. God allowed Noah and his wife (note not wives), Shem and his wife, Ham and his wife, and Japheth and his wife, to board the ark. God reaffirmed His plan for how the world was to be populated by these 8 individuals. Male and female were to go out and be fruitful and multiply. As a single unit. This was God's plan. This plan is very contrary to the entertainment industry's standard of a multiplicity of partners by which we seem to be inundated.
Finally, while Noah walked with God, Noah was not perfect. Most fathers aren't. After a while the sin nature of man came out in even Noah. He planted a vineyard, fermented the grapes and got so drunk that he passed out. His lack of self control would be a poor example to his sons and their families as we see evil creep back into the post flood world. Our dads are not perfect either. There will be times when they blow it. Hopefully, that is minimized due to the fact that they walk as closely as they can with God through the sacrifice of Jesus and the power of Holy Spirit.
Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord. Even though it was difficult, Noah fulfilled God's calling on his life. While not perfect, Noah was a good example to his wife and kids of what a father should be. Noah's life story can also be a good example to us when God calls us to have our "rock the boat" moment. In that moment, what will you do? I believe I'd get a notion...
'Til Tuesday
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
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