Pop's stops by for a visit

Yeah, so this past Saturday night was amazing. First of all, we had the most people that we have had yet (except for our first service when all of our friends came out to send us off). There were 102 people there. It was awsome. It just amazes me to think that we have started with a Core Team of only 28 Covenant Partners (our version of membership) and in just six weeks we are seeing this many people come around. Then, we got to celebrate the baptism of 7 new believers that night. On top of this, our good friends at the BGAV showed up to give us a grant for $30,000. Then, to top it all off, my dad, uncle Arnie, aunt Nilda, and cousin Lucas came in town that night for a visit. They were supposed to be there for the service, but D.C. traffic wasn't cooperating with their time schedule, and they made it just in time for the last part of the service. But at least they were able to meet everyone. They were blown away by how happy everyone was, and all of the nice things they had to say about the church. It was kinda weird having part of my family there. It is just not something that I am used to. I mean, ever since I have been involved in church (since age of 14), it has been something that I have done independent of my family (not because I wanted it that way). My older brother Jason is the only member of my family who ever got involved with church while I was in the house. Well, then I moved out when I was 16. It was especially interesting having my dad (actually my stepdad, but he and my mom raised me so I have always called him dad too) there. He and I had a pretty interesting relationship while I was growing up. I was the problem kid for most of my young life, and he was the underappreciated stepfather. He did what he could, but looking back I see that I did a pretty good job of pushing him away during my rebellious childhood. So we have never really been "close". The day that I moved out though, things seemed to change between us. The longer I have lived away from home, the more I have come to respect him for what he did. He put up with me (not easy), he provided for me, and he disciplined me. As an adult, I now greatly value the fact that he played that role for me. However, like I said, we were never really that close. And my real dad (who always did as much as he could for us) lived in Wisconsin and was very limited in his ability to be involved in our lives after we moved to N.C. when I was 6. So the father situation has always been a weird place for me. So, having him there at my church was a new experience. Part of me was like, "Look dad, aren't you proud?" but part of me was like, "Welcome to Freedom Life Church, my name is Pastor Freddy and I'm glad you could be here." I know that probably sounds weird, but my faith walk has been so independent of my parents that I often find myself looking to God as my spiritual parent, and seeking His afirmation, instead of the affirmation of my earthly fathers. When God tells me He is proud of me, it is the greatest feeling in the world. I can remember longing to hear my earthly father (either of them) tell me that about anything for so long...but then one day God said it to me and I realized that was the voice I had been longing to affirm me all this time. Maybe that is why every night when I lay Elias down I tell him the same two things...first I tell him that I love him and that I think he is a good boy. And then I tell him that I am proud of him. The other day he looked at me and said, "Daddy, I'm proud of you." I don't know if he even knows what that means yet, but he will never know what hearing him say them meant to me! To know that those words are so familiar to him that he repeats them. I know that Elias (and eventually Kaelin too) will always know that I am proud of them for what they are becoming, but my prayer is that they will always truely know that their Father in heaven is proud of them and cherishes them more than I ever could. Well it's late, so I am leaving the office and going home... Peace