Best Man I know

This weeks blog post will be a tribute to my Father by writing out the ways He unknowingly has strengthened, convicted, encouraged, and led me back to the Cross, time and time again since touching down in Chile. I heard a quote in the message today ( I stayed home and listened in to Colonial for the Father's Day message :)) and it said,
" My father didn't tell me how to live, He lived, and let me watch him do it."
How true that is in my own life... and how blessed by God I know I have been to of had the opportunity to watch for 24 years...His life. How the Lord knew,  I in all my sinful tendencies and selfish ways, would look back on the example I saw on his life, to continually bring my attentions away from myself and back to the word of God.
So if you don't mind I am going to give credit where credit is due and honor my father for the next couple minutes. :) I cannot sum up everything, nor do I believe He would want me to, so I will list 4 attributes that continue daily to encouraged me as I serve In this ministry here.


His Consistent Walk with Christ: In all my life, through all the trails I have witnessed him go through ( in ministry) I have never questioned whether He still felt called to be in the ministry, or whether he had lost his love for Christ. As I look at my attitude this past 4 months, when there was a facet of the ministry ( whatever that may be) that had dissapointed me, or relational hurt me, I tended to be prone to mope and want to question God's calling. My fathers faithfulness to the Call God gave him, has helped remind me in those moments where I am questioning, to Go back to what I know to be true. God called me here for this time. And to question no more. I've learned to do that because of His example of  going through a trial confident that the it is allowed by God to produce character and bring glory to God., It has always always encouraged me to stay faithful to what it is I know God called me to, and to not let the devils arrows hit where I should daily be placing the armor of God.
His Ability to Forgive Others. It amazes me more and more, as I grow older and see more of how we as fallen people so often hurt others and how we are continually at war between our flesh and the Holy Spirit in the area of relationships, and how we treat others. As I have watched my father forgive those who have wronged him, his  sense of burden to pray for them instead of be angry towards them, It just humbles and convicts me continually. How Thankful I have been to of been able to pick up the phone numerous times and call him, and know He will offer me words of refreshment and truth, and always end with praying with me for the lords victory and often for the person who had hurt me. He has told me it is more difficult to remain angry with someone when you are praying for them. Man, how those phone calls are a treasure to my heart. The devil does target "Ministries" be it a Church, a Christian School, a Missions Organization, Missionaries, Christian Organizations, Christians period. So why do I forget to see trails as from the devil, thus being proof there is a spiritual battle being fought?! I pray that one day I learn to see those relational hurts and hiccups as my father sees them. A battle being faught, and an opporunity to always show grace, apologize and seek forgiveness even when there is no apology given. What an example that is so counter culture...and against everything we hear from anywhere other than the word of God.
His Thorn In His flesh as he might call the dissablity God allowed Him to have, and I until recently never even was that aware it was even there. In part, because My father never openly brought attention to himself, sought pitty, or complained. When it did inhibit him in different circumstances or situations, he always took the approach of having a positive attitude, and finding a different route to take. He also used humor and continues to use it, in spite of whatever circumstance he is in. Most recently he bought my mom a golf cart for her birdhouses, and little zoo she has going on in our backyard. Well in an email he sent to me he mentioned he had taken mom on a ride around the neighborhood and they enjoyed some quality time together by the lake. :) After I initially got a little laugh out of the image of them riding around on a golf cart, it hit me that...my father knew he and my mom could finally "walk around the neighborhood" as most couples have always been able to do, but they could not. Little things, i've seen even recently, in his always positive approach to his health, have made me evaluate how much or little I can choose to complain about little things throughout each day. May I not be a complainer, in circumstances, but may I seek to find humor amidst the circumstances and by so doing, bring a sense of peace to those around me, as dad always seems to bring to our family about his thorn.
His Integrity and Discernment: As I have watched him through the years, go over and above in circumstances to insure he is above the appearance of evil, it has struck me that...our reputation is only as good an the perception those have of us by the day to day decisions we make. This mindset is daily battling with my sinful mindset, and often I find myself thinking " what would my dad think about this". Yes its true, I am a 24 year old missionary overseas, and I find I ask my dad for his opinion more than any friend, co teacher or fellow missionary. There is just something so comforting about knowing the opinion my father gives me, is the word of God. When I have highschool girls wanting to talk with me to get my advice on something or I have an adult at church as my opinion about something ( both happen often) I desire to speak not " What candace davey thinks" but " Here's what God says". As My whole life I have seen my father ask and do!

I love you daddy, and am so thankful for the example your life has been to my own.
7 days till I see you AND mommy!!!