June 8, 2016
He always said that they got married on his birthday so that he wouldn't forget the date. A wise man. Remembering dates was not his strength, but he exhibited wisdom in many of the decisions that he made. (I remember shortly after Mom died that Dad asked me for a list of everyone's birthdays, because he realized that he didn't know them.) No, dates weren't his strength, but I am very grateful to have had a father who was a man of prayer, a man who desired to live a godly life, a man who gave his life to encourage others to do the same.
On June 8th of this year, my dad would have been 82 and my parents would have been married 59 years. Dad has been with the Lord for 8 years now and Mom for 13. I would have loved to have had them in my life, the life of our sons as well as our daughters-in-laws and grandchildren longer. But God in His wisdom took them home earlier than I would have liked.
As a child, I often failed to realize that my home environment might be different from others. But as I grew, there were many things for which I was most grateful.
Being a preacher's kid can bring some unique experiences, some good, some not so good. (I had fun recently chatting with another PK about family vacations. We talked about how many churches we would visit while on vacation. He indicated his vacations were always around a church conference of some kind. We always went camping, but usually visited as many as 3 churches on any Sunday we weren't home!) But the older I got and the more PK's I met, I came to realize what a wonderful church experience I had growing up and much of that had to do with who my parents were.
Dad had a real shepherd's heart for his people and they responded to his love, care and concern for them. His sermons displayed his concern, his visitation to the hospitals (Daniel and I knew those hospital gift shops well!!), and his nightly visits to different families and individuals let them know that he truly cared. I also remember how frequently when we were traveling, Dad would see an individual who had a need and not only met their physical need, but also shared Christ with them.
He was truly a servant. I laugh now as I leave a church classroom and can't leave it without checking to make sure that it is orderly and the lights are turned off. It comes from all those years that we were the last to leave the church and Dad, Mom and I took various portions of the church to do a quick check and turn off the lights. Even with a church where the lights will eventually go off on their own, I still turn them off when I leave.
Dad had grown up on a farm, and although he chose the field of being a pastor rather than fields as a farmer, the farmer part of him became his relaxation, his way to unwind after spending his day with people all day. If you knew my dad, you knew we always had a large garden with MANY tomatoes plants. He would often eat 3 tomato sandwiches a day when the tomatoes were at their peak (which given how many different varieties he planted, was a long season.) And growing up on a farm with John Deere tractors, they remainded a favorite all his life. (Do you see his John Deere hat in some of these photos??)
He was a man who loved his family and ordered his life to let us know that we were important to him. I remember him coming home from a conference and letting us know that he realized he had not been intentional enough in his attention to our family life. (I don't remember exactly what he said, but if I could put it in terms used today, it would be intentional.) From that point on, except on rare occasions, Friday night was family time. And if for some reason he couldn't get out of an obligation, some other night became family time. Because he was often gone in the evenings, he came home from the office early, we had family dinner, a devotional time, and then played whatever was the favorite game of that season. Finding Mille Bourne recently in a store, it has been fun to now play that favorite with grandkids. He loved his wife, his kids and his grandkids. There was never a question about that!
He loved a good joke and it would keep him laughing for hours after it had first tickled his funny bone. Gratefully, he enjoyed the practical joke. Or at least he had learned to enjoy them by the time I arrived on the scene. With a lady like my mom, you had to enjoy the practical joke!!
But the thing I most associate with my dad is that he was a real man of prayer. I sometimes found him on his knees, but even if I didn't see him praying, it was evident that it was a key to his life. He preached about prayer. He carried a list of things he was praying about in his shirt pocket (as well as whatever scripture he was working on and his to-do-list). And if you heard him pray, you knew it was not something he did ever once in a while, but was a way of life for him. Sometimes I caught him on his face in the church in a time of prayer. Sometimes, on those rare occasions I got up early, I would find him in prayer at home.
He was a man who meditated on scripture and then took his concerns directly to the Lord.
Thanks, Dad. I am grateful to be able to call you my dad. You are missed and your life is both appreciated and a motivator.
On June 8th of this year, my dad would have been 82 and my parents would have been married 59 years. Dad has been with the Lord for 8 years now and Mom for 13. I would have loved to have had them in my life, the life of our sons as well as our daughters-in-laws and grandchildren longer. But God in His wisdom took them home earlier than I would have liked. As a child, I often failed to realize that my home environment might be different from others. But as I grew, there were many things for which I was most grateful.
Being a preacher's kid can bring some unique experiences, some good, some not so good. (I had fun recently chatting with another PK about family vacations. We talked about how many churches we would visit while on vacation. He indicated his vacations were always around a church conference of some kind. We always went camping, but usually visited as many as 3 churches on any Sunday we weren't home!) But the older I got and the more PK's I met, I came to realize what a wonderful church experience I had growing up and much of that had to do with who my parents were.
Dad had a real shepherd's heart for his people and they responded to his love, care and concern for them. His sermons displayed his concern, his visitation to the hospitals (Daniel and I knew those hospital gift shops well!!), and his nightly visits to different families and individuals let them know that he truly cared. I also remember how frequently when we were traveling, Dad would see an individual who had a need and not only met their physical need, but also shared Christ with them.
Dad had grown up on a farm, and although he chose the field of being a pastor rather than fields as a farmer, the farmer part of him became his relaxation, his way to unwind after spending his day with people all day. If you knew my dad, you knew we always had a large garden with MANY tomatoes plants. He would often eat 3 tomato sandwiches a day when the tomatoes were at their peak (which given how many different varieties he planted, was a long season.) And growing up on a farm with John Deere tractors, they remainded a favorite all his life. (Do you see his John Deere hat in some of these photos??)
He was a man who loved his family and ordered his life to let us know that we were important to him. I remember him coming home from a conference and letting us know that he realized he had not been intentional enough in his attention to our family life. (I don't remember exactly what he said, but if I could put it in terms used today, it would be intentional.) From that point on, except on rare occasions, Friday night was family time. And if for some reason he couldn't get out of an obligation, some other night became family time. Because he was often gone in the evenings, he came home from the office early, we had family dinner, a devotional time, and then played whatever was the favorite game of that season. Finding Mille Bourne recently in a store, it has been fun to now play that favorite with grandkids. He loved his wife, his kids and his grandkids. There was never a question about that!He loved a good joke and it would keep him laughing for hours after it had first tickled his funny bone. Gratefully, he enjoyed the practical joke. Or at least he had learned to enjoy them by the time I arrived on the scene. With a lady like my mom, you had to enjoy the practical joke!!
But the thing I most associate with my dad is that he was a real man of prayer. I sometimes found him on his knees, but even if I didn't see him praying, it was evident that it was a key to his life. He preached about prayer. He carried a list of things he was praying about in his shirt pocket (as well as whatever scripture he was working on and his to-do-list). And if you heard him pray, you knew it was not something he did ever once in a while, but was a way of life for him. Sometimes I caught him on his face in the church in a time of prayer. Sometimes, on those rare occasions I got up early, I would find him in prayer at home.
He was a man who meditated on scripture and then took his concerns directly to the Lord.
Thanks, Dad. I am grateful to be able to call you my dad. You are missed and your life is both appreciated and a motivator.
Comments
You may have heard the story about your Father sleeping in when he was supposed to help with the milking on the farm at Elim. The farmer, Willis Tedford, and I were very good friends. Your Mother was receptionist at Elim., before they were married. One morning Willis and I was teasing your Mother about Noah sleeping in. We told her that if we could get her to his room, he'd be outta bed in a flash! Sure enough.............he did sleep in shortly after that. We took a recorder to his room. His light was on. He was lying flat on his back, with his Bible lying open on his stomach. We turned the light out and started the tape recorder up. We had made a recording of your Mother talking. She said, “Noah, Noah Honey, you gonna get up and help Brother Tedford with the chores this morning?” For sure.........he was outta bed in a flash!! Funnnnnnny! We all had quite a laugh, caused quite a stir at 4:30 AM on the fourth floor in the Men's Dorm at Elim.
Joan and I visited with your Mother and Father at their home near Reading, PA. Both of your parents were “Pure Gold!” I so enjoy those many fond memories of Noah and Edie! I would just love to sit with you and share my memories of your parents. They were a Godly treasure to me!
God Bless you, my Friend!
Bill Lindsey