A Tribute To My Dad

My Dad – A Man Who Changed the World through Prayer!

This is how I’d like to introduce and remember my father for the rest of my life. I spent a day and a half and had a wonderful visit with him on our recent mission trip to India. Even though he was getting frail, he lived a fully functional life. On April 9, 2016, I got the dreaded call from my eldest brother, Pat. Our father had taken his last breath on earth and his first in heaven! My Dad had been promoted to glory. 

His life was filled with highs and lows. My father was born in the early thirties to a poor family in a village in India. In order to support his family, he had to drop out of school in seventh grade. He was around twenty-years-old when he married my mother who was about sixteen years of age. Life was a short-lived bliss and they had four boys. Suddenly, when I was one, my mother passed away. Dad loved mom and almost always had tears in his eyes while talking about her for the rest of his life.

He didn’t surrender to struggles. Shell-shocked, dad took up on an offer by a Methodist orphanage to send his four boys there. The earliest memory I have of my father is that he came to visit us on the limited days parents were allowed to meet. He couldn’t give us much but even a pack of cookies was received with great joy. Sitting on his lap and hugs were a rare treat but they were greatly appreciated and anticipated. 

He was a gentleman. After graduating from high school, my brothers and I were in search of our identity. I was fresh out of college and I had just moved to Nepal along with my two brothers, Neil and Guine. My father had made the treacherous journey to come with a village friend to meet us. We were young and dumb — who put him back on the bus the next day. We were so focused on our lives that we didn’t appreciate his visit. He obliged and traveled back to India. Dad never resented it. I never saw him getting mad at anybody.

He was a small town man with a big world view. Even in his advance years, he read the newspaper front to back. Once, we relocated him from the village to New Delhi — the big, capital city of India. He missed his social connections in the village so after about three months we moved him back to his native village. In the years to come, Dad traveled the world to spend time with us but he always went back to the village.

He loved construction. My father was a visionary. Whether it was to build our brick house (in place of the mud house), the local church (biggest building in his village), or anybody else’s building project — he loved to direct and supervise construction.

He was a leader in his community. Poorly educated but highly gifted in his talent to connect with people. When he was able, he would walk to the market every day. There he chatted with the people and enquired about their well-being while sipping on a cup of tea. Whenever he had money, he’d help those in need. He was loved and well respected by his community.

He was a man of prayer. My father didn’t say a lot but he made it up in prayers. He didn’t pray in public but often he would wake up between 3 and 5AM and pray to God to use his four boys for His purpose. Sitting in a mud house under a thatched roof, it didn’t seem possible but he didn’t consider what he saw in the natural. I say this to the glory of God, thirty years later all four of his boys are serving the Lord. Together, we’ve traveled to more than 150 countries and preached to millions of people. Over thirty of our extended family members are serving the Lord because of the answer to my Dad’s prayers. 

Friend, if you have a living parent, don’t take them for granted. Give them a call. Celebrate their lives while they’re still with you. Let them know how much you appreciate them. Put it on your schedule to spend time with them or else you’ll never find time for it. In the Ten Commandments, there’s only one that comes with a promise in return – "Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus20:12 NLT). Friends, let us love, respect, and honor our parents. They’re the reason, we’re here.

I love and miss you, Dad!

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God Will Pay You Back

We’ve all had unfortunate things happen to us. Someone takes advantage of us. Someone steals our just rewards. Even a lack of recognition for our hard work can hurt our feelings. We don’t have to be numb to our feelings but if we keep a good attitude when the wrong thing is happening to us, then God will pay us back in due time.

My 14-year-old son Daniel is in Royal Rangers (the Christian version of Boy Scouts); he’s been enjoying this program for several years now. Once a week, he gets to hang out with a group of boys and do boy things. He has always worked very hard for his merits therefore he is ahead of most kids his age.

Recently they had a graduation ceremony. Daniel was the youngest of the lot to get the Gold Medal Award (GMA). Unfortunately, not all of leaders were in favor of him getting the recognition even though he had met all the requirements. It was a long, drawn out drama and finally they allowed him to receive the honors he had earned. 

Maybe you’ve been done wrong. You worked hard for the commission but the sale went to another person. The house you were hoping to buy was sold under your feet. You may have gone through the training, putting in the extra hours, but you didn’t get the promotion you were praying for. You cleaned the house all day but you weren’t appreciated for it. You may have been betrayed in a relationship or a business partnership. No matter who did you wrong, God will pay you back with double the honor.

This is what happened to my son Daniel. Not only did he get his Gold Medal Award in time, he got to meet with the Mayor of our city (pictured here). His outpost had sent many requests before for previous candidates but this was the first time the city officials decided to recognize Daniel in front of the whole city council. Not only that, it was broadcasted live! Even though a few people were against my son, God honored him in front of higher authorities and a greater audience. God paid him back double for his troubles. In the same way, if you keep your peace and stay in faith, God will pay you back more than what you’ve lost.

People do unpredictable things when they’re hurt, insecure, jealous, or threatened by another person. If you try to defend yourself, God will stand back. But if you take the high road, keep calm, and stay in peace, the Lord will fight the battle for you. I’ve learned that the higher you rise the more critics will come out of the woodworks. But if you stay in faith and trust God instead of taking revenge, He will make things right for you. The world may not be fair but God is!

This is what happened to a man named Mordecai in the Bible (Book of Esther). He was a Jew and once he had saved the king’s life from a certain coup. Unfortunately, nobody remembered his contribution to saving the king’s life. One night, King Ahasuerus couldn’t sleep. He ordered his servants to bring him the book of the records from the library. Of all the thousands of books, they picked the one with Mordecai’s story in it. There it was found that Mordecai had saved the king’s life from an assassination plot. It prompted the king to ask, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” They said, “Nothing.” Long story short, it was Mordecai who was honored through the city and his enemy Haman was hung in the gallows. We should never wish evil against our enemies. But rest assured, God knows how to make it up to you. He will never allow you to go through a tough situation without honoring you for it.

Friend, no matter who has done your wrong, today it is time for you to give it up to God. He cannot fight for us as long as we take matters into our own hands. But if we trust him with our troubles, He will do what we cannot do. He will not only reward you but He will make sure that he does it in front of your enemies. Our God is a great equalizer. You’re the head and not the tail. You’re only above and not beneath. He will not cause you to shame.

Today, I challenge you to let go and let God. Like my son Daniel, He will honor you in public. Just like Mordecai, He will bring you to remembrance at the right time. Don’t seek revenge on those who have done you harm. If you release those offenses to God, He will make you soar like an eagle. You’ll go to new heights that you’ve never dreamed of before. I love you and I’m praying for you.

“Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours” (Isaiah 61:7 NLT).

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Dealing with Grief and Loss

A great friend of mine and another general of God passed away today. He was much too young to be gone but now He’s in the safe Arms of Jesus. Death is the highest promotion for a Christian but it’s never easy on the family and friends left behind.

What should be our attitude when a loved one passes away? What happens to them? How can we peacefully transition into life without our loved one? Does God’s Word provide any light on these matters? Today we’ll discuss a few things about death and beyond. This is not comfortable but it’s good for us to stop, think and face the reality of life.

Of course none of us are mortal. For centuries human beings have tried to hold on to their loved ones or helped them on to heaven with traditions. According to the Bible, we’re born once and die once. God is a loving God and He doesn’t send anyone to hell which was prepared for the devil and demon forces. Jesus gave us clear teaching that “those who believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” When we do not accept God’s free gift of Salvation offered to us through the Cross of Jesus Christ, we send ourselves to eternal damnation. This is not God’s plan for us and neither should it be ours.

When a Christian dies, his/her spirit goes to heaven immediately. And there is a great celebration over a death of a saint of God. That’s what my friend is experiencing right now. There’s no pain, crying, sighing or dying in heaven. It’s an eternal bliss in the presence of God. Our job in heaven is to worship Him forever. This is what the Bible teaches about life after death.

When someone has lost someone dear in their lives, it is important to grieve with them. Hasty words of comfort can shorten their grieving process. We should mainly offer our condolences and be ears for them to process their grief. We’ve to be careful not to offer too many advice or hurrying them along in their grieving process. One of the worst things we can do is to make them feel like it’s not a big deal since their loved one is in heaven. Instead, we should try to empathize with them.

Another way we can show our support is to offer practical help with food, childcare, transportation, hospitality etc. Losing a loved one is the most stressful thing in the world. Our body, mind, spirit, soul and emotions are all worked up in knots. We can alleviate people’s pain by being understanding and kind. Keeping our voice down, spending time with them and helping with practical chores are great comforts for the grieving family. This is the time to be extra sensitive and not make jokes or hurtful remarks. Scripture says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15 NIV).

If you have a loved one who has lived a full life, make sure to make as much preparation as possible ahead of time. Practical things such as making a will, funeral arrangement, paying off debt, life-insurance in place, dividing wealth and estate to the next generation are all sensible planning. This will reduce stress for those who are left behind. If you haven’t put some of these things in place for yourself and your family yet, now is a good time to put paper work in place. You don’t have to fear about the future but “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions” (Proverbs 22:3).

Friend, life and death is a matter of seconds. If you have not invited Jesus into your heart the most important preparation you can make is to ask Him to be your Lord and Savior. Will you say this prayer with me? “Heavenly Father, I’m a sinner. I need a Savior. I believe Jesus came, lived a sinless life and died for my sins. He rose again from the dead and went to be in Heaven. I believe He is coming back to take us home. I repent from my sin. I confess Jesus Christ is Lord. Now I’m born again. Give me power to live a righteous life by filling me with the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” Friend, if you sincerely prayed this prayer and meant it from your heart, you are saved. Now go and tell someone what you just did. Be in church this weekend and tell someone that you just got saved. We’re praying for you. 

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25 ESV).

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