And God Gave Me Daddy

                                          My dad, Mr. Charlie Swarn


***Tomorrow will mark the 10th anniversary of my dad's death.  I miss him terribly.  I'm sure that I can speak for the entire family that this man was one of a kind.  He would have been 102 years old this year.  This man, whom we called "daddy" was highly respected by us all.  His legacy will always remain that of being there for each of his children, and his beloved wife, our mother, Hester Swarn.  What a blessing it was to have him as my daddy.  As our father.  Rest on daddy.  We look to see you again when Jesus returns.  You are missed....You are still greatly loved!***

(I'm sharing this blog post from Father's Day, 2014)

From the time that I was old enough to remember I knew what it was like to be loved.  Growing up poor and living in the projects was not enough to convince me that there wasn't someone who truly loved me.  God gave me everything when He gave me daddy.  I never called him father, it was always just daddy.  Looking at his picture brings back so many memories.  It also brings the tears.  I miss him terribly.  He was a man of very few words.  I didn't hear daddy raise his voice very much.  His demeanor was that of a gentle and quiet spirit.  He had the biggest heart of anyone that I knew.  He loved his kids unconditionally.  Though he never possessed much in this life, he gave all that he had for his family.  He worked hard for us to keep food on the table.  He was home with us every night.  Though he had his demons (like all of us) he remained committed to his wife and family.  What he earned he brought it home to his family to see that we had clothes, food, and a roof over our heads.  I suspect many would growl at such humble beginnings, but the truth of the matter is we didn't have much growing up.  But we had good parents.  God gave us a good mama.  And God gave us daddy.

Coming home from school each day daddy had dinner prepared.  Everyday there was something on the table.  The house was always cleaned.  Mama worked so hard in the dry cleaning factories and daddy worked a job at Robbins AFB but was always there to care for the family.  Growing up I can't remember one day without having both my parents in my life.  Providing for a family of twelve couldn't have come easy for them.  I can honestly say that I never felt neglected or loved any less because there were so many of us.  One of the greatest blessings that I ever received was having the love and support of both my parents.  

Today being Father's Day and it's been seven years since my daddy has been gone.  I have missed him so much.  My life seemed really empty after he passed.  I grew up somewhat I think.  For all of my life there was not a day that daddy wasn't a part of it.  I delighted in spending time with both my parents.  They were never far away from me.  So you can imagine the loneliness that I went through when God called him home.  I felt that a part of me was missing.  The day he died I just sat there and cradled his still warm body in my arms.  I wept bitterly and wanted to awaken him from sleep.  I couldn't imagine my life being the same after his death.  But, then I recalled how he'd lived.  For someone so small in statue he was just a giant among men.  I can't remember daddy ever doing anything but loving his family and   providing for us.  

I can't begin to imagine what my life would have been like if it wasn't for my daddy.  I have so many memories that even a lifetime couldn't capture them all.  I feel so blessed to have had him in my life.  I could have been born to anyone else, but God chose daddy.  God Gave Me Daddy.....and I shall be eternally grateful.  Rest In God Daddy!  There shall never pass another man this way quite like you!

David Wilkerson (A Great Man of God)

***Six years ago today the world lost a great leader, pastor, father, husband, and lover of Jesus Christ, David Wilkerson.  I never met this man in person, but I have come to love listening to his sermons on YouTube and Sermonindex.  I have read his many books, and still follow his ministry that he left behind at Times Square Church, New York City.  I'm profoundly touched by every sermon.  I love this man because he loved Jesus and when you hear his sermons you know that he spent a great deal of time on his face before God.  I admire people like David Wilkerson.  We lost him on April 27, 2011.  His wife, Gwen, died the following year.  If you ever get the chance look him up on YouTube and download his sermons at Sermon Index  You will be greatly blessed!***

***From the Blog Archive Series April 30, 2011***

This morning in the early a.m. hours I learned of the death of David Wilkerson, Founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City. I was up early as I often am, but sitting on my fold-away bed doing some research on causes of migraine headaches that hurt most at night. I always have my radio on when I go to bed, and Prophet R.G. Stair was on the airways. I heard him first mention something about Bro. David Terrell that got my attention. Then I got up to go to the bathroom, and when I returned I heard him mention David Wilkerson. He began to say how pastor Wilkerson was driving on the highway and his car swirved into ongoing traffic and he ran head on into an 18-wheeler tractor trailor and was killed instantly. His wife Gwen, who was also in the car with him, survived but remains in critical condition. This news just devastated me! I didn't know what to think or what to feel. For a moment I was not believing the news that I'd just heard. Shock would be the word to describe what I felt most. Since it was my prayer hour I tried praying but was just still so overcome. So I went back to my sister's room and told her of the news. She was shocked to hear it. After spending a few minutes back there I came back to pray. My prayer was mostly sobbing. This was a great man of God. His sermons impacted my life from the first moment I heard him several years earlier. I had heard of David Wilkerson from Prophet Bro. David Terrell, who often spoke highly of him. Then I discovered him for myself and began to listen to his sermons online, and later on You Tube viewed his videos. I subscribed to his newsletter "Pulpit Series" and still have many of them that I saved. I'm so glad that I did. Even though the physical man is gone on to be with the Lord, I can always keep his writings with me. I can always hear his sermons. Today I hope to buy some blank cd disks to save some of his sermons that are online at his World Challenge website. I don't want to ever forget this man or the impact that he made on my life and I'm sure the lives of many other people. David Wilkerson's preaching touched me tremendously. There were many moments when I just needed a stir in the Word and I would listen to one of his sermons from his website. I never tired of listening to him. He was a real man of God. Listening to him I could tell that he spent many hours alone with God in the prayer closet. He was a man of fasting. He was a man devoted to helping others. God really blessed him to preach the Good News to many people. I was just one of them. As I was sobbing this morning from his passing (Wednesday April 27, 2011) God came and comforted me. He assurred me that Pastor Wilkerson is with Him now. He assured me that he felt no pain. He was instantly at home with Him. Then my heart truly rejoiced. Though I will miss him dearly in this life and hearing his stirring sermons, David Wilkerson is now in his eternal glory. Praise God! But I thought to myself just what could his passing truly mean in a time like this. He was 79 years old. What could I get from this? April 27, 2011 was also the day that the worst storm since Hurracaine Katrina hit the South. Sevaral states were affected, especially Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where many people lost their lives. As of this writing, 15 died here in Georgia. Devastation and death all around us it seems. And I wanted to know what God was saying to me. God wants us to wake and stir ourselves in much prayer. We can never get comfortable or lose sight of what the devil is doing. We must continue to press on and put down our idols. We must get hidden sins out of our heart. No one knows the day nor hour of His coming. It pays for us to always be ready. Some of us Christians have gotten comfortable. We've conformed to this world. We are to be different. We are not to be and act as the world. It's time to clean up from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. It's time to prepare ourselves for the endtimes and the days of sorrow that's at the doors. It's time to pray without ceasing.
I'm so grateful to God for discovering the man, Pastor David Wilkerson. Listening to him always edified me and made me want to live for Jesus. I truly got the sincerity of his sermons and felt the love of Jesus resonating throughout each word spoken. I'm so happy to have discovered him for myself. I find myself picking up his book, "Have You Felt Like Giving Up Lately?" many times, especially during the last four years after the death of my father in April, 2007 when I experienced some of the darkest moments in my life. Every word on the page spoke to me. This was the impact that David Wilkerson had on my life. And he continues to inspire me for in his death I'm only motivated more to know more about this man, Jesus Christ. I want to inspire others and let other people know about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Pastor Wilkerson is with the Lord. Praise God! Praise God! Praise God! His fight is over."I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith" Second Timothy 4:7 (NASB)

THROUGH THE GOOD AND BAD TIMES

“So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the soil of his foot to his crown.  And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself with; and he sat down among the ashes.  Then said his wife to him, Do you still retain your integrity?  Curse God, and die.  But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speak.  What?  Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?  In all this did not Job sin with his lips”

Job 2: 7-10

As I read this scripture, I thought about a prayer that I’d prayed to God during the start of 2015.  I prayed and asked the Lord to draw me closer to Him.  I wanted to start the year off praying more fervently and often.  I’d seen Jesus do so many miraculous miracles in my life, and my spirit was crying out for more of God. 

As I got closer to the Lord, He began to speak to me about staying in His word.  Every time that I would get down to pray, it seems I would always be encouraged to stay in the word.  I began to read every chance that I got.  In between my walks outside, on the way to town, and especially in my secret place of prayer the Lord was speaking to me.  “Satiate yourself in My Word”, He spoke to me one morning.

I did not know then of the battle later that year that I would face when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  But, Jesus knew what was in my future, and He knew that it would require a strong faith to face this Goliath.  He wanted to prepare me for the journey ahead.

We never know what we are to face in this life, but God does. He will be with us when things are going good, and when they are not.  If He is laying upon your heart to draw closer to Him in prayer and bible study, please make yourself available to do so.  We are not promised that we will have only good things happen to us, but we will also go through times of adversity.  The Lord loves us enough to prepare us.  He knows that He is the only One that can take us through such trying times.  The Word of God is our strong tower.  Pick it up and read it daily.  Have faith in Jesus Christ, that through Him we can face any Goliath that dares stand in our path.  The Word of God, and prayer, is the only way we’re going to stand.  

GOD KNOWS

Sometimes even our closest friends don't know all there is to know about us.  We share with them what we want, but there are some things that we like to keep to ourselves. Have you ever stopped to consider that there is someone who knows everything about us?  Even those near and dear to us wouldn't know what we're thinking, let alone what we're going to speak before we ever utter a word.

The Lord Jesus Christ knows everything there is to know about us.  Before we were formed in our mother's womb, He knew us.  He knows what we did yesterday, and what we're going to be doing in the future.  He knows how many days He has ordained for us upon this earth.  He knows all our secret plans.  He knows when we sit down, and when we stand up.  There is nothing hidden from His sight.

It's comforting to know that Jesus knows all there is to know about us, even the things that we may consider bad, but He still loves us.  His love for us is infinite.  He knows, even right now, the pains that you may be feeling in your body.  If someone has spoken unkind words to you, He knows about it.  

Yes, we have an Omniscient God!  We need not fear what lies ahead in the future for us.  Give all your fears and worries over to Him for He already knows....and understands!

A GOD WHO DESERVES OUR PRAISES

There's a worship song that I love called "Because Of Who You Are" that I often find myself singing.  The airways is filled with tunes that ushers in the praises due to our Lord and Savior.  The Book of Psalms is filled with praises to God.  

"I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live:  I will sing praise to my God while I have my being"

Psalm 104:33

When I look around and see the beauty of His workmanship I praise Him!  When I think of His goodness, I praise Him!  Even before I utter a word in prayer  I sing praises to Him.  I don't worry about the rocks crying out for me because I know how to praise my Jesus! I can hardly stand to see a dead church service who don't know how to give thanks and praise to the Lord.  Even the birds of the air have enough sense to praise God.  

Are you afraid to praise God?  What has He done for you?  Why don't you show forth your gratefulness by giving Him the praises due Him today!  He deserves it all!

ON WHAT FOUNDATION ARE YOU BUILDING?

“Therefore, whosoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not:  for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that hears these sayings of Mine, and does them not, shall be likened to a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell:  and great was the fall of it”

Matthew 7: 24-27

Laying the foundation of a new home is the most important element in building, and it should never be underestimated.  Considering that all houses, at some point, will undergo damage from storms, and the normal wear and tear, taking the extra measures to ensure a more solid foundation should never be neglected.

Jesus teaches us about the two foundations.  There is one that is built upon the rock, and the other upon the sand.  The storms will come to both.  The question is, what foundation are you building upon?  Sometimes in this life we feel all alone when we’re going through our storms.  Whether it be sickness, a marriage crisis, problems on the job, or financial worries, I’m sure that we’ve all faced our share of storms.  We must know what to what foundation we are building upon. 

“Whosoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings, and does them, I will show you to whom he is like:  He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock:  and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it:  for it was founded upon a rock.  But he that hears, and does not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great”

Luke 6:47-49

Jesus Christ is our foundation, the Rock to whom we should build upon.  He is the only Rock that will sustain us as we face the raging storms of life.  Do you ever wonder why some people handle their trials differently?  Because some trust in their own strength, and others trust in Jesus.  Some people will not only hear the word of God, but they will be obedient doers.  Others will hear the word of God, and then walk contrary.  When we are doers of the word, we are armed with God’s strength of endurance.    We get this strength by staying before the Lord and seeking His face.  It’s so easy to get carried away with the cares of this life and neglect prayer and bible study.  But, there’s no other way that our house will be able to endure the harsh storms that we will face. 

I know personally that I would never have been able to endure some rough storms in my life had it not been for Jesus Christ, my Rock.  Torrential rains I have encountered throughout my life.  It has taken much prayer, fasting, and staying in the word of God.  This is the concrete that seals us in the future storms.  If Satan can keep us distracted from this foundation, then he certainly will.  We must be sold out to follow Jesus at all cost.  Take the time to consider the foundation on which you are building.  Don’t neglect daily prayer and bible study.  Dig deep to be certain that you are doers of the word by obeying whatever it is the Lord commands of you.  

JUST ASK by Evangelist Dorothy Duhart

When someone makes a promise to you, do you believe that they'll keep that promise?  Do you plan on it?  

Some people aren't so good at keeping promises, but you can count on God keeping His.  There's a whole lot of stuff that people don't have, just because they don't ask for it.  God wants to give you so much because He loves you.  

Ask for God's guidance!  Ask for His help!  

"Ask, and it will be given to you.  Seek, and you will find.  Knock, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; He who seeks finds; And to him who knocks, the door will be opened"

Matthew 7: 7-8

REMEMBER YOUR FRIENDS IN PRAYER

“And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends:  also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before”

Job 42: 10

When I hear of the problems that my friends are going through I don’t cease to call their names out to God in prayer.  There was a time when it was easy for me to get down to pray and I would only concentrate on my own problems.  This was selfish praying.  The LORD wants soldiers who will cry out for the needs of those around them, and not think about only their loved ones, and worse yet, themselves. 

Reading the story of Job hit home for me.  Even after all the accusations that they railed at him, (from being self-righteous to a sinner), Job remembered his friends in prayer.  He didn’t let what they did, or said, stop him from doing what the Lord requires from all of His people.  When the love of God is shed abroad in our heart, then in spite of how we’re treated by people, we will pray for them.

“Brothers and sisters, pray for us”

I Thessalonians 5:35 (NIV)

Do you know of someone struggling through major problems right now?  Pray for them.  We were not made to only think about our own loved ones, but to reach out for others as well.  When I’m going through trials I know that there’s always someone else who are dealing with much worse.  I also know that I wouldn’t be the person that I am today had not someone else prayed for me.  Just as Job, the Lord will turn our problems around when we remember to pray for others.  Reach out and make a difference today by remembering your friends in prayer.  They may not be in the place that they need to be in God, but never cease praying for them.  You will be doubly blessed for doing so.