A strange thing happened at last week's services...

The announcer, Robert, presided over the Lord's Supper. Now that in an of itself is not so strange, when you realize that often men who are to serve are missing due to illness or travel and, as Eric says, the easiest volunteer to find to fill such spots is the guy who's making sure everyone is here (the announcer.) However if you looked at your duty list that day you would have noted that it was by design - Robert was assigned the spot!

Now, the elders have asked me once upon a time to NOT include the announcer in the monthly duties. That is why sometimes, but not always, the following month it seems like last months announcer is serving every service. That actually isn't true - the program that generates the lists for service simply knows when you are on top of the list and keeps you there until you get a chance to serve - so you don't get skipped. Anyone who serves in so many different ways - like Robert - is in a lot of the lists and may end up on top of many of them because he is constantly serving. Unlike someone who only does, say, scripture reading. That list is short and men come back up on the list quickly if it is all they do. But back to the point...

How did Robert end up doing the bread last week, on purpose? Well.... I put him there. Yes, I broke the rule but I think the elders are OK with that just this once. Some of you noticed and told me, some I reckon noticed but just didn't mention it to me. The table four ended up being Robert, Matt (his oldest), Ben (his middle), and Jeremy (his adopted <smile!>). This harkens back to when Mr Ed was here and completely by chance he, Skip, Kurt, and Phil ended up together from my scheduling tool. I noticed that and promptly moved things around when I made the schedule so they would end up serving on Father's Day together. Then of course it became a tradition for years, changing only slightly when Mr Ed and Phil left us but that Eric showed up.

Skip, the usually stoic fellow that he is, told me every year with a big smile on his face how much he appreciated seeing his children faithful and serving the Lord, and us, side by side with him. I would think there would be few joys greater than having your dearest children walking firmly in the light, and I wanted to underscore that last week. I wanted to put a faithful father with his faithful sons on display, into service as a unit, to remind us how it should be when a man, while imperfect, strives to do his best and with God's help is successful in bringing his children into the fold. It isn't a slap on us who have not, I meant it as encouragement that it can be done with patience, steadfastness, and likely some tears.

Fathers are wonderful things, they anchor a family in many ways. I recall a rather modem lady in Colorado, with quite the bullying, forceful, bossy personality, who complained to the church that her man wasn't "manly" and let her walk all over him! One day, after a lot of studying, she agreed to allow him to be the man of the house, father of the children, and leader of the family. He also determined to step up and own the job. Last I saw them, they had spent many years together happy at last, after straightening it all out according to Gods will and not their own. They had happy children, too.

I will leave you today with this, a quote I often heard from my own dad, many times in many different ways (and he lived it, too):

Son, when you have children be a father over all else. That is how you truly measure success. A man who is a failure as a father, even if he brings home a million dollars a year, is still a failure.

Randy