Being July 4th, Independence Day, we all have something to celebrate. For me, my family background (parents, maternal grandfather) provided love, acceptance, appreciation, encouragement, and guidance. More importantly, they provided an example of how I prioritize life even today.
I remember every summer spending two weeks with my grandfather, a church planter and pastor in Illinois. I saw him every summer, no matter the setting, seek to share his faith, whether that be on the golf course or as we met other people fishing. I learned from my grandfather that people are the most important value in life. Even more, I learned that sharing the gospel with others is of high importance and can be done in a natural non-intrusive manner.
My father grew up in the swamplands of Louisiana and served as a Marine in the North Korean war at the Chosun Reservoir. A war in which the USA suffered its greatest defeat as thousands of Marines lost their life. If they did not die in battle, they often died or suffered from the treacherous harsh winter. Growing up, my father never told me about that war, as he sought to put it out of his memory. Nevertheless, I did learn that his salvation experience occurred while he was in North Korea.
At the age of 88, he told me that he and several other soldiers were on top of a mountain and began praying to the Lord Jesus Christ that God would guide them in the darkness of night southward toward South Korea. As they began to cross the next mountain, they saw a cross on another distant mountain glowing in the dark. At that moment, he said to me, “we all bowed down and gave our hearts and life to the Lord Jesus Christ.”
My grandfather and father both taught me that we should above anything else in life treasure relationships with others, both with our family but also with non-Christians and ministry colleagues. Even more, they taught me to value our day to day walk with Christ.
So on this July 4th, I give tribute to my grandfather and father.
Journeys in Culture 