THE MERCY OF A HOLY GOD

Now contemplate the blistering holiness of our God, the Holy One of Israel, the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity. His eyes are too pure to look on evil; his voice shakes the heavens; at his sight the angels in glory hide their faces. Who can dwell with this consuming fire, with this everlasting burning? Who can ascend the hill of the Lord? Who can stand in his holy place? Yet this God took pity on us, this God stooped down to us and lifted us up to enjoy the blessing of restored relationship with him, that we may gaze upon his face for all eternity.

Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, Andrew Sach, PIERCED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, page 152

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Kathy,

Happy Anniversary. Thirty years! Is it really possible? I still remember well that summer afternoon when we each said, "I do!" At that time we could hardly imagine thirty years together. We weren't even thirty years old.

You are a gift from God. I treasure the fact that you are my wife and feel completely unworthy to be called your husband. I can only wonder why I have been so blessed. Words fail me as I try to express my gratitude to God and my love for you.

Reflecting back over thirty years reminds me of so many experiences we have shared. From the human perspective there are so many things I would change. Then I am reminded of the sovereignty of God in our lives. Our journey has been one of his choices for us together. We have experienced the mountain tops and the valleys, incredible joys and deep sorrows. I am thankful that we have been at each other's sides for each of these experiences.

My prayer is that my love for you will continue to grow and become more and more like Christ's love for his church. I love you and cherish our time together. And as strange as these words may seem, I look forward to growing old together with you.

All my love,

Joe

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

The most influential person in my life is my father, Joseph Godwin, Sr. I have the honor of sharing his name and passed that honor to my oldest son as well. I was very pleased recently when my son indicated that, should God give him a son, he would give serious consideration to passing the name on as well. Naming my son was more about honoring my father than naming him after myself.

My father served as a pastor for over forty years. His life and ministry have been a great example to me. My first pastorate was twelve miles away from the church he pastored so he was my constant mentor and counselor during those formative years of ministry. Later, I was called to pastor a church that he had once pastored, a tribute to his leadership. That stands out as one of the great honors of my life.

My father was not an absentee dad, as is the case with many pastors. He clearly understood his first responsibility as a father (if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?). I recall fondly the ice skating rink he put in our back yard in Michigan, the fishing trips before us boys even knew how to hook our worms, the family outings to Findley State Park, vacations at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. He provided us memorable experiences for which I am grateful. My father’s greatest pleasure today is still time with his children, their spouses and his grandchildren.

On Mother’s Day I wrote of my parent’s deep commitment to each other. I will repeat that their commitment to each other has been a great example to us children. My father is a husband who loves his wife as Christ loves his church. This has been a lasting legacy for me personally.

Thank you Dad, for the example you have been to us children and our families. Happy Father’s Day!

GRADUATION

Joseph,

On this occasion of your high school graduation, we want you to know how grateful we are to God that he shared your life with us. We are humbled that God has entrusted to us the privilege of being your parents.

You came into our lives after we had been married for eleven years. As you know, God took two previous unborn babies and the problems associated with pregnancy caused us to wonder if we would ever have children. Your arrival was amazing. We were overwhelmed at God’s grace in bringing you into our lives.

As we look back over these nineteen years, we have shared together so many experiences that we will always treasure: vacations with our extended family, traveling to Italy, hiking to the top of Yosemite Falls, biking across the Golden Gate Bridge. More meaningful than those extraordinary experiences is the fact that we are a family and we have shared life. You have shared in our mountain top experiences as well as in some deep valleys through which we have walked. We trust that God has and is using those experiences to prepare you for life.

In light of this milestone in your life, we want to share with you the advice that Paul gave Timothy, his son in the faith: Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen (I Timothy 6:11-16).

We have prayed that God would accomplish his purposes and plan in your life, that you would treasure him above all things. Our desire is that you would clearly discern the eternal from the temporary and embrace the eternal. Treasure what God treasures. Pursue him with all your heart. We hope great things for you – good health, a fulfilling career, a godly wife, and children that will bring you the same incredible joy you have given us. But our greatest desire for you is that you will have a deep and abiding passion for Christ and his word, that you will live a life of intimacy with him.

God will be most glorified in your life if you live out this statement: Above all, Christ.

All our love,

Dad and Mom

CHRIST DIED FOR US

There is a captivating beauty in the sacrificial love of a God who gave himself for his people. It is this that first draws many believers to the Lord Jesus Christ, and this that will draw us to him when he returns on the last day to vindicate his name and welcome his people into his eternal kingdom. That the Lord Jesus Christ died for us - a shameful death, bearing our curse, enduring our pain, suffering the wrath of his own Father in our place – has been the wellspring of the hope of countless Christians throughout the ages.

Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey. Andrew Sach, Pierced for our Transgressions, page 21