A historical church in Clarksboro, NJ that is passionate about Jesus Christ. Join us in treasuring Him together.
Pastor's Pen
Stay up to date on the life of our church with Pastor Gary Turk's blog, updated monthly. His blog features devotional reflections, reports, observations, and more!Fatherhood
A Tribute To My Dad
25 August 2010 / 11:25 AM
Little did I realize when my mother went home to be with the Lord in April that my father would follow her just three months later. But, then, that’s how they were. They al‐ ways did everything together. Through sixty‐five years of marriage their lives were lived for each other and for the Lord. Together, they were a team in life and in ministry.
When Dad answered the call to full‐time Christian ministry he gave himself whole‐heartedly to that. Throughout his active ministry of more that forty years, he served a number of churches and in each case he loved the people and gave himself to serve them. He worked tirelessly in serving the various churches to which he was appointed. His greatest joy was in leading people to Jesus Christ and nurturing them in the faith.
But Dad was also a family man. He would make time to kick the football around with us or play catch with the baseball. It was from my dad that I first learned the rudiments of carpentry and things mechanical and electrical. He was also available to help us with homework, especially with math, as he was good with numbers and figures.
In his third church appointment there were some people who camped and they talked Dad into taking the family on a camp‐ ing trip. That one time and he was hooked, and we would go camping every year after that, traveling all up and down the East coast and to the mid west. Those experiences created spe‐ cial memories that are priceless.
Bringing us up in the Christian faith was most important to Dad. Our lives revolved in large part around the life of the church; worship, Sunday School, youth group, etc. When he got involved in Delanco Camp that also became a part of our life and summer experience, as we would be part of the ten‐day camp meeting, with its multiple services.
Another lesson we were taught growing up that would shape my life and faith journey, is tithing. Whether it was an allowance we received as children, or money we earned mowing lawns or doing other things, we were taught to tithe, to give 10% of what we got to the Lord. And even when we didn’t have money of our own to give, Dad made sure that we each had something to put in the offering plate at church each week. Because of that teaching and example, tithing has become a lifelong practice, and one that has been very rewarding.
My dad was also a model of consistency in his Christian faith. He was not one person at church and another person at home. He lived the same Christian life of holiness wherever he was. His unwavering desire was to live for and serve Jesus Christ. He was my example in faith, my friend in life and my mentor in minis‐ try. For his faithfulness he has now been rewarded with the welcome of his Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
When Dad answered the call to full‐time Christian ministry he gave himself whole‐heartedly to that. Throughout his active ministry of more that forty years, he served a number of churches and in each case he loved the people and gave himself to serve them. He worked tirelessly in serving the various churches to which he was appointed. His greatest joy was in leading people to Jesus Christ and nurturing them in the faith.
But Dad was also a family man. He would make time to kick the football around with us or play catch with the baseball. It was from my dad that I first learned the rudiments of carpentry and things mechanical and electrical. He was also available to help us with homework, especially with math, as he was good with numbers and figures.
In his third church appointment there were some people who camped and they talked Dad into taking the family on a camp‐ ing trip. That one time and he was hooked, and we would go camping every year after that, traveling all up and down the East coast and to the mid west. Those experiences created spe‐ cial memories that are priceless.
Bringing us up in the Christian faith was most important to Dad. Our lives revolved in large part around the life of the church; worship, Sunday School, youth group, etc. When he got involved in Delanco Camp that also became a part of our life and summer experience, as we would be part of the ten‐day camp meeting, with its multiple services.
Another lesson we were taught growing up that would shape my life and faith journey, is tithing. Whether it was an allowance we received as children, or money we earned mowing lawns or doing other things, we were taught to tithe, to give 10% of what we got to the Lord. And even when we didn’t have money of our own to give, Dad made sure that we each had something to put in the offering plate at church each week. Because of that teaching and example, tithing has become a lifelong practice, and one that has been very rewarding.
My dad was also a model of consistency in his Christian faith. He was not one person at church and another person at home. He lived the same Christian life of holiness wherever he was. His unwavering desire was to live for and serve Jesus Christ. He was my example in faith, my friend in life and my mentor in minis‐ try. For his faithfulness he has now been rewarded with the welcome of his Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
Needed - Godly Fathers
26 May 2010 / 12:22 PM
The month of June brings with it the end of the school year, graduations, weddings, vacations, picnics and Father’s Day, among other things. Father’s Day sometimes takes a back seat to other days and activities, yet it is important in that it serves to remind us of a very significant element in our lives, fathers and fatherhood.
After charging children to obey and honor their parents, the Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians (6:4), “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” The NIV puts it this way, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” In Colossians 3:21 Paul sounds a similar note: “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” Eugene Peterson, in The Message, puts it this way, “Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits.”
Father’s play a very significant part in a child’s life and upbringing. Unfortunately, too many father’s either give too little attention to molding and shaping the lives of their children or they mold and shape them in ways that are not Godly or God centered, or they abandon them altogether. There are two very important thoughts that Paul stresses here for those who would be Godly fathers.
1. Don’t exasperate, or provoke, your children. It is certainly the duty of a father to guide and direct his children, and that sometimes means correction and discipline. That correction and discipline should always be done with tenderness and love, not with cruelty or severity, or with impatience or an attitude of revenge.
The Biblical commentator, Matthew Henry, says, regarding this, “Be not impatient with them, use no unreasonable severities and lay no rigid injunctions upon them. When you caution them, when you counsel them, when you reprove them, do it in such a manner as not to provoke them to wrath. In all such cases deal prudently and wisely with them, endeavouring to convince their judgments and to work upon their reason.”
Another commentator, Adam Clarke, says, “Parents are called to correct; not to punish, their children. Those who punish them do it from a principle of revenge; those who correct them do it from a principle of affectionate concern.”
Father’s should not treat their children in ways that will crush their spirits and cause them to become discouraged or beaten down or filled with anger.
2. Bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. It is a primary responsibility of fathers to instruct and nurture and guide their children to love and serve the Lord. At the heart of this is being an example. Paul wrote to Timothy saying, “set an example.” Father’s are to set an example in loving and serving God. A father should go to church and Sunday School with his children, not just drop them off. His speech and actions should always reflect Christ-likeness. What he values is seen in what he does and not in what he says. A father is always being an example whether he realizes it or not.
The bottom line is that all the efforts and instruction and example of a father should be to bring his children into an experiential knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. The task is large and the responsibility is great, but the rewards are eternal.
Happy Father’s Day!
After charging children to obey and honor their parents, the Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians (6:4), “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” The NIV puts it this way, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” In Colossians 3:21 Paul sounds a similar note: “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” Eugene Peterson, in The Message, puts it this way, “Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits.”
Father’s play a very significant part in a child’s life and upbringing. Unfortunately, too many father’s either give too little attention to molding and shaping the lives of their children or they mold and shape them in ways that are not Godly or God centered, or they abandon them altogether. There are two very important thoughts that Paul stresses here for those who would be Godly fathers.
1. Don’t exasperate, or provoke, your children. It is certainly the duty of a father to guide and direct his children, and that sometimes means correction and discipline. That correction and discipline should always be done with tenderness and love, not with cruelty or severity, or with impatience or an attitude of revenge.
The Biblical commentator, Matthew Henry, says, regarding this, “Be not impatient with them, use no unreasonable severities and lay no rigid injunctions upon them. When you caution them, when you counsel them, when you reprove them, do it in such a manner as not to provoke them to wrath. In all such cases deal prudently and wisely with them, endeavouring to convince their judgments and to work upon their reason.”
Another commentator, Adam Clarke, says, “Parents are called to correct; not to punish, their children. Those who punish them do it from a principle of revenge; those who correct them do it from a principle of affectionate concern.”
Father’s should not treat their children in ways that will crush their spirits and cause them to become discouraged or beaten down or filled with anger.
2. Bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. It is a primary responsibility of fathers to instruct and nurture and guide their children to love and serve the Lord. At the heart of this is being an example. Paul wrote to Timothy saying, “set an example.” Father’s are to set an example in loving and serving God. A father should go to church and Sunday School with his children, not just drop them off. His speech and actions should always reflect Christ-likeness. What he values is seen in what he does and not in what he says. A father is always being an example whether he realizes it or not.
The bottom line is that all the efforts and instruction and example of a father should be to bring his children into an experiential knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. The task is large and the responsibility is great, but the rewards are eternal.
Happy Father’s Day!