Get Together- What A Wonderful Month
Eph 6:2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: Mt 19:5 “and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? (NKJV)
Either last week, or another week me and my good friend Richard Wilson were talking about how in both of our lives June had been such a prophetic month. I would just like to share a few ways that June is such a special month to me.
First of all, J.J. and I will be celebrating 41 years of marriage this coming Monday June the 20th. That day over 41 years ago brother Mahlon Felkins married us at the Childersburg United Methodist Church in Childersburg, Alabama. He also gave us wonderful counsel in what Holy Matrimony is between a man and a woman.
Another great joy is seeing some of the couples that the Lord has allowed me to perform their ceremony having good solid marriages between the husband and the wife. Not all were married in the month of June. But none the less during the month of June I do think about and praise God for them being united in Holy Matrimony no matter what month it may have been in.
Last Sunday marked 26 years since we began serving our first church as a pastoral family at Bethlehem Church. We moved to Hamilton on a Wednesday 26 years ago last week. Next week will mark 17 years ago when we began the ministry that God called us to at Christ Community Fellowship.
This Saturday will be my daddy’s birthday. I have been thinking a lot about him this week. It is Father’s Day as well so that gives me a double reason to think about him this week.
I am so thankful that he was my father. He always stood behind me when I needed him to stand behind me. Fatherhood is a big deal. Just as marriage between a man and a woman was ordained by God as His plan for the family. So was fatherhood ordained by God to lead the family. Sadly, many fathers have abandoned their role as fathers and have left some heavy loads on some very faithful women.
One of my favorite memories of my daddy’s happened when I was working for him. At that time, I was a drug user. I had been up most of the night from using drugs. When I went to work, I was hung over and messed up from the night before. I got mad at him. I threw my keys to a car that he had given me and my keys to the business away and started walking up the big hill where our business sat. It was snowing that morning. That was another reason I was mad I thought that we would close because of the weather, and we didn’t so I threw a tantrum and walked up the hill. Guess what? He came driving up the hill and picked me up. He forgave me for my childish rebellious actions and brought me back to work.
That is a lot like our Heavenly Father has done for us. When we were living in a rebellious state, He came looking for us and offered us the opportunity to be a part of the family of God.
I realize as I said earlier that there are people who may be
reading this that have experienced a lot of hurt from their fathers. I know that it is painful, but I encourage you to forgive them as you have asked God to forgive you. It doesn’t mean that the hurt was ok. But it will bring freedom to you.
I also encourage you to pray for people to regain an understanding of Holy Matrimony again in our nation. God loves all people. But His desire for marriage is for one man and one woman in Holy Matrimony. I love people. As a matter of fact, from being in the restaurant business for 22 years prior to entering the pastorate I have to on a regular basis pray for the Lord to help me not to be a people pleaser. If I didn’t love people, I wouldn’t share what God has put on my heart. I Pray for you that not only the month of June, but every month is a special month for you in which you experience the goodness of God living in His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Let Us Pray
Lord Jesus, we thank you for good memories. We thank You that You are a God that desires to bless His people not just in June, but in season and out of season. We thank you for the gift of Fatherhood. We pray for all fathers to live out our roles as fathers as You have intended us to do. Forgive us for when we have shirked that role and our responsibility. We thank you for Holy Matrimony. May You bless the men that you have joined together as husbands with the women that You have joined together with them as their wife in a very special way. And for those that you have chosen to remain in singleness bless them in a way that we cannot ask, or imagine. And yes be with those single Mothers who have such a heavy load.
In Jesus Name
Amen
Love you all
Your Friend/Kinfolk
Preston
PS For those in Northwest Alabama our Broadcast Redeeming the Time comes on at 9:30 A.M. AND 9:30 P.M. on Sunday morning and Sunday night. It is on Spectrum Channel 10. In Jasper, I believe it is on TV 16.
Please pray for our broadcast that the Lord will use it to bring sinners into the Kingdom and to edify His people.
Real Party Ministry 