Thank You God for my Dad (a post by Leah)

As many of you know, my (Leah's) Dad died a few weeks ago, rather suddenly.  He was a father and friend to us both.  He was a very special man and will be deeply missed.  I read somewhere recently that Heaven is the reward.  And it is—for Dad now, and us later.  It hurts to miss someone you love, but that is our pain, not Dad’s.  He is in Heaven with his Savior.

Many people have asked us how we are doing.  We are “OK”.  We’re not great—and it would be a lie to say that we are.  But, we aren’t falling apart at the seams.  The Lord has already fulfilled His promises to bring us comfort and peace.  And, through the pain, His peace and comfort is there.

Below is our part of the kid’s eulogy at Dad’s funeral.  We wanted to say how Dad taught us about the Lord. 

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Deuteronomy 6:4-9:  “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

When I think about Don, this is one passage that comes to mind. I don’t know if Don ever sat down and “preached” to his children about his God and his savior, but I know that Don lived for his children an example of what it means to be Christ like in family, in business and to the world. He demonstrated Christ’s love to his children and even his children-in-law. He lived that out not only when people were watching, but behind the scenes as well. He was and is a model to us all.

I am privileged to be able to call him “Dad” if only by marriage. I could not have asked for a more kind, caring and compassion individual to have as a father-in-law. I will miss him terribly, but I look forward to the day when I get to see him again; to see his smile and share in his joy of being with Christ.

Love, Rob Bley

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I could fill many books with the wisdom that my Dad taught me.  But the most important thing that he taught me was love.  He demonstrated unconditional love, fatherly love and sacrificial love.  I will never forget the way that he would help anyone he met, whether it was a little girl at Kmart, a stranger with a flat tire on the side of the road, an employee who needed something repaired on their car or his own family.  What struck me most about his love is how he gave it: freely.  He never expected anything in return.  And, if you asked him why, he’d say, “It’s not a problem, kiddo.”  His love for me, I always knew was unconditional.   As a child, I learned about God’s love for me.  That He sent His only Son to die for my sins.  Not because I deserved it, but simply because He loved me.  And I always saw Dad’s love for me as a picture of Christ’s love on the Cross.  Thank you, Daddy, for being such a beautiful example of such a wonderful gift.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever…Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
1 Chron. 16:34-36

Love, Leah