My Dad Was Radical

"The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all the he has and buys that field." ~Matthew 13:41

In the month of February I started reading Radical by David Platte...what an incredible book! I'm so excited that our church has started reading the book as a congregation and I can't wait to see how God uses Platte's powerful words to encourage & motivate us as a church body. For those who haven't read, Platte challenges the American church to live out our faith in a way that seems new and radical, but is actually just being obedient to the old ways that Jesus called us to. We've taken Jesus' commands and watered them down to a lifestyle we feel comfortable with and that quite frankly doesn't require a lot of effort on our part or faith in God. The book is filled with stories of Christians who radically followed the call of Christ to sell everything and either give to the poor or travel to another country so that they could share the gospel...which brings me to the point of this post.

A few weeks ago I traveled to Gainesville to visit my grandma and spent a wonderful weekend chatting, shopping, eating and just enjoying each other. Friday night we curled up in our pajamas and talked for hours about life, past, present and future. As we talked, my grandma began sharing stories of my dad.

Side note: One of the most challenging things about losing my dad at such a young age is missing out on ever being able to have an adult conversation with him. I have missed my dad terribly lately and have deeply longed to be able to talk to him about God's call to missions on my life. My dad was a missionary to the Philippines for 2 years before he met and married my mom. I have so many questions that I know my dad would be able to answer about the mission field, about my calling and about leaving everything behind to follow God halfway around the world, but sadly I won't be able to have this conversation with my dad until I join him in God's eternal Kingdom. However, nothing is impossible for God and He was about to prove that to me as He provided answers to my questions in a way I never imagined.

My grandma began telling me stories of when my dad went to the Philippines. I knew that he had gone and that he had planted churches that to our knowledge are still meeting 30 years later, but I did NOT know the details she would unveil that night. I began asking her questions about how my dad prepared to go overseas and if it was a difficult decision. My grandma told me that when my dad decided to go to the Philippines, get this - he sold everything. She went on to say that he sold every earthly possession he owned from his bed, the trombone he played in high school and even his truck. He abandoned everything, all his things and his family to pursue a calling to missions in the Philippines for 2 years. I asked my grandma if he said why he needed to sell everything. His reply when she asked him this same question was, "Because this is what God has called me to do. I need to make sure that my heart is right and that I've put nothing before God." I get chills and tear up thinking about what similar paths God had planned for me and my dad. My daddy always felt a call to go back overseas and continue mission work, but he never got the chance. I wonder sometimes if God created me with the same passion so that I can continue where he left off. I still ache to talk to him in person and to have him be my rock as I seek God's will for my own abandonment of everything in pursuit of His higher calling on my life, but oh how I've been encouraged to know on a deeper level the man of God that my daddy was. I'm so proud of him and I haven't felt this connected to him in 9 years.

My sweet grandma told me that she thought my dad was out of his mind for selling everything he owned, leaving everything behind and moving halfway around the world for 2 years to do missions. She said she just didn't get it. I get it. My daddy was radical for Christ - before there was ever a book or a movement. Thank you God for answering my prayer to hear daddy's story and for the life he lived to further Your Kingdom and bring You glory! May I be just as sold out for Christ.