What a great Fathers’ Day! It had all the best features: family, friends, food, celebration, a powerful morning at church, serendipity all over the place. Far too much to cover in one post, but I’ll offer some highlights.

First, Andrew and Alicia flew in to RDU Saturday evening. This was their terminal move from Italy,and the beginning point for new adventures. But how cool for us that the next chapter starts here, celebrating Dads’ Day and what it means to be a family.

Our daughter, Naomi, drove down from Richmond with the grandkids. So, although we really missed her husband, Craig, it was probably the first time in ten years I’ve had both the children home for Fathers’ Day. What a blessing.

The crowd of visitors just kept expanding! By the time I got to the sanctuary for 11:15 worship the list of lunch guests had expanded to 15! We enjoyed an epic celebration of love, faith, family, and friendship. Yes I have a few photographs to go with today’s post, but I was so busy I failed to capture the most important image of all. However, as Rebekah pointed out, “you’re a writer! You can do this without a photograph!”

Our “guests of honor” were Frank and Sylvia Beall, of Pensacola. And the picture I wish I had is of Frank with Rebekah at our current church home, Wake Forest Presbyterian.

REV. FRANK BEALL: Frank served as the senior pastor at Trinity in Pensacola, Rebekah’s first call out of Seminary in 1982. Frank was mentor, colleague, boss, inspiration, friend, and – along with Sylvia – family. He helped to facilitate the kind of environment where Rebekah could follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and thrive. They worked together 14 years, and the ministry they built is not only legendary in Trinity Presbyterian history, but remains foundational to everything that has happened since.

It was a good Sunday to visit (well, every Sunday is a good day to visit WFPC!), because Rebekah was at her preaching best, dealing with difficult social issues head on, challenging our church to respond in love and humility, preaching with enough passion, intensity, insight, and love that there were a lot of tears in the sanctuary at both services.

“I wanted to stand up and applaud!” one of the men said to me afterwards. To which I thought, “then why not?” If God is reaching in and grabbing our souls, making some noise about it seems to make good sense!

Other guests included Naomi’s childhood friend, Laura, who is now a Navy chaplain currently attached to a group of Marines; our great friend, Sandee; and – surprise “walk-on’s” from Plant City, the Carters, a huge part of First Presbyterian in Brandon.

My point, the “so what” of today’s post, is how rich and full life is in the Kingdom of God. Everything, from worship, to lunch, to work, to getting together with friends, is loaded with meaning, and love, and the potential to change the world.

It’s the beginning of another week (see, “TGIM – thank goodness it’s Monday!“); So hold on, who knows what God has in store! – DEREK