Category: stories

I think God enjoys revealing His presence in our daily lives. A timely song on the radio, an unexpected encounter, a phone call at just the right moment, a Scripture that speaks to an exact situation… I probably miss more of God’s activity than I recognize.

In the home of our new friends in Nazareth, Susan volunteered me to speak in chapel where our host served as school chaplain. “What do I say, Lord?” I silently prayed as Mrs. Haddad agreed to Susan’s offering.

It looked like the opportunity would pass me by as our friend Hunter picked us up a little late the next morning and we got stuck in the busy traffic of Jesus’ hometown. As we entered the auditorium and sat on the back row, Mrs. Haddad was speaking to a couple of hundred middle school students. I had no idea what she was saying as Arabic was the language spoken, but at the conclusion of the talk she led a familiar song in English.

Good Good Father was written by Pat Barrett, who grew up and attended a high school not far from our house. Chris Tomlin recorded the song and many listeners have taken comfort in the important message we all need to hear: And I’m loved by You…

I’ve heard a thousand stories of what they think You’re like
But I’ve heard the tender whispers of love in the dead of night
And You tell me that You’re pleased
And that I’m never alone

You’re a good good Father
It’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You are
And I’m loved by You
It’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am

I’ve seen many searching for answers far and wide
But I know we’re all searching
For answers only You provide
‘Cause You know just what we need
Before we say a word

You’re a good good Father
It’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You are
And I’m loved by You
It’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am

Because You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways to us

Hunter leaned toward me and whispered, “I taught them this song last school year.” I really thought chapel was over, but Mrs. Haddad announced she wanted their friend Hunter to introduce someone from America who wanted to share a brief message. As we walked down the aisle, I couldn’t help but smile… realizing the two stories I planned to tell reflected the song we had just sung.

“We have a good, good Father! The first time we visited your country, my son was your age. We went to the Sea of Galilee (they call it Lake Tiberius) and he saw a boy fishing from the shore with his father. ‘Dad, I want to catch a fish,’ Taylor said as he pointed. ‘Go ask the father,’ I replied. My son, who is twenty years older now and still loves to fish, would have never caught a fish in your country had he not asked a kind father… who extended his pole and watched a young foreigner pull in a catch. Our good Father wants us to ask.”

Mrs. Haddad translated and the students smiled – kids everywhere love stories. I’ve written about the second fish story I told… which contains a message of faith. Our good Father desires young and old to truly believe in His Son. He is perfect in all of His ways…

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened… If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:7-11

“Then they asked Him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.’” John 6:28-29

Good, Good Father ©2014 worshiptogether.com songs

Our friends started calling me Clark Griswold during this past summer’s trip to Israel. Chevy Chase played the character in the old Vacation movies, but surely I’m not in his category…

It is true though: if you make one or two mistakes along the way, you gain a reputation. Directions are not my strength and quick decisions sometimes get me in trouble. On our second day in Israel, searching for a lunch spot during a drive from Tel Aviv to Caesarea, I made an improper turn that resulted in us going the wrong direction on a one-way curve. Four ladies in the first car we met pointed and yelled unintelligible words as I tried to pull the car as far to the right of the road as possible.

Unable to retreat, I continued slowly around the curve and met a Barbara Streisand look-alike driving an expensive car. As she braked and started to shout, I lowered my window and mouthed: “I’m sorry…” The kind lady smiled, put her hands together in a prayer-like gesture, bowed her head slightly, and blessed me.

Thankfully, I found a way off the road… but the damage to my image as a good driver was done. The Wilsons laughed uncontrollably in the back seat, but Susan was not amused. We quickly found a place to eat and I tried to change the subject.

Why did Jesus teach us to bless rather than curse (even the ones who deserved cursing)? He wants us all to reflect our Father… who constantly blesses. On the road, I was in the wrong and deserved to be reprimanded (or even arrested), but the kind blessing of a stranger administered forgiveness. “I did not come to condemn the world, but to save it,” our humble Savior said.

In a world full of lawsuits, retaliation, cursing, and violence, Jesus says: “Show the Father. He is patient and kind and full of mercy. Bless those who don’t deserve it; smile at those who scowl; love those who hate; be like the One who can set the prisoners free.”

“Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you… Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:27-36

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another before yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Romans 12:9-15

It is funny – we go all around the world and some of the best and lasting memories are meals. The menu is not necessarily the highlight (though good food is always a part), but rather the fellowship and relationships strengthened by sharing life together.

I wrote recently of our walking tour through a small town with our Jewish friend Steve… but we were in the town to have a meal together. Steve went to great lengths to choose a wonderful restaurant with the perfect Mediterranean atmosphere to enjoy fellowship and delicious food with his family and American friends.

My friend Hunter lived in Nazareth with his family for five years before moving back to Atlanta a year ago. He is a leader in Young Life, an organization who faithfully shares Jesus all over the world. My daughter Karlyn, Nate Cost, and I had the privilege of working with a Young Life Camp in Jericho during the summer of 2012. Hunter has established wonderful relationships with followers of Jesus in Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish communities.

Hunter happened to be in Nazareth when we visited this past summer and arranged for us to be invited to the home of his good friends the Haddads. Riyadh is a successful architect and his wife Manal is the chaplain of the long-established Nazareth Baptist School. With a large percentage of Muslim students, the school is a shining light for Christ as He is proclaimed while providing excellent education in a highly competitive society.

We were welcomed to the Haddad home as Jesus would have been welcomed. We learned the challenges of being an Arab Christian in Israel and we developed a quick admiration of our brothers and sisters in a lesser known section of the Body of Christ. Sitting around the family table after an incredible meal, we marveled at the extravagant hospitality of these beautiful children of God.

“What do you have planned for tomorrow’s chapel?” one of the children asked their mom. “I don’t have a plan yet,” she replied. “Dana can lead!” Susan volunteered. Sure enough, I was invited to share a bit about our Father in heaven with middle school students the next day. But that’s a story for another time…

One of Jesus’s last invitations recorded in Scripture was given through the apostle John in his Revelation. Jesus announces the type of intimacy He plans for us to have with the King who humbled Himself and died on the cross. Jesus calls us to be honest and to turn from any sin in our lives so we can have fellowship. The Savior of the world is knocking on our hearts with the intent of enjoying a meal. May we daily open the door.

“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with Me.” Revelation 3:19-20

“We’ve got to go to Israel,” my friend Robbie kept saying. Susan and I had tried to go during the winter, but things did not work out. I replied, “It is great to see the Holy Land, but Susan and I mainly go to see our friends. Let me get in touch with them and we’ll see. Meanwhile, pray.”

Before I knew it, Robbie, his wife Kristen, Susan, and I were on our way to Israel via Toronto on Canada Air. Harry and Dagmar Tees have lived in the Old City of Jerusalem thirty years as ambassadors for Jesus. Harry is originally from Holland and Dagmar is from Germany. Susan and I met them during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and we regularly stay in touch. Dagmar welcomed us in the Tel Aviv airport, gave us a cell phone, and wished us safe journeys. We then walked to rent a car, planning to stay with the Tees our last three nights of the trip.

After spending the first night at Masada by the Dead Sea, we drove up the coast of the Mediterranean to visit the Tals, our Jewish friends. I met Steve in 2004 as a result of sitting next to his seven-year-old son, Roy, on a flight from Paris to Atlanta. In 2010, Steve invited us to Roy’s Bar Mitzvah and we were able to attend. Roy is now in graduate school at a prestigious university in London. Steve and his wife Anat live in the town of Binyamina with their three younger children.

After visiting a while in their home, we took two cars to a charming nearby town where we had a wonderful meal. Before it was time for dinner, Steve, our proud host, took us on a walking tour of the area. We would stroll a while, sit and visit, then hop up when our leader said: “Come… we walk.” “Come… we walk!” became the mantra of our trip.

Walking was the primary mode of transportation in Jesus’ day and there is something refreshing about it. Shortly after His baptism and return from being tempted in the wilderness, two disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus where He was staying. “Come and see,” Jesus replied. They walked with the Messiah and were never again the same.

“Come to Me if you’re weary.” “Come, I’ll make you a fisher of men.” “Come, I am the Bread of Life.” “Come, I’ll give you Living Water.” “Come… walk with Me and you will know My Father in Heaven.” These are the invitations of the Son of God who came to seek and save the lost. He Is our Savior and Lord and Teacher and Friend. I just want to walk with Him forever.

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me: that I shall lose none of all those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.’” John 6:35-40

I went to Emory one day last month to get platelets, and instead they put me in the hospital. I argued with Celia, the nurse practitioner, and convinced her I didn’t need to be in the hospital… but she said she needed to talk to Dr. Lonial. He overruled us. “Go talk to Charise,” I pleaded, “Charise always sides with me.” Charise is Dr. Lonial’s assistant and a great friend.

Since December 18, I’ve had several occasions of chills and fevers. They always last five or six hours, then my blood counts crash, then I’ll get platelets and/or blood at the clinic, then I’ll be fine for a few days. Celia appealed to Charise, but she agreed with Dr. Lonial. I was not happy. Daniel, one of my favorite nurses, called the Tower and confirmed I would be in room 903 with a spectacular view of the Atlanta skyline. No view would change my attitude.

Daniel arranged for two young nurses to escort Susan and me from the clinic to the hospital. “Mr. Davis!” one of the young ladies exclaimed, “The last time we met was another time you had to go to the hospital!” Both nurses were kind and cheerful… but I was not.

A nurse and a Physician’s Assistant welcomed us to my room with genuine care and professional courtesy. “I don’t need to be here,” I told them. “When I have the chills and fevers like I did last night, they always go away for several days… I’m fine.” “Well Mr. Davis, we understand how you feel, but we must all follow your doctor’s orders. In a little while, someone will take you downstairs to get a CT Scan then we need to run several blood tests. Your doctors want to find the root cause of these persistent flare-ups.”

Shortly after admission, a woman about my age named Beverly, a native of Jamaica, introduced herself and started giving orders. When I told her I didn’t want to wear her standard hospital socks and I didn’t want to clean my arms, legs, and torso with antiseptic wipes that make you sticky, Beverly responded forcefully with her Jamaican accent: “What do you do?” “I’m a dean of students in a middle school,” I answered. “What? I’m going to tell your students that their dean is uncooperative and disobedient!” I smiled, cracked a joke, and started obeying the lady.

I was stuck. Susan drove home to retrieve some bed clothes and my toothbrush while I submitted to the tests and scans and Beverly’s orders. Susan returned with the stuff; I told her I was fine and that she needed to go home and get some rest. The night nurse was named Stephanie. She was young, full of energy, always smiling, and difficult to give a hard time. “Is that Jesus?” she asked, pointing to a picture on my table. “Yes,” I answered. “I love it! I mean… I love Him!” She made sure I was comfortable and told me “Good night.”

God always talks to me in the hospital, but this night I simply fell asleep with dreams of returning home the next morning. At 11:30, the chills began and I called Stephanie for a warm blanket. Four or five blankets later, the chills ceased and the fevers began. I called Stephanie and she brought some meds. In the wee hours of the morning, I heard God’s comforting voice… only one sentence: “I have you here.”

The next morning, I felt like I had been run over by a truck. The day nurse was named Celeste and she reminded me of our daughter Kinsey. She took care of every need with gentleness and compassion. Dr. Kauffman visited late in the morning and shared that I needed to stay at least another night. The CT Scan revealed I had pneumonia and they wanted to determine the proper antibiotic to combat it. I did not argue. Jewel and Stacey and Maria and the wonderful meal lady and many others made my unplanned hospitalization as pleasant as it could be. Susan of course loves me most and constantly reminded me of God’s providence.

I am re-learning an important truth regarding the One who ‘holds all things together.’ Jesus could have healed me December 18 or before. But Jesus likes to invite others whom He loves to participate in His activity. Just like He allows farmers to grow the food that we thank Him for and parents to raise the future citizens of nations, He permitted all of the people at Emory that I mentioned (and scores more that I did not) to take care of one of His children who argues too much and thinks he has a clue when he really has none. Instead of giving me my way, He surrounded me with the best of helpers to make things better. “Thank you, Lord.”

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?’ ‘Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?’ For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!” Romans 11:33-36