Life as a Dad can sure be challenging at times, hilarious at times, and sometimes a mix of both. I experience this all the time, and recently was no exception. For those of you who don’t know, I’m getting ready to raise chickens. I’ve been trying to put the finishing touches on a cool chicken coop. And the family is starting to get ready to receive the baby chicks next week.

Okay, maybe this idea is a little crazy, but don’t try to change my mind now.

At any rate, I few months ago when we were first talking this over as a family, I had a couple of hilarious/challenging conversations with my son, Isaac. Here’s how it went:

A few weeks later, Isaac and I were alone in the car on the way to the mall, and we had a chance to discuss the 30,000 foot view of the fact that roosters and chickens were needed to have baby chickens just like dads and moms were necessary to have babies. We didn’t get into all the details, but I’m hoping this laid the foundation for more conversations.

As I think about this topic, I’m extremely grateful for the model my own dad gave me for talking openly and frankly about an “Uncomfortable” topic.

Recently, I shared with some friends that I think heaven is going to be way, way, way more than we can ever imagine – and that our natural response when we get there will be worship.  Revelation 4-5 vaguelly describes this scene.

 

At any rate, as I've been processing some of these thoughts, I realized that our understanding of God is limited as well.  To help me in this processing, I have been reading the Psalms over the past few days and jotting down a list of words that describe God.  I'm looking forward to continuing this exercise in the days to come, but I thought I'd share what I've got so far:

 

Deliverer

Protector

Savior

Satisfier

Ever Present

The Answer

Rescuer

Refuge

Commander of angels

Most High

Faithful

Shield

Rampart

Almighty

Fortress

Lord

Love

Great

Profound

Exalted

Forever

Upright

Rock

King

Majestic

Strong

Mighty

Holy

Eternal

Avenger

Judge

Teacher

Discipliner

Creator

All Knowing

Destoyer

 

Feel free to comment or add to the list.

Some recent events and conversations in my own life pointed me to this simple fact yesterday:

 

 

So how do I live my life knowing this?  Great question. 

 

I think that I often underestimate God's power:

 

 

Just something I'm thinkin' about…

Today, the world lost a servant.  I was saddened today to learn that Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity, had passed away after a brief illness.  I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Fuller when he came and spoke at one the the Men's Lenten Breakfasts many years ago at First Presbyterian Church in Mt. Holly, NJ.  He left a big impression on me and an even bigger impression and lasting impact on the world.

 

Here's what CNN had to say about this amazing person:

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Millard Fuller, who founded Habitat for Humanity International along with his wife, has died, officials said Tuesday. He was 74.

Fuller died early Tuesday "after a brief illness," said a statement on the Web site of the organization he currently headed, Fuller Center for Housing, in Americus, Georgia.

"Family and friends are mourning the tragic loss of a great servant leader and a genuine heart," the statement said.

Fuller had suffered from chest congestion for three to four weeks, said Holly Chapman, spokeswoman for the Fuller Center. He died about 3 a.m. en route to a hospital, she said.

With his wife, Linda, Fuller founded Habitat for Humanity International in 1976.

The Alabama native rose "from humble beginnings" to become a "young, self-made millionaire," according to his biography on Habitat for Humanity's Web site. He and a college friend began a marketing firm while still in school, "but as his business prospered, his health, integrity and marriage suffered," the biography said.

"These crises prompted Fuller to re-evaluate his values and direction. His soul-searching led to reconciliation with his wife and to a renewal of his Christian commitment," it said.

The Fullers sold all their possessions, gave money to the poor and began searching for a new direction. They found Koinonia Farm, a Christian community near Americus in rural southwest Georgia, the biography said.

Along with Koinonia founder Clarence Jordan and a few others, the couple initiated several enterprises, among them a housing ministry that built modest homes on a no-interest, nonprofit basis and made them affordable to low-income families.

Homeowner families were expected to use their own labor to help defray costs on their home as well as homes for other families. Money to build homes was placed into a revolving fund, enabling more to be built, according to the biography.

In 1973, the Fullers moved to Africa to test their housing model, the biography said. Their project was launched in Zaire — now the Democratic Republic of the Congo — and was a success. "Fuller became convinced that this model could be expanded and applied all over the world," the biography said.

When Fuller returned to the United States three years later, he met with a group of associates to create Habitat for Humanity International. According to its Web site, Habitat has provided shelter for more than 1.5 million people in more than 3,000 communities.

"I see life as both a gift and a responsibility. My responsibility is to use what God has given me to help his people in need," Fuller once said, according to Habitat's Web site.

Former President Carter, a key Habitat supporter, fellow Georgian and a close friend, issued a statement Tuesday saying Fuller "was one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known."

"He used his remarkable gifts as an entrepreneur for the benefit of millions of needy people around the world by providing them with decent housing," Carter said. "As the founder of Habitat for Humanity and later the Fuller Center, he was an inspiration to me, other members of our family and an untold number of volunteers who worked side-by-side under his leadership."

In 1996, President Clinton awarded Fuller the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, calling Habitat "the most successful continuous community service project in the history of the United States."

Fuller left Habitat for Humanity in 2005 amid a dispute with the organization's board. Habitat said in a statement at the time his termination culminated "several months of differences between the Fullers and the board over allegations of inappropriate personal behavior of Millard Fuller toward a now-former female employee," according to an article in the February 2005 edition of Christianity Today magazine.

The organization noted there was insufficient evidence to corroborate the complaint, according to Christianity Today, but said Fuller engaged in "a pattern of ongoing public comments and communications … that have been divisive and disruptive to the organization's work."

For his part, Fuller told the magazine he feared the board used the controversy to push him out to find a "high-paid bean counter" instead of someone with "strong Christian commitment."

"We've overloaded the board with 'money' people, all of whom are nominal Christians, but many of whom are not spiritually grounded," he told the magazine. "Some seem put off by my overt declaration of Jesus."

After his departure, Fuller founded the Fuller Center for Housing, which its Web site describes as "a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide."

The center was founded after Fuller "set out to expand his missionary vision" by returning to his roots at Koinonia Farm, a cooperative community dedicated to peace and service.

A new mission statement was issued at Koinonia dedicating the Fuller Center as "a Christ-centered, faith-driven organization witnessing the love of God by providing opportunities for families to have a simple, decent place to live," according to the site.

Funeral services are scheduled for Wednesday, said Chapman, the Fuller Center spokeswoman. Fuller will be buried at Koinonia Farm, according to the center's Web site.