A Father’s List

Introduction
Motive and Motivation

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.
—Colossians 1:10

In today’s world, we have become increasingly skeptical toward people and are always attempting to discern the motives surrounding every situation and every person with whom we come into contact. It has become almost commonplace that a person’s words represent very little to the listener until tested against the backdrop of his or her actions. In other words, a person’s walk is the witness, because talk is cheap.
Looking at developments in the world around us over the past few years, the significance of the walk is very evident. Since actions speak louder than words, and if we truly want our lives to serve as an example to others, we need to examine our own motives and actions. Every life is an example to someone else. All of us need to consider what kind of living example we are going to be and why.
It was a cold South Dakota evening in March 2011 when I found myself sitting across from my twenty-one-year-old son, Jeff, and next to a warm fireplace, discussing the more important things in this life. It was one of those very rare occasions that a father and son may ever have. As we shared our experiences, a fire began to burn inside of me. I wanted Jeff to know more about our family’s trials and triumphs, more than what I could possibly share in a few moments of time. Rarely does corporate greed, corruption and malfeasance run so deep and yet strike a family so close. In this world where todays heroes are tomorrow’s scandals, whose life would he emulate? When my burning thoughts went a little deeper, I pondered what kind of living example I had been as his father.
The net result of my desire to share with my son is the written testimony that you now hold in your hands. As I was led to write A Father’s List, I cautioned myself about maintaining proper motivation, because it might be easy to stray to points less worthy. To be completely honest, there are many reasons—I mean excuses—not to pen a portion of my life’s experiences for all to see. How would those who are closest to me relate to what I have put in writing? Even as I have reached the point in my life where earnest attempts at pleasing God present the most relevant goal, I wonder if embarking upon a written testimony is something that will be pleasing to Him.
So many experiences have led to private meditations, prayers, and musings between my Creator and me, the instances that result in refinement. For every individual, the journey of his or her relationship with God is significantly unique. Every person’s journey serves a purpose—the intentions and goals that are willfully pursued over a lifetime. Because of the way God sees us, every life has the potential to become “the greatest story ever told.” Every individual’s journey of intentions and goals can be aligned with a glorious pursuit, a purposeful race toward wondrous endearment with God. Life’s marathon is intended to reveal how exponential the Creator’s desire is to love and to relate with what He has created.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.
—Revelation 12:11 (NIV)

I have encountered many incredible biblical teachings that have resulted in life-changing inspiration. Personal testimonies and the sharing of others’ pursuits have provided a significant and meaningful impact upon my life. These life stories, remembered from my childhood to this day, encourage and confirm my belief that there is a God, and He really does care about me and my relationship with Him.
My life experience supports the fact that when we allow God to step into our lives and create our stories, amazing things happen. “Name it and claim it” and sensationalism need not always apply in matters of faith. I have walked daily with an infinite, all-knowing, all-loving God who has produced great peace in the midst of many trials and triumphs. Such peace has transpired in both very grand and very modest experiences.
While my daily walk is predominantly in the world of business, A Father’s List is intended to be a wonderful expression of God’s love that transcends all walks and areas of life by revealing the greater business of spreading the message of love we experience in Christ.

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
—Colossians 4:5–6

I wrote A Father’s List as if to my son, daughter, or close friend, simply as if we were sitting together while I shared my testimony of life’s many struggles and how the Lord has brought me through them. For those of you who care to partake in this testimony, my hope is that there is something for you in these pages. Throughout my life experiences, I have always hoped to embark upon actions that speak louder than words. I now put my life’s actions into words. My prayer for those who read this is that each will experience God’s blessing and the incredible depth of God’s love for us as His children. Most of all, I pray that it blesses the heart of my heavenly Father and His Son—our Savior, the Lord Jesus.
A. W. Tozer, a pastor and one of the well-known spiritual mentors of the twentieth century, has written about spiritual callings and motivation in his book The Pursuit of God. He summed it up better than I ever could.

Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular; it is why he does it. The motive is everything.
—A. W. Tozer 1897–1963