Reflections on Godly Fathers by David Shibley
When I think of the true roots of Global Advance, the story begins long before my call to this ministry over twenty years ago. The story begins in the hearts of two men of God – Warren Shibley and John Hood.
My dad wanted people everywhere to know the Christ he loved. More than once growing up I would wake in the night and hear him praying for missionaries by name, for nations, and for the needed funds for missions projects. Although my father’s only international travel was when he served in World War II, his heart and thinking were global. He was a Great Commission Christian, often referred to as “the man with a missionary heart.”
More than once I watched him empty his pockets for missionaries. He led the church he pastored in giving fifty per cent of every offering directly to missions – and that was from the very first offering ever received at the church. This church’s impact was completely disproportionate to its size – because they were led by example to give liberally from whatever they had for the Gospel’s global advance.
In retrospect, I now realize that our family probably would have been classified economically as “lower middle class.” But it never occurred to me that we were financially limited – because my dad was so consistently generous. Although we got around in a used car and lived in a small, wooden house, I felt somehow we were wealthy. And, in fact, we were.
Thirty-eight years after his death, some 100 people gathered at the church where Dad served as founding pastor to remember and celebrate Warren Shibley’s life. That night I heard story after story of how his life continued to affect people decades later. My father exulted in the grace of God, and he demonstrated that grace toward others. At the same time he had a healthy reverence for God. He left his children (and many others) a profound legacy. “In the fear of the Lord is great confidence, and his children will have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26).
After Naomi and I were engaged, I remember my first breakfast with her father, John Hood. When I arrived he was already seated at the table – praying one by one for the missionaries represented in the stack of prayer cards he always kept with his Bible. Praying for Christ’s global servants was part of his daily morning time with the Lord.
John Hood was a friend to pastors. He and Helen Hood had served with Rural Bible Crusades after his graduation from Moody Bible Institute. Until they died, John and Helen Hood were active in volunteer work in their church and community. Because of his frugality and stewardship, this furniture plant worker was able to send all five of his children to private Christian colleges. They graduated with all bills paid.
A fond memory I have of Naomi’s parents is watching those two octogenarians in their Awana vests teaching Bible verses to preschoolers. This father of five was an ardent student of the Word and a fervent witness for Christ. It was my privilege to officiate at his funeral. Afterward two men with tear-filled eyes told me how John had led them to faith in Christ.
My prayer for every father reading this is that, like John Hood and Warren Shibley, you will leave a legacy of integrity, faithfulness, and fruitfulness. Dads, we have only two options – a memory that is blessed or a tainted legacy. “The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Prov. 10:7).
Don’t leave your children the burden of carrying a rotting name. Your sins set in motion a destructive cycle that will reach down to your great-grandchildren, unless it is broken by God’s grace. Conversely, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed” (Psalm 112:1-2).
My dad wanted people everywhere to know the Christ he loved. More than once growing up I would wake in the night and hear him praying for missionaries by name, for nations, and for the needed funds for missions projects. Although my father’s only international travel was when he served in World War II, his heart and thinking were global. He was a Great Commission Christian, often referred to as “the man with a missionary heart.”
More than once I watched him empty his pockets for missionaries. He led the church he pastored in giving fifty per cent of every offering directly to missions – and that was from the very first offering ever received at the church. This church’s impact was completely disproportionate to its size – because they were led by example to give liberally from whatever they had for the Gospel’s global advance.
In retrospect, I now realize that our family probably would have been classified economically as “lower middle class.” But it never occurred to me that we were financially limited – because my dad was so consistently generous. Although we got around in a used car and lived in a small, wooden house, I felt somehow we were wealthy. And, in fact, we were.
Thirty-eight years after his death, some 100 people gathered at the church where Dad served as founding pastor to remember and celebrate Warren Shibley’s life. That night I heard story after story of how his life continued to affect people decades later. My father exulted in the grace of God, and he demonstrated that grace toward others. At the same time he had a healthy reverence for God. He left his children (and many others) a profound legacy. “In the fear of the Lord is great confidence, and his children will have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26).
After Naomi and I were engaged, I remember my first breakfast with her father, John Hood. When I arrived he was already seated at the table – praying one by one for the missionaries represented in the stack of prayer cards he always kept with his Bible. Praying for Christ’s global servants was part of his daily morning time with the Lord.
John Hood was a friend to pastors. He and Helen Hood had served with Rural Bible Crusades after his graduation from Moody Bible Institute. Until they died, John and Helen Hood were active in volunteer work in their church and community. Because of his frugality and stewardship, this furniture plant worker was able to send all five of his children to private Christian colleges. They graduated with all bills paid.
A fond memory I have of Naomi’s parents is watching those two octogenarians in their Awana vests teaching Bible verses to preschoolers. This father of five was an ardent student of the Word and a fervent witness for Christ. It was my privilege to officiate at his funeral. Afterward two men with tear-filled eyes told me how John had led them to faith in Christ.
My prayer for every father reading this is that, like John Hood and Warren Shibley, you will leave a legacy of integrity, faithfulness, and fruitfulness. Dads, we have only two options – a memory that is blessed or a tainted legacy. “The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Prov. 10:7).
Don’t leave your children the burden of carrying a rotting name. Your sins set in motion a destructive cycle that will reach down to your great-grandchildren, unless it is broken by God’s grace. Conversely, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed” (Psalm 112:1-2).
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