Many of you asked about how Jim Denison’s son, Ryan, is doing after I shared about him in my column two weeks ago. The surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his neck went very well. Pathology reports received several days later revealed the cancer has spread slightly into the area around the tumor. As a result, Ryan will undergo six weeks of radiation beginning this week in Houston. The good news is that this particular cancer is very responsive to radiation, which means that there is a very good chance he will have a clean bill of health. Jim asks that we pray the radiation will remove Ryan’s cancer completely and that it would not recur.
A few days ago, he received an e-mail from a friend of his who has known his son, Ryan, from birth. In it was a prayer that was discovered by Thom Rainer, President of Lifeway Christian Resources. The prayer was written by General Douglas MacArthur and describes his desire to be a godly father. During the last few weeks, many men in our church participated in a study based on the movie Courageous. They openly expressed their desire to be fathers and grandfathers that honor God in all they do. I would like to share that prayer with you this week for their benefit and yours.
Make me the father, O Lord, who will show my sons the strength to face weakness; the courage to face fear; the grace to accept honest defeat; and the humility and gentleness to accept victory.
Make me the father who will show his sons not a path of ease and comfort, but the ability to accept the challenges of stress and difficulty. Use me, I pray, to be the example of one who can stand up in the storm, and there learn compassion for those who fail.
Make me the father who will teach his sons the value of a clear heart and a high goal; to look in the mirror of their own faults before they find fault in others; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to cry; to reach into the future without ever forgetting the past.
Make me the father, O Lord, who will show my sons enough of a sense of humor, so that they will always be serious, but never take themselves too seriously. Give them humility, so they will always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
And after all these things are theirs, add for me, I pray, the wisdom to show them the dubious values of titles, positions, money, and material gain; and the eternal value of prayer, the Holy Bible, a Christian home, and a saving relationship with Your Son Jesus Christ
Then I, their father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."
Steven Wright
Looking forward to Sunday,
