Father, Father Her

Father, Father Her

By James Swanson
Written and sung for Jocelyn on her wedding day, June 20, 2009

I'll never forget the day you were born
I was such a proud father
You were so tiny and frail full of possibilities
Suddenly I felt overwhelmed and scared
How could I care for such a precious life
I asked my father to give me wisdom
So that I could be the father you needed me to be

Father, father her - your love is greater than mine
Creator, keep on making her - in your design
Take her now - I commit her to you
No stronger hands could hold her
Watch over my little girl

The minutes turned into hours,
then days and months and years
you blossomed like a flower
brimming with personality
beauty shining from ear to ear
It became evident that you stand apart from the crowd
To whom much is given much is required

Father, father her - your love is greater than mine
Creator, keep on making her - in your design
Take her now - I commit her to you
No stronger hands could hold her
Watch over my little girl

So we are standing here now
You are on the edge of a brand new life
God has sent you the perfect life-mate
Although it might not always seem that way
Together you'll grow and flourish
Together God will use you to touch lives
You are in your Father's hands now

Father, father her - your love is greater than mine
Creator, keep on making her - in your design
Take her now - I commit her to you
No stronger hands could hold her
Watch over my little girl

Father, father her
Father, father her

Hard to Believe Jocelyn Is Getting Married

It is hard to believe that Jocelyn is going to get married today. What makes it extra hard to believe is that five-year old Julia is running around the house singing, asking questions and being very excited about life. I keep on mistaking Julia for Jocelyn, and remembering Jocelyn as 'Little Miss Big Hair' like when she was a little girl. So in a strange way Julia makes it seem like Jocelyn is still five-years old and there is no way that she is getting married today.

But she is not five, she is nearly twenty-one and she is getting married today. We are so proud of her for who she has been and who she is becoming. We trust that Jon is just the right man for her in God's plan for both of their lives. Jon is an intelligent, Godly, gentle, analytical person who is the perfect complement to Jocelyn's vibrant personality.

Julia's wedding day will come soon enough and by that time I might be confusing grandkids with Julia, who knows. I just thank God for each of our children - Jocelyn and Jon, Joshua, Jacob and Julia - and I recommit each of them to their Father's care.

Specific Needs at the Chestertown Church

The NCF (Northway Community Fellowship) church has some specific needs that need to be addressed. If you know of a way you could help please let me know.

The building has several physical issues - unfinished rooms, exterior siding issues, a new sign out front, some water issues from ice and snow, etc. In mid-August a skilled work team of 8-10 will be coming from the Lisbon Wesleyan Church to spend most of a week working on the church building. There is plenty for them to do as you can tell from the preceding list. We need to pull together a work plan for them and supplies for them to use.

First, we need someone who would help us assess what needs to be done and help us gather the right materials for the workers to use. I would like to start working with this person the second or third week of July so that we are well-prepared for the work team.

Second, the church needs help to pay for the materials. We will know how much our total cost will be after someone helps us to assess the materials we will need. My guess would be that we will need more than $2,000 in materials.

If you can help in either of these ways please contact me and I will let you know what the next step would be.

Email: backinaday@gmail.com
Phone (until June 25th): 607-739-9915
Phone (after July 6th): 518-695-3766

Thank you so much for your prayers . We can't wait to 'see what God is doing' in and through NCF.

Thanks for praying for the meetings!

We had three meetings on Thursday and they all went very well. It was a full day but it was worth it. Joan and I got to know several people from the Fort Miller and Chestertown churches, and we had a great time talking to Pastor Brian Bartow who has been interim pastor at the NCF (Northway Community Fellowship) church in Chestertown for the past four months.

It became evident right away that both churches care about souls and that God is opening up ways for the churches to grow, become more solid, and touch lives. What a great opportunity!

The Fort Miller church will meet for Sunday service at 8:30 AM and then we will travel up to Chestertown and hold a service at 11 AM. During the week NCF has Family Night on Thursday nights and we are hoping to have a weekday late morning prayer meeting at the Fort Miller church. From there we will see where God leads.

Upcoming Meeting

Dear Prayer Team,

Joan and I will be traveling to the Albany area next Thursday, June 11. We will have a meeting at 1 PM with the members of the Fort Miller Wesleyan Church. We will get to know them and they will be able to get to know us a bit. We will also discuss some of the options for the direction of the church and then discuss service time options. Then at 6 PM we will be meeting with the Northway Community Fellowship members in Chestertown. We will have a very similar time with them.

Please be in prayer for these meetings

1) Pray that I will know what questions to ask and what statements to make that will assure them of our dedication to the Kingdom of God and to their church.

2) Pray that we will mutually decide upon service times that work for both churches. This is a really big deal. We desire for both churches to be viable and growing. Since the churches are about an hour apart this will make Sunday moring scheduling very important and tough.

3) Pray that we all sense the presence of the Holy Spirit as we discuss and decide some big issues. When the meetings are done my prayer is that we will all know that God is leading each church in the right direction for this time and place.

Thanks for caring and praying.

Winding Down ... Winding Up

This is such a strange time for us. It seems like we are letting go of a lot of precious people and places right now.

Jocelyn and Joshua are beginning their lives as young adults in Indiana. Jocelyn is getting married and will be in her senior year at Indiana Wesleyan University this Fall. She may go on for Masters work in Indiana and only God knows where He will lead Jon and her in the future. Joshua is graduating from high school in a few weeks and then he is moving out to Indiana at the beginning of this summer to work at Indiana Wesleyan over the summer and then attend school there this fall. We love both of them so much and we will miss them as they begin new lives in many ways, but we know that God has great things in store for both of them. I pray this verse for both of them

"You are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for you to do."
Ephesians 2:10

We are also leaving Horseheads Community Church and many, many people there that we love and care about. It feels like we are letting go of family members in many ways. They have shared our lives and we have shared theirs. They have seen our ups and downs and we have seen theirs. It has been a challenge and a pleasure to minister there for the last 13 years and I thank God for giving me this opportunity. But again I believe that God has great things in store for them and their new Sr. Pastor, Bob Russell. I pray these verses for Community Wesleyan and Pastor Bob

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other".
1 Thessalonians 5:11-13

So some things in our lives are winding down, but some are winding up and just getting started. We know that there are many people we have not met, there are many lives that God will call us to touch, there are places we will go we have never even imagined yet. Our lives will never be the same, but that does not mean that they will be less, just different. We love you all - those we know and love, and those we have yet to meet.

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all".
2 Corinthians 13:14