Greater Things Are Yet To Come

One of the things that my mom, sisters and I did while I was back in Iowa last month, was get together on my dad's birthday. My dad, William "Bill" Sherman Ward, was born January 17, 1945. He gave his life to Jesus, April of 1996 and he went home to be with Jesus, June 12, 1997.
The night we got together we went to eat at Texas Roadhouse. We joked about how much dad would have loved it! A big steak, a big glass of beer and peanuts! We each brought pictures that we had of him and shared them with each other and also told stories. I always love hearing my mom talk about how they met and how my dad "saved the day", the day my mom and her friend got in a fist fight with a couple of other girls. Yes...you heard it right...my mom was in a fist fight. Awesome!Here is a sweet picture of my dad holding Jack! So sweet!Yes. That's me when I was 15 years old!
My dad liked to be silly. We have several pictures of him doing silly faces!My dad was an amazing photographer. I think that's where I get my love of taking photos! Here is an old picture of him with an old school camera!
I loved doing things with my dad. I remember on a trip to St. Louis my mom and sisters went shopping and I went with my dad to take photographs. On a trip to Chicago my mom and sisters went shopping and I went with my dad to a Cubs game!
I helped him dig a hole for a tree...(don't laugh at my hair or outfit.)We went horseback riding! We don't really look like the horseback riding type...but oh well! (don't laugh at our huge sunglasses)He got me a puppy for Christmas when I was in 6th grade! I cried. HARD! I was so happy about that! Her name was Bessie!My dad left a sweet legacy in our family. He went to a conference with my uncle and cousins and that was where he realized that he needed Jesus in his life. It's sweet hearing from my uncle about what that was like that night that Tony Evans talked and how my dad jumped over the seats with tears in his eyes in response to the invitation to come and ask Jesus to come into his life with forgiveness, grace and love. To give him life and eternity. He came home a changed man. I remember his eyes. I remember his love. I remember his spirit. He was a different man and it changed my family.
It was only a little over a year later that he got sick unexpectedly and passed away within 2 weeks. His life in Jesus was short, but has impacted eternity. I'm so thankful for God's plan and that he used my dad to show us the love of Jesus through his life, his love, his actions, his words, his prayers. That even in the year he was living for Jesus he was leaving a legacy for us to continue on and share Jesus and do great things for Him, to leave legacy's in our lives.
As I'm writing this I'm listening to Tomlin sing "God of this City" from the newest Passion album. I have tears as I'm worshiping tonight.
"You're the God of this city, You're the king of these people, You're the Lord of this nation, You are
You're the light in this darkness, You're the hope to the hopeless, You're the peace to the restless You are
For there is no one like our God There is no one like our God
GREATER THINGS HAVE YET TO COME
GREATER THINGS ARE STILL TO BE DONE IN THIS CITY"
God's purposes are still carried out, our time is planned, He knows the number of our days. He will use our lives in the time that we have and He wants us to live in such a way that we are proclaiming His name and shouting out His glory and leaving legacy's so that when we are gone, His name will still be proclaimed, His name will still go forward and do great things. He has GREAT plans and GREAT things are going to come!
I am in awe of how God has shown me that through my dad's life. My dad's life is not done. He is more alive now than he ever was. Alive in heaven shouting, singing and dancing with Jesus! His story is alive in us and in my sister's children, and in my children someday and their kids...and their kids...
Thank you Jesus! I miss him, and I long for heaven. My soul is yearning for that day when I get to see Jesus and when I get to see my dad. What a beautiful, sweet reunion! Right after my dad passed away I wrote a song called "Homesick". I was 16 years old, trying to figure out life and God was filling me with these desires of heaven, but a hope for God's plan for my life and how I will get there some day. You can listen to a recording I did of this song here.
I came across this picture and a list of things my mom wrote out when I asked what things about me were like my dad.
Here is the list, I love reading through these things. I love that they are me, and I love that they were him. "Full of lofty ideas, some almost too high for earth!"

"Can sleep anywhere!"

"Likes dogs"

"Strong, brave"

"Sweet"

"Great sense of humor, never afraid to be silly"

"Photo-fanatic"

"Freckles as a child-curly hair"

"Hesitates to find right words in explaining something:

He said, 'Uh...'

You say, 'Like...'"

"Creative, artistic, talented"

"Kind, caring"

"Adventursome spirit, try many things"

"Friendly, outgoing"

"Smart: figure things out and/or use resources wisely to learn"

"Soft-hearted, loving, affectionate"

"Messy"

"Cry easily"

"Strong opinions, convictions, not easily swayed or steered away from truth"

"I can sing with my last breath, sing cause I know, that I'll sing with the angels and the saints around Your throne!"