My dad's bible.

Sitting outside, I spoke with the man my grandmother assigned as executor of her estate. It had been hours since watching my father pass. I had a memory of finding my uncle's bible in a spare bedroom after my grandmother's death just weeks before. We came to help clean the hoarded mess. I shared my memory which led to my request: "I'm not sure if my dad has a bible like the one I saw, but if there is one, I want it.

I have memories of me and my sister sitting in church with our parents. I remembered watching my dad underline, write, and mark his bible. I knew there was a good chance that if one turned up, it may not be the same bible. I didn't care. I knew the marking habit would still be there. I wanted to see what pieces of God's word impacted him. What spoke to him?

5 days later, I sit in front of a computer screen and the bible my uncle pulled from the very few possessions my dad had left on this earth. The open cover reads: "Presented to Carl McClure by Pastor Timothy Lapp, December 22, 1985."

I was 3 years and 3 months old when this bible came into our lives. The first verse I found underlined:

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

In his handwriting: "When we quit waiting, we stop growing spiritually."

Then my next random flip landed me on a verse I read just this morning.

Proverbs 2:6

For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

Lord,

You know my broken heart. Thank you for leading me through this storm. I'm stranded on an island, shipwrecked. This is the perfect time for me to come into Your rest. Let me rest In You, renewing my strength. Allow your Spirit to flow through this impaired vessel, making me whole. Thank you, God. Thank you for my Jesus!

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen.