Father

It's your dad." And he says the other lady won.

Would you be like, "Thanks for...

Thanks, Dad.

Thanks a lot for nothing"? Is that what you would say? "Hey, thanks.

For nothing."

Right, right, "I love the new champion better than my son's girlfriend."

They were there to-

"That's real cool, Dad.

In 2001, my brother John forced our father to let us go meet her.

He asked all the siblings, "Okay, who wants to be in on this?" And Michael said, "This is wrong.

This is not what Mommy and Daddy wanted.

This is just totally wrong," and, um, and was apparently very angry about it.

And I said, "Sure, I'd like to meet her." Our family was not really cut out to, to be warm and fuzzy and loving, which is exactly how Annie is.

Lying about how many kids were in the family for decades, um, really was impacting the entire family.

I honest to God, I don't know how my mother did it.

I think Daddy forced her to give Annie up, and I mean, 'cause...

Absolutely.

Dad did the same thing.

Yeah.

Uh, and-

So when my dad died, um, all we had to do was call the funeral home and say, "Yep, he's kicked the bucket," and they did everything else.

Mm.

But because Dad didn't wanna be a bother, he'd chosen, um, oh, I don't know if I can say the name of the company, Simplicity Funerals.

Okay.

So we have possibly one of my favorite people gonna be on the podcast today.

Dad, welcome back.

[laughs]

Can't fit a group of soldiers in here.

Do it

...

I'm like, [laughs] eventually, like Dad-

She does punch

about? It's so weird.

Because the rest of it, it's like, my father this, my father that, whatever.

But you have these Papas that come up.

Kind of weird.

Papa

Yeah.

And so my parents, again, there's something a little bit lucky here, because Daddy learned this when he went in the Army, you know, and it's like put it in a cup.

You know, they test that stuff.

And they said, "Well, you're not gonna be a dad." Um, so he knew that by the time he was even courting my mother.

Yeah.

They marry a little older, and they, and they are a little older when they get me.

So I think Daddy would've been, what, 32?

Oh, yeah.

"'The cold's so cold and the hot's so hot.

Oh, God bless Daddy.

I quite forgot.' And now real distraction.

'If I open my fingers a little bit more, I can see Nanny's dressing gown on the door.

"'And I lie in bed and I pull the hood right over my head, and I shut my eyes, and I curl up small and nobody knows that I'm there at all.

Oh, thank you, God, for a lovely day.

And what was the other I had to say? I've said bless Daddy, so what could it be? Oh, now I remember.

God bless me.'" Christopher Robin-itis.

It was amazing.

And I said, "Geez, Dad, aren't you tired?" And he said, "Yeah, but this is fun." Okay.

So he really enjoyed it.

And, and he was with a bunch of vets.

It's written in my phone, it's in my pocket.

I, yeah.

I had to tell my dad that before he went to the, his eye appointment, I said, "Dad," because he'll walk around using his cane and he'll just be totally mobile.

I said, "Dad, make your driver walk you in."

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratefulness in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." The word elect means that God chose us specifically to live this way.

The word holy refers to something that is set apart for a specific job.

I like to use the example of a toothbrush.

God is merciful to us.

He doesn't treat us how we deserve to be treated.

He is loving and merciful and gracious, and the Father wants us to be that same way with others.

We so often try to justify treating people poorly because of what they did to us, but that is the exact opposite of mercy.