Today I spent a glorious Father’s Day worshipping with my dad, family, and brothers and sisters of our congregation and friends from across the nation at our little meeting house we call “The Little House on the Prairie Church Building.” My time together with Dad is so precious. He reminded me of how much he missed our Monday morning prayer breakfasts in Virginia at Anita’s mexican restaurant when I lived in Virginia. It was hard saying goodbye to my father, but God willing, I will see him again in four weeks.

It is always so wonderful to be with the Saints. This Sabbath was especially blessed for me because I had just experienced the busiest travel season of the year for us, having preached more than fifty messages over the last month while travelling. Praise God for His Church and for the blessing of being home. My message for the morning was on the significance of martyrs and understanding the message of martyrdom from the perspective of the role of fatherhood. My text was Hebrews 11:35 to 12:18. I gave the history of the first four major persecutions of the Church through the Third Century, explained that God exhorts us to run with patience, reminds us that we have yet to resist with bloodshed, and tells all Christians to remember the example of those who came before us when we think life is tough because we are being scourged for our own benefit by earthly fathers or our heavenly Father.