A Father's Day Follow-Up

If you read my Sunday emails, I always write "Dear Friends." Today, I have changed that to "Dear Family." I hope this email explains why...

A Father's Day Follow-Up Dear Family,   If you read my Sunday emails, you may recall that I always write "Dear Friends." Today, I have changed that to "Dear Family." I hope this email explains why.   For Father's Day last Sunday, I felt led to write about how Father's Day isn't always "happy" for everyone, and I wrote about my own experience with the three fathers in my life. I wrestled in my spirit with writing it, but ultimately decided to share my story.   Read last week's email here.   After sending the email, text messages started to come in. At first, I thought maybe some of my friends would have disagreed with what I had written, but the opposite was true. The very first text was from a man who has served as a spiritual father in my life. He confessed to me that his father never told him he loved him.   Other text messages from friends came in. Some shared about their experiences, while others thanked me for being honest and addressing the many hurts people can feel on Father's Day.   On Monday, I packed up to attend a Christian conference for the week. As I was walking through the convention center, others approached me and thanked me for what I wrote. I didn't even know some of these people read our emails! One man, a fellow filmmaker, told me about how his father had tried to kill him and his family when he was just a boy.   I was humbled and honored that so many people were blessed by the message and my transparency, and I'm thankful they wanted to share their joys and hurts with me. I was humbled and honored that so many people were blessed by the message and my transparency, and I'm thankful they wanted to share their joys and hurts with me. As the conference wound down, I reviewed the comments that readers sent in response to my Father's Day email. To my surprise, they filled 35 pages! I read every email. Again, some of you shared testimonies of happy memories, while others shared painful ones. As you can imagine, some of these hurts and abuses are beyond what I can repeat here.   I felt joy, sadness, and even anger as I read through all of the comments. Some of you have also recently lost your fathers, and this made me reflect on my own brush with death after suffering a heart attack barely 18 months ago.   I even chuckled once when a younger person referred to me as Pastor Cleary. (I am not a pastor and always told God I never wanted to be one!)   My plan for today was to give another ministry update, but that will have to wait. I need to thank all of you who took the time to write to me and share your encouraging thoughts and stories. I realized that I could have written an email about how one of our projects has reached the furthest corners of the earth and blessed the multitudes, and I never would have received so many honest and transparent emails. I began to realize, as we walk this journey together to reach the world with Biblical content and a visual Bible, it is not only about the donations, testimonies, and accomplishments. We are a family. And as a family, we need to take the time to share our joys and pains. If we are not spiritually healthy, (or on the right path) how can we minister to the world?  If we are not spiritually healthy, (or on the right path) how can we minister to the world? We are a family. We live in over 60 different countries. We are young and old. We are financially poor, and we are rich. Some will give, some will pray, and some will even serve as interns, missionaries, or volunteers for our iBIBLE project. We will serve together, and I will do my best to always share my heart and learn from yours as well.    When I produced the film The Pilgrim's Progress, I was reluctant to take too much credit. It is not my story. It was inspired by God, written by John Bunyan, and it belongs to the church. It is a tool to shine the light of Christ to the world. This is why we distribute it freely on the mission field and translate it into as many languages as possible.   As I work on iBIBLE, I feel the same way. It is not mine or RevelationMedia's. We will make it available to every family, every church, and every missionary throughout the world.   Without sounding too sappy, I do believe that God has brought the family of RevelationMedia together. It will need to grow in size, and it will in God's timing. And perhaps He is teaching me lessons along the way so we can all be as effective as possible serving in His Kingdom.   With your permission, my Sunday emails will now begin with "Dear Family."   Have a blessed Sunday. Steve Cleary CEO/Founder RevelationMedia P.S. As you continue on the journey from this world to the next, leaning into the love of our Abba Father, you may find one of these devotionals helpful. When you make a donation to RevelationMedia, we will send you either Find Joy by Shaunti Feldhahn or The Sword and Shield by Robert Noland for free!  GET YOUR FREE FIND JOY DEVOTIONAL WITH A DONATION GET YOUR FREE SWORD AND SHIELD DEVOTIONAL WITH A DONATION Copyright © 2021 RevelationMedia, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: RevelationMedia PO Box 850005 Richardson, Texas 75085 Add us to your address book   *Manage Your Email Preferences or *Unsubscribe    Subscription Information This email was sent to Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog  *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally