Many years ago, when I was still a little boy, our family attended a gospel meeting in Weirton, WV. This is where my dad preached for the first two years of my life, and four years prior to my birth. This occasion was one of the rare times I remember getting to sit with my dad in a worship service. You see, he was always preaching.
As I was sitting beside him, a little boy from Weirton saw my dad, came running to see him, and climbed up in his lap and hugged his neck. (Dad always loved children and they always loved him).
As I sat there next to MY Dad, I watched as some “strange” boy sat in MY Dad’s lap, and was hugging MY Dad’s neck, and I became jealous. I didn’t like it. I wanted him to leave. After all, he was MY Dad, not his, and I didn’t want to share.
Now that I’m grown, sharing MY Dad is not a point of jealousy, but a point of joy and pride I have in MY Dad. You see MY Dad spent his life being a “second father,” to countless young men as well as middle-aged men…men who are my friends. I’m so thankful for that. For today, I don’t grieve alone for the loss of MY Dad but I grieve along with my “brothers” upon the loss of OUR Dad.
What a great memory to have. Many people don’t have a great example like him as their Dad. You were very blessed and although we didn’t know him, we know the son he raised so he must have been a great Dad.
Wow! I am 48 years old and your article made me cry! I never knew my father. When I first met my father for the 1st time, he wanted to help me put a train set together. I made some mistake and he slapped me across the back of the head and beat me. He called me a mama’s boy and called me a stupid SOB. Sorry if I offend anyone. I sit in church today and when I see Fathers and sons together, I literally have flashbacks of this incident. I suffer from depression and PTSD. I can’t sit still when the preacher preaches “Honor Thy Father and Mother”. I was also sexually, physically, and mentally abused by my mom. Both my parents are dead — I hear voices in my head of which I am on meds. My father was an alcoholic and he loved Hank Williams and whenever he heard, “My Son calls another man daddy”, all he wanted to do is get drunk and get suicidal. I never had a father and the only intimate “Father” memory I have is when I went to bed, I put Elvis Presley on singing “My Boy” and I cried myself to sleep. why am I a Christian? Simple. How does the Lord’s Prayer start? “Our Father who art in Heaven”. I want to go to Heaven because my Father is there. Weird huh?
The greatest gift anyone can give their dad, who is a Christian, is to follow in the footsteps, not of him but of Jesus. I know your dad was very proud of the man you have become and the life that you lead.
Growing up my father worked in an assembly plant. He made it a point to take us to church, he led singing however never preached from the pulpit. Being the youngest boy yet not the youngest child in the family I wondered if I could ever make him proud. I have realized that I have not by accompishment of wealth or fame but striving for God in which he did. I am thankful for fathers and mothers who show us whats more important in life, and that is a life serving God. I am so sorry for your loss for it is a loss to many that knew him, but I am thankful for the gift that he and many others leave us and one that we will carry on.
MY FATHER WAS THOMAS HAROLD RUBLE. WE WERE MEMBER OF THE NEW MARTINSVILLE CHURCH OF CHRIST. I GREW UP KNOW FRANK AND HIS FAMILY, NITA FAYE, SONJA AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY. THEY WERE A VERY NICE FAMILY. I WAS ABLE TO VISIT WITH FRANK A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN HE VISITED MY MOTHER. HE CAME WITH PALO THE PREACHER OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. I ALSO GOT A PICTURE OF HIM AND PALO. THAT IS THE FIRST TIME I HAD SEEN FRANK SINCE I WAS ABOUT 16 YEARS. IT WAS NICE TO VISIT WITH HIM. HAS FRANK PASSED AWAY? I HAD NOT HEARD? MY NAME IS EDYTHE RUBLE SANDS AND MY MOTHER’S NAME IS VELMA DULANEY RUBLE. MY MOTHER WOULD LIKE TO KNOW AS WOULD I.
Thank you brother for those words & your generosity in sharing your father with me. I know that you know what that “sharing” has meant to me & Pam for the last 30+ years. There is no doubt or debate though about the very special love your father had for you alone and rightly so. He couldn’t have been more proud of you.
Bro Steve Oct 2
I’ve been a Christian nearly 40 years but I never heard of your father, but the obituary on Brotherhood.news giving Bro Johnny Ramsay’s comment caught my eye. Are their recordings, ie tapes, cds or writings available by you father?
My deepest condolences to you, brother Steve on the passing of your dad. May the God of all comfort be with you and your family (2 Cor. 1:3-4). In times like this we are thankful for the great and awesome promises regarding eternal life through Jesus our Lord (John 11:25; 1 John 5:11-13).
Jim, yes there are. As soon as I can get settled back in, I’ll share some links.
Steve, I am sure it has been emotionally difficult to talk about your dad but I can tell it was and never will be difficult to say good things about him. I so appreciate and am inspired by the stories of the faithful who tried to simply follow Jesus. I can only hope that my children will remember me in some similar way you remember your dad. Thank you for sharing him.
Brother Steve, I am confident to say that if your dad was still here, he would say, “PREACH THE WORD!” Like what David said, we must believe, “He can’t come to me but I can go to him!”
If there’s no resurrection, our faith has been in vain!! Amen?