followtheant.com

Category: Misc

  • Dad

    My dad was hardworking, dedicated, and most importantly to me, he was a Godly father and leader. Through all of the deliberate actions that he took for others, you knew he loved you even if he didn’t say the words out loud. My love of music and appreciation of technology were inspired by him, and his desire to help me grow up to be an interesting man. I would never admit it to him; and I’m sure he would make a dry joke about it, but I have tried to model my life after what I saw from him. I will continue to try to live the same kind of life that he tried to lead.


    When I think of my dad, I think of him as a leader. I was privileged to work under him professionally as well as be his son and work on projects at home. He was proud to be associated with Faithlife and what it did to help its users dig deeper into Bible study. Even after he retired, he was always sharing the software with his pastors. I’m sorry that he and I never started a business together; he often talked about all kinds of ventures that we could try. I think it was not really about the money, but he really wanted to start something and be successful as a family. Some of his “weird” business ideas that I could never get excited about now seem like they were just ahead of their time and probably would have worked.


    Even though there were many times he couldn’t have sure of the correct answer to the problems he faced, he would quietly move forward and adapt as needed. He was very confident in his abilities. His advice was almost a rule to me—not because he forced his opinion or insisted I follow it, but because it was usually the most logical choice. He was quiet and didn’t seek opportunities to be heard, but he was easy to talk to and happy to share his thoughts. He was glad to use his hard earned life experiences to help those around him. I remember trying to decide on a topic for a paper during my high school senior year, and after I came up with over complicated and confusing ideas he helped me see the trees in the forest and bring my topic back to reality.


    His illness was a terrible setback for him and the family. However, it forced him to slow down and probably allowed us to spend more time with him than we would have been otherwise. I will remember him for all the sacrifices he made for his family.


    I miss him, and I will continue to miss him. He had to face an especially unfair amount of health obstacles, but I never saw him give up the drive to overcome them for long. He was always eager to get past whatever health issues he was facing and then move forward again. He was more than just the guy with MS and a power wheelchair that he drove too fast. It gives me comfort to know that he fought hard and was probably ready to finally be at peace with his heavenly Father.

  • The Ants

    A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with someone who expressed her admiration for ants. She shared an experience in which ants diligently moved a lifeless Junebug toward their nest on a sunny afternoon. At first, onlookers would have seen the first ant trying to carry the Junebug alone. However, the ant quickly recognized the challenge and realized that collective action was necessary to transport the bug. Regardless of the size of the Junebug, the assembled group of ants grew in number to successfully transport the heavy insect.

    By increasing their numbers, the ants managed to carry the Junebug back to the hive, even overcoming rough terrain. But they faced another challenge when they discovered that the Junebug\’s size exceeded the hive\’s opening. As spectators, we can watch these ants live out their existence as designed by nature. There\’s a story about an Ethiopian scholar and hymn writer named Yared (501-576) who found inspiration in observing an ant that tried and failed to crawl up the bark of a tree five times, but succeeded on the sixth attempt.

    The book of Proverbs in the Bible also mentions ants. It\’s not surprising that readers are encouraged to emulate the characteristics of ants:

    \”Go to the ant, lazy!
    Consider its ways and be wise.
    It has no chief,
    officer, or ruler.
    In the summer, it prepares its food;
    In the harvest, it gathers its sustenance.\”
    —W. Hall Harris III et al., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Proverbs 6:6–8.

    While observing ants or tracking their movements may not relate directly to the content planned for my blog, I still intend to collect my thoughts on topics that interest me over time.