Sorry about the long absence. I was in Indiana with the X-treme Team. Check us out at www.radicallysaved.com. Also, please feel free to leave comments on my blog. I will start commenting on more of your blogs. Please also feel free to link this blog or forward it on to anyone and everyone. I pray that God will use it somehow to deepen your relationship with Him.

Today is Father's Day. Of course, I'm writing this at 10:45pm, so most of you won't read this till after the day is over. But that's ok. The truth that lies here is still that, truth.

My dad used to wear this funky sweater that was blue with gold wavy stripes on it. He would wear it around the house when he was relaxing. It was kinda like having Mr. Rogers living in the house with you. I remember that sweater well. The feel of it. The look of it. And even the smell of it. It made an impression on me. I can still see dad wearing his sweater, drinking his coffee, and doing the crossword puzzle while sitting in his recliner. This sweater was a part of my dad.

This winter, as my mom was moving from her house to an apartment, I was over collecting my stuff that I had left there...for 15 years. When I was there, she asked me if I wanted that old sweater. Of course! I put that sweater on and was immediately overwhelmed by the flood of memories. Touch. Feel. Smell. I wear this sweater often around my house now. I think I look silly, but my wife and kids say I look great. My kids love it when I wear it. They say that when I hug them, it smells like me. Wow. It smells like me. I hope that's good. They say that I smell good. And they like the feel of it too. I get to tell them about the history of this great sweater. About the amazing man that used to wear it. To me, I can still smell my dad. To my kids, they smell their dad.

You know, I hope that as my kids hug me, they can smell even a greater aroma. I hope that the texture they feel is more wonderful than any piece of clothing I can wear. I pray that they smell God on me. That they can feel the presence of God around me. As I spend time around Him, I want to start to smell like Him. Feel like Him. Even look like Him. I want to be wrapped in His sweater. That way, when my kids see that 'sweater', I can tell them about the amazing God that gave it to me and what He is like.