Becoming a True Man of God…

Becoming a True Man of God…

* This blog is dedicated to my Aunt Nicole’s and Uncle Darren’s best friend who passed away this last week of a sudden heart attack at age 43. He is a husband to his wife Christy, and a father to 3 wonderful daughters Elizabeth, Julia, and Anna. This blog is dedicated to Michael who I hope I can be a father, husband, and man of God like Michael was. I only had the blessing to meet and hang out with him a handful of times, but the way his life inspired and influenced others in Christ was a lasting impression that I will always remember about Him.

Thanks Michael for being a Godly example for myself and many other young men and people around the world who you have influenced and touched with your love and God's Spirit!

 I truly hope I can be a Godly man, Husband, and Father as you have been and lived within your life.

Two weeks ago when I arrived in Puhket, Thailand to start “manistry” month with all the guys from my squad. When we got here one of the leaders within our group asked us “What is a true man of God mean to you?” Ever since he asked us that I have been thinking about it and deeply looking for characteristics that in my eyes and heart represent a true Godly man who I yearn to be like.

When our leader asked that question, the first thing that came to mind was that a Godly man is someone who doesn't just talks the talk, but who walks the walk.

Growing up my Mom always taught me how actions speak louder than words and that is something that I now respect most about true men and people of God, that they don’t just talk it, but live it.

My biggest hope is to be someone who is REAL IN CHRIST. I don’t want to be a fake….

If my relationship with Christ isn’t real than what the heck is the point of going to church and living the way that I feel called to live….without Christ it’s all meaningless to me….

Growing up I struggled with going to church, I doubted church and just thought Christians acted like they were goodie too shoes who acted like that have it all together and knew it all. I felt like Christians were too good for everyone and just lived boring lives full of rules and regulations.

Oh How wrong I was…

Then God decided to bring true men of God into my life such as Hank Jontony, Dave Sirl, Chet Beetler, Seth Kujat, Jake Berger, Joe Salutric, Domonic Jontony, and  so many others to show me that there is way more to this Christian life than what I thought. They showed me how fun a true life with Christ really was…

 I began to learn that a life with Christ is not about following rules, but it’s about living the adventure of your life with your maker and Savior.

Scripture says in John 10:10 that “the thief (the devil) comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; but I (Jesus) have come that they (all people) may have life, and life to the full.”

When Jesus explains who the devil is, Jesus describes the devil as being a murderer and a liar. Christ calls him a liar and explains that he is the father of all lies" – John 8:44

When talking to my Aunt Nicole about how Michael’s wife and family were doing in dealing with their husband and father's death, Aunt Nicole said something that inspired me to the core of my being.

She explained how Michael’s wife Christy is not mad at God, that they are all choosing to believe that Michael has been chosen by God to go home to heaven. Michael was 43 in perfect health and in great physical shape, there was nothing wrong with him medically. He was a true example of what a Godly man is by who he was and how he lived his life with and in Jesus Christ. He is the type of person that everyone hopes to live their lives like my Aunt explained. She went on to explain how her friend Christy is sad and dealing with grief, but her grief is not out of anger with God, but out of sadness because she misses her husband who she loves. She explained that even though Christy is sad, Christy knows and believes that she will see her husband again and that God has hand- picked and chosen Michael to go home to heaven. Michael lived such a Godly life that will always be remembered and lived on through so many people’s hearts and lives that knew him and that experienced God’s love in and through him…

I can’t even being to explain how much this has inspired me ….

Can you imagine losing the one person whom you love the most in this world, maybe some of you already have…this life is painful and it is very hard and tragic at times…we all have battles, wounds, and hurts that we all deal with…

God has also felt that same hurt when he sent his One and only true Son to willingly die on the cross so that all people who choose to receive and believe in His name will be saved….

Christ comes to heal those wounds, because he has experienced those wounds…

He comes to give his love in a free and a true way…

He doesn’t come to brainwash you, but to love you and accept you as you are…

He comes to give true life and hope that overflows when things are going great and when things seem hopeless…

Christy Sparks (who is Michael’s wife) and her family are hurting, my Aunt and Uncle are hurting, I am even hurting…but yet all the people who knew Michael and saw the ONE that he lived for are choosing to rejoice through the pain of losing him with the hope and love that gives us the source of life to live on and to hope on…

Christy is hurting…but rejoicing that her husband is home with His heavenly Father…

This is the kind of man that I want to be like, someone who not just talks the talk, but who walks the walk. Someone who is preaching the gospel at all times with the love and life of Christ within them, not just with words, but most of all with actions on a daily basis when people are looking and most of all when no one is looking.

This month was hard for me, we lived in tents for two weeks which was around 90 to 100 degrees heat almost every day. I was constantly sweating, especially at night when trying to fall asleep. I got to do construction ministry this month where I got dirty and worked hard doing manual labor to help prepare grounds and buildings to take in women who are victims of modern day slavery through sex trafficking. It felt good to work hard and sweat a lot, though it was very hard at times and seemed like it would never end.

I think I was quieter this month than normal and it all came from thinking about what a true man of God is. See I think it’s very important to stand up for what and WHO we believe in vocally, but I think it’s even more important to live a life rooted in Christ that is evident by your actions, who you are, and the life that you live. I want to be a man who follows through with his word and is reliable, trustworthy, and loyal to God, my friends and family, and to all people that I meet and know, I want to be a Godly man who is on time out of honor for the people who are waiting for me. I want to be a Godly man who puts others needs and desires above his own because he chooses to love them with the love of Christ and thinks of them before he thinks of himself. I want to be a Godly man who surrenders his life to Christ each morning as he wakes up because he realizes the true gift of love and life that His Savior has CHOSEN to give him by allowing him to wake up that morning and live that day as the true gift that it is.

I hope I can be a Husband and a Father that is there for his wife and children one day who loves them with the true love of Christ like Michael Sparks loved his family. I hope I can be a man who is not a fake, but a man truly walks the walk and lives their live by being real with and in Christ. I hope I can be a man who has struggles, but yet hopes in the one who has healed him, who is healing him, and who will continue to heal him each day that he lives. I hope I can be a man who rejoices in God through the storms, the rain, and the pain while also rejoicing with God through the sunshine and beautiful moments of his life!

Am I the man that I hope to be yet….NO WAY

Am I close to being that man….NO NOT EXACTLY….

AM I on the journey of being the man that God created me to be….YES and that’s a daily choice in saying yes in my heart and spirit to the God who brings me true and everlasting life each moment that I live….

While I’m on the journey  I continue to run the race of this life and I will choose to set my eyes on my Maker and Savior, My Author and Perfector, my Redeemer and Restorer, my Prince of Peace and Savior, my Best Friend, and God who saved me, lives within me, and has called me to press forward to the finish line until the day of my death just like Michael Sparks did (Hebrews 12:1-2 style).

While I run this race of life I will choose to take notice of true Godly men who are running the race in front of me as my elders, mentors, and Godly men who have paved the way in front of me. I will keep my eyes on men of God who are older brothers in Christ like Michael who are side by side with me living their lives as true Godly men who represent Jesus in the small daily moments with their actions and lives. I will choose to keep my eyes on the ones who are behind me and are coming to know and grow in a relationship with their true Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I will choose to keep my eyes on my family in Christ who sustain me through prayer and who lift me up with God’s love that is living inside of them when I’m down and feel alone. I will choose to keep my eyes on people like Terry Wardle, Aaron Wardle, Rich Daugherty, Thomas Snyder, Glenn Black, David Sherwood and so many more who call the life of Christ out of me and who believe in me when I can’t or don’t know how to believe in myself…

I will choose to look on to the one who will never let me fall or who will never let me break…the one who is with me side by side guiding me, protecting me, and never letting me go…the one who is faithful to see me (and you) to the full completion that He created us to be (Philippians 1:6)

Thanks for reading and I’m sorry but I don’t have any pictures for this blog from this month of ministry but I wanted to share a couple picture of a man and family that I respect so so much and hope that I can be like one day…

Thanks Michael Sparks for living the Godly example and life that you have lived. Your example and life carry’s on through your family and all the those who knew you and loved you…you have set the bar high for all of us to follow…thank you for representing Jesus Christ in so many ways to so many people within your life…you will always be remembered as what

A TRUE MAN OF GOD IS…

Michael (on left with green shirt) with his family!

Here is another picture of Michael (white shirt on the right) with his family (wife Christy, and three little girls) with my Aunt Nicole and Uncle Darren Docherty.
 
 
 
Lastly a picture of my Uncle's true friend and brother in Chist on halloween with their two little girls!

* Below is a song called Alive that describes how the life of Christ that is still alive that arose so many years ago on that Ressurection Sunday! Michael is now fully alive with and in Jesus Christ His Lord and Savior in heaven as one day we all will be too!

I also added two more songs that the Lord has used to really express his love and hope to me through hard times within my life, I hope they bless you and that you can hear the love of the Lord speaking to you through them!

Thanks for reading and God Bless you all!

Here is a link to Michael's obituary that was posted in the Mansfield, Ohio newspaper. It is very inspiring to read:

Here is the official link to the page if you would like to add a comment for Michael's wife and family to read:

http://www.legacy.com/guestbooks/mansfieldnewsjournal/guestbook.aspx?n=michael-sparks&pid=163871481&cid=full

Michael G. Sparks



MANSFIELD: The principles that Michael Sparks lived by, in his business life, in his social life, in his spiritual life were completely centered on Jesus Christ. He led a purpose-driven life to bring glory to God, to love his family, and to pack as much as he could into the time the Lord gave him.



These principles, his tremendous capacity to love others, his pursuit of Christ-likeness, and his relentless motivation to pursue excellence have become his legacy. Michael went to be with the Lord Sunday morning March 24, 2013 following an apparent heart attack. He was 43.



Born February 3, 1970 in Mansfield, Michael was graduated from Lexington High School in 1988. He went to Asbury University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis on social studies. It was there at Asbury that he met a Spanish tutor named Christy Biddulph who would become his best friend, life love and on September 24, 1994, his wife.



His pursuit of excellence prompted him to train as a runner for half and full marathons. A voracious reader, Michael constantly searched history books and current events for trivia and tidbits for his company's newsletter. He always had a home improvement project in process, and as a soccer enthusiast, spent hours coaching his daughters or cheering on the sidelines.



A Certified Financial Planner and partner with Chanley Christman in Quest Wealth Solutions, Michael served as President of the Board of Mansfield Christian School and served on the Finance committee of the school. He was a member of Heartland Church of Lexington, and formerly served on the church board, and was active in numerous philanthropic organizations.



Michael loved people. He loved to entertain, loved a winning hand at Rook and loved to approach his life with a plan (he was kind of obsessive about making plans, keeping statistics, and attending to details). But most of all he loved his wife and three beautiful daughters Elizabeth, Julia and Anna – these four ladies captured his heart.



In addition to his wife and daughters, he is survived by his parents Bob & Linda (Young) Sparks of Mansfield; his sister Susan (Bob) Bravard of Lexington, KY; his father-in-law and mother-in-law Howard & Jan Biddulph of Wilmore, KY; grandfather-in-law Burt Biddulph of Ft. Myers, FL; sister-in-law Lisa (John) Hamilton of Uruguay; five nieces and a nephew; along with a huge circle of friends, brothers and sisters in Christ.



The Sparks family will receive friends Thursday, March 28, 2013 from 2 to 7 p.m. in the Lexington Avenue Snyder Funeral Home. Visitation continues Friday morning from 11 a.m. to Noon in Berean Baptist Church, 2145 Middle Bellville Road, Mansfield, where a worship service, giving glory to God for the life of Michael Sparks will follow at noon Pastors Andy Vallance and Brian "Yogi" Durbin will join his father-in-law in officiating at the funeral service.



His family strongly prefers that contributions in Michael's memory be made to Mansfield Christian Tuition Assistance Fund or to Ohio Tuition Trust Authority for college funding and may be made at the funeral home.



Snyder Funeral Home is honored to serve the Sparks family and private condolences to them may be made online at:www.snyderfuneralhomes.com