Dear Kids, Genesis 1:27 (ESV):So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created

him; male and female he created them. It is almost mind boggling to contemplate the depth and meaning of this verse but it does lay down one, clear idea man is NOT God any more than is the reflection in the mirror or the photo on your drivers license or your profile on Facebook is you. An image is something that gives you more information about something but it is not that something. Yet, we tend to measure God by His images. Here is a quote form Dennis & Rauni Higley who are former Mormons now ministering to Mormons through H.I.S. Ministries International: One of the quickest ways to fall away from your walk with the Lord is to put too much emphasis on a man or woman of God. God uses human instruments to plant the seeds of salvation. He uses human instruments to disciple us and help us grow in our faith. He uses human instruments to impact our spiritual lives. In a society that is prone to idolize others, such as entertainers, athletes, and successful people, we tend to elevate our leaders as well; i.e., we tend to place our pastors and Christian leaders on pedestals they don't belong on. Our eyes must be focused on the Lord, and our emphasis on His Word. When we place our trust in man it is almost surely doomed to failure - no President has never had a policy failure, no coach has ever not lost a game, no pastor has never failed to properly minister to someone, and no parent has never failed a child. I know that I have failed you all a number of times in a number of ways both generally as a father and individually as your dad. It is humbling to admit that and hurts to realize that, but it is reality. I am a flawed individual we dont like to admit it, but it is a fact, the reality of our sin nature and our selfish flesh. Unfortunately this does not excuse our wrongs. Like Adam in a few verses later, we stand before the one we wronged and try to shift blame to another. I want to blame my circumstances, your mom, the demands of other family members, work, the political system, the courts, the neighbors anyone but me for the times I did not stand firmly for those principles or actions or beliefs I hold so dearly. Truly I am a hypocrite, having said or professed one thing and then find myself doing another. It is something I deeply regret that I have not been perfect and consistent all my life. In many ways, my life is a wreck. I have more debt than I should, my relationships with you is often strained (and sometimes broken), I am so far from where I thought or hoped or wanted to be at this point in my life. Some has not been my fault wrong places at the wrong time with the wrong person but others were clearly the result of my poor or selfish or ignorant choices. Many of my mistakes were actually on-purposes because I cared more about getting what I desired than about the results or effects of those desires. I once attended a training on how to re-silver a mirror. After removing the old silver paint, the glass is washed and wiped and then the new paint applied. However, the instructor warned us that we would never be able to look in a mirror again afterwards because no matter how well it is washed or wiped, there will always be little specs of dust or dirt that make its way onto the glass and become imbedded in the paint. Also, no glass is perfectly smooth there are tiny pits and hills and valleys. The result no mirror can perfectly reflect an image. The front of the glass can be wiped clean, even scratches removed on the surface, but the reflecting paint will always have those distortions. When it comes to being an image of God -I, we, will always be distorted because we are sinners and we choose to sin. Here is the kicker, even though I know this, I am certain that I will fail again during the remaining time of this life span. If I ended this letter now, you would think that my only option is to end this life before I do something worse, because I am a failure. You wont though, because my hope is no longer in my self. My hope is in Christ. Even though each day stands at the precipice of destruction, doom, failure, and despair life can change in a moment I know that my redeemer lives and that my life is no longer about me but about Him and His work in me (and He has a lot of work to do in me). So, just like the image in a pond or lake distorts with a breeze, our image of God is so often so far from perfect - but we can still show Him as best we can. We can call on God to calm that wind and to smooth the waves so He can be seen in us. This is what I have tried to do in these last few years of my life and what my prayer is for you. That you call on Him to let you show Him. If you make your life about your success or accomplishments in this world, it will never out weigh your failures and failings. The measurement of life is not how perfect you are, but how great is the one you call Savior. Nothing lasts, except the grace of God, so I urge you to rely on Him more than yourself. Love, Dad