The Hearts of my Girls (P. 1)...

It seems of late that I have been doing a lot of fighting for the hearts of the ladies in my life...

My eldest daughter is quite the nature nut. She loves everything outdoors. This past summer she had a couple caterpillars she caught and was taking care of them until they became butterfly's. Note: they don't need much care other then some leaves in the jar. I am not sure what happened to all of them, but one I am confident of.

I was coming home from somewhere one afternoon, and my daughter was with me, as we came to the back door she stopped to check on the one cocoon that was left, of all her caterpillars. She stopped right in front of the door, I was instantly tweaked as she postponed my entering the house, as if there was something I was missing out on, maybe if it was raining, maybe if I had diarrhea, but it wasn't, and I didn't. She burst out in delight as she opened the top of the big plastic jar she kept the caterpillar/cocoon in. The very soon to be butterfly was just then breaking out of its cocoon!

I nearly blew it big time!! In my tweakness of being delayed in getting in the house, I was like "Ok, whatever, get out of the way." Then, Boom! A spiritual door just slammed in my face and Father said - "Rocco, you idiot! Don't blow this! This is an opportunity to Fight for your daughters heart! To be a father to her."

I stopped turned to my daughter and took delight in her delight. We watched this butterfly emerge from its cocoon right into her hands!! It was a Monarch! She held it from her fingers as it flexed its wings to dry them, until she finally transferred it to a bush. Then we watched it continue to dry its wings until it flew away.

I think I cried a gallon of grateful tears that night, thankful that Father showed up in time to father me, so I could be a Father to my daughter.

Rocco

Lightning bug ears and starfish poop...

The other night my family and I were driving home from a friends house when my youngest daughter Lauren asks "How do you leave the world?" I was a little confused for a moment, but after some questions to get more info from her, we understood that she was asking how, say, an astronaut gets into outer space. (Of course, thinking to myself, I immediately had a short list of those I'd like to see leave the world. Oh, and a short list of those that seemed to have already left. ;) ) Anyway, it was cute. And we had a fun time explaining it the best we could.

Then last night the same daughter asked "Do caterpillars have spines (bones)? - "Do lightning bugs have ears?" - "Do starfish poop?" How adorable, what a treasure! I sat down with her for a spell at the pc and we looked up the questions on the web. We did find out that caterpillars do not have bones they have an exoskeleton. And although we couldn't find a definitive answer on lightning bug ears, lots of bug do have them. Just in weird places you wouldn't think of, like just below their knees, or right between their eyes. Apparently grandma already confirmed that starfish do poop.

What a delight! I really felt a joy in my heart as Lauren and I sat there together reading about that stuff. I thought, this must be how God feels when we spend time with Him. Actually, I felt His delight, in that moment, in being with me - with us.



Rocco

My Truck...

Do you remember back at this post, I was looking for a truck? Well I did find one about a month after that post. And an awesome truck it is.

After going to see that truck in Toledo I looked at two or three more. One of which was just a couple blocks away from my house. It was a very well taken care of truck. Very clean and had the V6 engine I wanted in it. Unfortunately it was out of my price range. So as the weeks went on I went to Columbus and Delaware (OH) to look at a couple trucks. Both had high miles, poorly taken care of, and had the small V8 engine that I didn't want. I almost bought one of them thinking that since the cost was low enough I could fix the things that were wrong with it. But I didn't. At that point I was a little discouraged. But on the way home from there God prompted me to drive by and see if the price dropped on the truck down the road from home. It did. Right down to the price that - with tax and title - was exactly what I had set aside to spend.

This truck is in such good shape I didn't have to put any money into it (other then a tune up - but even before that it ran great). It's awesome, gets great gas mileage for a full size extended cab truck, has very little rust, no body damage, very clean interior, and everything works. It was right next to my house, God 'delivered' it to me!

I find great joy in giving good things to my daughters. Not just things that I think are good for them, but things they want, things that their hearts' desire. How true that is of my Father. He delights in giving me good things. Things my heart desires. His heart towards me is Good.

Mat 7:11b [CEV] ... But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.

Rohon!

(I'll post a pic soon.)
Here ya go:

What's in a name?

Hmm, where do I start?...

I grew up in a home with an alcoholic father. He started drinking when he was in high school and hasn't stopped since. He puts down a liter of Gin or Vodka a day. In other words - He checked out of his life before I checked into mine.

Fast forward to the near present...
I didn't have a father to teach me what a man is. To teach me what Love is. To help me find my 'Heart'. I question my manhood - no answer. Do I have what it takes? - still no answer. Do I have anything to offer? - again, no answer. I'm asking 'man' and either there is no answer or the answer is 'no'. I, like many others, am asking 'my wife', my 'employer/career', my 'church leaders' etc., and they can't answer the questions either, or their answer is no. I secretly live in shame, fear, putting up a false 'Rocco' to others of what I think a man should be - desperately hoping that no one finds out who the true 'Rocco' is.

Fast forward to winter '07...
I was at an allies house as we were making our way through the Wild At Heart - Band of Brothers DVD study. We were in the section talking about God's true name for us, the one He will give us on a white stone as we enter Heaven, the name that will reveal who we truly are - our identity in the eye's of the Father. While we were discussing that topic, I, with no real hurry, sat back in my chair and thought to myself "I wonder what my new name will be?" God spoke ...He answered... "Rocco." "I gave you that name long before you were a thought in your father or mother's mind. I put that name on their lips." "That is who you are."

Up till then there was only a few times I heard the Father's voice like that. I was in awe, and yet, disappointed. Why couldn't it be something cool like all these other guys who were getting names like Excalibur, Evergood, Highlander? Why "Rocco", I have had that name my whole life? Don't get me wrong, I've always been proud of it, even though I got picked on alot for it.

So I thought I knew what my name means. Rocco = rock, right? Nothing wrong with that. Solid, strong, not easily swayed. But I thought there must be something more, something the Father wants me to know. I really started to dig deep for the meaning. After about a full day of digging - I found the following:

http://www.aboutnames.ch/HMR.htm
Language of origin: Old High German
Info about origin: from the Old High German name 'Roho' which was a short form of names like 'Rochbert' that are all but forgotten today
Words: rohon = to roar, to shout a battle cry
Variants: Rocco Italian

http://www.babynamesworld.com/meaning_of_Rocco.html
Meaning: Battle cry; rest
Origin: Germanic
Additional info: From the Latinised Rochus; in origin a Germanic name. It could be from either the Gothic 'hrukjan', Old German 'rohôn', 'to shout' - so 'battle cry' or from the Germanic 'hrok' - 'rest'.

http://www.namespedia.com/index.php/Rocco
Name: Rocco - Germanic
Gender: Masculine
location: Unknown location
Language: German
Thematic: Unknown Thematic
Meaning: War Cry; Battle Cry

The first time I read the first definition listed, God said "Rohon, You are My Warrior! You Will cry out for Me!" (Man, my body still tingles every time I remember that.) Wow! Validation from the creator of the universe, the Almighty God, our heavenly Father. The answer to my questions - "You are Loved! I Love you!" "You are a Man!" "You do have what it takes!" "You have so much to offer!" "I am at war and I need you!" - God.

The lifetime of doubt, shame, lies from satan, agreements made to the enemy (conscious and subconscious) that hovered over my life - GONE. God consumed it with the Fire of His words and it all crumbled to the ground like ash.

Jer 20:10 - 13 [ESV]
10. For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! "Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" say all my close friends, watching for my fall. "Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him." 11. But the LORD is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. 12. O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. 13. Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.

Joel 3:10 [ESV]
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, "I am a warrior."



I AM GOD'S WARRIOR! HEAR MY CRY!!

Rohon!

Do you know who you are? Really know? Leave a comment and tell us who you are!