To Fly a Coop
In early September, my Dad, Rafael, got some life-changing news. He had terminal cancer and his life-expectancy was short. As our family grappled to come to terms with what this meant for all of us, we came to realize the hard conversation of death was not something we could put off. I had just wrapped up a Masters in Justice and Advocacy at Fuller Seminary and my last class was literally on death and dying. I questioned why it couldn't have been health and healing! We prayed for healing of course, but as it became clear this was not God's plan for now, I pondered the best thing I could do to help my family and myself process this. I concluded the best thing I could do is give my dad a microphone and let him preach just the way he has always loved to preach about the love of Jesus.
I flew from LA to visit my family in New Mexico, about a month after his diagnosis. Armed with mics and a recorder, I told my dad about the idea and he was all for it. So, most every day I was there, before my youngest and husband came, we sat in their back-backyard and had these conversations near the chicken coop. If you’ve happened upon this podcast you probably know my dad and so I welcome you to hear more from his heart. If you just happened upon this podcast for no reason, know this… my dad had you in mind. His prayer is that this would help someone unexpected and that God would use it to speak to someone who needed a word of encouragement and a reminder of the unsurpassable love of Jesus
Intro Music found at Pixabay.com from sergepavkinmusic "happy-warm-days"
To Fly a Coop
Finding Contentment That Changes Things
Episode Six:
Finding A New Identity in Retirement and Contentment that Changes Things
Recorded October 2023
Dad explains what “CFC” means to him, finding meaning in retirement, and then even getting a post retirement job as a cross-county trucker. While not everyone may relate to retirement, I think we all can relate to getting a new identity at times. Dad’s main takeaway is this: we need to stay close to Jesus. That is our saving grace. While on the road, he wrote a little song for Jesus. In case you didn’t hear all the words, it’s written below. Ultimately, no matter what stage we are at in life, we should rely on Jesus. It’s Jesus that has set us on a path to true life and appreciating the life we have now. He ends by pointing us to what Jesus called the greatest commandment – love for God and people.
Scripture Referenced: Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 John 6:31 Matthew 20:26 John 13:35 1 Timothy 6:6
Quotes:
Manna From Heaven (A Trucker’s Song) by Rafael Aspeitia
He’s the manna from Heaven
He’s the well that won’t run dry
He’s my savior Lord, Jesus
And I love him this is why
He hung upon that tree
And He did it just for me
He’s the manna from Heaven
He’s the well that won’t run dry
They put him in the ground,
but he refused to stick around
He’s the Manna from Heaven
He’s he well that won’t run dry
Want to learn a little more? Check out the site https://www.toflyacoop.com/
