A Tribute to Gene W. Hoyle, my Father, on his 76th birthday. (Apr 23, 2009)

If I have any weakness as a father, I have only myself to blame. In this age of victims, dysfunctional families, and easy alibis, I simply have no excuse. I was blessed with wonderful role models in my father and mother. Their lives are an enduring testimony of faithfulness to God and family. So if I have any strength as a father, it is only because I stand on the shoulders of a giant.

My dad is part of that generation called the "builders," sometimes referred to recently as, "the greatest generation ever." He has throughout his adult life always held down more than one job to make ends meet. He is a man of surpassing faithfulness to his church, family, and principles. He tithes to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ over his finances, and taught his children to do the same. He instilled in us a love for the Word of God by reading the scriptures to us, when we were very young, as we lay in bed each night.

My father is a pure man in a sex-soaked society. He is pure in speech and pure in mind. I've never known him to tell an off-color joke, or look lustfully at another woman. He taught his children modesty and chastity through the fidelity and respect he shows to my mom, his wife of 55 years.

My father is full of joy. His greatest charm is that he truly loves people. He has made friends everywhere because of his willing smile, a servant’s heart and genuine emotions.

My father is the most courageous man I have ever known. Everyone regards him as a man of integrity and principle. Dad has the courage of his convictions. As the member of an historically pacifist church, he was a conscientious objector during the Korean war, but unlike many to follow in the next decade, he did not flee to Canada or elsewhere to escape his obligation to his country. He traveled for the government and tested milk on mid-Michigan dairy farms. (His other option was to drive ambulance.)

My father is what the world would call “a common man,” yet he has managed to leave an enduring legacy for his own children & grandchildren. What frightens me is that I am capable of undoing, in one generation, all that has been entrusted to me. One generation is all it takes; one generation is all we have. Oh Lord, let me have the same courage to pass this legacy on to my children.

As fathers, we have an obligation to give even more than we received. Let us father our families in such a way that when we die, our children will be able to stand on our shoulders and say, I had such a wonderful father that if I have any weakness as a father, I have only myself to blame.

I love you Dad, Happy Birthday!