Will the Real Father Please Stand Up

By Mark C Preissner

People are searching for safe places. Many people searching for a safe space or a safe place don't think to turn to God the Father. Childhood father and mother wounds can misrepresent our view of God. We may never have heard our Dad say "I love you." Mark Preissner shows us a Father (God) who is very different than we thought. He is your first Father, and longs to see your dreams fulfilled, and your heart satisfied. Discover the ONE, who loves you. The result will draw you into security safety, and peace.
In our society, and even in our churches the Father has been ignored or been misrepresented. We have drawn conclusions about Him that have deterred us from getting to know Him. This book is designed to describe and defend the Father in such a way, that we will allow Him to become our Father.
The church in recent years has been calling for a new evangelization. The Father is the reason to evangelize. He is someone who must love us a whole lot to ask Jesus to do what He did. He was our first Father, and still wants to be our father. He desires to fill the role of a good father, and look out for you and provide for you. He is the One the world needs to meet. When we receive Him as our father, we become His son or daughter. In that personal, warm, safe relationship with Father God, it is easy to talk about how good He is, and why others should meet Him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark C Preissner
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370461677

Mark C Preissner

I was born in small town America, a little farm town in Wisconsin. I grew up with an adventurous spirit. There was little I would not try. I began a redeemed walk with God in 1971, and have been passionate about God's agenda since that point. I have always had a special appreciation for people who never seem to be noticed. It became clear to me that no life is unimportant. I have felt drawn by God to help people reach their full potential and destiny. In that sense I see myself as a great encourager. Over the years that has taken many paths. Most recently in prayer ministry for heart healing, and teaching and writing. Everyone matters to God.

Book preview

Will the Real Father

Please Stand Up

by Mark C Preissner

Healingyourhearts.org

Copyright 2017 Mark C Preissner

Smashwords edition

This book is available in print at most online retailers.

Will the Real Father Please Stand Up Copyright 2017 by Mark C Preissner. All rights reserved. For permissions visit: www.Healingyourhearts.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Scripture quoted by permission. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

From The Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and Company Ltd.

Scripture quotations taken from the New English Bible, copyright © Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press 1961, 1970. All rights reserved.

[Scripture quotations from] Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible, BSB Copyright ©2016 by Bible Hub Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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Cover photo Jeremy Scholz

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1. Who Is God

Chapter 2. How We See God

Chapter 3. Making God Personal

Chapter 4. Does God Have Emotions

Chapter 5. Is God Safe

Chapter 6. Why Bad Things Happen To Us

Chapter 7. When God Intervenes

Chapter 8. God’s Good Laws

Chapter 9. Getting to Know Him

About the Author

PREFACE

A preface establishes the scope and reason for the book.

This book is guided by the call and goal of evangelism.

We are called as Christians to evangelize.

One definition of evangelism is to talk about how good you think something is.

Another is to preach the Gospel in order to convert someone to Christianity.

The word Gospel means good news.

I have always felt awkward witnessing to others. I think because I was missing the reason for doing so. What do I really want to do? Get people to become Christian, or come back to the Church, if they no longer participate? Do I want people to become Catholic? Do I lead them to Jesus in order to be saved from Hell?

I have discovered that the Father is the reason to evangelize. Perhaps that should be obvious?

John 3:16, the reference posted on placards and signs, in stadiums etc. is the focal point of evangelism. It begins God so loved the world that He sent Jesus. This reference to God is a reference to God the Father. This is what I have missed. The Father motivated by longing and love for us, made the first move. He asked Jesus to do a very difficult thing.

The answer to the question of why to evangelize is relational. We need to learn about how good the Father is, and why we would want to be with Him. The evangelistic message is about someone's love for you. Someone must love us a whole lot to ask Jesus to do what He did. That someone is the Father. Evangelism is not to a place called Heaven. It’s to a person we call the Father, who lives in a place called Heaven. The good news is Father God loves you, more than anyone else does.

Do we know this Father? Have you been a Christian, and yet not know the Father? Evangelism only makes sense if we personally know and understand who the Father really is.

The Church has been talking more and more, that the people in the pews also need to be evangelized. I think most get the idea of salvation. But do they know the One behind it all, the One who is behind all we call Christian? Stated simply do you personally know the Father? Have you opened your heart and life to Jesus, and not met His Father?

The Father has been misrepresented in many ways. We have drawn conclusions about Him that have deterred us from getting to know Him. This book is designed to describe and defend the Father in such a way, that we will allow Him to become our Father.

Without this primary relationship, it is difficult to evangelize. Yet in a personal, warm, safe relationship as His son or daughter, it is easy to talk about how good He is, and why others should meet Him.

INTRODUCTION

For many years, one of the most watched game show on TV was To Tell the Truth created by Bob Stewart. It began in 1956 and was pretty successful through the 70’s. It was still being produced in 2016. The show featured four panelists, who had to correctly identify a described contestant who had an unusual background, occupation or experience. To make it difficult there were 2 imposters, besides the real central character. The imposters were allowed to lie. But if the real person was asked a question, they had to tell the truth, hence the name of the show. So after many questions and many answers, the judges would declare who they thought the real character was. Then the real life person was asked to stand up, revealing himself.

The actors who pretended to be the real person were often quite convincing in their answers. Pretty often, the folks watching, and the 4 panelists misidentified the real person. This book is about God the Father. We have come to define who the Father is as a result of all sorts of input. But frequently, who we think He is, is not actually who He is. We have been confused by misinformation. I want the real Father to stand up and be recognized.

I have written this book from a unique perspective. My wife Pat and I are prayer ministers to people’s hearts. Some call it Inner healing. Through the last 15 years, we have discovered our own misconceptions of who the Father is. We have also heard people's own private opinions of Him. A very large percentage of them, do not pray to the Father at all. This is because we see God through the prism of our parents. They were God to us first. They shaped our view of how authority figures look out for us, provide for us, or disparage us. It has affected our perception of the Father. If one were to ask what fatherly or motherly looks like, you would either get a confused look, or a well I know what it's not kind of answer. Many could not actually describe it as it should be. New parents struggle with what is appropriate parenting.

OUR ISOLATION FROM THE FATHER

In prayer ministry, we see that if the client’s parents were demanding and difficult to please, they also saw God as demanding and never satisfied. If parents were absent or uninvolved in their life they saw God as not there for them. If a parent was harsh, critical or abusive, they were afraid to approach God the Father. If parents were not affectionate as adults the client would have trouble seeing the Father as warm and inviting and nurturing. We pray through all the childhood hurts and wounds that have deeply affected how they relate to God. The result is that they then can see God in a whole new way.

When Jesus said Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8), He was saying that impure hearts will shape how we see God. Our hearts are full of sinful reactions toward Mom and Dad. Even if they did not intend to hurt us, we still emotionally react. Especially below the age of six or seven our heart (our mind has not developed enough to be rational) thinks You did this to me on purpose! We make lifelong judgments toward them and start dishonoring them. We also start protecting ourselves from more mistreatment. This isolates us from God, as well as from those around us. The enemy takes advantage of these childhood hurts, and we start to believe lies such as we are not lovable. Bitterness can be deep and buried within us toward the ones who cared for us. Unforgiveness locks us into these buried childhood reactions. All of this shapes our view of God.

If you were to investigate your own childhood reactions, you would quickly discover how all this would cloud your judgment about who God is. So just as the prism changes sunlight into many various light colors, our family history changes how we see God the Father. But there is one more interesting thing Jesus is saying. Both in the Hebrew and the Greek, the word see means something important. It means more than I see a picture on the wall. It actually means that we can be acquainted with God in an experiential way. In other words it means we would not just know about God we would experience Him. So another way to hear Jesus say this is by contrast: if you have an impure heart, you will never experience God as He truly is.

UNDERSTAND GOD AS HE REALLY IS

I tell folks that inner healing is not just simply about feeling better about ourselves or to rid ourselves of negative emotions, but to improve our relationship with God. A proper way to look at heart healing is about reconciliation with God, others, and with ourselves. All of that baggage we carry from life experiences makes it difficult to love God, our neighbor and ourselves as the commandment requires of us.

Have you ever wondered why God the Father sent His Son to earth? Your answer may include something like well to save us from our sins. That would be correct, but misses so much. It doesn’t really tell us much about the Father’s heart, or why He did it.

Allow me to tell a true story. Prayer sessions with people are confidential. But I asked this man if I could share his story, for teaching purposes. He gave me permission, but I have changed his name to Alan. Alan was caught molesting children. We are living in changing times, but most people still look at that in disgust. They are labeled pedophiles. Even in prison, they are looked down on by other inmates. Alan went to prison, and had reformed his ways, and had tried to make restitution to those he had hurt. When He came to me He was still struggling with the temptation and a host of other addictions.

Alan had a terrible life. His Dad did not want him, and made that clearly known. Alan recalled being thrown angrily by him into his crib. His Dad otherwise was withdrawn except for the usual shouting matches between him and his mother. There was no emotional bond with his mother either. The only connection he remembers with her was sexual. She would inappropriately fondle him, for her own pleasure. She often called him a dirty little pig. She demanded perfection. He thought he could please her, by cleaning his room perfectly as she ordered. But when she came to inspect, she looked angry that she could not find anything to complain about. Then she pulled out a dresser from the wall and found dust bunnies on the floor. See what you missed! He sadly gave up trying to earn her love. His grandmother was into the occult. She put a hex on him dedicating his life to Satan. When he came to me he felt there was this dark heavy cloud hanging over him, and often felt his throat gripped by an ominous hand. At the age of 7, his uncle, only a few years older than him, began to sexually abuse him. It went on for years. His uncle crushed a bird's head in front of him and told him that is what would happen to him if he told anyone. Alan was empty and isolated starving for love. He turned to drugs and alcohol to deaden the pain. He eventually tried to get this love need met through children.

His story humanizes him. Perhaps he was more than just a pedophile. But he left a string of broken and devastated children behind him. My own wife was abused sexually. It is not lost on me how awful a crime this is. We have ministered to countless women and men who have been exploited in this way. Sexual abuse seems to have one of the most devastating effects on the human spirit. It also has a harsh impact on how they view God.

Alan understood why people did not want him around their children, or to live in their neighborhood. He respected their fears. He still struggles with what He has done and how God sees him. One day he shared a spiritual experience He had in prison. It was still very real to him. Somehow he found himself in heaven. It was incredibly beautiful. All around him were wonderful and beautiful angels, to beautiful to describe. He noted they were singing stunning songs of praises to God. Then in the distance he saw someone walking towards him. As he got closer he somehow knew this was Jesus.

Jesus dressed in brilliant white, came and picked him up and turned around carrying him somewhere. Alan said he felt very uncomfortable. He saw his clothing and body covered with black grease and black tar. He felt embarrassed. Jesus carried him to someone sitting on a throne. He somehow knew this to be the Father. To his horror, Jesus began to place him on the Father’s lap. He protested loudly, No, I shouldn’t be there, I don’t belong there!! He was beside himself and turned back to protest more to Jesus. To his shock he saw Jesus covered in black grease and tar. He looked at himself and saw his clothing new and clean.

In his head Alan knew this is the bible story. This is salvation. But sitting on the Father’s lap? You can understand perhaps why Alan did not feel welcome there. How about you? Do you think he should be there? If you were abused, can you imagine your abuser on the Father’s lap? I understand how painfully difficult that might be. Would you feel comfortable, yourself, on His lap? Jesus was sent to bring you to His Father. If I say: the Father wants you, what gut feelings does that invoke? Does that sound inviting? Who is this person who wants you on his lap, and why?

Chapter 1 Who is God?

I have observed many former Catholics, many still friends of mine who have had what they call a born again experience. This experience they say has changed their life. They say they never knew God loved them, and that the Catholic Church never showed them this. This experience of giving their life to Christ, and asking Him into their hearts, opened the door to a personal relationship with God, and they now feel saved and loved.

They seem angry at the Church, calling it a dead religion, full of laws and regulations. They feel if Jesus was here today, He would speak to them like he did to the Pharisees, whom He condemned for putting heavy yokes on people's necks. They may be mistaken over why Jesus was upset with the leaders of the Jewish faith, and their comparison with the Catholic Religion. But their dismay, and sometimes condemnation of the Catholic Church, should not be ignored.

I grew up in a small town where most of the people were Catholic. We lived 3 houses from the Church, and our family took turns pulling the long belfry ropes to summon people to prayer and to Church. I persuaded the good Sisters, at age 7, to allow me to serve at Mass, one year earlier than normal. As a new altar boy I carefully learned and recited the Latin prayers. But the mass made little sense to me. Yet my heart was drawn to be there, and the pew was never close enough. I had to be in the sanctuary.

Our Pastor at the time, Father Mike Drexler, noted that he would never give a homily, without mentioning the 10 commandments. To him it was essential to keep reminding people, of the danger of breaking these commandments. I still picture him, kneeling in the sanctuary, after hearing dozens of confessions. I was told that he was praying to give over to God the heavy weight of all the things he had heard, and to keep pure himself. Later as a teenager, my sins started causing me to separate from God, and my attendance at mass grew sporadic. I took a job as a janitor, at the same church, and I grew to be friends with this priest. We sometimes, golfed together, where he confided his own vices. I felt comfortable with a fellow sinner. When he died I attended his funeral which was a moving experience as I felt like the church was full of hundreds of happy Angels.

I was fired from this job, and was growing more and more deviant. I was happy with my life, yet unaware of the train wreck I was heading towards. I grew up with my parents leading us in the daily rosary. I knew their concerns, about the paths all of their six children were taking. Their prayers, I am sure, brought us all back to the Church and to God.

For me it took a Divine encounter! A bout of loneliness, because my best friend left for the war, caused me to enroll in a Life in the Spirit Seminar at a Catholic convent In Kimberly Wisconsin. It gave me something to do. I wasn’t searching, just bored. The nice folks teaching the seminar were trying to point out the error of my ways, but I would not have any part of it. I was in full rebellion mode. They must have wondered why I was there. I was told later they were storming heaven for me. The prayer meetings were open to people of all Christian faiths. One night after the seminar, while people were still socializing, an evangelical (non Catholic) man, pressured me into seeing my need to pray the sinner's prayer.I didn’t know what he was talking about at the time. But he basically wanted me to admit to being a sinner, and to ask God’s forgiveness. He pressured me to ask Jesus to come into my heart, so that I could become born again, and get saved. The leaders were unhappy about his approach to me. The seminar was including similar evangelization, but they were using a slow gentle approach to me. To get him off my back I prayed his written prayer, and snickered when he asked me, if I felt all warm inside with Jesus in my heart. You are delusional, I thought. Yet even though I thought he was an idiot, God was using him to rattle this 19 year olds cage.

I left the prayer meeting and went for a few beers with my friends. Late that night I arrived back at my parents home, and crawled into bed. What happened next was totally unexpected and astonishing. Jesus appeared to me. I know that sounds a bit incredible, but I saw his bodily figure. His hands stretched toward me, and spoke the simple words Follow Me. I was not the emotional type, but He spoke with a kind of firmness, that scared me. His simple words carried with it a tone of I won’t take no for an answer. All I remember was stammering out a weak OK. He disappeared, and that was it. It unnerved me.