No one escapes without some growing pains. None of us can get through the life on his own. God knew we would have troubles on our journey. John 16:33 (NLT) states, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." Though some may believe they are better, no one has come through squeaky clean. The passage 1 John 1:8 (NLT) says, "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth." This is where Jesus comes in. John 10:10 (NIV) says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The passage 1 John 1:8 (NLT) states, "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth." The poems you will read in Faithful Father, Forever Friend, relate the journey I began sixty-eight years ago. It hasn't always been pretty, but neither has it been without hope. Psalm 56:8 (NLT) states, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Romans 15:18 (NLT) says, "Yet, I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me." These poems are the story of the hope that lies within me. The passage 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT) says, "Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it." My desire, my prayer is that this collection of poems will bring you hope also.