Karen and I were flying into Redding CA on a small twenty-something seat airplane.

It’s the largest flying vehicle into Redding. Redding is the home of Bethel church and for Karen and me, it has become a city on a hill; a place where the hopes and dreams of radical believing vagabonds’ have found a home. Bill Johnson is the father there…

“I think that is Danny and Sheri Silk sitting behind us,” Karen whispered into my ear. As I started to turn around to confirm, she grabbed my arm, “Don’t be obvious!”

So I casually bent down to check the bag stowed under my seat. Then I casually turned my head. Danny Silk looked me straight in the eyes, smiled, and then went back to playing what appeared to be one of those bubble games on his iPhone.

“Yep, it’s them,” I whispered back to my wife, smiling. “And he likes those bubble games.” This was awesome, I like those bubble games too!

“Should I introduce us?” I asked.

“No, they have probably traveled all day and are too tired for talking.” She said. That’s crazy, I thought. I had traveled all day as well and I wasn’t too tired to talk.

I mentioned this to Karen. And then I told her it probably wasn’t possible for me to just sit and ignore the Silks for the next hour. Karen and I have been married 16 years, so she knew I was telling the truth. She smiled and said, “OK.”

I haven’t met Bono yet. So I am not going to say that meeting Danny and Sheri Silk was like meeting Bono. But I imagine it would be close.

Both Danny and Bono have had influence; I discovered God in the melody and rhythm of Joshua Tree, and I was forever changed. And while Bono helped me define my musical DNA, Danny helped put vernacular to the spiritual. Through Danny’s book “Culture of Honor” and his teaching, I’ve discovered, in greater measure, my heavenly Fathers heart, and I am forever changed.

Danny is a spiritual father. I don’t know if he would call me a spiritual son but that’s OK. Dads can choose to father just as sons can choose to be fathered. One doesn’t determine the other. I chose to allow Danny’s book and message to father me. I chose to be a son.

A father is someone who releases identity. I actually know a lot about this. My own dad is top five in world history. And my heavenly Father is the cat’s meow!

Danny’s book “Culture of Honor” did this. It revealed identity. Danny gave vernacular to my journey. More than that, his writing helped to settle the insecurity experienced on the journey. You see, Danny revealed my heavenly Father in a new way and the better you know your heavenly Father, the surer you are as His son.

Danny and Sheri were flying in from Hawaii. They gave no impression that they were too tired to talk though we didn’t harass them long. We didn’t want to overwhelm them with affection, nor did we want them going to bed later conversing about “those crazy people on the plane.”

Plus, Danny was one of the key speakers for the Bethel conference/school we had traveled so far to attend. In fact, the next morning he found and offered us his reserved seats on the front row. He even remembered our names, which is something I can’t imagine Bono doing.

We had several more chances to talk with Danny before the week was up. I was able to tell him how his book impacted me. I was able to hear his heart for rising up sons who become fathers.

Karen and I returned home determined to no longer be vagabonds and set free to live as a city on a hill. We came home as a son and daughter who are becoming sure in our heavenly Fathers love – as a son and daughter who are aiming at top five all-time father and mother.

If you haven’t read “Culture of Honor” yet, you should.

Jason Clark is a writer, speaker and lead communicator at A Family Story ministries. His mission is to encourage sons and daughters to grow sure in the love of an always-good heavenly Father. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children.

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