Those Who Fear God

Those Who Fear God

“Except the Lord build a house, they labor in vain who build it.” Psalms 127:1

David Henry Michael was born June 5, 1929. As a young man he was a gifted athlete, excelling at both soccer and wrestling. In his entire wrestling career, throughout high school and college he only lost one match, ever! And that was a national final match. After his death, he was admitted posthumously to Brown University’s Athletic Hall of Fame for both sports. 

He was also a successful business man who was later named as a Kentucky Colonial in the state of Kentucky for his business and community contributions. But more than these successes, David Michael was a loving husband, father, and committed Christian.

As a young man with a wife and family, he longed to serve God in whatever way God asked of him. After much prayer and searching, he felt God was just calling him to continue being a business man. So, David started his own business and dedicated it to the Lord, tithing his prophets and using his company airplane to fly an evangelist friend around at no charge. The verse he chose as his company’s verse was Psalms 127:1, Except the Lord build a house, they labor in vain who build it.” David knew his work was all for naught if God was not in it.

In late November, 1972, David was flying home from a hunting trip with a friend. He wanted to be home in time for Thanksgiving. But God had other plans. David was the pilot, flying alone in his small company plane when it went down, killing him. His family was grieved by his passing, but praises were sung at his funeral just the same. It was a service of rejoicing in the Lord for the life of this loving and dedicated man and for the God he served. The gospel was preached at his funeral and souls were saved. And David was home after all.

David Michael was my husband’s father whom I never had the privilege of meeting while on this earth, but I look very forward to meeting him in the world to come. Thank you David for being the kind of father to my husband that molded him into the man I have loved for the last 34 years.

A Cheery Countenance

“A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.”
Proverbs 15:13(NKJV)

Out of the Mouths of Babes

My husband’s father, David Michael, and his uncle, Graham Michael, were athletes at Brown University. They played two sports - soccer and wrestling. Graham ‘50 and David ‘51 have both been inducted into Brown’s Athletic Hall of Fame. And while at Brown, they were friends with the now legendary football coach, Joe Paterno of Penn State who was also a student and fellow athlete at Brown.

Many years later, one of Graham’s sons in law, John, needed to travel to Penn State for an education conference since he was a teacher in Pennsylvania. He thought it would be nice to bring his family along and show them Penn State while he was there. One of his older sons called Penn State’s Athletic Department, introducing himself as the grandson of Graham Michael - a college friend of Coach Paterno, and asked if he and his family could meet Coach Paterno while they were there. Permission was granted but the coach did more than just meet them.

Much to their surprise, the family was given a private tour of the facility, including the coach’s office, trophy area, and weight room. In addition, they were also introduced to some of the players. At the end of the tour, Coach Paterno asked the family, “Do any of you have any questions?” To this, the youngest child, four year old David, responded in all sincerity, “Yes, I have a question…Why do you have so much trouble beating Notre Dame?”

The gracious coach responded, “We are working on that.” …And Coach Paterno knew the little boy’s granddaddy.(Graham was always a character) So I suppose the coach just laughed at how much the little guy was like his grandfather.