A FATHER’S LOVE

In this message, Pastors Leonard and Lori Rola share a heartfelt conversation about the Father’s love and how deeply God desires His children to rest in that love. Pastor Lori explains how the Ephesians 3 prayer transformed her life over many years, helping her understand her identity and God’s unending love. Pastor Leonard then uses personal stories about his own children to illustrate how a father’s love naturally sacrifices, protects, and shows up—revealing that God’s love is infinitely greater. Together, they emphasize that God wants His people free from anxiety, rooted in love, and resting in grace so He can work powerfully in their lives. The message encourages believers to remain in the “resting place” of God’s love and allow His fullness to flow through them.

Table of Contents

1. Live Broadcast Opening and Lighthearted Introduction
2. Pastor Lori Introduces the Ephesians Prayers
3. Pastor Lori Reads and Explains Ephesians 3 (Passion Translation)
4. Pastor Leonard Reflects on the Resting Place of Love
5. The Comfort of Grace and Freedom From Anxiety
6. Pastor Leonard’s Personal Stories Illustrating a Father’s Love
7. Understanding God’s Love Through Earthly Parental Love
8. Encouragement to Live in the Ephesians Prayer
9. Closing Blessing and Invitation to Rest in His Love

LIVE BROADCAST OPENING AND LIGHTHEARTED INTRODUCTION

The message begins with Pastors Leonard and Lori Rola appearing on a live broadcast, adjusting the camera and laughing together about the technical difficulties. They explain this is exactly why they typically pre-record their teachings instead of going live. As they reposition the camera, they acknowledge that no viewers have joined yet except Lori herself, joking about how the viewer count is only showing her. They greet those who will watch later, mentioning a few regular viewers by name from South Carolina and Florida. With warmth and humor, they transition into the topic for the day: the Father’s love. They explain the session will be brief, simple, and heartfelt, and Pastor Lori prepares to begin by reading a portion of Scripture that has been deeply meaningful to her over the years.

PASTOR LORI INTRODUCES THE EPHESIANS PRAYERS

Pastor Lori explains that for 12 to 15 years she regularly read the two apostolic prayers found in Ephesians 1 and Ephesians 3. These passages shaped her understanding of God’s love and her identity in Christ. She shares how she didn’t know how much God loved her, and she certainly didn’t love herself during the earlier years of her life. The prayer in Ephesians 3 especially helped her grasp God’s love. These prayers were powerful to her because she lived in them, reading them night after night, often unable to move past even a single verse. After all, the Holy Spirit would highlight new truths to her each day. Pastor Leonard affirms that these Scriptures have become manifest in her life because she committed them to her heart and made them part of her being.

Pastor Lori also references John 17, emphasizing Jesus’ prayer that believers would know they are loved by the Father in the same measure that the Father loves Jesus. This truth once felt impossible for her to comprehend. She highlights again how the Word came alive to her as she switched between translations and the Holy Spirit continued revealing new insights.

PASTOR LORI READS AND EXPLAINS EPHESIANS 3 (PASSION TRANSLATION)

Pastor Lori begins reading Ephesians 3 from the Passion Translation, starting in verse 17. She reads:
“Then by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside of you and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.”
Pastor Leonard immediately reacts with amazement, repeating the phrase “the resting place of his love.” Pastor Lori continues reading about being empowered to discover the magnitude of Christ’s astonishing love, a love deeper than human understanding, filling believers to overflowing with the fullness of God. The Passion text says this love is deeply intimate, far-reaching, enduring, inclusive, and beyond measurement.
Pastor Leonard notes that the fullness of God stems from resting in His love. Lori continues reading, including the part where the translation says that God will accomplish infinitely more than believers could request or imagine, and that His miraculous power energizes them constantly.

Ephesians 3:14-20: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

 Pastor Lori explains that this extravagant love pours into believers until they overflow with God’s fullness, and she expresses why these truths kept her in this passage for years.

PASTOR LEONARD REFLECTS ON THE RESTING PLACE OF LOVE

Pastor Leonard focuses again on the line “the resting place of his love.” He stresses that this resting place becomes the source of a believer’s life. From this place—resting in God’s love—comes the empowerment to comprehend the dimensions of Christ’s love and to be filled with all the fullness of God. He repeats Lori’s reading: being rooted in love causes Christ’s life to be released deep within. The fullness of God flows from resting in His love.

THE COMFORT OF GRACE AND FREEDOM FROM ANXIETY

Pastor Lori shares something her mother said the night before: “Grace is comfortable.” They both emphasize “the comfort of grace,” noting that God Himself achieves everything needed in the believer’s life—not through human effort but through resting in His love.
This leads to a strong emphasis on freedom from anxiety. Pastor Lori explains that God does not want her to worry about anything—not the broadcast, not other people, nothing. She explains that resting in His love allows His greatness to flow from within and allows Him to achieve what needs to be done. Pastor Leonard highlights how grace enables total rest, and Pastor Lori repeats that she is not to be anxious about anything because of how much He loves her. They emphasize being real, relaxed, and authentic even in a live setting.

PASTOR LEONARD’S PERSONAL STORIES ILLUSTRATING A FATHER’S LOVE

Pastor Leonard transitions into two deeply personal stories that illustrate the natural, sacrificial love of a father—and how these earthly examples reflect, though imperfectly, the infinitely greater love of God.
He first recalls an event from 1995 when his son Brandon was ten years old and in the fourth grade. Brandon loved basketball and wanted his own basketball hoop. Pastor Leonard planned to have the entire setup assembled in the driveway so that when Brandon stepped off the school bus on his birthday, the surprise would be waiting. Leonard expresses how deeply he loved his son and how determined he was to make that moment special.
However, when assembling the hoop, he discovered a missing part. He had to disassemble everything, return it to the store, and get another one. Time was running out. And then—heavy rain. Not just a drizzle, but pouring rain “in St. Bernards,” as he joked. Still, he kept assembling, soaked to the skin, because love fuels action.

Brandon’s bus arrived before the hoop was fully assembled, and Brandon and Pastor Lori stood watching from the porch. Pastor Leonard finished the project, drenched and exhausted, then walked up to the porch and said, “Happy birthday, Brandon.” This, he explains, is what a father’s love looks like—willing to endure discomfort, inconvenience, and difficulty for the sake of blessing his child.
His second story is from February 14, 1997—Valentine’s Day. Brandon’s basketball team had a major game that night against the best team in the league. The opposing team had an eighth grader who was 6'8" and would later play basketball professionally. Crowds from multiple schools came to watch.
Leonard, the assistant coach, had promised Brandon he would be there. Brandon always found comfort knowing his father would show up. But Leonard suddenly became extremely sick with a severe case of diverticulitis. He was sent to the emergency room, hooked up to IVs, and the hospital prepared to admit him overnight.

 But Leonard refused. He told the medical staff, “My son has a game, and I’m going to my son’s game. He’s looking for me to be there. I love my son.” The staff objected, warning him that the medication hadn’t yet worked and the pain would continue. Leonard insisted: remove the IVs. He signed the release forms. And he went to the game, in pain, because love moves a father to show up.
These stories demonstrate how deeply an earthly parent loves their children. And yet, Pastor Leonard stresses, God’s love is infinitely, immeasurably greater.

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S LOVE THROUGH EARTHLY PARENTAL LOVE

Pastor Leonard explains that through these experiences, God helped him understand something profound: if he, as a flawed human father, feels such overwhelming love for his wife, his children, and his grandchildren, how much more does God love him?
He recalls how God spoke to his heart, saying, “Do you think my love for you is any less?” God’s love, he explains, is a million times stronger and deeper than any earthly love we experience. Pastor Leonard says this understanding fuels him. It excites him. It makes him want to remain in the “resting place of His love,” just as Pastor Lori read earlier from Ephesians 3. He wants to grow in understanding the breadth, length, depth, and height of Christ’s love so that God’s completeness and fullness can flow from him.

Ephesians 3:17-That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,”

 Ephesians 3:18: “May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height.”

Ephesians 3:19: “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”

ENCOURAGEMENT TO LIVE IN THE EPHESIANS PRAYER

The pastors share that this message wasn’t pre-planned—they simply chose to talk about love, and the Holy Spirit brought everything out naturally. Pastor Leonard expresses gratitude for the few live viewers, knowing many more will watch later on YouTube.
They strongly encourage the audience to read, meditate on, and live in the Ephesians 3 prayer the way Pastor Lori did for years. Leonard explains that Lori has never left “the resting place of His love,” and she never will. They invite the listeners to do the same.

CLOSING BLESSING AND INVITATION TO REST IN HIS LOVE

Pastors Leonard and Lori close by expressing their love and appreciation for everyone who follows their ministry. Pastor Leonard says they hope the message blessed the listeners and encouraged them to stay rooted in the love of the Father. They remind viewers to continue in the Ephesians prayer and never leave the resting place of God’s love.

We hope this article has blessed and encouraged you. May the Father’s love become your daily resting place, filling you with peace, confidence, and the fullness of God. If this message strengthened your heart, please share it with someone who needs a reminder of His unending love. May His grace continue to comfort, empower, and overflow in your life always.