My Sweel Little Emma

Fortunately your voice doesn't crack when you are typing. I am pretty much a basketcase about right now. You see, my oldest daughter, Emma, turns 5 on Wednesday and then graduates from pre-K next Tuesday night. I have always heard people say "watch out they grow up too fast," but now I am really finding out what it means.

I have found myself thinking back to the time when Emma was first born. I remember sitting in the rocking chair in that dim hospital room while Amy was out cold. I cradled Emma in my arms as carefully as I could. She seemed so fragile and light, yet, the weight of the moment seemed as though I were holding up a baby elephant. I remember thinking to myself, "This is about as permanent a commitment as you can get." Until the day I die, I will forever be responsible for this sweet precious baby. I got kinda panicky for a moment and wondered if I could actually handle the pressure. I wondered what made men run away from their responsibilities so often? What caused them to simply walk out on their families and turn their backs on their children?

I suppose there are a ton of excuses, but I don't believe any of them are legitimate. Don't worry though. My panick attack was short lived. Nothing brings a man back to reality like changing a meconium poopy diaper. There is not really a smell, but the looks can make you wonder if your wife just gave birth to something that was part toad. But soon the diaper was changed and we were back to our time of just looking at each other in amazement. Well, at least I was in amazement. I'm not sure what Emma thought of me.

I think that probably one of the most difficult things about being a parent is worrying about what your child is thinking. Does she hate me? Does she think I'm fun? Does she think I am a goober? Is she embarassed of me (by the way, I quit sitting at the breakfast table with my shirt off)? Will she always be my sweet little baby girl?

Like all things the answers to your problems are in the Bible. Matthew 6:25-34 talks about how ridiculous it is to worry about things. I don't have too much of a problem worrying about my next meal or what shape my clothes are in or if I will have a cool and dry place to lay my head tonight. It is not the here and now that I am concerned about. It is the in a few years, in ten years, further down the road that I am worried about. And it is not about being concerned if I have been eating the right way or whether sitting my cell phone in my lap will put radiation in my body (although that does scare me a little bit). It is about worrying if I have done the right things for my little Emma. Have I scarred her for life by teaching her to pull my finger? Will she forever think I am weird for crying when I hear the Billy Joel Lullabye song? Am I being a good example for her each day? Does she pay attention when I am not a good example? Is she eating enough? Does she have everything she needs to succeed in life? I sometimes just sit and worry that I am going to screw things up for her and she will hate me when she's older. Don't try to patronize me either. We all see it every day. The neighbor's kid, somebody on the evening news, the kid around the corner from your grandparents. Kids are screwing up their lives every day and you have to wonder how much of it can be blamed on their parents.

Ok, Ok. I just need to calm down a minute. See what worry can do to you. The best verse of all for me from this passage about worry is Matthew 6:34 - "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."

So, is Jesus saying I can't even handle the things that happen today, so don't waste your time trying to worry about the problems I am going to have tomorrow? Yeah he is. Because I can't handle anything by myself.

I suppose the best thing my wife and I can do is to let her know everyday that God loves her and so do we. Let her know every day that she can trust in God to help her in times of need. She can depend on God to guide her throughout her life. We should let her know each day that she should place God first in her life and by doing so, everything else will fall into place. We should let her know that this doesn't mean she won't have struggles or bad days or scrapes on her knees, but if she allows God to be in her life everyday she won't have to worry about what is going to happen tomorrow.

Emma, I pray to God for the wisdom, strength, courage and guidance to be the best father I can for you. I will ask him for patience and kindness when I am not having the best of days, and I will ask him to remind me to laugh and giggle with you, and pin you down on the floor and tickle your neck until you can't stand it. I am so proud of you for the beautiful, sweet and loving little girl that you have become. I love you very much and I pray that you know and understand that and more importantly know that God loves you. Always keep God first in your life.

As Your children gather in peace
All the angels sing in Heaven
In Your temple all that I seek
Is to glimpse Your holy presence
All the heavens cannot hold You, Lord
How much less to dwell in me?
I can only make my one desire
Holding on to Thee

All the angels exalt You on high
What a kingdom to depart!
But You left Your throne in the sky
Just to live inside my heart
I will always make my one desire
Holding on to Thee

All the Heavens - Third Day

Happy Birthday My Little Angel! I love you very much!

Love,

Daddy

Making Disciples Out of Believers

You know, nothing really grabs your attention like a broken air conditioner in Florida in any month between May and October. Well, at least for me. I am definitely not a fan of the heat and I find it impossible to sleep when it is more than 80 degrees. Since being married I have continually been plagued by a broken air conditoner. Even when living in Oklahoma our air conditioner went out. In Tallahassee our air conditioner went out, just about every year something went wrong with it. And two years ago when we moved to our new home, you guessed it, something went wrong with the air conditioner. For me, having a broken air conditioner is a totally helpless feeling. It is no doubt going to be very costly. It always happens on the weekend and usually at night. But once the guy shows up and screws around for several hours and orders a part or goes back to the shop or flips a switch, who knows what they are going to have to do, but once they do it...life is good. The problem is gone. The once-a-year air conditioner "itch has been scratched."

Well, I would like to tell you a story that had a little bit different ending. A few months after we moved into our new house it happened. It was hot outside. It was in the evening and we had been out most of the night. We come home and it seems really hot. No, it is really hot. The air conditioner is not working, in fact, the little magical box on the wall in the hallway is not even lit up. Nothing makes me panic faster than a thermostat that won't even come on. So I dug out the phone book and looked up an A/C company with Emergency hours and finally I found one and I gave them a call. I had to leave a message and wait for the technician to call me back. So I get this phone call from this guy. He starts asking me what is going on with the unit and he says, "I have been at it since early this morning and I have two people in front of you. Let me tell you what to do to fix it." I was quite certain that the man was sitting there on the other end of the line with a red hot glowing crack pipe in his hand. You want to what, I said. He said, I am going to talk you through something and see if we can get your unit running tonight.

As he walked me through what needed to be done step by step, everything he asked me to look for was just as he described. Everything that he said would happen, happened. And about fifteen minutes later, cool air was blowing into my living room. I felt like crying, imagine that. The things the man talked me through should have been done all along, but no one had ever explained them to me. He also told me to be sure and replace the filter on a regular basis and make sure that I keep plenty of space around the unit in the garage and in the yard. Here is the most unbelievable part of all, it was all free of charge.

Imagine that, someone not only fixed my problem, but he taught me how to fix it myself and it cost me nothing. Each summer since that time, the same thing happens and I go through the same steps that he taught me and every time the air comes back on and things are good. Can you possibly imagine where I am going with this?

We all have troubles in our lives. And fortunately for some, we find out that there is someone out there that can fix our problems and make us all nice and comfortable again. For instance, some of us get that dark sinking feeling in our hearts and we start to feel sorry for ourselves and begin to wonder if any cares about us and it seems like things just keep piling up on us higher and higher. Or possibly we are dealing with other problems, like a deep seeded rage against someone who wronged us, with burning hot anger that invades our every thought and takes over our lives so that we are unable to get past our hatred for the one who wronged us. So we find ourselves visiting a church or meeting someone who is a Christian and they tell us, hey, God cares about you, God loves you, God will help you forget your pain, God will forgive you for what you have done in your life. We start to realize that we aren't alone and we start to feel better and begin to feel normal again. We understand God's sacrifice for us and we believe on Him.

BUT, quite often, we just get our problem fixed and we don't learn how to maintain our lives. We don't learn how to take that gift from God and use it when things start to go bad. We don't realize that we should apply the Lord's teachings to our lives on a regular basis.

Matthew 4:18-20 (NLT) - One day as Jesus was walking along the shore beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers - Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew - fishing with a net, for they were commercial fishermen. Jesus called out to them, "Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!" And they left their nets at once and went with him.

Here is what my bible commentary says (this is awesome), "Jesus told Peter and Andrew to leave their fishing business and begin fishing "for people," helping others find God. Jesus was calling them away from their productive trade to be productive spiritually. We all need to fish for souls. If we practice Christ's teachings and share the Good News with others, we will be able to draw those around us to Christ like a fisherman who pulls fish into his boat with nets."

We are called to be disciples and we are called to make disciples.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) - Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

If we don't study His teachings and renew our minds, we won't know God's will for us.

Romans 12:2 (NLT) - Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) - All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.

Lord, I know that as a man I often just want things fixed quickly. I am so thankful that your disciples taught me that I am called to grow daily through the study of your Word. I am not only called to live a life of piety, but to study your Word daily, giving my mind to you, so that I will be prepared to take action when the opportunity presents itself. So that I will know and be prepared to defend my Christian beliefs. Lord, allow me to show others this as well. Give me the strength and courage to make disciples out of those I meet. And Lord, thank you for the man who took the time to show me how to take care of my air conditioner and to fix it when it starts to not work so well. You are truly an awesome God.

Please pray for Guidance for our Family

I don't want to go into too many details, but my family is weighing a huge decision over the next few days. We have been and are still praying about it a lot. I would simply ask that you say a quick prayer for us. Please pray that we are able to understand what God's will for our family is and go in that direction.

I can't tell you how honored I am to have such a wise and compassionate Christian wife. I have been inspired by a lot of people in my life, but no one has had such a dramatic impact on my life as my wife, Amy. No disrespect to you, Mom and Dad, or Conley and Becky, or anyone else that I am close to, but Amy has been a constant guide to me in my Christian walk. I am so thankful that God selected me to be the man who became her husband. I love how she loves me and my daughters and how she loves the Lord. I think she would do just about anything to help someone understand how wonderful it is to have a personal relationship with the Lord.

I love you Amy!