One Year Later

On June 13, 2009, Michelle and I entered into a marriage covenant between each other and God.

This is one decision that I will never regret. I can hardly believe that we have been married for one year. It has flown by, but I have enjoyed every single minute of it.

I'll admit it...I'm still on our honeymoon and I gladly rejoice in it! Tell me that this phase of life will end and I'll call that foolish. I believe people lose their "honeymoon feeling" because they stop working on their marriage.

My wife is worth fighting for when my time, my heart, my attention, my decisions and everything else gets tested by the world. Our marriage is worth fighting for just the same. (Note: Men...guard your marriage, your wife, and your heart from the world.)

I love my wife.

I love her more today than when I first understood that she was the one I was to marry. I know that sounds cliche and I have heard other people say it time and time again, but I understand it now. I cannot wait for our relationship to continue to grow in the years to come, Lord willing.

There she is...beaming with joy right before our wedding. Isn't she gorgeous? This is the woman I absolutely love. This is the woman who holds my heart.

Does it sound a bit too much for me to keep talking about my wife and how much I love and adore her? Absolutely not. I want you to know how I feel about her and how much I care about her.

As you probably already read, we are pregnant with our first child. We have already heard his or her heartbeat and he or she is about the size of an onion this coming week. We are extremely excited about this child and continue to pray for God's protection and provision for him or her.

There she is...pregnant and beautiful!

As I have stated in a previous post, "Now that I am going to be a daddy, I cannot wrap my head around Psalm 139:13-16. I mean, to talk about God knitting and forming a baby in the womb is one thing, but to actually see it in progress is completely different. I am truly amazed by the work of our great God!"

I am so very thankful for our marriage! I am thankful that the Lord has been providing for us so abundantly. We have truly seen God's faithfulness to us. Trust me, if you remain faithful to the Lord, His abundant grace and provisions will become apparent.

For us, He has provided everything right when we needed it. This reminds me of Matthew 6:25-33. Men, here's the key. Provide for your family, but above all, rely on the Lord and teach your family to trust Him. Remember that you will fail. But if you have taught your family to trust God in everything, their complete trust will not be rooted in man (you), but in God.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this summary from our first year of marriage. Michelle and I cannot wait see what all God has in store for us! We ask that you continue to pray for us as our child is due in November and as we continue to seek the Lord's guidance for the future.

Be encouraged!

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How To Recover From Failure

As a follow-up from my last post, how do you recover from failing to lead your family in a biblical way? To be honest, I have not been intentional with my family. I fail in leading my family in Bible study. I do not lead in talking about God and what He has been doing in our family. This is something that I am definitely working on. I am sure you probably feel this way or have felt this way at one point or another in your life. Feel free to share your heart.

Although we fail at leading our families at times, God grants us grace and His grace is sufficient. But that does not give us, as husbands, slack. We must constantly strive to lead our families and I believe that God will honor and bless our efforts. Our wives are begging for godly leadership and stability from us. Our children are in dire need for us to teach, lead and love them. Husband, do you love your wife enough to lead her and love her as Christ loves the church? Father, do you care for your children in a way that lets them see your love for them?

If your family does not feel love and leadership from you, they will find it somewhere else. They will find it in someone else. This is why wives are leaving their husbands and children are growing up in rebellion. (Note: Wives, please do not give up on your husbands! Pray for them! Show them your love and support!) It is time for us to stop being boys and begin living as mature and godly husbands and fathers. Begin by grounding yourself in the Word of God and by confessing your failure to your family. They will greatly appreciate your honesty and will begin to see your leadership at this point. Are you willing to recover from your failure or are you complacent to remain defeated?

How are you leading your family? Please share.

I recently heard this amazing song by Sanctus Real, "Lead Me." This song really convicted me about how I lead my family.



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It's Easy To Fail

I recently read this article by Justin Hyde, an Acts 29 pastor from Brenham, Texas. This is an article called "How I Pastor My Family" and it is DEFINITELY worth reading!

Men, I hope this article will challenge you to reevaluate your home and how you pastor your family. You may not be a pastor of a church, but as a follow of Christ, you are the leader (pastor) of your family.

Remember that failure will happen. Hyde reminds us that it is easy to fail and to fail often. He also says,

"Please know, I fail often. I need much grace. God has given me a forgiving wife and patient kids. Husbands/dads, this is the most important work you'll ever do, and it will have more impact than anything you could imagine. Wives/moms, encourage your man to lead; create conditions in which he can succeed. Couples, be patient and forgiving. Don't be short-sighted. Love well. And savor your time together."

Click the picture above to read the article and for photo credit.

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I'm REALLY a Daddy!!

Today, Michelle and I went to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time. Today, we met our baby. Wow...I am a daddy...I'm REALLY a daddy!! I use to think that I "will be a daddy" when the baby is born, but I fully believe that I am a daddy NOW! I am overwhelmed with this very thought! Our baby is alive and well! Praise God! Praise our Creator!

During our doctor visit, I was able to capture audio of our baby's heartbeat. In this video, you will hear LIFE. In this video, you will hear what I will continue to CHERISH for the rest of my life.

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Getting Ready: Parenthood

My wife is now 11 weeks along in her pregnancy. We are even more excited today than we were yesterday about our child! Now that I am going to be a daddy, I cannot wrap my head around Psalm 139:13-16. I mean, to talk about God knitting and forming a baby in the womb is one thing, but to actually see it in progress is completely different. I am truly amazed by the work of our great God!

This morning I read from a friend's blog that was really encouraging. He and his wife have a 3 month old little boy and they are such a great family. They have started a "New Parenting Series" on their website. If you are a parent or are expecting, please take a look at their website. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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Family on FIRE

Here is a great article from a church planting blog by Dustin Neeley of Louisville, Ky. Dustin is the pastor of Crossing Church where my wife and I serve. He has a heart for the proclamation of the Gospel as evidenced each week in his sermons. My wife and I are very thankful for his ministry and the ministry of Crossing.

Please click the photo to read this article:

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Just For Fun...

Okay, I ran across this SNL video the other day. It is a good laugh. Enjoy!



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