Tissue? Crybaby...

Don't be a wimp. Be a man.



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It's The Dad Life

This is too funny...



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It's a GIRL!

This past Tuesday, we had our first sonogram. Going into the appointment, we were really nervous and praying for a healthy baby. And praise the Lord, we will be having a healthy baby girl! Here's her first pictures:

It has been fun to hear everyone give their predictions, but I "knew" we were going to have a girl. Just kidding. Above all the predictions, God is the One who gives and does so graciously and abundantly! And we are extremely excited to see what all God has in store for our family! More so, we are excited to be the recipients of God's grace and favor.

When we saw all the images and movements of our baby girl, we couldn't help but cry. I cannot express the joy we are experiencing right now. We are having a baby girl!

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How Do You Find Joy In Serving?

Biblical Answer: God wants you to serve your wife. As Christ has loved the church so we are to love our wives (Ephesians 5:25). A way to lead her and love her immensely is by serving her.

Since finding out 4 months ago that my wife is pregnant, I have had to put some things in my life on hold in order to help her and take care of her. For you guys who do not understand what I am talking about, along with being pregnant comes nausea, fatigue, loss/change of appetite, loss of sleep and the list goes on. There has been a change of pace around our home. Having said that, how do you find joy in dropping what appears to be a list of important tasks in order to care for someone else, namely your wife?

As godly men, we are called to be good stewards of all that He has given to us. This includes our wives. We must understand, first and foremost, that our wives belong to God. With that, you and I have the biblical responsibility to care for our wives by leading them in a way that honors and pleases the Lord. Because serving is biblical, we are to lead our God-given wives by serving them. Lead by serving.

But how do we actually do that?? How about something as simple as...doing things without complaining? Or...helping with something that she would not normally expect you to help with, like the dishes. Better yet...tell her to go relax while you take care of the kids or cook a meal or clean the house. Do something that will bless her!

Also, reevaluate your relationship with your wife. How are you doing with loving her? Does she know that you still love her? When was the last time you told her? When was the last time you showed her? I am extremely thankful that I can show my love instead of just telling my wife that I love her. Love is not just a feeling/thought/idea, but rather, it is an action verb! Love does not sit still, but instead, it DOES SOMETHING. My wife hears it and sees it. She fully knows that she is loved by me. She fully knows that she is taken care of by me. I have the desire to serve my wife. Do you?

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to serve my wife. We babysat for some friends of ours and while there, Michelle passed out. She was taking a nap on the couch and jumped up when the doorbell rang. With this increased blood flow in her body, she passed out. On the way home, she threw up and did so later that Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, she was sick most of the day on Saturday and some of the day on Sunday. We were not sure if this was due to her pregnancy or her having a stomach bug. During this time, I had to drop everything that I wanted to do in order to cook, clean and buy groceries for her. This gave her the time that she needed to relax and recuperate. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to serve my wife!

Sometimes it may be hard to know how to serve your wife. The main gist of this article is the need for men to have a servant's heart when it comes to interacting with their wives. Make sure she knows that you are willing to help her in the home and outside the home (kids going crazy in public). This is such a huge support structure for your marriage and your relationship with your wife.

Jesus gave us the greatest example of a servant's heart in John 13:1-17. In particular, verse 17 struck me as the key to the servant's heart. You can know all about serving and how to do so, but until you sacrifice to serve someone, you'll have a hard time grasping it. What are you giving up in order to serve?

Does it humble a man to serve his wife? Yes, but didn't the King of Glory humble himself and take on the form of a man in order to be the Suffering Servant found in Isaiah 53? Since Jesus left the glories of heaven to have a servant's heart, is it too much to ask of a husband to serve his wife?

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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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