I found out just how much Hailey likes Toby Mac tonight. I feel I need to go ahead and lock her away until she is 30. Tonight, I am thankful for two older sons who will take care of any guys before I have to meet them when she becomes a teenager:
Conversations with a Four Year Old
Gavin asked why a nurse came to our house the other morning, so Nicki was explaining to both Gavin and Tristan that the nurse came to do different tests so we could increase our life insurance.
Here’s how the conversation went (paraphrased):
Nicki: “If daddy died, life insurance would help pay to bury him.”
Tristan: “We can bury daddy in the backyard and pack the dirt down real tight so no one would see him”
He says he learned it in school!
I am glad my family has big plans for me when I die. I think I may go ahead and make Tristan the executor of my will, it sounds as if he will be frugal with what little money I am able to leave behind. 🙂
Join the Conversation. Have you had any interesting conversations with your children lately?
Help Metro Ministries Win a New Roof!!!
I would like to introduce you to a church and ministry in the inner-city of West Baltimore. Their name is Charm City Church and their pastor is Mike Kemper. You won’t find him on Facebook or Twitter but the church does have a website (charmcitychurch.org). The church cannot support Mike full-time so he works a full-time job during the week, like me to pay the bills. There is one thing special about this church, their people love people and they are doing all they can to bring revolutionary compassion to those most people in society would consider unlovable, dirty, broken, addicts, unwanted……..I have known Mike and his family for years, they have been great friends to our family. He doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk and he walks the talk. He has a genuine love for the people of his hometown. He is driven by the gospel of Jesus to see their lives changed.
They have an amazing ministry called MetroKidz, led by Colleen Smith, where they weekly minister, mentor, and educate around 120 kids from one of the darkest and most crime-ridden areas of Baltimore City. I’ve personally visited their church and taken a missions trip to this area. I can’t describe it in a blog post, but I walked away about three years ago when Nicki and I went to visit and made a promise at that time that when we launched New Passion, Charm City Church would be part of our missions support. We’ve been able to do that over the last several months at $50 a month and because of the faithful giving of New Passion’s people, beginning in 2011, we are going to be able to increase that to $100 a month.
But, all of us have the opportunity to help them right now and it will cost you nothing!!! Go to this link (right now): http://greenroofgiveaway.com/nominees/nominee-detail/?nominee_id=32 and vote for their ministry to win a new roof (up to a $30,000 value) for their building. You can vote everyday until the contest is over and I hope you will do that! It is easy and free…so why are you still reading this? Go! You can find out more about their ministry and watch a video while you are there voting….Go, Go, Go!
Kids and Cameras: Meet Gavin
Nicki found these video clips from Gavin the other day on her digital camera. I combined the two for Gavin’s first episode of G TV. Apparently, when we are not around he feels liberated to video whatever is on his mind. This may be fun in years to come?! 🙂
Happy Birthday Gavin!!!
My little “oldest” son Gavin turns 6 years old today! I must say that I am extremely thankful to God for giving Gavin 6 healthy years of life, for protecting him in ways we’ve known (through a horrible car accident 3 years ago) and in ways that we will never know. I am thankful that the Lord has given Gavin abilities that some children do not have as well as gifts and passions such as art, soccer, and doing anything creative that comes to his mind.
I love my boy. I love how he thinks he is strong enough to beat me up, how he helps his younger brother Tristan, how he hugs me in the morning, before he goes to school, before he goes to bed, and just because. I love that his way of showing me love sometimes is a drawing or doing something out of his passions and gifts. I love to watch him get excited about something and watch his words get scrambled trying to explain what he’s excited about. I love his faith and purity in believing that Iron Man would answer his invite to his birthday party. I love to hear him pray at meals and before bed, especially when he prays for the “sick, the hungry, and the poor” – I think you could understand that I could go on and on all day about all the ways I love Gavin, so I’ll stop here, however…
I have to admit that as I think about Gavin turning 6, it is a little saddening to me as well. I use to hate hearing adults say, “It seems like it was yesterday…” But, the fact is, that is reality, especially once you become a parent. Time flies by, years literally seem like days, and as I reflect back on 6 years with Gavin, I realize that the next 6 years will be here in what seems like a few days. If I had my way, I would not let him grow up anymore. Even though children are challenging to raise, I don’t want to lose what I have with my son where he is now. I will no longer have a 5 year old Gavin, and reality stinks sometimes!
So while I am joyful for the life my child has been blessed with and who he is as a person…I am a little disappointed that I no longer have him at 5. Happy Birthday Gavin!!!