As I write these thoughts, I am flying home from Seattle where our youngest son, Matthew, was just married. My heart is thrilled to think of how God has blessed him with a new bride. I am excited to know that they are going to serve the Lord with their lives in the days ahead.

While I am glad that each of our four children is married to a godly spouse, I must admit I am a little sad at the passing of time. As I look back over the years of raising our children, I certainly can think of areas in which we could have done better. But I also thank the Lord that our four children went to the wedding altar in purity and with a dedication for the Lord Jesus Christ.

When I was thinking about why I should be glad, twenty-three reasons came to my mind: (more…)

Today our family celebrated Matthew and Katie’s marriage in Seattle, Washington (see photos). Matthew is our fourth and youngest child, and he means so much to Terrie and me. We’re thankful for His growth in the Lord and heart for the Lord’s work.

Matt met Katie during their first year at West Coast Baptist College, and they began dating several weeks later. It’s been a joy to see their relationship grow, and I know the Lord will use them mightily. (more…)

This week was filled with unexpected challenges. Although these challenges were unexpected by us, they were, of course, known to our sovereign and loving God.

Our son, Larry, preached a powerful message at Coastline Baptist Church Sunday morning, where my brother Steve pastors. After the service, Larry became extremely ill and for the next thirty-six hours was in intense pain. After meeting with the doctors, they felt that Larry would need to have emergency surgery for what appeared to be an obstruction in his bowels, perhaps related to his previous surgeries.

We made the very difficult drive back down to Los Angeles to one of the major hospitals of our HMO. After spending twelve or thirteen hours in the emergency room, we met with surgeons, and through various therapies, they were able to avert the need for emergency surgery. (more…)

With a living room full of cheerleaders, my grandson Camden achieved his first crawl this week. For the past several weeks, he’s enjoyed partial mobility by scooting himself along army-style. But with lots of motivating encouragement, he finally learned to tuck his leg under and mustered the strength to push himself forward. And he is currently the family hero.

As I watched him work on that first crawl with obvious enjoyment for the praise, I wondered—what if every new Christian had a group of godly cheerleaders rooting for his spiritual progress? (more…)

The last few weeks have been memorable and enjoyable as our family was able to take a few weeks vacation together. Most of our trip was centered around visiting with family and extended family in Colorado. The chief attraction of this vacation for me was my grandson Camden! (Click here to see a few more vacation photos.)

Having Camden with us reminded me of how quickly time flies. It seems just yesterday that our own children were his age. It was a joy these past couple of weeks to have all four of our children and their spouses with us. I can wholeheartedly echo the words of Proverbs 23:24: “The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.”

Terrie and I thank the Lord for each of our children, and we rejoice in their hearts for the Lord. Our three oldest children who are married are serving the Lord in the ministry. Our youngest son Matthew is preparing to be married this August. He and Katie look forward to serving in ministry together.

I don’t regret any time I’ve invested in my children, and I cherish every moment I’ve been able to spend with my wife. My family is a great treasure from the Lord, and I’m so thankful for every moment I’ve shared with each of them.