We Are Family

I am blessed. I have an incredible wife and two perfect (well, most of the time) kids. They're on a three week trip to "Camp Grandmom & Papa." It's too quiet in this house. I'm getting alot done, except for the fact that the house is a disaster area. Erin, if you're reading this, don't panic, you won't be able to tell by the time you come home.

It's times like these that my visits with some of our older members take on different meaning. I spent a couple of hours with Mt. Bethel's resident patriarch on Saturday. He lost his wife in December. You can read about it on my old blog here. Johnny lives by himself now with only a cat for companionship most of the time and I can't imagine how deafening the silence must be. They were married in the 1940's and have always had family in and out of the house. Now, in the twilight of life, I admire his strength to face each day. He's still an important part of the church - he's got the most of anybody else to share with those he disciples.

My energy level is down. I'm lacking motivation to do some things and all I can attribute it to is not having a wife to kiss when I come in the door and a couple of kids to make sure I'm out of bed on time in the morning. There are times that I understand why John Wesley recommended that none of his preachers marry - I hate when my family gets dragged into the gory details of church life. These are not those times.

Cling to your family. They will be the ones that give you the strength to live the barbarian life. They are the reason that I do what I do with the zest that I do it with. I want my wife and kids to have the best experience with God possible and that requires a solid church family. I want my kids and everybody else's to have excitement about pursuing the Kingdom here and now and I don't want them to have to deal with the garbage that some Christians create in the community.

I always give thanks for my family, but these days I do it with an even deeper conviction. May my children have a family that pushes them to live a life of barbaric faith.

On a side note, I've added a feature to the blog that allows you to comment on my pictures. If you're reading this in a reader, you'll have to go to the site. Give it a shot. Tell me how perfect my kids are.