I just spent the last three hours with the Sherri and “The Ladies”. We had lunch and then played in the pool! Now everyone’s sleeping… everyone but me! 🙂

I love being “Husband” to Sherri and “Daddy” to “The Ladies.”

There are a few things I want for my children:

• I want them to love God. If I spend my life in ministry and lose my kids, and/or my wife… I’m a failure. My first ministry group is my family. I love it when my little ladies raise their hands in worship or when they want to pray. I love it when they want to sing to Jesus. This is my number one goal for my family. (see Deuteronomy 6:4-9 for some ideas about how to accomplish this)

• I want them to love the church. I want my family to love the church. I do not want them to have bad memories of church. I want them to know the power of Jesus to change lives and I want them to see life-change as normative in the church. If my children are not involved in ministry (and they do not have to be to make me proud) I still want them to be the best servers, and leaders in the church that they attend.

• I want them to be a lady like their mom. I do not expect that they will be like her in every respect, but I do pray, hope, and train for the expectation that they will model certain characteristics of Sherri such as a deep love for God and the church; a gracious heart; a strong faith; a strong work-ethic; wisdom and intuition; a sense of values and priorities; a deep love for her husband; etc.

• I want them to marry a man like me. OK, before you misunderstand and call me a pompous jerk, let me explain. I want my girls to marry a man like the one I want to be: a man of strong faith; deep determination; gracious; gentle; a gentleman (I still open the door for my bride… and I will until the day I die); a helper in life; a good provider; a friend to their mother; a servant of God and lover of people; an encourager; etc.

As we prepare for this BIG move in our lives I am fully aware that I have a beautiful woman at my side and three, soon to be four, little girls at my legs!

There are a lot of things about the future that I do not know, but the above things I do know and, by the grace of God, I will not fail to achieve them.