Happy 17th Birthday, Aidan!

Once again, it is a great joy to be celebrating a birthday for our second-born son, Aidan.  We rejoice in having Aidan as a part of our family and it is an incredible blessing to be seeing him grow in maturity and godly character.


Aidan,

We are delighted to be celebrating your 17th birthday and we are filled with joy as we reflect on the time that you have been a part of our family!  We praise the Lord for the work that He has done in you and through you as we have seen you grow in character and maturity.  It truly has been a great delight to see you be able to stand up and defend the truth of God's Word.  We appreciate your humor, your kind manner, your consistent care for others, and your willingness to contribute to our family discussions, particularly those discussions around the Word of God.

Aidan, we look to your future with great hope and we offer these truths to you to encourage you for the days, months, and years that are ahead of you:

• Rejoice in knowing that the Lord will complete the work that He has begun in you (Philippians 1:6)
• Rejoice with the knowledge that God has foreordained good works for you to accomplish and it is for these works that you have been created (Ephesians 2:10)
• Rejoice in the hope that God is working all things together for good to those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)
• Rejoice in knowing that you serve a risen Christ, Who is victorious and will place all things under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:25)
• Rejoice in being given the privilege of being called a child of God and that you will have the blessing of being able to see Christ as He is (1 John 3:1, 3)
• Rejoice in realizing that Christ who is in you is greater than the evil one who is in the world (1 John 4:4)

May these truths encourage your heart, fill you with gratitude, and spur you on to accomplish great things for the Lord!  We are indeed very grateful to be celebrating this birthday with you and consider it a great blessing to be your parents.

Happy birthday, Aidan!  We love you very much!

Love Always,

Dad and Mom

Happy Birthday, My Dear Jill!

"Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord." (Proverbs 18:22, KJV)

It is with great joy that we celebrate my dearly beloved bride's birthday.  Indeed marriage is a blessing and a godly wife is one of the greatest earthly gifts that God gives!  Marriage can be a great testimony of the power of the gospel since God has made it that marriage is an illustration of the relationship between Christ and the church (see Ephesians 5).  It is my sincere desire that as a couple we can be shining forth a godly example of this divine relationship.

Jill, I am very grateful that you are one of God's children and that we can be working together to seek first the kingdom of God.  I am blessed and encouraged by your consistency in proclaiming the truth of God's Word and I appreciate the questions that you bring about what you hear and read to ensure that we are thinking through these issues from a biblical perspective.  Your willingness to discuss these issues has helped all of us in our family (including me) to strive to look to Holy Scripture as the basis for our conclusions on each matter.

I pray that God will give you a very joyful birthday celebration, that you will feel very loved, honored, and blessed!  You are my dear and precious sweetheart!  Happy birthday, my love!

In Christ,

David

Happy 12th Birthday, Amara!

It is with great joy that we celebrate Amara's 12th birthday!  Over the past year, Amara has really grown up and is becoming a lovely young lady.  It is a blessing to be able to train Amara in the ways of the Lord and to see her grow and learn.

Amara,

Happy birthday!  We are indeed very grateful to the Lord that He has given you as a gift to our family and we praise God for allowing us the privilege of raising you as our dear daughter.  We have many joyful memories of the past with you and we look forward to the future knowing that the Lord has a plan and a purpose which includes giving you good works to accomplish that He has prepared in advance for you to do (Ephesians 2:10).  We love you, Amara, and we are committed to parenting you according to the truth of the Bible.

This year, we offer to you both a challenge and an encouragement in the following areas:

• Gratitude - In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we read the following words: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."  What powerful words that God has given to us by giving us direct insight into His will.  Remember that as you show and cultivate a heart of gratitude, you will be walking in a way that is consistent with God's will.

• Humility - The Bible teaches us the dangers of pride and the blessings of humility.  This principle is so important that God Himself will be opposing those that are prideful and giving grace to those that are humble.  Therefore, our encouragement to you is to follow the biblical admonition to "be clothed with humility." (1 Peter 5:5)

• Diligence -  It is of critical importance that you be working hard and that you have an affection for work.  Without diligence, what you do will be of limited effectiveness and will have limited lasting impact.  The Bible teaches that we should observe the ways of the ant and emulate the model of diligence.  In Proverbs 6:6-8, we read: "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest."  Notice how the diligence of the ant is not based on having someone or something else to prod it along.  Learn from the ant, follow after her ways, and you will be wise.

• Servanthood - Service to others is a great gift that you can give to them and can provide you with joy and fulfillment unlike other activities.  View it as a privilege to serve others and look for opportunities to be able to bless those around you in this way.  If you keep your eyes open and have a heart to serve, you will be able to have many different ways that you can be a servant--not only in the future, but also right now.  Galatians 5:13 says: "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."

If you strive to grow in each of these areas and commit them to the Lord asking for His help, you will become more godly and righteous with each passing day.  In this growth, you will be blessed and you will have a great influence on others, spurring them on toward love and good deeds through your example.

Happy birthday, Amara!  We love you very much!

Love Always,

Dad and Mom

Happy 4th Birthday, Tirzah!

It is such a blessing to be able to celebrate the birthdays of each of those in our family!  As the Bible teaches, children are an heritage of the Lord (Psalm 127:3) and we are filled with joy that God has given us the reward of the fruit of the womb.  Birthdays are a great time to look back with gratitude at God's gift and to look ahead with great hope trusting in God's sovereign plan.  This post is in honor of our dear daughter Tirzah for her 4th birthday.

Tirzah,

Happy birthday to you!  We are so very grateful that you are a part of our family.  God has given us a great blessing by giving you as our daughter and we are so excited to be able to celebrate your 4th birthday.  In many ways, it is hard to believe that 4 years have past since we were first able to gaze upon how God knit you together in the womb and to be able to first hold you in our arms.  You are growing up so quickly and it is a real blessing to see you learning and maturing day by day.  We are committed to raising you up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and it is our prayer that you will be a faithful daughter of the Lord Jesus Christ all the days of your life.

Always remember the importance of obedience and honor. Those two critical qualities are a tremendous key to being a godly girl and woman. The Bible states: "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord." (Colossians 3:20, KJV) Every time that you obey Mom and Dad, you are pleasing God. Think about that--you please God by your obedience!  We hope that knowing that God is pleased will encourage you all the more to be joyfully obedient.  Honor is another way in which you can live in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. One of the passages in God's Word about honor states: "Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." (Ephesians 6:2-3, KJV)  What an incredible promise God attaches to this commandment of honor and that promise is indeed one that we pray you will know.  The two qualities of obedience and honor will provide you with a great foundation to live a godly life that will be pleasing to God and a blessing to others.

Tirzah, we love you very much!  May celebrating your birthday this year be a very joyful and special memory to you for many years to come!  Happy birthday!

Love Always,

Daddy and Mommy

Happy 19th Birthday, Jordan!

It is with a joyful heart that we provide this post in honor of Jordan for his 19th birthday!

Jordan,

Happy birthday to you!  It is a great blessing to see you walking in the truth.  You have shown yourself to be a man of keen discernment and we are grateful to see God's sanctifying work alive within you.  We are very blessed and honored to be your parents and our prayer is that God will use you in a great and mighty way for His kingdom purposes.  We know that God has prepared good works for you to accomplish and ordained that you should walk in those works (Ephesians 2:10).  The specific works are not just in the future, but include works that are now!  Every act that is making manifest the reign of Christ is a good work and includes the treatment of your siblings, the service to those around you, the giving to others, and the discussions about the application of God's Word to every area of life.   May this truth be a great source of encouragement and hope to you as you strive to live a life of faithful obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jordan, thank you for all that you contribute to the life and health of our family!  Thank you for being a blessing to us all with your humor, your conversation, your willingness to work, and your desire to think through every situation biblically.  May the Lord bless you with a very fruitful, productive year and may you be growing in Christ-like character day by day.

Happy birthday, Jordan!  We love you very much!

Love Always,

Dad and Mom