Tirzah's 6th Birthday: A Photo Shoot

First off, I have to tell you that I really enjoy taking pictures. I've done nature, mostly. But I wanted to photograph people as well, so, since my little sister's birthday is coming up on the 10th of this month (that makes a good excuse), I asked her to be my model. Of course, she said yes.

Here are the pictures of the birthday girl, Tirzah:

She's getting to be such a lady! 

Happy birthday, Tirzah!

In Christ,

Amara Jachim

Happy 18th Birthday, Aidan!

It is a great joy and privilege to have recently celebrated Aidan's 18th birthday!  We are very blessed to have Aidan as a part of our family and we would like to honor him with this belated birthday post.

Aidan,

Happy birthday to you!  It is a blessing to have you as our son and we were very grateful to have recently celebrated your 18th birthday.  We have been very thankful to the Lord for the growth that you have shown over the past year and we look forward to seeing the plans that God has for you in the future.

Aidan, we see a number of interesting skills and talents developing within you that we see could provide many potential options for the future path that the Lord will lead you.  Wherever God will direct you, remember that your duty and privilege is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).  We see in you a sensitivity to right and wrong which will serve you well for a lifetime provided that you continue to be consistently obedient to all that the Lord reveals to you.  We have observed a great eye for artistic and graphic design, which you have already used to create some absolutely top-notch things (such as numerous fantastic drawings and the very well designed web-site for Through All Ages).  Your biblical knowledge and theological insights have added a great deal to our family Bible time and our nightly dinner conversations.  Your musical talent and your dedication to developing that talent over such a short time has been a great blessing to us.  In looking at these specific strengths, we look forward with great hope to see God's direction for you and the good works that God has prepared for you in advance to accomplish.

As you go through the following year, focus your mind on these items to spur you on to great growth and Christian maturity:

• Live in the fear of the Lord - The Bible teaches us that "blessed is the man that feareth the Lord that delighteth greatly in his commandments." (Psalm 112:1)

• Live with a heart of gratitude - One of the marks of a disciple of the Lord is living a life that is filled with thankfulness, as we are taught in Psalm 100: "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." (v. 4)

• Live in a holy manner - As a believer in God, you are called to live holy and righteous each day in every task that is before you.  "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." (1 Thessalonians 4:7)

• Live with great hope knowing that the Lord is sovereign - We serve a God of hope Who is in control of all things and has promised that He will work all things for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." (Romans 15:13)

• Live joyfully - One of the greatest testimonies to the world around you, where there are so many that are filled with bitterness, wrath, and unending anger is to manifest the fruit of joy.  "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." (Philippians 4:9)

• Live victoriously - Know that you have the power of the Holy Spirit living within you and that as a result of this third person of the Trinity, "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

We are indeed very grateful and blessed to have you as our son!  May you be encouraged and spurred on as we honor you this day and may you always know that you are very dearly loved!

Happy Birthday, Aidan!

Love Always,

Dad and Mom

Happy Birthday, My Beloved Jill!

This post is for belated birthday blessings (her birthday was October 1) to my dearly beloved bride and my precious help-meet Jill!

Jill,

I love you very much and I extend joyful birthday blessings from the depths of my heart!  I thank the Lord for your genuine Christian commitment, your willingness to homeschool our children, your faithful care for our family, and your desire to live in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord and consistent with His Word.

It is my earnest prayer that our relationship as husband and wife would be a great picture of the message of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ as is so beautifully illustrated in Ephesians 5.  May the people that are around us be able to look at our lives and see our love for one another and as a result see the power of the God whom we serve.

You are indeed very precious to me and I am grateful for all of the blessed memories that we have together, including how we have matured in the grace of our Lord together through our time together as a married couple.  I pray that God will fill your coming year with overflowing joy, unparalleled peace, and steady growth in righteousness.

I love you dearly and pray that the Lord will make His face shine upon you brightly.  Happy birthday, my dear Jill!

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil." (Proverbs 31:10-11)

Forever Yours,

David

Happy 5th Birthday, Tirzah!

Tirzah at her birthday party--excited to start opening presents!

Our dear daughter, Tirzah, recently had her 5th birthday!  What a delight to have watched Tirzah grow over these past 5 years since her birth.  We are very grateful and blessed to have her as a part of our family and it is with joy that we provide this birthday post to honor her.

Tirzah,

Happy 5th birthday, my dear and precious daughter!  I am so happy to be your Daddy and I am so glad that God has given you to this family.  You are a great blessing from the Lord and you are truly a gift from God.  It has been exciting to see you grow and develop over these past 5 years.  When we brought you home from the hospital as a newborn baby, you couldn't walk, talk, feed yourself, or hold up your head.  But now you can do all of these things and so much more--like write the letters of the alphabet, spell your name, and say Bible verses from memory.  I am so very pleased when we are reading God's Word as a family and you remember something from one of the Bible books that you have.  It is a blessing when you run off to get that book so that you can show us all how your book is telling about the same events and people that we are studying.

The Bible is so very important and is the most important book that has ever been written or that ever will be written.  It is the only book that God wrote.  Always remember that the Bible is true and everything that it teaches is right!  There will be people that try to tell you that the Bible is wrong about this or that--but it is the people that have it wrong and not the Bible.  The Bible is perfect, just like God is perfect.

I know that God has a plan for you since the Bible tells us that God is in control of all things and will use all things for His purpose.  I am very excited about the future that God has for you and I look forward to training and teaching you day by day from Holy Scripture.  I pray that God will save you from an early age, that you will love Him wholeheartedly for your entire life, and that you will joyfully serve Him in everything you do.

I love you, Tirzah!  I hope that my love for you will be a good reflection of the love of God and that you will be able to more easily know the character of God through my example.  I love you very much, Tirzah, and I am committed to being a godly influence on you.

Happy 5th birthday, Tirzah!

Love Always,

Daddy

Happy 20th Birthday, Jordan!

Jordan with his birthday cake made like a root beer float--complete with straw!

We recently celebrated a very joyful and blessed time as Jordan turned 20 years old!  It is amazing that it has really been 20 years since we first set eyes upon him after he was delivered safely into this world by the hand of God at 11:41 A.M. on June 21, 1994.  Jordan has been a gift from the Lord and it has been a great privilege, as well as a tremendous responsibility, to be his parents entrusted to train him according to the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Jordan,

Happy 20th birthday, our son!  Our hearts are filled with gratitude to God Almighty for bringing you into this family and we have great hope for the future that our Lord has planned for you.  We pray for God's hand of blessing to be upon you and we are excited about the good works that God has before ordained for you to accomplish (Ephesians 2:10).  We are petitioning that the Lord will use your recently opened historical poster and postcard business for the building up of His church and for bringing honor and glory to the King of kings.

As we look back on the 20 years that we have had you as a part of our family, we thank the Lord for this time.  You have added a great deal to our home with your interests in history, geography, and theology.  God has indeed given you many gifts and talents, which have become more and more evident as the days, months, and years have progressed.  We have many fond memories of watching you develop into manhood and consider it a great treasure that God has allowed us to be your parents.  As our mind scans through the years from your birth until today, there is indeed a joyful pantheon of times, places, and events involving you.  From your probing questions to your sharp wit to your well-studied responses, we have benefitted from them all.  For the ways in which God has used you in our family, we are indeed very thankful.

As we look ahead to the future, we are excited since we know that the Lord is in control of all things and will be working things for His glory and for your good.  If you will faithfully serve the Lord all of your days, you will be blessed.  With that in mind, we charge you with growing and developing the following character qualities in greater and greater measure:

• Godliness - This quality is absolutely foundational for living a life that is pleasing to the Lord and will be the bedrock upon which the remaining characteristics will be built.  In 1 Timothy 4:8, we read that "godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." (emphasis added)

• Humility - The Bible teaches that God will oppose the proud, but give grace to the humble (James 4:6). Pride is an ugly dragon that must be slain in order to have God's grace upon you.  Battle diligently against the attacks of this formidable adversary.

• Servanthood - Just as Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45), you too should live a life of service to others.  Those that live for themselves are those that are the most miserable, but those who are willing to serve will be the most joyful and fulfilled.  Be among those who serve with enthusiasm and gladness.

• Wisdom - The book of Proverbs is consistently brimming over with the importance of gaining in wisdom.  It is this attribute that is more valuable than rubies (Proverbs 8:11) and is referred to as the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7).  It is wisdom that results in proper application of the teaching of Scripture to the life situations that you face day by day.

• Love - With Christ as your model, you should show a love for God and a love for others.  Your love for God should be shown by your obedience to Him (John 14:15) and your delight in His commandments (Psalm 119:47).  Your love for others should extend not only to those that you like, but also to your enemies (Matthew 5:44).  That kind of love should keep you dependent upon God, Who is the Only One that can supply something that is so counter to our own sinful nature.

May this brief list of character qualities be a help to you in encouraging you in a path of righteousness and may you live a joyful, productive, and consistent life that will cause others to glorify God based on your good works (Matthew 5:16).

Happy Birthday, Jordan!  We love you dearly!

Love Always,

Dad and Mom

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 16th Birthday, Aidan!

Today is Aidan's 16th birthday!  It is with great gratitude to the Lord that we remember the past 16 years of the life of our son, starting with the date of his birth whereby we joyfully welcomed him into our arms and were able to look into his face for the very first time.  As we celebrate this occasion, we are not only filled with gratitude for the past 16 years, but we are also filled with tremendous hope for the future.  We look forward to seeing the coming days unfold, knowing that the Lord God has a plan and a purpose for those days, including the foreordaining of good works for Aidan to accomplish.

Aidan, we are very blessed to have you as a part of our family and we praise the Lord for the work that He has done in your life.  We are most grateful that our blessed Redeemer has regenerated you by including you among His elect.  In addition to this foundation of your salvation, we give thanks to God for the work that He has done in progressively conforming you to the image of Christ.  It is a great joy to see you walking in the truth and we pray that you will continue this journey of continual sanctification by always striving to take every thought, word, and deed captive to the obedience of Christ.

It is a blessing from Almighty God to be able to raise you as our son and we will strive to continue to raise you in the nurture and admonition of the Lord to the very best of our ability by the grace of God.  We place before you the following Scripture passage as a challenge and an inspiration:

Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.  Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.  Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.  Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.  She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. (Proverbs 4:5-9, KJV)

As you strive to be consistently obedient to this important teaching about seeking wisdom, you have some great and precious blessings that God will grant you - including being preserved, promoted, honored, and being given grace and glory.  We pray that you will be diligent in striving to get wisdom and that as you do so, may you give praise and honor to the Lord as He provides you with the blessings that He has promised.

Happy Birthday, Aidan!  We love you very much!

Love Always,

Dad and Mom

Happy 11th Birthday, Amara!

We are very grateful to the Lord for His precious gift of children!  As the Bible teaches, children are a heritage and the fruit of the womb is His reward (Psalm 127:3).  Birthdays are a great time to be praising the Lord for this great blessing.  Today is Amara's 11th birthday and we are filled with gratitude that God has given us this special daughter to raise in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Amara,

Happy Birthday, our dear daughter!  We are very blessed to have you as a part of our family and we give thanks to the Lord for His gift of you.  You have grown a lot over the past year and that growth has been both in physical stature and in godly character.  We are so pleased to see how you have grown and we are very excited about the future plans that God has for you.

Our challenge to you is to continue to read, study, memorize, and apply the truth of God's Word.  The Bible is sufficient for every area of life and as you diligently seek to understand what is contained in the Scriptures, God will give you the gift of His wisdom.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and there is no better way to have the appropriate fear of Him that is perfectly righteous and holy than to know Him through what He has revealed about Himself in the Bible.

Amara, we love you dearly and are grateful to have you as our daughter!  We are committed to train you up to be a Proverbs 31 woman and are delighted to be helping you along this path of godly womanhood.  Happy birthday, Amara!  Our prayer is that today will be a blessing to you, that you will know that we as your parents will love you dearly, that you will live in joyful obedience to the Word of God, and that you will know God's favor as you live a life that demonstrates that you are a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Love Always,

Dad and Mom

Happy 3rd Birthday, Tirzah!

Today is very special day in the life of our family as it is the day that Tirzah turns 3 years old!  These past 3 years have been filled with both joys and challenges as we seek to raise up Tirzah in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  We praise the Lord for her birth and her life and consider it an incredible privilege to be given this special assignment from God to raise her in a godly, Christian home.


Tirzah,

Happy birthday to you!  We are so grateful to God that He provided you as a gift to this family.  We are very blessed to have you as our daughter and are committed to teaching you according to the standard of Holy Scripture.  Tirzah, we love you very much.  Our prayer for you is that you will be a godly girl and grow into godly womanhood.

Tirzah, you are a constant reminder to us of God's mercy as we had been diligently praying that God would add a new child to our family.  In God's plan, He answered that prayer by sending you into our household!  Indeed, God showed us His mercy through your conception, healthy pregnancy, safe delivery, and your growth in knowledge and stature over these past 3 years.  We are excited about what God has planned for you in the future and how you will fit into His overall sovereign plan.

It is critical that you follow the Lord Jesus Christ and we will continue to teach you about Him day by day.  It is only because of Christ that we have anything - for in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).  Not only does Jesus give us life, but it is only by repenting of sin and trusting in the work of Christ on the cross that you can have eternal life.  We will make certain that you understand this truth about salvation and will be praying that God will open your eyes to your need for a Savior and that He will bring the work of regeneration in your heart.

We love you, Tirzah!  Happy birthday, our precious, dear daughter!

Love Always,

Dad and Mom

Happy 18th Birthday, Jordan!

It is with great joy in our hearts and a blessed hope for the future that we celebrate the birth of our first-born son, Jordan.  This year is a special milestone as Jordan turns 18.  It is an excellent time to reflect on the past looking at how Jordan has been a blessing from the Lord and to look forward to the future looking at what God will be doing in and through Jordan in the coming years.

Jordan,

We are so very grateful that our heavenly Father has given you to be our son.  We are filled with incredible gratitude for the work that He has done within you - especially over the past few years where we have seen you grow and mature in godly, Christ-like character.  You have been a man that has shown himself to take responsibility, has demonstrated a strong work ethic, is correctly dividing the Word of Truth in a consistent manner, and has solid convictions for which you are willing to stand.  We praise the Lord for the work that He has done in your life over these past 18 years and are very privileged to be your parents!

We have a joyful anticipation of what the Lord has planned for you in the future.  Your strong interest and growth in theology will serve as a firm foundation on which you will be able to build.  Your passion for history will be a great asset as you are able to look at the events of the past and see the providential work that God has accomplished for His specific purposes.  We are excited to see how the Lord will weave your gifts, talents, interests, and passions in a dynamic life work for His honor and glory.

Our charge to you is that you not allow yourself to be conformed to this world, but that you daily be transformed in the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).  This renewal will come through the consistent intake of Scripture and focusing your thoughts, words, and actions on the truth that the Lord has provided in His Word.  The Bible is sufficient for every area of life and it will serve you well insofar as you know its teaching, rightly interpret its meaning, and faithfully apply its precepts, patterns, and principles.

Jordan, we love you very much and thank the Lord for the gift that He has given us in you!  Happy 18th Birthday, Jordan!

Love Always,

Dad and Mom

Aidan Becomes Certified!

What can one accomplish with hard work, lots of perseverance, and the blessing of the Lord? Anything, of course! Aidan took a terrific online computer course last summer from ITonRamp called Home Track (Computer Essentials) and really enjoyed it. He was interested in taking a more difficult class: A+ Track. We were nervous--it was going to be a big commitment. But he was willing to work at it, so he began that class last September.

I quickly realized that "big" commitment was turning into "HUGE" commitment, and I rearranged his schedule accordingly. He finished the class in December, and studied and studied for the next 2 months. At that point he felt he was ready to take his certification tests.

All went well, he passed the tests with flying colors (he said he was relieved to discover the tests were easier than he was expecting), and so now Aidan is officially CompTIA A+ Certified!

{Amara made him this cake as a surprise while he was gone taking his tests! We also made a quick sign we attached to the door to see before he even walked in!}

We are understandably proud of Aidan, not only for becoming certified, but for showing himself to be a man in disciplining himself to study--even the times when he would have rather been doing something else.

He also had the wonderful opportunity to meet his instructor, Nathan Maxwell, in person when we went to the Family Economics Conference in March. He had been hoping to meet him since we knew the Maxwell family would be there, but we weren't sure if Nathan would be there as well. We were so excited when we saw him sitting with his family during the conference. Aidan was able to speak with him a few different times and when we were able to chat with him at their book tables, we snapped these pictures (yes, I'm posting both because they were both such good pictures that I could not choose between them!) Sarah also took pictures for the Maxwell family's blog. You can see Aidan there (count down to pics 17 and 20 to see David and Jordan talking with Nathan {also pic 19 has Aidan just barely in the pic on the left}; pic 26 to see Aidan and Nathan).

And yes, we highly recommend the ITonRAMP courses for anyone interested in them. They offer the ones Aidan took, as well as Website Design.

~J

Happy 22nd Anniversary, My Dear!!

Today is our 22nd wedding anniversary and as I (David) survey what has happened from the time that we got married, my heart is filled with gratitude!

Jill,

I am grateful that you are a woman of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and are seeking to grow in your walk with Him day by day! I am so thankful that I have had you with me during times of joy, as well as times of sorrow. I greatly appreciate your loyalty and your willingness to stand by my side. As I look to the past, I have great thanksgiving in my heart for you.

In looking to the future, I have great hope! I have the hope that we will continue our journey of faith together. I have hope that we will be diligently working to raise up a godly seed for the honor and glory of Christ. I have hope knowing that we serve a God Who has prepared good works for us to accomplish and that He is able to carry them out through us.

You are my dearly beloved bride. I pray that God will continue to work in us and that He will use us mightily in His work that He is doing here on this earth.

Happy Anniversary, my sweetheart!

Happy 15th Birthday, Aidan!!

Seeing our children grow in godly maturity is one of the greatest blessings that God provides to us on this earth! Birthdays are a great time to reflect on the growth that we see in our children and offer praise to the Lord for that growth.

Happy Birthday, Aidan! We are so grateful to see you growing and maturing in godliness. We see that you are becoming increasingly responsible and other-centered. The future is full of great hope knowing that God has a plan and a purpose that He is working to accomplish - including using you in good works that He has prepared for you in advance (Ephesians 2:10).

Aidan, we are blessed to celebrate your birthday, which is a celebration of your life and God's grace working in and through you. Our prayer for you is that you will continue to grow, learn, and mature into the man that God has called you to be. We are committed to helping you in that process by discipling you along the way and by helping you develop godly character.

Aidan, we love you very much and are filled with gratitude that God has allowed us the privilege of being your parents. We will always strive to show our love for you and seek what is best for you. We will pray for God's blessing on you and that with that blessing you will be fruitful and productive for His kingdom work.

Happy 15th Birthday, Aidan!

Celebrating Jordan's Faithful Sonship and Manhood! (Part 5 - Final)

This is the final part of the letter celebrating Jordan's entrance into manhood, concluding with the last gift categories that we selected and our excitement and commitment as his parents to helping him in his future! It was indeed a very special and very blessed evening together as a family and one that we pray will be etched into Jordan's mind giving him joyful inspiration for the coming days, weeks, months, and years.

• Forging Your Character – In this special category will be resources that will be helpful in the development of godly character in your life. The gifts that are a part of this category will be books, teaching videos, and audio resources that will be challenging your thinking to build the foundation of your life on God’s perfect and inerrant Word. These resources will help you take every thought captive to the lordship of Christ and will serve as a starting point for your family library so that you can pass on the knowledge and wisdom that you gain to your own children.

• Planning for Your Future Family – The future is filled with great hope because we serve a God who is the giver of that hope. One of the greatest gifts that God provides on this earth is the gift of family. Our hearts are continually filled with gratitude that God has allowed us to raise you in accordance with the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. We are praying for your future family—that you will be blessed with a beloved help-meet who will be unified with you in purpose and that you will be blessed with the treasure of children. The Bible teaches that a good wife is worth far above rubies and that children are a heritage, a gift, and a blessing. The gifts in this category will be targeted toward helping you in your role as a husband and father, as well as blessing those that will become a part of your future household.

• Blessing Your Faithfulness – A faithful, covenant keeping child will be blessed by the Lord in many ways. As you are obedient to God’s commands, you will know His favor. This does not necessarily mean that you will be given an easy road to travel or that everything will always follow the course that you desire. However, you can always maintain the perspective that God will work all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Being a child of His, you are included in that promise! We pray that these gifts will be a great treasure, will be a continual reminder of the blessing that results from faithfulness, and will give you a tangible reminder to share with the next generation of the favor that you receive from living a life that is dedicated to the principles of the Bible.

We love you very much, Jordan! We are grateful that God has allowed us to be your parents, we rejoice in you entering into manhood, and we are very excited to be helping you plan and prepare for the future! May you live by the verse that we have chosen to be etched onto the plaque for the special Captain’s Trunk that we joyfully selected for this very special and memorable occasion:

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

(Proverbs 24:3-4, NIV)

Pursue wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in the fear of the Lord and you, as well as your household, will be blessed!

Love Always,

Dad and Mom

Celebrating Jordan's Faithful Sonship and Manhood! (Part 4)

After the challenges that we gave to Jordan, we provided him with special gifts all carefully selected for their significance and their fulfillment of specific categories that we had decided would be important for Jordan's future. This post contains a part of those gifts.

With this celebration, we have selected many special gifts for you—gifts that will aid you in preparing for and establishing your own household. This celebration is more than a single, one-time event since we plan to give you additional presents in the coming years in the particular categories that we will outline today—provided that you will be a faithful, covenant-keeping son. It is not the intent that each year will have a representative from each category—but that every year there will be a significant addition to one or more of these groups. Each of the areas that these classes represent will play a very important role in you being a godly, righteous, and holy man. Here are the categories that we have selected for helping you in establishing your future household:

• Saving for Your Future – To start and maintain a household, you will need financial resources. Let us remind you that everything that you have is a gift from God, that He is Jehovah Jirah providing for our every need, and that our future is in His hands. Do not allow the savings for the future become your security. At the same time, it is important to be planning for the days that are to come, which will include monetary savings. Your role as the provider for those whom the Lord will graciously give to you is a great privilege and responsibility. To help you, we will be providing you with financial gifts that are intended to serve as an assistance in your saving for the future—for both yourself and for your own family.

• Building Your Home –A home is a big investment in terms of the finances required and the time that is needed for its upkeep. The home should be a place of industry, education, hospitality, and ministry to others. In order to establish and sustain housing for yourself and your family, you will need to have tools. These tools include construction tools, as well as aids that will be used in caring for and maintaining the dwelling for which you will be primarily responsible.

• Remembering Your Heritage – Everyone has a heritage and it is our prayer that you will have a godly legacy on which to build for your future and the future of your family. Our heritage is filled with the work and the providence of Almighty God and this category will be reminding you of the family history that is a part of your past. May you be filled with gratitude as you reflect on your heritage and may the gifts that are in this category serve as reminders to you of how you are an heir to the past, as well as the importance of passing on the legacy of faithfulness to the generations that are yet to be born.

Celebrating Jordan's Faithful Sonship and Manhood! (Part 3)

After the introduction that was posted in part 2, the letter went on to give Jordan a set of challenges for his life. Here is the list of those challenges, which are intended to encourage and inspire Jordan now and in the future:

While the future is one that is filled with hope and promise, it is also filled with much work and will require a persevering spirit in order to succeed. To assist you in your journey we have the following challenges for you to strive to master in the upcoming months and years:

First, seek the Lord, His wisdom, and His righteousness above all else. God should be the foundation of everything in life and each of us should pursue our relationship with Him as our first and irreplaceable priority. It is by the fear of the Lord that we can grow in knowledge and in wisdom. God desires that we focus our lives on His kingdom and not wear ourselves out in the pursuit of the temporal things of this world.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33, KJV)

Second, develop the fruit of the Spirit, which should be manifested in all that you say, do, and think. We want you to dedicate yourself to living a life that demonstrates this fruit and may you keep in the forefront of your mind the verses of Galatians 5:22-23 that outline these vital characteristics:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (KJV)

Third, seek to place others before yourself. Pride and selfishness are a sinful disease that spreads and causes many problems in life. God specifically gives us the following warning in regard to pride:

God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (James 4:6, KJV)

On the subject of selfishness, God has very direct and specific counsel:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)

How much better it is to be resting in God’s grace by following His perfect direction than struggling against His opposition by self-centered and self-seeking pursuits.

Fourth, seek to be generous and not greedy. Greed is another pitfall that besets many a man and the older you are prior to getting rid of this unhealthy and ungodly attitude the more difficult it becomes. The Bible has great wisdom on this subject, as it does on every matter pertaining to life since we know that God’s Word is an all-sufficient guide for every area of how we are to live. It states:

He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live. (Proverbs 15:27, KJV)

Fifth, seek to have a gentle and sensitive disposition, eliminating all bitterness, rage, and anger. In order to achieve victory in this area, you must not only win the battle of the outward actions being free from anger, but you must also triumph in the war that is in the mind over the very spirit of anger. You must be willing to live in accordance with the exhortation that we receive from Scripture:

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 5:31-32, KJV)

In order to meet these challenges, you need not, and in fact you best not, attempt to do so alone. You have God’s Word as the ultimate standard by which to live, the Holy Spirit to lead you into all manner of godliness, and loving parents who are seeking to prepare you for your life journey.

Celebrating Jordan's Faithful Sonship and Manhood! (Part 2)

Here is the beginning portion of the letter that I (David) wrote on that very special occasion where we celebrated Jordan's faithful sonship and entrance into manhood.

Jordan,

This letter is being written out of a heart of love for you on a special celebration of commissioning you into manhood! You have a very exciting future ahead of you and as your parents, we look forward to helping you grow and develop into the man that God wants you to be. We are very honored and privileged to be serving as your guides and we pray that you will always be able to look back on your years of growing up in this family with great fondness and affection. We pray that the foundation that is being laid now will provide a firm base that is centered on living a life honoring to your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is our sincere hope that you will be taking dominion for the glory of God in whatever specific areas that He will call you and that there will be many future generations that will continue to build on and further your dominion work.