Wonderful Anniversary Celebration

To celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary (& b/c we weren't able to celebrate our 15th anniversary in style), I took my wife to eat out at the Calgary Tower. This tower is a landmark of the city, and now having been to the top of it, it is a quite remarkable piece of engineering.



Here's a video showing how crazy (daring?) my beautiful wife is....



After a great meal, we went back to the observation deck where my vertigo kicked into high gear (I'm sure it had nothing to do with what I drank!).



Calgary is amazing to see at night all lit up. We had a great time, great conversation, great views. Thanks, Heather, for the great marriage!

Heard @ the Fergie's today...

Dad helping Miranda with a school problem:

Dad: Can you tell me the name of a vegetable that rhymes with "potato"?

Miranda: Mashed potato?

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At the dinner table:

Dad: Kevin, we need to mow the yard tonight.

Kevin: But there are bees out there.

Dad: Don't bother them and they won't bother you.

Kevin: Not true. You shoo them away and they come back with a buddy!

Discipling Children

Filed Under: Note to Self
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Over at the Reformation 21 Blog, pastor Rick Phillips gives some great advice for "Discipling Christian Children". He sums it up as Read-Pray-Work-Play.

First, parents (especially fathers) must read God's Word to and with their children. Countless Christians raised in strong believing homes will remember the influence of their father's fervent and faithful ministry of reading.... And of course, our children need to see our own devotion to God's Word lived out in the home, experiencing first-hand from us the righteousness, peace, ajoy that comes from the gospel.

Second, parents must pray for and with their children. How it warms a child's heart to know that his or her parents are fervently praying on his behalf. Parents should have regular times of prayer with the children and should frequently pray individually with their children.

Third, parents should work with their children....Shared work builds relationships. Work in the kitchen, work in the yard, work painting walls or repairing furniture. Children love to work alongside their parents, and the process of growth and shared experience forges a strong bond.

Fourth, parents should play with their children. This involves our participation in their play and our invitation for them to join in our play.

Good article well worth reading.

Lord, have mercy.

[HT]

Last Trip to the Orphanage

Filed under: "Just Sayin' "
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My beautiful bride blogged about the last trip she made with the kids to the local orphanage here in Peru. As you may recall, Heather led a Bible study for the house moms and our kids played with the kids at the orphanage during these studies. Our kids really looked forward to just one more visit before our return trip to the States, and they are going to miss this aspect of Peru big-time.

This post is really an excuse for me to express my thankfulness for my wife and kids. There are not enough words to describe how proud I am of my wife and her efforts to lead this study. And I'm immensely proud of my kids for their eagerness to minister to these children by simply playing with them, loving on them, and being a friendly presence in their lives. I have an amazing family. Just sayin'.

Happy 11th Birthday, Kevin!!!

My son, Kevin, turned 11 years old just a few days ago. I can't believe how quickly time flies. But it has been an amazing 11 years watching this amazing person grow into the fine young man that you see pictured here.

Kevin is fun, sensitive, and an important part of our family.

We are so proud of you Kevin!!!

Click here for Heather's post.

Thanks for the Memory, Marc

Filed under: "Kids Say the Darndest Things"
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My good friend, Marc Corbett, reminded me of a time when our family visited them in Lubbuck, TX, when he and his wife, Amy, were ministering with RUF at Texas Tech. We were all walking on the campus of Tech when the following conversation occurred with my oldest son, then 8 years old....

"Daddy, are the Red Raiders friends with the Aggies?"
"No son, they are rivals."
"THEN, WHY ARE WE EVEN HERE?!?"
"Because we love the Corbetts, son."

Thanks for the memory, Marc. We're definitely raising our kids correctly!