As for me and my house...

This picture (above) moves me to tears every time I see it. I love the relationship pictured here, one of father and son walking side by side, talking about the things of life. It's a picture of my husband and our oldest son last summer when we met him in Alabama while my husband was in chaplain training, and not too long before our son would go off to follow in his dad's footsteps and enter into the military.

I love how he has taught our boys to enjoy God's creation, and that together they enjoy it all the more.

And not just the boys...time with his daughter is precious as well. I love moments like these when you see them together, just enjoying each other's company and all that God has provided for us to do as a family. I know there are times when it is hard for dads to relate to their little girls (or big girls), but this isn't one of those moments. The world seems to stand still when father and daughter connect. There are many things this dad has taught his children. The most precious and important thing being that they should love the Lord their God with all their heart. I remember one Sunday morning, when he was preaching from Joshua 24 and the words, "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.", flowed loudly from my husband's mouth (as they did Joshua's). I remember chills running down my spine. I knew that he meant it.

He wasn't just reading what Joshua said to the people. He was asking the men and women of our church to do the same and proclaiming to everyone present that we would serve the Lord and, even though I had heard him preach that passage before, and knew that he lived a life that upheld that statement, I saw something in his eyes that day and I knew his heart was burning for the Lord! He was honestly and wholeheartedly proclaiming what was in his heart, and of utmost importance, and I was in tears.

The man that sits beside me on the couch or calls me on the phone to ask me how my day is going and to tell me that he loves me, the man that shares his dreams and disappointments with me, the man who works hard every day to provide for his family and serve his country and our soldiers, the man who loves and plays with his children...that same man knows the importance of choosing who you will serve and standing up for what is right, even when other people don't. He knows what it means to serve the Lord and the blessings that come from following Jesus. That's the man I love, and that's the man our children love. We all are blessed to have him as the head of our household and together, hand in hand, side by side, as a family, we will serve the Lord!

Happy Father's Day, babe! I love you more than I could ever express. You are a wonderful husband and father to our children, and we are all blessed because God chose you to lead this family. Thank you for leading by example!