A Whole Decade

Today was our son Jonathan's birthday...he turned 10.  Wow!!! A whole decade of life for the young man and what a blessed decade it has been. Jonathan, being our second child, is our natural joker. Whereas David plays the traditional "straight man" as the oldest child, Jonathan is full of hi-jinx, humor, and hilarity. He does not take himself very seriously and has already learned to play along with my fatherly jokes and friendly teasing.


He also is a blessing to our family.  Elijah lights up when he sees his big brother because Jonathan always plays with him and engages him.  On the other hand, while I was away recently at a conference out of state and Julie was having a rough evening, Jonathan came up and asked her if he could hold her on the couch.  When asked why he wanted to do that, he said "because Papa would do that and he isn't here."  (Let me say that I was humbled by God's grace to have modeled that to my son.  I thank God for working in spite of my self-centeredness and failures.)  Moreover, I was so proud of Jonathan for being able to be silly, and yet know when to leave silliness behind and to seek to show serious compassion for someone in need.

Now my Gonz, (the name 2 year old David used to call baby Jonathan before he could accurately pronounce his name) is double digits and well over half way to adulthood.  He, like each of my children, is a precious gift...and yet these days will continue to pass quickly and...poof, he will be gone.  As you read this, please pray for him. God has already done something very special in the young man and I ask for your prayers that he will continue on his current path.  I am asking God for a truly GREAT ADVENTURE for "the Kingdom" with the life he has been given.

Happy Birthday Buddy!!!  We are very proud of who you are!