If 33 is all that i BE.
If 33 is all that I be
Or how I found life on the left side of a couch in the basement
To the brotherhood
No Jew nor Greek nor slave nor free. The phrase in my head is to say that “I will never be able to express my thanksgiving or my joy at the relationships that we have developed in the service of the King over the past few years.” However, after first entertaining that thought I know it not to be true. I know that even now you have some sense of the thanksgiving and joy that I feel. And more than that once our groans for creation and gloriously transformed into praising our God and King thanks to the Lamb who is Jesus, then we will share in eternal thanksgiving and joy for each other and for all of our brothers and sisters and all of creation. Praise be to the God and Father who will restore and recreate what he saw as good from ther very beginning. Praise be to Him who has allowed us to meet and grow together and learn the depths of his glorious riches. Thank you guys for allowing me to wallow in my own self pity, to share the depths of my fears and failures and to cry and shout in triumph at overcoming obstacles of many kinds. I have by no means reached the goal. But we do press on together. And even if I were absent in the body I know that you will carry on with this magnificent service of the Kingdom and the Lord Jesus that he has blessed us with. I have long had the fear of leaving my wife and kids behind. There will no doubt be great sadness and suffering for them which is hard for me to bear. But I rest easier knowing that our community is strong and dedicated.
To the sisterhood
Women. Not the same as men. I am so thankful that over these past few years and especially, it seems, over the past few months that you guys have begun to form bonds with each other that are everlasting. I am so thankful to those of you who love my wife so dearly. I am so thankful to be able to grow as husbands and fathers and as men in the company of women who are working hard to reject the false paradigm that the world has offered and are seeking instead to find worth and glory in the One who is. I am so thankful that our flock of children at BRCC have such wonderful mothers who raise them to think first of Jesus Christ and then to think of others before themselves.
To my family
I have expressed it a few times, but I wanted to say it again that I have been so blessed to have a supportive family. Mom and Dad, you guys stuck with me even when I was making stupid decisions. Multiple times. You have always provided me with the foundation to learn and to seek the Truth. Your unwavering dedication to us has been evident and pervasive in my life. Josh, you are a strong tower my friend. Your intellect is rivaled by few in my experience and your compassion for those who often find themselves on the outside has provided me with a fresh challenge and example as I work out my salvation. I am so glad that you and Ellen have lived in love for so many years and that Phelps, Foster and Zella have grown to be lively and entertaining and thoughtful. Jodi, we’ve been through the fire together. It brings me so much joy to think of how the Lord brought such a fine man and such a beautiful daughter into your life. I look forward to seeing LJ grow and become a cute little toddler girl and then a vibrant and hilarious young woman—just like her mother.
To my colleagues
These past several years have been truly wonderful. How could I have asked for more than to be able to wake up each morning and teach young people. I rarely, if ever, feel like I am going to work. I have a vocation, and more than that I get to work with people that I genuinely like and care about. From spitting out my food when Hastings sits down to complaining about the status quo to History grant trips to talking about the finer and deeper things of life, I truly could not imagine a better group of social studies teachers to work with.
To my students past and present
I remember that first group. I remember not knowing a whole lot about the practice of teaching and I remember playing Risk in AP Gov. I remember the conversation almost like it was yesterday with Monica about GWU. I remember the day McGrew gave me his cadet pin—still have it flying on the Don’t Tread on Me flag in my classroom. I remember relationships that I developed with Holly and Brit and Phil and Stem and Bryan and…. I’m so thankful that those relationships have persevered even to this day. Bubble up. Im thankful for all of the faces that have walked into and out of my classroom. For the tough ones and the not so tough. I hope that somehow you were able to detect in my enthusiasm for learning and for life a higher purpose. I hope that you will continue to seek life and love and not simply settle for the goods that the world offers. I know that you will.
To Isaac
Your face lights up a room and it lights up my heart. Almost two. Wow. I hope that you learn from and love your sister and brother all of your life. I hope that you learn to follow the Lamb from early on in your life.
To Sydney
To my sweet, beautiful princess. I am so thankful that the Lord sent the doctor in early to save you my love. You are able to make me laugh with your crazy eyes and your hearty laugh. I love the way you lave your brothers and how much you like to serve. I’m glad that you have a best friend in Liza. I pray that you will seek the Father to rescue you just as Sam did. I will always love you! No matter what! What? J
To Samuel
My buddy. I always tell you that I love you no matter what. I want you to know that over and over and also to know that no matter what happens in this age that we will be together forever and ever in the age to come. My heart was filled with joy when I heard you say that you asked God to rescue you. I am so thankful for how much I learned from you this summer when you had to wear your pirate patch. I cannot possibly express in words how I feel when you get so passionate about playing games or watching movies. Or how you lay your head on my leg. Or how you are the first one willing to help someone else out when you think they need it. Or how you have learned at such a young age what it means to love others more than yourself. Keep following the Lord my boy. Keep living the way that you are living now. We will worship Jesus together and live and love each other forever in the new world.
To my bride.
In a sense I know I don’t even have to fill this space, because I know you know how I feel. As Shaun says in Good Will Hunting I will never regret even one second that I get to spend with you. To think of how we’ve grown in these ten years is staggering. You are patient and kind. You keep no record of wrongs. You rejoice in the truth. You are beautiful and I am beyond grateful that the Lord saw fit to bring us together at GWU and to make the home that we have together. I hope that we continue to grow in depth and love.
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