I recently attended the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the highlights was the meeting that took place between an African, Jimmy, and his Compassion International sponsor of 19 years. I’ve included the video below. If you’ve never considered sponsoring a child through Compassion International, or World Vision, I’d like to ask you to think about it.

Several years ago my family began sponsoring a little girl through World Vision that is the same age as our daughter. This year we’ve started sponsoring a little boy the same age as our son. For us, it’s a great way to be involved in the life of a child in need, for our children to get a sense that the world is a very small place, and to live out our call to be Jesus in all spheres and domains of life.

More information: Compassion International // World Vision

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/7072300[/vimeo]

It’s been one week since we packed our bags and headed to the USA. We have had such a wonderful week of reuniting with both of our families and getting acclimated to life in the United States. I knew the kids were adjusting well when the boy ran around the house today waving an American flag. Yesterday he commented out of the blue that when he was older he would be living in the United States. Needless to say, we all are enjoying our time thus far.

I haven’t been shocked by much since it has only been three years since we have lived in America. But because I have gotten used to the way things were in Wales, several things continue to surprise me:

–the size of apples are absolutely huge. I have a constant internal battle to whether I should eat 1/2, 3/4, or a whole one for lunch. They look abnormal to me.

–whoever that Ed Hardy guy is, people must like him because his name is on everything…notebooks, beach towels, fragrance, clothing, etc. Everywhere I look, there is his stuff. I am assuming he is very rich by now.

–the endless supply of hot water to shower, do laundry, and do dishes is wonderful. For the past 3 years I have been treating my use of limited hot water in my house in Wales like a new mother feeding her newborn: very scheduled. Each day I would have to mentally work out what I was going to wash and be careful not to use too much hot water in bathing or even cleaning the house, or the hot water would run out, only to be replenished by pushing “Boost” and then seeing the cost reflected in our next bill. Being able to to do many loads of laundry (quickly too), take a shower, and wash dishes and rinse them in hot water from the faucet, not the kettle, makes me giddy. I don’t even mind those once dreaded tasks.

-the sunshine is amazing. Even though we have come back at the hottest time of the year, having predictable sunshine just touches that happy place in my soul. I don’t even care that I am hot and sweating. At least it is predictable. I just simply do not know how the Brits do it with so much rain and so much grey. They are amazing people. When it is sunny in Wales, we run to the window to soak it in, we stop everything we are doing to go outside, and we cram in as many things into that time outside. Because we know it may be days (and in the winter, weeks) before we will see it again.

I’ve been giving some thought to my kids lately. Only fitting I should write about these thoughts on Father’s Day. I’ve wondered for some time in what way(s) I’m damaging my children? Or, from a positive perspective, what kind of legacy am I leaving with my children…in what way will they remember me? I’m under no false pretense that I’m a perfect father and that my ways, attitudes, habits, etc. have no effect on my children. Every father, throughout the course of history has affected their children for both good and bad. My father affected me in both positive and negative ways, and his father before him.

I guess the question becomes, how can I limit the damage and increase the benefit of my time with my children? I’m under the assumption that all, maybe most is more accurate, fathers hope to grow their children up into responsible adults. That they would contribute to society in a meaningful way. That they would make a difference in the world around them. That they would create positive change. Regardless of worldview or religious bent I would like to think that all fathers hold these basic goals out in front of their children.

But it’s at this point that things change for me. You see, I approach the world around me from a Biblical worldview. I would say “Christian” worldview but the word “Christian” has lost all meaning. The word most likely doesn’t mean the same thing for you that it does for me, and therefore isn’t helpful to be used in this case. I’m a follower of Jesus. Because I follow Jesus it shapes the way I view the world around me. It shapes the way I serve and lead my wife and children. And my hope and desire is that ultimately it will impact the way my kids view me…the way they will remember me. And to the extent that I don’t follow the ways of Jesus closely, they will recognize and remember the damage that I’ve done to them.

It is to this end that I strive towards, that in me my children would see Jesus. That they would know of His love for them. That they would know that I exist as their father to point them to Him. And so here are a couple of things I try to remember as I lead my children in this way:

• that I am to love the Lord my God with all my heart, will all my soul, and with all my mind, and with all my strength
• that I am to love others as I love myself
• that I should be quick to listen
• that I should be slow to speak
• that I should be slow to become angry
• that I’m not to provoke them to anger
• and that I’m to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord

That’s a tall order…but I do not do it under my own strength. Thank God.

Enjoying the most amazing weather over the weekend, we took a little drive one hour northwest of here to the National Showcaves Centre for Wales. Caves, a dinosaur park, and little farm were experienced on and in a mountain and enjoyed especially by the small dinosaur lover in our family. I was quite amused by the monochrome plastic of it all and thought that this video was begging for some Erasure music. As lifelong fans of Erasure, we hope you enjoy the “cheesiness” of our outing.

-julie

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/4969057[/vimeo]

“A forest can be an enchanting thing.
As you will see in the Forest of Dean.”

Tolkien apparently spent some time in this forest which resulted in inspiration for Lord of the Rings. (My sincerest apologies for the shakiness. I have yet to realize that walking + videoing + little camera = shakiness.)

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/4825897[/vimeo]