When my wife was fourteen-years old, she lost her father to cancer. A spot on his tongue spread eventually stealing his capacity to speak, and then, his life. But just before he died, he wrote each of his children a letter. As you can imagine, my wife treasures her letter from her father. After my cancer diagnosis in 2014, I decided to write my children a letter, starting with my oldest, Matthew. I share this letter with you as encouragement to do the same for your children. ◊♦◊ Matthew, […]
As we were getting the boys ready for bed, I caught my oldest son, MJ, watching inappropriate videos on his mom’s cellphone—something he knows he’s not supposed to do. To make matters worse, when I confronted him about it, he lied to me. “I just picked up mom’s phone to check the time,” an attempt to cover his disobedience. Seeing his sweet, innocent spirit give in to the temptation to lie to his father pierced my heart. My first response […]
In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was fashionable to wear wigs—wigs that were mostly made of wool. So, when the media would report on an issue from a biased perspective, the common critical response was, “they’re pulling the wool over our eyes.” And of course, it’s hard to see the truth when you can’t see at all. One of the most blinding forces we face is our own pride. It inhibits us from seeing clearly because, of course, the only thing pride […]
When Liz and I were pregnant with our first son, my grandmother gave me something very special. She handed me a small, felt-covered box and said, “Your grandfather wanted you to have this.” I slowly opened the taupe encasement to reveal a small diamond set in a slightly embellished gold band. It was the same ring I had seen on my grandfather’s weathered hand many times before he died—it was his ring. This year marks fourteen years since Paw-Paw Ham passed […]
When my wife and I prayed for a family, we didn’t understand why God made us wait nearly three years for our prayers to be answered. All of the heartache and pain didn’t seem necessary. Why would a good, loving God drag us through a desert-like season that almost cost us our marriage? The wisdom of hindsight has revealed that God was simply preparing us for three boys. While infertility and marital struggles were challenging, nothing has been more challenging than parenting these […]
We get busy in life. Matt reminds us of why we dedicate ourselves to something other than ourselves.
- Robert Wagnon, CEO, Republic State Mortgage
