Is there anything more invigorating than being a daddy?
I couldn't wait to get home from work yesterday afternoon. The weather was perfect...75 degrees. Sunny. A gentle breeze. The smell of dinner cooking as I walked in the door. And two precious girls running to meet me with bear hugs.
The girls and I went outside and played while Mandy finished up dinner. We raced around the house. We played pitch. We watched Trae climb a tree in our yard. We visited with neighbors. We made memories!
Once dinner was ready -- and with the weather being so phenomenal outside -- we decided to eat outside. Baked chicken. Twice baked potatoes. Salad. Rolls. A dinner fit for a king. We talked. We laughed. We giggled. We sang. We watched Tori make a mess of our back porch.
I'll tell ya what, at this time in my life, I can think of little in life more fulfilling than the joy of being a father!
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John Schumacher and Todd Lewis have become two very dear comrades for me since our arrival in Marble Falls. Their love for the Lord, and for reading, has given us a common bond of friendship.
John is an ex-coach, having served on the strength and conditioning staff at the University of Wyoming before beginning his career in education. Currently, John serves as the Principal at Colt Elementary, where my 2nd grader, Trae, attends school. Todd is an accountant and has a passion for reading theologically challenging works, having received a Master's degree from Austin Graduate School of Theology.
Currently I am reading through two books given me by John and Todd. John's gift was Good to Great by Jim Collins. The book chronicles the ability of some organizations to make the leap from being "good" to becoming "great." It has been said "the enemy of the best is the good." Collins unearths the strategies of dynamic organizations to show how leaders can make a difference in leading people to greatness.
Todd's gift was a book by Marva J. Dawn called The Hilarity of Community: Romans 12 and How to Be the Church. (I believe the 2nd printing of the book has seen a title change to Truly the Community). Dawn's work is a massive unpacking of the implications of Romans 12 in the life of the contemporary church. Dawn calls the church out of the technological pull of modern society, which distances families, not to mention family members within the kingdom of God, to a true understanding of the depth of relationship and fellowship that God envisioned for His people.
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And, oh by the way, tonight Mandy and the ladies at church have a special evening of fun and fellowship planned. So, the girls and I are planning to take in tonight's rivalry grudge match between Marble Falls and Burnet. Another golden opportunity to be with my girls...and I can't wait!
