Ancient Truth | Modern Sound

I have hardly had time to turn around.  Work is filling every space in my life right now which is more of a problem than usual because my wife and children arrived in London a week or so ago.  When they are around I realise that I spend all my time thinking of work and hardly any about them – I am ashamed.  However, the blessing of children (and their curse) is that they will not be long ignored and my life is moving towards more of a healthy balance when they are around.

I am blessed in my family and I am almost equally blessed with good friends.  In 1991 Karen and I arrived in Houston with six suitcases and a 3 month old baby – we did not know a soul in Houston.  In the years since then I have made great friends and 3 of them (Buddy, Max, and Paul) came over to visit me a couple of weeks ago.

We had a great time investigating some of London’s sights and while also sampling “Dick Whittington’s Ale Trail”.  One thing is for sure, you are not going thirsty following Dick’s footsteps around London.  It was interesting for me to see my new home through their eyes.  Fish and chips were sampled along withpickled eels and pub food.  We had Pimms on my balcony and watched the sun go down.  Like I said, I am blessed. 

These men have without knowing it shared with me the burden of bringing up my children.  Sure, Karen and I needed to be the ones to impose the curfews, wipe the runny noses, and set the Christian example as best we could.  Yes, we did the practical and the necessary work of bringing up the kids.  What these men and their families did was raise the faith of Karen and I above the level of intellectual quirk or weird lifestyle choice.  Because of these friends of ours my son and daughters know that Christian truth leads to Christian life (and, importantly, vice versa).  Because of their faithful lives, my kids have seen other families close up dealing with good times and bad in faithful ways.  They have seen mothers and fathers love and forgive each other, they have seen children be encouraged and disciplined in the faith and made better because of it.  That, is a special gift that not all people get. 

I was glad to share my home with my friends, Buddy, Max, and Paul.  I am glad they had fun, saw the London eye, ate marrow, and enjoyed the Lefe (Google it!).