Thoughts Of A Daddy

One of my dreams in life is to become a pastor.  And not just any pastor, but one who can be mightily used by God to bring souls to Christ and to help Christians grow in their walk with God and spiritual maturity.  It would be a dream come true if God ever called me to shepherd His flock.  Unfortunately, God has not called me yet so all I can do is continue to walk faithfully according to His word.  I wish God would call me into full-time ministry sooner since that is my passion and deepest longing.  But alas, the years go by and He has not called me.  Perhaps He doesn't think I'm ready right now, or perhaps there's more training I need to go through, or perhaps being a pastor is not God's will for me.  In any case, one can always dream, right? Speaking of dreaming... If I was the pastor at the church I attend, there would be several things I would do differently: 1) I would change the way we do worship. On Sunday mornings, we only dedicate 10 minutes to worship

It never ceases to amaze me how smart children are.  They pick things up so quickly, and they are also very perceptive at reading people.  I've also heard before that children know the gender of the baby in the mother's womb and also know when there is another baby that will be joining the family. Before my wife and I went in for an ultrasound to find out the gender of our second child, we had asked our son whether he thought he was going to have a little brother or a little sister.  He said little sister.  Shortly after, we headed over for the ultrasound, and amazingly, our son had predicted correctly!  It was incredible! Now that we are getting closer to baby number two's due date, our son has been clinging tightly to my wife these past few days, with the clinginess increasing with each passing day.  This morning, our son refused to be comforted unless mommy was holding him standing up.  It didn't matter whether daddy held him, it didn't matter if mommy was ri

With a second child on the way, my wife and I decided that we needed a minivan.  There was no way we would be able to squeeze two car seats, a stroller, and luggage into our current small fuel efficient car if we wanted to go on vacation.  Also, it would make it more challenging to buy groceries and especially difficult if we were to shop at Costco.  So we decided to get a brand new minivan for space and practicality. If we wanted to be really frugal, we could have bought a used car or even a certified pre-owned car, but I think it's psychological for me.  I like knowing that there was no one else who used or drove the car before me.  Even though we had to pay the premium for a new car, I was able to get it with 0% financing and no money down!  Sweet! We had debated between the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey, but ended up going with the Toyota Sienna.  The Toyota just seems to have a smoother ride and quieter engine.  Size was also a factor for us, but they were both s

"Here's a journal for you to write down your thoughts and feelings as you're about to become a dad...  One day, you'll be able to look back at your writings and see what you were thinking and feeling back then..." Those were the words of wisdom from my mom over a year ago as she handed me a leather journal to document everything I was thinking and feeling a few days before my son's due date.  At the time, I thought that was a fantastic idea and I had strongly considered following her advice.  And then my son was born. Being a father has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, but it's also a TON of responsibility and a lot of work.  I had the intention of keeping a journal after hearing my mom's advice, but the many sleepless nights from constantly having to wake up every 1.5 to 2 hours was just plain EXHAUSTING.  The constant diaper changes and the frequent feedings while working full time and maintaining the home left little ti