July 16th is one of my favorite days of the year

35 years ago today Jesus gave Julie & I a wonderful gift. A wonderful, healthy, baby girl. We named her Yancy after my Step Dad. (A wonderful Godly man that Jesus sent into my life, Yancy was his last name.) But not only is today Yancy’s birthday but it marks 35 years of getting to be a parent. Julie and I had no idea what we were doing with her. If our pastor’s wife hadn’t come over we would have never figured out how to even give her a bath.

But one thing we knew we were responcible for her spiritual development as well as her physical development. We knew we needed to try to model Jesus to her although we failed time and time again. We never gave up. Now 35 years later one of the greatest honors in my life is getting to be Yancy’s Dad. She is the hardest working, most thoughtful, giving person I know. She loves Jesus with all her heart and she loves God’s people. Of all the people who serve on my board Yancy gives me the best advise and I am smarter when I listen to her counsel.

Now I get to watch her and Cory parent our grandson. I see their love and patience with him. They are better parents than us but they’ve had 2 advantages they got to watch our mistakes and not do those and they’ve gotten to watch the few things we did right and do those and make them even better.

So today not only do I get to celebrate the wonderful gift of Yancy I get to celebrate being a Dad, the third greatest day of my life only behind knowing Christ and becoming Julie’s husband.