Wow — 18 years have really flown by. They’ve been 18 wonderful years — maybe that’s why they have flown by so quickly. 18 years, 9 children (one unborn), 13 homes, 8 family cars, 6 family computers, 2 overseas tours, multiple deployments — these years have not only been wonderful…they’ve been fun-filled and exciting. We never would’ve imagined when we were married what wonderful things that the Lord would do in our lives. We never imagined either what different locations the Lord would bring us to. We definitely never imagined that we’d live in the desert while serving in the Navy.

It Takes Work

I knew that being married would be wonderful. I underestimated both the great blessing that being married to my dream woman, Franicia, would be to me as well as the work required to be a good husband (I hope that I’m a good husband at least). Marriage takes work. Parenting is hard work. But, doesn’t anything worth having take work? Yes, it takes work, but it also takes God’s working in our lives. He’s blessed us both repentance, faith, and the new birth. For God’s working in our lives, I’m eternally grateful and praise God.

Thank You, Franicia! Thank you, God!

Franicia, thank you for being patient with me and loving me. God, thank you for blessing us with a wonderful marriage and for blessing us with children. May we be faithful to you, faithful to one another, and faithful to our family.

Seek God First

Reader, do you have a wonderful marriage? To whom or to what do you credit your wonderful marriage? If your marriage is not all that you wish or know that it could be, we encourage you to seek God first personally as well as a couple. God can (and he does) turn things that seem beyond saving into something beautiful and wonderful. He can do that for you.