Thoughts of a Christian Husband, Father, and Pastor
Our effort to live out Deut 6.4-8 includes many conversations at the breakfast / lunch / dinner table. Here’s a little home video of one that I thought was pretty fun. We spent breakfast this morning talking about the gospel. Thanks to Paul for the memorable little thing with the hand! In case you can’t [...]
It’s been one of my habits for some time now to give my children each a blessing before they go to sleep each night. As their father and spiritual head, I view it as my responsibility to teach, to discipline, to pray for, and to bless my kids. I want all of God’s blessing for [...]
I am the world’s most blessed man. I’m so thankful to God for all his blessings to me. Outside of Christ, nothing brings me more joy than the three women in my life. If you know me, you know I don’t come close to deserving them or their love, but God has granted me both. [...]
I got an e-mail from my mom this morning letting me know that the Toronto Star had done a special on our family business, Martin’s the Flower People. Here’s the link where you can read all about it! Or, click on the logo to go order flowers for Mothers Day (yes, it’s coming fast!).
There are certain moments in a father’s life that make you stop and think… ‘wow… that child sure reminds me of me!’ Last night, after proudly proclaiming that if she finished her dinner she would get a treat, Susannah finished her dinner. Of course, now Daddy was somehow obliged to provide a treat (since Mom, [...]
In case there was any doubt, here is evidence on film that I was not meant to be an actor. This video was taken last summer and is a skit done by the Junction Historical Society. I’m playing the role of my great-great-grandfather, Alfred Martin. I’m telling the story (which actually is a good one!) [...]
Okay, maybe this is only funny if you know us, but here’s an excerpt from tonight’s dinner conversation. Julian: ‘Having a wife is like living with a post-modern literary critic: the only meaning that matters is the one determined by the hearer.’ Stacey: ‘Living with you is like living with a geek.’ I laughed pretty [...]
Picturing this conversation had me laughing pretty good. Check it out at Janis’s blog: Progression of a Conversation between a 3.5 year old and a 2 year old.
My girls… In their PJ’s, all calm and quiet, ready for bed. Or not.
It’s wedding season… which is great! I love thinking about weddings. Their whole point, after all, is to point to my Saviour and his love for his bride–and I like to think about that! Since staying married is not about staying in love, but about reflecting the covenant-keeping love of Christ, the centrepiece and focal [...]
Aside from my Saviour, my greatest love is for my family. So, of course, this post brings me great delight. My wife, Stacey, has been blogging for a few months now–and I love it! This post is just reciting a few of our favourite memories of our kids from over the past few weeks. They [...]
My brother (over at his newly up-and-running blog) has a rather comical (and incredibly geeky) version of my ‘on momming’ post. You can read it here. Maybe it’s just funnier for me because I can actually envision the whole thing. Or maybe I can just envision it because it could very well have been a [...]
Today I am rejoicing. Stacey and I are celebrating our fourth anniversary this very day. As I look back over the four years, I have to marvel at God’s grace… in so many ways! On this anniversary I’m rejoicing in God’s grace in these three ways in particular: God looked at me, liked he looked [...]
The things in life that we are most prone to take for granted are generally not the things we should take for granted. The things we presume on are usually not those things which are ordinary, but rather, the things which we most regularly see. The funny thing about what we most regularly see is [...]
Sometimes it’s good to do what’s counter-intuitive. In fact, I’ve found that the longer I’ve been a Christian, the more I need to second-guess and examine every motive. Sure enough, there is deep-rooted sin in there somewhere. I’ve found God’s evaluation of humanity in Gen 8.21 (‘the inclination of their minds is evil from childhood [...]
Well this afternoon I’m back in the office, sorting through e-mails and trying to figure how to begin catching up after two weeks of vacation. The highlights were (among other things) a trip to DC to visit Covenant Life Church, and a trip to the cottage this past weekend. More than just doing stuff though, [...]
When people tell you that families are a drag, that kids are a sacrifice, that it’s too much work, or that you should wait and have fun before having kids… don’t believe them. We’re heading to the cottage this morning, so I just thought I’d post some pictures from a couple of our cottage trips [...]
An old professor of mine used to say ‘The teacher’s questions become the students’ dogma.’ In other words, what the teachers fancies with, the students accept and develop. Don Carson puts it a slightly different way. He relates the American Mennonite experience as somewhat paradigmatic of what can happen in any church setting. He says, [...]
A little while ago, the Challister posted some thoughts he’d been working through on why it is that children of believers are more likely to believe the gospel–and in particular, why they are likely to believe at a young age. Here’s a part of his conclusion: A person’s spiritual condition, it seems, is much like [...]
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