Love Your Daughter at Work Day

London just woke up in my office, having been moved here mid-nap.

She rolled over, her slightly sweaty wisps of hair sticking to her neck, raised her head up, and realized with a bit of surprise that she was in my office.

She smiled.

“You’re in my office!” I said.

She smiled again.

I got up from behind my desk and walked over to the couch. “Did you have a good nap?”

“Yeah, I did!” she exclaimed, her cheeks streaked with red lines from the blanket I’d tucked around her.

I scooped her up, and she asked if I could take her shoes off.

“Sure, baby.”

“Thanks, dad!”

I removed one pink sandal, then the other. “Thank you, daddy,” she sighed.

“I have some toys for you to play with. Would you like to see them?”

Another smile flashed across her face. “I’d love some toys!”

I pulled her close to me and told her she was adorable.

Because she is.

Loved

Had a going-away shindig last night at church. Jennifer, the girls, and I were given food, prayer, kind words, a ridiculously generous and thoughtful money tree, and a chance to reflect on how blessed we’ve been by our Henderson family over the years.

Being a part of a church family isn’t always easy. But it’s always good.

Embrace

While on our date last night, Jennifer and I remembered a kiss we shared 14 years ago.

It didn’t make me feel old.

It just made me feel good.

Want A Different Opinion Of Someone? Talk To Them.

Had a conversation yesterday with two people who had a decent reason to suspect me of a bad attitude in one particular area.

But instead of going with their limited evidence and making a decision about my character/motivation/etc., they…wait for it…called me.

Called me. And in a non-accusatory way, asked a couple of simple questions to hear things from my perspective. After that 15-minute interaction, my stock with them went up. And their stock with me soared.

Lots of people don’t make that phone call. These two did. And because of it, they have my respect and gratitude.

The Joys of Parenting, continued

I have no idea where this tiny Jesus figurine came from, but London’s quite taken with it.

Tonight, as she was alternately dissecting and devouring her dinner, I set it on the table in front of her. She looked at it, looked down at herself, looked back up and said, “Jesus, I messy.”

I hesitated a moment, but decided to go for it.

“I know,” I said in my best Jesus voice. “I love you even when you’re messy.”

Teachable moments. Gotta love ‘em.

How To Be A Friend

Spoke last night to a group of college students about Onesiphorus.

…Not ringing a bell? Yeah—he doesn’t exactly get a lot of air time in the Bible. But the few verses devoted to this helper of Paul do a great job of showing us what it means to be a real friend.

One thing Onesiphorus teaches us: valuable friendship costs something.

Being a life-giving, needs-meeting presence in someone’s life isn’t usually easy. It takes generosity, sacrifice, and the willingness to be proactive. And often, the times a person most needs a friend are the times being a friend to them is most difficult/demanding.

Onesiphorus didn’t let Paul’s imprisonment get in the way of their relationship. At a time when Paul was feeling very alone, Onesiphorus “wasn’t ashamed” of Paul’s chains. Risking his social standing, his own freedom, and even his life (many say he was eventually executed because of ties to Paul), this man was faithful to his friend, even when loyalty came at a high price.

But that’s what it takes, because valuable friendship costs something.

Welcome Back.

Love this statement from Daniel Hope summarizing Jesus’ story of the prodigal son:

“God responds to broken hearts with open arms. Every time.”

I’m so glad this is so true.

Why My Wife Is Awesome

This is the truck my wife got me for Valentine’s Day. (Sorry—it was dark and I didn’t have a picture…so I took a picture in the dark.)

Anyway, I love that she got this for me. I think a vehicle is always an over-the-top gift, but it’s especially one for us. We don’t spend more than $75 on each other at Christmas. This is not because we don’t feel like gifts are a big deal—in fact, we love to give each other gifts. It’s just that, well, we don’t have a bunch of money to spend.

So we try to do the wise thing, and not indulge our appetite for huge gift giving.

But she gave me a truck.

By adjuncting a couple of classes at FHU, she managed to scrape together enough cash to buy me a 17-year-old Silverado.

And I love it.

I love that she knew exactly what I would want (we’ve been surviving with one car for years…and it was starting to get a little stressful). I love that she did tons of research and made a bunch of phone calls (she hates to talk on the phone).

And I love that she was at least as excited about giving it as I was about receiving it.

Some gifts are so great you don’t notice them; you only notice the giver.

So if you see me out driving in my old blue Chevy and I’m smiling like a goofball, know that it’s not because I love it. It’s because I love her.

Happy Birthday, Jen

Today is my wife’s birthday.

I love that woman.

Here’s just one reason: “Teaching My Daughter About God…with Words!”