The Happiest of Happy

Birthday to my dad, of course! And he is spending it doing what he loves most: living out the great commission. He is in Honduras right now- loving on God's kids and teaching them about Jesus. I think that if it weren't for my mom, he would sell everything in Memphis and live out of a backpack just travelling the world. That is truly his happy place! My dad used to drive cross country on the regular and pick up hitch hikers along the way. One time he picked up a hitch hiker crossing the bridge that didn't really have a place to go. He just wanted to go out west. So my dad said that he was going to Denver and gave the guy a ride the whole way. Another one of my favorite stories... my dad was driving home from California and picked some guy up and then they split the driving up all the way back! So typical of my dad! I'm sure that he doesn't read my blog and will probably never see this but I'm putting it out there anyway...

Dear dad,

Happy birthday! I love you! Thanks for being my dad. Thanks for being at every gymnastics meet and football and basketball game to watch me cheer! Thanks for taking me on dates and making me feel special! Thanks for making biscuits with me every Saturday morning! Thanks for taking off work to go on field trips with my class to Nashville, New Orleans, DC, and Cumberland Caverns in elementary school. Thanks for driving to New Orleans to pick me up from a student council conference just to turn around and drive straight back to Memphis so that I could make it home for a pep rally in 8th grade. Thanks for holding me while I cried over boys in high school. Thanks for sleeping on the couch every time I come over so that I can take over your bed! Thanks for taking care of my car (and all the other "man jobs") more times than I can count! Thanks for giving me a love for comics, corny jokes, puzzles, and all things Tiger basketball!

But more importantly, thank you for loving God and for loving people well! Thanks for giving me a glimpse of God as Father! Thank you for continuously praying for me! Thank you for loving mom well and showing me an example of a godly marriage. Thank you for working hard and sacrificing for our family. Thank you for showing me and teaching me the importance of a strong work ethic and integrity! Thank you for being there for me and loving me- no matter what!

Love, your favorite child
(I'm pretty sure I have signed every birthday/father's day card that way...)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20