I've Got Her!

Charles Spurgeon with the thoughts I have on this my 13th anniversary of marriage to the most beautiful and godly woman I know:

"Matrimony came from Paradise, and leads to it. I never was half so happy, before I was a married man, as I am now. Let the husband love his wife as he loves himself, and a little better, for she is his better half. He should feel, 'If there is only one good wife in the whole world, I've got her.'"

-Quote on page 13 of Date Your Wife.

Happy Birthday to the Woman I Love More Than Life

A Personal Update

Readers of this blog,

Allow me to give a brief update on what the Lord is doing in my life and ministry. Your prayers would be much appreciated.

I believe God is leading me to look for a church in Texas to pastor in order to be closer to our extended family there. I have been struggling with this desire for several months and have prayed, cried, and sought wise counsel. This has been a struggle because I love Christ Baptist Church and have no desire to leave my church family here in Wilson. But, I believe it would honor the Lord and serve my wife, kids, and extended family to find a church to pastor in Texas.

So, along with my fellow-elders, I shared this with Christ Baptist last Sunday. I want them to know what God is doing and how He is leading so that they can support and pray for us through this process. I have no desire to do this in secret. I need the support of my church family as we trust the Lord to direct us to the church He desires us to serve. I am so grateful for an understanding and supportive church.

This process could take a year or more. We don't know. But, I'm committed to my calling at Christ Baptist until the Lord reassigns me to another post. I want to be faithful to the end.

So, please pray for us. Please pray that God would open doors and close doors as He sees fit. I'll keep you updated.

I thank God for you,
Justin Childers

12 Love Songs: Every Little Kiss

Jeanna, Happy Anniversary. Here is the video I made for our 10 year anniversary that captures some of this breathtaking journey we find ourselves on.

Happy Birthday to the Coolest Woman I Know

Jeanna, I hope you have a great birthday. You Rock! But, I can still take you to school in any and every sport in existence.

Under Daddy's Desk

It is good to know that my kids aren't the only ones who like to play under desks.

For My Karis: Jesus is the One You Need

A Poem for My Wife on Valentine's Day

My very first attempt to express my love for Jeanna in a simple poem:

Glorify the Lord with Me

You are my sweetheart, my only one,
You are a precious gift purchased by the Son.
I love you more now than ever,
I will never stop loving you, never.
Thank you for your gracious care,
A great wife like you is extremely rare.
My affection for you is deeper than I can write,
When you walk in a room, things get really bright.
Glorify the Lord with me, together let us exalt His name,
May our marriage make much of Jesus and bring Him fame.

Day Off: Zoo Bears

We took over 300 pictures of our family day at the zoo. But, these 2 tell the whole story:

Encouraged

I received some specific and helpful encouragement after Sunday's sermon. I am a blessed pastor with people who love me and love to hear God's Word proclaimed.

And, the most meaningful encouragement came from my 5 year old daughter in the form of this picture she drew of me preaching (Christ Baptist folks will immediately recognize the stage and red curtain behind me). When I asked her why I had a rainbow over my head, she replied, "Because you are the best preacher."

And, no, I don't preach from a yellow Bible (just in case you wondered).

Baseball Playoffs

2 baseball posts in a row. A first for the blog!

Here is our Childers' Family Baseball Picks for the playoffs. We each picked one team from each league. Whoever's team wins the World Series gets a $10 gift card to Target. Noah is super excited that he could get 2 new cars with that (and he picked the Yankees!). My mom and I used to do this every year. The prize was always breakfast in bed for a week.

I picked the Phillies in the first round and got stuck with the Twins as my AL pick.

Fenway Park and Faith in God

My excellent wife bought me tickets to see the Red Sox and Yankees play at Fenway Park for my birthday and our anniversary. 10 years ago, we tried to get into Fenway but were unsuccessful. Jeanna worked hard to get these tickets and we both eagerly anticipated actually getting into Fenway to see a game this time. So, on Friday night, we were among the first to arrive at Fenway ready to see Big Papi tee off on Andy Pettite.

It started raining in Boston around 1pm on Friday and maintained a steady drizzle throughout the afternoon. The weather lady said it should stop raining by the evening. So, we had no doubt that we would see some baseball even if a little later than the official 7:10 start time. Well, 7:10 rolled around and the scoreboard said, "Due to the inclement weather, tonight's game has been delayed." No big deal. We were in Boston with no kids and nothing else to do but wait it out. So, we, along with tens of thousands of others found a dry place under the stadium to wait it out.

Around 9:15pm it stopped raining. The umpires, coaches, and grounds crew surveyed the field and determined it was time to play ball. We sat in our wet seats and watched the tarp get removed from the field. The pitcher and catcher emerged from the club house and started warming up. The announcer declared that the game would begin at 10pm. The pregame presentation was presented.

When 10pm rolled around, the tarp was back on the field and we were snuggled together (ponchos on) under the umbrella. It was now raining much harder than at any time during the day. Many left. Not us. We waited. No way was I going to leave if a baseball was going to be thrown that night.

At 10:30pm, with no hope of a game being played, we made the decision to leave. An incredibly disappointing decision knowing that the game would be rescheduled for long after we had returned to NC. And there are no refunds for games that are rescheduled.


Here were just a few of the thoughts graciously given to me by God:
-God sends the rain on the just and unjust.
-Rain obeys king Jesus.
-We were not the only ones who traveled from out of town to be at that game. I've positive others had reason to be disappointed as well.
-I've got the best wife in the world.
-Hey, at least we actually got into the park this time (picture evidence above). Maybe next time we'll actually get to see a game? Baby steps.
-This was a loud reminder to me that this world is not my home. Nothing can be trusted in this life.
-Disappointed heart: Hope in God. He will never fail you.

By the way, we got to bless some friends who are planting a church in the Boston area with the tickets. Glad they got to enjoy the rescheduled game Saturday night.

Not Better than Jesus

Snuggling with my daughter during the first inning of the All-Star game, I told her, "Albert Pujols is the best baseball player in the world."

Her immediate question: "Even better than Jesus?"

"No, sweetie, not better than Jesus. I meant best player in...(never mind). You're right. Nobody is better than Jesus."

Day Off: Car Wash

Day Off: War

The pink soldiers didn't stand a chance.

Day Off: Ballgame

I took my son to his first ballgame today. More pics at my wife's blog.

Day Off: Rolly Polly

Happy Mom's Day

Mothers have the hardest job on the planet. I'm grateful I get a front row seat to the greatest mom in the world.

Jeanna, I love you. Happy Mother's Day.

B-I-B-L-E, Bible!

Books I Picked Out for My Wife to Read in 2010

My wife is the most amazing woman on the planet. She serves me faithfully and does a fantastic job pointing our kids to Christ.
One of my favorite things about my wife is that she likes to read. Last year, I picked out 5 books for her to devote herself to reading during the year. It was a joy to see her reading each one and asking her what she was learning.

So I have done the same this year. Here are the 5 books I lovingly picked out for Jeanna to read in 2010 (3 of them made my top 5 books of 2009).

1. Knowing God by JI Packer
2. The Bookends of the Christian Life by Jerry Bridges
3. Gospel-Powered Parenting by William Farley
4. Adopted for Life by Russell Moore
5. Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ by John Piper