Homecoming

It was a cold and rainy Spring night in Seoul. Mrs Lee was flustered for being late, but rushed into the lobby holding her precious cargo. Jin Hyeok was wearing a new outfit and baseball hat and was tired after a busy day. She brought Jin Hyeok in, straightened his clothes, and then placed him in our arms. The founder of the orphanage began to pray and as he prayed, the soft cry from Mrs Lee became a sob. Becky held her tight and they cried together - two mothers in love with the same child. One who had raised him since birth, one who would be raising him the rest of his life. Mrs Lee had had been a foster mom for the orphange for 20 years, but Jin Hyeok was the first child she had kept for 8 months. Her love for him was deep.

After a few minutes, the social worker stepped up and gently said, "it's time for you to go". She took our arm, and led us to the elevator. We stood in the elevator weeping - looking across at Mrs Lee in the arms of the social worker - and the doors slowly shut.

We walked to our room on the 5th floor. Jin Hyeok was bewildered. His eyes were searching everywhere for Mrs. Lee. As the door closed in our room, he could no longer take the anxiety. He looked at Becky, he looked at me, he opened his mouth, and he cried.

And cried, and cried, and cried. This was not a cry we had ever heard before. It was a wailing, a scared, deep, lost sob that was incosolable. Becky and I could do nothing to console him. We felt like first-time parents all over again. After 2 hours, the sobs subsided and he drifted off to sleep inbetween us.

The next morning, he woke and just stared at us. He was timid, but not crying. We headed off to the airport and flew home to Dallas.

And the last 4 years have flown by since we had that glorious day - the day Jin Hyeok became Tucker Paul Jin. As I was telling Tucker the story last night I reminded him that he was a Daily boy from the moment that he was born. God had planned and pre-ordained from the very beginning that we were his family. In the last 4 years, you have gone from a very timid little boy to our dynamite child. You are fearless, curious, athletic, and non-stop energy.

The Little Things

There are times, it's the little things you miss that you didn't realize you took for granted.

For example, a full night's sleep is a blessing. The nights we know Vanessa is caring for Titus, we know we can rest peacefully. But, I never realized how much I took for granted the luxury of just falling in bed to sleep with no alarms going off.

And going to church - another little thing that I didn't realize how much I took that freedom for granted. These days, I only make it to worship service 1-2 times a month. One of us is generally staying home with Titus (or if we take Titus, one of us sits outside with him). I am so glad our church broadcasts the service live on the web on Sunday mornings, but it still doesn't replace the experience of corporate worship, of being there in person, of worshipping with the body of Christ.

This last Sunday (after a rough night with Titus), I was so excited to be in worship, but so exhausted after the sleepless night (which makes me ashamed of nodding off a bit.) I never want to take for granted the freedom I have of corporate worship - to be in God's house with God's people praising Him. And yet I realize, that for years of never missing church on Sunday or Wednesday nights, that I have really taken that freedom for granted. It's not until you lose the ability to do what you have always done that you realize how much you did it without thinking about it. And, when you think about it, worship is something that should never be taken for granted. We were born for worship, we were made for worship and yet, sadly, too many times we just show up. Sad to say, but I am just now coming into the realization of how often I have just showed up.

I Peter 2:9 states "But you are a chosen people . . . a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

Lord, remind me again of my purpose to declare your praise.

And while I'm on the subject of worship - I want to thank a few people.

Curtis R. - you are the best Bible teacher I have sat under. You make me think, you challenge me, your passion is contagious, and you are always prepared. I so appreciate the time you spend preparing (and now blogging) so that we as a class will learn. I so appreciate your openness and honesty.

Myron W. - You usher me into the throne room of Jesus each and every Sunday with your music, your scripture, the videos, the entire experience. One of the things I have commented the most about our music on Sundays is that it's not a production, but a worship experience. Thank you (and your awesome staff) for your preparation, your humbleness, and your willingness to serve. I miss singing in the choir - and one of these days will get back there.

Pastor Jeff - When we joined FBC, McKinney several years ago, we had several objectives in choosing a church. One of them was that we had a pastor who was real and attainable - not just a man on the screen or behind the pulpit (or bistro table), but a man who would be real - specifically for my boys. You have reached out to our family and shown my boys the character of a humble servant-leader. You are a true shepherd. Your passion for your flock is so real. You are a man of vision. Very rarely do men of vision see all that they dream realized. My prayer is that you will see those dreams realized and that your legacy lives on for generations to come. And Happy Anniversary for your 10 years at FBC.

Happy Birthday to You!

To my wonderful, incredible, amazing wife,
Happy, Happy Birthday! I have so enjoyed sharing the last 15 birthdays with you and look forward to many, many more. It was so fun planning your surprise and spending the weekend with you shopping/eating/spa'ing/sleeping and eating some more.

You run a triathlon everyday between the boys, house, and homeschool. You are truly an iron(wo)man!

Love you dearly,

P

Choices

We were at dinner last night with friends. As I was getting our chips and salsa (yes - we were at Tin Star - I'm sure that's not a surprise to anyone), there were two pre-teen kids talking. They were having dinner with their moms and were getting the drinks for the table. As they were walking back to the table, I overheard this conversation.


The boy (about 10 years old) says to the girl, "My mom wants me to try smoking a cigarette so I can see how bad it is. I keep telling her I don't want to do it, but she wants me to try it so I'll know".

Wow - is that what parenting pre-teens has come to?

Well, mom - if I may, can I ask you a few questions?

What are you going to do if he does like it? Are you going to let him keep smoking?

Are you going to do the same thing with alcohol? I could see you drinking your glass of wine, so at what age are you going to let him have a drink?

And what about teaching your child about sex and relationships? What choices are you going to provide to your children in that arena?

Maybe we need to go back to Genesis and remember what happened in the Garden. God the Father created an incredible place for Adam and Eve to live, provided them with all their needs along with one caveat - do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And life was good.

And then the serpent came along. It wasn't God the Father that tempted Eve it was Satan. The Father provided boundaries, guidelines and life; Satan provided temptation, lies, and death.

So, then why as parents should we tempt our children with things we know that are evil? Yes, our children will make choices, but should we as the parents be the ones encouraging them? It just amazes when I see parents playing the role of the serpent instead of the protector and the provider.

So, I pray this little boy stands by what he knows is right and his mom doesn't undermine that teaching.

I'll get off my soap box now.

Mom is Home

Becky got home last night around 11pm. Her flight from Chicago was cancelled, but she was able to get on an earlier flight (which didn't matter since they sat on the ground for awhile prior to take-off).

Tucker and Cade went to a friends for the day and night where they are being spoiled rotten (a trip to pump-it-up, non-stop play in the backyard, trip to Walmart and new clothes). And then Tucker complained of the water being too hot in the bathroom, so he forgot to turn it off, and apparently flooded their bathroom.

Aidan and Noah spent the day at MeeMaw and PeePaw's where they did chores and played the Wii with Peep. We then had a guy's night with dinner at Pei Wei and a movie at the house.

Titus has had a great week - and it looks like there are a few teeth just moments from poking through. But he was one happy boy this morning with his mom. He was just a laughing and playing knowing that his Mom was back home.

The rest of the week is busy - we have friends in town tonight, parenting seminar tomorrow night, and then Becky's birthday is this weekend. Since it's a significant number, we have some big plans for her, but she has no idea. But if you happen to see her, please wish her a happy birthday!

Me and the Boys

Becky left for Niles, MI this afternoon with her sister Angela. Angela will be moving up there as soon as she finishes raising her support and will be working for Nancy Lee DeMoss. Angela has found a brand-new house that the builder has dropped the price on significantly. Last night, she found a very cheap, last-minute flight for her and Becky so off they went for a few days.

That leaves me and the boys fending for ourselves for the weekend till Tuesday. We've already gotten the lawned mowed, the aquarium cleaned, the house picked up, and now we are off to Dickey's for dinner.

It looks like Titus has caught a bit of my cold that I brought back from the UK. He's had some increased drainage and a slight fever the last few days, but has slept incredibly well in spite of it all.

Yesterday, Titus went back to the ENT to have his cochlear programmed for the next level. We can already tell he's hearing a bit more things now. It's incredible to see how he responds to sound.

So, we would appreciate your prayers for Becky and Angela as they are in MI - and that Angela find the perfect house. And for me and the boys here in town that we relax and have some fun around the house.

Recent Pics

I downloaded a few pics from the last few weeks that I thought I would share.

Titus has always slept with his arms straight out - we think it comes from the weeks in the hospital when his arms were strapped down. But to this day, he sleeps all sprawled out.

And, then here's the pic from the night they did the sleep study. They had probes all over his head. I can only imagine what he was thinking.

And, a few weeks ago, we moved Titus to a high chair during meal times (not his meal time but ours). This puts him at the same height as the rest of us during dinner and gives him a new place to sit and play. He's still a little short for it, but he sits up in it just fine.

And last of all, here is Titus with PeePaw the day PeePaw came home from the hospital. They hadn't see each other in 6 weeks. I love how they are checking each other out.