Happy Birthday, Jonathan!

Well, today is the sixteenth birthday of my one and only son, Jonathan.  Consequently, I am flooded with a variety of emotions.  I feel amazed...am I really old enough to have a 16-year old young man living in our home?  I feel proud...he is learning and maturing before my eyes into an impressive, poised teen-ager.  I feel angst...how could I have let so much time go by without investing more time and energy into my son?  I feel joy...he loves God and people very much, and I've convinced he'll go far in life, as He pursues God's will.

All of this makes me think about the crucial needs he has from me at this point.  No doubt I still need to be there to equip him for adulthood.  The methods of instruction may change but the need remains, albeit from a more experiential side of life.  Another need he has is for me to listen to him as he processes life.  He needs to know he's being heard and that what's important to him is valued by me, if for no other reason than because it's important to him.  He also needs my constant encouragement and support, to comfort him and to challenge him, but above all to remind him that he's not alone...I'm here for him as he needs me.  But ultimately, he needs me to keep pointing him to the Lord, since in the final analysis God is the One who will provide him with what he needs for the adventure we call life.

In a sense the church planters among us could use the same from us as we encounter them.  They have many similar needs--to be equipped, to be heard, to be encouraged and challenged and to be pointed back to God as the source of everything they need in life.  At our recent Summit with our church planting leaders, they reminded us that one of the best things we can do for them has to do with personal presence and support for them and their ministry.  So, why not encourage a church planter you know today--by a phone call, a visit or even an email to remind them that we're in this together, and that they are making a difference for our King? 

Thanks, Jonathan, for reminding me again what's really important in life.  May this coming year be filled with love, learning and laughter as you journey farther down the path of life with our Lord Jesus.