As a pastor one of the things that comes with the ministry is seeing families at the best times of their lives - weddings, births, graduations, great accomplishments - as well as the worst times of their lives. I've stood with a family at four o'clock in the morning as a nurse pulled the body of their college-aged daughter out of the wall - killed in a single car accident. I've sat on the floor of a hospital waiting room with the adult, grieving daughter of a man who took his own life. I watched as she in essence reverted to a little child, holding herself, rocking and shouting, "NO! MY DADDY WOULDN'T DO THIS! MY DADDY LOVES ME TOO MUCH TO LEAVE ME THIS WAY! NO!" I met with a family in a hospital room as they received word that their fourteen year old daughter had contracted meningitis. I stood with them a few days later as they put her body in the ground. I've stood with families over a little casket as they said goodbye to a baby they never had the opportunity to know - stillborn. I could go on with example after example of couples I know and love when they faced the fiercest storms that ever raged against their marriage.
One of the disciplines that has been a personal priority of mine since I was a college student is the memorization of, and the meditation on, scripture. This is also a discipline that I want to instill into my young children. I want my family to be one that has a firm foundation that is built on God's Word so that we will know how to act, what to think and respond to the various situations and circumstances of life in a way that honors our God and encourages others. My friend and mentor Steve Gaines refers to this as "thinking Bible." I think that is a great way of describing what I want to be true in my life and the life of my family.
