Goodbye, Maurice Sendak

       As many of you have probably heard, Maurice Sendak passed away yesterday. Mr. Sendak was a children's author, most famous for Where the Wild Things Are. He wrote many other books, some good, some bad, but none more powerful than Wild Things.

I am writing this because my son loves the work of Maurice Sendak. For the longest time, he had me read Where the Wild Things Are every night before bed. We read it so many times that he memorized the book. There was even a time when we borrowed the cartoon from the library and he watched it over and over. We played a game where I would start to recite the book (I had it memorized too) and he would finish the lines.

Mr. Sendak died as a result of complications from a stroke. I heard several interviews from him on NPR and I caught a very sad line. He was talking about a friend who believed in Heaven and hell and life after death. Mr. Sendak then went on to talk about how life was so hard for unbelievers like himself. It made me sad because I knew, from his own admission, that Maurice Sendak did not know Jesus and had not had his sins forgiven. That thought brought tears to my eyes.

Mr. Sendak, I want to thank you for the joy that your books brought to my little boy. I want to thank you for the wonderful memories that you have allowed me to have with my son as a result of your books. And I pray, that somewhere along your journey through life, someone shared the Gospel with you and you made a decision to accept the gift of salvation, even though you claimed otherwise. Mr. Sendak, you will be missed.

Three Things Every New Dad Needs to Know

I'm not really very old. I turn 33 on April 11, 2012. I do, however, have three children with a fourth on the way. My wife and I have a big family and we love every minute of it. Here are a few things that I have learned from being a dad for the past 6 years.

1. Your boys always watching you. Your children see everything you do. They want to be just like you. This is a wonderful and terrifying thought all at the same time. Your children see you caring (or not caring) for your wife. They see how you interact with other people. They see how you love God. It is your responsibility to make sure they are seeing the right things.
   
2. You need to make your children tender and tough at the same time. I realize this sounds like a contradiction, but hear me out. You need to raise your children so that they can roll with the punches of life, but still know when they need a shoulder to cry on. Your children need to see you stand tall under pressure, but they also need to see you weep from time to time. It is perfectly legit to cry when your dog gets put down.
   
3. You need to teach your children that everyone is the same and different. I know, another contradiction. God made us all the same, but He also made us uniquely different. That is what makes our world such an incredible place. We are all created in His image, but there are awesome varieties in the human race. It is an absolute sin and tragedy to teach your children to discriminate against someone else. Don't think you will? See Item #1 from the list above.
   

Bonus Item: You need to pray for your children. They can know you are praying for them or you can keep it a secret. The reality is that being a father is the greatest and most challenging thing you will ever attempt. You cannot do it without the help of God. (By the way, I realize this has nothing to do with being a youth pastor or ministry, but I was reading a blog post and felt a little inspired.)

Funniest Thing I've Read in a Long Time

Here is a funny post that I found on Rachel Balducci's blog.

“Let’s have a math contest,” I hear one boy tell his brothers. “You have to answer the math problem before this timer rings, and if you get it wrong…I punch you in the kidneys.”

Why do I feel like such conversations are a part of my future?

Reflections on Having (Another) Boy

On Tuesday, my wife and I found out that we were going to be having our fourth boy. We currently have three boys, aged six, three, and one, and we were a little surprised to find out that we were going to have a fourth (yes, I know how that happens). We prayed for a little girl and we were hoping that it was going to be a girl. I had even picked out a name and was referring to the baby as a "she." Needless to say, there was some letdown when we saw that "special part" on the ultrasound.

Here are some thoughts I have about having a family of all boys.

1. I know all about little boys. My wife and I have very busy lives. She runs a very successful blog and babysits a house full of kids. I teach full-time, do a large number of after-school activities, volunteer at the church, and study a good deal. As a result, surprises are typically unwelcome. Having had three boys, there are very few surprises. We know what to expect.
   
2. My boys help me be a better man. As I've lived in front of my boys, I've come to realize that they are going to grow into the men that I've modeled for them. This is an awesome responsibility. If I disrespect my wife or other women in my life, they will do the same. I want my boys to grow up to love their mother, their wives, their families, their God, their Bible, and their church. I have a responsibility and privilege to teach them how a man is to act toward others so that they can carry on that legacy when they become men.
   
3. The dream of adoption continues to be alive. My wife and I have long discussed the idea of adopting. For me, there is no clearer picture of God's love for us than to adopt a child and make her a part of our family, showing unconditional love for someone who is not related by blood. If we had found out that the baby currently growing inside my wife was a girl, I think that dream may have been shelved for a while, if not indefinitely. Now, knowing that we are having a little boy, we can continue to dream of the day we make our family a little bigger through the joy of adoption. Plus, we get to continue the domestic vs. international just a little longer.
   
4. God must really love Pearsons. Okay, this one is a bit of a joke, but with the number of Pearsons that are coming from my family, that is one name that will be around for quite some time.
   

Did I want to find out that we are having a little girl? Absolutely. Am I disappointed? Not at all. We serve a powerful God who knows what is best for each of us. God has deemed Tina and me worthy enough to have another little boy and I wouldn't change that fact for anything in the world.

One of the Many Reasons I Love Josh Hamilton

I am currently working my way through Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back by Josh Hamilton. I don't want to go too much into his story, but let's just say he was on top of the world, he hit rock bottom, and we serve a gracious God.

As I was reading today, I came across this story that he told about a boy named Ashley who was a part of the high school baseball team. Ashley had Down Syndrome and served as the team's bat boy. One day, after a tough loss, Ashley had convinced himself that it was his fault that he had lost the game, even though he did not play at all. He sat crying on the bus because he was afraid the other boys were upset with him. Below is the interaction Josh had with Ashley.

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“I’m sorry, Josh,” he said. “I’m sorry I lost the game.”

This was ridiculous, of course. Ashley didn’t hit or pitch one ball, but I couldn’t put it that way for fear of hurting his feelings.

“Oh, no, Ashley,” I said. “No one person ever loses a game for a team. We win as a team and lose as a team.”

Immediately, Ashley’s face brightened. He stopped crying and smiled at me as the tears streaked down his cheeks.

“Josh?”

“Yes, Ashley.”

“Does that mean I’m part of the team?”

“Of course it does, Ashley. You know that.”

His smile turned to laughter. He reached over and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me tight with a big hug. For the rest of the ride home, if you had looked at Ashley you would have sworn we just won the state championship.

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I have three boys and I am, through God's grace, raising them to be good men. It is my prayer that they will grow up to have the same character as Josh Hamilton.

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If you want to read more about Josh Hamilton, you can get his biography at Amazon.com.

Sean Singing Sunday School Songs

I will always be eternally grateful for the times that I spent in Sunday School and Junior Church growing up. I learned a great deal about the Bible, about God, and about what it is to be a man who loves his Savior. Over the years I have had the opportunity to serve in Sunday School classes as well. In high school, I worked with my friends in the Jr. Church at Capital Baptist Church. This was one of the first times I was given the opportunity to preach. In college, as part of a class assignment, I was required to work with the 4-year old Sunday School. I liked it so much, I did it for two more years after the class was over. Now, at First Baptist Inwood, my wife and I are on the rotation to work with the Jr. Chapel in the early service.

Not only have I benefited from Sunday School, my children have as well. Miss April has taught Jack all about Jesus and has instructed him in correct doctrine. Miss Rachel is helping Sean learn as well. I am also thankful for all of the other teachers, including Miss Becky, Miss Mae, Miss Connie, and (especially) Miss Anita. There are many more...more than I can list here. Just know that we are incredibly blessed by what you are doing for our boys.

Here is a video of Sean demonstrating some of what he has learned in Sunday School. I'm pretty sure he learned that last little bit from either Connie or Anita.