Pardon a little Dad pride here…

It was a hot August 6th afternoon in 1988 that Connie and I married at Coral Ridge Presbyterian in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  Dr. Ken Wackes and Rev. Rod Culbertson officiated.  That was 20 years ago, and in my case, 20+ pounds ago (let’s just say Connie got a return on her investment).  God has been very gracious to give us 20 great years.  I’m very thankful to God for my wife who is also a great Mom to our 3 boys.  We married and 2 weeks later moved to Jackson, MS to start seminary at Reformed Theological Seminary.  20 years.  Doesn’t seem possible.

Wednesday will be our 20th wedding anniversary.  I must say, it’s been 20 very good years and I’m a very blessed and thankful man to have the wife God’s given me.  I’m not the easiest guy to live with and that’s putting it mildly.  Along those lines, a book I pulled off my shelf and re-read parts of is entitled When Sinners Say “I DO” by Dave Harvey.  It certainly describes our marriage.  I can’t recommend it enough.  Harvey does a great job of portraying a truly gospel centered marriage.  He shows what it means to live as a husband or wife in the light of the finished work of Jesus Christ.  More and more I’m seeing that what we really need is good news (the gospel), not just good advice for all of life- marriage included.  If you’re married or contemplating getting married, you need this book.  I hope to get the young marrieds at HLPC reading this one.  Want a copy?  You can order one HERE.

The family and I returned yesterday from living a full week in a pop-up camper in western North Carolina.  This was a REAL family vacation as we were joined by Connie’s sister, brother, their families, as well as my parents.  Once again, a good time was had by all.  We enjoyed cool temps, lots of grilling, campfires with s’mores, hiking, and mountain biking.  The picture above is a scene my sons, my nephew, and I were able to  view while riding on trails in the Dupont State Forest near Brevard, NC.

One of the greatest beneifts of the week was how disconnected I was.  No TV, computer, and very little cell phone coverage meant a real break from technology addiction.  As with most vacations, this one seemed too short and left me needing a vacation in order to recover from my vacation.

Now to get to work on I Peter- home of the next sermon series here at HLPC.

The family and I are headed to North Carolina next week for a week of camping in the pop-up, riding mountain bikes, fishing, tubing, and grilling outdoors.  We’ll be staying at the Davidson River Campground inside the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, NC.  I’ll be away from the computer and have limited cell phone coverage.  Looking forward to it!

Back to blogging next week!

Connie and the boys have been chillaxing (combination of “chilling” and “relaxing”) in Florida this past week to attend her two nephews’ high school graduations and will get home today. I took the opportunity during their trip to get a major honey-do item out of the way by painting the bonus room over the garage. You need to realize it has maintained an unfinished look for what, a year?

Feeling like a real home improvement guy, I went to Lowe’s and bought paint and the necessary accouterments and spent Monday, my off day, painting the room in exceptional Auburn orange and blue. That was a big deal for a guy who isn’t exactly a Mr. Do-it-yourselfer.

I know, pride goeth before a fall. The downside is that if we ever need to sell this house, no Georgia or Bama fan will want it. At least Tech fans would have enough sense to know you can re-paint the room (hey, my father-in-law is a Ga Tech grad).

God settles the solitary in a home; (Ps. 68:6 ESV). My crew took off for south Florida to witness a couple of high school graduations while I stayed home to mind the fort and keep the Bankson home safe for democracy (and feed our zoo of 2 dogs, 1 cat, 2 gerbils, and 1 fish). Wow- they’ve been gone less than 24 hours and I’m already lonely. What a gift a family is. God has been very gracious to me in giving me mine. I’m grateful He has settled ME in a home. No wonder God draws on family imagery to describe the church. We need relationship. We need connection.

They’ll be back next Wednesday. Please pray for their safety on the highways. While I’ll admittedly enjoy watching my favorite DVD’s and playing the X-Box, it won’t replace my wife and boys. In all seriousness, this should spur me on to think of those who live alone all the time and of their need for encouragement.

I’ll just have to live with that Roy Orbison song in my head all week.