Father's Day Favorites

In honor of Father’s Day this coming Sunday, we wanted to do a special post to honor our father. There are so many special things we love about him and wanted to take this chance to share them and thank him for being such a wonderful father!

Betsy—My beloved…I have always believed that you were one of God’s greatest gifts to me. You were an answer to prayer, as far as the kind of husband I longed for, and yet so much more. And as a father, you are the best! Loving, kind, compassionate, firm when you need to be, strong, and courageous. One of the things I love most is watching you goof around with our children—even when it gets a little loud sometimes! J Another favorite memory is our annual anniversary trips together. These are such special bonding times with my best friend! Because you have first been a wonderful, caring husband, you are also a wonderful, caring father. Thank you for showing us what God’s love for us looks like, by your great love for your bride and your children!



Daddy loves Mommy and protects her. He desires to build and maintain a strong relationship with his wife where each of them fulfills the roles God has given them.



“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Ephesians 5:25

Bianca—There are so many things that I love about my Daddy that I could write a whole blog post by myself about it! I am so grateful that the Lord chose to bless me with my Dad. I wouldn’t trade him for the world because he is the perfect father for me, chosen by God to lead me and protect me.

I love it when he spends one-on-one time with us kids on dates. He isn’t afraid to let us try new things like flying his plane (with his supervision of course!), mowing the lawn by ourselves, planning our gardens, and purchasing our own cameras, because he knows it will teach us responsibility. He encourages me to do hard things and seek the Lord’s will for my life despite the stereotypical expectations assigned to me by our ungodly culture.

He is not afraid to stand up for what is right, even when others criticize him. He is passionate about missions. He desires to lead his family in the way God intended him to. He realizes the importance of close, Biblical family relationships. He studies God’s word and other theological books on a regular basis. He is an excellent teacher. And he loves me so much! I love you very much, Daddy!



Daddy loves spending time with the family. When he’s gone on long business trips he will video Skype us or call at least once a day.



“Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5

Ben—My…as the oldest son of this wonderful man, I have so much to say about him. One thing that we all highly appreciate is his calm, mild-mannered attitude. It takes A LOT for dad to show extreme emotions of any kind. I have never seen him cry, and on rare occasions does he raise his voice. He is a very comforting person in troubled times. As kids we knew that if daddy acted scared, we’d better be scared; if he showed anger, we knew he was serious! For he almost never showed these emotions, at least not in the presence of his children. No matter what problems he faced and still faces, we have a great sense of comfort in his responsible, yet joyful, calm character.

My father is fantastic at Biblical correction. He is calm, loving, compassionate, and holds the highest regard for the feelings of others. But yet he is very firm when he needs to be! Many times our family has been “culturally attacked” for our beliefs and values. Although Dad has respect for the people from whom the arguments come, nothing can shake my father from doing what he knows is right. He is concrete in his theological beliefs, and his faith cannot be shaken.

Our father’s greatest passion in life is to lead and disciple his family through Biblical teaching and example. He is our guide, our fortress, our protector, and our best friend. He takes this responsibility very seriously.

Although our father was raised in a family with Christian heritage and values, he really has not been a Christian all that long. He became a Christian in his early 20’s. When other people hear this, they are shocked! They think…“Wow!....he’s come a long way!” This is because my father was passionate about his faith the minute he began. He started reading the Bible, and joined a special Christian fellowship known as “The Promise Keepers” (see www.promisekeepers.com). This is an international organization of Christian men committed to seven Biblical promises. It is a group that encourages Christian fellowship and mentoring amongst the men of God. My dad’s life is a living tribute and example of what the saving grace of Jesus Christ can do for your life. So on this day, I honor him. I love him very much.



Daddy really enjoys taking us kids flying in his plane. We have so much fun with him!



“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

Rubia—My favorite thing about Dad is that he is very patient with us, even when he has to tell us something over and over again. He never raises his voice. I like to help him work. I like it when he’s funny! We both have the same interests like reading good books. He always has a large stack of books on his nightstand that he is currently reading. I like to go out with him to spend time together.



Daddy’s current stack of books on his nightstand. As you can probably tell, he is teaching a Sunday school series on Acts, studying Reformed theology, previewing future father and son Bible study material, studying what the Bible says about the necessary qualifications of a man who desires to marry one of us girls, and studying creation science. This is a pretty typical scene at his bedside.



“A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.” Proverbs 17:27

Roma—He has good self-control. He doesn’t raise his voice. He is a great Sunday school teacher. He spends time with all of us kids. He likes to sing in the bathroom! J I enjoy doing Bible studies with him. He’s not afraid of anything. He protects me from all of the bugs in the world! J (When I was little I did NOT like bugs.) He’s the best Dad in the world!



Daddy is fearless. Doing stunts in airplanes, racing cars for his job, scaring off wild animals when they disturb us, and even bee-keeping, doesn’t bother him.



 “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.” Psalm 103:13

Josiah—I love it when Daddy takes me flying. He even lets me fly the plane! He plays chess with me. He has a good sense of humor. He makes funny faces. He protects me. And he lets me take naps in his chair with him!

“He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers." Malachi 4:6

We are so thankful for Daddy and his love for God and his family. Thank you for being a godly man, a loving husband, a strong leader in your family, for loving your children, and training them in the ways of the Lord. We look forward to seeing the Lord continue to use you in the years to come!