Hey Everyone,
Welcome to the blog. It's nothing fancy, but I think it's important. It's simply about a family growing up in Cincinnati, OH. Well, technically we are in Fort Thomas, KY - just south of downtown about 3 miles.
It may seem pretty common or pretty boring, but any more in today's society, it feels like raising a family is anything but normal. With culture bearing in from Europe and the coasts and the post-modern world taking route through universities, the world seems to collectively have gotten more selfish.
What do I mean by that? Simply this.
Raising a family is hard.
When you are being told by advertisers, professors and social media that the world is all about you, the last thing you are going to want to do is get into a covenant relationship of marriage and start cranking out kids. Getting married and staying married is hard enough. Getting married and having kids is wayyyyy harder. Why? Because the first lesson you learn in marriage is that you are humble.
I remember the first fight I had with my wife was about the way she squeezed toothpaste out of the tube. Seriously, I fought about this. Then, I remember standing alone in the kitchen of our apartment with a wave of realization that, "you are selfish." From that point on, I realized that marriage is about humbling yourself to love another person. Having kids just cranks that up another level. When your back hurts, you have bills to pay, you're out of groceries, your 2 year old is sick, your 5 year old is punching your 7 year old and your baby is screaming, what do you do? How do you manage all of the chaos? How do you love your wife through the madness?
It's not easy.
So, this blog is going to be a little bit about all of that complexity. It will be about fatherhood and family, but it will also be about Cincinnati. We are a family of faith. We believe and follow our Lord, Jesus Christ, and we think something unique is happening in this city. We've been a part of Crossroads church for a few years now and have attended these things called Man Camps and Woman Camps. What is happening at these camps with people is no small thing.
People are coming and expecting God to meet them. And the crazy thing is, God is showing up. People are getting healed of sicknesses and diseases. People are meeting Jesus for the first time. People are getting baptized. And LOTS of people are repenting and finding freedom from spiritual bondage.
I believe this is having a compounding impact on the city of Cincinnati. I believe it is something that will not only impact this area of the country, but that our city will be a refuge for people all across the country and even the world.
So, is it a big deal to raise up children in Cincinnati, OH? On one level, no. I'm not social justice warrioring with my kids. I'm not making a million dollars on Wall Street. Instead, I'm teaching my kids about justice, righteousness, mercy and grace. I am preparing them to be warriors in a spiritual battle. I am loving them. I am loving my wife. And, I am loving my city. I think that's a pretty big deal.