Princesses, Purple, Ponies

I am now the proud father of two little girls.

Now I will have to start considering parenting girls seriously. I was thinking that if Mango had been a boy, the plan could be that I do the boy stuff and my bride can work on the girl stuff.

Well, I won't have the chance to test that plan. However, I have no reference point for the task at hand. My youngest sister is 10 years older than me. Most of my siblings have had boys for children. I did not witness the child-rearing of my 2 nieces and they are now adults. I am a pioneer in uncharted territory.

Reference Parent Prayers. Now I have two more things to ask God for my children. #1 not crazy about boys. #2 Not to turn out like Brittany Spears.

God reveals to us the type of people we are to be in His Word. I feel it His guidance is generally generic to human beings, but there are some specifics for girls. For now this is what comes to mind:


Genesis 2
Proverbs 31
Esther
Naomi
Ruth
Mary the mother of Jesus
Martha's sister Mary
1 Timothy 2:9-15

Who will I be as a father? What example will I be for my children? How will I grow each of them in God?

"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" Matthew 25: 22-23

Good thing God's in control

This is going to be my ongoing forum describing answered prayers and God's obvious hand in my life.


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Oct 2008 RE: Apr 2008 - IDE. My friend, who was selected during our major's board for school (i.e. "school select") gets a spot in muggy Alabama starting next year. He is not pleased. Me: hmmm, maybe that school thing wasn't such a great deal anyway. The MAN doesn't really care what I want to do.

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Saturday, October 25, 2008 Amazed. Sitting down for breakfast with my bride, calm 21 month old, and sleeping 1 month old. Actually have time to do dishes and chill out before getting ready to go to church.

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Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Sad that my parents are leaving. Fearful that my bride and I will have overwhelming difficulties parenting 21-month and 1-month old children by ourselves - worse - my wife by herself while I return to work. Plead in prayer that God will give her peace, us communication and determination, and our children willing and easy spirits.

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25 Sep 08 Mango born.

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24 Sep 08 Me: On flight to Tucson.

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20 Sep 08 Not scheduled at work. Arrange to return from Poland even earlier.

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1 Sep 08 Looks like I will return from Poland early - scheduled 27 Sep 08.

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Aug 08 Meet with Christian friends that are stationed in Germany. Never would have happened if me and family hadn't gone to Poland.

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May 2008 Employer: want to go to Poland? YES, YES YES! Return date: Oct 1, 2008. Baby due date: Oct 2, 2008. Bride: GO GO GO! [praying fervently]

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Apr 2008 Boss: are you done with Intermediate Developmental Education in correspondence? Me: no, but I can be. Work furiously, complete remainder of 1.5 year program in only 3 weeks. The completion of this IDE means that I may be competitive for an international or joint IDE in a really cool location like Australia or Thailand or Chile. Boss of boss: you're not good enough. Better luck next time. God's plan: TBD.

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Jan 2008 Pregnant again!

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Fall 2007 My first college roommate leaves Tucson after living there for a long time. I finally get here and the USAF reassigns him. Conclusion: TBD

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April 2007 Me: arrive Tucson. Hear about opportunity to go to Poland. Volunteer wildly. Denied. Multiple times despite vacancies. Conclusion: God doesn't want me to go to Poland.

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January 2007 Me: scheduled to start training course in Phoenix just after my bride's due date. Nearly one month of down time, time spent continuously with the bride I haven't lived with for 3.5 years. Uh-oh. Baby hasn't arrived. Start training. 1 week later, baby born. Employer gives me a week off.

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Fall 2006 Me: assigned to Tucson. Commander: I didn't think we could get you that assignment. [said: you weren't my #1 on this VML] Conclusion: God must have had something to do with it.

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Summer 2005 Wife pregnant. Wow! Great! Now we live 800 miles apart. Hmmm... First college roommate and his bride welcome my bride with open arms.

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Fall 2005 Wife: assigned to Tucson. This is where my first college roommate and his bride are stationed.

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November 2002 Me: assigned follow-on: F-16. Not my first choice. Silly. God: this assignment offers me and my bride the geographically closest permanent duty locations that two pilots in this stage of their careers could have (400 miles).

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Sep 2002 Me: Ask love of my life to marry me. 2 weeks later: she is assigned to same duty station as me. Conclusion: glad God has a plan, don't know what it is.

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May 2000 Me: reassigned as FAIP. Dejected, demoralized, depressed. 1.5 years later: meet future bride.

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May 1998 Me: not medically qualified to be a pilot. USAF: Chief of Staff signs waiver for me to be medically cleared to enter pilot training. Conclusion: well, I guess I'll be a pilot.

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1997 First college roommate has huge breakthrough in personal relationship with Christ. Becomes my best friend. Felt like I never did not have a best friend at AFA.

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1994 Met first college roommate. He is Puerto Rican from Pennsylvania. Has lots of nosebleeds from altitude. We get beat together for always being late. I stand behind him in formation because he is 1/4" taller than me. He is Catholic. I will pray for him.

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May 1994 Me: not medically qualified to go to the AFA. USAF: medical waiver for me to attend AFA. Conclusion: God wants me to go to AFA.

Kid Shield

Worship.

It seems to me that one of the biggest differences between Christian denominations is the style of worship.

When I attend a new church [to me], I look closely at the core beliefs of the congregation. If I detect any deviations from scripture, I am immediately suspicious. Actually, not just suspicious - I typically reject the premise of the entire church outright.

If the assembly has survived this purely subjective but thoughtful test of merit, I try to keep an open mind to the musical portion of worship. Typically I find that in large churches, the music is pretty good. You might have found the same as I in small churches: there is perhaps one person with some musical talent and several others who don't have much talent at all. Since I regularly listen to Air 1, KLove, The Effect Radio, and M88 , and I haven't yet answered God's calling for me to music, I don't find myself too critical.

What I do find extremely strange is my social response. I'm talking about the anxiety I feel when I might be doing or not doing something that I think somebody else may think I should be doing/not doing. In any given setting, there may be people standing, sitting, clapping, not clapping, swaying, bobbing, tapping, raising arms, or one arm, or two hands slightly uplifted, with them facing outward, or upward, or arms folded, or hands resting firmly on the back of the chair in front, and eyes open or closed but not winking. I've seen people dancing, and heard people singing off key or speaking in tongues. My social response? I am happy to participate in all of these things, just as long as I don't feel uncomfortable.

Of course that is absolutely ridiculous. The unblemished live wire between me and God, the blood of Jesus Christ my Savior, should so overwhelm me that I would care less about the thoughts (regarding me) of people around me. Yet I care, and I'm not happy about it. I think I can thank American culture for my social programming of conformity. Or perhaps it is human nature or just my personality. I admire my best friend for singing slightly off-key at the top of his lungs during worship. I don't even know what's going on between him and God, I just like that he doesn't seem to care what somebody might think of him.

In lieu of a healthier spirit of worship, God has given me children. It seems this spiritual disability of mine is quickly remedied by the presence of a 20lb human sponge who's fragile existence has been entrusted to me. Powered by fatherhood, I can sway, lift an arm (but not both hands raising Pineapple heavenward - that would be crossing the line, plus my wife would be overly concerned about a likely squirm but improbable 8-foot fall), and sing quite nearly at the top of my lungs in the prayer that my little girls will one day freely and fiercely worship the Almighty.

I admit, the kid shield is a cure for the symptoms, not for the illness. But I am thankful.