Updates
Dara and I send out an e-mail update keeping people posted on what’s happening in our life and ministry. If you would like to be added to this list, shoot me an e-mail and we will add you to the list.
E-mail: [email protected]
Being A Dad
Being a dad means so much to me. Besides my relationship with Christ and my marriage to Dara, it is the highest honor and greatest joy of my life. One of my favorite things that I do every night is re-tuck in the kids. The last thing I do before I go to bed is check on each one of them, put their covers back on them and make sure they are sleeping well. I will sometimes just stand there and stare at them sleeping so peacefully. They are precious.
I love my kids and I long to be the best daddy I can be for them. From the outside looking in, a lot of people tell Dara and I that we are great parents. That means so much to me. I don’t always feel that way, though. I have doubts just like everyone else. I want to always prioritize my family as the number one opportunity I have to make an impact in this world. Life, ministry and coffee shop-ing can pull me in a million directions, but there will never be a greater opportunity than I have at home.
Max, Mary, Jack and Ben have given me an incredible honor: being their dad.
I love being their dad.
Constantly Amazed
Dara and I left Orlando (and all of the security that came along with family, friends and a great job) over ten months ago with no guarantees. We have been so blessed to have gone this entire time without receiving a single paycheck from Hope Church. It has been completely because of God’s provision through the generosity of so many people around the country who have invested into our family.
I just checked our online giving website and was blown away. We got a completely unexpected $500 contribution from some friends of ours from Missouri. Absolutely amazing. It has been moments like these that have allowed us to continue to pursue the dream God has placed in our hearts to invest our life into the Charlotte community.
Leave A Trail (Emerson)
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
I have prayed the same prayer for the past 15 years. I have prayed God would keep me on the front lines of ministry. I want to see the land that lies ahead. I want to touch it first. I want to smell it first. I want to see what God is about to do and be a part of a group of people that leave a trail for others to follow.
This prayer inspires creativity. This prayer challenges my faith. This prayer motivates me on an incredibly deep level. I pray this prayer never stops in my life.
Never stop dreaming. Never stop creating. Never stop believing.
Healthy Marriages
I am so excited for John and Ginny (almost) Gum to get married next weekend!
Dara and I have had the privilege of doing their marriage counseling for the past couple of months. We will be recommending a book to them that I would like to put on the radar for all you married and engaged couples out there. It’s called “Nightlight: A Devotional for Couples” by James Dobson.
This book helped Dara and I during our first six months of marriage immensely. One of my greatest fears was to become the spiritual head of my home. I had no clue how to do that. If we are all honest, I think most guys feel this way.
The reason this book was so helpful was it gave Dara and I a way to dialogue about spiritual things early in our marriage. Even if it was only ten or fifteen minutes before we went to bed, we decided to prioritize this time. I was able to pray over our marriage from the perspective of being the man of the household. Dara was able to get used to the fact that she was allowing me to assume this new role.
I liken this experience to growing into a coat that was too big at the beginning. I didn’t know how to assume this role, but every little devotional gave me a bit more confidence. 7 years later, we still stand upon that foundation that was set early in our marriage.
If you are young married couple, get your hands on this book and try it out. If you have already been married for a while and you haven’t tried something like this, check it out. It’s a great resource.
You will never regret putting God first in your family and in your marriage.
David’s Blog
