Emily shows us what’s possible if we’ll invest

My
friend Cameron used to call the business of raising a child “the 18 year
project.” If that’s the case, then
we’ve completed the project with our fourth child, Emily. I just said goodbye to her in New Orleans this
afternoon. She’s 18, just graduated from
home school, and headed to college in Texas
in the fall.

Last
weekend we threw her a little party. We
remembered many of the things we’ve done over the years to help her be
counter-culture in her thinking and values.
We recalled all her ministry experience, including a year in South Africa
last year.

This
summer Emily will work in New Orleans
as a part of our team facilitating mission projects for over 2000 people. Every week she’ll put on a one-woman sketch
depicting a family that lost everything to Katrina and she’ll run the 24-7
prayer room.

If you have a blog, maybe you brag about your kids on it. One is entitled to do that. But

what I’m saying here is more than a proud parent sounding off. You see, sometimes
I wonder how the next generation will come into their potential and
destiny and when I look at our kids, now all grown up, it gives me hope. All five of our kids are
special, and each of them remind me of what is possible if we’ll just invest
ourselves in young people. Emily has
made Karen and I proud. There were lots of Saturdays I could have played golf, but

instead

spent time on our most important discipleship project – the 18 year one. It was so worth it.