Two stories I remembered today and I wanted to record them here for posterity:

1. We were at the grocery store one night, maybe it was before Jackson was born. Joshua and Abby Kate were riding in the cart together, whispering and laughing and having a big time. We were going down the cereal aisle and there was this older gentleman about halfway down the aisle, looking at the Shredded Wheat. As we approached him, Joshua leaned over and whispered something in Abby Kate’s ear. That should’ve tipped me off that something was coming. She listened to what he had to say, and then grinned from ear to ear and nodded her head. When we got right behind the old man, Joshua and Abby Kate each jump up and yell in full voice: “COME! AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN!!!” I really thought the old guy was going to have a heart attack right there. After I apologized to him, I gave the twins the “Dad death glare”, but the old man (after regaining his composure) said something like, “No, it’s all right. I actually appreciate somebody that bold in their faith.” Of course, this just further encouraged them to do this again in the future. But it was a good memory.
2. That story reminded me of the first time I had the chance to tell my kids about Jesus. This is probably overly sentimental, but when each of our children were just a day or two old, I pulled them aside and told them the story of Jesus. It was a proud moment for me, getting to share that Gospel — the most important thing of all — with my children. And being the first person to tell them the story they’ll hear over and over in their lives was very special. With Joshua and Abby Kate, I told them while we were there together in the NICU. I opened the little doors to their isolettes and told them how special they were and how much Jesus loved them. With Jack, I had the chance to talk with him while he was sleeping in our room that first night. That’s something that I never want to forget.