I haven't posted anything in a while, so I figured I'd better get on it!

I would like to take this opportunity to brag about my wife. Only I can possess the fullness of how incredible, wonderful, amazing, and truly beautiful she is... but I want to honor her by proclaiming to the world in my own ways just how good God is for creating her and blessing me with her, as well as giving credit where credit is due. Local heroes don't make the 7:00 Nightly News by being as joe-schmoe as the rest of the world around them; people who are truly extraordinary are known, because  those people are worthy of honor. I have the wonderful privilege of being MARRIED to the most extraordinary person in the world (bias as I may be...), my lovely wife Rebecca.

Now, there is a very good reason for me feeling so strongly about crediting Becca in this way, aside from the simple fact that she is my wife, faithful and full of love for me of all people. Since I met this incredible woman of God, I have seen strength and perseverance while remaining absolutely dedicated to Christ-like excellence every. single. day.
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that she has maintained the same levels of emotional, physical, and spiritual energy constantly without wavering; there have been PLENTY of difficulties and hardships. What I mean to convey is that through a ridiculous amount of challenges, she has never given any less than her very best through each and every obstacle.

Since we met in the discipleship program we served in, dealing with all the challenges of living with and leading young adults, to almost a year and a half of long distance courting, to planning and preparing for a wedding almost all our own, to the sudden shock of what married life quickly brings, including bills, babies, and the fact that your life in it's entirety now includes another person of the opposite sex, whom you will probably never completely understand =).

This has been our life, full of contention and persevering, dealing with blindside after blindside of nearly overwhelming amounts of stressful situations and circumstance. Our whole lives are not defined in this way, there is much love and joy that we share every day, but so often Jesus uses the really hard stuff to shape you as you go along.
Especially as of late, it's been like being staked down in the surf and never knowing if the next unanticipated wall of water that will come crashing down on you will be the final stroke... or if you'll somehow in the midst of it all find the strength to stand and make your way to dry land and get that much needed break to catch your breath and carry on down the way set before you.

But God is our Refuge, our Shelter from the storm... and He continues to keep the Hope alive in us that we need to carry on. And every day, when I consider my wife, who is carrying our precious baby girl, along with the weight of all the other difficulties and obstacles... persevering, being excellent in all she does with what she is able, and loving... I find it of no consequence to rise up and do likewise.

Becca is a woman worthy of honor, worthy of praise, and most worthy to love. I consider myself most blessed in the gift of being her husband. I am proud of her, and honored to be her man. I know that God truly knew what he was doing in bringing us into each others lives, and as a consequence, there is nothing we cannot do.

I love you sweetheart, keep fighting the good fight and know that I will always be there by your side, even if, no matter what.

-love, me.