I Love My Girls

God has given me a good gift in my girls. He has given me two very good gifts, indeed. My wife and my daughter are beautifully sweet means of God's grace to me. I am increasingly aware of these things as our time together increases.

As I love and spend time with my wife, God often reminds me of His marital, covenant love toward His people through Christ Jesus. And as we love and spend time with our daughter, God often reminds us of His fatherly love toward His people through Christ Jesus. How beautiful is His love in Christ indeed!

God created the family to show forth His glory because it fundamentally shows who He is, and I am humbled to even be a part of His family and to be placed as a husband and father into ours. I have not deserved any of it, but God has been incredibly gracious to me.

Pictoral Update!

Well it's been about a month and a half since we've posted on here so I guess it's about time we put some new pictures up. Here's a glance at our holiday season:

I made a tu-tu for Charissa for Christmas and she's trying it on for me. I think she was more confused than enjoying it. Oh well.

Friends gave us tickets to an NC State basketball game so we all went. Charissa is wearing a shirt that says "Wolfpack Baby." And it's also way too big.
Charissa loved the game! She watched most of the time and made TONS of friends. She clapped and cheered (shrieked and babbled at least) and had a lot of fun. It was a great family outing.
Charissa in her very pretty Christmas dress.
Her dress was so poofy that it exploded out the back when she sat in the nursery's highchair. She didn't care though - her only concern was getting food.

CJ and I sat together on the way down to Britt's mom's house so we took some pictures together. Charissa thought it was really fun.
Her first Christmas! And she's playing with two presents at once!
Charissa was so excited about her new cup that she tried to drink out of as soon as she got it. The only thing in it was a piece of paper explaining how to use the cup. Which I'm not sure why we need.
We did stockings with just the three of us in between visits to family. I don't remember what was so funny, but CJ and I thought the plane was really funny.

Letter to a New Father

I'm really not a very experienced father. But when my friend sent me an email asking for early fatherhood suggestions, particularly how to encourage his wife, I jumped at the chance to love and encourage him and his family. I reproduce it here (minus some details) for your encouragement as well:

Brother,

Good questions to ask. The other guys probably have more insight than me, through age, experience, and godliness; but mainly I would just try to let my wife rest as much as possible, do the night shift unless it impairs your work ability (in which case you have to figure something out), make sure I'm getting off early if at all possible, and generally just looking out and looking ahead for her. Offer to make dinner, rub her feet (or whatever hurts), rent a movie, go on a date whenever she's ready to leave the little one (she'll take longer to come to that point than you).

But most of all, she just needs encouragement that God has already given her the skills and is currently giving her the strength and the grace she needs to be a good mother. That's what my wife needed to know most. So encourage her with the gospel, and when she feels like she's messed up something, give her more gospel. She doesn't have to know everything - God will take care of every little thing and cover up our many mistakes as parents. Truly He is good to those who call on Him, to those who call on Him in truth.

And go ahead and start family worship if you haven't already, even with the little one - it will encourage her that you care about your son's body and his soul, and will help her press on in her own (probably somewhat strained) devotional time. Encourage her to take time to be with Jesus on her own as well.

We love you three and are available to baby-care whenever you need us, or just for dinner, or just to get out, or just for encouragement!

Britt

July Weekends

This month sure has been fun, and hectic. We've been to three weddings, two road trips, one family vacation, and four different grocery stores. Highlights have included:

• better times with Jesus
  
• many good conversations with each other
  
• playing with our baby in several different pools
• getting rid of the many, many computers in our bedroom
• Big B getting a haircut
• playing settlers with the Haynes and Woods families
  
• eating the most gigantic vacation dinners we've had since . . . we can't remember when
• going on neighborhood walks
• sitting on the front porch and reading
  
• gettting an big family portrait while dressed as outlaws and barmaids
  
• giving our time and lives to those we love
• laughing a lot, especially with our friends
  
• reading our Bibles more
• seeing two wonderful, God-loving couples get married
  
• seeing some good movies (Bridge to Terabithia, Band of Brothers episode 1, and To End All Wars, among others)
  
• making up funny songs about rolling and diapers and all sorts of stuff
  
• watching our baby roll across the living room floor in less than two minutes
• getting lost on the way to Youngsville
• meeting new friends at the local park
  

Well, that's all for now. I just wanted to remember, and laugh some, too.

Fatherhood in the Lord

The past two days, I (Britt) had the honor and the privilege of attending the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches' Fatherhood Conference. I was blown away by the sheer weight and force of the Scriptures on this important subject. The speakers were excellent, the other fathers were friendly, God was (and always is) at work in hearts, and I was moved and convicted. I will be posting my notes over at my site, britttreece.blogspot.com .

What a joy it is to be a husband and a father by God's hand!