Healthy. Wholesome. Family. Life.
Our blog emphasizes healthy, wholesome, family-friendly, life-giving choices.
I don’t know about you, but I want to have deep, meaningful relationships with people. Deep, meaningful relationships aren’t possible, though, without both parties showing love, being truthful, and being authentic — not curating a persona that isn’t real.
Read MoreToday, on my first day of retired life, it's hard to believe that I joined the Navy 24 years ago. 24 years seems like a long time until it's already past. Looking back, though, 24 years pasted so quickly.
Read MoreTwenty years ago, we stood together in front of our family and friends and before God to become man and wife. What a wonderful thing that it’s been to be married to you, Franicia.
Read More9 children and 19 (almost 20) years into our marriage, you still truly amaze me at the woman and Mommy that you are, Franicia. How do you find time and energy to love and worship God, love your fellow man, love me, and love and teach our children in a way that causes people to wonder and want to know more about the God that you serve?
Read MoreCan you believe that 2021 is almost over? This year has been a busy year for us with lots of exciting changes and developments. One of the highlights of this year was our discovering that Franicia is pregnant with a precious soul who we expect to be welcoming into this world sometime next summer. We also found out the timing of Tim’s transition from the Navy to civilian life also next summer that will likely coincide with our relocating again.
Read MoreA little over 19 years ago, Franicia and I said, “I do”…actually, we said it twice and we’re pronounced “man and wife” twice, but that story is for another time. 😂 We never in our wildest dreams would’ve imagined that we would be blessed with 9 wonderful, precious children. I don’t think that we would’ve ever dreamed that either that we would’ve moved so many times, experienced so many wonderful things, or walked through the trials that we have experienced.
Read MoreOur dojo is almost ready! Woohoo! Pelaiah helped me clear out a lot more items, and Franicia has been working hard on making the bookshelf and school side function more like a library again. I love exercising with my children here, and, not too long from now, we’ll be learning our Okinawan Karate katas when Franicia is ready to teach us hopefully! We’re eager to learn the same kata that Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel in Karate Kid on the mountain. How awesome would that be?! #TRAINFORLIFE
We rarely realize the life that we can speak into other people’s lives not only by the things that we say but also by our actions. The world that we live in can often be a dark, sad, lonely world, and love, light, and honor can be hard to come by. One thing that I’ve learned from Franicia, though, is how far-reaching the effects of the love that we show to people can go.
Read MoreRead MoreAnd the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Luke 1:30-33
Wow — 18 years have really flown by. They’ve been 18 wonderful years — maybe that’s why they have flown by so quickly. 18 years, 9 children (one unborn), 13 homes, 8 family cars, 6 family computers, 2 overseas tours, multiple deployments — these years have not only been wonderful…they’ve been fun-filled and exciting.
Read More17 years sounds like a long time. Tragically, the average length of marriages in the US is only 8.2 years according to census data. Woohoo! We have more than doubled the national average! (That’s actually sad to write — I wish that we were up to only ⅓ of the nation average. How wonderful would that be? May the Lord grant repentance and healing in our nation and society that marriages would be sacred and long-lasting!)
Read MoreDo you have anyone in your life that you wish you could be more like? I sure do. There’s one particular person in my life that is so incredibly sweet and loving. They’re actually the sweetest, most-loving person I have ever known or even heard of.
Read MoreI love Franicia’s hair! I better — I’m her husband after all! Her hair is very thick and curly. She tells me that, if she did not take great care of her hair, though, her hair would be very frizzy and bushy. So many ladies with hair similar to Franicia’s love to touch and smell Franicia’s hair and ask her what she puts in her hair.
Read MoreHave you ever done something because other people expected you to do it rather than because you believed it was right or because it was something you wanted to do? Sometimes, we all do things because we think that it’s what others expect of us. That’s not always a bad thing, but, in some cases, it could be a bad thing. On our wedding day, doing what I thought people expected of me would’ve kept me from sharing a sweet memory with my precious bride, Franicia.
Read MoreI was being honest, but I was also being overly optimistic. For years, I thought that I was alone in underestimating how long projects would take for me to finish. I’d often be frustrated when I didn’t accomplish all that I wanted to in a day. Because of my frustration, I was often tempted to “wing it” rather than be very deliberate about my time management.
Read MoreHave you ever noticed the difference between people who are grateful vs those that are never satisfied? It's so easy to fall into the rut of complaining and thinking of the things that I DON'T have instead of being grateful for the things that I DO have.
Read MoreLast week, I was thrilled to have the honor and privilege of being the guest speaker for the graduation of Chattanooga Police Department's Police Academy Class 2017-1. It was wonderful to be back in Chattanooga, but it was really special to be in the presence of some of my favorite and most highly esteemed people on the planet.
Read MoreIt’s hard to believe that Franicia and I met 18 -- yes, EIGHTEEN -- years ago! I graduated 15 years ago and, 15 years ago, we were married. 14 commands, 11 moves, 10 houses, 7 children, 6 churches, and 4 overseas moves later, Franicia and I are happier and more in-love than we’ve ever been.
Read MoreI was 18 when I saw Franicia for the first time and 19 when I had the opportunity to talk to her. I never guessed that she was the woman that I would marry and have the privilege of bringing 7 children into the world with. It's now 18 years since we first spoke, 14 and a half years since we were married, and now we have 7 children!
Read MoreThe saying, "Time flies" is used a lot, but it's so true! Time does seem to slip through our fingers if we're not very careful!
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