Men in the Making . . .

(Please excuse little Andrew's bare chest in the first picture! He had worn a hot long sleeved shirt and was just needing a little relief!)

Note: Son-in-law Eddie pointed out the duplication that had somehow "snuck" in under the radar -- hope it has been corrected! Thanks, Eddie, for keeping me straight!

Our oldest grandson, R.G., turned 16 years old last week. It was certainly an exciting day for him! He passed his driver’s exam and came home with the golden passport – something he has been chomping at the bit for, for a while now. He especially wanted to be able to help the family business more, relieving his father of some of the delivery runs. He has proven himself to be a man in many ways, and his desire to be productive in the family enterprise has been a blessing to watch.

Up to this point, it has been granddaughters reaching this milestone, and after discussion with “the parents” (our children and spouses), we decided to give the girls a “tea” to mark their 16th birthday. As each first is precedent setting, we thought and prayed about R.G.’s gift and decided on a canoe trip down the Peace River, with Granddaddy, fathers and uncles, brothers and friends.

So this weekend, R.G. and a bunch of “men in the making” as well as family men, took off down the river. Danny says the day couldn’t have gone better. The weather was beautiful, the river was clear, although a little low, the sub sandwiches were great, the tipping, dumping, and swimming were a ball, and the fellowship was sweet. They found sharks’ teeth, fossilized mussels and clams, and even part of a mammoth tooth. (This is the river where Vision Forum held a “dig” a few years ago.) At the end of the run, they had a wonderful, meaningful devotion, with Granddaddy reading Psalm 78:1-7 and each of the men sharing stories of God’s faithfulness. They prayed over R.G. and commended him to the Lord as a faithful young man.

The ladies had dinner together, and then some of the more ambitious played volleyball. Grandmama took a little nap while watching a DVD of Judge Roy Moore (I remember most of it, really!). The men returned exhausted but relaxed. It was a golden day! Thank you, Lord, for the fine young men you are raising up to lead tomorrow’s families and take your kingdom forward!