Thirteen years ago today (May 27th, at 11:25 a.m.), God blessed Tonia and me with our first child – a boy – Marvin Jr.  He weighed in at 6 lbs and 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. Today, we celebrate his quirky humor, silly and passionate laugh, bottomless stomach (He refuses to eat off the kid’s menu), inquisitive mind, his love for science, his artistic ability, his athleticism, his love for video games and legos, his compassionate heart, his concern for children, his growing leadership capabilities, his love for his friends, and his growing love for Jesus.

This evening some very important men, men who have had a strong hand in Marvin’s life, will celebrate him by sharing scripture, words of encouragement, life lessons, or symbols of manhood. The apostle Paul said the older men should teach and mentor the younger men. This one example of this biblical principle. We believe he will remember this event for a long time to come. We are so proud of Marvin, and we are expecting God to do some special things with and through him.

Though his birthday was yesterday, please join me and Tonia today as we celebrate our first born, Marvin Lewis Williams, Jr. If you don’t mind, please leave a specific life lesson, a powerful word of encouragement, or favorite scripture for Marvin Jr. in the comment section. Thank you very much.

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The good looking kid (gets the looks from his mother) you see in the picture is my son, Micah. This year he has developed a love affair with baseball. On Thursday he asked me to work on his pitching with him. I told him that I would after I finished working out. I finished my workout, got something to eat, showered and before I knew it, time had slipped away from me. Now, I was rushing out the door to get to the office. As I was walking out the door, I heard his innocent but maturing voice, “I thought you were going to work on my pitching with me.”

Now, I had every intention on playing with him, but had conjured up several “good” reasons why we should postpone his pitching session: I was running behind schedule, he had just finished eating, and it had been raining earlier (Now, it really hadn’t rained long and hard enough to prevent us from playing). “Son, can we work on your pitching when I come back home this evening?” He said, “All right, dad.” Although his “all right” sounded like he understood, I knew it was laced with disappointment. His “all right” sounded like a hope deferred, and I was the one who had deferred it.  

When he conceded, I knew I was about to break a promise to my son. But, the Holy Spirit would not let me. He nudged me to put down my bag, my blackberry, and my afternoon snack and pick up my glove and work on pitching with my son. I obeyed. It was the best ten minutes of my day. Yes, it was inconvenient. Yes, it interrupted my flow. But, something more important than my schedule and my flow was at stake. My integrity was at stake. My example and reputation of being a “father who keeps a promise’ was at stake (I know another Father who has a reputation of keeping promises) This was about more than playing catch. It was about making and keeping a promise to my son. I told him I would, and I needed to keep my word. It was a promise worth keeping.

What promises have you made to your spouse, children, family and friends, that you need to keep today? What inconveniences or interruptions have you allowed to prevent you from keeping your word? What baby steps can you take to fulfill your promises?

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Because I saw so much marital and familial carnage when I was growing up, I made a decision that I did not want to get married nor have children. Well, God had different plans. I did get married almost fifteen years ago and we have three beautiful children. Although I did not desire to be a father, the father I imagined myself being, is the one you see in the picture – one whose heart is fully captured by his children and one who is learning to be fully present with and for his children. 

This evening my daughter, Mikayla (Sweetie), and I went to the Father and Daughter Banquet, hosted by a local radio station in Grand Rapids. We had a good time getting dressed up and spending quality time together. We talked about a number of subjects, laughed at one another's corny jokes, and enjoyed the singing of Jimmy Needham (dude can straight up sing). It was a great night.  

 

   

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