{Just Us Kings} » Mr. King

Remember Nivar?

Mr. King — Wed, 25 May 2011 17:21:34 +0000

Do you remember last year, when I bought these shoes through Buy Shoes. Save Lives. that saved a child’s life in Iraq?

These shoes saved a child's life

At the time I purchased my Klash the child who was going to receive surgery was named Nivar. I attached myself to this little girl because I could see her, follow her story and ultimately put a face with what I was supporting through my purchase.

Well, It’s been 10 months since Nivar’s surgery and I wanted to share a follow-up story that talks about how she is doing now. This picture below will take you to the article.

“]Remember Nivar?

You can get involved too. Visit Preemptive Love Coalition and see what they are doing to help change the lives of children in Iraq who are affected by heart disease. You can support their Remedy Missions which bring doctors into Iraq to do more surgeries in a month than they used to do in a year by taking kids to Israel and Turkey.

Date Your Bride

Mr. King — Mon, 23 May 2011 15:15:08 +0000

Men, when’s the last time you dated your bride?
Not the last time you took her on a date, but the last time you made her feel pursued.
When’s the last time you approached your relationship with the same intensity and vigor you did when you first met.

Put some thought into it, guys. Plan ahead. Don’t wait until the last minute all the time. Spontaneity is great, but a well thought out pursuit can make your lady feel really special.

It's an honest question

I need to do this more often. I think it comes and goes in seasons but I don’t want it to. I want to make it part of our everyday life. My bride deserves it. My kids, both son and daughters, need to see it. That way he knows what it looks like to love your bride and our girls will have quite an expectation for their future grooms.

Oh, and do it because you love her, not because you’re going to get something out of it. I won’t tell you that you won’t get a return on your investment, but that should just be the icing on the cake.

Faith of a Child

Mr. King — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:55:09 +0000

One of the most incredible things I’ve ever gotten to do happened this past Sunday. You see, a few months ago, our oldest daughter came to us and said that she had asked Jesus to be her ‘Forever Friend’ and because of this she said she wanted to be baptized to “let everyone know that I love Jesus!”

Do you believe?

Jesus as our ‘Forever Friend’ is a term that we took from a church we used to go to in St. Louis. It was a simple way for us to explain to our children the thought of having Jesus in their heart. We have taught the kids what it means to have Jesus as lord of your life and why we need Him. They hear about the death and resurrection on a regular basis. So we were very excited when Lil’ E came and told us she had made this decision.

Some people may question the age since our daughter is 4. Some say, “Will she remember it?” or “Does she really know what she’s choosing?”. I will say with utmost confidence that she understands what she did and why. She may not remember all the details of this day, but we’ll remind her and we have the pictures and video to help her never forget! Maybe we’ll start celebrating their ‘Re-Birthday’.

We couldn't be happier for little E

The main thing is that she came to us expressing her love for Jesus because He forgave her of her sins and she wanted everyone to know that Jesus is in her heart. Isn’t that the point of baptism?

It’s an outward expression of our decision to follow Jesus, dedicating ourselves to His service. She knows that the death and resurrection are what forgave her, but she also knows that to be baptized is to obey the Word of God.

That being said, it was my extreme pleasure to help her be obedient to God and baptize her in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Buried with Christ and raised in new life! It’s a day I will not soon forget.

Death and Taxes

Mr. King — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:01:09 +0000

Death and Taxes. The two unavoidable things in this world. At the sake of sounding morbid, I welcome both.

Come and get me

Death because I get to go home, where I belong with my Creator.

Taxes because if I’m paying taxes then I’m making an income.

Now, I’m not looking forward to dying and leaving my family and friends behind just as much as I don’t look forward to taxes being taken out of my check each month. But the mere fact that both of these events occurs in my life means that I’m alive and that I’m getting paid to do something that I love to do and look forward to every morning. I get to be with my family and support them. God has blessed me with so much and always taken care of our family.

So today, I’m thankful for the taxes I paid because it means that God is providing for my families’ financial needs through income. As for death, let’s pray that doesn’t come as quickly…

Sweet Daddy

Mr. King — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:34:34 +0000

Actual photo

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of great compliments from my middle daughter. She’s 3 and apparently she thinks that I’m the greatest thing ever, which I honestly hope she never stops thinking.

It started with “You’re so sweet, Daddy” in the most soft and innocent voice. Throw in some “Daddy, I love you” and “I really love you” and then top it all off with the most recent proclamation, “Daddy, you’re so strong!”

I’m loving this! I mean, who can resist the soft voice of their 3 year old daughter with bright eyes and a glowing smile? Hmm…? No one, that’s who. She gets me all the time when I’m tucking her in with, “Daddy, will you snuggle with me?” YES!

Needless to say, I love my kids. And the more I love them, the less they will look for approval from other sources. Dads… be the source of your children’s love and show them that the source of your love is Jesus. Then, when the time is right, they will look to Jesus for love too.

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Flying Solo

Mr. King — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:18:59 +0000

New addition?

Mrs. King just spent the last week in Guatemala visiting orphanages and loving on orphans there. They kept a blog while they were there and you should check it out at Loving His Kids. I’m sure that she will have lots of stories to share with you when she gets home, in about 3 hours! Yes, I’m so excited!

But, while she was gone, that meant that I was here… by myself… with our 4 little people… playing the part of… you guessed it… DAD!

Yes, that’s right. Dad. Not “Mr. Mom” and I wasn’t “Babysitting.” I was being a father to our children.

Super Dad!

It was a great week too. I love these guys and I got to love them all day long. Was I tired at the end of the day? You bet. I still don’t know how Mrs. King gets all the things done that she does during the day. I respected her before this week and I still respect her now. She is one smart, tough, thoughtful, caring, joyful, enthusiastic Momma and I couldn’t imagine doing life without her.

That’s what I learned in this week. I never want to be without my bride. I need her to share my life. I missed her. And I can’t wait to get her back tonight.

“Jesus is a Liberal Democrat” [VIDEO]

Mr. King — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 19:55:57 +0000

This video came to my attention by way of Ben Matthews and Aaron Monts. I love Stephen Colbert and this is a good example of why.

“…If this is gonna be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor either we’ve got to pretend that Jesus is just as selfish as we are or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition… and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.” ~ Stephen Colbert

Satisfaction In Food?

Mr. King — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:27:11 +0000

Let's eat!

This post from Resurgance.com was a great reflection for me as we approached Thanksgiving and the normal attitudes of “I just can’t wait to EAT turkey!” I have to admit that I was thinking about how much food I was going to eat and how good it was going to taste. This has been a struggle for me as the years have passed. I was thankful for this post to refocus myself and get read for the holidays.

I know for me, when the holidays come, so do the parties, baking, candy, cookies, cake, etc. I feel like it starts with Halloween and gets multiplied in our family because between September 30th and March 3rd our family has 6 birthdays, 5 holidays, and 1 wedding anniversary. Each of these comes with their own party, food, candy, and other goodies. Throw in the Super Bowl and now you’ve got some serious eating going on. It’s no wonder I seem to pack on the lbs whenever the temperature drops.

Now there is nothing wrong with parties and food. On the contrary, they bring family and friends together. There is joyful laughter and singing. You see people that you might only see a few times a year. And the food is amazing. That used to be one of the things that I looked forward to the most.

This Resurgance post got me thinking though, not just about gluttony, but about idols and about how anything that we use to “seek satisfaction and fulfillment” can be dangerous to our hearts. Paul’s words to the Colossians echo in my mind, “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.” [1Cor 10:23] Meaning simply, eat, but not so that it tears you or others down. Feast, but don’t let it get in the way of worship.

I’m changing the way that I view food. It will benefit (edify) me in may ways.

Spiritually, with my focus off satisfaction in food, I can seek satisfaction where it’s appropriate; in God. Reading my bible and praying replace snacking and boredom eating. I become better suited to lead and teach my family when I’m more in tune with God.
Physically I will be healthier. All types of physical benefits come with not seeking fulfillment in food.
I honor my bride. It’s a withdrawal for her to see me make poor food choices.
I honor my kids. I set a good example and ensure that I’m healthy enough to be around for a while.

A Father Makes All The Difference

Mr. King — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:17:15 +0000

I just finished this book, “The Difference a Father Makes” by Ed Tandy McGlasson, and it really encouraged me as a father. I loved it.

You make a difference

In his book, Ed speaks to fathers about “calling out the magnificent destiny in your children.” He tells of how his step father spoke into his life and gave him a defining moment of when he became a man.

His encouragement is to do this for your children, sons and daughters, building up to it starting early and culminating with a ceremonial event that will leave a lasting impression on your child’s heart. There should be no doubt in your child’s mind as to when he/she became a man/woman.

Rites of passage are something I have heard discussed from several friends with older children. The importance of these events are immeasurable. A time and place where a child can say they know they became a man or entered into womanhood is an important anchor as they venture on into adulthood.

If you have young children, you should give this a read. If you have older children, it’s not too late, you can still make an impact in your child’s life. Fathers don’t underestimate the power you have to mold and shape the life of your child.

Buy Shoes. Save Lives.

Mr. King — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:56:29 +0000

Buy Shoes, Save Lives

If you follow me on Twitter then you have probably noticed all the tweets about the Preemptive Love Coalition and BuyShoesSaveLives.com. I learned about this site through an article in Relevant Magazine a couple years ago now, but just recently was able to buy a pair of shoes. Klash, as they are called, are a simple, sturdy, handmade shoe that is providing a means of financial support for children in Iraq to receive life saving heart surgeries. I seriously wear these shoes almost every day. If I don’t wear them during the day, I generally change into them to go back out in the evening.

Jeremy Courtney is the founder of Preemptive Love. After coming to Iraq in 2007 and seeing the many children whose lives were threatened by heart defects, he decided to do something about it. Buy Shoes. Save Lives. was born. Their goal now is to eradicate the backlog of children needing heart surgeries and, through what they call Remedy Missions, produce a sustainable model that will out last PLC’s presence in Iraq. Remedy Missions are working to bring the surgeries into Iraq by training local doctors and nurses. You see, one of the reasons these kid’s aren’t getting surgery is because they have to travel to Turkey and Israel to find facilities and doctors who are capable of performing the surgeries they need. By training these people locally, the cost of surgery is reduced and the money from shoes and other support goes even further.

So how can you help? How can you get involved? It’s as easy as Buy Shoes. Save Lives. Seriously. Go buy shoes. A little boy or girl like Nivar will get their heart fixed and get a whole new life because you do. Whenever I take a step in my Klash, I think of Nivar’s heart that is beating because I purchased some shoes. We all need shoes. So save a kid’s life while you’re at it.

Follow Preemptive Love Coalition on twitter @PreemptiveLove, or visit them at PreemptiveLove.org and BuyShoesSaveLives.com.