It is time I confessed that we as a family have been seeing a Doctor. We do not dread these appointments, rather, my children are often eagerly inquiring whether I have to be out any given night. They are eager for me to be home so we can participate in one of our group activities.

I confess that I have feared raising kids even though I was eager to have a family. I had heard all the stories, seen the terrifying possibilities of “pastor’s kids” and worried that as they hit their teenage years, things could get ugly.

Reality has been far more fun than my fears anticipated. A big part of that is how much we enjoy being together. Over the years I, or my wife, have kept up a steady pattern of reading books with our kids. I took them through the entire Lord of the Rings series and other fun books. Currently, I am reading them a series of short stories from Isaac Asimov as well as Garrison Keilor’s “Lake Wobegon Days.” Sarah has read through the Little House books and several other series. Then there are the family viewing nights where we’ve been working through Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, as well as Dr Who, both classic and current varieties.

My favorite thing though is the laughter (although, to be fair, when I’m tired and they are busy fooling around together and laughing, I get tired of it) that we share. I will very freely admit that I get grumpy sometimes and can not be the life of the party, but overall we manage to laugh more than anything else and that laughter keeps a lot of tension out of our relationships. It has reduced discipline issues between parents and kids and reduced stress between parents. I find that the more I lead the household with laughter and joy, the more it bleeds through the other relationships in the house. (Conversely, when I’m grumpy, that tends to quickly spread too.)

If I am home, I am often the one that tucks the kids into bed. As I pray with my kids, we thank God for our family and how he gave us to each other. We learn together, play together, and seek to follow and serve the Lord together. Ministry is not something that is Daddy’s job but instead is simply the thing that gives pattern and direction to our entire lives. I am excited to find that as a result of this, as my kids are getting older, they are seeking opportunities to be involved in ministry without any push or nudge from us parents. It is simply how they understand living life. This fills me with joy.

We aren’t done yet as there are still plenty of steps on this path, but I am thankful and joyful that I enjoy being home and being with the people who live here with me.