1 Samuel 1:27-28 ~ I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD. And he worshiped the LORD there.
That’s easy to say; it’s not so easy to do.
Rachel turned 21 this week, and all we could do was talk on the phone. She’s still in England.
It’s so cool to see what God has done (and thank you to those of you who supported her). She really feels like this was a great experience and is talking to God about how it impacts her future. She’ll head back to Nashville in July for summer school to make up for what she missed during the semester, and then finished up her Senior year and who knows?
It’s just a weird time. Lauren is graduating from High School and is trying to nail down college (new events unfolded this week). (Here's a picture of Lauren and Rachel together.) Then Steven Curtis Chapman comes in and sings the Cinderella Song about how fast they grow up. So it all just starts to get to you.
21 years ago was one of the most exciting times of our lives. The first baby. And you guys know how I love babies. She never got put down unless Denise made me. We lived in a great home in St. Louis where I was a Youth Pastor. We had great friends and a great church family and everything was as it should be. I can’t believe it’s been 21 years.
When you give them to God, like Hannah did Samuel, and like we all have in some degree – you just don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s always an adventure, and one that we rarely figure out ahead of time.
And I don’t have anything profound to say about it either.
Except Happy Birthday Rach! I’m very proud of you. You are such an amazing woman of God, you could only have come directly from Him. I’m sorry for the times I didn’t stop and dance with Cinderella, but I certainly loved the times when I did.
I thank God for giving you to me. Now that you are legally a woman (you’ve really been a woman since you were like 5), I just want you to know that I’m glad God gave you to your mom and me. And I’m glad we gave you back to Him. Even though it means we can’t celebrate your birthday with you – we couldn’t be more proud of you. God has a big plan for you. I know it involves music and past that, I don’t have a clue. I just know that I’ll always be more proud of anything that God does through you, than I am anything He did through me.
I will always know something the Prince will never know. I loved you first; I will always be the lucky one.
Wow, what a sappy blog. It’s not like she’s getting married or something.
Tim
PS. Thank you to Mike Glenn and the ARMY of volunteers and staff that made Steven Curtis Chapman and his band feel so welcome and gave us all such a great encouragement through them.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with sappy - especially when it concerns a daddy & his little girl. Happy Birthday, Rachel! We too, are very proud of you.
Posted by: db | May 19, 2008 at 10:15 AM
Thank you for sharing and being honestly sappy. I was tearful when I heard the song, it reminded me the days I spent with my Dad, especially those fun carpentry & boy stuffs we did together (since I had no brother).
It was the first time I heard that song at the concert . I knew I had to learn the chords that night. Now I'm playing and singing it to our little one with my ukulele.
Happy birthday Rachel, you are blessed to have such a great dad.
Posted by: Sherie Sloane | May 19, 2008 at 06:10 PM