Quality Time with Dave

Thoughts from Ed Miller

A few weeks back we had one of those special family times that don’t come along often enough. Our oldest son Dave was hanging around the house waiting for his younger brother to come home. He was talking with my wife, Joanne, in the dining room and I wandered into the room to join the conversation. Before we knew it, I looked up at the clock to see that it was 1:00 am!

The discussion meandered through many different topics. Joanne had gotten an email during the day from a fan of the National Center for Biblical Parenting. The writer was very impressed with the honor definition that we use and he wanted to ask permission to incorporate it into the core values of his company. We had an enjoyable time reflecting on how we had learned to demonstrate honor in our family over the years.

This led to another discussion about relationships. Joanne shared that she and I made a commitment early in our relationship to always speak positively about each other in public. Dave thought that was a great idea. I went to my bookshelf and pulled down a book entitled Opposites Attack! The book explains that people often see the negatives associated with differences and how differences cause conflict in relationships. This book illustrates how differences can be produce fruitful partnership when viewed as assets. This led to some discussion about commitment before the Lord in relationships that allows us to work through problems and differences.

Dave loves to text and he shared a lot of his ideas about how different people approach texting. Dave manages to put his feelings into almost every text. Others, he explained, just give you the facts. Dave has developed a keen sense of reading people even through texting.

Dave asked the girl of his dreams to marry him last week. They were in Maine visiting family and enjoying a horse-drawn sleigh ride on a farm with over a foot of snow on the ground. Dave popped the question and Amanda Truscott said yes! This is a match made in heaven! I can’t wait to see all that the Lord is going to do through Dave and Amanda in ministry with people.

Have you had any surprise family times lately that have warmed your heart? As always, I’d love to hear your stories, comments and questions.