To Noah, Bayley & the future Mrs. Nelms'

A Promise to My Sons for When They Are Some Day Married…

•     I will pray for you, your wife and your children, Every Day! (When you visit I won’t let you leave until I’ve prayed over you, even if we’re mad at each other... It happens.)
•      I will Always be here to listen, give advice and help. (IF you want me to do those things... I won't butt in if you want me to stay out of it... Maybe we should have a signal, like you grab your butt if I'm butting in... No, that would be confusing since you already grab your butt so much. We'll think of something.)
•      I will come to every possible event for your children (once you have children) to encourage them, tell them how talented and awesome they are, and probably embarrass them. (Unless you move far away and can’t afford to pay my plane ticket, because I assume I’ll still be broke... Unless you discover teleportation and then it'll be easy and we'll all be rich anyway; Yeah do THAT!!)
•      I will always welcome your children at my house. (After all, they are not you, they are grandkids and grandkids are awesome, from what I hear.) {See note above for exception}
•      OK, Your wife & you are also welcome at our house anytime as well. (You don't even have to call first, just knock; we'll have the door locked if I'm naked.) 
•      I will tell you on a regular basis “I Love You” and I’ll say it to all of your family. (So Sorry if that’s embarrassing to you, you’ll survive.)
•      I will accept your wife as a daughter and treat her as part of the family. (Please extend my apologies to her for that one.)
•      I will NOT take sides when you argue with your wife. You are grown, you work it out. (You are free to vent to me, but my advice will always lead you to look at the kind of husband you want to be and she deserves. If you see that you are wrong, apologize. If she is wrong, show her mercy and lead her closer to Christ.)
•      I will NOT give unsolicited advice about your marriage, your career or where you choose to live as a family. (I will pray for wisdom and, IF Asked, give my opinion, but I will respect & support the decisions you make as a family, knowing it is YOU who will answer to God for how you lead your family. My job was done when you left me to cleave to her.) {That almost seems Biblical.}
•      I pray that you will have great relationships with your in-laws, but should you have problems with them, don't count on me to bash them or say anything negative about them. (But when no one is around to see or hear it, I'll laugh and laugh.)
•      I will Not pay your bills for you just so you can have fun. (Don’t spend more than you make, plan ahead, and tithe; I guarantee you’ll be fine if you do those things.)
•      I will apologize when I mess up and I’ll forgive you when you mess up. (Both are guaranteed to happen numerous times.)
•      I will always love you and be ready to demonstrate love through encouragement, assistance, my presence in your life, a strong shoulder to cry on and of course sarcasm (You know that’s who we are with each other and I love it.)
•      I will Always be your Dad!! (So if you forget my B-Day or Father's Day I'll cry and make you feel guilty.)

I have great confidence in a bright future for both of you. I can't wait to see how God uses both of you in drastically different ways to impact the world and the next generation. I love you both and I'm so proud and grateful that God blessed me with you both. You're future wives and children will be fortunate to have you in their lives. Love God First, your Wife second, your Kids third, letting the Bible & Holy Spirit guide you and let the rest of the world play their part. Your entire family will be better off if those priorities consistently win out. It's not easy, but it is simple.