Teddy James

AFA Journal staff writer

June 2012 – With the birth of Karis Elizabeth on April 10, Teddy and Allison James became parents for the first time. Teddy is an AFA Journal staff writer. He has taken a new part-time job as janitor at his church so Allison can be home with Karis.

Dear Karis,

This is my first Father’s Day as a dad, and the weight of my new responsibilities seems heavy right now. I understand that the task of preparing you to be a godly woman rests squarely on my shoulders. By God’s grace, I’m eager for the challenge.

I’ve been praying and studying about the duties and blessings of being your father. Here are some promises I want to make to you. I promise to:

▶ love you, but to love Christ even more;
▶ say the words “I love you” every day, and mean them;
▶ demonstrate God’s grace to you by treating your mother and you with kindness and mercy;
▶ show God’s unending love for you by keeping my vow to your mother to never leave or forsake her;
▶ walk in the footsteps of Jesus so that as you follow me, we follow Him;
▶ teach you to love God’s Word by reading it with you and by living according to its teachings;
▶ make sure you are regularly among God’s people;
▶ protect you from the evils of the world;
▶ pray with you daily and especially for your future spouse;
▶ wrestle with you as often as possible and to teach you how to hunt monsters after a nightmare;
▶ be your biggest fan, loudest cheerleader and most dedicated coach on and off the field, but to love you whether you never win or never play;
▶ to reassure you of my love even when you really mess up; and
▶ to be involved and interested in your problems, whether it’s a stubbed toe or a broken heart.

But, Karis, please be patient with me. I’m new at all this and bound to fail. But even then, I promise to teach you about forgiveness by asking for yours.

Love,

Dad