The four communion cups our family used for the Lord’s Supper on July 5, 2015 at Ebenezer.

Today was a special moment in our family.  As we celebrated the Lord’s Supper in worship today we needed four cups of juice and four pieces of bread to take communion as a family.  Since the day Ashley told me she was pregnant with our second child, we have not stopped praying for him.  Our greatest prayer and hope for his life has always been for him to walk with the Lord.  (Colossians 1:9-14)

As a preacher’s kid we have tried our best to teach all three of our boys to love the Lord.  They live at church almost as much as at home.  However, it’s been important for the boys to see life in Christ lived more outside the walls of our church than inside.  It’s more than just what dad does to make a living.  It’s our life…it’s our faith…it’s the most important thing.  Jesus is it.  He is the center of our lives and family.

Ellis has known for some time now what it means to be “saved.”  He had the head knowledge, but we’ve been waiting for the Spirit of God to pierce the heart of Ellis.  That moment happened in the hills of North Carolina at Ridgecrest during CentriKID summer camp on June 24, 2015.  It was a holy moment similar to the moment our oldest son gave his life to Christ in 2012 (read about that here).

Today Ellis joined Ebenezer Baptist Church in Florence and publicly proclaimed his faith in Jesus Christ.  He also took his first communion.  And…just like Ellis, those moments were filled with fun and excitement.  Ashley and I enjoyed watching him fumble with the little piece of bread/wafer and watch him accidentally break it in his hands as he waited for everyone else to be served.  Then he carefully held the cup of juice being mindful of not spilling it all over his shorts.  These are the moments we will remember for a lifetime.  Ellis will be baptized next Sunday, July 12.

Whether you’re a preacher’s kid or not…faith is a process.  Life transformation can happen in big moments during powerful worship experiences, but it most often happens in daily living.  During these days of the Summer of 2015 we’re walking day by day through a workbook with Ellis to learn more about his new faith in Christ.  It’s in each of these moments that we spend with him that we will get to experience the life changing power of Christ in our second son.

Today we needed four cups for communion.  We now pray and long for the day that we need five.