I'll admit it, it was a little hard coming to grips with our first boy turning 16 last year. But now that our second born has turned 16, I'm not sure I'm ready for what's to come.

So yesterday, our #2, Nate, turned 16. I spent the day yesterday wrestling with the fact that we now would have 2 eligable drivers in the house. Two almost adults. Two that much closer to college. And two that much close to being on their own. Scary, really.

On Tuesday night, we had dinner with some very dear friends. Two of their three girls were part of our youth group at one point. The oldest and her husband now have 2 boys of their own. When we met the family our oldest was 15 months old and #2 was just a newborn. Amazingly, their boys are 12 months apart. As I sat there, me with my family and 2 oldest boys, and she and her family and 2 boys, I was struck with just how blessed we are. It wasn't that long ago we were in their shoes. Crazy how fast time passes. Now that newborn is 16, and ready to take on the world.

But I want to brag about my #2 son, if I may.

First of all, I am in awe of this young man. Nate is crazy talented. Smart. Athletic. Artisitic. Fully of charisma. Passionate. Loyal. Persistant. And strong-willed.

Nate cares deeply for others in a way that is genuine and authentic. He is always open and welcoming of others regardless of who they are or where the come from. He values his relationships, and thrives when he is with his friends.

Always on the go. A party planner and event coordinator. It's never simple with Nate. The bigger the better.

On the field and off the field, Nate lives full throttle. He gives 100% at all times and in just about everything he does. And he will go the extra mile if he knows it will bless someone else.

Around kids...he's a rock star. His playful, energetic, never quit personality is perfect when working with younger kids. It's truly a gift of his.

Nate pushes the limits, in everything. Never settling for the simple, No, Nate goes for what he wants.

A hard worker. Servant hearted. Super lovable. And can I say, crazy good looking.

The amazing thing is, he is almost the total opposite of who I am. I tend to be clean-cut, living by the rules. Nate walks in the gray, leaving the rule book behind. I am neat and orderly, follow time and structure. Nate lives wild and free, time is only a suggestion.

Out of all five, Nate is the one I bump heads with the most. There's not much we see eye to eye on. But out of all five, Nate is the one I am learning the most from. Every day, he helps to shape me in some new way. And every day, I want to be a better dad to him and for him. I couldn't, nor would I ever want, to imagine life or our family without him.

Nate, I know that God has amazing plans in store for you and I can't wait to see what he does with you. So keep chasing after Him. Keep questioning. Keep pushing. Keep discovering the amazing grace and love of our Perfect Father. He is faithful and true, and will lead you right where He wants you. So embrace all that you have been created to be, and live a life of obedience and love. For you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

I promise to always love you, support you, and learn from you! Because I know, after all the bumping of heads, there will be a day when it all makes sense, and we will see the masterpiece of your story that God has painted for you. And oh, what a day that will be!

I love you.

~ dad

I can't believe my last posted blog was on June 22, 2015. Today is August 13, 2015. Almost a month a half has passed since I sat down to write anything for www.JayHigham.com!

Last night I sat down to look at the blogs we've been running. This week has been particularly crazy around the Higham house, (I will be posting a blog on that over at www.TheHighamFamily.com on Friday!) and I haven't had time to do our usual updates. But when I saw that June 22, was the last blog post for this site, I knew I had to get on it.

It's not from a lask of desire, that's for sure. I love blogging. But over the last couple of months, our blogging efforts have been very focused. You see, in January 2015, my wife and I started having the conversation about launching a blog that would encourage families. Now there are a lot of mommy blogs out there who talk about raising kids and family topics, and their great. But we wanted a slightly different approach. We wanted to create a blog that shared life and ministry from the perspective of the whole family; the husband, the wife, and even the kids.

So this past June, we started working on the blog now know as, www.TheHighamFamily.com. We have also started a vlog. Instead of just writing about our family, we're sharing the experiences we have as we have them via Youtube. The vlog is still in it's beta stage, but we have posted a number of videos from the family. I think our goal is to post something every week, then see how it grows. You can find our Youtube channel, Life In The Higham House by clicking on the link.

Another project that we have started working on is a family focused web show that talks about the topics related to the family. Because we have been involved in church leadership for over 20 years, particularly working with students and families we are often asked by friends our thoughts on raising kids, marriage, and family. That, along with our own efforts to raise our family, has led us to consider the idea of a web show that allows families to send questions that we then answer. But it's more than just a Q&A program, our hope is to develop a weekly show that tackles a variety of topics, welcomes guests, and helps to resource parents and families with excellent products designed to grow and strengthen the family. For now, we are calling the vlog, The Family Show. Original, right? You can find our first episode, How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex, by clicking on the link. We hope to have the new channel up and running by September!

But the topic of family isn't the only topic we're writting about. This summer, I was asked to share some of my student ministry story. I wrote an article reflecting on how God had use Youth Specialties' and the National Youth Worker Convention, to shape and encourage my ministry to students and families. That blog post (read it here) led to an interview (which you can view here) led to writing 2 short blog posts ("Church is Boring & Christian's Aren't Cool) for Youth Specialties. Student and family ministry has been, is, and will always be a passion of mine. I believe that both student and family ministry play a significant role in the life and ministry of the church. So I was honored to share my story and ideas.

Now, throw in the family calendar, summer camps, sports camps, multiple work schedules, a mission trip, my 2 jobs, and a vacation...suddenly the time is gone and you wonder where it all went? But we realize that we are blessed and that God has called us into a ministry of and to the family. So whether it's on the blog, in a vlog, at the church, or in our home, we want to continue to glorify God by working to bless and encourage other families to live for Him!

I want to invite you to stay close. I know that as we get back into the routines of school and life, there will be much more to write about and share! So whether it's on www.TheHighamFamily.com, www.JayHigham.com, www.TheGoodHusbandBlog.com, www.StudentMinistryToday.com or on our growing Youtube channels, we will be here sharing all that God is teaching us!

- jay