This is a stealth blog. Karen doesn't know that I am writing it. Maybe she'll never know ...

But I was praying this morning and recounting the faithfulness of God to me over the years, a fruitful and encouraging exercise for those who belong to the "I Am"; the loving God of history. I was remembering God's faithfulness to me given my original identity in the fallen man Adam and his grace in giving me a new identity in Christ. I then took a short walk through some of the key points in my life all the while amazed that God would choose to set his affection and blessing on a such a man.

It was when I came to the moment that I first met Karen, and realized how young I was when God introduced me to my future bride, that my gratitude toward my Heavenly Father welled up and I needed to share God's goodness publicly. He blessed me with my greatest blessing outside of Christ at such an early age! I didn't have to struggle with the loneliness that so often accompanies the years long search for a suitable companion. Not only did I not have to wait long, but the quality of her character astounds me each day I spend with her.

I am realizing more and more just how wonderfully puritanical Karen is. I say this because unlike most of modern Christianity which is no longer on "speaking terms" with these important fathers in the faith, I have come to see that one of their many laudable characteristics was their sincere desire to weed out sin in their lives. They wanted nothing hanging about within the closets of their heart that would interfere with their communion with Christ. They were more willing to recognize sin, repent of it, and bear with one another in their weakness than any other branch of our Christian family tree of whom I am aware.

Karen exhibits this Godly desire on a daily basis. I have never encountered another woman who so sincerely and thoughtfully desires to hone herself into a tool fit for Christ's use. She is continually working to love me and the children more, even as I seem to be getting more difficult and crotchety each day. She nevertheless sincerely desires to be a blessing to us and to our church family. I only wish that more men were blessed with this kind of a woman. The Christian home could then truly be a wonderfully peculiar thing at which the world could marvel.

Karen has always frowned at the name of this blog. It is, I admit, a bit odd when you are the object of the name. But, as for me, I really do love Karen.