Jordan Shane Craven turns the big 18 today!  It doesn’t seem possible!  I remember his birth like it was yesterday…I remember him being the only baby in the nursery of the first church I pastored for a few weeks…I remember everyone gathering at Shallowford Hospital in Dunwoody, GA on that Lord’s Day Sunday morning…and so much more!  Now, he is getting grown.  He’s an unusual young man and leader who has loved God, loved learning, loved his family, loved Northpoint Church, and the Georgia Bulldogs.  Our journey as a family has been full of risk and obedience to God that didn’t always make sense in the natural.  The possibility always exists for kids to respond negatively as God calls us to different ministries.  It hasn’t in our case.  (we give the praise to God)

God’s favor has been in our favor with all of our kids.  We’ve done a lot of things wrong in this life, but the crown jewels for Kim and me are our kids, who will hopefully come behind us and do greater things for God than we ever did.  Jordan is a National Honor Society member, a Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society Member, and has a phenomenal GPA.  He has exceeded and achieved everywhere we’ve gone.  He can do anything, is very conscientious, and has an amazing work ethic!  Kim and I are so proud of him, not for what he does, but rather who he is. 

I get emotional thinking of him being little, and us loading up the car many times for fun trips, his big brown eyes looking at us when he did wrong, and him going off to college one day soon.  He’s been a jewel to this Craven family.  We love you Jordan!  Your dreams will come true!  Never give up on them, and remember, let God’s dreams for you become your dreams for you!

Happy Birthday!