Repost - Regarding Your Children!

As I'm away from my family...missing them deeply, I think about them nonstop. My wife Helen consumes my thoughts as I try and support my family with work that takes me here and far. I count every minute until I get home. I physically labor at my work and mentally work at strategizing how I will spend my time with Aiden my son. Planning, scheming, and praying is my internal work. My fire was fueled by the following post on the Ligonier Blog:

Time is the currency

by Richard Phillips

This is my simple agenda to ensure I am actively and intimately involved in the lives of my children: Read, Pray, Work, Play. I must read God's Word to and with my children regularly. We must bear each others' burdens in prayer and worship the Lord together at his throne of grace. My children need my positive, encouraging involvement in their work (and they need an invitation into some of mine). And we need to bind our hearts with laughter and joy in shared play, both one-on-one and as a complete family. This all requires time, for time is the currency with which I purchase the right to say, "My son, my daughter, give me your heart."
*****
p. 103 from The Masculine Mandate (Reformation Trust, 2010)

A BRIEF TRIBUTE TO VERNON MCPHERSON

I have many mentors in my life, four of which bear the name McPherson.

Ray, a Christian man, an ordinary man with one of the sweetest spirits I have ever experienced. He is a husband and father of four, deacon of GCC, co-worker of Life-trac Family Ministries, and a man who demonstrates Christ in the most genuine ways.

Greg, a Christian man, an ordinary man with a burning ministry on his heart regarding marriage and family. He is a husband and father of two young men Josh and Carey. He is a man who has touched countless people in the midst of some of life’s greatest challenges and his impact on my life can’t be measured.

Josh, a Christian man, a seminary student, a dynamic elder of a young church plant of 200, and one of the best young preachers I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. I believe God is honored by messages from his pulpit. He is the husband of a lovely bride carrying their 3rd child and a father of one wild young man and a sweet, sweet daughter.

Carey, a Christian man, deacon of the church, godly husband, father of a newborn girl, and gifted teacher of God’s word. A man who I stood beside tonight in the back of a local college lecture hall while gazing upon the crowd gathered at the event he initiated. A showing of a documentary of debates between two scholarly men asking the question: Is Christianity good for the World, in which he competently fielded questions. I believe his grandpa would be so proud and honored.

There are others in the McPherson family including the many noble women of faith that display a great witness and testimony of Christ, but I specifically chose four men to display the legacy of another. These men’s lives have changed mine and I attribute much of that to another man, namely Vernon McPherson (or uncle Vernon as I affectionately call him). He demonstrated and proclaimed the gospel while cultivating it into his family with which I am a beneficiary. He was a man marked by the one we call “The Son of Man”. His legacy is not merely these men but the message with which they proclaim and the life they demonstrate. Vernon… a man awakened to see one of the most important things he could accomplish by the grace of God was to be the means by which his family would be part of another lineage, Christ’s lineage. Teaching them the ways of the Lord and showing them the fulfillment of their greatest desires was in Christ alone. I know uncle Vernon loved his family because he pointed to what would ultimately satisfy them…Jesus Christ!

Herein lies a tribute to Vern McPherson… that his life and death was a tribute to Christ! A man, a means of grace. To God be the glory! Amen.

With fond memories, love, and gratitude,
Eric Chase and Family

Recap coming soon!

It's been one year to date since my last post! The Chase family 2009 year has been wild. I decided to scrap my first entries in 2008 (except one) and start a-fresh. Stay tuned for a recap of our year and you will know why my blogging slipped into the abyss.

ArborWorx...more than a company

Helen and I started ArborWorx LLC in June of 2008 the same time our son Aiden Warren Chase was born. What a wonderful month that was! My wife and I had spent much time in discussion and preparation for our first arrival, and in that 9 months we covered a lot of ground. The ground we covered included starting a small business and it stemmed not from need or personal motivating factors, but the arrival of our A.W. (as we affectionately call him). As we endeavoured to pray and brainstorm ways to intentionally parent in a way that promotes a life of treasuring Christ in every sphere and institution of life we found ourselves discussing the work place. How do we promote in our son a life of rugged abandonment to Christ while engaging the work place? We talked through many scenarios but rested finally on creating a small business. As we continued to formulate what this small business would look like we grew more fond of creating an opportunity to not only teach Christ honoring work ethic, integrity, and decision making but also engaging clients, employees, and other businesses for the kingdom. To us it is another training ground to instill in our son a weight of responsibility of being the means that Christ may supernaturally change lives. Thus, ArborWorx LLC was born! We named it after A.W.'s initials and launched it the month he was brought into this world.

ArborWorx is a tree service with two branches (no pun intended): a residential tree service and a fuel reduction/defensible space service. It's good hard work...some of the hardest, dangerous, and most challenging work a man could do. It's right up a young man's alley, not for the faint of heart or stomach.

The residential portion of the business consists of many things but the most technical is the felling of trees in close proximity of structures. I do all climbing and rigging...which means I limb as I climb the tree, top it, and then finally fell it in small to medium chunks as I come down (and yes it's "fell" not "fall"). This will be a fun and intense part of the job as A.W. grows up. I plan to start him on his 9th birthday(kidding)! or am I!

The fuel reduction/defensible space part of the job is usually done as part of a government contract to reduce the fuel load next to residential areas as an attempt to slow or stop the spreading of wildland fires.

It's our job to break up the continuity of fuels, both laterally and horizontally. This includes the felling, skidding, chipping, and burning of trees and brush in a 100 to 200 foot swath next to subdivisions and other residential areas. Sounds like fun!

All in all the business is not a predetermined career path we have obligated him to follow, but a tool in our repertoire to show him that we are serious about fulfilling the great commission life style, specifically when engaging the work place. May Christ be glorified in ArborWorx and in the men of our family that endeavour to grow it.

Eric