Allow me to introduce you to my son

For a lot of you, Christopher is just the name of my son. You never knew him, so allow me to introduce you to my firstborn son.

If you don’t mind, I will not speak of him in the past tense, but the present. Why? Because he is alive right now. No, not on this earth, but alive in the presence of God in heaven.

It is important for us all to know as Christians that physical death is not the end of existence, but only a change in the state of existence. The tomb is not an entrance to death, but to life. Heaven is the earthly life of the believer, glorified and perfected.

Sometimes people wonder what we will know in heaven. We will know far more than we know here on Earth. When we pass over to the other side, our minds, our memories will be clearer than ever before. In heaven, we will know just like we do on Earth, except more.

We will be the same people we were on Earth. We will have the same thoughts, feelings, and desires, but all perfected.

I long to see that Christopher, and I will someday.

His birth

But let me tell you a bit about the Christopher that I did know for 33 years.

For starters, he was one of the smallest babies I had ever seen. He was born on April 1, 1975, weighing in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces.

From the very beginning, Christopher – or “Topher,” as he was nicknamed – was full of energy. He was a fun-loving, happy, bubbly little child, and I must say that I spoiled him. Of course, I don’t really regret that now, but I just loved to get him fun toys to play with.

It was never hard selecting toys for him, because I would simply choose what appealed to me and bring it home. He always liked my selections.

I have always been a bit of a child at heart and Christopher was the same way. He was always quick with a smile and friendly word to pretty much anyone who met him.

Many have written me and told me how down to earth our Topher was, always welcoming and gracious to people.

Of course, he was not perfect. He had his moods and could get very frustrated, even with his dad at times! So, welcome to the human race!

A father

Many are now aware that Christopher was a very talented designer. But what many people don’t know is what a great husband and father he was.

One person wrote me and said that they had never seen a father more in love with his daughter than Christopher. He took literally thousands of photos of little Stella, and she clearly was the apple of his eye.

I am so sad she will never know him, as I know he would have been an amazing father. But old grandpa will make sure she hears lots of “Daddy ” stories.

I have already started, and this little girl will know that she had a father who loved her with all of his heart.

Christopher was also an avid surfer and skater. He could tear up the waves and those who surfed with him remember he was quite fearless – unlike his father, who would let many a wave pass before “taking off.”

He loved to work on his computer and was always designing fresh new images to help us get the gospel out at Harvest Ministries.

Don’t take your family for granted!

In my next post, I want to share with you an really sweet thing he e-mailed to me before he went to heaven.

Many have written me and told me that their family has gotten closer since Christopher’s passing. I would encourage all of you out there, especially you fathers, to take the time to be with your family and treasure those moments.

Don’t wait until another day to let your spouse, children, and grandchildren know that you love them. Tell them today!

And don’t forget to take pictures! The ones I have taken over the years have become like gold to me.