Brian Howe

I am sitting in Uncommon Grounds in Saratoga putting my message together…It has been brewing in me and I have all the parts…just putting them together! Every time I have the honor to speak at Nway or anywhere else I get the same feeling. It’s this combo of nerves, humility, fear, boldness, nausea and a few other things. The responsibility to speak from God’s Word will do that to you. Libby is chillin with me, she is the best soundboard, I just bounce my message off of her and she tells me the truth. I am excited for this weekend and trust me my prayer life is caught up. No matter how many times I speak it still feels like the first time! 

This is my wife Libby, she is the best. Ask anyone that has ever met her…her inner beauty is the only thing that supersedes her outward beauty. She is intelligent and witty, she is fashionable and carefree, she is resilient and passionate, above all she loves Jesus more then she loves me (and she loves me a lot.)

This is the first Mother’s Day that my wife is well…a mother.I know that our baby is still inside of her but trust me she is a mom! Tomorrow afternoon we will find out if our little human is a boy or a girl but no matter the sex of the baby, I pray it will grow up to be just like their mommy. I love you Lib, Happy Mothers Day.

So last night we lost our first softball game of the summer…but more then that I lost my wedding band. I usually take it off and put it in my bag before I play. I remember doing that last night however when I looked through my bag when I got home it was no where to be found. I tore my bag apart and then I searched my car from front to back. I found nothing but some old wrappers and 67 cents…man I am bumming out. This morning I went to the park where our game was and I searched for a while to no avail. Libby is coming over after work and we are going to go look together.

Have you ever lost anything that means a lot to you? Don’t you hate that feeling? The overwhelming feeling of loss just consumes you…it is all you can think about. Do you think God feels that way about those who don’t know Him? Do you feel that way about people who are far from God?

  I was just thinking the other day that I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t lost my ring during the first 5 years of my marriage…JINX.

I am going to look now…wish me luck!

 Tomorrow, Libby and I will hook with the rest of my fam and a bunch of friends in Long Island for one reason…Honor. My mom’s dad turns 80 years old and we are going to honor him to the fullest. Norman Black is a man’s man, he is a master with tools and he always has a joke rolling off the end of his tongue. However the greatest thing about my Grandpa is that he is the best friend a person could have, in fact he still hangs out with a group of friends he went to youth group with almost 70 years ago. His heart beats for those who are in need…Whenever we would visit him as kids, we would always wake up to find him fixing something for a neighbor or making phone calls to check in on someone who was sick or had lost a loved one. He is just a flat out good man. I want to be known for such traits.

I believe one of the greatest things we can do in this life is honor those who have gone before us and this weekend is going to be a phenomenal time to do that.

Are you honoring the people in your life who have paved the way for you?  Who do you need to go visit or call right now to make sure they know how much you appreciate them? Go do it.