Thank you all for coming today. Rebecca and I do not have the words to express our feelings of gratitude for all the expressions of love we've been shown.
We do not feel we are anyone special. We don't deserve some of the compliments we've been paid recently, because all the glory belongs to God. We do, however, love people. Our lives are all about people, and we've tried to teach our children the same way. I am not ready to stand here and say we are a success in this life, but I do know this: we have loved, and we have been loved. THANK YOU.
Philip and Sara were all about love. Sure, they had their little spats with each other, but this was a loving family. As a mother and father, Rebecca and I have no regrets in this regard. We loved them deeply. Anyone who saw us with them knew that.
When Rebecca and I were dating seriously and started talking about marriage, I asked her how many kids she wanted. Without hesitation, she said "Seven." This took me back slightly. At the time I had something like four in mind myself, so I was blown away by her ambition. When we began to have children, I saw her dedication to them, her fierce love of our kids, and her commitment to bringing them up right, and I was amazed. I enjoyed it too!! Nothing has ever fulfilled me like fatherhood.
Several of you have probably heard us say that we've always wanted our kids to be a blessing to other people. The way we set out to accomplish that was to saturate them with the Scriptures, with an appreciation for their Creator, and with a love for others--especially those less fortunate. The reason we had more children than the national 2.3 average per couple is two-fold: 1) we were enjoying them so much (the #1 responsibility in this life for a parent is to ENJOY YOUR KIDS), and 2) we felt that it was God's will for us, and therefore the key to our happiness and fulfillment.
As I discuss Philip and Sara individually, I want you to know that our goal is for God to receive the maximum glory in our lives (I borrowed that phrase from a great man of God I once knew that is now with the Lord). If we can today, we don't want you to see us--but Jesus Christ; because He alone is worthy.