Dear Miller,

Happy birthday #9 my young grandson!

I have had the privilege of knowing your awesomeness for almost a decade now. Last year I wrote you a Pop Pop epistle about unfinished sentences. Here’s one that I want to take a few minutes and finish myself:

Two things that make Miller such an awesome nine year old are…

You love BIG – Turtles. Lizards. Goats. Dogs. Elephants. And especially people. I don’t say this just because you are without a doubt the best snuggler in our family but because you communicate and express love towards others substantially. Very few people love as big as you do. Where does this come from? My guess would be that you know how much you are loved and so it comes natural for you to reciprocate. Or maybe it is just the way that God designed you. And I’m very glad that God did. It’s one way that you are like Jesus. He also loved BIG!

• Mary and Martha and Lazarus knew it: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” (John 11:5)
• The Apostle John knew it – he referred to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (John 13:5)
• Even the rich young ruler who was not a follower of Jesus knew it: “Jesus looked at him and loved him…” (Mark 10:21)
• And everyone who has embraced His magnanimous love demonstrated at the cross knows it.

The second thing that I would mention is not unlike the first thing but I say it like this…

You feel deeply – The first time I really realized this was a number of years ago when you were loving on a fish that you had caught and I was concerned  that the fish had been out of the water too long – so I threw it back in the pond. Your reaction was immediate. You would have thought that I had killed your best friend. Sad face. Teary eyes. But mostly slumped shoulders. Most people wear their feelings “on their sleeve.” You wear your feelings on your shoulders.You felt so deeply about that fish that you had known for maybe 2 minutes. And then last month when Duke lost on that last second shot to UConn, I would have thought that your dad or your bros would have been the most wrecked – but no… from what I am told it was you, because you feel everything so deeply. Just like Jesus.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

And when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane just before going to the cross, His deep feelings actually caused a physical reaction – “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44). Matthew said it like this: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Matthew  26:38)

Thanks for being awesome – in a lot more ways than just these two. Hope you have a bodacious 9th birthday celebration. Nona and I are already looking forward to #10.

Never forget that you are very loved!

Pop Pop

Dear Ezra,

Happy birthday #7 girlie.

I know that you are fond of unicorns. Did you know that unicorns are mentioned in the Bible?

Sort of!

•  ^“God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.” (Numbers 23:22 KJV)
• “But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. “(Ps 92:10 KJV)
• “Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.” (Ps 22:21 KJV)
• “Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?” (Job 39:9-10 KJV)

There are nine references in all, so this is just a sample. But you get the point. There are unicorns in the Bible. Sort of!

You will notice that each reference is to the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). You will not find “unicorn” in modern translations like the ESV or the NIV. In those translations you will see “wild ox.” It is thought that the word in the original language (Hebrew) referred to something like a large, wild, powerful animal  – perhaps similar to a wild ox, but that is now extinct.

Certainly it was NOT referring to the cute mythological animal so often depicted in children’s literature and coloring books today and that you are so fond of. My guess is that you would not enjoy unicorns so much if you thought it looked like a wild ox – even though oxen are cute in their own kind of way.

But the word unicorn has recently taken on a distinct meaning in our 21st century culture. It has come to mean “something that is unique, very rare, one-of-a kind.” It has been applied to businesses and people and ideas. I want to apply it here in two different ways.

Jesus is a unicorn! Have you ever wondered what the term “only begotten” means? John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” That is not a phrase that you hear in everyday conversation. To be “only begotten” means one of a kind, unique, one and only. And that certainly describes Jesus. He was unique in His relationship to God the Father. He was unique in the details of His birth. He was unique in that He never sinned. He was unique in the way that He taught and the miracles He performed. He was unique in the way He provided forgiveness for sin. He was unique in His resurrection and ascension. And He will be unique in His second coming and judgement. He is indeed one of a kind. Jesus is a unicorn!

You are a unicorn! The Lord has created you to be one-of-a-kind. He has created you in His image but unlike any other person that He has ever created. This is true right down to your DNA. This is true right down to your fingerprint. But even more importantly, this is true right down to your personality and the way that God has gifted you. I can already see this in your smile and in the fun way you connect to people and in the way that you react to things that happen.There is no one else like you and He has created you for a unique purpose and to uniquely influence the people you will come across during your lifetime. So I encourage you as you grow up to be on the lookout for just how God wants to use you and who He wants to use you to influence. You are a unicorn!

It is so much fun watching you grow up. May the Lord fuel you with His joy and gladness as He continues to shape you into the one and only Ezra Louise Reyner.

Never forget that you are very loved!

Pop Pop

Dear Haddon,

A very happy birthday #6 to you. Perhaps you already know that I don’t watch a lot of TV that is not sports related. But I have gotten interested in a Netflix show that aired back in the early 2000’s. The West Wing ran for 7 seasons and chronicled the presidency of Josiah “Jed” Bartlett and his staff in the White House. The dialogue is fast paced and witty and I often find myself emotionally engaged in the show – which is usually a hint to me that I really enjoy it.

I tell you that to tell you this: The 16th episode of Season 2 dealt with a rather funny  chapter in presidential history. I found the backstory to be very interesting so let me share it with you.

In 1835 Andrew Jackson was our president. A  dairy farmer named Thomas Meacham from New York gifted him a big block of cheese to honor him as “a man of the people.” Now when I say big block of cheese think BIG block of cheese. It weighed about 1400 pounds and it was about 4 feet in diameter and 2 feet thick. Not something you stick in your refrigerator. Jackson kept the cheese at the White House for about a year. Then in February of  1837, near the end of his presidency, he invited the public to come eat it. Thousands of people showed up and made it disappear in a matter of hours. I promise I’m not making this up.

So The West Wing humorously referenced this  with what became known as “Big Block of Cheese Day” – an annual meeting  of the White House Senior Staff with unusual interest groups to demonstrate that the administration was “of the people” and not just about special interest groups that could further their agenda.

So why do I share this and what is my point? Well, when you follow Jesus through the pages of the gospels, you quickly realize that Jesus was not interested in appeasing the special interest groups of the day. He was indeed a man “of the people.” Just read about the woman at the well, or Zacchaeus, or Bartimaeus, or the rich young ruler, or the poor widow, or the paralytic or….. Well, you get my point. Jesus wasn’t pushing a political agenda. He wasn’t looking for people that could advance His career or make Him a lot of money. He didn’t care about making the right connections or about being included in the best social circles. He genuinely cared about people and wanted to help them deal with the difficulties of life and to get their relationship with God straightened out.

Not a bad reputation to have and one worth imitating.

Anyway, I’ll close with this… Some of his best friends were Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Two sisters and a brother. Just an ordinary middle class  family. He often stayed at their house when he was passing through Bethany. And they would invite friends over for some informal dinner parties so they could introduce them to Jesus (Luke 10). It would not surprise me at all to find out that as their guests were gathering, while the meal was still being prepared,  that there was a big block of cheese available as an appetizer. What do you think?

Never forget that you are very loved!

Pop Pop

Dear Bowen,

Happy Birthday. Seems like we were just celebrating about a year ago and planning the Great New York City Adventure. Speaking as one who has celebrated 6x as many birthdays as you, they will seemingly come faster and faster every year. Seemingly.

For this birthday epistle I want to brag on Nona. Because not only is today your birthday, it also marks 500 days in a row that Nona has walked at least 10,000 steps. 500! Ask anyone and they will tell you that this is an impressive stat and accomplishment. How does anyone do something like that?

We are only 14 days into the New Year. Two weeks ago lots and lots of people set some goals for themselves for 2026. My guess is that at least 75% of those people have already readjusted their goals or given up on them entirely.

But not Nona. She is still going strong. So let’s talk about what it takes to have the kind of discipline in your life that your grandmother has. Why is this important? Because to accomplish anything great requires discipline. Lots of other things, but definitely discipline. Most people think that discipline starts with doing more. But discipline does not start with doing. It starts with being. It starts, first of all with deciding who you want to be.

Discipline starts with choosing today what you want to become tomorrow.

One of the reasons that so many people never complete their goals that they set for themselves is because they are rooted in doing rather than being. When the things that we do become an end in themselves they will eventually fall by the wayside. But if we have a clear, concise and articulated vision of who we want to be then our doing has purpose and meaning.

Nona will tell you that she does not have an athletic bone in her body. And yet… I would tell you that she is incredibly fit for a 67 year old grandmother. Why is she so disciplined about getting her steps in every day? Because she decided 45 years ago that she wanted to be physically fit and that she did not want her weight (something she struggled with as a girl) to be an ongoing issue. So she began running. And she ran for over 30 years until I convinced her to start walking instead to minimize the wear and tear on her knees.

Discipline starts with choosing today what you want to become tomorrow.

I’ll give you another example. This time personal. I have been a Christian for 50 years. I decided early on that I wanted to be a man of the Word. That does not just happen automatically by going to church every Sunday. For 50 years ( that is over 18,000 days) I have spent a little time just about every day reading, pondering, and studying the Bible. If you do something 18,000 times you can get pretty good at it.

Discipline starts with choosing today what you want to become tomorrow. Or to say it a little bit different: Discipline starts by choosing in the present who you want to be in the future.

So who do you want to be? Even though you are only 11 years old, it is a question that  is never too early to start thinking about.

So, think on these things!

And never forget that you are very loved!

Pop Pop

Dear Audrey,

24,644.

2,922.

And a very happy 8th birthday to you!

So, currently as I am spending time pondering the Word in the morning, I am working my way through the Psalms. I have read through the Psalms several times in my 50 years of reading the Scriptures regularly but it has been a while. Every morning there is at least one nugget that nourishes my soul, or encourages me, or makes me think. Earlier this week I came across this beauty: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom…. Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:12,14)

I’m guessing that Moses was a senior saint when he wrote this Psalm. I say that because I find myself (at 67 years of age) wanting to make the most of the days that I have left and to live them wisely. Honestly when I was your age this was not something I gave much thought to – but maybe I should have.

So if you haven’t guessed yet those numbers at the top of this post represent how many days you and I have currently been alive. (the “number of our days” – surprise surprise mine is the higher number). Moses prays that as he looks forward to the rest of his life that he would live wisely and that he would live a satisfied life and experience gladness. This is not unlike what most people want out of life. Ask people want they want out of this life and you often get the answer, “I just want to be happy.” Well, I want to be happy too. I want to be satisfied. I want to be glad all my days. And I want that for you as well.

Most people though try to find satisfaction and gladness in things that cannot provide lasting satisfaction and gladness. Fleeting yes. Lasting no! Moses seems to have learned something in his older age – satisfaction does not come from experiencing the pleasures of this world but from experiencing a relationship with God and knowing His steadfast love.

So that is how Nona and I pray for you. Our prayer sounds similar to what Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:18-19 – that you would have the strength to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fullness of God.

In other words, that you would be satisfied in the morning with God’s steadfast love and may rejoice and be glad all your days. As you grow up you will be tempted to find your satisfaction in things that cannot satisfy. This is why Moses also prayed for wisdom. It takes wisdom to discern what will bring fleeting happiness or everlasting joy. Always know that Nona and I are available to help you in anyway that we can. In some ways having lived 24,644 days does have its advantages.

Never forget that you are very loved!

Pop Pop

Dear Grayson,

13. That’s crazy that you are already 13. If you were Jewish this would be your Bar Mitzvah year. Jews really know how to celebrate coming of age. But so do us Christians and it was a joy and a privilege to celebrate with you on Saturday and to share some Pop Pop words of encouragement along with all the other men that are investing in your life. I wanted to document what I said so that it doesn’t get lost and forgotten in the fog of time gone by.

As you know, your Dad asked me to share some thoughts with you about one of the fruits of the Spirit – joy.

Let me start with a definition of biblical joy. Joy is much more than experiencing happiness or pleasure. It is a deep abiding sense of gladness, peace, and contentment – regardless of your circumstances – that is rooted in your relationship with God. In other words, we can experience joy even when we are dealing with trials and suffering and the harshness that often comes in this life. The key word in that definition for me is the word “abiding.”

So let me show you why abiding is the secret sauce to experiencing the unmitigated joy of the Lord.

In John 15:11 Jesus says to His followers, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” The obvious question to ask when you ponder that verse is what are “these things?” The word abide shows up 10x in verses 4-10 so it is the key to understanding verse 11. So let me answer two really important questions:

What does it mean to abide? Jesus uses the illustration of a vine and a branch. As long as a branch is connected to the vine and drawing it’s nourishment from the vine then it WILL produce fruit. So abiding has to do with commitment, connection, and clinging fiercely to the vine. Jesus identifies Himself as the True Vine in verse 1, so when we are committed, connected, and clinging to Him we are abiding. When we are finding our nourishment in Him and from Him then we are abiding. But note that when He says He is the True Vine He implies that there are a lot of false vines that often capture our attention and allegiance and commitment. When we try to nourish our souls by abiding in false vines such as success, money, or sex we actually end up malnourished. It would be like eating a consistent diet of junk food. You would have the feeling of being full but little by little you would actually be killing your body. When our souls become malnourished, when we stop abiding in the True Vine, it is impossible to experience the joy that Jesus promises.

How do we abide? Jesus gives us two specific ways in this passage that answer this question. Verse 7 says, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you…” So a key to abiding is to make God’s Word a priority in our lives. Read the Word. Ponder the Word. Memorize the Word. Study the Word. Listen to the preaching of the Word. Sing the Word. Talk about the Word with others. Pray the Word. Obey the Word. Being a man of the Word will go a long way toward fostering an abiding relationship with Jesus. Secondly, verse 9 says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” Never forget that it was Jesus’ love that compelled Him to go to the cross. So think often about the cross. Think often about how our Savior suffered so that we would not have to suffer the consequences of our own sin. Think often about how you were once far from God but have now been brought near… because of the magnanimous love of Jesus. Let it daily wash over you and refresh you. Abide in His love. Paul’s prayer for his friends in Ephesus is that they would be rooted and grounded in Christ’s love, and “may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that they may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19). When you abide in God’s love like that you will experience undiluted joy.

So Jesus’ promise is that when we abide in Him and His words abide in us and when we abide in His love then His joy WILL be in us and it WILL be full to overflowing. Now that is a promise worth claiming!

So happy 13th birthday and may your life be filled with joy and fueled by joy as you learn to abide!

And never forget that you are very loved!

Pop Pop

Dear Grandkids,

It’s already been a week since Nona and I (and her sister and brother-in-law) got back from our most recent national park adventure. I wanted to tell you about some of the highlights from each park and show you you a few pictures – hopefully to get you excited about going there one day.

Yellowstone

Day 1: We flew into Billings, Montana on a Thursday,  grabbed a rental car and drove the Beartooth Highway to Cooke City – which is located just outside the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone. It was about a 3 hour drive down what has been called “the most scenic highway in America.”

Day 2: We entered the park around 6:30 am and drove through the beautiful Lamar Valley which is known for all it’s wildlife. We saw bison, wolves, pronghorn, and a coyote. From there we did the top loop of the Yellowstone figure eight hitting Mammoth Hot Springs, the Roosevelt Arch, the Norris Geyser Basin along the way and ending up in Canyon Village where we stayed for the next two nights. We got to Canyon Village mid-afternoon and hiked the North Rim. Then for supper we drove through Hayden Valley down to Yellowstone Lake where we hung out with a herd of elk for supper.

Day 3: In the A.M. we drove back through Hayden Valley and down to Yellowstone Lake again just because it was so spectacular. We saw more bison and elk and a grizzly way off in the distance foraging for food. We were back at the Grand Canyon for lunch and hiked the south rim from the Upper Falls to Artist Point.

Day 4: We started out in Canyon Village and by the end of the day we were at Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park. Along the way we did the western bottom loop of the Yellowstone figure eight hitting Grand Prismatic Spring and Old Faithful. At Grand Prismatic we hiked the first part of the Fairy Falls Trail to the overlook which was about 1 mile each way (because the primary parking area was so crowded). We later arrived at Old Faithful about 15 minutes before it did it’s thing. I was a bit underwhelmed but would still suggest doing it if you get the chance just because it is an iconic Yellowstone thing to do. But in my humble opinion there are many other things in Yellowstone that are worth seeing.

Grand Teton

Day 5 and 6: Day 5 was our only bad weather day. Not really rainy but overcast all day so we had very little sight of the Tetons. Still, we hit all the places that first timers are supposed to hit via the Teton Park loop…Jackson Lake Lodge, Oxbow Bend, String Lake, Jenny Lake,  Chapel of the Transfiguration, Moose Wilson Road, Schwabacher Landing, Snake River Overlook. On Day 6 we repeated everything from Day 5 because it was a gloriously beautiful day – and added in a hike around Jenny Lake up to Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls as well as visiting T. A. Moulton’s Barn.

Day 7: We went moose hunting in the morning. Came across 2 moosies near the Moulton Barn. Ate breakfast. Checked out of our VRBO and headed to the airport. Got back into RDU a little after midnight.

I hope that one day you will get a chance to visit these parks. God’s creation was gloriously on display. The parks were very different but both were magnificent. Here are a few last bonus pics for your viewing enjoyment…

Never forget that you are very loved!

Pop Pop

Dear Keller and happy birthday numero nueve,

Ten is only one year away. Don’t forget! But in the meantime…

I’m wondering if you have ever noticed our mezuzah when you have been at our house. OK, so your first question before “where is it?” is probably “what is a mezuzah?”

My guess is that you have seen it but perhaps you have never SEEN it. So let me tell you what a mezuzah is because you will probably want to get one in a few years since 1/4 of your blood is Jewish blood. Here is more information than you probably want to know… but I think very interesting.

The Hebrew word for “mezuzah” literally means doorpost. Deuteronomy 6:9 instructs God’s people to “write (these words) on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

What are “these words“?  It refers back to what is known as the Shema:  “Hear o Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One” and includes verses 4-9 of Deuteronomy 6. These go on the front side of the scroll inside the mezuzah.

On the back of the scroll is written the word Shaddai in Hebrew (שדי), one of the names of God. The three letters of this name in Hebrew form an acronym for the Hebrew words Shomer daltot Yisrael, “Guardian of the doorways of Israel.” Mezuzah cases are often decorated with the letter shin (שׁ),  because this name of God begins with shin. Note that Hebrew is read from right to left and not left to right. (See the pictures of our mezuzah below)

The tradition in many Jewish homes is to place one’s hand on the mezuzah when passing through the doorway, and then kissing the hand that touched it. This is a way of showing affection for God and His commandments.

One more interesting tidbit that most people don’t know. There was a popular TV show that developed  a cult following back in the 1960’s called Star Trek. One of the main characters was named Spock, played by actor Leonard Nimoy – who happened to be Jewish. He was asked to come  up with a special Vulcan greeting (he was of a race of people called Vulcans) and he suggested this handsign representing the letter shin – which is the first letter of the Hebrew words shalom, Shaddai , and shekinah. Lots of people know the hand sign and that it came from Star Trek but few know what it actually symbolizes.

Remind me sometime to tell you about the secret code written on the back of the scroll. That seems like something you might be interested in. And the next time you come through our front door take note of the mezuzah on your right and remember that we are a household that seeks to honor the Word of God.

Pop Pop

Dear Judah,

Happy birthday #4 my youngest grand!

So in my 50 years as a believer in Jesus I have read through the Bible many times. And some specific books are ones that I come back to often. Psalms is one of those. And yet as I was reading Psalm 12 a few days ago I came across some verses that caught my attention – verses I don’t remember ever seeing before.

This is one of the cool things about the Bible. No matter how many times you have read it there is always a fresh word from God if we are looking for it and listening closely.

Here are the verses I came across:

Pop Pop