I have spent the majority of my life as a selfish guy. I was always focused on wanting more money and more influence. I was never going to date again, and certainly I wasn’t going to get married again because frankly I figured I was relationally toxic. And speaking honestly...I was toxic because selfish people ARE toxic. Then God put this amazing woman in my life. She didn’t try to “fix me” or point out all the ways I wasn’t good enough (and to be fair, I really wasn’t good enough). Instead, she spoke of me, to me, and about me like I was the best boyfriend, the best fiancé and all she has ever done was tell me how much of a “reward” I was to her from God. At first I thought...”reward? I’m not even close...” because I kept thinking of myself as broken, un-fixable and not worthy. But then a day came...and I don’t know the date...but a switch flipped in my brain after hearing for like...a year or two...about how great I was... this switch flipped where I asked myself “what if I were all the things she says I am? What if I could actually be that man she keeps saying I am? And, HOW can I even become this guy...that I have never been?” And I prayed. I asked God to forgive me for being a selfish turd, to forgive me for my past failures, and to work in my heart in such a way that I’d actually be worthy of this praise she keeps giving me. Why would I share this with you? Because my wife is the living example of God’s grace. She is the living example of a person who speaks life into others. She chooses to see the best...even in the worst people. She has shown me proof that love wins. This woman is proof of God’s grace in my life...in so many ways. And it’s because of her love, my desire to be the best husband possible for her was born. And that desire lead me to seek the best way to live and THAT desire lead me home to study the life of Jesus and THAT lead me to apologize to my kids because I was so unbelievably self focused when I should’ve been watching them grow up, and THAT lead me to thank God...that I still have time to show them that they matter so so much to me and THAT lead me to be even more thankful for her. Thank you Dara. I love you ❤️

What are you afraid of today? Covid-19? Lack of finances to cover your bills? Anxiety? Depression? No matter what you are fearful of, God wants to provide you a rescue. All we have to do is go to Him, and He will meet us along the way. “GOD met me more than halfway, he freed me from my anxious fears.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭34:4‬ ‭MSG‬‬

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God loves you my friends, whether you love Him or not...He loves you. Merry Christmas. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. For those who lived in a land of deep shadows— light! sunbursts of light! You repopulated the nation, you expanded its joy. Oh, they’re so glad in your presence! Festival joy! The joy of a great celebration, sharing rich gifts and warm greetings. The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants— all their whips and cudgels and curses— Is gone, done away with, a deliverance as surprising and sudden as Gideon’s old victory over Midian. The boots of all those invading troops, along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood, Will be piled in a heap and burned, a fire that will burn for days! For a child has been born—for us! the gift of a son—for us! He’ll take over the running of the world. His names will be: Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness. His ruling authority will grow, and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings. He’ll rule from the historic David throne over that promised kingdom. He’ll put that kingdom on a firm footing and keep it going With fair dealing and right living, beginning now and lasting always. The zeal of GOD -of-the-Angel-Armies will do all this.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:2-7‬ ‭MSG‬‬

So blessed to spend Christmas Eve with my amazing wife at the candle light service tonight.

If you think my wife gave me these forks to unwrap on Christmas...you might know that she did and she is perfect. For Christmas she gave me these to tell me we are making a drive to spend the night in Forks, WA...yes the forks from Twilight because in case you didn’t know...I may or may not love the Twilight series. @thereal_darakoenig you are the most amazing wife ever.

Jesus: There’s no greater example of humility than our Savior. Let the reality of what we celebrate at Christmas really sink in: Jesus laid down His royal position to pursue you and me. He knew we would betray Him. He knew He would die a terrible death, and He came anyway. Jesus gave up all of His rights to obey God and serve us. Truth time: It’s so easy to get caught up in our “rights.” Rights can take many forms. We can get braggy about our good deeds, how long we’ve been a Christian, a hardship we’ve endured for the cause of Christ, the work we’ve done in His name, the sacrifices we’ve made, etc., etc., etc. But no matter what our rights are or how impressive they may be, I can assure you: Jesus’ rights were higher. Son of God. The picture of ultimate power and righteousness. Yet, He humbly set His rights aside. And not because He was seeking a promotion or some form of affirmation. He chose humility because He loved perfectly. Love was His motivation. Jesus loved God, so He obeyed Him. Jesus loved us, so He served us. So, quick question for today: What “rights” are you clinging to? Let them go, knowing that when you lay down your rights, you get to pick up His righteousness! There are a few lines from “Oh Holy Night” that started really standing out to me as truth I want to understand and live out each year: “Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘til He appeared and the soul felt it’s worth. “The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” Our broken world is desperately seeking the hope we have in Him, for their soul to feel it’s created worth. Praise the Lord that Jesus’ birth means Love came down in its truest form. What a gift it is to follow Jesus. Merry Christmas! God, Your love is overwhelming. Let us never lose the wonder that You came down to save us. You could have required us to do so much more to have access to Your Kingdom, yet because of our belief in Jesus, You freely give us eternity with You since we could never earn it on our own. Oh, what a Savior! We love You. Amen. Today’s devotional ⬆️⬆️⬆️ #OneMomentAway #JesusWay #GodIsGood #PraiseJesus #thankyoulord

First cup of ☕️ in my new Christmas cup from my amazing wife @thereal_darakoenig ♥️

I love my early Christmas present from @thereal_darakoenig and @bella_hufflepuff

I am so proud of these two. They got married before shipping out to the Marines, they will both be finishing up basic training soon and heading off to school. I’m sad that we won’t be able to have any time with them during Christmas but I am grateful for the sacrifices they are both making. I’m not only grateful for the sacrifices they are making for you and I but I am grateful that they’re willing to sacrificing time together now, so they can set the stage for having a great marriage together. They are both learning powerful discipline lessons as well as training for their careers. On top of that, they will both be heading to college afterward. Most of all, this time apart is helping them to learn the value of every moment of time we get to spend together with the people we love.