Author: Tim Challies

Yesterday marked four years since Nick went to heaven. I find myself calling him “Nicky” more often now—a name I hadn’t used for him since he was a child. I wonder if it reflects that in some ways he is becoming dearer to my heart and younger to my mind. After all, I keep aging while he remains locked in time. I will soon celebrate a birthday for the fourth time since that day, yet he has celebrated none. The gap between us widens by the day. A lot has changed in four years. And a lot has remained the same. The pain is much easier to bear after almost 1,500 days of practice. I would be surprised to learn that a single day has gone by that I have not thought of Nick and not missed him. But the very hard days come less frequently now and the almost-too-much-to-bear days are few and far between. It still doesn’t take much to make me cry when I think about him, or when I see a father hugging his son, or when I think of his first nephew being born without ever meeting or knowing his Uncle Nick. But it also doesn’t take as much for me to dry my tears and press on with joy. I visit Nick’s grave less frequently now. It still feels important that I do so, but the gap between visits has widened from days to weeks. I sometimes feel guilty when a fair bit of time has passed, as if…See AlsoLife At and After College: An Interview with AbbyDo You Practice?Shaken to Bear Fruit

We are an educated people with high standards of literacy. We are a free people who enjoy religious liberty. We are a wealthy people with unlimited access to a nearly infinite quantity of Bibles. We are a privileged people who may not realize how blessed we are. See AlsoWhat Is “The End” of Religious Liberty?A La Carte (July 14)DVD Review – The Forbidden Book