Keith Craft Blog 7.26.2010 – Exceed from Elevate Life on Vimeo.

Keith Craft Blog 7.8.2010 – Rest-Ability from Elevate Life on Vimeo.

I keep having people ask me, “How are you doing with your baby daughter getting married?” My answer with a smile on my face is, “I have been preparing for this since the day Whitney was born and I am doing good…but pray for me!!”

What I am about to tell you is the absolute truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God!

From the time my children were very young, I would tell them, “I am going to miss you!!!” They would all laugh and say, “What do you mean daddy I am right here!?” I would explain to them that one day in the future, everything would change. They would all find someone, fall in love and get married. They would laugh and giggle and say, “Daddy, you are soooo funny!”

I have always been future focused. It comes with being a “high shaper” as outlined in the Kendall Life Languages Profile. You can take the Life Languages Profile, by going to elevatelife.com and click on Leadership Resources. It is not another personality profile, but an insight into how one communicates and connects with others. It is one of the most helpful tools I have ever come across as a leader to not only understand myself, but others as well. All of ELC staff and high level leaders are required to take the profile, for their own benefit and for the benefit of those they lead.

All of that to say, I could see, have seen and thought about this day coming for many years. The benefit to this, is not that I dread it, but Sheila and I both have been able to celebrate every season of our children’s lives. We have squeezed every drop of the lemon along the way and enjoyed the family lemonade! I have zero regrets!!! Thank you God for your wisdom, guidance, mercy, patience, knowledge, understanding and FAVOR on my life to be able to say that with my children. I have loved every minute of being a father, which in my opinion, is the closest feeling and understanding I could ever have about God’s heart towards me.

A few days ago I blogged that I would talk about What I will miss the Most with Whitney getting married…Again, I want to say, I am not trying to help anyone understand my thoughts, I am expressing my thoughts. You are welcome to read and judge if you like, but that is not what I would hope you would do. Just take it in…for whatever it’s worth. This is a loving, proud, gloating, awe-filled, genuinely amazed by my children, adoring, healthy FOB…Father of the Bride.

So, here goes…the following are in no particular order, but I will write as they come to me…

· I will miss hearing the sound of Whitney’s laughter in our home…thus her nickname, “Giggles!”
· I will miss the daily oxygen she added to my atmosphere by her presence.
· I will miss our road trips traveling to Get Motivated Events where she sang before crowds of 20,000 as a 16 and 17 year old.
· I will miss our late night room service and the desserts we always shared.
· I will miss Whitney crawling in our bed, snuggling up to me and making me feel extravagantly loved.
· I will miss throwing “Giggles” on the bed and then jumping on top of her and tickling her until she was out of breath.
· I will miss the leg rubs, the foot massages…she has unbelievable healing in her hands.
· I will miss her DAILY unsolicited encouragement.
· I will miss the MESS that Whitney left wherever she was…I could always tell if she had been at my sink in my bathroom, or any last place she had been because she left something there!!! Haha! So funny!!
· I will miss the residue of her fragrance she left on me after every hug.
· I will miss the good morning and good night kisses.
· I will miss hearing and watching my Giggles eat…I love to hear and watch her…we both share a passion for FOOD!!
· I will miss the presence of her sweetness…that is the only way I can say it. In her presence, is to feel the sweetness of Jesus.
· I will miss hearing her sad cries, turn to joyful laughter in the SAME SECOND!!
· I will miss going to her room…and seeing her there.
· I will miss watching her grow and develop spiritually right before my eyes.
· I will miss our long talks.

The bottomline…

What I will miss most…is my little Whittle Diddle, Wakeny (Hawaiian name), giggle girl…Giggles! I love you with every beat of my heart! I could not be more happy for you! You have found the love of your life and with all that I miss, I will celebrate you more than ever! I am so grateful you and Clayton are side by side with us in ministry!

Love, Love, Love,
Giggles’ Daddy

Memorial Day is always a special time in our country as we honor the lives of people who sacrificed their lives in the service of our great country. Since the Civil War, Americans have commemorated the lives of those who have given their lives to fight for the freedoms we all enjoy.

This Memorial Day is a little different for our family. It is the weekend I/we give our youngest daughter Whitney away to be married. The emotions I am feeling are hard to describe so I thought I would blog about this experience. What is interesting, is that there is no dominant emotion except…”what I am going to miss”…of course I am happy for my daughter. I am happy about the man she is marrying. I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that THEY both in finding and choosing each other have found the DESTINY of God for their lives. I know THEY are both thinking…being and doing the will of God. I celebrate this season, but as celebrative as I am, I am equally contemplative.

So, over the next several days, leading up to the Memorial Wedding I am going to blog about my thoughts as a daddy…my emotions as a daddy…my joys as a daddy…and WHAT I AM GOING TO MISS as a daddy…did I say “daddy?”

A couple of preliminary thoughts from my “daddy” perspective. It is hard to know sometimes the thoughts behind the thoughts of why people think the way they do. My goal is not to explain my thoughts, but to simply express them for what they are. Our thoughts determine many of the emotions or in this case, HE-motions we feel.

First, my expressions have nothing to do with the man Whitney is marrying…thank God! Clay Jones is not one in a million, he is one in ten million. I have prayed for him before I knew him, because I have prayed for who my children would one day marry…that God would do His work in them and prepare them for my children. Sheila and I have both continually prayed for the spouses of our children from the time our children were born.

Second, I think it is different for Fathers who give away their girls. Fathers don’t give their sons away. The son carries the name of the father and the father’s name and family legacy is carried on through the lineage of the son. I gave my daughters their name and when they choose a man, they take his name and one of the things you give away as a father is your name to another man. For some fathers this seems to be no big deal. To me it is a VERY BIG DEAL.

Third, the name is a BIG DEAL because your name is your reputation which is evidence of your character that you spend your whole life building and can be ruined by one bad decision. Your name is only as good as you are. In giving my daughter away, I am entrusting her good name that has been forged through the ups and downs, the thick and thin, the good and the bad…a name that has answered the call of God and most importantly, has been covered by the measureless mercy of God with His blood…to the name of another. If there is power in the name of Jesus, He wants those who bear His name to have His power associated with their name. From the time my girls could understand that they had an identity, I wanted them to understand WHO they were in Christ, and that they were a CRAFT and everything they did, they represented Jesus as a Craft.

Fourth, our family culture is very strong. From the time our children were 8 (josh), 6 (Keela) and 4 (Whitney) we have lived with a family Mission Statement that says: Never allow the good, to be robber of the best. Be your best for God…Be your best for yourself…Be your best for others. Our Core Values…what matters most…have been

·         Relationship… with God, ourselves, and others. In other words, Relationships matter most in life. Who you align your life with, will take you up or down.

·         Excellence…Be the best you can be…that’s all. Excellence is not about making straight A’s…it is about doing your best. It is not about being perfect, never doing anything wrong, but Excellence is about seeking to be the best you, you can be as a child of God. I have taught my children that you will not be judged on your worst day as being the worst, so don’t do that with other people. Seek to be your best so you can see the best in others even when the worst has been displayed.

·         Honor…Honor the Lord in all you do. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added to you.” (Matt.6:33) Honor your father and your mother! This is very funny…I would often ask my kids what their favorite scripture was and they would quote: “Honor your father and mother.” Then, they would quote: “Children obey your parents for this is right.” It was a funny thing we did on stage during the Strike Force days.

·         Intimacy…this was not a stated Core Value, but the atmosphere of intimacy was created in our home. We taught our children to communicate their feelings with us and with each other. Another way we created intimacy early on, was we had a couch bed in our bedroom and certain nights during the week, especially on weekends, our children would come into our room and sleep. We did the couch bed, because as they started to get bigger we couldn’t all fit into the bed together! Friday nights were often movie nights in our bedroom. Another thing we did when my road schedule allowed it was, we had regular family meals together and I would read short stories out of William Bennet’s Book of Virtues and we would discuss the stories. We also had what I called “family meetings” where we all shared our hearts.  I have always wanted my children to take time and “mine” the gold that is in their hearts not only for their own benefit, but for the benefit of others. We created atmospheres of intimacy for our children…and still do.

These are some thoughts behind the thoughts and emotions of why “giving” my daughter away is deeply personal, beyond her just finding a good man. Our job as parents is not just to beget children that will be good people, so they can find a mate, have their own children, get a good job, make a good living, etc…God’s ultimate desire is for us to birth children that will LOVE HIM, represent Him, and children who will advance and extend His kingdom on earth. Being a parent is the most god-like we will ever be on this side of eternity and I have taken it very seriously as to the privilege God has given me to raise His children. More tomorrow…

Whitney’s daddy,

Keith