1985 was a very important year. It was the year that the Holliday’s, Coleman’s and some other key couples joined Skyway, and now they are a part of the pastoral staff.  It is also the year that our son Philip was born.  He ate vanilla wafers and watched football with me the first time his mom left us alone. (I did not know newborns shouldn’t have vanilla wafers.)  It was this year that my life changed because life around me was changing.

Pastor’s kids have a bad reputation in the big scheme of things, but this is one guy that I know every pastor would be proud to call his son.  Philip was at Skyway Christian School when he could barely walk as his mom took him along each day.  He would be a part of all the big events concerning our school including the last graduating class before we had to close the school because of our move to the new Goodyear campus.  It seemed like every big event for the church coincided with a key part of his life.  He met his future bride at Skyway and they grew to know each other after the spirit as they prepared to go on a Costa Rica mission trip.  They purposefully avoided a boyfriend girlfriend relationship because they wanted the mission trip to be about the gospel.  When they returned they had their first date which eventually led to them becoming a couple. This may sound pretty normal to everyone but for Philip and Jennifer this was the first time they would have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. They both grew up believing that they should save their hearts for the one they would marry and not play the dating game.  This is something I taught Philip when he was young, but he was the one who made the choice to stay pure in heart and to find a girl with the same belief system. As they marked off the months of being together it was obvious that love was in their hearts.  He came to me to discuss the idea of proposing to his bride on their first anniversary.  I suggested that we go to the jewelry district in LA.  If you want to buy something expensive get twice the value by going there and learning how to negotiate the best buy.  We made the top secret trip last summer, getting up early in the morning and driving to LA. We built our game plan for the purchase and he followed it to perfection.  We drove home that night with a great ring and he was ready for the big question.  On the day of the proposal he brought Jen into a walk of remembrance of the highlights of their year together.  As they walked along a path of rose petals the last stop was the ring and he proposed.  It was definitely a Hallmark moment, like something you would see on the TLC network.  The two stayed committed to their B.A. degree in college taking over twenty credits per semester. Philip graduated at age 21 and Jen at age 20. They both have good jobs and now they will become one on March 10th.  I have the honor of conducting their marriage vows.  It is a great blessing as a father to see Philip and Jennifer stay faithful to the Lord as they become one in His sight.  They represent a great generation of young people in Skyway who chose to remain pure until marriage.  Twenty one years have gone by fast and I am very proud of my son.  As they begin a new chapter of their lives as husband and wife, I feel a sense of destiny that Skyway is moving into a new chapter as a church.  It seems that many chapters in the life of Skyway have paralleled Philip’s life.  I see this as another one of those moments.

Pastor Greg