Letter from Father to his Sons

My Dear Sons,

As I watch both of you grow, I am filled with pride and hope for the men you are becoming. I am proud of you as your father, and being a father is one of the greatest honors and responsibilities nature has bestowed upon a man. As you are growing in maturing and exploring new experiences, I want you to know that life will present you with many paths, opportunities, and challenges, and that the choices you make will shape your future and impact those around you. As a result, in this letter, I would like to share some advice and a few facts about life that I hope will guide you in decision-making and throughout your journey.

Above all, it is important to build your character before you pursue anything valuable in life. The true worth of a man is not measured by what he owns or his association, but by who he is and what he knows about himself. You must learn about yourself through critical self-reflection and cultivate your innermost being.

Be a man of integrity because integrity is about personsal development and the qualities associated with your character; keep your word because people will evaluate your character based on what you say and the promises you make to them; and treat all people with respect, understanding, and compassion. Do not be misled by vain and senseless ideologies of this world that prioritize materialism over people, individualism above the collective, or self-interest above the common good. In everything you do, think twice about the impact it will have on others, and always seek wisdom, ask for advice, and live in such a way that you will be able to make the most of your life and for human flourishing.

It is also significant to nurture good qualities in your heart and mind, these might including kindness, patience, humility, courage, and compassion, as well as intellectual curiosity and autonomy, open-mindedness, truth, knowledge, and a life of reason. These virtues will be your compass when the storms of this life test your wisdom and strengths. People will remember you not for your possessions, but for the love and goodness you show, and how you use your knowledge to act with wisdom and moral responsibility.

Moreover, I want to emphasize the value of education in the choices you make and the opportunities presented to you. Pursue education with all your strength, and choose a career wisely that you will use to improve yourself and serve others; your career-choice is about self-improvement and the change you want to see in your community and in the world.

A life of the mind will allow you to think critically, make wise decisions, and contribute meaningfully to your community and the world. As you’re pursuing a career as vocation and becoming a better human being, be aware of your place in this global and interconnected world, and also remember that you share a common humanity with the people who live in other countries or those who are far away from your own. Your contribution to the world has the potential to make human relationships and friendships stronger and better.

Sons, do not stop there! It’s also of great value you cultivate a life of the soul, which is a life of intimacy and experience with God.
Feed your spirit with prayer, reflection, and faith, and pursue the things that honor God and glorify his name in your words and actions. I want you to remember that a strong mind without a grounded soul in God will leave you empty and spiritually void. True wisdom comes when intellect and faith walk hand in hand, and that our soul was made for God and the true happiness and satisfaction of the soul remains in connection with God.

Correspondingly, always honor and thank God for your success and for every blessing in life. Nothing we have is truly ours alone; everything is a gift from God, our Maker. Gratitude will keep you humble, and humility will keep you close to the heart of God. Begin and end each day with thanksgiving, and God will guide you and strengthen you even in difficult times.

Finally, it is of paramount value that you live in unity and harmony with others, and nurture good relationships and treasure good friendships with others. The world is full of differences, but never let ethnocentrism or your worldview build walls between you and other people—regardless of their proximity or difference, nationality or citizenship, gender or identity, education or class, religion or faith. Sons, choose peace over conflict, understanding over judgment, and love over hate. A man who brings people together is a leader and renaissance man, and he will leave a legacy that time cannot erase.

My sons, I am always here for you, cheering for you, and believing in the potential and greatness within you. Walk in truth and understanding, live responsibly and with faith, lead with love and compassion, and never stop learning and pursuing the common good. If you do these things, you will expand the meaning of life beyond your community and country, and live a life of honor and peace, and that is the greatest success of all—contributing to human flourishing in the world.

With all my love and pride,
Dad

“A Love Letter to My Ex”

My Love,

It has been five years since life carried us in different directions, and I know you’ve moved on, found someone new, and built a world without me. Please tell me when the nights are quiet and you lie in bed alone, do your thoughts ever wander back to us? When the morning sun finds you at the kitchen table, tea in hand, do you ever taste the sweetness of what we once shared?

Do you think of me on the lonely drives to work, when the road stretches endlessly ahead? Do you remember how I used to rise early just to take you to work, to steal those sacred fifteen minutes together? Do you remember sitting beside me, your hand in mine, your smile lighting up the car as if the world belonged only to us?

Do you remember the little things that brought our hearts closer? Do you remember our first kiss in the middle of the road?
Do you remember our first hug at the park?
Do you remember these small gestures….?
The way I waited outside your job just to see you, the bike rides through warm breezes, the walks along the shore where the ocean spoke our language? Do you ever pass by our favorite restaurant and feel that ache of memory?

And when the night closes in and you find yourself alone, does my absence whisper to you? Do you remember the gifts—the lingerie, the silk nightgowns—chosen not just for beauty, but because I saw you as art, as desire itself? When you slip them on, do you feel the echo of my touch?

Tell me… in your silence, do I still live somewhere inside you? Do you miss me, even now?

Always,
Your forever man

“Awakened by Your Light”

Before I met you, my world was gray.
No colors shone to light my way.
No one spoke of the story untold
Of two birds in love, so brave, so bold.
I had no heart to share, no smiles to spare,
No one to hold, no one to care.

Before I met you, my songs went unheard.
My words existed, yet felt absurd.
Love and passion seemed worlds away,
A distant dream I could not sway.

Before I met you, I walked alone and lived alone.
I built my life on streets of stone.
I had no home, no joy, no peace to find,
No gentle hand to ease my mind.
The sky turned cold, the stars looked down on me.
And darkness reigned heavy in my heart.

Then came your eyes, your tender light, your gentle smile.
Awakening my world, banishing night.
Heaven smiled on me, and I felt free.
You met my soul, unashamed, with me.

You held me close, made me your own,
And rewrote my story.
Your love now shines in every bone.
Before you, I was broken, incomplete;
Now life is full, my heart beats sweet.

“A Heart That Still Bleeds for You”

It is not that love is gone,
only that you could not stay.
You closed the door,
not because the heart grew cold,
but because the path was too heavy to walk.

You turned away,
while the one who loved you
remained,
wanting to hold you,
to guide you,
to protect you,
to carry your pain like a fragile bird
in trembling hands.

Now,
a heart that still bleeds for you
breaks in silence,
watching you suffer,
while knowing
it was willing to bleed forever
just to see you whole.

“I Like the Way You Loved Me”

I like the way you loved me,

As if tomorrow would never come,

As if the stars had named me your only one.

You loved me in ways the world can’t see:

Endless, fearless, unconditionally.

You taught me that love is not a race,

But a quiet smile, a warm embrace.

You touched my soul before my skin.

With you, love was not a fleeting art.

It was a kingdom you built inside my heart.

You loved me until the night forgot the day,

Until every shadow chose to fade away.

In that embrace, I came to see.

Heaven was never above; it was here with me.

Now, my soul wears your name like skin,

For love like yours begins and never ends.

Your love was hunger and gentle grace,

A storm of passion in a sacred space.

You turned my life into a quiet song,

Made the broken places feel strong.

And now, if this world should ever fade,

Your love is the dream where I’ll always stay.

“How Love Works”

Love is more than just an emotion or a fleeting feeling.
Love is an identity.
Love is a person.
You are love.
You are that identity.
Because of this, you carry within you the capacity to love others and to share that love freely.

Love is not measured by wealth, fame, or status. Instead, it is rooted in the qualities that make us truly human. These qualities are not fixed; they allow us to be better humans, friends, partners, peers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and neighbors. They can be learned, nurtured, and strengthened as we grow and navigate life.

Kindness, empathy, respect, gentleness, forgiveness, grace, gratitude, and friendship all of these flow from love, and all of them, when cultivated, deepen our ability to love and be loved.

“From Admiration to Disassociation: A Reflection on John MacArthur’s Legacy”

For a number of personal reasons, I hesitated to write and share this post publicly, but I realized that I needed to find the courage to speak. I invite you to read the following reflection with thoughtfulness and care.

I began listening to John MacArthur nearly 30 years ago, tuning in to Grace to You as a high school junior or senior. Over time, I grew to admire him as a gifted expositor of Scripture and even considered him a kind of distant mentor. His commitment to biblical teaching left a strong impression on me during my formative years.

Years ago, when I was dating Katia, the first gift I gave her after she became a Christian was the “MacArthur Study Bible.” At the time, I was a seminary student, and I had also invested in the complete “MacArthur Commentary” series on both the Old and New Testaments. I owned nearly every book he had written and many of his sermon series on cassette and CD recordings. In fact, I was so committed to his ministry that I became a financial partner with Grace to You, contributing monthly to support his work and global ministry.

However, as I matured spiritually, theologically, and intellectually, I began to listen to him and read his books more critically, even with growing intellectual skepticism. I took notes on his views about women in ministry, pastoral authority, speaking in tongues, dispensationalism, and his positions on pressing social and political issues such as the Civil Rights movement, Christian nationalism, white supremacy, race, gender, immigration, social justice, the Black Lives Movement, police brutality, Liberation Theology, Black Theology, etc. (In my book, “Theological Education and Christian Scholarship for Human Flourishing,” I engage some of these issues). What once felt like conviction or a sort of (Christian) piety to me began to sound like rigidity and intolerance. Not only did I find myself disagreeing with him on many of these matters, but I was also troubled by the way he spoke about those who held different political and theological views and how in his own church, he advised certain women in abusive marriages to stay with their abusive husbands. MacArthur often demonstrated little grace or compassion to those he disagreed with theologically and politically. Further, his tone toward fellow Christians and the vulnerable was frequently dismissive, even combative.

Over time, I began to disassociate from his teaching. The final break came with his recent passing. For me, it was not just the event itself, but the silence that followed in Christian circles in this country. It struck me how little warmth or mourning came from the broader evangelical world, even some of his well-known Christian friends and followers. John MacArthur’s complex and ambiguous legacy in the Christian world and wider evangelical communities made me reflect deeply: perhaps, in the end, it’s more honorable to live with humility and compassion than to spend a life proving you’re always right and making enemies along the way. Gaining wisdom is the ultimate prize, and being a peacemaker or peace-builder is a lifelong commitment for the follower of Christ.

In closing, as a follower of Christ, I remain convinced that in the end, what matters most is not how much theology we master or how many debates we win, but whether our lives reflect the heart of Christ and embody his character.
True biblical discipleship is not measured by fame, knowledge, but by love, humility, and a deep concern for justice and for the vulnerable and the poor among us. Jesus consistently defended the poor, welcomed the outcast, and extended grace to the broken and the strangers. Followers of Christ are called to do the same, that is, to live with compassion, to speak with gentleness, to advocate for the marginalized, and to stand boldly for justice—especially fo the victims and the underrepresented populations and communities in society.

A faith that does not defend the vulnerable or uplift the oppressed is a faith that has lost sight of the gospel’s core. In a world marked by division, brokenness, and suffering, may followers of Christ be known not by their certainties, but by their Christ-likeness. May we become active peace makers and ambassadors of reconciliation in the world!