Dear Chris,
What an honor and privilege it is to celebrate you on your birthday! Your friendship, encouragement and partnership in ministry has been one of my top highlights over this past decade.
You are truly a man after God's own heart - modeling well what it means to "go after all God has for you in life" and you are reaping the rewards with an amazing family, on an amazing adventure advancing The Kingdom each and every day.
I'm grateful to have a fellow apostle / pioneer to journey with. The 100% effort you put forth to "hear His voice and put it into practice" is seen in both the fruit of your labors as well as the fruit of those you intentionally invest in.
You also lead by example in displaying an integrated life. Your personal life, family life, ministry life and work life all have one center - Jesus Christ - it serves as an incredible (and inspiring) tangible example for all of us. Thank you.
Thanks for also modeling what it means to "lead a family well" you and Ruthie are the best at seeing Christ's uniqueness / Christ's potential in each of your kids and then calibrating your parenting accordingly to do all you can to raise them up to: know their heavenly father, trust Him and then daily walk with him. What amazing kids!
Lastly, I look forward to the future - while our relational orbit ebbs and flows - I'm 100% here for you and look forward to all the future opportunities, open doors and Kingdom surprises we'll get to share and encourage eachother on in the years to come.
Happy 50th Birthday! Here's to the next 10 years and beyond.
Your Brother in Christ,
-Brandon Schaefer