{"id":627,"date":"2008-12-22T00:01:50","date_gmt":"2008-12-22T00:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/12\/happy-birthday-to-not-jesus.html"},"modified":"2008-12-22T00:01:50","modified_gmt":"2008-12-22T00:01:50","slug":"happy-birthday-to-not-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/12\/happy-birthday-to-not-jesus.html","title":{"rendered":"Happy Birthday to . . . Not Yet Jesus . . But Nathan!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday was a watershed day in the Roberts family. My son, Nathan, turned sixteen! Yes, sixteen! Wow! It’s hard to believe.
\nOn December 21, 1992, Nathan was born at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, California. That was one of the most amazing and wonderful days of my life, matched only by the day a couple years later when my daughter was born.
\nOf course at the time I had no idea how much Nathan would change my life. He made my life harder, with many, many more responsibilities (and I wasn’t even his mom!). He added plenty of worry to my life, especially when, as a baby, he regularly ran temperatures over 105 degrees. But Nathan also helped me to laugh more than I ever imagined possible, to cherish life in a new way, and to discover the incredible joy of parenthood.
\nNathan is one of my very best friends. Yes, of course there are times when I need to be “the Dad.” But those times are few and far between. For the most part we share life together, often with an eerie sense of mutual understanding. We both love nature. We love ideas and discussing them. These days we talk about politics and religion and, well, you name it.
\nSome of the best times of my life are when Nathan and I take off hiking together, whether in the High Sierra of California or the Hill Country of Texas. Until a year ago, I had to slow down a bit so he could keep up with me. Now his natural pace is faster than mine, so he’s learning to be patient with me!
\nIt’s been wonderful to see Nathan grow to be the person God has made him to be. He’s always been artistic. In recent years his artistic energies have focused on movie making and musical theatre. Check out his blistering parody of Zac Efron’s “Bet on It” from High School Musical 2<\/em>. (Look at the original first<\/a>, then Nathan’s version<\/a>.) Or you might enjoy his rendition of “If I Were a Rich Man” at a school choir fundraiser. The video quality isn’t great, but you’ll get the idea.<\/p>\n

[youtube:http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UPRJSROzEsY]<\/p>\n

Part of what I admire about Nathan is how hard he works to use his talents well. Yes, he has a fine singing voice. But he put in tons of hours getting “If I Were a Rich Man” just right, so that he could sing it effortlessly. He treats all of his challenges this way. So he isn’t coasting on his abilities, but rather striving to steward them well.
\nI’m proud of Nathan’s accomplishments, but mostly I’m proud of who he is. He is a young man of compassion, integrity, and faith. He’s thoughtful and kind (at least most of the time). He cares about people and ideas. He’s disciplined in his studies, but always has time to goof around with his dad. Or just to be a goof off, period. Check out his most recent Halloween costume. Yes, he did go as an outhouse. Enough to make any dad proud, don’t you think? (You just have to love this photo, with Nathan as an outhouse posing in front of a cross wall.)
\nThe only bad thing about Nathan growing up is that my time with him feels so limited. But I am thrilled to have such a great son and friend. So, happy sixteenth birthday, Nathan! I love you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday was a watershed day in the Roberts family. My son, Nathan, turned sixteen! Yes, sixteen! Wow! It’s hard to believe. On December 21, 1992, Nathan was born at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, California. That was one of the most amazing and wonderful days of my life, matched only by the day a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tributes"],"yoast_head":"\nHappy Birthday to . . . Not Yet Jesus . . But Nathan! - Mark D. 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Not Yet Jesus . . But Nathan!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}