“This book is a work of art … a triumphant testimony to how God uses the common things in life to build joyful, grateful families. The Little Boy Down the Road is one of the happiest reads of the year. A ‘must’ for your family storytime.” —Geoffrey Botkin

From the Introduction, by Doug Phillips

I am persuaded that the most beautiful, most important, and most life-changing stories are not found in the pages of newspapers, but in the everyday events in the life of the Christian family.

And that is the way it is supposed to be. The home is not only the incubator of life and the nursery of Christian culture, but it is the school of generational faithfulness from which the righteous man graduates. When the Bible paints the picture of the happiest men on Earth with the most far-reaching impact on history, it does so in the context of family life, meal time, and the blessing of children (Psalm 127, 128). That is why, when it comes to newsworthy events of eternal significance, nothing emerging from Hollywood, nor Washington, D.C., can hold a candle to the dining room table of a Christian household.

Sometimes the most important thing happening in the world is the couple deciding to adopt a baby, or the child honoring his mother, or the daughter repenting to her father. Sometimes it is a little boy who waits patiently down the road for his daddy to return from work so that he can simply hold the hand of the most important man in his life. These are the moments that really matter — the ones that will count in eternity. They are the everyday victories of the Christian life that will one day fill the heart of the old man with joy as he looks back on a life well spent. That is why, when the world has passed away, and the trends of this present culture are long since forgotten, those simple acts of love, done in the name of Christ and for His sake by a mother to her child, or a brother for his sister, will retain value with the saints in eternity.

This book is a short compilation of stories and essays about these moments. It is a book about the epiphanies of fatherhood. What do I mean? Every once in a while, the Christian experiences an epiphany — a moment when the scales are lifted from his eyes, and he really, really gets it — “It” being perspective on the most important things the Lord would have him to understand at that moment. These are moments of supreme clarity where he suddenly realizes — as if coming out of a slumber — the inexpressible preciousness of the Christian family and the unbounding love of Christ to shower sinful man with such earthly joys.

For me, these revelations have almost always occurred watching my family. In fact, I tend to have such epiphanies on two types of occasions. First, when the overwhelming beauty of God’s gift of wife or children is laid before me in all of its dazzling glory through the “little things” in life — a baby in my arms, the blessing of a well-set family table, the consolation of my bride in times of difficulty, or the triumph of a son having faithfully executed the will of his father. Second, when I am reminded of the brevity of life, the fragility of human relationships, and my own utter dependence on the mercy of Christ to sustain and prosper that which I hold most dear on this Earth — my wife and children.

In the first part of my life, my happiest days were serving as a son to my father. In the second part of my life, my happiest days have been serving alongside my bride as a father to my children. The Little Boy Down the Road is a series of short stories and essays taken from these experiences as a son, a father, and a husband. Many of these stories are deeply personal. They are windows into experiences that have shaped my life. A sinful man, I too often forget the most important things in life. But these stories remind me of priorities like serving the Lord, honoring your father and mother, loving your wife, and shepherding the hearts of your children.

At the end of the day, the Christian warrior fights for two things. First, he fights for the crown rights of his eternal king, the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, he fights for his wife, his children, his family, and his household (Nehemiah 4:14). Only on these two grounds does he lawfully war for his nation. Destroy the family, and the Church becomes an empty sepulcher. Destroy the family, and the nation becomes dark and cruel. The purpose of this book is to help you remember the priorities of the warrior of the Lord. That is why it is my sincere prayer that this small offering of stories and essays will encourage you to do what I am still learning to do — to fight for my family, and to always remember the little boy down the road.

Chapters of Little Boy Down the Road

• The Little Boy Down the Road: Embracing a Father’s First Priority
• The Woman Who Chose Life: How Courageous Childbirth Changes the World
• The Art of Home School Opera: The Blessing of Family Eccentricities
• The Animal Fair: What We Learn from a Child’s Relationships with Animals
• The Man’s Library: How Wise Fathers Use Books to Disciple Future Generations
• The League of Grateful Sons: How Generational Honor Preserves Nations
• The Coming of Mahershalalhashbaz: Towards Epistemologically Self-Conscious Baby Names
• The War on Fatherhood: Why We Must Choose Between Patriarchy and Patricide
• The Rise and Fall and Rise of Motherhood in America: Have We Forgotten that Only Women Can Be Mothers?
• The Sins of Nellie Oleson: Lessons in Rebellion from “Little House on the Prairie”
• Our Fathers’ Rock: Why We Must Not Remove the Ancient Landmarks
• Watching Our Sweethearts Grow Up: The Beauty and Pain of Having Daughters

Order The Little Boy Down the Road: Short Stories and
Essays on the Beauty of Family Life