Christmas 2009

Here's a portion of our Christmas letter from 2009. We sent the photo above with the letter. It's a wee bit past Christmas, but it's the thought that counts, right?

Merry Christmas! The remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ is such an excellent time of year. We're back in Gloucester, Va., at the tail end of an extraordinary journey that took us to Oregon and back. We lived in Corvallis for about nine months -- leaving in September 2008 and returning in June -- while I attended Cornerstone School of Ministry, with the idea of becoming better equipped for whatever the Lord has for me. Little did I know that would involve planting a Calvary Chapel here in Gloucester on Sept. 6. God has been so faithful and good to our family, through many good times and trials alike. The verse from the year is from Hosea 12:6: "Observe mercy and justice and wait on your God continually." The word `continually' in Hebrew means `to stretch' and the word `wait' means to `bind together, perhaps by twisting.' The picture I have of our lives is like tying a shoelace and how you pull the loops apart and the harder you stretch them, the tighter the knot. That was us this year, being stretched and yet being drawn closer to the Lord. Thank the Lord for His grace and mercy.