Christmas Letter 2023

I know. It’s February. That should tell you something about life (LOL!) But I can’t write more blogs without first publishing this first. I’m a little OCD like that. Enjoy!

…………….

Dear Family & Friends,                                                                                                                          December 2023

 

On December 31^st, 2022, Joey’s grandmother turned 100, and on September 1^st, 2023, my grandmother turned 90. It only seems fitting to honor these two women with our Christmas card while compassionately acknowledging Joey had another grandmother go home to be with the Lord this year as well. A reminder of lives well lived. A reminder of the legacy of the love of Jesus Christ. A reminder of the importance of the Lord’s emphasis on family, God’s family, our eternal family. A reminder of the mantra which has woven like a thread of thought throughout the tapestry of my life this past year: God wants your whole heart for your whole life.

 

Instead of one word, I’ve heard this phrase whispered into my heart and mind throughout my days this year. God wants my whole heart for my whole life. What does that mean? What does that look like? How do I live that out? These matriarchs of our family have lived lives answering those very questions, and I am forever grateful for their legacy of faith, love, and family. Each of us benefits from the generational blessings their faith adds like compound interest to our own lives.

 

Weston took a big step in his own faith this year choosing to be baptized in October at the age of 14. I have observed the growth of his faith by watching him continue to dig in and choose to rise to the challenges set before him. He has grown in his soccer abilities, choosing to condition and hone his skills in his spare time. He maintains high grades in the highest level of classes as an 8^th grader, but more telling of his character may be the friends he chooses to invest in. I admire the way he is boldly unmoved by the opinion of the crowd while also meeting people where they are as they are. He started his first job in February as a soccer referee, and he continues to prove himself faithful and steady. He is an excellent son, and I am proud of him. More importantly, he is a child of God who seeks after Jesus.

 

I’ve seen Savannah blossom and grow in her own faith through her commitment to her own personal Bible study and her willingness to host and help lead Bible study on occasion with her friends. She worked through hard things learning how to be a setter for the first time in volleyball this year. Playing as a setter for both her club and JV school team as a sophomore, she showed perseverance, resilience, and a willingness to put in the hard work to grow and improve. She continues to earn high grades in her Honors classes while balancing an active social life. She is a good friend. Being reliable and responsible, it was completely natural to hand her a set of keys when she turned 16. She started working at Chick-fil-A in June, and I look forward to seeing what doors the Lord will continue to open for her enthusiastic, creative mind. She is an excellent daughter, and I am so proud of her. More importantly, she is a child of God who seeks after Jesus.

 

Joey and I have held the status quo in many respects. Joey still enjoys the work of leading a small but mighty team of awesome people.  He also enjoys taking on small side projects to keep him engaged inside and outside of Chick-fil-A. His commitment to weekly Devotions with Dad is impactful. His presence in working together to intentionally raise godly teenagers is needed and appreciated. Raising teenagers is hard, but he shows up. He engages. Every day. We are committed to the calling of a godly AND healthy marriage for the benefit of our children to the glory of God, and for us, that means marriage counseling. It’s not easy. It’s scary hard on some days, but God’s best is always worth pressing toward. We are blessed when He is honored. I am grateful to be bound in covenant for all our lives to a man who values the mission of faith, marriage, family, and servant-leadership—in that order.

 

I have enjoyed spending my time and energy as a BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) leader and being present for my teenage children. This season of parenting for a stay-at-home-mom has been challenging. I have struggled with the questions of my own worth as my children’s physical need for me continues to diminish daily, but I have grown in my knowledge and appreciation of my relationship with the Holy Spirit as I learn to lean into His guidance for the spiritual, social, and emotional development of healthy teenagers. Maybe I’ll go back to work. Maybe I won’t. What I’ve been learning is how to lay my heart’s desires and concerns at the feet of Jesus then let them go, let Him have control, let Him lead. Where the Spirit blows, I follow because Jesus wants my whole heart for my whole life, and He’s teaching me how to give it to Him in daily, tangible practices that look a whole lot like spiritual disciplines such as solitude, silence, and confession. For me, these are not the fun disciplines to practice, but I am seeing how necessary they are for Jesus to have my whole heart for my whole life.

 

Visiting our missionary friends, the Sawyers, in Kenya at the end of the school year was an eye-opening experience. A soul-shifting encounter. I would encourage anyone reading this to go read the four blogs I wrote about our trip. (One, Two, Three, Four) Living in Kenya for those 10 days was an immersive experience in what it looks and feels like to give your whole heart and whole life to Jesus. Every interaction felt like it had eternal meaning without striving for eternal impact. It felt like cracking open a door to something maybe our future after kids might hold. Not that we feel led to be missionaries (at the moment), but that I felt called and at peace living a life where learning about Jesus, talking about Jesus, serving in honor of Jesus was invigorating. My purpose for life so full!

 

Our culture of excess and access means more distractions and barriers to overcome when it comes to living this life of giving Jesus our whole heart for our whole lives, but I believe He is capable of teaching us if we will give Him the time to teach. So, will you give Him the time to teach? 

 

My missionary friend, Laura Sawyer, recently posted this on her Facebook page, and it rings in the back of mind now:

Voddie Baucham preaching at the funeral of Mwansa Mbewe: “It’s always amazed me how people spend their lives not having time for God, being too busy for Him — but hoping to go to heaven for all eternity and be with the God for whom they had no time for. NEWSFLASH: When you die, you will continue your same relationship with God!”

 

Maybe that’s too bold or in your face for a Christmas letter. Maybe that’s offensive, but Jesus said hard, bold things also. He was the Son of God who came as an embryo in a uterus, so He could experience every moment of our sinful human existence only to sacrifice His perfect life for OUR eternal salvation, for OUR ability to have direct access and relationship with the God of the Universe, and then upon ascension back to heaven He left His Spirit as a gift for His followers to continue to live powerful lives drawing others to His kingdom with their love, compassion, and bold stand for truth. Is this you? Are you His child? If not, why not?

 

There’s no better season than Christmas to consider the Greatest Gift of Jesus and what He means to all humanity. It is why we celebrate after all. Or has the excess and access already gotten the best of your own heart this season? Jesus wants your whole heart for your whole life, friend. How can you begin the journey today of giving Him that gift this Christmas season and for every day that follows? Because once you know Him, you realize He deserves nothing less.

 

May the gift of a soft heart and teachable spirit be yours this Christmas season as well as the joy that comes from the gift of His presence (Psalm 16:11).

 

Joey,                                        Jennifer,                                      Savannah,                                    & Weston Durham