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!

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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

Christmas Letter 2022

Once again, if you didn't get a Christmas card for one reason or another, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours!

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Dear Family & Friends,                                                                                      December 2022

This year. This year has flown by. Trips to Montana, Key West, Chattanooga, California, Yellowstone, Bahamas, St. Augustine, Cloudland Canyon, the GA/FL Game, and Black Rock State Park all seem like a blur. I had to actually scroll back through my photos of the year to remind myself of all it has held.

Weston has had a rough year of sports injuries, illness, and weird disappointing circumstances. I’ve watched him face each trial with maturity. I’ve watched him get back into the game with dogged determination. I’ve watched him cast his cares on the Lord and lean into the truth of Jesus for his support. I’ve watched him bloom, making new friends, trying new things, doing hard things. Now 13 with a set of new braces this year, he continues to improve as a midfielder in soccer and as one of two bassoonists in the band at the middle school. He makes good choices. He honors his parents. We are so proud of the young man of God he is seeking to be.

Savannah has had a year full of firsts! She ended up voted MVP of her first-ever volleyball club season team.  Starting high school this year, I’ve watched her weigh her options and make balanced, thoughtful choices. She works hard in her honors academics. She makes wise choices to balance her life responsibly between school, friends, and her ever-increasing babysitting jobs. With her learner’s permit in hand, she has also proven to be a trustworthy and capable driver so far. Most importantly, I’m watching her open her Bible on her own and start to seek the Lord personally. She’s making her relationship with Jesus her own, which makes my heart sing. So proud of who she is inside and out.

Joey has enjoyed starting BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and an adult recreational soccer team this year. He has fully transitioned into his new role with Chick-fil-A. On one hand, he misses the day-to-day interaction with operators, but on the other hand he loves serving his new team, and they have fun getting work done together.  He affectionately refers to his team as the “A-team.”  I keep waiting for him to come home with a black 1980’s era van with a big red A on the side. He continues to be an intentional and present father during this season of teenage transition with the kids. I couldn’t ask for a better teammate in life to help shepherd our two. He is a man of humble integrity, and his love and devotion to our marriage keeps me moving forward and looking forward to a lifetime of adventures with him.

As for me, well, I haven’t blogged much recently because this new season of being a stay-at-home mom of teenagers is quiet during the day, then helter-skelter after school. My main job for now is chauffer, which won’t last forever, so I’m not complaining, and I’m soaking up every minute of time driving the kids around to all the things.

I’m asked often how I feel about the transition from California to Georgia. To be fair, it’s like comparing apples and oranges. I like them both. They are completely different experiences. My life looks completely different now than it did for the previous seven years. For me, it has been 18 months of change, grief, adjustment, adaptation, and now the process of acceptance and embracing the joys of this new life.

I’m reminded often of the concept of God’s Waiting Room and what it looks like to live life in the In-Between or the Middle. California felt like a roller-coaster ride of adventure to me. I fully enjoyed every moment. The highs and the lows carved themselves on my heart. Life in this season in Georgia is much quieter in all the areas. Steady. The highs and lows not quite so extreme. And that is something to be grateful for!!!

We have settled our family at Stonebridge Church, soaking in the scripture being taught from leadership, fellowshipping with sweet believing friends who love Jesus with their whole lives. I began leading a BSF group (bsfinternational.org) for the first time this year, and it has kept me humble and buried deep in God’s Word. The women in my group have been a blessing I didn’t know I needed. Studying the Old Testament kings and prophets has been a journey I didn’t know would be so convicting and rewarding.

So maybe that’s the current story of our lives being written here in Georgia—We’re living in the blessings we didn’t know we needed. I didn’t know I needed growth in the disciplines of stillness, silence, and solitude. I’m still learning how to appreciate them (LOL!) I didn’t know having a pool in the backyard would create opportunities for family bonding, or that having a body of blue water near would comfort my heart’s longing for the ocean just a little. I didn’t know that living under the ever-changing canopy of hardwoods in our neighborhood would bring me so much joy and a sense of security. I didn’t know I was thirsty for a church where the scriptures were explained verse by verse. I didn’t know I missed the depth and challenge of BSF to live wholly devoted to the Lord. I didn’t know my kids would blossom in public school. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I still don’t.

So, I’m challenged to live this life of the In-Between major milestones in such a way that still honors the Lord. I’m challenged to continue to make daily choices that are right and good and in-line with God’s ways, taking regular daily steps toward Jesus on this steady part of my journey. The discipline of being consistently faithful and committed when life feels a little less stressful is actually more of a challenge than I anticipated. Apathy and distractions are real obstacles to overcome.

But recognizing where you are in life is half the battle. Jesus meets you exactly where you are every time. High, low, and all the places in-between, He is faithful, steady, and present. Like His continual reminders to an ever-straying Israel, He is relentless in His love for me and my family. He is relentless in His love for you as well.

Maybe you’re like me, and this letter finds you in the middle of a season of In-Between. In between schools, jobs, decisions, achievements, relationships, so many things where you find yourself simply waiting, not really knowing what to do with your time, talents, or energy. If this is you, be encouraged you’re not alone. God has not forgotten about you. He’s not put you in a waiting room because He doesn’t know what else to do with you or for you. Quite the opposite! He knows exactly what He’s doing, and He’s always working whatever it is for your good, your abundant good.

So maybe the best gift you can give Jesus this Christmas is to just trust Him. Trust Him in the waiting. Trust Him in the In-Between. Trust Him with open hands and a surrendered heart. He sees you, and this time of waiting is a precious opportunity for you and Him to get to know each other better. You never know how long this season will last—weeks, months, or years. Will you determine to be faithful, loyal, and true to the God who sent His only Son to be your payment for sin’s price on your head?

That first Christmas long ago was a milestone in the life of eternity—our Savior, our Creator, born in human flesh. But he spent the next 30+ years living on earth, here with us, in the middle, in the in-between, growing, learning, being human, and remaining faithful to the call of His Heavenly Father on His life. That 30+ years must have felt like the longest Waiting Room, part of Him knowing what was coming already. I’m grateful my Jesus knows exactly how I feel and perfectly understands each season of life I experience. May you and yours find comfort and joy this season in that truth as well.

 May your Waiting Room be filled with the hope, presence, and promises of Christ this season.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours,

Joey, Jennifer, Savannah, & Weston Durham

The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.

2 Chronicles 16:9

 

Christmas Letter 2018

Dear Family and Friends,                                                                                         December 1^st, 2018

This year literally started with one of the best days ever—watching the Georgia Bulldogs win at the Rose Bowl. It was a perfect day, seeing the Rose Bowl Parade beforehand, enjoying our children (8 and 10) cheer at their first Bulldogs game, watching a magnificent sunset that God orchestrated over the stadium. For this Georgia family who loves our California home, it was the best of all worlds. Today, 11 months later, as I sit here pondering how I will share a glimpse of what came next, I can’t help but be grateful that is how this year started. God’s gifts are good gifts that sustain even in the hardest days, and for that I am grateful.

Both kids have thrived and grown in hard and good ways this year. Savannah (11) is still our family muse. Her creativity, love of music, and all things fun keeps our family in constant motion. She has impressed me this year with her natural ability and boldness to communicate her opinions and share her ideas. She tackles whatever challenge that is set before her with determination and zeal, and she doesn’t get discouraged nor give up easily. This has been evident in her piano playing, her school work, learning to surf, tumbling classes, passion for baking, and even in her friendships. All these characteristics are admirable, but on some days can be exhausting to parent, so your prayers are felt and appreciated 😉She is a joy and a marvel and a challenge, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. God uses her to draw others to Him with her natural magnetism and ability to lead. May this always be true.

Weston (9)’s personality as a young man of character has also started to bloom this year. Watching him grow as a sportsman on the soccer field has been a gift. I’ve seen my son hit lows then rally to turn them into highs. Whether in soccer, piano, art, engineering with Legos, or working toward straight A’s in school, excellence is his goal.  While he often hits the mark, it’s been in the moments of disappointment this year that I’ve seen the most growth. While I’m terribly proud of all his accomplishments, I may be prouder of how he’s been working to accept and move past the inevitable hardships that have come his way. He also never lets the hard things make him hard. His heart is as soft and sensitive and loving as ever. I know this is because He loves Jesus first. May this always be true.

Joey, as always, continues to be the even keel rock in our family. From what I can tell, he is well-respected in his area of work with Chick-fil-A, and he has continued to accept the responsibilities they give him with integrity, passion, and strength. He loves what he does, the operators he serves, and the people he works with and for. As a father, he is adored. I couldn’t ask for a better role model for our children. His unique ability to communicate with our family is invaluable because he teaches all three of us how to be better communicators, which in turn, enables us to grow in healthy ways. As a husband, well, there’s not enough space in this letter for me to list what he has meant to me and been for me this year. He has pressed into a hard season in my life and patiently, lovingly worked his way into my heart. He is truly my best friend and biggest cheerleader and safe place. Grateful and blessed to follow his lead because he leads well.

As for me, my words for this year didn’t come to me until a month ago. Acknowledge and Accept. This is the path God has walked me down. I’ve spent the past five years grieving in some format or another, on some level or another, and this year I realized that I’ve been striving on some level to fix the grief in my life, to make it stop, go away, feel better. I’ve wrestled with God and myself and stayed so much in my head that my head finally exploded. Cleaning up the explosion has looked like meds and therapy and doctor appointments and exercise and eating right and communion with Jesus and getting vulnerable with His people. It’s looked like doing a lot of sitting and talking to God out loud in my car, talking to my therapist, and talking to my husband, letting them all inside the really ugly spaces of my heart. Acknowledging and accepting that this is my path, and this is my journey, and this is part of my story that God is writing has been my path to freedom and experiencing joy again.

Acknowledging and accepting that I can feel deeply, that it’s ok to feel deeply, and not have to hold myself responsible for doing anything with those feelings except just feel them. Acknowledge those feelings. Accept those feelings, express them as needed to those whom God leads me, and then let them go and sit in the knowledge that God made me this way, and it is for His good purposes that I feel; therefore, it is His responsibility to show me what to do with those feelings, not mine.

There is freedom and joy in letting go and letting God take over. This take over for me has occurred in the quiet, in the still, in the lonely, in the depths of the dark and deep recesses of my heart and mind where God has found me and been with me and held my hand as I acknowledged and accepted the path of hard truth He is walking me down, hand in hand. Not once have I felt judged or less than in His eyes or Joey’s. My God and my man have been nothing but gentle to me.

Which is why today I can sit here grateful for the journey I am on. I’m still right in the middle of it. Meds and therapy and all, but I can say that I accept my struggle with anxiety and depression as part of God’s story for me. I can look back on this year and be grateful for the small conversations it has allowed me to have that ministered to someone else walking the same path. I can be grateful I’m not fighting myself anymore because there is peace in acceptance. I am grateful for the gift of compassionate tears that God has given me the ability to shed. I like to think that every tear I’ve shed for someone else is one that person maybe didn’t have to shed themselves. I’m grateful to feel deeply. It’s not something about myself I need to fix or change; it’s something about myself I need to acknowledge, accept, and allow God to shape for His glory.

What is it you need to acknowledge, accept, and allow God to be present in with you this Christmas season? Isn’t that the message of Christmas? Emmanuel, God with us. How are you allowing God to be with you? The birth of Jesus was His greatest gift to us all—His very Presence incarnate, on earth, to be held and touched and felt and enjoyed and loved. Even in the hard places of this life, how are you accepting the presence of God into your world? He is a True Gentleman. He stands patiently at the door and knocks, never forceful, always gently persuasive, always there. What door will you open in this next year to let Him in? All He wants to do is be with you because He created the path that you are on. He planned the journey. Can you acknowledge and accept His control of the way He created?

I did a crazy, meaningful thing to me this year. I tattooed a piece of artwork on my left shoulder that represents my journey toward joy in the Lord. So, I will leave you with the four Scriptures on the compass of my tattoo. May they encourage you to find and seek Jesus in this season and the year to follow.

“You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Psalms 16:11

“The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Job 33:4

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” Psalms 19:1

“He continued, “Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don’t have anything: This day is holy to God. Do not grieve. The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

Wishing you and your family a day of joy amid blessing or hardship to enjoy the good things the Lord has given!

Merry Christmas,

Joey, Jennifer, Savannah & Weston Durham

P.S.-Mad props to my husband who helped design the Christmas card this year. I’m sure you’ll appreciate his personal touch 😉Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Durhams!!!!!!

Family photo credit goes to Katie Morrow. Thank you for making it fun.

katiemorrowphotography.com

Endure AND Enjoy: Christmas Letter 2017

Dear Family & Friends,                                                                                          December 2017

Well, 2017 is winding down, and I struggle a bit to write this letter this year. Why? Because I have nothing profound to share, to announce, or bemoan. 2017 has been a hard year and a good year. The Lord has shown up in so many highs and lows and plateaus with one consistent message, “Endure AND Enjoy!”

This year held travels to Death Valley, Mexico, the Grand Canyon, Ormond Beach, and several camping weekends as our family was blessed with the purchase of a camping trailer. One of our biggest blessings this year has been camping with our California people. The friendships that have deepened and grown here in this past year have been a true gift for which we are deeply grateful.

Weston turned eight in August. The change I’ve seen in him physically in a year makes my Mama heart cry. So many teeth lost and inches grown! He’s officially in love with soccer, and we’ve enjoyed watching his love of football increase. He’s bright and witty and all-boy. He still likes to hold my hand in public and snuggle on the couch for some TV watching, so for these small things, I’m deeply grateful. Both kids completed their first full year of piano lessons, and I continue to be blown away by how much they’ve improved and grown in a year’s time.

Savannah turned ten in October, and to say she’s blooming into a beautiful young girl is an understatement. She’s continued in her gymnastics this year, but also played soccer and water polo. She constantly amazes me with her natural abilities and the ease and flexibility with which she tackles life. As always, she loves every moment of everything, spreading joy and fun and light to anyone she manages to corral. I think I’m most proud of how she consistently reads her devotions in the morning. Both children continue to grow in their love and knowledge of Jesus, and it’s really of their own choosing which is both encouraging and challenging since consistency in my own time with the Lord is still an area I seem to constantly be seeking improvement!

Joey celebrated 40 this year and continues to love his job as a financial consultant for Chick-fil-A. I’m grateful for a husband whose integrity, perseverance, and commitment to his job translates equally to how he leads our home—constantly looking to improve, open to feedback, and never backing down from a hard conversation. I’ve watched the Lord use these skills along with many others as Joey felt led to join the school board of the new classical school God started in September of this year for our kids and 38 others. Choosing to invest in the founding of The Geneva School has been a true walk of faith and continues to be, but Joey has been a rock for me and our children in the process, and his willingness to serve and sacrifice time and energy to do what God has called us to do is admirable.

As for me, this year has been a test of endurance in so many areas of life. I trained for and completed three sprint triathlons, was blessed to lead a ministry team of high schoolers on a mission trip to Mexico, and I continue to be challenged and blessed through service in both the high school and women’s ministries at our church. When God opened our school in September, I also felt led to serve two days a week as a classroom aide, so to say the speed of life and the fullness of my days has increased would be an understatement.

But amid the busyness, I have also been deeply in tune with how the Lord is working in these areas of my life, calling me, preparing me to dig in, root deep, and endure. I’ve learned that endurance doesn’t necessarily produce growth or forward progression of any kind, but it does build strength of character because endurance is the ability and determination to stay, to stick-with-it, to be present and steadfast. Endurance holds you steady; it’s the quality that requires you stay the course. We live in a culture and a world where so many are constantly looking for the next challenge, the next high, the next accomplishment, the next opportunity, the next goal to attain, the next thing to check off their bucket list because there is a natural rush in attaining these good things. Aiming toward these things gives a sense of meaning and purpose, so when I found myself in a season where there was no five-year-plan or dream-big goal, I floundered for a bit.

Until I started recognizing the lesson in the floundering was that when I focused on being present today, in this moment, with this person, or this child, I wasn’t actually floundering anymore, I was living the biggest, most audacious dream of them all—to love others as Jesus loves me. To live this way doesn’t require a five-year plan, but it does require endurance to keep the faith and walk the path God has placed you on; it requires a commitment to staying with Jesus and in His Word and choosing to be in His presence no matter how hard or nonchalant or fulfilling a day may turn out to be. To endure is to stay.

Which doesn’t sound very fun or impressive, but about mid-year God pointed out that it’s not just about enduring, it’s also about enjoying. Enjoying the blessings of friendships and belly laughs and cooking club antics. Enjoying the gift of small hands holding mine and saying ‘yes’ to throwing the football and playing a board game and waking up together in our camper on a cool California morning. Enjoying the sunshine, crashing waves, and the blessing of good health. Enjoying even the tears shared with friends and the comfort only God can wrap you with in hard times. Enjoying long soccer practices, never-ending laundry, super-chill date nights, and spontaneous lunches with friends.

Be present as you endure, but be present to enjoy—this has been 2017.

Does this letter find you in a season of wandering, of annoying difficulties, or a string of everyday, run-of-the-mill moments? I challenge you to sit in these, to stay, to dig deep and endure all the while choosing to find the simple beauty and flashes of enjoyment that are there. We just need to learn to slow down long enough to actually acknowledge and enjoy the minutes of time, instead of spending all our energy striving to plan for the hours ahead.

This life is a marathon, my friends. We must learn to enjoy a steady pace because most of us aren’t built to sprint the entire way! Endurance isn’t a glamorous part of the journey, but it builds an unshakeable strength. Learning to enjoy, treasure, and appreciate the small things along the way is how you’re able to endure the act of enduranceJ

Colossians 1:10-14 “[T]hat you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

And Amen to that! Because therein lies the greatest Christmas Gift of all in the beginning of our redemption and rescue by the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! May 2018 be a year filled with possibilities and joy for you and yours. May endurance hold you steady and enjoyment sprinkle the seconds of your days.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our home to yours!

Joey,  Jennifer,  Savannah & Weston Durham

Christmas Letter 2016

Dear Family & Friends,     

We love California. Living here is a gift from the Lord. One we never even knew we needed.  There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t breathe in the blue skies, sunshine, and 70degree temps and thank the good Lord that this is my home for this season of life. This year especially, I’m grateful for this daily blessing of beauty and serenity because a more truthful confession is this has been one of the hardest AND one of the best years of my life all in one. I’ve lived out both sides of the coin, moment by moment on some days. Some days and moments were heads up, and many days and moments were tails up, head buried. So when you read this letter, I pray you hear an honest voice and see an honest glimpse into the life of a family that at the end of the day, the end of the year, just loves Jesus and wants you to love Him too because His presence has taught me how to persevere with joy this year.

Perseverance. He gave this word to me in January in the middle of the study of Revelation in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF).  At the time, I figured it was just the word I needed in order to finish strong the study (not an easy book to study!), a word that reflected what was required of God’s people throughout the book of Revelation. Ah, but it has represented so much more. Through the comingling of joy and struggle, God is teaching me the unsurpassed beauty and treasure of perseverance.

Perseverance, endurance, stick-to-it-ness, steadfastness. Words our present culture respects from a distance, but no one gets too close, and most people try to pass them by. Those words have teeth. They hint at something hard and negative, sounds like work. Those words require a way of living that isn’t fast-paced, constantly changing, full of options and instantly microwavable results. No, these words produce a character quality in someone that makes them resilient and rooted and strong and beautiful.

Savannah got her first set of braces in January, and I watched her persevere all year with an amazing attitude and acceptance. The braces came off in November and her teeth are beautiful. I’ve watched her persevere in swimming, tennis, and gymnastics this year, along with developing her skills in the arts and her academics. (Learning Latin is not for the faint of heart! She is taking 3^rd grade by storm!) My girl has more energy and more gumption for life than any child I’ve ever known. But the best news of all came in February when she openly prayed during our family devotion on the first day of Lent to receive Christ as her Savior. She chose to be baptized in my mom’s pool in July, surrounded by our GA family and friends, and I have watched Savannah persevere in her growth as a child of God ever since. She is nine years of joy!

I’ve watched Weston persevere in his walk with the Lord as well. He’s my cautious, intuitive thinker, and it’s been a joy to watch him grow in courage and determination this year, willing to commit and take more chances. Turning 7 in August, he was more than ready to begin first grade and has excelled. But watching him begin to fall in love with the game of soccer this fall was maybe my favorite thing. He works so hard! He doesn’t give up, and he takes correction, honestly always trying to improve. He scaled wall after wall of rock climbing courses at a gym at Thanksgiving, like a pro. We jokingly called him “Rock-boy,” to which he replied, “Call me Peter. His name means Rock.” We laughed, but my heart swelled because Weston’s name means Steadfast. He is more like Peter the apostle than he even knows. Watching my son persevere to overcome fears this year has been a gift.

Joey has persevered in his work and in his growth as a husband and father. I’ve watched him approach every change that came his way at work with grace, always acting with integrity in each situation, giving nothing but his best. I’ve watched him seek the Lord this year in a new way. I’ve seen him grow closer and stronger in his role as our family’s leader. After fifteen years of marriage, he is still persevering with me in marriage and seeking to pursue me, know me, see me. We began the year on the tails up side of the coin, but through the power and provision of our relationship with Jesus and our love and commitment to one another, we’ve been living the heads up side for most of the year. Joey’s perseverance in choosing Jesus, choosing us, every day, has been my greatest gift and highest high of this year.

The heads up moments have been simply amazing, dreams realized—God’s provision in completely taking care of buying back our not-well-made RV, traveling to San Francisco, driving the Pacific Coast Highway for Spring Break taking in the breathtaking majesty of mountains dropping into the vastness of the ocean, camping in Joshua Tree National Park in the middle of 20mph winds (so many stories!), visiting dear friends in Brazil over the summer, getting to see Iguaçu Falls while we were there (one of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World!) which were simply mesmerizing, a last minute trip to Hawaii before school started back full of snorkeling with sea turtles and ogling over the uniqueness of our Creator’s design, co-leading a table of multi-generational women through the women’s ministry at our church, deepening my relationship with my now-sophomore girls in high school ministry, developing so many new friendships, lots of paddle surfing, and spending almost every weekend boogie boarding and watching sunsets by a fire on a beach with our dearest CA friends. These are some of my favorite memories ever, in my entire lifetime. So many amazing blessings. I have loved the heads up side of the coin this year.

The tails up moments have been learning to persevere in the mundane, the ordinary, and the seemingly insignificant routines of this stage of my life. The never-ending laundering, child-shuttling, grocery-shopping, meal-planning, homework completing, errand-running, need fulfilling stage of life where my identity seems to disappear into the titles of “mom” and “wife.” I love these titles. I’m blessed to have them. But they become only titles and not blessings when my life is not fully connected to my heavenly Father who breathes life and purpose into the mundane. Who has asked me this year to stay the course and live out everything I’ve ever proclaimed I believed in the ordinariness of my life, placing one foot in front of the other, one day at a time, being present, and daring me to find joy in it. He’s challenged me to be content being a nobody (in the eyes of the world) for Him. To live a faith filled, righteous life for the sole purpose of being noticed and praised and seen only by Him. This has been hard, but it has also produced an abiding joy I am still learning to define.

In the middle of these highs and lows, my dearest CA friends lost their eight-year-old son in a tragic accident. Savannah and Weston lost a playmate and friend, and the world lost a beautiful soul. Grief has colored the last six months of this year for me because I have come to love these friends and their family like my own. Choosing and desiring and loving being a part of their daily lives through the pain of this journey has taught me what perseverance means more than any other experience in my life.

Perseverance is not something you set out to accomplish or obtain. It is a natural byproduct of loving well. I love my friends deeply, so despite the pain from their lives that naturally ebbs into mine, I will persevere in that friendship. I love my children deeply, so despite the irritations and hurt we may cause each other, I will persevere in my role as their parent. I love my husband with all my heart, so despite the inevitable hardships our growing and changing lives will encounter, I will persevere in learning to be the helpmate God created me to be for him. I love my Jesus with all that I am, with my whole life, so despite the pain or discomfort that crashes into my life from tension with this world, I will persevere in my relationship with Him.

Perseverance is the natural byproduct of loving well. What a treasure!

So this Christmas season I challenge you also to persevere. Look around you and love well everyone and anyone the Lord has placed in your path. Follow Jesus’ example in Hebrews 12:1-3:

1Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us (you are NOT alone), let US also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us RUN with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2fixing our eyes ON JESUS, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the JOY set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (emphasis added mine)

Some of you need to believe you are not alone, some need to throw off weights and/or sin entangling your stride, some need to give yourself credit for loving well and fixing your eyes on Jesus, some need to despise shame and endure the cross God has given you to bear out of love for Jesus because Jesus doesn’t ask you to persevere through anything in life that He hasn’t already persevered and claimed victory over Himself! Learn to love well like Jesus. Recognize that somewhere in the middle of the process of enduring, there is JOY! The more years that pass, the more I believe that true joy cannot be experienced without deep struggle. So persevere because true joy is the reward, the prize, the gift.

May your love for Jesus produce perseverance in your life that brings glory to God and blessings uncountable to you and yours this coming year. Never give up on your pursuit of Christ because He will never give up His pursuit of you. He even came as far as heaven is to earth to humbly love us so unconditionally as to become One among us. Immanuel. God with us. Merry Christmas!

Grateful to be called His children,

Joey, Jennifer, Savannah, & Weston

Christmas Letter 2015

I post this every year for those of you I may have inadvertently forgot to send our Christmas card to. Enjoy and Merry Christmas from our family to yours!  .....

Dear Family & Friends,                                                                                                                 December 2015

Well, this was our first full year as Californians, and I must say, we have lived it to the fullest. Legoland, Disneyland, San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, USS Midway, Joshua Tree National Park, Big Bear snow tubing, paddle surfing, whale watching, too many beautiful sunsets to count--from the desert, to the mountains, to the beaches, we live California.

Weston turned six in August, and in September he joined Savannah as a kindergartner at Grace Classical Academy. God answered so many years of prayers on my part by giving him the sweetest class of all boys, brothers in make-believe games and soccer battles. But September 20th marked the best news of all for us, when Weston said the prayer to accept Christ as his personal Lord and Savior in his church class. The Lord has been so kind to this doubting Mama to confirm over and over again in very clear ways the presence of the Holy Spirit in Weston's heart and life, and the change in him is undeniable. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for his tender, yet deeply understanding heart!

Savannah is still my joy and lover of life. She's taken second grade by storm, turning eight years old in October. She loves everything and everyone, and while I still pray daily for her salvation, I am grateful for all the conversations we are having now about life and faith and people. Her heart is so tender and loving and open toward others that I can't wait to see how God is going to continue to use her to draw people to Him. She is a constant source of energy and life in our family for which I am truly thankful, and I have learned she sees value in things I overlook or take for granted. God is already using her to smooth out rough edges I didn't know I had, and for that I am learning to be grateful ;)

Joey continues to love his job, and we are blessed beyond measure by both our Chick-fil-A family here in California and in the corporate office. Every year that passes, I am more and more grateful for the faithfulness of the Cathy family to have built a business based on biblical principles.

But perhaps the theme for this year, the over-arching lesson for both Joey and myself and our children has been: Do the hard thing. Not just the next thing, but the hard thing. When you’re not sure which step to take next, step in the direction that is hard to go.  God has met us down that path so many times this year.

I cannot think of a time in my life where I have more actively sought the face and will of the Lord more so than in this past year. I have sought Him in stillness and patience and quietness and long, deep pauses of life. A life not busy. A calendar not full. A day not scheduled. And if you know me, you know how hard this has actually been for me to sink into.

We have sought the Lord in the most difficult task of finding a church home, a place to belong, friends to call our own. This journey has forced us to dig deeper into God's Word and challenge what we think we know. It has been the hardest journey to discern what is best for our family at this stage of our life. The Lord was faithful to finally open some doors in October, and we find ourselves finally at peace for a season connected with some awesome people we hope become lifelong friends in a church home that preaches the truth of God's Word without watering it down or avoiding the tough issues. Just the Bible--that's all our family really needs.

In August after much prayer, we bought an RV, and have enjoyed the intentional memories it allows us to make with our children as a family, seeing the beauty of God’s creation that is all over the west coast, but that too was a hard path to choose to take. God continues to ask us to trust Him with our finances in so many areas, but I’m so grateful that every time He asks us to take a plunge of faith He meets us right where we are and provides in ways we couldn’t have foreseen.

I've prayed with so many this year, had so many conversations, read so many news and opinion articles. It has been a hard year for many, for our nation, for the world. If I’m being honest, it’s still hard. Joey and I are pressing into the Lord and into each other during this season.  We’re holding our marriage and our children up to the Lord in daily surrender, with open hands, trying not to have expectations and to let God be God. A godly marriage is hard. Parenting is hard. Separating the truth from the lies inside your own head is hard.

But friends, it is also SO VERY GOOD.  Hard, but good.  Because in the midst of choosing the narrow path, the hard path, the Voice of Truth comes and fills your life with meaning and goodness and a sense of purpose and fulfillment that only comes from a Good, Loving Heavenly Father who created us, so He knows exactly what fills the longings of our souls. You find His mercies truly are new every morning that His forgiveness covers a multitude of failings, giving you the renewed joy to try again.  You find refuge in His strength and not your own.  You find peace in His plan, so far out of your control that all you can do is trust and hope and try to be obedient.  And even though the obedience is the hardest part of all, the daily moment-by-moment choice to choose the Lord and His way, it is also where some of the sweetest moments of life are experienced.

I wonder if this year has been hard for you as well.  I wonder if you have taken the easy path, the fun path, the path you think you deserve, are entitled to, the life you think you should be living. I wonder if you have nothing to show for it but regret. I’ve made that mistake this year, and I’m so grateful that every time I turn around to try and choose a different way, the Lord is faithful to place before me the same hard path I could have chosen the first time. The path He always knew would be best. I didn’t miss it. He didn’t take it away, and He was right there to walk it with me every. single. time.

So my encouragement this year is to choose the hard. For me, I have to choose to be still instead of busy. Some need to become active instead of being still. For me, I need to pray more in secret and speak less in public, hence the fewer blog posts. For some, God is calling you to speak out the truth in love instead of holding it all inside. For me, I need to learn to be okay with being uncomfortable, to get comfortable with being rubbed raw and worked on from the inside out, and that is a hard journey I am only just beginning. Some of you have been uncomfortable you’re entire life, never feeling like yourself, and God is calling you to get comfortable with Him.

Do you see what I mean?  What is hard for me may not be hard for you!  We are all so different, so wonderfully made, so perfectly created. What is the hard thing to sink into at this point in your life, as this new year approaches?  What hard path have you been avoiding that you finally need to take the hand of your Heavenly Father and just trust Him, walk with Him down that path?

The words of Jesus Himself, John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble (guaranteed). But take heart! I (Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit living inside His believers) have OVERCOME the world!" (emphasis mine) Amen, Amen, and Amen!

Praying this Christmas season you can claim victory in Jesus as we celebrate His birth as the beginning of the end of the curse of man! The best gift of all because Jesus brought salvation for us all from it all. May you live a life of victory in 2016 choosing to do the hard things with Christ, overcoming and not losing heart.

“O victory in Jesus /My Savior, forever./He sought me and bought me /With His redeeming blood; /He loved me ere I knew Him /And all my love is due Him, /He plunged me to victory, /Beneath the cleansing flood.”

 –Bartlett, E.M, “Victory in Jesus”, 1939

Grateful every day Jesus took the hard path from heaven to earth, from earth to the cross, from death to life. Grateful he gives me a choice to follow His example, but also that He chose me to follow His example.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Praying you fully embrace the abundance of good in the midst of the hard,

Joey, Jennifer, Savannah, & Weston Durham