Christmas Letter 2025

Well, it's not springtime yet, so this is not the latest I've ever posted our Christmas letter:)

If you didn't get our Christmas card, here's a chance to catch up on the last year even though the new one is already full steam ahead with an exciting year on the horizon. Enjoy the update!

Dear Family & Friends,                                                                                                                            December 2025

Engage. When our pastor started 2025 in January, he asked us to seek a word from the Lord for the year ahead, and this was the word I heard in my heart. It’s the word I’ve filtered many decisions through this year, and the Lord has not failed to show up every time I chose to engage.

Engage has many meanings, but for me, it meant to choose to put myself actively in gear rather than auto-pilot, to take a step forward despite the apparent obstacles, to take a risk rather than play it safe. As I look back over the year, I see where the choice to engage meant new growth in many different areas of life for both myself and my family.

Savannah turned 18 in October. This year she fully engaged and continues to engage with the tough decisions that come with adulthood. She chose to play her last season of club volleyball in the spring where she led her team well as both setter and captain. In lieu of volleyball, she chose to invest more time at church, joining the student leadership team. She fully engaged with college applications and was accepted into all her top choices: Samford University, Berry College, and University of North Georgia. She prayerfully awaits financial ai`     `d and scholarship offers before deciding, but I am impressed by her perseverance to do what needs to be done to continue moving the process forward. In the meantime, her senior year course load consists of taking three dual enrollment college courses and working as a team lead for yearbook all while holding down two jobs and saving diligently to pay for her new car. I know she spends time in the Word seeking the Lord and trusting Him for the guidance she needs to make all these new and often difficult decisions. She shines, and it makes my heart soar to watch her begin to spread her wings. She’s ready to launch, and she’s going to do exceptional things.

Weston turned 16 in August, and I’ve seen the shift from boy to young man wash over him this year. In February, he started varsity as a freshman for the high school soccer team, enjoying a season that took them to the region playoffs. During club soccer season last year, he engaged in extra work attending extra practices to make a higher-level team this year where he now leads as the team captain. I’ve watched him learn what it looks like to lead, the highs and lows, and he’s a better young man for it. With Georgia Tech as his goal, he began a higher-level rigor of courses his sophomore year, and I’ve watched him fully engage, taking responsibility, putting the work in, owning his hangups and mistakes, staying determined to excel and perform at a high level academically. Most importantly, I’ve watched him come home and engage with the Lord in his quiet time after school every day, and this might be the most impressive factor to his transition to manhood—taking personal responsibility for his own relationship with the Lord. He is a quiet force to be reckoned with, and the Lord is going to use Him in mighty ways.

 

Joey engaged this year with new work in the international realm of Chick-fil-A all while doing his day job in financial services. His ability to navigate hard conversations never ceases to amaze me, but more impressively is how he’s chosen to engage in the pursuit of our marriage and the pursuit of leading his young adult children. Devotions with Dad, family meeting discussions, marriage counseling just for the sake of getting better—he engages across all areas of our family, leading well, setting a high standard for our children to follow. He sees me and values our relationship above all else other than his relationship with the Lord. We are fully aware of the empty nest years knocking on our door, and we are making plans to open that door with authority in a few years and march right through it, hand in hand, come what may, and embark on the next journey of our marriage, fully engaged together.

But the knocking of those years on that door is not lost on this Mama-heart. When your youngest starts driving themselves to all the things, the Mama-world tilts at an odd angle and begins to spin in a way I’m still not sure I enjoy. I both celebrate the godly growth and maturity of my children and silently cry for the season of childhood innocence that has passed—pretty much on a daily basis. I am deeply grateful for the meaningful part-time work the Lord has provided for me as the Admissions Manager for Amber Grace Community (ambergrace.com). This work challenges me to engage in self-growth instead of self-pity, tackling new concepts and skills instead of wallowing in what ifs, worries, and concerns for the future of my changing family. When I want to shy away from difficult or awkward conversations and fade into the background of my own life, the Lord whispers gently, “Engage,” and in obedience, I stumble awkwardly through hard things only to watch Him come alongside me, fully supporting, fully showing up where I am lacking. Where I am not enough, Jesus always is.

He has not failed to show up once. Prompting me to lead Bible studies for women in my home weekly, I watch the Holy Spirit join us and move mightily and gently every week. When I feel like I’m completely failing at connecting with my kids in their new young adult worlds, the Lord calls me to engage with Him in prayer for them, and somehow, no matter what happens next, I’m at peace knowing the Lord is connecting with my kids when I can’t.

It’s not lost on me why marriages at this stage of life tend to end. If you don’t choose to engage purposefully in continuing to build the relationship with the best friend you married, it’s tempting to believe the lie that going your separate ways after the kids are gone will be easier, especially when most likely you have each developed your own interests and circles of friends at this stage of life. I encourage every couple reading this, choose today to engage with your spouse, preferably on a weekly date night of some format. Exactly like a relationship with the Lord, marriage requires purposeful, intentional connection, and those connections are a choice.

I’m grateful my Jesus chooses to engage in a relationship with me, my husband, my kids, and every one of His children on a moment-by-moment basis. He is always present, always there, waiting like a Gentleman to be included in the moments of your life. Christmas is a celebration of His engagement with His children, His pursuit of relationship with humanity to make a personal relationship with Him possible. To fill the God-shaped hole in each of our souls that sin carved, God sent His only Son to live a human life, fully God and yet also fully man, to become the perfect sacrifice for the atonement of our sin, an atonement imperfect humanity had no hope of ever attaining for themselves. Jesus is Hope. He is the Resurrection and the Life that empowers His children, His true followers, to live a new life in Christ, through Christ, with Christ. With God and God with us. Emmanuel. Never alone. Always connected to Love, Power, Joy, Peace, Truth—all the deepest desires of your heart and soul—Jesus is the answer.

Praying this Christmas season, you choose to engage in a new way with the God of the Universe who humbled Himself to become His creation in the form of a baby only to die in payment for your sins all so you could spend eternity in His presence, in relationship with Love Itself. But the greatest gift of all may be how He chooses to show up today, in the midst of my sin, in the midst of my screwed up thinking and choices—He still shows up. For those who believe in and follow His Son, who confess their sins and claim Jesus as Lord, He forgives and He shows up. How can you engage anew today with the God who is constantly knocking on the door of your heart, asking for engagement in your own life?

May you receive a fresh blessing as you choose to engage with Jesus this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

	Joey, Jennifer, Savannah, & Weston Durham

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:5-8

Christmas Letter 2024

This Christmas letter is the most I write during this season of teenage years in my children's lives. Believe me, life is happening...fast. Lessons are being learned and the Lord has been in constant motion in our lives since our move from California in 2021. But with the kids older and active on social media themselves, and my own life filling in with other pursuits the Lord keeps introducing, I find my time to write is limited in many different ways. One day, I believe the Lord will write the book in my heart. Maybe He already has in all the journals I keep, but I trust His timing.

The internet is not real relationship. For those who read my words here, thank you. But you and I both know, if I were to never post another word again and share on Facebook or Instagram, most people wouldn't care. My relationships are in my home and within the six feet of influence the Lord orchestrates around me every day. I want to choose to engage there, not here. I encourage each of you to do the same.

But posting the Christmas letter is a tradition, so enjoy, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours.

Dear Family & Friends,                                                                                                      December 2024

When I sit to think back over this past year, the word that comes to mind for our family is growth. With two teenagers in the house, our life is a constant rollercoaster in all the good and hard ways. I’ve learned to rely on Christ as my seatbelt and to take the days moment by moment. It is a good, hard season, priceless and pressing, proving my Jesus faithful and true, over and over again and again.

Savannah turned 17 in October, currently tackling junior year with maturity and grit. I’ve watched her navigate volleyball, friendships, her job at Chick-fil-A, and the increasing demands of school with grace, determination, balance, and an indominable spirit. She shines even when the clouds loom. Thank you to those who supported her on her Guatemala mission trip. That experience touched her heart, and she looks forward to returning in May. I’ve watched her mature in her relationship with the Lord, digging into His Word, partnering with friends to grow deeper together. Her growth in the Lord is what has anchored her through tough decisions and hard conversations. He is the source of her joy, and I am so proud of her.

Weston turned 15 in August, adding another driver-to-be to our household. I’ve watched him navigate soccer, friendships, and relationships this last year where he has been learning invaluable lessons. He has grown in his ability to communicate with coaches, teachers, friends, and even his parents. He has weathered disappointment and success with a steadiness found only in scripture. As a freshman, he continues to excel in his high-level courses, motivated by his career aspirations. I’ve watched him purposefully seek to hear from the Lord and respond in obedience. The Lord is his anchor and firm foundation, and I am so proud of him.

Joey is my rock star. He rides this rollercoaster of teenage parenting right beside me, and we scream and raise our hands and grip tight through the turns together, holding onto to one another with the Jesus seatbelt holding us both securely in place. He has grown in his ability to communicate and lead our family toward Jesus. His voice in our kids’ lives during this season is invaluable, and he accepts and steps up to the challenges. There’s really no one better at having hard conversations. I depend on his authority and wisdom and trust in his leadership. At work, new challenges have presented themselves, yet he endeavors to always grow and learn from them.  He doesn’t give up or lose heart but looks to the Lord to lead his conversations and objectives, loving, leading, and serving those around him as best he can. We have both grown together in our marriage this past year, engaging in some intensive and difficult counseling, learning how to change and meet each other where we are after twenty-three years of marriage. I wouldn’t want to ride this rollercoaster with anyone else.

Me? Well, in 2023 the Lord told me to “cast a wide net” where my interests were concerned, and this landed me volunteer opportunities at the Georgia Aquarium on top of continuing in leadership with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). But the biggest fish caught in that net was my part-time job with Amber Grace Community. Five years of praying for “what’s next”, of praying for a job I can do on my own schedule still allowing me to be present when my kids get home from school, of praying that job could pay me what I’m worth, and the Lord answered in only the way He could by providing abundantly above and beyond all I could ask or imagine. I just had to wait on Him, His timing, and His provision.

Amber Grace is a non-profit organization currently building a residential community for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities on Berry College campus in Rome, GA, and I get the honor and privilege of being their administrative assistant. Working for my aunt and uncle building a community for my cousin is the cherry on top😊I am humbled by the opportunity, in awe of God’s perfect timing and provision, and excited about what the future holds for this organization. Onward and upward, as we like to say.

Looking back, I can see how the Lord has grown me in my ability to be still, to seek space where I meet Him, abiding and relying on Him for my daily strength. He has grown me in my relationship with my children and my husband, but mostly with Him. Opening my home to lead Bible study over the summer once again, I experienced the firsthand presence of the Holy Spirit and how He moves to speak and teach and reveal truth in the gentlest, most affirming, convicting ways. He is not a God waiting to slam the judge’s gavel or poke around in my life like an inspector looking for areas of improvement. His Spirit is Life and Breath and Light. The more moments of my day I’ve taken over this past year to engage with Him in personal conversation, contemplation, and just enjoyment of His presence, the more peace, clarity, direction, and fulfillment I have experienced.

Friends, have you made space in your life for Jesus yet this season? This year? Do you have fifteen minutes at the beginning of your day where you can sacrifice some sleep to meet Him for tea or coffee? When your emotions swell and threaten to overwhelm, do you recognize them as phone calls from Jesus? He wants to talk to you right then and right there about whatever you’re feeling. Can you say no to scrolling, so you can say yes to staring out a window and listening for and inviting Him to speak to you? Could you take a walk together instead of watching a show? My favorite is to turn the radio off in my car, envision Jesus is along for the ride (because He is), and just talk to Him, out loud like I would a friend. Where can you make space for what, I promise, is THE most important relationship in your life?

He stands at the door and knocks like a gentleman. He combs the hillside looking for the one lost lamb. He sets a table for us in the presence of our enemies. We hear Him in the still, small voice spaces of life not the fire and wind chaos. He calls to us in our wildernesses and meets us in the fiery furnaces. He shows up in the quiet of Christmas night born as a baby in a manger. He pursues us, longs for us, comes TO us because He loves us. For no other reason than a love we cannot fathom but long to experience.

Christmas is a time to look back and remember and rejoice in our Savior who came in the quiet, in the still, in the mundane, every day, ordinary space of a simple night long ago. He came to live among us, be with us, usher in a new kingdom, live a sinless life all so He could die for our redemption, so we could have a way back to the Father who created us to enjoy His fellowship. Who created us with a God-shaped hole only He can fill, and Jesus paved the way for that fulfillment with His own innocent blood.

New Year is a time to look forward in anticipation with new hope, new goals, new resolve. As I continue to study Revelation in BSF, I am reminded to look forward to Christ’s return as well—with new hope, new goals, and new resolve. The Lamb born in the manger will return as the King of Kings with a fanfare and entrance this world has never known nor can imagine. Find Him in the quiet, friends, because the next time we see Him, you will want to be considered one of His own.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Luke 2:14

Grateful we are children of the Most High. Praying God’s peace over you and yours this Christmas season. Praying you find ways to make space, to make room in the inn of your heart and life for the Soon and Coming King.

Blessings from our family to yours,

Joey, Jennifer, Savannah, & Weston Durham

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 2021

Well, it's not May when I'm posting this this year :) If you missed our Christmas card this year, enjoy our family update. The new year is upon us, and I'm hopeful for all it might hold.

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Dear Family & Friends,                                                                                                      December 2021

God has gone before us. This past year, He has leveled mountains and made smooth the difficult path before us. We give Him all the glory for any good in our lives. It all came directly from His hand!

In January we closed on our home in Georgia only God could have provided—below appraisal, in downtown Marietta, inside the school district He laid on our hearts and minds many years ago. Our home is lovely, well-built, just the right size, and nestled among the Georgia hardwoods with a pool as a bonus. The neighborhood reminds me of my childhood home in East Cobb County, which is oddly comforting.

In February, prayers were answered again when Joey received an unexpected promotion within his role at Chick-fil-A. Because they wanted me on the phone with him when they made the announcement, I got the phone call first and wept for joy. It was one more confirmation, one more silent prayer answered, reassuring us our trajectory toward Georgia was the right path.

In March, amid school choices and what felt like life-altering decisions on behalf of our children, Joey and I fasted, prayed, and sought the Lord’s will. He answered with a heavy, steadying peace and unity of mind that our children were to attend Marietta City public schools fall of 2021. If you know the story of the small classical Christian school God had gifted as our school home in California, you understand the step of faith we took as a family to choose this more emotionally difficult path for our children.

April through July we soaked up every drop of sunshine and laughter with our California framily. I treasured every moment, and we stayed as long as we could. July 31^st, 2021, our family of four started our next chapter in life together in Georgia two days before school began.

And it’s been a whirlwind ever since.

Weston entered the magnet STEM program at Marietta Sixth Grade Academy. He joined the SSA Elite Soccer Club and chose to begin playing the bassoon in the school band. His wit, dry humor, commitment to hard work, and humility endear him to our family and his teammates. He has been unwaveringly brave in the face of sometimes hourly change—and he hates change. I’ve watched him seek refuge in the truth and promises of God’s Word, and because of his perseverance, Weston shines with an inner strength that only comes from Jesus. We are so proud of him.

Savannah entered the eighth grade at Marietta Middle School. She started playing cello with the school orchestra and fell in love with her new sport of choice: volleyball. It has been so much fun to watch her love volleyball and work hard to achieve. As she does in all things, she quickly leaned into her social giftedness. She is the epitome of cheer, spirit, encouragement, and energy on the court and (if I’m to believe what I hear through the grapevine from her teachers) in the classroom as well. She has faced and overcome the most change of us all, but her indominable spirit shines through because of the time she spends with the Lord in His Word and journaling her heart to Him. Jesus makes her shine bright. We are so proud of her.

Much like the Lord, Joey went before this family every step of the way. He prepared our home physically, and he has been fully present to meet each of us emotionally and lead spiritually through this transition. All the while, he has been learning the ins and outs of his new role at Chick-fil-A. The Lord leads Joey, and Joey leads us well. I am deeply grateful for his commitment to Jesus first.

Me? Well, I suppose I’m the oil in the engine. I write the Christmas letter (LOL). I keep things running smoothly behind the scenes. I anticipate both physical and emotional needs. Then I dive into the deep waters of all the hurts and joys surfacing in our home through this transition, helping process all while processing myself. I grieve our California life, but I wait and watch expectantly for what God is doing in our family and with our family. I don’t want to miss how He’s working and going to work! On any given day, at any given moment, I am both content and discontent, grateful and resigned, hopeful and discouraged, joyful and sad.

Yet, in all those emotions, I know beyond any doubt God went before us to get us here. He continues to go before us. Each step may be new to us, but not new to Him. I find great courage and comfort in that truth. And He will continue to go before us. Like the star which led the wisemen to Jesus over 2,000 years ago, God lights the way still to our hope, salvation, and joy—all found in Jesus Christ.

The Lord is the One who went before us; He has continued to stay with us. He has not failed or forsaken us (Deuteronomy 31:8a). He went before us and made the difficult things bearable (Isaiah 45:2a). We did not leave in haste, and we did not leave in need (Isaiah 52:12a). No, the Lord led, we followed, and He has kept His Word.

May our testimony of the faithfulness of God encourage you to hold fast and stay the course He has set before you. May you find peace and comfort in a relationship with a God who never asks you to go somewhere He has not already been, nor does He not already fill with His presence. Trust Him. He left the glory of heaven to enter His own creation to save us from the sin we brought upon ourselves. Who does that?!?!? A God who loves you unconditionally, no matter what, and will do whatever it takes to keep you close to Him, for your good, always for your good.

This year the song Defender by Francesca Battistelli has replayed over and over in my mind, so I leave you with her lyrics as they echo our testimony this year. May you be blessed and encouraged this coming new year in your own battles, seasons of change, waiting rooms of stillness, and need for a defender in your own life.

You go before I know / That You've even gone to win my war / Your love becomes my greatest defense / It leads me from the dry wilderness

And all I did was praise / All I did was worship / All I did was bow down; oh / All I did was stay still

Hallelujah, You have saved me / So much better Your way / Hallelujah, great Defender / So much better Your way

 

Truly, so much better is His way. Amen and Merry Christmas from our family to yours,

Joey, Jennifer, Savannah, & Weston Durham

Christmas Letter 2020....In May (I Know)

I didn’t post my Christmas letter this year because I got some negative feedback.

Oh, I got plenty of positive. But it was the one negative voice that drowned the rest out, that made me second guess my motives and message, that lit the fire of insecurity. One voice. And in retrospect, it was probably one hurting voice dealing with their own things.

And I’ve floundered with that one voice, battling the insecurity it caused. If my words discourage someone, should they even be said? But what I’m learning is—like everything else in this world—what is encouraging to one is discouraging to another, and as a writer, this is a difficult gray area to navigate.

As a writer, I want you to know my heart means well, means good, means light, means to inspire courage, not diminish it. Yet, unless you know me personally as a person, my words will inevitably always fall on someone the wrong way. So I must be content with the motives of my own heart, that they are laid bare before the Lord and approved between Him and me before I publish. It’s really only His feedback that matters after all.

I’m not saying every word I write  is the Gospel or God’s own truth—that would be heresy. I am saying that as far as I know, my relationship with the Lord was in the right mind space and heart space when I made those words public. Part of me wants to apologize to everyone who has been unknowingly hurt by my words, yet part of me also just wants to own them—for better or worse—and be humble enough to eat crow and back-peddle if that is what is right and glorifying to my relationship with Jesus.

So, here’s a belated Christmas letter. Maybe now that’s it’s finally published, I can move past the insecurities, and write some more. We will see. Time will tell. Merry Christmas in almost May J

 

Dear Family & Friends,                                                                                                                                               December 2020

2020. Just wow. It’s been one for the history books. For us it started with high hopes and happy times snowmobiling through Yellowstone the first week of January. Cue the downhill slide. Not sure about your family, but disappointments this year started piling fast, a long and heavy list.

Come July, after more canceled travels than I care to list, children begging to attend school in person, and the fabric of “normal” being completely redefined, God gave me the word resilience. Defined as toughness, a capacity to recover quickly or elasticity, the ability to spring back, resilience is a character quality muscle built and strengthened only under the weight of trying circumstances. Measured by our ability to pivot both physically and emotionally, resilience determines one’s ability to hold fast and stay the course. No matter what.

Weston has shown resilience in his studies, never losing a step when online education began in March. He didn’t complain or whine when his spring flag football season got canceled, readily agreeing to try track when the opportunity arose. His first day of track club, ever in his life, he ran five miles in the hills and canyons around our home, increasing his mileage and difficulty weekly. Though physically exhausted, he mentally pivoted, facing the challenge three times a week without complaining. When the opportunity arose to try out for a club soccer team, he was ready. Soccer looks different when you’re not allowed to play the game, but he’s set his mind to improve his skills and prove himself a valuable member of the team regardless. He doesn’t like to pivot, but he’s learned to execute like a pro anyway. (Even adding surfing to is repertoire this year!) Deeply grateful for his Jesus-loving heart motivating it all.

Savannah has shown resilience by flourishing during online education despite her intense need for a social life. When swimming resumed, though weirdly orchestrated, she didn’t complain, she buckled down and improved her speed despite the loss of swim meets. When faced with a challenging year of studies as a logic school student, she has pivoted to balance her schoolwork with sports, babysitting, youth group and her love of surfing. Her commitment to practice and improve her piano playing, despite months of Facetime lessons in the spring, fills our home with beauty, light, and joy. Even in a pandemic, the social drama of the tweenage years followed her. I’ve watched her navigate difficult social situations with maturity and care, making wise choices with her technology and accepting hard outcomes with grace. She’s never given up meeting with her small group and prioritizing the time to grow in Christ. So proud of the choices she’s made this year.

Joey has shown resilience this year by staying the course with his work, committing to making the best of his at-home work environment and schedule. An extrovert by nature, he deeply misses traveling and the daily conversations at the office, but mostly the face-to-face relationship building which takes place during those opportunities. Early in the year, we both hit a hard patch in our marriage, but his determination to stay the course and seek counsel led us down a path of maturity and into a level of intimacy we could only pray to reach in a lifetime of marriage. Devotions with Dad continued throughout quarantine, just sometimes in the back of his truck instead of inside a Chick-fil-A. In work, love, and parenting, he has led with a steady foot forward, resolved to not give ground to complacency, apathy, or the bitterness of disappointments. Master of pivoting, most resilient of us all, Joey’s constant presence in our home encourages and uplifts, spurring us to keep moving forward.

Chick-fil-A, Inc. remains a constant source of blessing to our family despite the ever-shifting temperature of our culture—a true testimony to the resilience a company can show when their Foundation is firm.

When traveling became inaccessible, our family shifted again, finding campsites and excursions even in shutdown. One photo on our Christmas card looks like what we hoped for 2020, the other represents reality: shaggy hair, salt and pepper beard, top bun hair, and camping clothes. Those smiles are real despite the dirt, dust, and damaged trailer incurred on that trip.

As for me, resilience developed in the early morning routine of my quiet time at my kitchen table. With nowhere to go and no schedule to keep, I had no excuses for not meeting every day with my Jesus. The kids logged on for school, and I sat down with my Bible. The Lord was faithful to take me to school and deepen my understanding of who He is and who He created me to be. I had signed up to complete 5 triathlons this year, taking the first year of my forties to task. Instead, God has seen fit to put my heart and mind through triathlon training.

You see, our family will make the move back to Georgia in summer of 2021, leaving behind not just a treasure of a home and environment in California, but more heartbreakingly, the friends we’ve grown to consider as family. Our framily. They’ve been our family for what will be seven years in July. Seven golden, crucial family rearing years. We’ve cried in the trenches together raising our children and adventured to the heights together with our families. To leave California feels like losing a piece of my soul, a piece I had been trying to find my entire life. Dramatic? Maybe.

Our next home? Unknown. Timeline? Unknown. Joey’s next steps at work? Unknown. Schooling path for my kids? Unknown. But God knows. Abram’s story of faith moved us to California, and Abraham’s story of faith in sacrificing Isaac will move us back. When God says go, you go. When God says sacrifice, you sacrifice. Nothing in this world makes any sense right now. All logic and reasoning have flown out the window of our culture and relationships it seems at times. But God. Jesus has remained steady and faithful and true. His promises have not wavered or changed course. His Word remains resilient to the tides of a pandemic, government, and culture. Do you know His promises to you?

Of all the things you have studied and read and researched this year, were His promises at the top of your list? If not, why not? What do you have to lose?

Honestly, the soul-training for me has been intense, and it’s not over. I am weary of being hurt and disappointed in people and life. Disappointments either dishearten and deaden you to the joys of life or they increase your resilience and ability to find joy elsewhere—you get to choose the lesson you learn. I choose Jesus. With teeth grit and a fire in my soul, I choose Jesus, if only out of stubborn defiance.

I have known the depth of the dark night of the soul, and I have seen the sun break forth on the horizon. If resilience is the capacity to recover quickly, to spring back, then I choose to strengthen that muscle by following my Jesus in His example.

God the Father said He had a plan to save humanity, but Jesus had to become one of us to make it work. How we must have disappointed Him while He walked this earth! For sure His resilience was tested and tried. He stayed the course. He loved God, loved others, suffered, died and rose again, so we could have hope for tomorrow. In living our lives by His example, we too can experience hope. So, our family will continue to love God, love others, suffer, die to ourselves, and rise again in Christ to hope another day. To fully live.

In Deuteronomy 31:8, God Himself promised the Israelites, the world, and our family, “He, the LORD Himself, goes before you and will be with you.” God has already been where we are about to step. Jesus came to earth to be Immanuel, God with us. God is with us. God has already been where you are about to go, where our world is about to go. I am foolish to turn in any direction but where He leads, to think I understand or can orchestrate anything other than what He designs.

May this Christmas fill you with the wonder of who God is. May His imminence gift comfort, and His transcendence gift hope. He is everything you’ve been looking for this year….and more.

Rejoicing God is going before us, with love to you and yours,

 Joey,                                 Jennifer,                           Savannah &                                   Weston Durham

“Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, To shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:78-79

Christmas Letter 2019

Dear Family & Friends,                                                                                                                                               

This has been the year of intention. Intention is defined as the determination to act in a certain way. In looking up the definition, I found that intention is also defined as the process or manner of healing of wounds. We have all experienced wounds and carry wounds in our daily lives. I’ve written about many of these in my own life over the years, but this year was full of intention—I just didn’t know until I sat down to write this letter that intention had anything to do with healing. This revelation puts 2019 in a whole new perspective.

We always try to make our travels intentional to explore and experience more of God in creation or to use the time away to invest in relationships with one another and others. This year included snowmobiling in Yellowstone, a mission trip to Mexico for me, Easter and Thanksgiving in GA, a summer vacay to Maui, Hume Lake summer camp for Savannah and me, a trip to Washington D.C. for Joey and Weston, and plenty of weekend camping with our framily. We realize the blessing of these memories, and I try so hard to tuck them away and treasure each one.

Weston turned 10 in August. He’s all boy. A growing, bright, active and sensitive boy. Through some early struggles in the year physically and emotionally, I’ve watched him choose to intentionally trust God more. We pray with purpose, and he is quick to recognize his need for prayer and ask for it. When we talk about the Lord, there’s a maturity to Weston’s understanding of God’s presence now that has built in him a strength he didn’t have before. He’s set his mind to learn and understand and put into practice what he learns. His diligent intentions can be seen in his grades, his conversations, his questions, on the soccer field and how he treats others.

Savannah turned 12 in October, but we have been in full preteen mode for quite some time. Our church promotes kids the beginning of June, so that’s when she officially entered the world of sixth grade and middle school. Natural consequences have become an all too common discussion in our home, yet I’ve watched her learn and grow with grace. We’ve always called her the baby whisperer, but it’s such a joy to watch the Lord use her talents with the children at church. She’s been intentional about not only volunteering at church but making sure she’s present and involved with activities in the middle school. She made the choice to switch sports this year as she started swim team in August. She seems to love this sport, and I’m encouraged by her positive attitude and willingness to take instruction and apply what she’s learned. The same is true for school. It’s been her own spiritual growth where she’s taken initiative that is the most endearing. She journals, does devotions, and even has a prayer wall set up in her room. These are not things we’ve required her to do, but how we’ve watched the Lord move with intention in her own heart. What a joy and blessing and answer to prayer.

Joey began the year with the goal of being intentional with our children by implementing Friday morning breakfast devotions with Dad. It’s just him and the kids every Friday morning discussing God’s Word over Chick-fil-A breakfast together. It’s nothing fancy, but it has become something they request, and while the chicken is a definite motivator, I think they really crave the time with their dad, and I’m so grateful Joey’s leading them toward their Heavenly Father at the same time. Joey has continued to be intentional with our marriage as he’s implemented “connect time” into our daily routine this year. This is just a time for the two of us to sit down across from each other with no distractions and talk, making sure we’re on the same page as we move forward emotionally, spiritually, and mentally in our daily lives. This practice is priceless for our marriage. As for work, I’m not sure I’ve met a more intentional teammate. He seeks to serve with excellence, and I believe the Lord continues to bless each of Joey’s intentions where work is concerned.

I began this year like every other year, but with the encouragement and wisdom of a dear friend, I set my mind to complete my first International distance triathlon. I could write a whole book on this intention, but it’s always been a personal goal to complete one before I turned forty, so I trained, and I sacrificed, and I completed the race. A half mile swim, 25 miles of biking, and 10K of running later I had crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 29 seconds, beating my personal goal of finishing in under 2hr30min. (Ha!) It was a purpose-filled journey. When you intentionally choose to do something difficult, the how and when of God’s presence lights up like a neon sign.

After Joey and I completed his first sprint triathlon together the end of September, God’s plans for me shifted drastically. It became abundantly clear to me through His Word that I was to be intentional with my time and how I chose to spend it and who I chose to spend it with. Mostly, the Lord’s been calling me to Himself. My days are not as full as years past because I felt the Lord call me out of several ministries. My days have slowed as every hour I find myself stopping to seek the Lord’s direction on how He would have me use my time. I’ve always felt the call to write but disciplining myself to use my time to write is another act of obedience altogether.

Yet the healing that has taken place in my heart and mind and soul over this past year (ongoing healing from depression, anxiety, and the wounds of grief from the past decade) is undeniable and must be completely accredited to my Jesus and His patience with me, His faithfulness to never leave me, never forsake me, and never give up on me. Mentally, I am healthier than I’ve been for almost six years. Physically, well, can’t we all do better? (Ha!) But the difference now is I know what to do and how to do it to keep myself from derailing. Spiritually, God has opened my eyes to the practice of intentional thanksgiving, and it’s currently blowing up my perspective on how to approach this one life we are gifted. (Maybe I’ll have more to write on this next year, I’m still in the beginning stages of what this looks like😉) But the facts of this year speak for themselves—I did not intend to heal, but turns out when I set my mind to discover what physical, mental and spiritual wellness looks like for me, healing was an unintended, yet welcome side effect. Ironically—as I mentioned above—by definition, intending is also actually a process of healing. Who knew? God did. A process that continues, and I’m pretty sure won’t end this side of heaven.

For six years my heart has wanted to heal, but it didn’t know how. Had I intended to heal myself, I would have failed miserably. My intention for six years has only been to discover what healthy looks like for me in all aspects of life. It has been hard, rewarding, life-changing work. My Jesus has met me right where I am every step of the way. Joey has come along side me, leaning in to what it looks like to emotionally support. Our family of four works hard to practice healthy, open and honest communication with one another. And for the first time in my life, I feel like the Lord has blessed me with friends who I know will take me back to Jesus every time I’m too weak to take myself. Throw in a healthy dose of beach life and ocean sunsets, and my heart is joy-full because I see God’s presence in all of it. I’m discovering His intentions for me.

What about you? In what way can you determine in your heart and set your mind to act in a way that will move you toward wellness in Christ? Instead of a long list of resolutions for 2020, what’s just one area of your life you can intentionally focus to be healthy? Is this the year for physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, marital, parental or financial wellness?

I read recently that “the secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is (Voskamp, 1000 Gifts).” Which makes sense, since “in (the Lord’s) presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).” I’ve been on an intentional journey, a treasure hunt, in search of joy for some time now, and whether I like it or not, the truth is God keeps bringing me back to a closer relationship with Him in my quest. I search for joy, and He shows me a little more about His heart for me and others and this world. I grasp for joy, and He gives me His hand to hold. I cry and beg for joy in the dark, and He wraps me with his peaceful Presence. I’ve hunted for joy, intentionally, relentlessly for six years, and I keep finding my Jesus in new ways, and today, writing this letter, it makes my heart sing. What is it you think you so desperately need that you’re willing to set yourself to the quest of finding it?

I pray that this next year is the beginning of new quests for each of us. Whether your quest be for love, peace, acceptance, purpose, hope or all of the above, my guess is when you start exploring all the options—looking under all the rocks, going to great lengths, highest highs and lowest lows to find what you’ve set out to find—my guess is you’re going to find Jesus. I hope you do. Knowing Him more and knowing He fully knows me is my greatest treasure this year.

He is the best gift I can share with everyone in my life. 2 Corinthians 9:15: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Wishing you the merriest of Christmases from our home to yours,

Joey, Jennifer, Savannah & Weston Durham

Photography Credits to Katie Morrow Photography.