HOPE this Valentine's Day
Each year, we send out Valentine cards (instead of a yearly Christmas card and letter). Here is a glimpse of this years letter and pictures...Enjoy!
H-Hope, according to the biblical definition, is not used for wishful thinking. It is a firm confidence in the promises of God. We enjoy singing hymns in our household, a favorite is, "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less". Several phrases throughout the hymn proclaim the hope we can easily celebrate day in and day out. “My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness...In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil…When every earthly prop gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay… When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found, Clothed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne! On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.” So what do you hope in?
O-On the Go, Steve’s job at Converge Worldwide keeps him busy! He travels two to three times each month and as difficult as this has been, we are thankful that the Lord has provided a good job for him. One in which continues to provide a way for Jenny to stay home and raise our children as we see most fitting right now. It is also a roll in which we do see the Lord utilizing many of his gifts and talents. As Director of Mobilization, Steve gets to interact with potential Christian missionaries who want to travel the globe telling people about the hope that is found only in Christ Jesus.
P-Parenting, one of the greatest roles we have experienced. Last year at this time we were anticipating the arrival of our second child. On February 27, 2012 in the early morning hours we welcomed our little boy, Isaac Haddon, into the world. This experience was beyond amazing and will forever be etched in our hearts. Our lives became more full. With this new addition, came new challenges. The first three months of his little life were very challenging for Jenny especially; our daughter got all her molars in a one month span and then decided she needed to be potty trained, which only added to the learning curve of parenting. We have learned a lot and taken each new challenge in stride. A few conclusions we have come to, 1. Parenting is constant refinement. 2. Parenting is hard. 3. Parenting is filled with many joys. ~ Who wouldn’t enjoy the sound of a beautiful 2.5 year old blondie calling from her room ready to take on the world at 5:45 am {Ok, we’re still working on enjoying that hour of the day!}…and then not long after her energetic arising is the laughing and baby babble that comes from her brother’s crib across the hall. Our children are a blessing from the Lord and even on the long, tiring days we seek to honor the Lord by shepherding them with much grace. And in the moments we fail miserably, we lean on God’s grace to shine through our imperfections.
E-Ephesians 1:7-8a tells us, “In Him (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses (sins), according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.” And in Ephesians 2:4-9, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
This is our HOPE! We pray you find this hope true in your life as well.
H-Hope, according to the biblical definition, is not used for wishful thinking. It is a firm confidence in the promises of God. We enjoy singing hymns in our household, a favorite is, "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less". Several phrases throughout the hymn proclaim the hope we can easily celebrate day in and day out. “My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness...In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil…When every earthly prop gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay… When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found, Clothed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne! On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.” So what do you hope in?
O-On the Go, Steve’s job at Converge Worldwide keeps him busy! He travels two to three times each month and as difficult as this has been, we are thankful that the Lord has provided a good job for him. One in which continues to provide a way for Jenny to stay home and raise our children as we see most fitting right now. It is also a roll in which we do see the Lord utilizing many of his gifts and talents. As Director of Mobilization, Steve gets to interact with potential Christian missionaries who want to travel the globe telling people about the hope that is found only in Christ Jesus.
P-Parenting, one of the greatest roles we have experienced. Last year at this time we were anticipating the arrival of our second child. On February 27, 2012 in the early morning hours we welcomed our little boy, Isaac Haddon, into the world. This experience was beyond amazing and will forever be etched in our hearts. Our lives became more full. With this new addition, came new challenges. The first three months of his little life were very challenging for Jenny especially; our daughter got all her molars in a one month span and then decided she needed to be potty trained, which only added to the learning curve of parenting. We have learned a lot and taken each new challenge in stride. A few conclusions we have come to, 1. Parenting is constant refinement. 2. Parenting is hard. 3. Parenting is filled with many joys. ~ Who wouldn’t enjoy the sound of a beautiful 2.5 year old blondie calling from her room ready to take on the world at 5:45 am {Ok, we’re still working on enjoying that hour of the day!}…and then not long after her energetic arising is the laughing and baby babble that comes from her brother’s crib across the hall. Our children are a blessing from the Lord and even on the long, tiring days we seek to honor the Lord by shepherding them with much grace. And in the moments we fail miserably, we lean on God’s grace to shine through our imperfections.
E-Ephesians 1:7-8a tells us, “In Him (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses (sins), according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.” And in Ephesians 2:4-9, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
This is our HOPE! We pray you find this hope true in your life as well.
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