Zechariah 13:9

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. Zechariah 13:9

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Merry Christmas 2015




With each passing year, we understand more than ever that what really matters are relationships.  The connectivity and trust we have with the people intertwined in our lives and with our Father and Savior is of utmost importance and worthy of pursuit.  It’s difficult to be close to someone, though, if we don’t know them deeper than what is on the surface.  Most of us go through life fearful of letting people know who we truly are and what we really think and feel on the inside. So, we train ourselves to say things or behave in a way we think others expect of us rather than be ourselves for fear they will not like us. That is unfortunate and diminishes our chances of meaningful relationships. We decided this year, rather than just tell you what we have done, we would allow you to see a tiny bit J deeper under the surface and discover that if you really knew who we were, you would know this about us………….

Dave – fears bats and socialists ~ has a goal of being a wellness coach ~ read “Bonheoffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy” by Eric Metaxas and found the book to be life changing ~ loves the quote: “Become what evil fears” ~ had an original thought – “uh…… umm…… yeah…” ~ thoroughly enjoys good conversation in which he learns something and getting up at 4:30 to listen to lectures on YouTube ~ regrets not appreciating each moment to its fullest ~ wonders how it is possible for a placebo to work? ~ frustrated because he can’t find the answer to why he has neuropathy in feet ~ completed a 2 day handgun class

Brenda – fears elevators and driving alone ~ loves learning new things and having meaningful conversations ~ regrets not being a more routine/consistent person ~ loved the book, “Speaking of Jesus” by Carl Medearis ~ has an interest in becoming a Notary Public ~ wants to improve thinking before speaking ~ is questioning her love for her wringer washer ~ wishes there was more time to spend as “grammy” ~ realizes it is easy to make Jesus who we want Him to be instead of whom He really is

Ben – fears the drive thru at the bank J, rats and mice ~ enjoys being informed, and foreign languages ~ regrets not being more frank with people ~ turns 27 on the 1st ~ wants to be a millionaire by age 30 ~  read “What Every Body is Saying” by Joe Navarro ~ completed a first action medical class

Kelsey – she would have a very interesting and fun newsletter if I can convince her to write one

Solomon – married a pretty little lady on Dec. 12th – too in love to add to newsletter

George – enjoyed the book, “Fearless….” By Eric Blehm ~ met Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, Author, Military Psychologist ~ likes the quote, “When you say to yourself “someone should do something about that” that someone is you” by Garry Marr 

Uriah – fears heights ~ loves hanging out with friends and being social ~ desires to raise meat chickens again  ~ finds school frustrating ~ thinks this newsletter is not so cool

Oliver – fears needles ~ loves swimming and being with friends ~ finds Uriah frustrating ~ loves the quote, “It is not shameful to have fear, but it is shameful to let fear control you” ~ thinks his life is pretty boring

Family highlights this year was adding a bathroom downstairs, going to cabin in August, redoing bathroom upstairs and finished out the living room.   Wow Wee!  J  Wifey had this idea that they were simple projects.  “Simple” projects prove to always, ALWAYS take 3 times longer than anticipated.  But, now that they are complete, they were well worth all the weekend and evening hours of labor.

God created each of us so unique, so intricately - just like He planned us to be. May we strive to see and except ourselves and each other, in all our messiness, imperfections, interests and fears, as Jesus sees us.  Be yourself, everyone else is taken.


Have a very merry Christmas - 2015!   Dave and his cronies                    

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