Christmas Letter 2023

Merry Christmas!

Pretty sure I’ve been writing one of these since about 1996….I know this because a few weeks ago, I set out on a mission to find them all.  Since Jeff ushered me into the age of computers back in the 90’s after I told him he didn’t need a computer to be a pastor… after all, Charles Spurgeon didn’t have a computer—{I may or may not have actually said that at the ripe age of 24.} — but never mind that— I FOUND COPIES OF ALL OF THEM.  And I have something to say.  Through the years I have voiced my insecurities about sending boring letters or not letting the dinosaur die or being old fashioned but after getting to read a little one page recap of each year for the last 27 years, I’ve never been so thankful to be a dinosaur or for being old fashioned in my life! I’ll give you boring because some of them were.  I was a little embarrassed by some of the content {mainly the infertility journey and some of the 1st church plant details} but thankful now,  as much of it had been forgotten.  Reading over those with Jeff, we were reminded of what a gift life is and what a privilege it is to belong to the Lord and be invited to serve Him.  I find it very difficult to put words around the blessing of saying yes.  Have we gotten it right every time?  Of course not— but He has and He loves us regardless.  

I was also struck by the thought that many of you have been sent every one of these letters and there are a handful of you who have actually read every one and gone even farther than that and prayed for us.  Words fall short there too— my gratitude is deep and my heart is full.  Thank you for so many prayers over the years.  

We are loving having Julia 10 minutes away in Fort Worth. She continues to take a full load of college classes through Arizona State, work at HUB International and is into her 6th year nannying for the same family in our neighborhood.  She continues to surprise us with her wit, her love of TCU football “the year after Max”, her energy to serve in a church plant, her style, her capacity to house and dog sit, her confidence in cooking a mean {and beautiful} turkey and with her company for College Game Day almost every Saturday morning.  Having her local — being able to schedule a coffee date with her— is like a dream come true.  

Brighton is learning that life doesn’t always turn out like you thought it would— and, to that I say,  haven’t we all??  We are proud of his choice to attend Blinn this fall— a junior college in College Station with a plan to transfer into Texas A&M as soon as he can.  We are also proud he has almost completed “pledgeship” into BYX, a Christian fraternity that has meant a great deal to him this semester.  I could say a lot more but I’d rather you hear it from him. If you ask, he will tell you.  In the earlier Christmas letters, I teased about his ability to talk {he was quite verbose} and now, I couldn’t be more grateful that he’s still talking. To talk for an hour on the phone to my 20 year old son— add that to the dream come true list too. 

This fall, Clearfork Community Church officially launched September 17th.  We will forever be grateful for our sending church, Watermark Fort Worth, and their generous gift to help us with the bulk of start up costs.   With the church planting we have done over the years, I realized when I left Watermark, I had been a part of that church longer than anywhere else besides the church I grew up in.  My church family there will always be dear to me.  

Our newest church family is growing.  We are truly having a blast with this group of people.  The ones who signed up to be a part of the core team of Clearfork will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart as I know how hard it is to step out into something new and unknown, leaving the comforts of a wonderful, large and healthy church.  These singles and young couples— and a splattering of “older” people like Jeff and me— are working so hard each and every week to make it all happen for each other and the community around us.  My heart is full to bursting every Sunday when I look around and watch the body of Christ.  It’s truly amazing. 

After re-reading, it all sounds pretty great.  There have been a couple of years I have written letters and had to work really hard at bringing out the best I could from a difficult 365 days.  I’d tell you any of it— but not in a Christmas letter.  I jotted this down on an index card the other day— The gospel is the glue that holds all of my broken pieces together.  I had things I didn’t even know were broken.  Life is hard and Jesus knew it would be.  And that is precisely why He came.  He CAME near to mend our brokenness because He LOVES us.  To the praise of His glorious grace….. Hallelujah.