Christmas 2001
Dear Family & Friends,
In 1987 I wrote my first Christmas letter and included a Scripture verse
for each of our children as a way of expressing
what they had done during the year. It was never my intent to take Scripture
out of
context or to treat it with disrespect,
but rather to delight in the fact that the Word of God describe
s every aspect of our life. Whether in the midst of joy or sorrow or disaster,
His Word would get us
through. Although we have had
our struggles, our family has not experienced tragedy. However, thi
s Christmas our country is in mourning. None of us can write a Christmas
letter without thinking about September 11,
2001. We are not the same people. We are not the same country. Nonetheless,
I know that
my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.
Job 19:25
How can I prattle on and on about
our ordinary life when so many families are grieving for the empty places
in their hearts? How can I talk about dance lessons and school plays when
men and women are working tirelessly at ground zero even as you read this
letter? How can our small life compare to the sacrifices being made by
the families of those who are serving in the military?
“Fear not,
for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name
; you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1
God knows each one of us by name.
He has seen fit to connect our lives with yours. I delight in every letter
that comes into this home at Christmas time (especially the late ones!).
I love hearing the details of your life. Because I want you to share with
us, I will go ahead and let you know what’s going on here. Time is short.
Let us treasure one another.
Not that I
have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect
, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold
of me.
Philippians 3:12
As a young Christian, Lisa is growing
in grace and beauty, both physically and spiritually. She is sweet sixteen,
but is often mistaken for being much older. For some reason, that doesn’t
seem to bother her. Her days and weeks and months have been filled with
dance lessons, theatre practice, youth group activities, fending off hoards
of young suitors, and serving in the color guard for the Texas State Bronze
Medalist 4A Grapevine Mustang Marching Band. Because of this hectic schedule,
she still hasn’t found time to learn to drive. Her patience, and the absence
of any whining, has been a tribute to her young relationship with the Lord
Jesus. He has certainly taken hold of her heart and is preparing her for
something extraordinary. It is a privilege to watch this work in progress.
Even when I
am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the
next generation, your might to all who are to come.
Psalm 71:18
It is a blessing to have both Michael
and Kathy living nearby. It makes it easier to call and innocently ask
, "So, did you go to church this week?” Michael and Johanna remain blissfully
in love even though it’s been over a year since
the wedding. They now have two cats, one house, and they hosted Thanksgiving
dinnner. Kathy and Patrick will be celebrating their fifth anniversary
this coming August. That thought is enough
to turn me old and gray. They are, in my humble opinion, the World’s Best
Parents. Hunter, almost four years old, is
learning rhyming words at pre-school. One day in the car he told his Mommy
that ‘pail’ rhymes with ‘hail.’ Kathy, wondering
if he knew what hail was, asked Hunter for a definition
. He replied, “You know, that thing you go over.” He was thinking of a
‘hill’, but I guess here in Texas we pronounce
that ‘hail.’ That evening his Dad sat him down for a speech lesson.
Then I heard
every creature in heaven and on earth
and under the earth and on the sea
,
and all that is in them, singing:
“To him who sits on the
throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and
glory and power,
for ever and ever!”
Revelation 4:13
In the new year
of 2002, may the joy of the Lord be your strength.
