My prayer for our children is...
"be their Shepherd and carry them forever."
Ps 28:9
(Thank you to Bonnie McGhee for her amazing photography skills!)
2015… Wasn’t that the year in “Back to the Future” ? Well, I
think driving a flying car fueled by trash would have been easier for me to
imagine than being the father of 6 in 2015. If McFly would have showed up
back in 1989 and told me that, I would have thought, “impossible.”
That’s what Abraham and Sarah thought. That’s what Isaac and
Rebekah thought. That’s also what Samson, John the Baptist, and Jesus’ parents
all thought. Impossible. There’s no way. It can’t happen.
But it did.
I love Christmas because we get to celebrate the impossible.
God incarnate? No way. Virgin birth? It can’t happen. One Man lived and
experienced everything I will so He can sympathize with me, indwell and empower
me, die in my place, and present me faultless on the day I meet God?
Impossible. That’s what I love about it. I also love that He chose to
start out as a baby – helpless…’cause that’s me. I don’t know what I’m doing
(don’t tell my kids) but God is teaching me how to live this “impossible” life!
“For with God nothing
shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37
Family Update J
Reece (12)- is maturing fast & becoming a handsome
young man. He is a natural leader. He (and his younger brother) are finishing 7th grade this month. He is diligent and
trustworthy. He is still obsessed with UT football. God opened the door for him
to play baseball for the local middle school (as a homeschooler). He took a
hard hit to the face this year with a baseball and we praise God that nothing
was severely injured. Those were some of the longest minutes of my life as I
tried to get to him on the field. Reece is really good with the younger
children and actually babysits for other families now. He got to spend a
weekend in Knoxville with his cousin and got homesick for his baby brother and
asked us to send him videos and pictures.
Evan (11)- is hilarious and keeps us all laughing. He
is very witty. He is usually reading. He still believes God is
calling him to be a pastor/teacher. We see that in him. We pray God would
continue to stir in him to use his wit and sharp mind for the Lord. He is
constantly wrestling his older brother. They roll around the house and we all
just step around them. They stop wrestling long enough to eat dinner and then
get back to it. His momma will always call him “Bubba”. He is a gifted
piano player. He is an easy-going, low-maintenance child that is just a
blessing to the family. Hope especially adores him.
Lake (8)- is still singing through life and still full of joy. Those
gifts were placed in him in the womb. He is in 4th grade and works hard in school.
He loves to cook and serve. He makes scrambled eggs for everybody. His favorite
sports are soccer and baseball. He enjoys collecting quarters. His
tiny teeth have been replaced by extra-large ones. His asthma and allergies get
better every year and we praise God for His healing touch on Lake. He still has
to take daily medicines until God completely heals him. We wake up to him
singing and go to bed hearing him laugh. He leaves a joy trail behind him.
Hope (5)- Hope is growing like a weed. She is tall. She wants a sister
and she loves people. God has His hand on her life… He is changing her and
making her more and more beautiful every day. She loves to play with her
brothers. She is doing 1st grade
at home. She is smart. Maybe smarter than us. She plays soccer and loves
gymnastics. She and Steph went on a dream (girl’s) trip to Disney World this
summer. She is an artist. She re-decorates her room and picks out her own
clothes. She is a gift to us all and we praise God for all He is doing in her
life.
Crew (4)- is still our most cautious, tender-hearted child. He stays
close. He loves to play ball. He doesn’t love to be away from his momma. He
lives with his older brothers in the bunk room. He carries his Bible with him.
He is a quick learner. He looks A LOT like Steph’s dad (which is such a fun
reminder). He can quote Ps 139. He thinks it says, “For He created my inmost
bean”. J Baseball season can’t get
here fast enough for him. He is sweet and snuggly and may never leave home.
That’s ok with us.
Rhett (2)- God
answered our prayers and made this little guy STRONG. He is so active and
strong. He wins the award for wildest baby. He is fearless and into everything.
He’s a great sleeper because he needs to recharge. He doesn’t talk much yet but
he loves trucks and airplanes and the moon. His older siblings adore him… even
though he is very high-maintenance ;). But, as the older ones have taught us,
we will blink and he will be as tall as we are. These toddler days are
precious.
Is that it? I feel like I am missing somebody...but that's normal.
Our family is thriving by God’s grace.
A special thanks to each of you for your special and important
part in our lives! Our prayer for each of you is that you're experiencing the
Joy of Christmas this year
through a relationship with Christ.
Blessings!
Tim, Steph, Reece, Evan, Lake, Hope,
Crew, Rhett
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