January 2008

The temp down here has been in the 40's and 50's in the last week or so. It’s not supposed to be cold in FL, is it? C’mon now! Well, at least it hasn't been as cold here as it was in MN for Christmas!

The short version:
1. Christmas in MN and ND; mountains of good times
2. New Year’s Eve Rockin’ Lock-in; all night – and all right
3. Preaching at UPC; “yikes!”
4. President Hana

And the long…
We left for the frigid tundra we call Minnesota just a few days before Christmas and could see from the air that we were going to have a white Christmas! We had such a great trip! We were able to spend a lot of QT (quality time) with my parents and with my sister Sara and her husband Wade and their two kids, Sophie and Max. Max told me he loved me. I felt like a dork as the tears welled up in my eyes, but when a two year old tells you he loves you; what else are you going to do? We also saw Molly (younger sister/actor in NYC) and got to see parts of a film she just finished. She’s really talented. I’m surprised she isn’t famous yet.

After a few days with my family we drove over to Grand Forks North Dakota to see Hana’s family who had all congregated at her Grandma and Grandpa’s house. We had a blast with them! Hana has three aunts and an uncle; so you can imagine all the kids. We went to see Coco (Hana’s 9 year-old cousin) play hockey, and it was really awesome. It was a lovely 18 degrees while we were there; but you know what? We loved it. We love living in FL, don’t get me wrong – but we miss a few key things: Seasons, leaves changing color and falling, snow, and that awesome feeling of coming in from the cold into a cozy warm home with a fire burning and hot chocolate waiting for you in a coffee mug, with little marshmallows floating on top. Mmmm.

The youth-group kids asked me if we could have a lock-in on New Years Eve, and subsequently we began planning the New Year’s Eve Rockin’ Lock-in. We had so much fun. Jack, my brother-in-law, came up to lead worship and hang out. We played a lot of games, drank a lot of highly caffeinated pop (soda, whatever – give me a break!), ate a lot of pizza, and best of all; we worshiped God, and took some time to reflect on the ways He had blessed us in 2007. A bunch of the 30 kids there thanked God for our church and for the youth group and what they had learned in the last year about themselves and about our holy and merciful God. It was hard to hold back the tears as I listened to these kids talk about their real, true, and deep love for our blessed Trinity. I always tear up when I hear people talk about how much they love and trust God. I can’t help it. It reminds me of what He has done in my heart, and the gratitude is the gravity that pulls the tears down my face.

This coming Sunday (1/27/08) I will be preaching at UPC. I’ve been speaking every Wednesday night at youth group for over a year now, and I gave a sermon at a church camp-out in November, but this will be the first sermon from the pulpit. Am I nervous? Are you kidding? Yeah. But, I know that the Lord will be with me, and I’m really excited to share with our church what the Lord has shown me about the passage I’m preaching on (John 3:1-21. Jesus and Nicodemus). If you think of it, pray for me.

Hana is doing great! For the last year and a half, she’s been involved with “Women in Ministry” at RTS. It’s a ministry for the wives of seminary students and female students. She recently accepted the position of President; so she’ll be running the show for the next year! I’m so proud of her. She’s excited to do it, nervous, but excited. I know she’ll do a great job and the ministry will be surely blessed by her efforts.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.” (2 Thess. 3:16)
God bless,
MjR