We Find Grace Again in 20 and 10

Our beautiful first granddaughter continues to bring great joy to our hearts and lives; in fact we had her and her parents and her sweet aunts all here in PA for Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed their visit. We are so grateful for how the Lord continues to lead and guide each one down that growth path in Christ.

Here are some early January 2010 highlights, for which to join us in thanking God:

Sharon Leigh begins her trek back to college life here at our excellent community college taking classes that will hopefully lead her down a career path in nutrution; we thank God for her patience in waiting to get here and get established. She is out ice skating w/a friend in our wintry wonderland as we write this. Sharon requests prayer that she would test well in her class

Hannah began her new position as a youth intern at Lakeside Church, an EPC congregation in the greater Jackson area. She found out in December about this happy provision and is very excited and prayerful about connecting w/middle and high school girls in discipling relationships. Would you pray that Hannah would love these young ladies well?
Sarah Beth completed her fourth 26.2 mile run this morning in the 30 degree Orlando weather, competing in the Disney Marathon there---we are amazed and excited for her, but prayerful as well as she thinks she sustained a stress fracture that needs healing. Sarah came home to her apartment and God's latest provision in her life is our good friend, the lovely Jessica Solid from Palm Bay, who is moving in to be Sarah's roommate and one of UCF's best college transfer students. So Sarah and Jessica will have each other to lean on as they both continue their studies. Sarah is set to graduate in May 2010 w/her masters in nursing as a pediatric nurse practitioner, specializing in pediatric oncology. She is asking God to provide a one year fellowship opportunity out in TX upon graduation, where she would get further training in the field of oncology.

Andrew and Meredith and baby Lylah continue to thrive in Brookhaven, MS about an hr south of Hannah. They are well loved and supported in their youth role there and are excited about God's provsion of a new senior pastor coming to join them in March. As so often happens on this side of glory though, some sadness accompanies Pastor Russ & Amanda's arrival, as they recently delivered their second baby, who slipped away and on into Heaven only a few days after her birth. We mourn the loss of little Viviana and pray for God's peace to attend her family at this time of tremendous transition in their lives.
Dan and Beth requested your prayers for God's help as we met with leaders at North Park Church this past weekend. God did some wonderful things in our time together, giving us precious unity in Him and speaking to us about His desire for mentoring and discipling w/in a major emphasis on small groups, while also reaching beyond our walls into our community for the sake of His gospel in many lives. Thank you for those prayers and for your constant support of His work thru clay pots like us. One of our next personal ministry concerns is that both of us will be travelling to an Ultimate Leadership Week (in CA) March 17-21 and gleaning from the leadership training insights of Henry Cloud and John Townsend. Would you pray for us as we prepare for this intense week, that God would empty us of self and plant within us fertile seeds of growth that would allow us to further take up the mantel of servant leadership in the precious
body of Christ at North Park Church and beyond. Thank you!