Congratulations to John and Chelsy as they celebrate their third wedding anniversary!
Now, just three years down the road, John and Chelsy are parents to two adorable boys full of spunk, personality, and joy: Axton and Elliot.
We love you!
Happy Third Anniversary!
“Thou art my hiding place and my shield:
I hope in thy word” (Psalm 119:114).
Christmas Eve was a very, very special day as we all gathered together, including Christopher and Anna Marie’s crew. That was a gift in and of itself!
Before I share (many) pictures from that time, we have something else first. In our traveling days, we often shared at the weekend conferences through music. Joseph arranged and sang lead on Holy, Holy, Holy which became one of my dad’s favorites. Anna, Jesse, and Mary also were part of the song.
Joseph and Elissa had the idea to record the hymn and give it as a gift to Dad and Mom. So, a few weeks ago, they arranged a time where Joseph, Anna, Jesse, and Mary were all available to record and lay down the tracks. Prior to that, they practiced separately. The secret was kept perfectly, and Dad had no idea. Christmas Eve morning arrived, and the song had been mastered and ready for the reveal. Anna and Joseph paired a bluetooth speaker with Anna’s phone, and the speaker sat inside a gift bag, ready to be opened. After some of the grandkids opened gifts, Joseph and Jesse suggested Dad and Mom take a turn. As Dad pulled the speaker out, the song began playing (Anna sat across the living room, with her phone open, and it all worked perfectly..) Soon, the room quieted into a hush as we listened, and some tears were shed.
So, here it is. Enjoy and be blessed! (If it doesn’t play for you below, you can go directly to this link.)
Love,
Sarah
“… Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come (Revelation 4:8).”
Merry Christmas!
We hope you have a blessed day celebrating God’s amazing gift to us, sending His Son Jesus to earth. Jesus, the Sinless One, died on the cross for our sins and paid a debt we could never pay ourselves. He then rose from the dead on the third day, conquering death!
Merry Christmas with love,
Steve, Teri, Sarah, Anna, and Mary
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Merry Christmas the night-before Christmas Eve! Here’s a sweet update from Anna Marie including a video. Love, Sarah
Dear Friends,
What a year this has been! I think back to last Christmas and all the unknowns we were facing. As you know, things developed rather rapidly shortly after that Christmas. We have definitely faced some “deep waters” around the labor induction, surgery, chemo – primarily from the standpoint of facing very difficult decisions at times when we didn’t feel like we had all of the information we would have liked to make that decision.
Through it all you have faithfully encouraged and prayed for us each step of the way. Thank you! I can’t even describe to you how we have felt held up by God along this journey.
I believe God has used these circumstances to teach me more about my need for utter dependence on Him. But, oh! I still have so much more to learn, and still struggle with day-to-day opportunities to do so. But God is faithful and I’m thankful that He promises to never leave or forsake, that He will continue the work He began until the day of Christ!
Life is continuing here in the weekly treatment routine (HER2 blocker & supportive therapies). I’ve definitely felt more energy over the last few weeks and have loved all the Christmas activities we’ve been able to do as a family.
One Christmas activity we love is going to the doors of local friends to wish them a Merry Christmas, sharing a few verses, a Christmas song, and a plate of shortbread cookies. While we would love to also stop by your house, we had to settle for another way to greet you. So we recorded a two-minute video that you can see by viewing it below or clicking this link.
Singing Christmas songs is one of my favorite parts of this season, and I enjoy learning some of the less common ones in addition to the traditional, familiar carols. Here are a few verses of a 1600’s German hymn by Paul Gerhardt that friends taught me years ago. I love the picture of absolute dependence upon and rest in Christ, and the awe it captures in speaking of the Creator humbling Himself to take on the form of the created.
O Jesus Christ,
Thy manger is
My paradise at which my soul reclineth.
For there, O Lord,
Doth lie the Word
Made flesh for us; herein Thy grace forth shineth.
He whom the sea
And wind obey
Doth come to serve the sinner in great meekness.
Thou, God’s own Son,
With us art one,
Dost join us and our children in our weakness.
Thy light and grace
Our guilt efface,
Thy heav’nly riches all our loss retrieving.
Immanuel,
Thy birth doth quell
The pow’r of hell and Satan’s bold deceiving.
Thou Christian heart,
Whoe’er thou art,
Be of good cheer and let no sorrow move thee!
For God’s own Child,
In mercy mild,
Joins thee to Him; how greatly God must love thee!
The world may hold
Her wealth and gold;
But thou, my heart, keep Christ as thy true treasure.
To Him hold fast
Until at last
A crown be thine and honor in full measure.
May we truly keep Christ as our True Treasure this Christmas season and hold Him fast in the New Year – knowing that He will hold us fast, as well!
Merry Christmas!
Anna Marie
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call
his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21
Happy Monday, everyone, and Merry Christmas! It’s hard to believe Christmas is THIS WEEK!
Life has been a whirlwind here. In the midst of it, there was a need to help a friend on a sewing project to make bags for a ministry + program at our church for kids. Abby and Bethany jumped in and helped on a Sunday afternoon. In addition, Anna Marie and her girls said they could as well. It was a team Maxwell effort! Even when life is busy, it’s wonderful to just take time to pitch in for a project.
What kinds of Christmas projects are you all up to? I’d love to hear!
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people (Luke 2:10)”.
We believe he is the best. He represents the ultimate in good attitude and customer service, and we seek to learn from him. Frankly, we don’t remember seeing him grumpy or heard him complain. He is a bright spot in our day, whenever we get a chance to see him.
He is the first step in the journey to receiving your Titus2.com order. We continue to ship out daily (except Sunday!), and we’ve reduced Priority Mail shipping to only $7.99 for a few days. Although not guaranteed, it is very likely you will receive your order in time by choosing Priority Mail for the next two days.
We think there are going to be so many happy children receiving Moody Family Series books and Hill Top Adventures. This has been an intense season of shipping, and we’re grateful to be able to work with him!
And folks aren’t just ordering kids’ books, we love seeing the combination of product picks: from My Delight to Sweet Journey to Making Great Conversationalists, and other books dads are interested in.
“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance…” (Proverbs 15:13).