Merry Christmas to Our Family & Friends

December, 2007

Dear Family & Friends,

Merry Christmas from our house to yours! We hope & pray that God’s presence is active in your homes as you and your family continue to seek Him. As we look back at the year 2007, we are thankful for all of the precious gifts both big and small Our Lord & Savior has bestowed upon us. There are 12 specific gifts that we would like to share with you. These “gifts” are based upon a fabulous movie called, “The Ultimate Gift.” As we take you through these “gifts” we hope you & your family are inspired to look at life and all that it brings as a gift from Our Lord.

THE GIFT OF WORK
Steve is still working at Martelle Mobil. This will be his 5th year! He enjoys it, however, is looking for a change, and new challenge. As of Oct. 10, I have ‘retired’ from Dream Dinners. I wasn’t retired for more then 48 days, when I started to work for Willow’s Retirement Living as the Marketing/Community Relations Director. The positives are: No Ferry, I dress up everyday, and I LOVE WHAT I AM DOING!!!!!!! The boys haven’t started a ‘real’ job yet; they work around the house for us, and help neighbors with odds & ends.

THE GIFT OF MONEY
We are not in the top million of the Forbes list; we do not own flashy jewelry or fancy cars: But Jesus has indeed blessed us with more then enough to supply our needs and to give plenty away.

THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER
With three teenage boys and tons of their friends hanging out at our house, we choose to laugh! Our boys keep us laughing while they are playing basketball, telling jokes & silly sayings. What a JOY that fills our hearts, to hear our Boy’s laughter as it fills the house.

THE GIFT OF GIVING
What JOY it is to see our boys walk in the truth. It is wonderful to see them giving their time to help each other with weightlifting, schoolwork, and chores.

THE GIFT OF FAMILY & FRIENDS
We are so blessed to have so much family and our church family near by. We truly love spending precious time with our dear family and friends. Sharing laughter, fears, tears, & prayers, with all of you near and far brings Joy & lasting memories upon our hearts. Please take the time to share with your loved ones the JOY that they bring into your life.

THE GIFT OF LEARNING
When we stop learning, we stop growing. When we stop growing we can become complacent & boring. We therefore are Thankful for the gift of learning. First of all we are learning how to build another home... (May we say that this is a very long and arduous process?)

THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS
Ephesians 4:32 be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ Jesus forgave you. Need I say more? Forgiveness and unconditional love work together. Thank you Jesus for showing us the way.

THE GIFT OF PROBLEMS
Have you ever tried to teach teenage boys something...when they THINK they already know it all? Have you ever had to trust in the Lord when a spouse is suffering from Kidney failure? Have you ever.....???? WE could ask a thousand questions and know that where there is life there is also struggles of various degrees. However, we have held onto and still holding....Ephesians 6 “...be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms...”

THE GIFT OF GRATITUDE
How can we say thanks? We indeed are thankful to all of you for all your prayers, cards, letter, phone calls, and emails this past year. Again, Thank you for lifting Our family in prayer.

THE GIFT OF LOVE
How much more can parents love their children? We feel blessed to have three healthy teenage boys. What Joy it brings us to hear them share their thoughts when they pray. What deep compassion the boys have for their family and friends.

THE GIFT OF A DAY
How about a gift of 5 days in Seattle for Joshua & Ryan at a Biblical Worldview Camp? My parents blessed Ryan for his birthday, a full tuition. This was a great experience for both of the boys and they are eager to attend camp next summer.
Our family went to Florida in June to meet up with some friends we have not seen in 14 years. It was a great family time, we were all relaxed, played hard and most importantly no one got sick!

THE GIFT OF DREAMS
Our dreams this year have been filled.

THE ULTIMATE GIFT
We hope & pray that you and yours will experience each new day as a gift from the Lord. Our precious Lord is always trying to teach us and stretch us, as He desires to bless us. Please take time to enjoy the gifts that God has given you, and remember His Ultimate Gift to you was ...”wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger....”

Blessing to each of you...........The Byers Family!

When You Feel Anxious- Have Faith

I have receive alot of emails this week. I wish I could answer them all, and I will. It might take me awhile since I have three boys playing Basketball in Three different schools, I work full time, oh....getting ready for Christmas..... my best friend is turning 40 and the party is at my house! (your all invited, LOL.) Told you I am busy......

However, the last two days, I have had a stirring in my heart from some of the harder emails that some Meal Assembly Owners have written. This message is for you......

Faith is a vital, life changing and creative power in human experience. It is a belief in and intellectual assent to valid doctrine and acceptance of a sound theological position. But even more, Faith is an in-depth assurance, a profound certainty that God will actually do what, in the Bible, He says He will do. The promises of Holy Scripture I personally believe to be true, without any doubt whatsoever.

So the reason for my strong faith is that the Bible teaches Faith. Faith has demonstrated its validity in all kinds of circumstances in my life. As I have believed and practiced Faith in God & in Jesus Christ, the most wonderful things have happened: Peace, JOY & Victory! Moreover, other people with deep faith, known to me, have experienced, unmistakably, the power of God operating in their lives. As a result, my own Faith in Faith as the power of God in action has become ever more certain.....

The Bible tells us that by Faith we can move mountains of difficulty & trouble. "Verily I say unto you, if ye have Faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto the mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove: and nothing shall be impossible for you."

This means no superficial or a soft kind of Faith, but instead the kind that makes & keeps us "Strong and of Good courage."

It must be real, deep, positive Faith. The sturdy Faith-believing, wonder-working New Testament tells us, "I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthens me."

Believe God will be Faithful to you- Even in Hard times, such as this.......

My favorite scripture on Faith is 2 Cor. 4:16-18

So, we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. We have small trouble for awhile now, but they are helping us gain an eternal glory that is much greater then the troubles. We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever.

This my Friends is everlasting JOY!

It is Snowing in Kingston!

This doesn't happen very often and it is a major event for Washington State. Here is a picture of my husband, Steve and middle son, Ryan. Making a fort....and enjoying the snow!