Romans 12:1-2

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:1-2

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Christmas Letter 2014

2014 has been a year of change…

Devon has been working at Oklahoma Wesleyan University (our Alma Mater) for almost five and half years now.  In late summer he moved from the online program to be the director of a brand new program, the Masters of Arts in Apologetics and Theology.  Devon still enjoys running and flying.  He and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary on a cruise this summer to Cozumel and a few other places.

I’m still teaching in Owasso.  This is actually my first year ever not to move a school, grade, or room!!  But, education is always changing!  Our state standards changed and at the beginning of the school year I had 27 first graders.  After a new teacher was hired, I am down to a more manageable 21.  Hmm…I’m trying to think if I do anything besides school…..I’m on the Alumni Board at OKWU and I volunteer in the church nursery.  Other than that, I try to keep things going for the boys and at home.

Speaking of boys – they are becoming more and more independent.  Micah got his driver’s permit.  He will be 16 next April.  He’s still enjoying his leadership activities at church and school.  He was accepted (by way of a lengthy application) to go to Truth and Peace this summer. Truth and Peace is a week’s worth of leadership training at Welch College in Nashville and then a week’s worth of serving at the Free Will Baptist Church’s National Convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Levi’s big change was school as he started eighth grade at Rejoice instead of Owasso.  He hasn’t been exactly pleased with the change, but we can see some positive outcomes from it.  Levi is a social guy and he’s made friends quickly.  He also played football for the first time and did well.  Since Rejoice is a small school, he played both offense and defense. This summer Levi was quite the entrepreneur and mowed several lawns in the neighborhood. 

We’ve been blessed this year with wonderful family times, new friends (and seeing longtime ones), and fun times traveling.  There have been down times too, but we keep pressing on and relying on God in all times.  Perhaps our biggest family change was losing our dog of almost ten years, Jazzy.  We’ve found our family misses having a dog in the family so even as I write this we are in process of adopting again. It’s like having a baby in the house again!

Whether you’re local or someplace else, if you’re ever nearby, please let us know – we’d treasure the opportunity to get together. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas season and a Happy New Year!

Devon, Annette, Micah and Levi


Hebrews 13:8 (The Message) For Jesus doesn’t change – yesterday, today, tomorrow, he’s always totally himself.

We camped in June with Devon's brothers and fams - the boy in the flag shirt is my nephew.

I'm calling the spot in the park where we took the pictures Jazzy's Ridge.

I had trouble choosing pictures to put with this letter because most of the pictures are already in my blog or on facebook (or both) already.  Please take the time to click on the other months to see highlights from the year if you'd like.