Let every heart prepare Him room…

A s 2019 nears the end, w e m ust be intentional about m aking room for H im now if
w e w ant to arrive at Christm as w ith a heart w ide open for the Christ child!

The UWA Tigers took on a theme, “Thrive in Chaos,” this year, and those words have an even deeper meaning as I
reflect on the mother of Jesus! Yes, she eagerly anticipated the arrival of her child, but nothing leading up to the
birth of Jesus would have met Mary’s hopes and expectations! I’m sure she hoped for a glorious celebration with
her family, but instead she experienced a scandalous pregnancy, a census forced on her, an untimely trip, and
lowly accommodations with sheep and cattle! As we anticipate these weeks leading to Christmas, what hopes and
expectations are we aware of? In spite of and out of, Mary’s chaos, Christ came! Although the events leading up to
the first Christmas weren’t what Mary had hoped for, it was a miracle in the making! At the most unexpected time
and place, Mary saw the face of God! As we reflect on the manger, we are challenged to believe that the “best is yet
to be, and it could begin today!” Like Mary, our chaos could be a miracle in the making, an occasion that may soon
lead us to see the face of God!

Lindsay and Chad have had a very busy year filled with many activities! Chad and Lindsay continue to serve the
Dallas area as he works through the Children’s Health Andrews Institute, and Lindsay is busy as a medical sales
representative. Reid has recently become a supervisor for Belfor Property Restoration in Dallas! He enjoys the
challenges that he and his team face on a daily basis. He has also shared how he has seen the Lord work in the
lives of people who are experiencing great difficulty. I am thankful for his life and know that God uses him daily in
the lives of others! Cole, a Senior at Prosper High School, was long snapper and inside linebacker on the Eagles
football team! What a year the Eagles had! They made it to the Class 6A-Division 1, Region 2 Championship! Cole
was quick to thank “football” for making him the man he is today! Not only did the Eagles team excel on the field,
but Cole received Honorable Mention All-State Academic this year! He also has a very special fan, Scarlett! We are
so proud of this young man! Lily, 13 and beautiful helps her Dad on the sidelines as well as playing tennis with the
middle school! She loves her time spent with students with special needs! She has a heart of gold and spends
much time with her friends and looks forward to seeing what God has in store for her! Luke, 11, is very active in
football and LaCrosse! The boundless energy he has is evident on the field, and his love for sports keeps him very
busy. He also loves to spend time hunting and fishing with his Dad and brothers, and was thrilled when he
harvested his first buck this year! His smile warms my heart! Kyle is employed at GCE and works on the Naval
Base. We are thankful that he was safe during our recent tragedy at NAS! We are all blessed to be able to share the
love of Jesus wherever we are! Watching each of these precious people make a difference in the lives of others
thrills us! It is my prayer that this family impacts many lives as they live for Jesus!
Tara and Kevin have enjoyed this year filled with many activities with their two boys! Tara continues her
responsibilities as Physicians Relations Manager at Baptist Hospital while Kevin enjoys teaching science at Ft.
Walton Beach High School and coaching track! Kevin finds his afternoons filled with coaching his boys! Kade has
been very busy this year playing baseball and flag football! He also made the most important decision of his life
when he asked Jesus to come into his heart! Watching him be baptized with family surrounding him was such a
joy! How blessed we are! Knox would live outside in his yard if his parents would let him! Basketball, golf,
soccer…whatever is available, he is outside playing! Watching him play basketball and flag football this year has
been so much fun! Kevin’s family suffered the loss of his aunt and uncle this year. They covet our prayers! These
two boys keep mom and dad moving, and we look forward to watching them all grow in their love for the Lord!

Amanda and Brett have completed their 6th year with the UWA tigers! The tigers completed their 5th consecutive
winning season! Amanda teaches full-time at UWA and is definitely a full-time Mom to Ella Kate and Rece! Now
Brett isn’t the only coach in the family, Amanda coached Rece’s flag football team and did an amazing job! They
went undefeated and had a defensive coordinator with lots of potential for a career in coaching, Brett Gilliland!
Rece loved having his mom as the coach! Brett received his MBA diploma from UWA on December 14 with a 4.0
GPA. We are proud parents of all his hard work and the support and love of his sweet family! Rece excels in
school and enjoyed playing tennis this year as well as flag football! He spends a lot of time at the stadium with his
dad and the team. He is a wonderful big brother, and Ella Kate adores him (most of the time). This was a very
important year in Rece’s life as he asked Jesus to be his Savior! As we watched him be baptized with family there
to support him, I felt overjoyed and so blessed! Ella Kate has done an amazing job in her speech class this year!
We are so proud of her! She loves her dancing classes and stole the show at her recital! She can occasionally be
seen playing the piano and singing (just like her mommy)! She really thinks she is a Mermaid, and Elsa is her best
friend! There is never a dull moment when you are in her presence! You never know which princess she will be
throughout the day! It is a joy to watch these four love on each other and live their lives pointing others to Jesus!

Ron and I celebrated our 70th birthdays this year! Thankful for our lives and all our blessings, we wish each of you
a blessed Christmas! It is our prayer that you will “thrive in the chaos” of your lives!
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HEARTS TO YOURS!








“All her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful. She is a tree of life to those who
embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.” (Proverbs 3:17-18)

My precious Mother walked into the arms of Jesus on July 5, 2019, surrounded by me, Claudia, and Nicky! There
are no words to describe such a deep, connected love! Mom always tended to hold our family together, and she
was the one who kept in touch with all the family members (she called her Ipad her Facebook and used it quite
often to keep in touch)! She was definitely the “hub” of our family! As we watched her devote herself to caring for
Dad for about seven years, we saw a love that was immeasurable! As we watched her overcome tragedy, and work
tirelessly to live on her own again, we all grew closer to the One she so loved, our Jesus! Everything about her
pointed all of us to Christ! She did all of this with such grace, humility, and such peace! From the oldest in our
family to the youngest, we all embraced her and were truly blessed! So many roads still lead back to my Mom.
Over time she has become a part of me, my children, and my family! As I look around, she is everywhere! Chad’s
assistant, Toni, made me a beautiful quilt from Mom’s clothes…a priceless treasure! Moments of sadness come at
such unexpected times: pulling into the Walmart parking lot and suddenly the words ring out from the radio,
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim by the
light of His glory and grace!” I am so thankful that Jesus collects all my tears! He has definitely been busy lately,
but none of those tears are wasted! Every tear draws me closer to my Lord, and reassures me that I am held by
Him always! It wasn’t just her cookies, fried chicken, biscuit and gravy that drew us to her, but it was the way she
loved each of us in such a way that we truly all felt like we were “her favorite”! A week after we laid Mom to rest, we
gathered to watch Rece be baptized. As we opened the program the Call to Worship was, “Come Thou Fount of
Every Blessing”…one of Mom’s favorite hymns that we had sung at her funeral! What a beautiful “God wink” that
was and how reassuring to know that even though she isn’t there with us physically, she is there in Spirit! As
Amanda so beautifully sang, “Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul!” As
“Velma Jean, the beauty queen” would say, “I love you more!” Let us all love each other more always showing
kindness. Kindness is the ability to speak with LOVE!

****************************************
Our precious Steve who showed us what “perfect love” was all about, walked into the arms of Jesus on September
11, 2019! To know him was to love him! How incredible it is for a life on this earth to be always cradled in the
arms of Jesus! Steve had a smile that warmed your heart and caused you to “pause” and reflect on the love of Jesus
towards us! His mom and dad devoted their lives to loving their precious little boy and always meet his every
need! When his mom and dad were no longer there, Janet and Brent devoted their lives to care for Steve and
surround him with love! We will always remember his genuine hugs, his love for wrestling, his singing country
songs while playing his guitar, his love for animals, and a smile that made you feel fiercely loved! It is our prayer
that we will always remember that deep love that we saw in our little man! “And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless
you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Steve was our “forever”
child loved by us all!
 Our little “runaway” Angel!
May your
days be
Merry and
Bright!!!