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Showing posts from December, 2018

Character at Christmas Time

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To read our Christmas Letter please click  HERE! There are some experiences that leave a permanent mark.....we call them 'scars,' but I like to think of them as more like 'character.' (Borrowing that thought from Sara Groves' song "Less Like Scars."). We've had those this week in the Hovey household.  Gunner is the first in this Hovey family to have 'accidental' stitches.....he cut himself with a knife.  Now, before you think machete or bush knife because we live in Papua New Guinea, let me just say that it was a butter knife.  Just a common, kitchen utensil but it carries potential to cut too.  Gunner had been outside working in his garden and came inside with a flower bud.  Without permission and while I was occupied answering the door, he went into the kitchen to get a knife and cut open the bud so as to do some exploring as to what was inside this 'big seed' as he called it.  Well, he came to me (Phyllis) screaming for a bandaid a

Navigating Change

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Recently, Gunner and Moriah have discovered the joy of 'change'....They love coins in their hands, coins in their pockets, and coins hidden away in safe little hiding places.  😁 While it has been a bit trying for me to entrust these valuables to our children (because I’m afraid of choking hazards), it has also been eye opening.  Coins hold such riches (literally and figuratively)!  They can make music in your pocket.....if there are enough of them.  They can spin on one side for a long period of time and provide entertainment while they spin!  They can be stacked and played with until they fall over and even then?  It’s fun to start all over again.  They can be counted with number value or face value and be great tools to teach too.  The possibilities are endless!   As I was thinking on discovering the joy of change, I was struck with the fact that it is a discovery in our adult lives too.  Change can be tough.  Change can mean moving to a place of betterment orr detriment.

The Angels in Heaven Rejoice!!

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It's not EVERY day that I sit and think about the Angels rejoicing, but last week? I am certain they were!  Why, you may wonder?  Well, let me tell you....Gunner gave his life and heart to Jesus!  Now, let me also share that he has been asking questions for weeks about what happens after we die.  He has also been asking me to read him the story about Jesus frequently in his children's Bible and when we finish?  He has asked me to read it to him again....and again!  It's been fun as well as challenging to answer his questions and gain fresh, new perspective about heavenly things.  He made the decision last week Monday on his own accord, and although I'm a little slow at sharing, it doesn't mean that there was any less rejoicing!  The Bible says plainly, " Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).   We, too, rejoiced and gave GOD the glory!  Gunner was so excited he was telling everyone.  We had a

Everyday decisions

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Well the last couple weeks have been exceptionally busy as we had a pastor's conference, GBBC graduation, GBBC board meeting, Thanksgiving.....(for us Americans), and lots of other things that have filled every moment.  The last week has been the piecing of things back together after the craziness and refocusing on what needs to be done.  It is an interesting challenge to pick and choose what “needs to be done”.  Our lives, much like many of yours, are filled with constant demands, people in crisis, things breaking, limited resources, and very little going as planned.  So how do we pick what is the Most important to do each day?....that is the question I (Brian) have been struggling with.  The thinking was spurred by a quote I read a few weeks back that said... “If Satan can’t make you bad, he will make you busy”.  As I have thought about this quote it is interesting how true it actually is.  I could easily fill every waking moment of every day with stuff to do...but is the stuff