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Carving Pumpkins has become a staple for the Higham house. Each year, about a week or so from Halloween, we gather the kids (at least the kids who are available) to carve our pumpkins. It's become a Fall tradition.

This year, Amy, Breya, myself, Breya's boyfriend, and Asher and Alaina all got together to carve pumpkins. It was a great night of pumpkins guts and seeds, laughter, and creating new memories. With each year we try to vlog the fun, so here is this years Pumpkin Carving vlog!

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What does it look like to make faith a priority at home? Why is it important? What does faith look like in seasons of struggle? How do you pass faith down to your children? These are some of the questions we tackle in our newest episode of Gathered.​ Join us at the table as we discuss what it looks like to focus on faith in the home. It's episode 4 of, Gathered in the Higham House.

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The tradition goes back to our early years of our marriage. Amy and I packed our first boxes as newly weds. When the kids came a long, each kid packed a box. Every year we would shop, pack our boxes, pray over each one, and take them back to our church so they could join the hundreds of thousands of boxes that would soon travel around the world.

Each year we looked forward to packing our boxes. It was part of our holiday, the kick off to the Christmas season. Before we did anything Christmas, we packed our shoeboxes. It was the first thing we did as a family. To this day, packing our shoeboxes is the first thing we do.

This year, we will again pack our boxes. Through the student ministry at our church, we will pack three boxes to start our holiday season. We'll make our way to the stores, shop for our items, pack our boxes, and send them out. 

But, this year, we want to invite you to join with us and pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. Take a moment and watch the video below.

Packing a shoebox has never been easier. There is the option of packing a physical shoebox then dropping it off at a designated drop off location, or you can pack a digital shoebox at the OCC website. 

​Why is packing a shoebox so important? What this video.

The shoebox is more than just a couple of gifts. It's the gift of the Gospel. It's about Jesus, and sharing his love with the kids who need to hear that someone loves them. Each box has the possibility to change a life.

Would you join us an pack a shoebox?

We get nothing out of this. This is not a sponsored post. We have no direct affiliation with Samaritan's Purse or Operation Christmas Child. We're not posting this to gain followers. We simply believe that every child should have a chance to hear that someone loves them, and that that someone is Jesus.

Visit the Operation Christmas Child website. Learn how you can pack you box. And join the movement to bring the good news of Jesus to kids this Christmas.

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Parenting in Real Life: The Wins

In episode three we talk about celebrating the parenting wins in family life. From defining a win to sharing some of our most memorable moments and family wins. Jay and Amy sit down and share stories from the Higham House. Pull a chair up to the table, and join us for Gathered in the Higham House.

Do you have questions about family, parenting, marriage, ministry or faith? We'd love to hear them! Send us your questions and be a part of the conversation! Click here to submit your questions: The Podcast.

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As a youth pastor/church employee, I have attended my fair share of memorial service, funerals, and celebrations of life. These are always special events with family sharing memories and stories. There's laughter, tears, and sweet words of affection, appreciation, and loss.

I am often struck by how the fathers/grandfathers are remembered by the family members; particularly the by their kids. I listen as they recount the things that made their loved one so special. I usually find myself considering my own role of husband, father, and friend. I listen to learn. To ask questions. To evaluate. To be better. To do better. Here are a few things I've learned over the years.

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I love you. I'm proud of you. I'm praying for you. What is Jesus teaching you? How can I help you? These are the hard words that need to be said and asked more. I want my kids and my wife to know they are loved, precious and valuable. I want them to know they are unique and special, images of the Creator, made with purpose for a purpose.

I don't want my family to assume that I love them, or that I am proud of them. I want them to know with certainty that they are loved. That only comes when it's said. And, that only happens when we say the hard words.

Being present isn't just being in the presences of our kids or our spouse, or even our friends. Being present means being aware, actively listening, paying attention, engaging, and letting them know that they are special and worth your time.

My wife, my kids, those I serve and work with, I want them to know that they are valued, that I care, and that they time and my time are worth being with them. I want to be present not just with. I want to engage, share, and be a part of their world, not just someone who says yes or no. ​

There's nothing like laughter, especially when it's with the family. You know the laughter I'm talking about. The kind of laughter that makes you snort like a pig. Laughter that makes your insides hurt. Laughter that leaves you in tears. We laugh, but I think we need to laugh more. I want our time together as a family to create memories of us laughing.  And not just the laughter from great dad jokes or hilarious pranks (although that kind of laughter is great). I hope for the laughter that comes from great story telling, laughter as we remember someone saying something funny. 

As we look forward to the holidays, I am hoping for those moments as we sit around the dinner table, exchanging stories, watching as our kids laugh together. It's going to be great.

Probably the most moving, and maybe the most challenging thought involves our faith. We are a family of faith. We have done our best to raise our kids knowing who Jesus is, and what it means to have a relationship with Him. Church. Sunday school. Kids Ministry. Student Ministry. Small groups. Summer camps, mission trips, and weekend retreats. From serving in the church to serving in the community. We have tried to expose our family to what it looks like to live with purpose; to love God and others, to use their talents to serve others, to share their faith, and to know it's not about them.

But faith also needs to be a conversation. And we need to have more conversations. Conversations to lead to heart-change, which leads to life-change, which leads to discipleship, which leads to a life living for Jesus. More conversations. More talk about faith. More opportunities to see Jesus in the lives of our kids.

There are many lessons to learn in this life. But there's something about learning from the lives of others. And while I don't always have the opportunity to know these men, their legacies will live on in the lives of those they impacted. As for me, I'm going to do my best to take every opportunity to live out these life-changing lessons.

​- jay

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It's finally here. After years of talking about it, praying about it, and waiting for just the right time, we are finally rolling out our brand new podcast, Gathered at the Higham House. 

Gathered in the Higham House is a podcast for the family. ​It's where faith meets family and real life happens. This is our space to share stories, celebrate traditions, and talk about the ups and downs of family life. From holiday memories and parenting wins to lessons learned through laughter and faith, we’re inviting you to pull up a chair and join us at the table.

So where can you find, subscribe and follow the podcast? Great question.

For now, you can find the podcast in three locations. You will always be able to listen the podcast here on the website. You will be able to listen to each episode on our new podcast page. There will be an embedded player, like the one above, that will keep a library of each episode and season.

The podcast itself will hosted through Podbean. You can subscribe and follow directly from our Podbean page, Gather in the Higham House. You will be able to listen to each episode directly from our Podbean page.

You will also be able to listen on YouTube. Our channel, Life in the Higham House will host the audio and video version of each episode. (Notice: Our first couple episodes will be just audio. Don't worry, video is coming soon.)

Our goal is to share the podcast through major podcast platforms such as Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, and Spotify. Since you have to publish your first episode before distribution on these platforms, our hope to be connected by the release of episode four. Don't worry, we'll let you know as soon as everything is good to go.

In the meantime, may we suggest you visit our YouTube channel, Life in the Higham House, and subscribe so you will be notified when each episode goes live.

We're super excited to share, Gathered in the Higham House with you. I pray that God will use it, our story, and all that we've learned, to encourage you and your family! So come on, grab your favorite warm beverage and your Bible, and pull your chair up to the table,  it's time for Gathered!

​- jay and amy