It's been a minute. Actually it's been almost two months. Our last post was January 11th, and as I type this, it's February 21st. Much as happened in these last six weeks. From birthday's to back to school to lots and lots of snow, here's a quick update from Life in the Higham House.

We started the new year with hope; a hope that rests in who we know God to be. And so far, that hope has sustained us in this new year. But so much more has been happening.

January allowed us to celebrate two birthdays; Asher who turned 15 and Aiden who turned 18. Asher turned 15, 15! The first thing we did was visit the DMV for his driver license permit test, which he passed! Then he enjoyed the rest of the day with class, his birthday dinner, and ice cream cake.

Aiden turned 18, leaving us with three adult children. 18 is a huge milestone and we are so proud of was Aiden is accomplishing both in school and with his photography.

​Covid has kept us home for most of the months of January and February. Aside from our bi-weekly shopping trips, date nights or occasional family dinner, we have enjoyed our time as a family watching movies, playing games, and building puzzles.

The snow has also helped to make our time at home a little more enjoyable. We love the snow.  February has been an especially snowy month. We still have a couple inches around the house with some more snow in the forecast for this week. 

​Breya is back to her horseback riding lessons, and Asher is finally going to have a basketball season! We'll be sharing some video of these activities soon.

Aiden is working on his photography. He has found a printer and is almost ready to share some of his amazing photos. Hopeful by March, those who are interested will be able to purchase prints.

​Nate is still working on creating a name for himself with his custom painted shoes. He works really hard to make each pair unique and special. He is so talented. It's amazing to see what he can do with some paint and a pair of shoe.

​Logan is doing well at school and with his new job. A couple of weeks ago, Logan announced that he was starting a new full-time sales job with a national furnisher company. With only a few weeks in, he is doing great!

We had the chance to volunteer again this year with Tim Tebow's, Night to Shine. Because of ongoing Covid-19 precautions, this year's Night to Shine was a virtual event. Instead of meeting in person, participants were able to join with thousands of other students from all around the area and across the nation. Participants were able to pick up a some pre-event items the weekend prior to dance. It was really great.

​Ministry along with some house projects have kept Amy and Jay busy. Amy's work with YoungLife Capernaum has been so exciting! It is so much fun to be with her students each month on Zoom. And Jay is slowly getting back to in-person ministry with his students at C3.

When we're not with our students or leaders, we're working on a number of projects around the house. We'll be sharing a few of those projects in our new DIY section of the website! Watch for those posts coming this spring and summer!

It's been a busy start to 2021. The kids are back to school. Ministry is happening. Sports and activities are coming back. In the weeks to come, we're going to get back to blogging and a little vlogging. There are some exciting things happening at our church that we're going to share. And, our t-shirt shop is opening again! There you will find the In A Word tees, our Easter tees, and a few new tees coming this spring!

And, while we love the snow, we are looking forward to the warmer weather and the chance to again travel around and visit some of the amazing sites and locations that surround us. Pictures, stories, vlogs, and more coming soon!

2021 is still just beginning, and we are going to continue to cling to the hope that we know and have through Jesus Christ! So we invite you to continue to follow along and be a part of the family!

​- the higham family

Happy 2021!

The Higham's rolled into the new year in a quiet way. We were continuing with our Harry Potter movie marathon, and ended up watching one of the movies right through the big moment. That's right, no ball drop, no countdown, no fireworks. Harry Potter movie, right through into the new year. But that was fine by us. 

Now here we are, a little over a week later, the tree is down, the ornaments and decorations are put away. The Christmas lights have been wrapped up and stored away, and the swag and garland is in the burn pile waiting to be burned up. Christmas is officially over and a new year is here.

I'll be honest, the house is a little sad minus the colors, lights, and festivity of Christmas. We're kinda looking forward to Christmas 2021.

But this post isn't about Christmas, it's about the new year. And while I'd love to say it's  about our hopes, our goals and ambitions, our wants and dreams for us and our family; it's not. We're not there just yet. Amy and I are planning a date night where we will talk about our goals for 2021. After that meeting, we might share some of our plans for 2021. But, this post, this post is about hope.

You see, we believe that there is a hope that can fill our lives with joy, even in the midst of difficulty and struggle. I think it's this hope that allowed last year, to be a great year, despite all that happened in 2020. Amy and I have both shared in different blog posts about 2020, and why for us, it was so good. If you haven't read them, take a minute to read them here; Amy Shares Some Thoughts on 2020 and A Week of Thankfulness.

​Even now as we step into 2021, our hope doesn't rest in what we see in the media, or what flashes across our social platforms. Our hope is found in the One who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

Over the last couple of days we have been reminding ourselves, over and over, the truths of Scripture and what we know of God and his sovereign rule. And just the other night, while reading the book, The Explicit Gospel, by Matt Chandler with Jared Wilson, I was reminded of this. Matt writes, "God is aware of every event that has ever occurred and will ever occur, and he knows completely how each event affects other events that create still more events that roll into other events and so on and on forth ad infinitum." (The Explicit Gospel, Matt Chandler with Jared Wilson, page 26-27.)

What a statement! There is nothing, NOTHING, that escapes God. He knows it all. Everything. Yes, everything. 

Think about it. If that statement is true, and we believe it is based on what we know of scripture, then think about the implication. If God knows all, everything that was, everything that is, and everything that will be, than there is an assurance, a hope, that rests in the truth all that we see and hear is known to him. And because his promise to us is a future hope, when all things are made right, then it makes sense to rest in this truth.

So what do I mean by rest? Rest is to know that God is still in control. It doesn't mean that we don't care, or that we are not interested, or even that we're not concerned by what we see and hear. We are, and we should be. But our hope doesn't rest on what we  or others do. Our hope rests on what God has already done, what he is doing, and what he has promised still to do. 

We are little more than a week in to the new year, and already major headlines are breaking with disturbing reports of what's happening in our country. And I have a feeling that as time moves on, it's only going to get worse before it gets better. Regardless of where you stand on what's dividing us, who we are should be what truly defines us. I am a child of the One True God. I am heir to the kingdom, a citizen of heaven, bound through the blood of Jesus Christ. My beliefs and actions should be a result of who I am.

Who knows what 2021 will hold for us. I don't. The media doesn't. But God does. God knows. And because he knows, I'm able to step into the unknown knowing where I can place my hope.

2021. Will it be happy? I think it can be. If we set our eyes on Jesus, we will find the rest, and the hope that rests in the One who is always the same.

Can we encourage you, maybe even challenge you, despite what we see and hear, can we remind ourselves to look not towards the media for our truth, but that we would instead seek the source of eternal truth and rest in the Hope we find in Jesus.

​- jay

It's hard to believe that Christmas was just 4 days ago. This past Friday, like so many, we passed around the gifts, ripped open the wrapping paper, made a huge debris pile of ribbon, paper, and cardboard, ate way too much food, and enjoyed a day connecting with our family both in house and over Zoom. And by the end of the day, we were spent. 

The countdown started on the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend. As is our tradition, that weekend we officially decorated our Christmas tree. I say officially, because we set up the tree a couple weeks earlier. It wasn't decorated, but with 2020 being what it's been, the tree was a reminder that something exciting was coming.

We started our Countdown to Christmas vlogs and began sharing more of our Christmas traditions and activities. 2020 has been a topsy-turvey year, but we hoped that some of the familiar, and most cherished holiday activities would bring a sense of normalcy. And for the most part, Christmas was Christmas! We decorated, shopped, planned, prepared, wrapped, baked, cooked, and readied everything for Christmas Day. Oh, and let's not forget the Christmas movies! We watched a lot of Christmas movies!

Our oldest was able to come home from school. The last time we saw him was mid August when he left for school. It's probably been the longest stretch of time of not seeing him, adding to the reality that he is starting his own life; living on his own, finishing school, and just about ready to formally leave the nest.

All 5 kids were together. We played games, watched more movies, ate more food, and enjoyed spending time together as a family; something that we are taking full advantage of.

Christmas Eve arrived, and as expected, it was a bit different. There was the last minute shopping, gift wrapping, and kitchen prep, but there wasn't the usual Christmas Eve services. But with Covid-19 still making it's mark, our church has postponed all in-person gatherings. It's a smart call, and one we support, however, not being at church on Christmas Eve is a very weird thing, especially when you work for a church. Instead, there were two online services (we talk about them here, Christmas Eve Looks A Little Different This Year) which were both great. And while we watched both, it just wasn't the same.

But we pushed on. The kids exchanged their Secret Santa gifts, we all unwrapped our 2020 Christmas pajamas, which, by the way were a huge hit! In year's past we failed at the Christmas "jammies" tradition, but this year, we found super comfy flannel pants and made our own shirts. Jay created a simple graphic with a Christmas tree, decorated with ornaments that represented the year; toilet paper as the garland, and pictures of some of our 2020 adventures as the ornaments. It was a great way to capture one last time, some of the fun we had as a family in 2020. (Yes, we had fun in 2020!)

And in sticking with tradition, we watched The Nativity Story movie together as a family. The Nativity Story is always a great way for us to remind ourselves of the "Greatest Gift" and his unique arrival. When the movie was finished, it was time to go to bed and to wait for "Santa's" arrival! 

Amy and I (Jay) finally sat down around 12:30 a.m. to watch a little bit of the A Christmas Story, another Christmas Eve must! We enjoyed the fireplace, the lights, the mountain of gifts, and the stillness of a house ready for Christmas morning. It was beautiful.

Christmas morning arrived. The kids got up, slowly, and we made our way into the living room. It's quite a bit different; doing Christmas with teenagers and young adults. No longer do the kids stay in their rooms, or upstairs waiting, for the signal that welcomes them into the living room for Christmas. Nonetheless, it was still a sweet morning together. We read the Christmas story from Luke 2, as is our custom, then one by one, we took turns opening gifts. Amy and I, always get a kick out of the surprised smiles and faces as the kids open an unexpected gift or two.

With the gifts opened we moved on to breakfast; our Christmas Skillet and homemade cinnamon rolls. It's not the healthiest of breakfasts, but a holiday favorite that we just can't get away from.

With everyone staying home this year, we scheduled 2 Zoom calls with our families before sitting down at the table for our first, family Christmas dinner. Yes, I sad first. For the last 22 years, Christmas Day has been appetizers and punch. We decided long ago that we wanted to enjoy the day with our kids, and not spend it in the kitchen prepping a meal. And so, every year the kids pick their favorite appetizers that we share on Christmas Day. But this year, we started a new tradition of the Christmas Dinner; ham, potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, the works. We even had our famous sausage stuffing. Since Logan was unable to join us for Thanksgiving, he requested the stuffing, and we were more than happy to say, YES to that!

Oh, and did I mention the snow?! Yes, we had a White Christmas! The snow started falling late in the evening on Christmas Eve. By the time it finished falling on Christmas Day, we had about 5 & 1/2 to 6 inches! It was the perfect exclamation mark on what was truly a perfect Christmas Day!

We've written a lot about fact that our kids are growing up and life is changing. But, it's still weird to think that our kids are no longer kids. We took a family picture, then a picture of just the 5 kids. When we were able to sit down and look at the pictures, I mentioned to Amy, that our kids are almost all grown up.

It's bittersweet. We have worked hard to create moments for our kids, memories that last far longer than materials. We savored the time when as kids, the magic of Christmas filled the house with excitement and anticipation. We've treasured the Christmas Eve pageants, services, and celebrations. And while the thought was always in the back of our minds, back then, Christmas was all about having fun with our kids. But now, our kids are on the verge of adulthood, and that thought in the back of our minds is now an impending reality, our kids have grown up.

Some of our traditions have changed. This is the first year we haven't read Jothem's Journey, an Advent staple in our house for more than 10 years. There were no cookies left for Santa. No reindeer feed on the front lawn. And with Covid, we either skipped or postponed a small handful of traditions that we weren't able to do this year. Life is changing. We've acknowledged it. We knew it was coming. And while we think we might be ready for it, it still hurts a little.

Now we find ourselves saying things like, "when the grandkids come, we can do..." Grandkids?! Really? No, not really.

This Christmas was sweet, one that I'm glad we've captured for the vlog. Having those memories available on video is something we will never regret doing. Frozen in time, precious keepsakes we'll cherish, and be able to look back on and remember.

Christmas 2020. It was a good one; a really good one. But even as I type this, I'm thinking, Christmas isn't really over till January 6th, so...

Merry Christmas!

- the higham family

I have been able to make more time to spend with Jesus in the quietness of the mornings!  What a sweet time to hear His voice through His Word and to be reminded of His love and encouraged to love those around me well.

I have also found my love for ministry again.  To be honest the past 8 years have been filled with stress in ministry and personal heartache for me. Quite frankly, there were times I was so angry and frustrated with the church and with God for calling us into ministry, and into leaving a church and community I loved dearly,  that it crippled me.  I have been freed of that!  God has given us a healthy place to learn, grow and to pour into others.  He’s given me an amazing ministry to teens with disabilities.  I have learned so much about how big His Kingdom really is and it brings me joy to serve and share the Gospel again! I have a renewed passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be known and heard by all.

This morning as I was reading my advent devotional on Joy, I was led to these verses in Psalm 126 that sums up this year for me.

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.  Our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with songs of joy.  Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”  The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy.”  Psalm 126:1-3

Oh sweet friend, wherever you are, The Lord has done great things for you!!  May you experience the joy this Christmas that only He can bring amidst a crazy year like 2020!!  I’m praying you do!

​- Amy