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 

Christmas Eve is going to look a little different this year. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, many churches are making arrangements to host online Christmas Eve services. At C3, we are planning to host 2 Christmas Eve services.  One service will be a traditional, taking place at 4:00 p.m. The second service will be our kids service at 3:00 p.m.

While I (Jay) am a huge fan of the Christmas Eve service, I am really looking forward to our first online Christmas Eve service for kids and families.

This year has brought with it, so many new things. One of the biggest adjustments we have had to make, as a family, is the online church experience. Yes, we have watched online services and various pastors teach on video for years. But watching those videos was in addition to our regular worship experiences at our home church. Now, we're watching our home church on a regular basis.

I'm just going to say it, because many of us already feel this way. Worshipping together online is not the same as worshipping together in person. We look forward to that weekly interaction and connection with our church family. But that's just not possible at this time. Now, with that said, we are learning to appreciate the opportunity to still gather at the same time as our church family to watch the live stream of our weekly worship gathering. And, it's with this appreciation that I am looking forward to our upcoming Christmas Eve services.

As I mentioned just above, our church, Covenant Community Church, or C3 as it is more commonly known, is hosting two, online Christmas Eve services. There will be a 4:00 p.m. service that will follow a more traditional format; the singing of carols, a Christmas message, and the candlelight favorite, Silent Night. The 3:00 p.m. service is the one that we are creating for kids and their families. Every Christmas Eve, our church hosts one service for kids. The entire service is focused on helping kids celebrate Jesus' birth in a fun and interactive way. I love this because it takes a really exciting moment in our faith-history and makes it relatable for kids. Last Christmas we had confetti launchers, party noise makers, LED candlelights, and one of our pastor team put on a skit where we dressed up in those ridiculous Christmas suits and pretended we were the local news station reporting about the birth of Jesus. We even had one of our pastor dressed up in a star costume! It was awesome!

This year we are going to try to keep the fun going with our first online service for kids. Keeping with our tradition, this service will be very interactive. Families are able to order our Christmas Eve Gift Bag, which they will open at the beginning of the service. This gift bag will contain a number of items that we will reference and use during the service. This way, kids will be able to participate with us as we celebrate together. It's going to be so much fun!

Not only will this Christmas Eve service be a lot of fun for our church family, but because it's online anyone and everyone can watch it with us! That mean's YOU can join us as well!

So, on behalf of everyone in the Higham House, let me invite you and your family, especially if you have little kids, to come and join us on Thursday, December 24th, at 3:00 p.m. for C3Kids Christmas Eve at Home! We will have an embedded video link that will allow you to watch with us, right from our website! The video will be featured on our main page, on Christmas Eve!

You will also be able to watch the video over on our kids ministry website, C3KidsWheeling.com. You will find the video right on the sites main page! We will also post the video to our church's YouTube channel, where we post all of our kids ministry videos, and on our related Facebook pages; Covenant Community Church, C3Kids, and C3Students.

And, maybe one of the best things about being online, is that you can watch this special Christmas Eve service any time after 3:00 p.m.! So if 3:00 isn't a good time for your family and Christmas Eve traditions, you can watch it when it works for you! Just come back to the Life in the Higham House website and watch!

As for the gift bag, unfortunately, we are only making the gift available for our local families. Due to shipping deadlines, we cannot guarantee that the bags would arrive in time. But here is a list of items that will be used doing the kids Christmas Eve service. This way, you can go ahead and gather the items you will need.

• Jingle Bells
• Packets of Hot Chocolate (one for each kid)
• A packet of Popcorn (one for the family)
• A Nativity Craft (Here is a link to the one we are making: Nativity Craft.)
• A Coloring Book. (You can download and print out our coloring book here: Christmas Coloring Book.)
• Led TeaLight Candles or Flashlights
• Party Noise Makers

With the kids service, there is also the regular service that will take place at 4:00 p.m. We will be posting and watching that service as well. We'll share a little more on that later this week.

For now, I hope that you would consider joining us on Christmas Eve. Of course, if you have a home church, be sure to participate in whatever your church is sponsoring. But if you don't have a home church, or if you are looking for something created specifically for kids, then by all means, come and join us!

Yes, Christmas Eve will look a little different this year, but please don't let that stop you from gathering with family and friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Gather around your TV screen and let's sing Joy to the World together!

Merry Christmas!

- the higham house