Merry Christmas from the Gibsons
Hello friends!
Some of you received the attached picture as our yearly “Christmas Card.” We wish we had an exhaustive amount of time, unlimited money for stamps, and the addresses of everyone we know, but sadly, like most, none of these are true. That being the case, we wanted to update you with what the LORD is doing in the lives of our little family.
The year of 2011 began with excitement, anticipation, and joy. On December 23, 2010, Grace woke me (Greg) up at 6:00am to share with me the greatest news of all time (outside of the gospel of course). She was pregnant! So, we began 2011 with much eagerness as we looked forward to what was to come.
Grace continued teaching high school at Grace Christian Academy in Knoxville, TN. She taught Bible and English. As she finished the school year in May, we decided that it would be best for our family if she quit her job as a teacher and transition into the greatest occupation in the world — a full-time mom. Grace spent the summer relaxing, traveling with me, and preparing for motherhood. In June, we went on a last hiatus of sorts to Colorado for 2 weeks. It was a blast! We visited with our dear friends, the Keslers, and then we rented a car and drove 900 miles all over the state of Colorado. We called it our Baby-moon. It was a great last vacation together before Cora arrived into the world.
On August 20, 2011, Grace gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Cora. It was absolutely the greatest day of our lives. The beauty of the gospel is absolutely manifested in the birth of a child. Cora’s birth allowed us to experience the grace and mercy of God, the Father, in many new ways. It allowed us to experience his attribute of goodness in providing for us a daughter of our own. It allowed us to experience his title as Creator, as he perfectly knit Cora together in the womb of her mother. And what’s more, it allowed us to greatly experience his incommunicable attribute of sovereignty, as he perfectly designed the birth of Cora before the foundation of the world — every perfect detail, the exact precious moment, and the absoluteness of her glorious design. She is just perfect in every way. She has grown strong, has stayed healthy, and she is just over 4 months old. Her smile is breathtaking, and her laugh makes you fall in love. She is strong, as she is now holding her head up, and what is crazy to me, she is rolling over now. Wow! What’s more, her little dimple on her right cheek is precious. And the way her mama dressed her is even more precious. The LORD has truly blessed us with a wonderful blessing in Cora. Her daddy is truly in love!
Since Cora’s birth, Grace has been working hard at home to get Cora on a schedule. She is sleeping through the night, taking naps, and is, for the most part, a very happy baby. Grace has also been taking on several projects here and there. Almost everyday when I come home from work, Grace has accomplished a new craft that she has either thought of herself or found on Pinterest. And many of them involve food. I am one blessed man!
As for me, I graduated from Seminary in May from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. From there, I started full-time at Foothills Church where I now oversee the middle school, high school, college, local missions, and international missions ministries. It is a full schedule for sure, but it is a blast. In February, we launched our youth service called Doxa (Greek for glory), and we have seen it grow to 100+ students already. Our missions program is hitting the ground running strong as well. We have developed 5 partnerships with local ministries in our city, and we have developed 7 teams to facilitate ministry with these partnerships. I went to Haiti in June, and I am taking another team to Haiti in January — our first international missions trip from Foothills Church. There is much excitement on the horizon and much to look forward to with our local faith family.
I also had the opportunity to travel a bit this past summer, which was a blast, though also exhausting. I had the opportunity to travel to Florida a few times, Alabama a few times, Kentucky a few times, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Indiana, and Haiti for a week. And at one point hitting up 7 states in one day… exhausting!
In my personal life, I am excited to announce that I have two books being published in the year of 2012. I was thrilled to have been offered a writing contract with Borderstone Press earlier in the year. I pray the books bring glory to Jesus when they are released. I know that I have already sold 3 copies of each — my wife, my mom, and me (wink). And finally, The Veritas Network is also doing very well. We launched an online magazine this year called BREAD Magazine, which is a culture and worldview magazine that gives away free content. In 2012, we hope to launch BREAD Groups all over the country which coincide with the magazine.
It has been a wonderful year for us. There have been mountains and there have been valleys. Through it all, however, we have trusted in the LORD for his sovereign plan for our family. And as a family, we have continued to learn that God is a good God and that Jesus is a great King. His grace is sufficient and his yoke is light.
We look forward to 2012 with much hope in knowing that we have a God whom, through Jesus alone, cares for his people.
Blessings to you and yours, and we pray God’s blessings upon you as you venture into the year of 2012.
-G & G (& C)
