Merry Christmas from the Lawson's

The Lawson's taking a break at the Foursquare National Convention, Atlanta, GA

What an amazing year 2010 was for the Lawson's!  It would be hard to tell everything that happened this year.  But, some of the major highlights:

Tim behind Charles Finny's Pulpit, Oberlin, OH

We spent some time with our Mid-Atlantic District family, Pastors Bill and Harriet Mouer, our Divisional Superintendents, along with a team from our church.  We went in early February to pray over with them about a struggling church in Ohio.  We arrived on Friday, toured Oberlin College (I got to stand behind the same pulpit as famous preacher Charles Finney).  On Saturday morning, there was a foot of snow on the ground!  So, we had to change our plans and have a "snow day" at Bill and Harriet's beautiful home.  We had a great day!  We love our Foursquare Family!

The Hubbard's and the Lawson's

We were privileged to spend a week in Costa Rica with our good friends, Foursquare Missionaries Josiah and Cynthia Hubbard, and their children Joel and Ian.  It was the first time our kids have ever flown in an airplane before.  And, they LOVED IT!  Jessie loved the jungle and all the interesting new things to try to eat.  TJ and I found out that we are called to be in the United States!!  

Tim and Josiah preaching in Costa Rica

I preached my first time overseas at the Turrialba Foursquare Church and met Pastors Mauricio and Marjorie Lopez Vargas.  Josiah translated for me, which is quite a feat considering how fast I talk!  We talked to their son, Andres, who led worship that morning and 6 months later brought him to the United States to lead worship in our church.  It was great!  Our church really rallied around us after the trip and raised funds to fulfill a vision we had for a Discipleship Dorm, where young Cabecars could come live with our missionaries, attend the local school, be tutored, learn a skill, and be discipled.  The money for the project was raised, and at the end of October, our church sent a work team to construct the dorm!

 
Anne got a promotion at the Madison County Public Library in Berea this summer and is now a circulation clerk.  They love her there (of course)!  She gets there early and works her tail off up to the second she's off the clock...EVERY TIME SHE'S ON THE SCHEDULE.  She really enjoys being around her favorite non-living things:  books.  In fact, if anything ever happened to me, Anne would probably never need to remarry as long a she had a multitude of books!  (well, that's probably pretty extreme, but it makes my point...she loves books!)

I read a book that changed my life this year called Shame Off You.  It was written by a pastor in North Carolina named Alan Wright.  The premise of the book is that, rather than hearing the phrase "Shame on you" when we do wrong, God wants to say "Shame OFF you" because we've taken on so much of a shame-based nature trying to earn something from God that He freely gives:  acceptance and a new identity as a son.  Being from Appalachia, I seemed to have been born with a label of shame.  I felt ashamed, even though I wasn't sure what to be ashamed of.  It has really been a struggle of mine, even into my adult life, and God really used this book to help me begin to find freedom!  As if the book itself wasn't  enough, I not only got to MEET Alan Wright, but was able to spend three days with him and a group of other pastors at a Theological Roundtable Discussion in Texas in the summer.  I even got to go with Kenny Thacker, my spiritual papa, to pick him up at the airport! 

Tim, David, TJ, Jessie, and Kenny Thacker at the Family Reunion    

The entire family got to attend Successful Christian Living Ministries annual Family Reunion in Alabama this year, thanks to our good friends, mentors, and "spiritual parents", Kenny and Lynn Thacker, and their "spiritual papa" Dudley Hall.  I was the worship leader for each of the sessions and was able to meet some fantastic musicians.  Clay Hess, who was the guitarist for Ricky Skaggs for a time, performed, along with Ron Block who is a musician with the legendary Alison Krauss.  Speaking of which, we got to meet her, too!!  She sang and it was out of this world!  One of the nicest, most humble ladies I've met.  And, Pastor Alan Wright was there, too!!

TJ and Jessie participated in their first 4-H Talent show, singing "Keep On the Sunny Side."  Of course, in my mind they should have won, but the winner was a clogger (sigh...cloggers ALWAYS win those contests.)  They did receive a blue ribbon for excellence in their performance.  It was a great experience for them.

Anne and I are still pastor River of Life Foursquare Church in Berea.  It's been an interesting year, but one of growth for the church and for us.   God has helped us understand what it means to be sons of God, and what it means to be a family this year.  It's hard to believe that October of this year marked our three-year anniversary as senior pastors!!  We're both still preaching and hopefully helping people learn how to follow Jesus with passion and truth (check out one of our sermons at this link:
Tim and Anne's Sermons

I've enjoyed getting my clarinet out of retirement and joining two ensembles.  I've been playing with the Berea College Wind Ensemble in Berea, and the Madison Community Band in Richmond, KY, this fall.  I've embedded a video below of me playing "Sleigh Ride" with the Madison Community Band.  Just keep in mind...it's a community band. :)

The kids are still enjoying being homeschooled, with David beginning Kindergarten this year, TJ 4th grade, and Jessie 6th grade.  They're very active at church and enjoy things like 4-H and their various special activities. 
 
It hasn't been a year free from hardship and trouble.  But, we find ourselves at the end of yet another year happy, healthy, and enjoying the fact that we're still in the midst of a great community, a great church, and a great family.  Hope you enjoy the rest of the blog.  The kids wrote their own entries (David had a little help from me!).

Also, because this is a blog, in order to see everything we've put on here, you'll need to make sure to "View Old Posts" at the bottom of the page when you get there.

Merry  Christmas!

Love,
Tim, Anne, Jessie Grace, TJ, and David Aaron