Have you ever experienced it when the Lord takes a relationship that you have had and gradually deepens it? You may have known this family or individual for years, and yet suddenly you realize there is a strength in the relationship that you never had before. What causes this?  This blessing is the inevitable result of both sides actively seeking and growing closer to the Lord, because as we draw nearer to Him and are more conformed into His likeness, He unifies our hearts with others within His Body, the Church. Our family has seen this happen over the years… among ourselves, esp. in sibling relationships, Smile for one thing. We have also begun to see it worked out in relationships with other families. What a joy it is!!!

A few weekends ago we were blessed to experience this again with a visit from our friends, the Barnes family. We had a load of fun, played hilarious games, made music, put together jigsaw puzzles, blew up our gingerbread houses, Winking smile and laughed a ton in the process, of course, but the highlight for most of us was the discussions and times of fellowship that were shared. Things the Lord is teaching us, what we are learning from our devotions, favorite passages of Scripture, meaningful insights, prevalent and troublesome issues of today that must be combated with Scripture, and more were shared and discussed. It was a time of exhortation and encouragement, and we came away tremendously refreshed.

And, by the way, our discussions were far too interesting to take the time to jump up and get the camera – – thus the lack of pictures of the afore-mentioned activity! Winking smile

Reading off the names for a rousing game of "Occupation"IMG_8597IMG_8599

"I think so-in-so is such-in-such!" :)IMG_8607An investment in a child is an investment in eternity

One of the blessings of being tall -- you get to change the extremely-hard-to-reach closet lightbulbs. :) Thank you Kevin!IMG_8633Helping......in the kitchen!

Bethany, Tim and HannahA few of the "puzzlers"

So sweet!

IMG_8647IMG_8649Diligence rewarded!

We found another family that had never had eggnog before, so...The first taste..."Not too bad..."

Mom and Mrs. BarnesIMG_8663Something's funny

Playing "Green Alligators"Playing PIT!!PIT is a favorite with all of us

You had better watch out -- Wes (a Brown Belt) and a group of novices

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SmileSmileSmileSmileWinking smileSmileSmileSmileSmileWinking smileSmileSmileSmileSmileWinking smileSmileSmileSmileSmileWinking smileSmileSmileSmile

Height order!

TimReady and waiting...About to pop!

Thar she blows!

Praise the Lord!

So, be encouraged if you desire to see a certain relationship in your life brought to a new level. Seek Christ through His Word, pray with diligence – – and watch and see what the Lord will do.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another…” 1 John 1:7