Death and Taxes
August 4, 2008 - They say only two things in life are certain - death and taxes. Well, it looks like the ol' taxman has come a knockin' on our door. It appears that James owes a couple years of self-employement tax that never were withheld. I guess he could protest, "But I didn't know!" But, ignorance does not excuse one from obeying the law. Well, I guess render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, right? I just wish it wasn't such a large "rendering." Oh well, the Lord gives and He takes away.
Bird's Eye View
June 13, 2008 - Ever wonder where we are? Check out this "bird's eye" view.
The Finish Line
June 2, 2008 - We did it! James graduated from seminary on May 16th and was ordained May 18th. His parents came in for the occasion, flying all the way from Kentucky. They really enjoyed the visit, especially their time spent with Eden. Immediately following the ordination, we traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii, for a week's vacation with Meredith's parents. What a great time we had! While there, Eden turned 1 (wow!). Now, we're back, adjusting to life post-GGBTS. James is busy making ministy plans while Meredith has her hands full with a more mobile, more vocal Eden. And, we also just celebrated our four year anniversary (again, wow!).
Spring Time
April 28, 2008 - Spring is here! Actually, it's been here for a while, and today it feels more like summer here in SoCal, with the temperature in the nineties. We are counting down the days to James's graduation (May 16th), ordination (May 18th), and our vacation to Hawaii (May 19th). The next few weeks will be busy ones - the culmination of several years of hard work. How exciting!
Eden is Walking
March 25, 2008 - Happy Easter! Eden spent her first Resurrection Sunday enjoying a warm and sunny day here in Los Angeles. She even got to wear a pretty Easter dress and go on an Easter Egg Hunt - no chocolate bunnies though. Easter pictures will soon be posted, so be on the lookout. We had a sunrise service outside, in our backyard, followed by a fellowship breakfast and the 11:00 AM worship service. Both services were packed (lots of visitors)!
And, Eden just celebrated her ten month birthday by ... walking. Yes, she is miss independent wheels now. She officially walked, between ten to fifteen steps, going back and forth between mommy and daddy. We are so proud!
What does the future hold?
March 6, 2008 - Spring is just around the corner, and the weather is beautiful here in Sunny Southern California. Little Eden and Meredith just returned from a visit to Washington State (to see the grandparents). And James is just two months away from Seminary graduation. Woo hoo! Right now, we're seeking God's direction for the future and are confident the right door will be opened at the appropriate time. God's timing is perfect. But the waiting is hard :) Who knows where we will be called? Los Angeles, Southern California, the Northwest, back East ... we're not sure, but we do know that God is in control.
I left my heart in San Francisco
January 31, 2008 - Well, we're back in Southern California, after a cold and raining stay in San Francisco. James knocked out one more class and now has only four left to go ... yes, just four. The weather has been great here in L.A. though. The earlier rain not only cleared the skies (of pollution and haze) but watered the ground. Everything is green, plus you can see the snowcapped mountains. It's beautiful. And it gives you something to look at while sitting in traffic. Argh!
2008 already???
January 22, 2008 - Happy New Year! Yes, we're almost a month into 2008, but better late than never, right? Yesterday, we celebrated Meredith's birthday (no, we're not going to tell you how old she is). And today, we are celebrating Eden's eight month birthday. She's getting so big and is already crawling.
We are in Mill Valley (San Francisco) right now, at the northern California campus of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. That means the semester is starting and classes are back in session. And that means James has just begun his LAST semester of seminary. Yea! We're looking forward to graduation (May 16th) and the "next thing" God has for us.
Over the holiday break, we were able to get some much-needed rest and relaxation, plus have some "fun." In addition to visiting Meredith's family in the Northwest, we enjoyed the company of James' Aunt Betty and sister Lisa (plus family). During their visit to Southern California, we all went to Disneyland. It truly is one of the happiest places on earth.
We've posted a couple of new picture galleries - Check 'em out.
Gettin' old
December 22, 2007 - Today is James' 31st birthday. Oh, time marches on. He is post eye surgery, and thankfully not blind. In fact, it seems that his vision has been corrected from 20/100 and 20/150 to 20/20 or better. We're still waiting to see how well things heal, but so far so good. It's been a rainy winter break so far here in Washington, but perhaps the sun will come out for Christmas. If it does, James will be able to see the beautiful Northwest in all its glory, unaided.
Christmas Time
December 18, 2007 - Christmas is upon us. As I type this, Meredith, Eden, and I are on our way to Tacoma, Washington for the Holidays. In fact, we're in the air right now! Bit of a bumpy ride, but what are you gonna do? We'll touch down in thirty minutes hopefully, to find the eager grandparents waiting to pick us up and see their little grandbaby. The fall semester wrapped up yesterday. Whew. Sixteen credit hours and lots of weekend intensive classes. Only one semester left. Wow, seminary went fast. Meredith finished her Myers Briggs Type Indicator training, and after doing wonderfully on the exam, is now qualified to administer and analyze the test. So, she can tell you if you're an intuitive people-person or a introverted realist. She's accepting clients :)
We are really looking forward to Christmas - Eden's first! Plus, James' birthday is the 22nd. He's getting Lasik eye surgery for a present - yeah, no glasses ever again ... and no squinting either. Hallelujah. Well, we're eagerly awaiting the new year and what God has in store for 2008. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's!
Post Turkey Day
November 27, 2007 - Recovering from too much turkey ... Argh! Thanks to all of our friends and family who visited our redesigned site in the last few days. We love hearing from you.
Turkey Day
November 22, 2007 - Happy Turkey Day! Hope you like the remodeled site! Very 21st century post-modern, don't you think???
Eden Moriah - Welcome to this world
May 2007 - Our
first child, Eden Moriah Detwiler, was born on May 22nd, 2007. We are very
excited to say the least. Click here for pictures
of our beautiful little girl. In addition, Meredith has joined the staff here at First Baptist Church of Beverly Hills. She is
mainly doing administrative work for Feeding Those
Who Feed Us - the church's mission to migrant
workers in California. In addition, she is
also leading a Women's Bible Study and helping James
transition the church into a more contemporary
worship style, using her beautiful voice on the
praise team.
James has just finish two years of seminary study, working on his Master of Divinity degree. Whew
- only one more to go! He is expecting to
graduate in May 2008. Meredith is also
taking a full load of courses, in pursuit of her
Master of Theology degree.
L.A. - our new home
Winter 2006 - Through God's leading, we have decided to make Los
Angeles our new home. That means leaving Washington State and becoming full-time Southern Californians - something neither one of us imagined. God has called us to a Bible-based, warm-hearted Baptist Church located just
off the infamous Sunset Strip. This small fellowship
has welcomed us with open arms, especially the
pastor. God has big things for us to do both inside
and outside the church (Eph. 2:10).
In fact, God continues to bless us time and time again. James has begun his seminary education Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, in addition to starting a new job, as the associate pastor of our new church.
Meredith is still working in television, but is hopeful to move on to bigger and better things - which could include a new job and beginning graduate study. In addition to her busy work schedule, she is leading a women's group at the church.
This is an exciting yet demanding time for us - new
jobs, new schools, a new church, and a new home.
Living in Los Angeles can be quite challenging, but
our strength and hope is in Jesus.
Please pray that we remain strong in the Lord during
this time. We know our unity as a couple and our
faith in general will be attacked, "the angel of the Lord encamps around those who
fear Him, and delivers them."
