Dear Family and Friends:
It has been two years since I have written a family letter so I purposed to have something out for New Year’s week. We have appreciated receiving your many letters and updates and the second refrigerator in our kitchen is laden with pictures of our friends and family all over the world. These are reminders to pray for you and they also are springboards for reminiscing and telling a tale or two when our children ask about your picture. It has been a blessing to have known so many people over the years.
Frequently I am asked what in the world does our family do on a daily basis, how do we home educate seven children, what our adult daughters do in our home, and what our family ministry and vision are. The common thread in these questions seems to center upon the principle of fruitfulness.
Fruitfulness is both a command and a blessing. We are commanded by God to be fruitful in having children yet we cannot have children apart from the gracious blessing of God. In the Great Commission we are commanded to be fruitful in the spreading of the gospel and baptizing those who come to faith in Jesus Christ, yet we cannot bring them to faith apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.
This principle is also seen in my family. As Hope and I labor as parents, we attempt to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, desiring to pass on to them a godly heritage and equip them to fulfill the purpose God has given to them … yet we are frail vessels for this task. Any success we have is not due to our efforts, but is due to the gracious power of God, for which we are grateful. As our family grows in fruitfulness, our vision for godly generations to come is put forth, and our lives do not merely have meaning for today, but for many days to come. Psalm 78:1-8
2006 has been a year where we have seen the ever-present hand of God in our lives. In 2005 we had specifically prayed that God would bring us to a greater knowledge of Himself, that we would love the scriptures more each day, and that we would be willing to put our faith into practice in the midst of a culture and a land that has forgotten God and His commandments. The year 2006 was full of answers to prayer as God took us through many situations and impressed upon us the non-negotiable daily disciplines of family worship and family discipleship.
Among the many joys of serving Christ is having a full quiver here at our house. Here are some thoughts on the special blessings that live at our house.
Kimberly Joy is our youngest, a few days shy of three, and the delight of our home. Her favorite place to be is outdoors and she is known for a “palm tree” hairstyle which she insists is the way to go. Bursting with new words, phrases, and sentences, she is keeping up with Abigail’s phonics lessons and calling out letters on buildings and signs. Of particular interest to her are our creation science books on dinosaurs. This photo was taken in the Hill Country during our spring camping trip. Kimmy is our family fulfillment of Psalm 128:3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
At four years old, Abigail Jane lives up to her name of being her father’s joy. Enthusiasm is her name of the game. The highlight of her year was filming a news story this past November at the Grand Canyon and having it posted on Everyday News Network. If you would like to see her in action, click here. Here she is fishing in Beavers Bend located in Southeast Oklahoma during our fall camping trip. Although the river was stocked the week we were there, we only had a small catch, and the cost of the fish compared to the cost of the fishing licenses for our family made the trout come out at $82 per pound … a little more than the local supermarket. Abigail’s joy and enthusiasm for life reminds us of many psalms. Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Next is Annie Hope, now seven years old who loves being with her mother every moment of each day. She oversees the paper doll activities in our home and loves school, especially making her ancient history timeline. This past year she enjoyed attending the children’s symphony twice with her siblings. Annie helped harvest our first crop of grapes which were sweet, juicy and crisp, beating any other grapes we had ever eaten. After 24 years of being in a box, mommy’s wedding dress was taken out and the girls took turns trying it on. Here is Annie enjoying that moment. Hope enjoys hearing Annie call her “mother” and say “yes, ma’am” so she often demonstrates Romans 10:12 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.
Emily Louise is soon to be ten. She is a big help to her mother in many areas of homemaking and is an avid reader. One of the highlights of her year was going to Vision Forum’s Father-Daughter Retreat with me. Here she is among the beautiful azaleas at Callaway Gardens in Georgia with her favorite doll. More pictures of the retreat can be found here. Currently Emily is building a Victorian dollhouse with me and we are just about to paint the exterior. Emily demonstrates diligence and carefulness in her school work, her Bible memory, and her chores. She is a good example of II Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge.
Matthew James is now eleven. He is my personal assistant on the days I am at home. He is becoming the resident computer expert with his interest in programming, but still finds time for rock collecting, exploring, catching bugs, and spending time in his tree house. He also enjoys shooting his BB gun, playing with our boxer, whittling, building models, firing his potato cannon, and leather tooling. He particularly enjoyed the daddy-long leg spiders while camping in Beavers Bend, Oklahoma. Matthew recently memorized David’s charge to his son Solomon and has set it as his life goal. I Kings 2:2-3 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man; And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
Kathy Lynelle is eighteen and we graduated her from high school at the remote Polly’s Chapel in Bandera,
Karen Elizabeth is twenty (my, have the years flown!). She is our resident historian, hymnologist, musician, and artist, adding pastels to her increasing art repertoire. Hope and Karen are duet partners and keep our grand piano and electric keyboard in business. Soon she will be taking on private piano students. She continues to develop these skills in addition to teaching her younger siblings math, Latin, and creative writing (and yes, she also cooks and sews!). This year Karen rehabilitated our parakeet who fell victim to our cat and was badly injured. Karen helps with weekly fellowship meal preparation, and preparing hospitality in our home. She also happens to be our pie expert … apple, pumpkin, blueberry, you name it! Karen’s lively interest in the relation between science and history along with biblical worldview studies and music history keep us on our toes and we appreciate her desire to put her mind under the Word of God. How thankful we are for her. Her recent acquisition of a Geneva Bible, which has not been in print since 1599, was a thrill. She desires to obey Colossians 3:16,17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Next is my bride of twenty-four years, Hope. I so much appreciate her desire to be a godly, faithful, contented wife. In additional to managing a large household of active children, she also teaches each one fulltime and loves them dearly. The highlight of her year was the sacrificial gift of handchimes given to our family by wonderful Christian friends. She enjoys musical pursuits with our family…. working with the chimes, teaching choral part-singing to our children, discovering musical recordings that reflect God’s glory, and playing an occasional piano duet with me at church or family gatherings. She appreciated the opportunity to write the May mother’s column for our friends’ website on the topic of how to have a musical home (Click here to read). This year she excelled at the job of travel agent, having planned three family vacations (Hill Country, Beavers Bend, Tucson & The Grand Canyon), the last two of those on the spur of the moment. The last one was incredible…. nine people, nine days, and clothing and food to fit three different climates, all organized in 48 hours. Most important to me, however, is that she is a proficient and delightful helper to me in the tasks which God has given me to do. Proverbs 31:28-29: Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
I continue to work for Thomson as a manager of a software quality assurance group. This year I have been privileged and blessed to have been appointed an elder in the local assembly I attend. This has been a challenge for our family as we seek to minister to others and I daily pray for wisdom at each bend of the road. My heart’s desire is to see this church be firmly planted in its belief and practice and then multiply in our area. My co-elder is a careful man of the Word who puts much thought into things and a blessing to work with. It has been a joy to be with the families of this church, and in particular to hear the fervent prayers of the men who desire to be godly husbands and fathers and carry their family vision into the world. Watching the Great Commission established in these homes is a privilege. Its multiplicity is sure to impact our culture. One of the highlights of my year was the privilege to deliver the sermon at the memorial service for the home-going of my ninety-nine year old grandmother. This was a moving experience as we sought to honor this godly woman who lived her entire life to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. How thankful I am for her. This picture was taken with my three oldest daughters at Callaway Gardens in Georgia. The girls sewed historical gowns from the Regency era for this event.
That about wraps it up here. It ended up being a bit long, but two years multiplied by nine people is hard to compact. I trust the Lord will richly bless you this year. Let us know how we can pray for you. We appreciate your prayers for us as we face challenges daily.
For the Spangler family,
James
My dear wife and children at the Beavers Bend covered bridge. May they be the bridge to another generationwho put their faith and hope in Jesus Christ and persevere in service to Him. Praise to our wonderful Saviour!
