Christmas has a way of slowing time…if we let it. The lights feel softer.
The mornings quieter.
The moment carries memory, gratitude, and longing all at once. This season always invites us to pause and take stock, not just of the year behind us, but of the people who walked it with us, and the grace that carried us when we didn’t know how. That’s why we wanted to do a Christmas letter from our home to yours.
So this year, instead of a polished Christmas message or a neatly wrapped reflection, we wanted to write to you the way we would write to friends. From our home to yours. From our hearts, as they are. This is A ‘Your Everyday Life’ Christmas Reflection
From Scott
This year has been one of expansion. Most in ways I didn’t expect.
There has been growth in work, in responsibility, in opportunity, and in influence. But beneath all of that, God has been doing something quieter and far more important. He’s been inviting me, inviting us, back to simplicity.
Back to presence.
Back to listening.
And back to intimacy before influence (last week’s post).
It’s tempting to measure a year by what was accomplished. The goals hit. The plans executed. The things built. That’s what I coach to! But this year, I’ve felt God gently asking a different question:
Who are you becoming while doing everything you are doing?
What I’m learning is this: what we build with God will always outlast what we try to build for Him. When intimacy leads, everything else finds its right place. When it doesn’t, even good things can become heavy (apply that to anyone and anything you do).
This year reminded me that leadership doesn’t start with answers; it starts with attention. With staying near. With not running ahead. And with letting God order the steps instead of racing toward outcomes.
Christmas Tells That Story
God didn’t announce salvation with noise or power or urgency. He came quietly. Personally. Intimately. A child. A family. A manger. Presence before platform.
That truth feels especially real to me this year.
From Carmen
This year – it was a good year, and God is good – always. I found myself praying the same prayer over and over. I don’t know why, except to say I wanted more of God, (still do) and less of me. And I want nothing more than closeness to Him.
So I prayed, “God, please root out anything in me that doesn’t serve You or me.” And God answered that prayer through this thing called life, as He often does. So much so, it made me question my sanity for even asking such a thing.
God gave Scott and me many opportunities to grow in Him. To abide and be obedient. More than anything – to trust. And He also surrounded us with His love during the “cutting” season. We have such an amazing community around us. Our church, our family, and our neighborhood. God provided and protected in all of it, and I am thankful for how God worked in and through us in the year 2025.
More than Hospitality
Hospitality has always been more than hosting for me. It’s about making space. Space where people don’t have to perform, explain, or prove anything. Space where they can simply be.
This year, God reminded me that presence itself is a gift. Not the perfectly set table. Not the plan. Nor the conversation. But the atmosphere. The safety. The peace.
There have been moments of loss this year, too. Tender ones that reshaped our days and left quiet spaces where love used to move freely. And yet, even there, God was near. Grief has a way of clarifying what matters most, and I’ve learned that love never disappears, but it leaves a shape. One that stays with you and gently teaches you how to hold gratitude alongside ache.
As Christmas approaches, I feel deeply thankful. Thankful for the people God has entrusted to our lives. Thankful for the way He shows up in ordinary moments. And thankful for a Savior who doesn’t rush us, pressure us, or stand at a distance. But a God who comes close.
Together
As we step into Christmas, our hope for you is simple.
That you would feel permission to slow down.
That you would choose connection over comparison.
And that you would prioritize intimacy…with God, with the people you love, and even with your own heart. That intimacy would be before influence, expectation, or obligation.
Whether your home feels full this season or painfully quiet…
Whether this year brought celebration or survival…
Or whether joy feels natural or hard-won…
You are Not Unseen
The same God who came quietly that first Christmas still meets us the same way – gently, personally, faithfully. Not demanding more, but offering Himself.
Thank you for reading.
Thank you for walking this space with us.
And thank you for being part of our everyday life.
From our home to yours – Merry Christmas.
With love and gratitude,
Scott & Carmen
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