Happy Valentine’s Day!
To think that absolutely NOTHING can separate us from God’s love! We are all so blessed!!
In our 2022…
We made many special memories.
We laughed a lot.
We cried.
We spent time alone.
We spent time with family and friends.
We made new friends.
We read new books.
We tried new recipes.
We exercised more.
We uncluttered, sold or gave away unneeded stuff.
We learned wonderful new things in scripture.
We saw many answers to prayer.
Best of all, the Lord and His Word faithfully met each of the needs of our hearts.
As always, we loved spending time with our children and grandchildren.
Having Nathan and Katie and our four Michigan grandchildren (Caleb 9, Grace 7, Brielle 5, Natalie 4 months) just a block away is such a blessing. Our backyard neighbor let us put a gate on the back of his fence, so now the children (and we adults, too) are just like across-the-street-neighbors since we can dart over to each other’s homes through their backyard in a flash when we want.
Andy and Chiree and our three little Colorado grandsons (Isaiah almost 5, Micah 3, Benniah 1) were able to come twice this past year, in May and in October, staying two weeks each time. So fun!! We, as well, were able to spend a month with them in Colorado in January of 2022 (and another two months this January and February).
We have been very encouraged through the ministry of Legacy Coalition - Intentional Christian Grandparenting. Through their resources and conferences, as well as their excellent speakers on their weekly zoom Grand Monday Nights, we as grandparents are given great wisdom for ways to invest in our grandchildren. (For those of you with children still at home, the absolute best parenting course we could recommend to you is through Biblical Parenting University - "Teaching a Heart-Based Approach to Parenting.")
Our grandchildren are treasures and loved beyond words. They have our hearts and also keep us in stitches!!
“Out of the Mouths of Babes”
Andy: “Isaiah, thank you for all the help you were for me today.”
Isaiah (age 4): “Daddy, it sure is a good thing God gave you three boys to help with all the work!”
(Little does Isaiah know just how much work three little boys make themselves! Ha, Ha!)
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Brielle (age 5): “Mommy, do you have a video of Adam and Eve marrying?”
Katie: “They didn’t have video cameras back then--not even in Jesus’ day.”
Brielle: “Oh, they just had phones?”
Mommy: “Not even phones.”
Brielle: “Did Eve wear a pretty dress?”
Mommy: “Nope.”
Brielle: “What did she wear?”
Katie: “Nothing.”
Brielle, looking horrified: “You mean she was naked?!”
Caleb (age 9) hearing this said: “That’s why there weren’t cameras back then!!
My 70th birthday arrived on April 9th. It’s still hard to believe I can be this age when in my mind, I feel 30!
Jennifer Smith and Bethany Davis, my dear friends from the prison ministry we worked with for several years in Arkansas and Cornerstone Transition Home, flew in for that weekend and helped make for a very special celebration with my family here in Michigan.
My sister, Michelle, was at the airport in Denver ready to fly in also as a surprise but became suddenly sick and had to cancel at the last minute. Gratefully, she recovered well and flew out in October for five days, so we celebrated then and had such a wonderful sister time together.
Some of our extended Bolliger family were able to come to visit that same weekend, so we got to also enjoy my brother-and-sister-in-law Kenny and Kathy from Missouri, my sister-in-law Connie and niece-and-nephew-in-law Kevin and Julie all from Illinois.
In celebration of all the God has done in my 70 years of life, I invited 27 friends and relatives to each write a 2-minute blog of how the Lord has worked in their life. Each writing was such a blessing to read and to share with others.
I spent the summer recovering from a meniscus tear and stress fracture of the tibia, which put me in a wheelchair for a month, followed by a walker and cane the next two months. Jimmy and I had dates several times a week at a warm water therapy pool during this time. He was such a blessing caring for me and taking care of so many household needs that I couldn’t do. (I love my man so much!!) I also ended up with yet another stress fracture on the top of my foot in December, which put me in a boot for eight weeks. I don’t know what I did to cause these fractures, so aging and osteoporosis seem to be the culprit, which has me being much more proactive in some lifestyle changes.
Jimmy always brings his tools when traveling and did some electrical tweaking at Andy and Chiree's house on our last visit there. Such a hard-working man, even at nearly 75 years old!
Jimmy spent the fall months updating an investment home we purchased in our quaint and quiet neighborhood just two streets over and behind Nathan and Katie’s house. He did such a nice job on all of it! At Christmas time we rented it to a sweet, young married couple named Caleb and Grace. Since their names match our sweet nine-and-seven-year-old grandchildren, we affectionately call our renters, Mr. Caleb and Miss Grace. He works from home and she works at Life Action/Revive Our Hearts were our Nathan works. We are grateful to have them as our renters and even more grateful to have them as our new friends.
The most special blessing of 2022 was the gift the Lord gave our family of precious Natalie Joy!
In the midst of our deep sorrow in the stillbirth of our grandson, Samuel Ethan in 2021, God was so gracious to add Natalie to our lives. She was born September 29th and is absolutely loved beyond words! The children love carrying her around, meeting her needs and giggling at the sweet faces she makes. (Because they have to take turns holding their baby sister, sometimes the baby dolls fill the arms of those waiting to hold her.)
Nathan and Katie (and all of us grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins) stand in awe with hearts full of gratefulness. Thank you, thank you, Lord for our Natalie!!
God continues to use Samuel’s short life to bring hope and the gospel to others and has opened opportunities for us as family members to help comfort those who have faced a stillborn birth. The 10-minute video of “Samuel’s Story” was aired a week before Natalie’s birth at the True Woman ’22 Conference to thousands of women in Indianapolis and simultaneously translated into several languages and broadcasted around the world. The theme of the conference was “Heaven Rules.” Watch: “Samuel’s Story: A Heaven Rules Story.” May this video bring you hope also.
Below are excerpts from the forward of Nancy DeMoss Wolgmuth's newest book, Heaven Rules.
The phrase "Heaven rules''originates in the book of Daniel Chapter 4. Nancy takes us on a journey through the Old Testament book of Daniel and points out "Heaven rules" (HR) moments along the way.
When we find ourselves in frightening circumstances, we often run to "Human Resources" (HR) to help us rather than a better plan of knowing Heaven rules (HR). You will never watch the news quite the same way again once you start to get a sense of what's going on behind those headlines, what God is doing on earth to accomplish His eternal, heavenly purposes...when Heaven is ruling!
Heaven rules means God is sovereign over everything that touches us...He is ruler over every diagnosis and prognosis, over all incomes and outcomes, over the most daunting challenges as well as the most seemingly details of our lives.
This book can be purchased at Revive Our Hearts or on Amazon. After reading it, you will definitely want to share it with others!
We had a Hallmark-looking Christmas. My niece, Rebecca Dellinger, who lives in Hawaii, flew in on Christmas Eve. We had a memorable Christmas morning breakfast at Nathan and Katie's home and a delightful time with Rebecca all week and with our little Michigan family celebrating the birth of our Savior.
“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” …the gift of Himself being born in order to die for our sins that we might have His righteousness upon our trust in Him alone. Hallelujah, what a Savior! “For He has make Him to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21).
A wonderful New Year’s challenge from a friend: “May we love God more this year!”
Trusting God daily,
Jim and Ann
P. S. Looking for a resource for your church or ministry to empower you to reach the world with the gospel? "Good News Made Clear" is an 8-week, video-based program that gives you the tools and the confidence to share the Good News. We highly recommend it!
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Bollinger siblings youngest to oldest: 
