Burnett Family

…12 years old today! Benj already started his morning with fruit loops and chocolate chip pancakes and is looking forward to a GREAT day! :) Enjoy the pictures and imagine what it would be like to be the youngest in a family of ten. =D And don’t forget to check out his “fun facts” at the end!

Playing “the violin” just like his older sisters. :)

Definitely ALL boy.

Benjamin’s Fun Facts:

What is your favorite snack? Donuts

What is one characteristic of God He has most made known to you this year? Comfort

Name five things on your happy list: Food, family, rodeo, Legos, and friends

What is one thing you are really looking forward to the most this next year? My voice changing

If you could vacation anywhere you’ve never been…for a week, where would it be? Africa

Happy 12th birthday, Benjamin!! What a joy it is to see God shaping you into a godly young man. He has great plans in store for you, and we pray that you will seek Him more than ever before this next year of your life! Love you lots, buddy. :)

LifeHouse Productions asked our family to review a couple of their new audio dramas a couple months ago! We love audio dramas and were interested to know what LifeHouse Productions would have to offer.

We found both of the stories they sent us, The Count of Monte Cristo and Hiding in Plain Sight, to be compelling and suspenseful dramatizations! Besides a few secondary actors who sounded a little unnatural at their acting, we were quite impressed with the quality of the sound effects, music, and their ability to tell a fast-paced, captivating story. If we were to compare them to Lamplighter Theatre (a 10), we would rate LifeHouse Productions as a 7!

You can listen to samples of these audio dramas, plus view their other recordings, at LifeHouse Productions.

The Count of Monte Cristo

Edmond Dantes is a newly promoted captain with a charming fiancé.  His future appears promising.  But, unknown to him, those he regards as friends are plotting a diabolical scheme to falsely accuse him of treason. 

Now, a naïve promise made to his dying mentor may cost Edmond everything.  Can he escape imprisonment and foil the plans of his evil enemies?  Breathtaking action combines with romance and comedy to bring Alexandre Dumas’ stunning classic novel to life.

Hiding in Plain Sight

An amazing true story of fugitive slaves William and Ellen Craft and their astonishing 1848 journey toward freedom. 

This suspenseful dramatization of the couple’s daring and ingenious plan to avoid detection during their dangerous escape by train and boat from Georgia to New England, and ultimately to Europe, offers a poignant and powerful look at historic events in nineteenth century America.

We definitely recommend that you check these dramas out. They would make great Christmas gifts for your siblings, your family, or friends!

LifeHouse Productions

The Christmas season is in full swing at the Burnett household! Multiple mysterious packages in the mail, baked goodies, LOTS of Christmas music, daily Christmas family devotionals, Braums eggnog :), and plenty of red toenails. ;)

Assembling our nine-foot Christmas tree! We won’t say how long it took Charity and Hannah to figure it out without Dad. :)

Some dear neighbors of ours, who we carol to every Christmas, moved to an assisted living facility this past year, so we took our caroling down to them!

Abbie has worked up some lovely violin solos to play this month.

It’s so fulfilling to reach out as Jesus would to the widows, the forgotten, and the lonely! We were just as blessed as the residents were.

 
Girls’ quintet – “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly”

Carinna worked really hard to be able to play a duet arrangement of “Silent Night” with Hannah. They are planning to perform it at least 3 times this month.

In a couple weeks, we’ll be doing our annual caroling around the neighborhood, which is always a highlight for us…not because of our singing ;), but because we have seen God use it over and over again to demonstrate His love to the individuals around us who are hurting, spiritually hungry, and hard to reach.

Look around – who does Jesus want you to reach out to this Christmas? Sometimes the best opportunities are right under your nose.

God is working in unseen ways, everywhere, ALL the time. Don’t miss the privilege He offers you of joining Him in that work!

“…because as He is, so are WE in this world.”
1 John 4:17b

Family…the most precious relationships on earth!

Our family has undergone significant changes in the last 10 years.

We don’t have “little kids” anymore. Half of us are teenagers. In about 5 months, half of us will be in our twenties. Benj is the only one left shorter than Mom. :) Deep talks into the wee hours of the morning are not unusual. When a subject is broached, opinions start flying! We can’t seem to find the balance in communication – either someone gets the memo 5 times in a row, or they miss it altogether and have no idea what’s going on. Dozens of inside family jokes keep us laughing. =D With 6 licensed drivers and 5 vehicles, somebody is always going somewhere. The idea of everyone riding in the same vehicle is nearly extinct. Common topics of conversation include job opportunities, the family schedule, places we would like to go, our country, and family changes that will most likely happen in the next 5-10 years. ;)

The change in family dynamics from the days of toddlers, high chairs, early bedtimes, and various levels of height for the family picture still surprises us sometimes. We’ll all sit down at the supper table, and Mom will exclaim, “Honey, look at all these BIG people sitting at our table!!”

Having eight young adults in the house makes for an exciting life! Life is more complicated, adventurous, dramatic, emotional, and meaningful as we grow to realize how precious these relationships are. What an amazing journey as we grow up together, witness the Lord drawing each one to Himself, and see them grab a hold of the reality of Christ, the Gospel, and Eternity for themselves!

This is a special season in our lives. The incredible opportunity lies before us TODAY to listen to each other, speak an encouraging word, ask in sincerity “how are you really doing?”, spend quality time together, and work on strengthening the weak places in our relationships. We have a long way to go in some areas. May we seize this small, priceless window of time to let God deepen our love and unity!

Every family – including yours – is jam-packed with opportunities for eternal impact as God works IN us and THROUGH us!

All that to say…we have updated our Meet the Family page! Thanks to Chad Paine for taking pictures for us while we were up at Northwoods! We’re saving our favorite to go with our annual Christmas update. :)

Now, go love the family God has given YOU!!

What is your favorite snack? Grandpa’s chex mix and eggnog – can’t wait for Christmas! :)

What is one of the characteristics of God He has most made known to you this year? I am so grateful He is the Purifier and Refiner of my heart

Name five things on your happy list. Rainy days, hearing from a good friend, drinking chai tea on a chilly morning, late night talks with my family, the night sky

What is one thing you are really looking forward to the most this next year? The exciting adventure of walking one step at a time with Christ down uncharted paths in my life

If you could vacation anywhere you’ve never been.. for a week, where would it be? Either somewhere in Europe, like England or Scotland, or a cabin in the Rocky Mountains :)

Happy 23rd Birthday, Hannah! May the Lord reveal Himself to you in deeper ways this year as you seek Him with all of your heart and soul. Your passion for Jesus and servant’s heart are such an example and inspiration to us. We love you bunches!!!