2002 Christmas Letter from the Peck Family

December 25, 2002

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Randy, Julia, Caren, & Robbie Peck wish each of you a

Merry Christmas!The LORD has blessed our family in many wonderful ways this past year. Each of us has grown a lot. Through it all, God has drawn our family closer together.

As the children become more and more independent, driving themselves to school and activities now, Julia’s days are open more for helping others benefit from exercise. Her new fitness business of “Xtrainhers” now includes group fitness exercises.
 

Julia is on board with Culpeper Parks and Rec teaching a cardio kickbox class in the evening in addition to her Tuesday night class at the Tennis Center. She has also joined Sport and Health Clubs as a personal trainer. A recent Fitness conference in Baltimore opened new doors for her as she received her latest certification to teach the ancient Chinese martial art discipline of T’ai Chi. As a result, we all move “gracefully” about the house “parting horse’s manes” and coming up with our own “fish out of water” postures. Some of Julia’s athletic accomplishments this summer include a second place finish at the Lake Anna Half Ironman event and her first team effort in the Hi Tech Adventure Series in Richmond, Virginia. Aside from “athletics”, she maintains an even keel with her “artistic” side and passion for design and graphics creating business cards and maintaining a few web sites.

ny2002_200w.jpg For most of this past year, Caren has been dating Adam Stunkle, a delightful, responsible, Christian lad who is one year older than her. Adam graduated from Culpeper High School in June 2002 and began attending a Christian college in Nashville, Tennessee in August. Caren and Adam continue dating, mostly in a long distance relationship.

Caren has grown a lot spiritually this year in her walk with Jesus. Most days she spends quiet time reading the Bible and praying. Caren began participating in a Sunday school class and a Wednesday evening Christian youth group. She has assumed an active leadership role as an FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) officer. She attended the Women of Faith Conference with Elayna Gregory in Philadelphia in Sept. In October, Caren was an angel in Heaven’s Gates & Hell’s Flames, the Christian drama that led her to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior the year before.

Caren continues to do well academically as a senior in high school and did well on her SAT’s. She has narrowed her college choice down to three. Caren helped the Culpeper varsity tennis team make it to the regional tournament for the first time in 5 years and made the second team all-district team. Caren qualified to attend the Governor’s School in Richmond Virginia for 4 weeks in July.

Robbie is now 15 and in tenth grade. He grew 8-10″ in the past year and started driving with his learner’s permit last week. Robbie was confirmed at Precious Blood Catholic Church in April. He is growing substantially in his Christian faith and readily accepts his father’s teaching. Robbie is doing well academically. He played JV soccer in the Spring and travel soccer in the Fall. He recently started playing lacrosse. Robbie enjoys hanging out with his friends and playing Everquest on the Internet, his favorite activity.

family2002_200w.jpg Ginger, our golden retriever, is now eight. She had a mishap with a car about a month ago, but has recovered fully. As a consequence of that accident, we are paying more attention to her and walking her more frequently. This has actually resulted in a better fitness level for her.

A few of the family highlights for 2002 include a family trip to New York City in mid June followed by a short vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia a week later. In late July, Randy & Robbie visited Dennis, Diane, & Andy in Olympia, Washington for a week. In early August our family took Adam and went for a week to the beach near Nagshead, North Carolina.

(Turn over to read the backside of this letter)

Randy, a servant of Jesus Christ, to my dear family members and friends,

May the peace and grace of Jesus Christ be with you and your family!

This has been my most blessed year ever. This year I have realized that LIFE IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS (fellowship), not about money, power, titles, or things. There are 3 types of relationships, outward (with other people), inward (with ourselves), and upward (with God). Relationships with other people can not be good unless our relationships with ourselves is good. Our relationships with ourselves is great only when we are spiritually right with God.

baptism_randy_200w.jpg In April I was baptized as a true believer with my daughter Caren. I did not take this decision lightly since I had been baptized as an infant in the Catholic church. I prayed and waited more than a year for the Holy Spirit to reveal to me with certainty God’s will. And God has blessed me and our family in a variety of miraculous ways for being obedient to Him.

Just as Jesus’ baptism launched his public ministry and served as an example to his followers, so my baptism did too. My public ministry began a week after my baptism when God allowed me the opportunity to preach a sermon (“Building on Jesus, Our Rock”) at Open Door Baptist Church, which was also broadcast on local Christian radio. God subsequently afforded me other opportunities to preach about other topics in other settings and other places, including a prison. I was blessed to be asked to share some wonderful memories of my Uncle Ozzie at his funeral service in June in Wisconsin. This Fall, God opened the door for me to begin teaching as a small group leader for 11th and 12th graders at Open Door Church. 

I now have a divine purpose in my life, “to glorify God in all I do”, no matter where I am or what I am doing. Just as Jesus came to serve in love, so I seek to do likewise. While I’m not perfect and never will be until I’m united with God in heaven, this is a noble goal to strive for. When people ask me what I do, I now say “I am a servant of Jesus Christ”. My next highest priorities are to be a Godly husband and father. After that comes church, extended family, and career. Just as Barnabas was a great encourager to Saint Paul and the early church in Antioch, I seek to be an encourager. 

My daily theme has become “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given unto you.” (Matthews 6:33-34). In the Spring of 2002, I committed to spend an average of two hours (< 10% of my day) in quiet time daily to pray, read the Bible, and be still and listen to God. God has blessed this sacrifice with improved family relationships, financial rewards, and blessings of fruit of the Holy Spirit, including love, joy, and peace. 

Every day for me is now CHRISTmas when I bring Christ into it by spending quality daily quiet time with God. In January 2002, I began daily prayer journaling, my best habit ever. Good habits are the key to all success. Prayer journaling has become my lead domino, something that makes everything else important in my life happen. By spending daily time meditating on God’s Word, I am filled with love and hope and my days are created anew. God has answered so many of my prayers. I realize that the greatest way I can show my love for Julia and our kids is to pray for them consistently.

I would like to share the story of a wonderful miracle about the power of forgiveness and how God can reconcile relationships we can’t. Click here after January 5, 2003 to learn more!

Career-wise, my goal for 2002 was to do 12-16 weeks of anesthesia and I did 15. God is blessing my web development business more as I take a stronger stand for Christianity. For recreation, I still like to bike and run and spend a lot of time reading.

Despite the joy I personally experience through my renewed relationship with Jesus and my family, my heart still aches each day as I pray for suffering family members and friends, for broken & failing marriages, for people with severe illnesses, for persecuted Christians and others in the world, and for lost souls. I am comforted to know God answers prayers.

Jesus loves you! He invites each person to surrender his life to Him.

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