Dear Friends,

Knowing that you are presently being deluged by holiday greetings (and end-of-year solicitations), I have decided to keep this letter mercifully brief. You hear from me every month, after all.

Mainly, I just want to thank you for caring about our motley little fellowship. Knowing that so many of you actually read these letters, and often reflect on and respond to them as well, is a genuine encouragement to me and a reassuring reminder that we are part of something bigger and better than all we see here in Walnut Hills. I often think I am the most well-supported man on earth.

If you wonder about my wife and children, they are very fine and (in my not-so-humble opinion) quite dandy. Marty continues to grow more confident, both as an artist and as a human being, and that assurance translates into beautiful paintings and all kinds of blessings for those of us fortunate enough to be in her way. Miranda spent an amazing summer doing inner-city ministry with Urban Promise in Camden, NJ before beginning her sophomore year at our beloved Eastern University. When she is on her game, I know no better people-lover. Roman drives, plays varsity football, acts in plays, works part-time at the local Kroger supermarket, and socializes on a grand scale, but none of those activities really define him. A junior at Walnut Hills High School, he has more charisma than the rest of us put together, but what he will do with it remains to be seen. Me you already know about.

I’ll get back to telling stories next month, but these are enough words from me for now.

Much love,

Bart