Merry Christmas from Our Home to Yours

This is our 2006 Christmas card & year in review:



Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas to you all! This past year has included so much change and transition for our new family. After our wedding on January 7, which we were so delighted to share with many of you, we moved to Louisville, Kentucky for Kevin to pursue a masters degree at Southern Seminary. His degree is tailored toward international church planting, and our hope is to be able to move overseas for a two-year term in 2008. He has now finished two semesters and is enjoying his class work and the professors tremendously. Kevin also works part-time at a fondue restaurant called the Melting Pot. I am currently working as a legal assistant at a personal injury law firm. This is by far the most interesting job I've ever had, and between Kevin's job and my own, we have plenty of interesting stories to share at the dinner table.

Outside of work and school, we are so blessed to be a part of a wonderful church home at Clifton Baptist Church. Our church is so faithful to the exposition to the Scriptures, and we are thankful for the teaching we receive each week. This group of people has quickly become our second family, and the relationships we have built here have made our transition away from home much easier. Our pastor and his family were even gracious enough to invite us to share Thanksgiving with them!

2006 has been the year of weddings for both the Peek and the Corbin families. Besides our own wedding to kick off the year, Kevin's sister Shannon was married in May and my brother Mark was married in October. We were thankful to be able to join our families in Texas for these two celebrations. Kevin's twin brother Chris will be married on December 16, so we will be headed up to Spokane, Washington very soon. Now that all the family weddings are over and done with, our families will have to come up with another excuse to get together.

We do hope that you have a God-centered, Christ-exalting Christmas. How amazing it is that the fullness of God was actually born into earth as the little baby Jesus so that He could grow up to take the punishment that we deserve for our sin and failure to love God rightly! May we delight in God’s heart for Himself and for us as the true heart of Christmas! We love you and are thankful for you!

Though He was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ~Philippians 2:6-11

Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Peek

Our family has grown yet again! We headed up to the great northwest last Thursday to enjoy the beauty of marriage between Mr. Christopher Peek and Ms. Sarah Comfort. We woke up bright and early to catch our 7 AM flight to Spokane, Washington where we spent the day helping out with last minute preparations for the wedding. Chris & Sarah truly have a wonderful community & group of friends, with whom Kevin & I both had a wonderful time hanging out and getting to know. There were so many opportunities to serve Chris & Sarah that day and the next, and many of my prayers were answered as the Lord continued to give me a heart to be observant for needs that I could meet and ways I could serve. My dear husband was such a servant as well, and it made me proud to be his wife to watch him help his brother in so many ways. With the three hour time change though, the day seemed forever long but a blessing nonetheless.

Friday the rest of the family arrived, and it was rehearsal and rehearsal dinner extravaganza. Chris & Sarah even carved an evening out of their wedding weekend for our family Christmas celebration at our hotel. We didn't have mom's cinnamon rolls or Settlers of Catan, but apparently our festivities were festive enough and a little bit too loud for the other hotel guests, as we were interrupted by the late-night security guard.

Saturday was the big day! Our dear friend Matthew Savage performed the marriage ceremony, and, unlike other Peek weddings of the past, he successfully invited the audience to be seated as the ceremony began. I was most encouraged by Chris & Sarah's intentionality to put Christ at the center of their wedding. Their vows were thoughtfully written to detail their loyalty to their God-given roles to one another as head and helpmate. Sarah couldn't help but to put a quirky twist at the end of her vows to Chris: "And I'm so darn excited to be your wife!"

Chris & Sarah had asked Kevin & I to be their escorts from the wedding chapel to the hotel. This proved to be lots of fun even after we dropped them off at the hotel. The car we were driving still had the JUST MARRIED sign on it, so we continued to receive honks and waves. Who was I to crush the enthusiasm of our excited bypassers? So of course I waved and grinned and carried on just like a giddy new bride would do!

We were truly glad to be a part of this joyful weekend. May Christ continued to be glorified in your new home, Mr. & Mrs. Peek! We love you both!

Work Perks & U of L Basketball

So one of the bonuses of my job is the perks that our partners give us. As if it weren't entertaining enough to spend day in and day out at the office, our partners bought season tickets for the office to the University of Louisville basketball games. They told us the seats were pretty good but I had no idea that this is where we'd be sitting:















Every person in the office gets to go to two games. My sweet friend Helen McDonald (another Aggie grad!) went with me to this particular game, as my poor husband had to work. We had such a fun time, except the view made it a little difficult to follow the game:

Post Offices & Passports

So I talked to my sweet mother last night. She was telling me about her day, which included a visit to post office. Very nonchalantly, mama added the she picked up an application for a passport. I asked her she was planning on going, though I just assumed she and daddy were planning a trip to Europe over Christmas break (which would be a shock in itself). "Well, of course," she said. "It's for when I go visit you when you move overseas." Even though we're not going to be leaving for at least another year and a half, I was so blessed that my mom would think ahead so naturally. So thanks for loving me so specifically, mama!

I can go ahead an update everyone on our Thanksgiving holiday as well. Since we were so far from home, our pastor and his family invited us to join them. They really are a neat family, and it was such a pleasure to get to be a part of their traditions. Plus the weather recently has been just like Texas (but it's supposed to snow tomorrow). Though Kevin missed his mama's cinnamon rolls and Shannon's dog show, our first Thanksgiving away from home was quite enjoyable.

Kevin has survived his second full semester of school. He finished his last two finals today. I am so proud of my studious husband. When I watch how hard he works at school, I am reminded of how he is striving to move our family forward into the next phase of life.

So that's an update on our crazy KY life!

A New Corbin

No, no one is pregnant. My brother is married! After a long wait, Mark took Ms. Valerie Taylor as his bride on October 28. My parents were gracious enough to help us pay for plane tickets so we could join in the festivites. I had high hopes of taking plenty of pictures to show all of Blog world but alas my camera remained dormant for most of the weekend. Here are some of the highlights of our time in Tejas:

* My family. I enjoyed them in ways I'm not sure I ever have before.
* Wearing flip flops. It's cold here; it's not there--as simple as that!
* Straight hair. The bride's mother took all the bridesmaids to get our hair done for the wedding. All the straight hair girls had curls put in; the lone curly hair girl made new friends with the Chi. Kevin is still talking about how much he loved it.
* Having to call the paramedicas when my aunt passed out at the rehearsal dinner. (Maybe not a favorite memory but a memorable one for sure. She ended up being fine).
* Meeting Baby Gentry for the first time. His mohawk is just as amazing in person as it is in pictures.
* Getting to spend time with my good friends, Amber & Sally. They're just so great. Here's a picture of us, all grown up with husbands, homes, and babies:

Farsi Lessons & A Forward Focus

BECAUSE EVERYTHING SOUNDS BETTER ALLITERATED...

The reason we're here, as I'm sure most of you know, is to become better prepared to take the gospel of Jesus to places that have not heard the sweetness of being saved by grace through faith in Christ's accomplished work on our behalf. One of the greatest fears that we experienced in our transition from mild-mannered Texans to Louisvillian seminarians was (and still is) that we would lose heart, that we would start our degree program with zeal and gusto to plant our lives overseas and then become distracted and comfortable, forgetting what brought us here in the first place. Distracted by other options for ministry and comfortable with the American life and all the luxuries that it would afford us. It's an easy thing to do, especially when my boss spent the latter part of a working day this week showing me magazine pictures of the airplanes he's aspiring to purchase. Not saying that I want to buy a plane, but a dish washer would be nice.

But more than likely, the only dish washer I'll have are these two that are attached to the ends of my arms. That's just the way life is in the places where we want to go. So why do we want to go there? Well, the answer is easy enough. Jesus is worth it, and He deserves to be praised by every tongue, tribe, and nation. Remembering that on a daily basis, on the other hand (yes, the dish-washing ones), is another battle in itself. So here are some of our thoughts and practices that the Lord has given us that help us to be steadfast in our calling overseas.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDS

We wish you all could meet Mory. He would introduce himself as Mory but I would introduce introduce him to you as Morteza, insisting that his Iranian name is not too difficult for us Americans to pronounce. Morteza is about the same age as my father and moved to Louisville for Tehran, Iran about a month ago. He shares an apartment with his son, who lives here and works two jobs at restaurants downtown. Morteza spends his time attending every English class he can possibly attend, and, though he is Muslim, he visits churches in the area(including ours), probably to practice English as well. When Kevin & I invited him to join us for dinner this week, he insisted that in exchange for the meal, he would begin to teach us Farsi, the native language in Iran. We only got to numbers 1-10 but the entirely different numeric script, let alone alphabet, proved to me that numbers are not the universal language and was enough to occupy lesson one (or lesson yek as you'd say in Farsi). Please pray for our time with Morteza that as our relationship develops, we would be able to share with him more about who Jesus is.

A MISSIONS-MINDED CHURCH

I listened to a sermon once in college from a Desiring God pastor's conference. It was by a man named Philemon Yong (yes, it does in fact read like the cut of meat) and he was a native Cameroonian missionary. His sermon was called "Building Firm Foundations: Why Theological Education is Important to Missions," and his accurate assessment of mission work along with his humor won me over as a fan immediately. So how shocked was I when I found out that he and his family attended our church here in Louisville when he was studying at Southern. And how even more shocked was I when our pastor's sweet wife called me this week to ask if we wanted to come to her house Friday evening for dessert with Philemon and others from our church! Needless to say, I was a bit star-struck as he shared about his life & work in Cameroon. We are so thankful to be a part of a church that thinks, speaks, and prays about missions from the pulpit all the way to the pastor's living room.

INTENTIONAL HOMEMAKING

Even if we were going to stay in American, you probably still would not have found fancy china on my wedding registry. But you definitely wouldn't (and didn't) find it, considering the fact that it's just not practical to wrap up all those delicate plates and gravy boats and ship them half way across the world where no one even knows what a gravy boat is to begin with. We try to keep our life simple here in order to prepare for a simple life there. Also, I tried to decorate our home in such a way that it reminds us of the things we value. Above Kevin's desk in his study hangs a collage I made him of faces from across the globe: a sweet grandmother from Kazakhstan, a stunning woman from Western China, a little Somalian girl with an umbrella beneath an arching rainbow, and three Afghan men who could possibly resemble the three magi from Jesus' birth. On the opposite wall hangs a big world map (which is disappointingly ethnocentric with America smack in the center). My intent is to create within the walls of our home a picture of what exists beyond the walls of our home. A reminder within a refuge.

I realize this has been a much longer post than we're all used to. And with no pictures too! Congratulations for reading it this far. Please take some time to comment with thoughts or ideas as to how Christians, both those called to go and those called to stay, can continue to be globally minded individuals with an eye and a heart set on God's work around the world.

Fall in KY=Falling temperatures

So it's been coming. They've warned me. Who is they? They being my native Louisvillian co-workers who have braved this season time and time again. They being my fall-happy husband who gets giddy at the sound of a leaf making the final downward journey to its sidewalk grave. They being the tell-tale temperatures that pop up on my desktop to remind me of just one thing: my warmth has ended. I thought my perfect solution would be to just ignore them and pretend that they were all just horribly mistaken about what really happens during the month of October--or at least just deluded like the rest of us Texans are back home.

So when I walked out the door for work this morning and was welcomed by almost freezing temperatures (yes, it's only almost freezing), only one thought ran through my mind: you know, this isn't that bad. Call it premature naivete but maybe, just maybe, I'll survive this season. But if they have to take me away in a bodybag due to my untimely demise from frostbite, just make sure I have warm socks on, ok?

Our Belated Summer Vacation

I'm beginning to learn that the day-in, day-out worker world can be quite exhausting. Definitely not like college--no mid-afternoon naps, no sleeping in after an all-nighter, no four-hour-long study sessions at Sweet Eugenes which just turn into chat time. And the other horrendous thing missing: vacation. So while my perennial student of a husband got a summer vacation, my normal routine rolled through the months once marked by leisurely bliss.

But we finally did get to take a little vacation to Indianapolis near the end of September. Kevin booked us a room at the Hyatt, and we spent our weekend tramping all around downtown Indianapolis. The simplicity of our life was definitely highlighted when we talked about the things we were most looking forward to with our vacation: a bed bigger than a full (a king at that!) and being able to flip channels between college football games (no TV in our humble homestead). We had a blast and the Lord refreshed us with sweet time together and a break from the normal weekend routine. Here are some pictures from our little adventure:

A Bassett in the Bassinet

Just a quick word to update Blog world that Baby Bassett has arrived! Elizabeth Grace Bassett was born to our dear friends Justin & Angela today. I think that about wraps it up for all our expecting friends, so there won't be any more baby news for a while. I'll post pictures of Elizabeth Grace as soon as I get some but until then click here for pictures of pregnant Ang. Congrats to the new Mommy & Daddy!

Emerging from Blog Hermitage

My eyes have grow accustomed to the darkness here inside my Blog cave. So I'll sheild them from the blinding, sunny rays of connectedness as I step out from Blog isolation and boldly shout, "This Blog is not dead!" When you've been AWOL for so long, it has to take some earth-shattering events to shake you from your stupor. Good thing that there's been some fun & exciting things in Peek life:

ANOTHER MRS. PEEK

















No, Kevin is not becoming a polygamist. Christopher is engaged!!! He proposed last Friday to sweet Miss Sarah Comfort of Spokane, Washington. Their wedding is set for December 16, 2006. The Northwest in the winter! We are so excited to welcome her into our family and are looking forward to the Lord knitting our lives and hopefully our pathes in the future. Click here to see their blog.

NEW LITTLE PEOPLE








JACOB LANE GERLT born September 3, 2006 to Chad & Erin Gerlt. Chad & Erin are sweet friends of our who opened their home to me when Kevin & I were engaged. Their kiddos, Max & Anna Kate, were in our wedding.

















ELIJAH HUDSON GENTRY born September 7, 2006 to Logan & Amber Gentry. Amber has been one of my all-time best friends since 6th grade. Luckily, her 6th grade fantasies of naming her children attrocious things like Denim and Lace did not come true with this little guy. I get to meet him when we go to Tejas for my brother's wedding in October but that just doesn't seem soon enough!

MY HUSBAND, OLD & BUSTED

Kevin's birthday was yesterday. It's an unfortunate day to have a birthday but he had claims on it first before it was Patriot Day, in my opinion. The only downfall to his birthday (beside the anniversary which it shares) is that he has been sick for nearly a week now. I had planned a fun surprise evening for us last night where I whisked him away from work to take him out to a fancy dinner. What ended up happening though was taking him home, feeding him noodles & chicken, and petting his sweet, sickly head.

Such is life in the Peek household. And such it will carry on, with a new promise not to return to Blog cave!

The lone reed, the lone toothbrush

Kevin has a blue toothbrush. I have a red one. Same brand, same type. Not because we were trying to be cute and matchy but because they cost $.98 at Wal-mart. I've gotten pretty used to out Bobsy twin toothbrushes until last night. The red one was the only one occupying its home. The lone toothbrush. And that can only mean one thing...my husband is gone.

Alas, after six months of my bed buddy, he's left me alone for five whole days to venture back to Texas for our friend Jamie's wedding. I dropped him off at the Greyhound station at midnight last night for a 17 hour bus ride to Dallas. He took the bus so he could drive the newly weds' car back up here for them, seeing that their new home is here in the great state of KY. His next five days will be an adventure that will most definitely be blog-worthy.

In the meantime, here I am holding down the homestead. I am glad that he got to go. And I am glad that he took his toothbrush!

Seneca Summers & Silent Sin

It's not Texas heat but it sure is getting hot here. Case in point: the park I like to run at is called Seneca Park, a quaint little place with a 1.2 mile loop around tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, and a playground. There's lots of people watching to be done to keep me entertained during my laps. I went out yesterday to run, and it was near deserted. "How wonderful!" I thought. "The whole park to myself!" It turns out that there is a great lesson to be learned when the park is deserted: go home or melt. So after I near sweated myself to death, I had to cut a half mile off my run so I could live to tell about it.

So what does all of this have to do with sin? Our sermon at church this morning was about the freedom of confessed sin, and the primary text was Psalm 32:

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away...my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin...Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. ~Psalm 32:1-2,4-5,10

Sin, simply speaking, is anything done (whether in word, deed, or thought) that counteracts the supremacy of God. Its aim is the promotion & pleasure of self. The question is not whether or not we sin at all but what we do in response to it. The ways we re-name sin in order to justify it are innumerable: "How was I supposed to act any other way? He deserved it!" or "I have a short temper. It's just the way I am." or "I'm a good person overall. No one is perfect." Yet these are mere excuses that keep us from dealing with the reality of sin in our lives and the ramifications it has on our standing before God. Sin separates us from the Lord, and, as we were created to commune with Him, it is draining to our souls. Just as the length of my run was limited by intense summer heat, the depth and enjoyment people can experience of God is limited when sin is cherished in our lives.

Sin can only be dealt with and confessed within the context of the Gospel. This is where hope truly lies. Out of His justice, God dealt with our sin by expending the wrathful punishment that we deserve. Only Jesus took it in our place and now serves as the cover for our own sin before God. Upon belief in Jesus' payment of our penalty, no longer do we have to hide sin with excuses and justification but we're able to confess and repent. When sin is uncovered through confession, it is covered through Christ. What freedom!

Shall we choose the sorrow that includes an inability to face our shortcomings and the pressure to morally perform before God? Or shall we rejoice in the Gospel of Jesus which allows us to be honest and free within the death of Christ on our behalf? Let's glory in the Gospel by glorying in open and free confession of sin.

Texas, Kentucky (and other random randomness)

Yes, there is such a place as Texas, Kentucky. It's right outside of the thriving metropolis of Springfield, Kentucky. And for all of you who don't know Kentucky geography (you can count me in that crowd as well), all you need to do to get there is head south from Louisville, pass about three bourbon distilleries (Kentucky is the only state that makes bourbon you know), wind through the majestic wonder that is Bernheim forest, up a hill and down a hill, and there you are...Texas, Kentucky! My sweet friend Allie and I took a little roadtrip this past Saturday, and I wanted you all to see some of the things there are to see in the great state of KY:


It's official! John Piper has retired and Kyle Claunch is the new man of Bethlehem! Well, not really. Our friend Kyle took a pastor position at this country church, and Allie and I were helping him and his family move. That's where all the roadtrip adventures began...


What makes a roadtrip more complete than a worm farm? What more can you really say?
















Our last stop in the wanderings of Randomland...Rooster Run, Kentucky, where the roosters stand a mile high.

So there ya have it, Blogworld. The sights and sounds of backwoods Kentucky. Come on down for a random good time!

Our 4th of July

I realized on Tuesday that this was my first Independence Day to actually spend in America for the past three summers. Though this year was quite different than last year's watermelon seed spitting contest with Chinese college students as my only competitors, it was still a relaxing day. Here are the highlights of our day:

We spend the evening with our new neighbors and friends, Blake and Alicia White (also known as the Whites from "A Peek at the White Butts" weekend). Alicia prepared a most excellent meal for us, along with the most patriotic dessert of all:

FLAG CAKE!!! Then we went down to the waterfront (we do live right on the Ohio River you know) and watched fireworks.

An amateur picture, I know, but you get the point. We hope you all had a good holiday as well!

Only one day late!

To Anna Kate
Who we think is great
And today (er...yesterday) she's half way to eight!

Our favorite memories of sweet Kate:

I got to spend four months with Anna Kate as my wee little roommate when the Gerlts opened their home to me. Our rooms shared a wall, and since she is such a night owl, I could always hear her singing herself to sleep at night. Whether hymns or songs from Mary Pops or Annie, it always made me smile.

I have never seen Kevin melt over a little girl the way he does over Kate!

By far the best flowergirl anyone could ask for! She's working on professional status here with her second appearance at Jamie's wedding in just 21 days!
We spent so much time trying to teach Kate how to drop her flowers as she went down the aisle. It was too bad we never practiced with a real basket& flowers because when her debut came, she did just as we had taught her: she smiled big and pretty, walked slowly, reached into her basket one hand at a time...and never dropped a petal. Oh well! Maybe she'll get it right for you, Jamie!







HAPPY BIRTHDAY! WE LOVE YOU!

A Peek at the White Butts

We have new neighbors (the Whites). And we had houseguest number two (Jamie soon-to-be Butts). Put them all together and whattya get? A Friday night o' fun with a Peek at the White Butts! Our new neighbors, Blake and Alicia, moved into our apartment stairwell and live about six steps away from our door. They were just recently married at the beginning of the month and then moved to Louisville. Since Blake & Kevin had known each other back in Texas, we were thrilled to find out that they were going to be our neighbors. Our sweet friend Jamie and her fiance Dustin came through just about the same time that the Whites moved in for Jamie to interview for a job before they get married and move up here in July. We really did share some very sweet fellowship that was both encouraging and refreshing.

So here's the great mystery that I pose to you, Blogworld: What is the deal with us Texans getting hitched and planting roots in the great state of KY? If anyone has a clue, please enlighten me.

"Let the little children come to Me."

We just finished up Vacation Bible School at our most wonderful church. And what an adventure it was! I was a teaching assistant in the pre-K class, and Kevin helped out with the Scripture memory team. Here are some of the highlights:

* The little twin girls in my class.
* Having to stop another one of my girls from licking her shoe. Gross.
* My first felt-board Bible story experience.
* Getting to know more people in the church and watch their families operate.

Just as everything was coming to a close on Friday, I came across this verse in my morning time in the Word:

Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow... ~2 Samuel 1:17-18

The context surrounding this verse is that King Saul and his son have just been killed in battle, and David sees the necessity to convey this news not only to the other Israelites but to the children. The means through which he does this is through song. The song, found in verses 19-27, not only delivers news of what has happened but imparts a world view of who God is in the lives of those men. Most importantly, David is teaching the children how to view God.

Maybe the children of Judah were a little bit like our kiddos this past week. True, there was no giant castle and probably no puppets or candy galore but, nevertheless, a group of malleable hearts and minds receiving a proper view of the character of God through a simple song. So everyday (well, actually about six times a day!) when we sang about Jesus being our light, God being strong & mighty, and even that God made our ears and toes, we weren't just entertaining them for an evening but planting seeds of truth that will hopefully grow into a comprehension and appreciation of the fullness of the Gospel.

Billingsgate

It's 8:30 in the morning. I'm sitting down at my desk, ready to start yet another worker day. For most of my co-workers and for corporate America as a whole, the catalyst of the morning, the shot that sets us all off from the starting blocks, is that bitter salve that makes the scales of sleepiness fall from our eyes: coffee. But me? Nah. The jolt that starts my morning is of a bit different breed: Word Of The Day. Yes, I'm the nerd in the office who, with eager anticipation every morning, checks her email and then strives to improve everyone else's vocabulary appreciation.

So how appropriate that I would find this word the other day:

billingsgate-Coarsely abusive, foul, or profane language.

It's only appropriate because that word largely categorizes my job. Most of our clients have not made very wise financial decisions for the majority of their lives and thus the law suit that we're handling for them might mean their next month's rent. So if things aren't settled yet or if their check isn't ready...billingsgate.

The Lord has taught me a lot the past three months that I've been here about how to respond to such situations. Option 1: rant & fume about how much better treatment I deserve or make a joke out of their lives & situation. Option 2: let my response flow from a god-centered perspective. The first thing that I have to remember is that our clients are created in the image of God. This is the basis of their inherent value, so the way I respond to them is in fact how I'm responding to God Himself. Different backgrounds, different education, different lifestyles but really what makes me any different? It's just grace that has been extended to me, apart from any merit of my own.

When the Lord causes me to be thankful for grace in my life and prayerful for God's movement in clients' lives, my responses, in both attitude and action, are much more compassionate & gentle and are much more glorifying to the Lord. It's just another way that I get to work for the glory of God here in downtown Louisville, even amidst the billingsgate.

Happy of happies!

'Twas this day in ninety-nine
When all gathered for one good time
To watch Chad & Erin become one flesh
As all around wished them the best.

So to commemorate this special day
A simple poem that will say
Of all the people who have lives
That you have touched as husband and wife.

The most obvious and grand
Those children who cling to your hand.
You build a home with foundation strong
And teach them to whom their lives belong.
The gentle voice of Anna Kate
As Max's hands fly place to place
Plus voices who are still today
Of Jacob Lane and Riley May
All form words of thanks and praise
From the little ones you raise.

Even though the foundation stinks
And dishes sometimes pile up in the sink,
Despite its imperfections still
the doors of your home open at will.
For a night or a week or a month or five
You invite us in to share your lives.

In all these things its beauty lies
the heart of you home: Jesus Christ.

Happy anniversary Chad & Erin! We love you and count our lives richer in knowing you.

Some new thinkings...

"Thinkings" is a word that circulates around the Peek home quite often. It replaces those generic words like "thoughts" and "conclusions." Please don't feel pressured to remind us that it's not a real word. Don't worry--we don't use it in public and we try our very best to keep it out of Kevin's papers. But nonetheless, "thinkings" is our word and we like it.

Now that I've explained our vernacular, I can go ahead and get to the point of this little Blog. I've been perusing our Blog postings of late and realized they're a bit lopsided. It is true that we run 5Ks and go on hikes and try to get to Wal-mart and end up in Indiana (that only happened once--I promise!). But what is more true is that we want to be a family who strives for deeper things than just events and fun activities. And we want you, O faithful patrons of Blog-world, to be a part of that pursuit, to walk along side of us as we learn, struggle, and grow more into the likeness of Christ. In an effort to make our Blog more reflective of who we are and who we want to be, be prepared to find some deeper "thinkings" popping up in the near future. We'd love to have you along!

The Great Hiking Adventure of '06

So we've found a new hobby. Some people like swimming, some people like shopping, some people like spelling (as Mrs. Julie Stone has so kindly pointed out!)...but we've found out that we like hiking. We headed out to Jefferson Memorial Forest about a half an hour or so away from Louisville and spent the better part of our Memorial Day tromping around in the woods. We came away with no ticks, no poison ivy, and a lot of good conversation and fun.

This is my sweet friend Allie, whom I met at church. Allie has been such a blessing to me, always offering an encouraging word and a listening ear. I am so thankful for her and am glad she got to spend the day with us.

Happy birthday bro!

Today is my dearest brother's birthday. He turns 27 today--what an old man! One of my favorite childhood memories with Mark has to do with our birthdays. Though he is four years older than me, my birthday still falls at the beginning of May. It drove him crazy to know that even though he was the big brother, little sister still had her birthday first. So here's to another flip-flopped birthday! I love you, dear brother!


Our first day of school together!

My very first drink on my 21st birthday with Mark.

Me & Mark at Central Park last February. He works in Manhattan so it's always a treat to visit him in his stomping ground.

My sweet brother flew down for my graduation from A&M last May.

Mark giving away his baby sister.

Mama & her boy.

My sister-in-law, Valerie. It's a good thing that Mark caught the garter since their wedding is coming up in October!

Thoughts on the Da Vinci Code

Let's all welcome my husband to the blogging world. It's his first post!!!!!

The "Da Vinci Code" movie comes out today and deserves some form of response for my part. Becky & I both read the book since we've been here and did find it to be an intriguing and entertaining novel. This engaging best seller has now made it from the book stands to the movie screen. It is likely to be somewhat popular as it is directed by Ron Howard and staring Tom Hanks. The book has certainly made a stir among many evangelical and historical groups in these past couple of years. As I feel many of you have already gotten some form of overview of DVC's historical and biblical errors that are likely to be displayed in the movie, I will try to be brief. For those who have not be made aware of misrepresentations in DVC, then I will point you to some articles that display where Dan Brown errs. Aside from this, I wish only to say a couple of things as they refer to spiritual matters.

First, is saddens me to know that many of DVC readers blindly accept the book (or the movie as of today) as fact. Brown writes a wonderfully engaging fiction novel, but that is all it will ever be. Our society widely accepts DVC with open arms, like a long lost relative who after a painstaking journey has finally made it home. Many take in the DVC as an answer to the Jesus, despite historical and theological errors found within the book. Many seem to be jumping on the DVC bandwagon with enthusiasfervorrver, smiling as they are now headed in the right direction with regards to the church, Christians, and more importantly Jesus.

Secondly, Jesus is far greater than the Jesus portrayed by Brown. The good news of Jesus according to the DVC boils down to nothing more than lies laid down to promulgate the authority of the Catholic Church. However, as we read the earliest narrative documents of Jesus's life and teachings (also known as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we are left with a completely different understanding. Jesus was more than an amazing leader or great teacher. He was the greatest representative and substitute for men who have fallen infinitely beneath the standard of a perfect and righteous God. God, who is perfect and right, will not discard justice and thus he must punish every person who has acted in opposition to his standard. Those who believe and follow Jesus will have him as a representative and substitute before God. Jesus will substitute for their punishment and we will receive his righteousness and upright virtue. This is an awesome, wonderful, and biblical view of Jesus and sharply contrasts the DVC Jesus paraded around the best seller list and the "big screen."

To all my readers. I believe that you are likely to fall into several categories. There are those who disagree with the DVC portrayal of Jesus and historical events. You will likely read the book or see the movie and be able to identify inaccuracies without evidential support of their error. There will be some of you who, upon exposure to the plot, will be intrigued by the beauty of how it all fits together. You will hear the same remarks and think that BrownÂ’s suggestions could be possible and be content with that, but you won't really be any more educated than the other side. My suggestion is that it might be worth the time to go do a little research: go read the four gospels, find out the background to Jesus and the early church. Whether you believe them or not, let's make efforts to be educated and thoughtful in the contruction of our worldview.

www.bethinking.org
www.mbts.edu/Resources/worshop_davincicode.htm
Books for knowledge of Church history-Story of Christianity, Gonzalez, History of the Church in the Middle Ages, Logan.

Throo the Zoo

Neither Kevin nor myself would ever acclaim to be first-rate runners. But who could pass up an opportunity to run with the elephants? With finals finished, we got to take an entire Saturday and play all day. A 5K throo the zoo (why is it called marketing genius to misspell a word anyway?) and then free admission to the world of zoological wonders. Yes, we are those people who stop and read every sign by every animal and hold up everyone else behind us. To justify our slowness, I'll teach you some of the random things we learned:

* Giraffe babies are 6 feet tall when they're born. (Dear mother-in-law, though you had 16 pounds of twin baby inside of you, at least they weren't as tall as they are now at birth).

* Warthogs don't really have warts. It's just cartilage deposits. That'll help with their self-esteem.

* Vampire bats are actually very intelligent creatures. Intelligent but still very yucky and frightening.

Kevin's body double









Now let's all join hands for a rousing chorus:

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo
Won't you come too, too, too
We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo
And we're gonna stay all day!

From a Peek to a Sharp

We got to go back to Tejas last week for our dear sister Shannon's wedding. I become a Peek and she becomes a Sharp. One of my favorite things about the weekend was watching the Lord's grace in the simple things--the weather. It rained and rained and rained all day Saturday morning. Preparing for an outdoor wedding on Saturday morning makes you want to sing along with Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" song. Then the gracious hand of the Lord stopped the rain and, apart from a little soggy grass, everything was beautiful. So congrats Mr. & Mrs. Marcus Sharp!

Here's a pic of all the sisters:

There's Beck (the newest of the clan), Terra, Shannon, Robin, and...who is that on the end? That's sweet Sarah Comfort, Chris' girlfriend. We had the pleasure of Sarah's company all the way from Seattle. She's not an official sister (though our nephew Toby took the liberty to call her Aunt Sarah numerous times), but she was a blessing to the family this weekend. We love you Sarah!

Sugarmama has found her sugar!

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! I have now officially entered the rat race of the working world. What the heck is a rat race anyway? But whatever it is, I've been in it since Monday! By God's gracious provision for our family, I was offered a position at a law firm located in downtown Louisville. It is a personal injury law firm. Those are the lawyers that advertise on daytime TV during shows like People's Court and Jerry Springer and tell people that they deserve a lot of money for their accidents. Here are my top 10 favorite things about the job:

10) For the rest of my time in Louisville, I will be full of interesting stories about our cases and clients.

9) Replacing my wardrobe of the last two months (jeans and my Yale sweatshirt) with fun clothes. And, yes, it is possible to wear three inch stilletos for 8 hours in a row.

8) Being one step closer to a routine. Though this is yet another transition in the line of many for Kev & me, we are striving to develop a sense of normalcy and expectancy in regard to our daily lives.

7) Seeing what life can look like if it is dominated by a love of money. I am saddened to see how fleeting life can be when it is fueled by temporal things, yet it makes me thankful for hope & purpose in Christ. Life truly is richer and deeper when committed to something beyond yourself.

6) Finding a new ministry or prayer & relationship with those in my office. There are some very dynamic personalities and lots of opportunities to love, serve, and share.

5) Getting to use my mind at my job. It is very certain that I will never be bored while I'm at work. That in itself, I've learned, is a blessing.

4) Working downtown. Lots to see...there's a new hotel that I drive by on the way home that has three-foot tall red penguins in the doorway. It makes me smile every evening.

3) Getting to come home to my wonderful husband at the end of the day. With Kevin working, there will be days that we won't see each other until 10 or so at night. That's not our preference but seeing the way he lights up when he talks about relational opportunities with his co-workers makes it worth the sacrifice.

2) Serving my husband in such a specific way. The sugarmama does the working so that papa gets to go to school. Kev is so sweet to thank me for going to work that day, knowing that my job enables him to be in class and move us one step closer to where we want to be in life.

1 1/2) The space heater that goes under my desk. My little toes (we call them toe-sicles here) appreciate it when it decides to snow on the first day of spring...sigh.

1) The wonderful woman who is training me. Let's go ahead and show her beautiful face:



For those of you who don't know this lovely face, please meet Beth Wilson. She is an acquaintance from college who has quickly become one of my best friends here. In addition to being a fellow 24 enthusiasts and step aerobics partners, we are now co-workers! I am so thankful to have her sweet spirit, encouraging words, and love for the Lord throughout the working day.

Here are some ways you can pray for us regarding this:
* that the Lord would use Beth & me to display Christ in words & actions to our co-workers.
* that Kevin & I would develop routine & learn how to save time for each other everyday. The mornings are especially important to us as we like to spend our individual time with the Lord and also spend time together over breakfast. That means an early start to the day! Please ask for desire and strength to leave the warm bed in the morning.
* that Beth & I would be able to love each other well at work. We both know that spending so much time together might have a negative effect, so please ask that the Lord would help us in this.

Our first house guest

One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong. Can you find the face that doesn't belong in our normal day-to-day in the great state of KY?



Well, let's do a little meet n' greet. On the left you have the Wilson's. Yes, you've met Mrs. Wilson. (By the way, Beth, please don't hate me for dispersing such a huge picture of your face into the blogsphere). That strapping young lad is her husband, Lee. Moving to the right...oh, it's those Peeks. Oops...I thought I told you I traded in that Yale sweatshirt for the biz-cas at work. Old habits die hard I suppose. Or don't die at all (which we all know will be the case with me and my sweatshirts!) Finally...hey, it's Ms. Vanessa Brooks, hailing from Aggieland, TX. You might remember her from such life experiences as Chiner '05 and roadtrip to Louisville '04.

Vanessa is starting school here at Southern in the fall, and we were pleased to offer her the title of our first official house guest during her visit here uuring spring break. Though her main purpose in coming was to look for housing for the fall, she blessed our home with her curiousity to learn from our new marriage and her eagerness to encourage me. We are thrilled for her to move up here to join us for the fall!

By the way, for anyone else visiting the Louisville area, Hotel Peek is also available to you!

Classic...just classic

I tried to go to Wal-Mart yesterday. I ended up in Indiana. What more can you even say?

The victories & trials of the working world

With the sugarmama (that's me!) still looking for a job, we are so thankful that the Lord has provided Kevin with a job and thus income for the both of us. He will be a server/cook at a restaurant called The Melting Pot. It's a fondue restaurant with all sorts of cheeses and crazy stuff like that. Neither of us have ever eaten there (nor am I sure that I'd really like to!) but we've heard it's pretty tasty and pretty fancy. After looking at the menu, it's obvious that it's pretty pricy as well. The interesting thing about the restaurant is that Kev will not only serve the food but will cook it in front of the customers. It has the possibility to be a lucrative job, but what he's most excited about is building relationships among the other waitstaff in order to get to love on them & share the gospel. The seminary environment can be incredibly stifling to be constantly surrounded by Christian culture, so we are definitely looking forward to this opportunity to connect with people who don't know Christ.

My job search is slow moving but still in motion. After receiving a couple of rejections (not fun), I decided I need to put forth more initiative to get employers to give me a chance. But still the Lord has brought me back to the truth that His sovereign goodness will provide a job in His time. That doesn't nullify my efforts in searching or give me permission to be lazy (though often it's a temptation), but it brings my heart to rest to know that I will find a job "not by might nor by power but by God's spirit" (Zechariah 4:6).

Here are some ways you can pray for us:

1. Kev's new job-that he would be a loving, gentle, and bold man toward his co-workers pertaining the gospel.

2. Beck's job search-that she would have favor in employers' eyes as they review her resume and hopefully offer an interview and a position.

3. our home & marriage-that Kev's time commitment to the new job would not distract from our marriage; that the Lord would continue to give us leading regarding our church home.

Thanks & we love you!

Now we're really official!

January 7 was a day of worship to the Lord who gives all good things. Our wedding day could not have been more of a blessing--despite mismatched tuxedo vests, groomsmen missing for the pictures, ringbearer's tuxedos nearly being left behind, and all the other nearly catastrophic events that I don't even know about. Walking down the aisle and seeing everyone gathered there is one of my favorite and most vivid memories. Thank you to all who were able to come and to those who prayed alongside of us in anticipation of our union. We'd love for you to post and let us know your favorite memory from our wedding or how the Lord blessed you there. Also, our wedding photos are available to view online. If you'd like the link, e-mail me at kevandbeck@gmail.com.

Our honeymoon was at the El Dorado Seaside Suites in Riviera Maya, Mexico. We were so thankful to have four days to get to know each other as husband and wife. One thing we enjoyed about the resort was getting to know the Mexicans who worked at there. I (Becky) loved practicing my Spanish, and it made me excited for the day, Lord willing, when we get to study a new language in order to communicate with the people among whom we will live overseas.

Shortly after the honeymoon, we packed up our giant yellow truck (I do mean giant!) and made the long trek to Louisville, Kentucky. After a couple of weeks, we've both fallen love with our home. It's not glamerous by any means, but it meets our needs perfectly. Blending into life here and finding routine has been challenging. After a few really hard weeks, the past few days have been blessed with so much grace in our marriage and life here.