2009 was quite an intense year for the craftons. we experienced God’s blessings in both joy and sorrow, but i feel like 2009 wasn’t necessarily defined by good times or hard times, but full times. 2009 was sheer volume of stuff. here are a few highlights; quit full-time job, start design company, grow hand-painted goods company, move church to 5th and final location, have extended house-guests, expand music ministry at church, have son to go along with daughter… i’m sure i’m leaving a lot out, but these events are of no small magnitude even in themselves. so, combine them together and you have a wallop of year… and we wouldn’t want it any other way. life is best, is most rewarding, when it’s full. through this year, God has made his grace known to us, in the pleasure and in pain.

in pleasure, because our hearts are moved to praise him for being a God who delights in our delight! God made food taste good! God made music sound beautiful to us! and gave us all of these things, not that we may glory in them, but that we may see that he is the supreme delight of our souls!

in pain, because we are prone to worship the creation, and the pain strips away our idols. it reveals to us that we have sought to find our sufficiency and identity in things other than Christ. that we have made the gifts an end to themselves, and used them to glorify ourselves. and so, it is a great blessing that in our pain, we are compelled to gaze on Christ alone, and find in him the healing and redemption we need.

in pleasure and pain God has blessed us indeed. and so we work to reflect his glory to our world, not seeking to obtain his favor from these works, for has given his favor to those who believe in Christ unconditionally. we work out of love for him, and out of joy for what he has given.

our rest is coming soon. so we work now, that others may see, and join us in that rest.