Thee Birthday Celebration

There's many reasons to celebrate: a new job, promotion, retirement, graduation, engagement, wedding, family addition or even a new home.  However of all these occasions to get a greeting card and  raise a glass, the best celebratory reason to honor and uphold, is Jesus and his existence on the earth.  Yes, I'm talking about Jesus Christ's birthday (aka Christmas).

If I knew someone who was turning 2,010 years old - I would hope the birthday party to be huge!  From flowers, decorations, food/drinks, music, photographers, transportation and additional costs, the average cost of a wedding in Seattle is about $30,000.  Even the multiple-day wedding events in India aren't as intriguing as Jesus birthday party.  Although its definitely a great reason to 'go big' and party it up, its minor league compared to how JC rolls.

Participating in Jesus' birthday is unavoidable and providentially designed that way.    We have eight Christmas events to attend to this month...it seems overwhelming but its always a joyous occasion.  Jesus doesn't need money to determine his worth or value.  He honors His own birthday every year in playing joyful carols in every store & on every radio station, receiving Christmas card surprises in your mail, sentimental candlelight church service, happy people of all ages, time off from work and the selfless act of giving gifts and love to one another.  What's most impressive about this birthday party is that its an international event and Jesus invited EVERYONE to participate!

May you and your loved ones enjoy the Christmas festivities with joy and gladness.  Happy Birthday Jesus and thanks for the party invite. 

Thankful for FRIENDS

I can't help but be thankful for all the family & friends in my life who have brought me so much joy this year.  What an encouragement it is to walk with people who simply love Jesus.  At home, work, church, on weekends, or over beers, God continually orchestrates the gospel around me through these peeps...its awesome!  Kamsa mi-da, mahalo, domo arigato, gazie, thank you!!!

I light of the Thanksgiving spirit, I've posted couple of my favorite thanksgiving memories.  Get your Joey pants, do a little dance, and have a joyful holiday surrounded by love, laughter and delicious grub!

Boston/NYC vacation

The culture and history of the east coast is so rich (and so are the wallets). We caught a red-eye flight to Boston and since our hotel room wasn't ready we decided to eat in the hotel restaurant. Although the eggs and bacon were good, it wasn't quite worth the $25, so being half awake it wasn't the best first impression either.

Boston, oh I love this city! I couldn't get enough of the Irish pubs, tax-free clothes and how much history that has been preserved throughout the years. From original gas street lamps to one of the oldest baseball stadiums today, you can't help but appreciate the old ways of doing things. Although the Red Sox lost their home game, Alex's youthful excitement was shining when he got a signed baseball from manager, Terry Francona.

New York took us by surprise when the subways were clean and the people didn't elbow us or talk to us with an attitude. Between great eats, shopping, parks and tourist attractions we made full use of our vacation. The new Yankee Stadium was absolutely beautiful...but so was Central Park, St.Patrick's Cathedral, Grand Central Station, Ellis Island, and Time Square. I can only suggest two things when visiting the Big Apple: a smart phone to help you find, locate & navigate around the city AND great walking shoes (no slippas or heels) to help you wondering the blocks a little longer.

Here are some pictures from our vacation last September:

JOY-FULL Summer

Have you ever wanted to be the woman who ran with life and genuinely enjoyed it? For several months, I routinely asked God in prayer to fill my heart with His joy. I desired to be consistently happy (where no one could identify my "time of the month"), to have a child-like spirit who doesn't worry about responsibilities and simply saw the glass always half full. I passionately wanted to be alive and joyous, but was unsure of how to get there.

I wanted the few closest people to me, who know everything about me to be the ones who make me laugh until my abs hurt (heck, I didn't have very many friends to play the role). While still bitter and disappointed with myself I hid in my turtle shell, not letting anyone in and becoming the woman with a lot of acquaintances but no true friendships. While at community group one night, we split into gender small groups for prayer time. When it was my turn to address any prayer needs, I defaulted to my regular request of desiring to experience His joy.

Since the time of our ladies prayer group, nearly four months has passed and I stumbled upon my prayer notes as opportunity to check-in with what Jesus has been doing in these ladies lives but I immediately realized that my request has been fulfilled (Amen)! From summer BBQ's, weddings, and baby showers with these ladies - I noticed that I was happiest after being with our group members. I wanted to do more, laugh more and have more time with the ladies who have filled my 'empty friendship' cup. Turns out Alex said he hasn't seen me this joyful since our early dates together; it truly has made a difference.

Jesus not only knew that I was lacking a relationship balance with other women, but used these women to pray for me while also being the answer to my prayer. These community group girls which Jesus placed around me has radiated my heart with an abundance of joy. Its been a JOY-FULL summer being around cool people, laughing really hard, and sharing life together.

"The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous. A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones."
Proverbs 15:29-30

Marriage T-Ball

Its softball season (yeah)! This time of year brings fond memories of the first time Alex & I met each other on the softball field. Softball is our favorite activity in which we both equally enjoy playing and exceed well at. We collaborate well and have a lot of fun on the field, but how do we have the same experience in our marriage?

We're 11 months into marriage now (such rookies, right?) and its like we're picking up a ball for the first time. Its foreign and unfamiliar territory. As we're in the t-ball phase, I've noticed a lot of relevancy of how the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is actively coaching us through our marriage fundamentals.

THE COACHES:
God the Father - the Father is the General Manager who sees all, knows all, and wants the best for his team. The Father owns the vision and has Jesus and the Holy Spirit to help execute and communicate the plan. The Hopwoods can try to play according to the guidelines but in order to win in the end we rely in faith, hoping that we succeed according to God's plan. Without the Father's support, love, guidance and direction we're simply a couple amateurs still in t-ball.

Jesus Christ - Jesus is the Head Coach who submits under the General Manager. He can often times be the translator between the Father and us as players, so that we fully comprehend the Father's training, vision and intentions. Jesus is the experienced coach who understands when we make an error, lose our temper and have to patiently wait on the bench. When the Hopwood duo doesn't know what pitch to throw next, its Jesus who makes the decision for the right direction of the game. Alex & I like to celebrate in the end when we get to pour a Gatorade of praises on our Head Coach.

Holy Spirit - the Holy Spirit is the Assistant Coach who encourages and roots for us through the good and the bad. When the Hopwood team is down and behind, it is the Spirit who changes the momentum & motivation - from hot-head frustration to a loving hug of success after the competition.

Although I often forget that I'm on the same team as Alex and also fail to know whether we're playing offense or defense; we are both learning some key fundamentals of success.

THE FUNDAMENTALS (P.A.T.S.):
Patience & Perseverance - whether we win or lose during the season, we both agree to fight the good fight until its over...all the way to old-age retirement. I wanted the happy, vanilla, fresh & pristine marriage out of the box, but with such high expectations and only 11 months new, it requires some hard work and a lot of practice. Fight to the end with patience and perseverance.

Attitudes - the honeymoon was great, but it's game time. Whether we lost our swing or conquered an opponent, we try to learn from our coaches the elements of having the right attitude. Often times in competition or at war with evil, we need an attitude check in understanding the importance of being selfless and practicing humility. This attitude check of humbleness not only makes it easier to have fun but also to serve, lead, and love one another without grumbling.

Teamwork - we'll have our exciting & successful highs where we unconditionally love and support one another. We've also had our share of the brutally challenging lows of nagging and arguments as well. This means that each player need to be flexible, collaborate and trust one another in order to learn and grow TOGETHER as one cohesive team.

Studying strengths/weaknesses - a good pitcher/catcher duo is a pair who knows each others thoughts for the next pitch in any given scenario (i.e. batter, outs, base runners, etc.). The key to understanding teammates involves observation and a lot of communication. Although I don't know all of Alex's best pitches, it has been fun testing them out and talking them through on the mound. From what I see has a lot of potential and I can respect his consistency.

We each bring different skills and talents to the field. As newlyweds, there have been occassions where I have ran in the wrong direction or failed to contribute to the team success; but after each event its been a joy to celebrate with our juice boxes for the love of the game. There is opportunity to refine our skills to be an even stronger team, but for now we're young rookies who have really enjoyed playing t-ball.

Family growth

I love my Kim & Hopwood families for its one-of-a-kind uniqueness, embracing love, Christian example and the generational growth & legacy. However, last Sunday was Easter in which I had the privilege of spending with my church family at MHC-Ballard.

Easter Sunday is a holiday in which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Where Jesus conquered death by raising up from his own tomb to be with his friends and Father. Unfortunately, this holiday brings back poor memories as a child of wet grass fields with hidden plastic eggs and I was more concentrated on avoiding dog poop more than I was about getting prizes. Now as an adult, I've realized that its more than grass stains and colored boiled eggs, its about Jesus solidifying his majesty & power over all things (he can't be trumped, He's the real deal). This is expressed with SO much joy & excitement as if I was a MLB rookie pitcher who just won the world championships w/ a no-hitter...it's THAT cool!

Easter marked an incredible milestone not only for the church body but also for the many people who took a bold step for Jesus. Pastor Cliff Ellis said that Mars Hill had "close to 20,000 in attendance for Good Friday & Easter, another 19,000 watched online, and 376 were baptized." Alex & I are volunteer leaders who help in coordinating baptisms at the Ballard campus. We needed 12 volunteers for each of the 5 services, and we began with nearly seven committed volunteers total, then somehow our Lord continues to provide and we ended up having an abundance of helping hands for each service. Through this ministry we got to serve 129 attendees who stepped forward and got dunked for Jesus. I'm continually amazed at the work that Jesus is doing around us - drug attics being transformed and changed, prophetic dreams coming true, rape victims being reborn, and others finally giving up their own (sin, desires, control, etc.) saying "yes" to Jesus' invitation.

Nearly six years ago I knew I found a "home church" where I could participate, learn and get involved with. But I never thought this church of drug attics, alcoholics, rape victims, indie rock-worshiping congregation would actually be my family. Similar to my real families, Jesus' family is just as quirky, as unique, and also growing rapidly. I'm honored to serve, learn and experience from the church and be a part of HIS-story.

To preview some of those stories, click here.

"Happy" New Year!?!?!

A new year stems new beginnings (for better or worse). 2010 definitely has a lot of new stuff: new home improvements, new places to see, new friends, and with a new last name is the beginning of a new family. With all these new & exciting elements, I can't help but wonder...is it necessarily going to be a "happy" year? There's more work to be done, more planning, less time, and more/new responsibilities. As we look forward to the year ahead, please be encouraged that "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Tuesday, January 12th, marks the day when a 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti. While the Haitian people are starting the new year in devastation and hopelessness, Alex & I have been praying for over 7 months on where God would have us do missionary work and we see the earthquake as an answered prayer for our us to serve in. Alex begins 2010 at Microsoft and by February, he was gifted with a new job at Expedia. It really is true when they say, "when one door closes, God will open a new one."

May you find joy and happiness in all the things God has in stored for you this year and the many years ahead.