Christmas is that time of year when you just make time for some of your favorite people. Those favorite people are not only family, but friends who love celebrating the birth of Jesus right alongside you.
Billy and Kristi Horne are some of those people to me and Rip! The friendship and fellowship we share makes us family and this past Saturday night, in their barn in Vaughn, MS, we met with them and a house full of friends to celebrate Christmas. Billy and Kristi are two people who see life through the lens of Scripture. Not only are they humbled to the core by the goodness of God and His mercies in their life, but you will never meet two people who live for the sole purpose of serving the Lord in how they serve others. With all their hearts, they work to make a difference in other people’s lives. “Giving” should be their middle names because when they see a need, they want to meet that need….and many times, they do.
But what Rip and I enjoy most when we are with them is something that can’t be mustered up because it belongs to God. And it is … God’s JOY!! The overwhelming, sincere, and contagious JOY that these two share with others makes such an impact in everyone’s life! It’s just who they are. You can’t miss it, especially when Kristi will have a big beautiful smile on her face and say, (while even in the middle of trying situations), “God is good!” Or another three words that mark her faith are, “God is working!” She may be facing some of the hardest circumstances, some trials that would do most people in, or she may simply be listening to you share some of your own troubles … and yet, you will still hear her say, “God is good! God is working!” And sometimes she’ll just go ahead and finish that verse by saying it all, “God is working all things for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) And because she believes that, “Strength and honor are her clothing, and she laughs at the days to come.” (Proverbs 31:25) And because she lives her days through the lens of God’s Word, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and kind instruction is on her tongue.” (Proverbs 31:26)
Yes, celebrating Christ’s birth at the Horne’s home was fun, and it was a time to enjoy fellowship with some brothers and sisters in Christ, but what also made it so so special for us was being in the home of a couple who has built their 42 year marriage on the Living Word, Jesus Christ.
