Burnett Family

Sooo…after 25 years of living all together as a family, John-Clay and Caleb have made the first move out! For quite some time, they have been looking around for a place more convenient for Caleb’s travel commute, and one that would provide them with a chance to start spreading their own roots. A duplex about 45 minutes away was God’s provision for them. It’s an exciting transition for sure, although the pain of change is sometimes hard – mostly because it will just never be the same again like it always was…
But hey, if you’re going to get to the next season in life, you have to start sometime, somewhere, somehow! :)

Moving is never a small task, even if you don’t have a ton of stuff to move. The guys have been coming home at least on the weekend – whether to see us or to get a home-cooked meal, I’m not sure. ;)

The house still had a strong smoke smell from previous renters, so Abbie, Charity, and Maggie went up for about 5 hours one Saturday and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned…scrubbed ALL the woodwork (including all the cabinets!) inside AND out, vacuumed, mopped, organized, cleaned the bathroom, put up curtains,…they cleaned from top to bottom, literally! Needless to say, the guys were super blessed by their huge help!

Ab was determined to get that whole cabinet scrubbed out…

The duplex is actually really cute nice. ;) Us girls would have no problem coming up with all kinds of ideas for decorating and making it homey.

By the way, we just returned from the Big Sandy ATI conference – it was amazing!! We’ll look forward to sharing about that soon. J-C just got back from an amazing weekend at the World Changers’ Summit, so all of us girls and Benj (the new man of the house!) are going up to hang out at the guys’ place tonight to catch up on everything with each other. It’s going to be a blast. :)

And yes, we are bringing them supper. ;)

Abbie’s  Fun Facts:

What is your favorite snack? popcorn and honey nut chex mix

What is one characteristic of God He has most made known to you this year? His self-less love

Name five things on your happy list: Hugs, a white Christmas, when our family is ALL together, riding barefoot on the tail-gate of a pick-up truck, sunflowers

What is one thing you are really looking forward to the most this next year? Going on trips :)

If you could vacation anywhere you’ve never been…for a week, where would it be? Alaska?

Happy happy birthday, Abbie! May the Lord abundantly bless you this next year with many exciting adventures and opportunities to share His love with others. What a joy it is to have you in our family! We love you so much!!! <3

Charity’s Fun Facts:

What is your favorite snack? Cheez-its or chocolate chips-peanut butter-and molasses-all mixed up!

What is one characteristic of God He has most made known to you this year? "…He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

Name five things on your happy list:  Gerber daisies, sunshine, family, volleyball, small town country life.

What is one thing you are really looking forward to the most this next year? The unexpected opportunities that will come

If you could vacation anywhere you’ve never been…for a week, where would it be?  Alaska or way up in the Colorado mountains

Charity! You are such a special part of our family. We love you so much and can’t wait to see what God is going to do in your life in the coming year! He has amazing plans for your life. :) May He fill you with His fullness as you come to know His incredible love more and more. Happy birthday from your fam!!! =D

We had a fabulous whirlwind of a weekend in Texas!

Buzzing down the road for the Saturday night, SAICFF. closing ceremonies!
Family road trips are the BEST. We (kids) always have an itch to go somewhere.

Mr. Randy Putz, our fabulous host – putting up a total of 14 people for the night is no small task. We always enjoy his kind, full-of-joy fellowship.

Of course, John-Clay had been in San Antonio for the whole week, attending the Film Academy along with the Henline family and their friend, Emily. J-C said the Academy was the best ever – plenty of practical instruction and challenging messages.

The week is always key for networking with other Christian filmmakers. It’s encouraging to see how much independent Christian filmmaking has grown and improved in just the past 9 years since the film festival began!

John-Clay’s main project last year was making the documentary, Captivated.
Phillip Telfer was the producer of the film, which was a semi-finalist at the festival.

This was our third year to drive down for the closing ceremonies on Saturday night! Sooo excited. =)

Doug Phillips – President of Vision Forum Ministries

Special music for the evening was provided by Charlie Zahm

We were thrilled when the Henlines’ film, The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey, won the Best Young Filmmaker’s Award and was also runner-up for Best Short Film!

Captivated was up against 15 other documentaries, so we weren’t sure whether to get our hopes up for an award or not. We were pleased when Captivated won runner-up for Best Documentary and was a finalist for the Best of Festival Award! =)

In actuality, the best award of all was the feedback received during the week from the many people whose lives have been greatly impacted through the message of the film. Praise the Lord! That’s a work that only HE can do.

Courageous deservedly won the Best of Festival Award! Stephen Kendrick gave a meaningful speech, honoring his dad for the powerful influence he has been in their lives. One thing that really stands out among all these filmmakers is their passion to do what they do for the glory of God, that He might be lifted up and seen for Who He is!

What better way to end the night than by bringing down the house with the Orange Blossom Special! Personally, the harmonica was my favorite. :)

Remember the Dorninks? We were so happy that seven of them were able to stop for a night going and coming from the film festival. They joined us for our bi-weekly volleyball practice at a church gym, which was super fun!! Sorry, no pictures of that. We were pretty busy playing, losing, and winning. :)

Discussing guns, I think. :)

My dear friend, Melody – we can talk for hours! And every time I’m left challenged, encouraged, and hungry for the Lord. That’s a good friend for ya. ;)

The Moms.

Spoons! A favorite around here.

 
Benj got a lot of basketball time out of Dustin and Kelly, much to his enjoyment.

Somehow, the length of the Dorninks’ visits seem to expand…and grow…and carry on…(not because we tempt them with homemade ice cream or anything).

On their way back from San Antonio, they planned to drop in from 10pm – 2am (yes, you read that correctly). But it so happened, they got an early start and expected to arrive by 7pm instead. Then, their mini-van broke down in Waco, and we weren’t sure if they were going to be able to come at all. :( Van got fixed, they arrived at midnight and decided to stay the night! (Nachos are a great midnight snack meal, by the way.) Wellllll, when their departure time of 11am rolled around in the morning, we said, “Is there any way y’all can stay longer?” A few phone calls made, and the rest of the day was spent with them until we sent them off with a blessing at 10pm that night. =D Good times!

Good friends = willing to ask meaningful questions, talk deep, and truly desire to build each other up in the Lord. The Dorninks definitely fit that list. We shared some great discussions together, and I know our family was really encouraged! Hopefully, we’ll find an excuse to meet up again soon. :)

There’s the re-cap for you! With the calendar as full as it is, I’m sure we’ll have more to tell you about soon. :)

Thanks to all you blog readers for staying in touch! We appreciate each one of you and pray that the Lord will really be the treasure of your heart as you walk through life with Him.

John-Clays’ most recent film project, Captivated, is contending as a finalist this weekend at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival! He served as the Director of Photography, Editor, and Assistant Director on the project.

Synopsis:
Everywhere we go we are surrounded by screens.
Have we entered a techno utopia or a virtual prison?

Should we be celebrating unreservedly
or should we be cautious and skeptical?

Is it the greatest leap in productivity
or the biggest setback from the things most meaningful in life?

Has today’s connectivity drawn us closer to one another
or strangely more disjointed?

Is our social experience richer and deeper
or more shallow and artificial?

Is it all of these things or none of them?

Discover insightful answers to these questions from media experts, church leaders, and inspiring individuals and families from across the country.

Most importantly you’ll discover how God’s word addresses the unique media challenges we face today.

John-Clay is in San Antonio right now attending the Film Academy and is giving us reports of great feedback on the film.
Lord-willing, most of us will be heading down to join him on Saturday for the closing ceremonies! Very exciting. :)

Besides the anticipation of the film possibly winning an award,
we are really looking forward to meeting all the great people he has worked with on recent projects.

So, stay tuned for more exciting updates in the very near future. :)