Hello all you blogging buddies and lurkers of my wife,
I asked Linn permission to write to all of you today. You see it is a very special day, today is Linny’s birthday, today she turns the big 5-0. I can’t believe that this wife of mine, who looks early 30’s could possibly be 50! I have enjoyed listening to so many of your comments as she weaves the stories of God’s work in our lives. If you don’t know her personally, she is even more special than her writings. She sometimes makes me laugh till it hurts. She’s my best friend and soul mate and I want to ask you a favor. I would love for you to each write a comment about how her blogging has touched you, inspired your faith, challenged you, or whatever else comes to mind. I will be making something special from these posts and even reading a few at her 50th bash. I know she has touched many lives by the hundreds of hits she gets daily so could you take a moment and bless her back.
Thanks from this blogger widowers heart, dwight
Linn-
What a sweet sweet Man.
WOW .. the BIG 50!!!!! While I haven’t had the privledge of knowing you for a month of those 50 years, you hve blessed me 50 years worth in that short time. You are such an AMAZING MOM. I jsut love this BIG beutiful family you have Built on Gods LOVE. I love that your husband goes to Africa on a mission trip and ends up petitioning for 2 beautiful little ones, becuase he not only knows you can handle it(on top of everything else you do) but because this is your heart and your passion and your mission. I love that you shine your light for all to see and be inspired and learn from. I love that I am a better person for “knowing” you and through your witness of how God is working in your life and seeing how you put HIM before all else. You are an inspiring WOMAN of God and I thank you for challenging me and inrpiring me to go deeper in my relationship with Christ. I LOVE that given the number of children you have, I can point to you(at least for a little longer.. 😉 when people call ME crazy and say..” Have you met Linn? That girl is CRAZY COOL!”
And I just LOVE your humor.. You can make me laugh and that is food for my spirit, and I thank you for that.
Happy 50th Birthday to you dear one!
Much Love!!!
🙂
Amie
http://www.heart-smiles.blogspot.com
I can easily say that having met you via our blogs…then in person, you are one of the most genuine people I know. You have the biggest heart ever and I am so thankful to have you as a mentor and a friend.
The obstacles you continue to overcome (sometimes easily jumping over them…sometimes crawling with fervor) just amazes me. You know the power of prayer and it is changing the world as we know it.
I thank you for the many times you have called or emailed & made me laugh…and when you have prayed with & for me. Oh, my eyes fill with tears just typing this because I am so blessed to have you in my life.
You are a bundle of FUN and I don't know of anyone who wouldn't but be a better person for having known you…because of CHRIST in you.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET FRIEND!!!!
Love you!!
Lori
PS: Dw is not exagerating when he says you look like you are in your 30's…IT IS SOOOOO TRUE!!!!!
This is easy! You’re the best Linn. Knowing you in person and serving with you has been, and continues to be, a joy! And then to see you minister with this blog – God uses you in so many different ways and it’s because of your heart and passion to serve Him. Thank you for sharing your testimonies with me, thank you for encouraging me, thank you for loving imperfect me, and thank you for continuing to show God’s love and work in your life even when it’s not been so easy. You are a testimony that I use a lot when talking about God’s faithfulness. Thank you that we get to share your life – thank you for letting us in. You are an amazing person and I am so blessed to know you as friend and pastor.
And about the good looking 50 year old…I can’t believe you’re 50! You don’t look a day over 29 – seriously!!
Love you friend! Jill
Ooooh boy where do I begin?! Linn, you may or may not remember our very first contact… I was following your China trip on Journey to Me, and saw Isaiah was from the same location as a little boy we had found. Do you remember Joseph? :).. Someday I’ll share the story w/ you. We pray for little Joseph, but have no idea where he is in the international adoption process currently.
Anyway, your steadfast commitment to our Lord was such an incredible inspiration to me. I have passed your story and blog on many times. I now look forward to the next chapter in your life!!! 🙂
As you celebrate the 2nd’ half of life on this earth, I have no doubt your eyes are firmly fixed above for his directions. Thank you for giving us all a bit of sunshine in a world that seems to grow darker and darker.
Happy Happy Birthday!!! (Dw, what a great husband you are! to do this sweet gesture for your amazing wife!)
Susan
http://www.atouchofeast.blogspot.com
Happy 50th Birthday! I, too, will be turning 50 at the end of this month. My husband and I have been so inspired by your family’s adoption journeys and your walk with Christ. Thank you so much for opening up your life to let us walk with you!
Your story of Isaiah helped us open our hearts to a boy with special needs, and now we have our precious Philp home with us where he belongs! What a joy! God is so good! And God’s words spoken through you several weeks ago have given us the green light to pursue another adoption at our ripe old age! Again, God is so good! What an awesome God we serve.
Thank you for living your faith in a very public way.
Love in Christ – Janet, Kevin, Ted, and Philip
Happy 50th Birthday!
I, too, will be turing 50 at the end of this month. My husband (52) and I have been so inspired by your family’s adoption journeys and most of all by your walk with Christ.
Your story of Isaiah’s adoption prompted us to open our hearts to adopting a boy with special needs. Because of that, now our precious Philip is home where he belongs! God is so good! And your continued walking with God through more adoption journeys is continuing to inspire us. God’s words, spoken through you a couple of weeks ago helped us see that we are to pursue another adoption at our ripe old age, something we had been struggling with. Again, God is so good! We serve an awesome Lord!
Thank you for walking with Christ in such a public way.
Love in Christ, Janet, Kevin, Ted, and Philip
Happiest Birthday Linn!
Where to begin? I was hooked from the first post, and hung on with baited breath as you reeled in story after story if God’s faithfulness. (are you getting all those fishing allusions? thank my husband Mr. Daddy).
Seriously, I have laughed through my tears as I’ve read and experienced miracles along with your family. And have rejoiced with you as God revealed little by little the good work that He was doing for your family… on the other side of the world!
Do you realize how many people WISH they were in your shoes? To be experiencing these divine “coincidences” and seeing how God is not fazed in the slightest by our human red tape – both physical and spiritual.
I am thankful to have been part of your prayer circle – in lifting up precious lives before His throne and shouting “YIPEE JESUS!”
Again, Happiest Birthday – may you be abundantly blessed in your fiftiest year… though I think that ia already a given 🙂
Hey Miss Linn, Dw is right… you are beautiful and gorgeous inside and out. I am so glad God made you. I am so glad God brought you to Durango and I “get to” be ministered by you. Thank you for helping me see God’s specific love for me. Thank you for reminding me of my soft spot for orphans. Thank you for supporting me in my walk even when I am fumbling all over the place. Your grace and mercy and love is a direct reflection of the Lord and I am so blessed to learn from and most of all be your friend. Thanks for your “realness” for your boldness your love of worship and your big huge heart. I am a better Mom, wife and daughter of the Lord because of your example. Please know I love you and I am so happy you are reaching so many awesome people on this blog. You go girl… this is just the beginning for you. lv, “the weirdo” – jen
Linn,
Happy, Happy Birthday!!!!!!! You inspire me to do more:)
I was thinking of posting on your first ride along, and put it off.
So glad I did, Rach just called me to the puter to show me what your hubby has done..(very thoughtful guy). And it seems a wonderful time to compare our testosterone toting yearnings?? LOL. It sounded as if you were totally into the rush & bust the evening. ROFL
I must caution you to go easy, lest you become an adrenaline junkie, Although from what I have read about you and your DW, I think that you are more than capable of keeping it in check.
Like I stated it is a real blessing reading about believers that practice what they preach.
God bless you as you reach this milestone, I can truthfully say it's not so bad..LOL
Just beware of the testosterone flashes!!
Linn,
Happy Birthday!!!!
I am so thankful for your blogging and your pushing us to be radical in our faith. Reading you blog helps me to realize that I am not crazy for having the dreams that I have and that it’s OK if people don’t understand my dreams. I cannot even begin to tell you how much it meant to me when you even came over to my blog to encourage me.
Thank you so much for following God’s call and for pushing us to do the same!!!
I love your blog so much I check in everyday just to see if there is something new.
WOW!! What an awesomely sweet hubby you have!! Hope you had a wonderful day.
Happy Birthday Linn! Since I spend most of my time in Texas and not in Colorado – your blogs makes me feel a little more connected to The River Church and I really appreciate that. You challenge me and encourage me and I thank you for that. I’m approaching the big 50 also and I think we are in store for the best years of our lives. Can you imagine them getting even better?!?!? May the Lord richly bless you and you continue to make a difference for Him.
linn — HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU HALF CENTURY OLD WILD WOMAN!!! actually you are the same age as lori — 18! you just have 10 more years experience at it than her! after 32 years of practice, you have got it going on!
i love you. Jesus loves you. lots of folks love you. thanks for loving us back. xoxoxo, jan (JTM phoebe) 🙂
linn- HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU HALF CENTURY OLD WILD WOMAN!! actually you are the same age as lori, can you believe you are both 18? except you have 10 more years experience at it. after 32 years of practice, you have it down perfectly!!!
Jesus loves you. i love you. lots of folks, know and unknown, love you. thanks for loving us back by sharing your life with us. xoxoxo, jan (JTM phoebe) 🙂
Linn – HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU HALF CENTURY OLD WILD WOMAN! Actually, you are the same age as lori! 18, can you believe that? Except you have 10 more years experience. With 32 years practice, you have it down perfectly!
Jesus love you, linn. I love you. And a lot of other folks, known and unknown, do too. Thanks for loving us back by sharing so much of your life. Inspired by you, jan (JTM phoebe)
Happy 5-0 Linny!
I'm so glad that our cyber paths have crossed & I look so forward to your posts each day. Your heart for God, Ministry and children has touched my soul more than I could ever share.
This is a difficult thing for me to share, but there was a time in my life when I left the embrace of our loving Father. Then I made my way back and for so long spent my day praising His name, praying for others, thanking Him for all His provisions … but somehow those moments have dwindled away to fleeting prayers said on the run – I think for me, your blog reminds me of how I used to be, and so perfectly touches my heart and reminds me of where I need to get back to.
Your enthusiasm is catching. Just reading your notes makes me smile, I can't imagine the joy you must bring to a room full of people!
Blog on my friend in Christ, blog on …
I am totally a lurker. My sister adopted from Guatemala and she had her journey on Journey to Me. I fell in love with your little Isaiah. He is the cutest! (Well next to my nephew of course..LOL) I am in complete awe of you and your family. It is my hope to be able to adopt someday myself.
I came out of lurking to wish you a wonderful 50th birthday!
-Becky C
Panama City, FL
To Linny..50 years of blessing God has given us. So many lives God has touched through YOU. You are a living miracle, blessing and joy! Your post on your blog, make us laugh, smile till it hurts and sometimes even cry.But what ever the emotion that they bring, they truly touch our hearts. I don’t like to think of us as “lurkers” but rather I feel God has given us a window into the life of one of his children and He continues to bless us with each new post and every moving word. Silly or sad, happy or mad, God speaks through it all and fills our cups with more of Him through you!
love and hugs and many blessings on your 50th birthday.
Michael, Marianthe, Lydia, Marilyn and Creighton Snyder
Happy Birthday Linn! God Bless you on this special day and always!
I have loved getting to know you through JTM and your blogs! You are truly an inspiration to me! I feel that God has lead me to you- you are such a great support in my walk with Jesus and our adoption journeys. Truly you are a blessing to me and I am certain to many others!!
Your blog is fun and encouraging to read! Thank you for sharing it with us! BTW I love the yippee Jesus!! It makes me want to sing and dance and praise the Lord!!
Thank you for your prayers! I’m feeling them and sending them to you, too! I love the “prayers that move mountains”!
I can hardly wait until you get your 3 kids home! Remember your as young as you feel!
Blessings,
Jean
Hi Linn,
Happy, Happy Birthday! I hope you are touched by the comments you receive. You have touched my life so much through your postings. You have inspired me and challenged me to move in the direction I know God has wanted me to go in for quite some time now. I sincerely hope that I have the honor of meeting you in person someday so I can give you a great big hug and thank you in person. I have elected you to be my mentor, and look forward to each day when I visit your blog. You are a blessed woman to have the family and husband you have, and they are soooooo blessed to have you.
Blessings from Washington state,
Julie Hoagland
Yippee Jesus for Linn!!!
You are such an inspiration to me, and I am sure to so many others who feel like we know you just through your blogs! You have a way about you that comes straight from the Lord that just welcomes people and draws them in. You are just such a beautiful testimony for Him. I would love to meet you in person someday!
Your blogs have inspired me to love people, to take risks, to live joyfully and have fun, to live for Jesus at all costs, and probably most of all, to have REAL FAITH! Just seeing how God is working in your lives is amazing, and I know it is because you are not afraid to listen to what He says and then act on it! So many of us are so afraid to do that! Thanks for helping us to see that it’s okay to do something crazy for Jesus. 🙂 Happiest of Birthdays to you, and thank you for all you do!
love,
Your new friend,
Holly
Linn, Bundles of blessings your way this 50th birthday!!!!! It has been a privilege to follow your growing family through this blog. By the way, I do believe that your family was even mentioned in our church service this morning. My friend and I were making an announcement about an adoption awareness seminar that we had this evening. Our pastor Dave Veach mentioned a situation of a fellow pastor friend of his. The story just sounded WAY too familiar to not be your family!!!! Anyway, I do want you to know that I am offering up a special birthday prayer for you this evening. Sincerely, Lisa C. coxfamilyupdates.blogspot.com
Happy Birthday to My Virtual Twin!
It has been such a pleasure to get to know you over the last six months even though I feel like I have know you my entire life. I am incredibly grateful that our God gave us this avenue of blogging to get to know other people who love HIm as much as we do and want to serve Him in similar ways – boatloads of kids!!!
You are such a blessing in my life for many reasons, all of which you know! I just look forward to the day we finally get to meet in person. It is not a maybe, rather just when God perfectly orchestrates the perfect time.
Until then I will continue to savour our friendship through emails, blogs, mutual prayers for our families, and multi-tasking phone calls! 🙂
And yes, I love you girl!
Sally
Happy Birthday Linn!
You are such a wonderful and sweet person. I thank God for leading me to your JTM site. Your are an encourager and blesses a lot of people by your testimony. Everytime I think about you I remember the verse in the bible about treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-20) and thank you for encouraging me to do this more than anything!
Happy Happy Birthday and May God continue to bless you abundantly!
Love,
Toni
Dear Linn,
I have been thinking all day about what to post. I have had a fabulous birthday card sitting on my counter to send to you in time for the hoe-down, but somehow your birthday came much sooner than I had planned! 🙂
It doesn’t feel right to really say “Happy Birthday Linn” because more appropriately I should say something like “Happy Birthday Mom!” But that just makes you sound old and me young….yeah I’m not going there. You are in no way old, with the exception of Abby’s age I would totally guess 30’s 🙂
So Happy Birthday Mom doesn’t work right either. Happy Birthday Dear Precious FRIEND is very appropriate, but does it convey just how much of a friend you have been and are to me? I don’t think it could.
That you are loved, by me, at least 23 others who posted before me, and your 10, count them, 10 children, and your oh so sweet husband (who by the way does get called dad in our house, I can’t help it you married an old man!) is obvious.
I love that I can spend a week at your house in sweatpants and never feel underdressed, in the way, or out of place. I love that your heart is for Jesus and that you love each of you sweet kids. I love that your heart breaks when thinking about the kids without parents.
I love that someday we are going to live in the same house and we are going to have a blast!
So, Happy Birthday dear precious SISTER!!
(Yes I realize this is getting posted on the day after your 50th birthday!!)
Love,
Lynsay
WOW. What an awesome husband!
Linn,
What can I say that hasn’t already been said? I have only recently “met” you and your family online. To say you’ve inspired me is an understatement. Your joy in the Lord, in family, and friends is amazing. You see God’s hand at work in every aspect of your life. You challenge me to look for the same!
You also challenge both my husband and myself to think and dream big. Your open heart is such a blessing and I’m thrilled we have been able to read and experience some of it.
If God has used you in all of these amazing ways during your first 50 years, I’m scared to see what He’ll do with you the next! Ok, not scared, just plain excited.
Keep living the good life. You’re reaching more than you know!
Happy Birthday, my friend!
Rett
Happy Birthday, Linn!! You are an inspiration, one of God’s people so willingly and excitedly ready to take on whatever He has planned for you. You have not only inspired me, you have caused me to reach further, out of my comfort zone and into His will–what a blessing!
Rejoicing with you for 50 beautiful years…rejoicing with you for your beautiful family…rejoicing with you for your many, many friends…rejoicing with you for your blessed life.
Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
In His amazing love…
Happy Birthday!
Gayle
Happy Birthday, Linn!
You are such an inspiration to this world. Though I have only met you by blogging, I feel like I know you so well. I look so forward to reading your blog each day. You are truly a shining light in this dark world. Your words of wisdom and encoragement mean so much to so many.
I hope you have a terrific birthday. You so deserve it.
Lisa
Linn-
So, as usual, I'm a day late & a dollar short! You have been such an inspiration to our family, and myself. Thank you for all your wisdom, fun, & humor. I know you are a gift from God straight to my heart! Thank you for being, time and time again, an answer to prayer! I love you girlfriend!
tiff
happy birthday, linn!! i’m so glad i stumbled onto your blog… it’s so fun to read what you write everyday. your excitement, faith, and passion for your God, family, friends is just smile inducing! i’m so glad you are addicted to your blogging!! hehe.
thank you so much for the role you have played in my own life. i will never ever forget you, your huge heart, your spunk, and your great faith. He sure had blessed you a Boatload for it!! in your own words… YIPPEE JESUS!!!!
happy, happy birthday!
-erin vega
Linn,
Happy, happy birthday. I am truly happy I discovered your blog. Because of you, I have realized the power of prayer. I always prayed but always thought God was not listening. Recently, He has answered two of my prayers that I never thought possible. Thank you so much for this gift.
Nancy
You guys know how much we appreciate your friendship and leadership. We thank God that the Saunders came into our lives when you did; so much changed for us after meeting you.
Thanks for the Blog, it gives me something to look forward to everyday during my boaring job.
Happy Birthday Linn
Keith and Judy
Linn, Your willingness to be so open sharing your life & faith through the good times as well as the hard times is such and inspiration! I cannot thank you enough for that. I am so blessed to have learned about parts of your journey because it enourages me so!
Best wishes always,
~Lori Anne
Oh Dear Linn,
I am so sorry that I’m always a day late, and a dollar short (literally…heh!)
I so hope you had a marvelous birthday. I am truly blessed to have found your blog and you have been such an inspiration. Your testimonies of God’s love and works has given me hope at times when I thought I had reached the end.
My sweet hubby and I would love just 1 more sweetie in our lives, and I don’t think it will happen. But reading your amazing story has given me hope (again) that if it is God’s will…it will happen.
God bless you abundantly, my friend.
Hugs,
Ohilda
Happy Happy Birthday!! I am a bit late, but hopefully, you are still celebrating your big day 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your heart and family with us… you are glorifying Him in a mighty way!!