Matt & Jenni Cox
Matt and Jenni Cox came on staff in 1992. Matt has served as Farmer, Program Director, Director of Equine Ministries and now as the Executive Director. Matt teaches multiple classes for the School of Discipleship. Jenni serves as his secretary and has homeschooled all of their five children, three of which are out of the house now. Their two eldest are married and they have five grandchildren. Jenni also assists with the “Marriage Dynamics” class. Both Matt and Jenni are School of Discipleship alumni.
Merry Christmas from the Cox Family!
2025
I can’t even fathom it. Every time I listen to the Christmas story my heart wonders about how much Mary knew, how much she understood in that moment. After all of the excitement, did she look down into that manger and know what the future that tiny, frail, dependent little baby held? Luke 1:30-33 says, “And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
This sounds like a wonderful promise for an anticipated child. I could envision power and honor, royal position and prosperity. She knew she would be giving birth to the Son of God. But I wonder if she truly understood what this would entail. Did she know the prophecies of what that Savior would have to bear? As a mom, I wonder if she watched his tiny fingers wrap around one of hers knowing that someday they would wrap around the nails that would pierce his hands for our sins? Could she even fathom the emotional torment and rejection he would face as the Heavenly Father turned His face away so that He might carry all of our sins to the grave? Could she have foreseen this baby grown into a man and then tortured and mocked by those he sought to heal and love? I don’t think my mother’s heart could have looked into those tiny eyes and envisioned what he would endure, not just for the world, but for his own mother’s sins as well. We like to say God’s grace is sufficient, but this is one of those times when I think I may understand why He doesn’t fully reveal His plan. Mary was the obedient servant in a perfectly timed, amazingly choreographed initiative to save mankind from its brokenness and sin. We were truly without hope to find our way out of eternal death….until, God in His mercy, gave His own Son, and asked the unfathomable of him. He took on all of it for us. The sin, the shame, the humiliation, the pain, the vulnerability, the disgust, the ridicule, the rejection. That glimpse into the manger is one of hope that may not have been fully understood outside of the heavenly realm. The price that infant would pay is not one the shepherds or wise men could have fully comprehended. But today, we get to look upon that infant and rejoice, not weep. We get to be washed in the freedom and healing that those who believe in Him fully experience. Yes, we are still in a broken world, still wrestling with this flesh, but the Light of the World has truly come, and that tiny face in the manger is one full of hope for a world that will receive this gift.
Since our last letter we had the wonderful opportunity to see the chilly but beautiful shores of NC with both of our moms, Jonathan, and his friend Stephen. While there we got word of a truck someone wanted to donate. We just had to pick it up and bring it home! This was an answer to prayer with our vehicle situation. This impromptu road trip allowed us to see one of our TX kids and their family as well as our daughter in IN. We were at each place for such a brief time, but it was a huge blessing none the less. Even though everyone was home for the wedding, it was hard to get real visiting time in. The TX crews are staying south for the holidays so this made the chance to swing through extra sweet.
Matt was able to take his horse, Rooster, to TX to sell to a new owner. This enabled us to get our heads above water and plan more towards retirement, and as hard as it was to see him go, we saw this as God’s provision for meeting our needs at this time. We are praying for his next sermon horse.
Matt and I finished up teaching Marriage and Family Dynamics with the second year students and he is currently teaching Anger Transformation and Conflict Resolution with the first year students now.
We had a great turnout for our Community Christmas party and enjoyed the opportunity to connect with many alumni that came for the evening as well. This year we are blessed to have 2 boys for our advisor group, Taeven from NY and Trenton from TX. We look forward to this year of walking alongside them as they complete the School of Discipleship. We have a class of 38 students this year!
We cannot say enough how much we appreciate and are blessed by you all and your support of us and the ministry here at Miracle Mountain Ranch.
May you find great peace and hope in reflecting on the birth of Christ through this season.
In His service,
Matt, Jenni, and Jonathan Cox