I have to share...

Isn't this just the cutest thing you've ever seen? When you're Christmas shopping, don't you know that you always have to buy a present for yourself? And girls, you will never guess what I paid for that jacket...$8.59...yes, you read that right...$8.59. Amazing!


Kelly bought this for me, and I think it could be one of my favorite t-shirts. The secret of my heritage is now officially public.


The best one of all.

I'm not very good with newfangled digital cameras, being more comfortable with the disposable CVS kind. So I asked Chuck to grab the camera and come up to the bedroom with me. Well we had such a laugh over that one. What man wouldn't run when his wife says, "Grab that camera and come upstairs with me?" What a hoot!!

Oh! Holy Night!

I remember the day that my grandbaby was born. Three of us were present in this little hospital room and when Ashton made her grand entrance, it was as if nothing else in the whole world existed. Surely, life was going on all around us, but our world was ROCKED at the sound of her first cry.

It's very early this Christmas morning and all is calm. And I was just thinking about that first Christmas, so many years ago. I wonder if all of creation came to a halt when the baby Jesus took His first human breath. Or surely when Divinity entered planet Earth's atmosphere, the ground must have shook? At the sound of His first cry, certainly the trees and the mountains bowed.

Truth be told, as the radiance of the Father's glory made His grand entrance into our world, life was going on all around Him. Except for one radiant star, that only a few would notice, it was business as usual.

Bethlehem was overcrowded with people in town to register for the census. Animals roamed the streets. In the pre-dawn hours, street vendors were busy setting up their wares, in hope that the many travelers would spend a farthing or two. Some were still sleeping, some were getting the jars ready for their morning trip to the well. The inn was full. Just another night in Bethlehem. No one even noticed.

No one noticed that in the town of David a baby had been born. No one heard the voice that would one day speak to a raging storm and say, "Peace, be still", let out His first cry. No one noticed. No one cared. Lowly. Humble. Understated. No fanfare. No trumpets. No earthquakes. But I'll bet that all of Heaven ROCKED!

I imagine the Father and all of His angels peering over the banisters of Heaven. Holding their breath. Waiting for the sound. And when it came, that first cry, there must have been cheering and shouting and rejoicing at near biblical proportions. And the proudest Papa ever turned to everyone and said, "That's My beloved Son. And I am well pleased."

It's very early this Christmas morning. Children will be waking soon to see what Santa brought them last night. Families will be getting together today to celebrate. And for many it will just be another Christmas Day. Status quo. Business as usual. Much like that first Christmas. I am so sorry, Lord, for what we have made of this day. So different from that first night.

Christ is not making His grand entrance into planet Earth this time. But He will make a grand entrance into our hearts if we will but receive. There will be no trumpets today. No earthquakes. No moving mountains. But He is here. He is God with us. Emmanuel. If we will just slow down. Listen. Reflect. He still comes quietly. He is still meek and humble of heart.

And one day He will come again. And this time He WILL come with a trumpet blast and with tens of thousands of angels. He will come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And not only will Heaven be cheering, but all creation and every knee will bow.

Merry Christmas, dear ones! God loves you so, so much. He sent His only Son. And the earth stands still. All of Heaven is rejoicing. A Son is born. A child is given. The Prince of Peace has come. May His peace be yours today and everyday.

"...and a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11:6)

The Week Before Christmas

Merry week before Christmas! I pray that you're enjoying the season, and not getting too freaked out over all the planning and the presents. Remember to take some quiet moments, every day if you can, and sit back with a Starbucks or some hot chocolate, and reflect on the reason we celebrate....reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior King. Surely when your mind is stayed on Him, He will keep you in perfect peace.

I read a passage of Scripture this morning that knocked my Christmas socks off. And it's just too good to keep to myself. So this is me, sharing with you.

The passage is found in Ezekiel 34: 14-16. "I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice." (emphasis mine)

Anybody but me get goosebumps over that one? What a message for Christmas! Those verses are dripping with Christ's love for you, His sheep. Because He was born a baby in a manger, because His feet walked the dusty roads of Galilee, and because He died on Calvary's cross and rose again, He is alive and tending to YOU! Tending to you by Himself. Not passing you off to a cherubim or seraphim. He's watching over you, providing for you, guiding you, feeding you His Word, and leading you beside the waters of quietness. All by Himself. You can't get more personal than that. He loves you so!

Shepherds lead sheep beside the quiet waters for rest and cleansing. In this season filled with home foreclosures and falling stocks and economic downturns, we need rest. In a season so materially focused on having the world's version of the perfect Christmas, remember that the baby in the manger is now the King of Glory, the Chief Shepherd, and He is saying, "Come to me. I will give you rest."

And it doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter what you've done. That's the best part of those verses, my friend. There are all kinds of folks, all kinds of sheep if you will..and Christ is tending to each one in just the perfect way that they need.

He searches for the lost ones. He brings back the stray ones. He binds up the broken and injured ones, and He strengthens the weak ones. Is your name on any of those? What about the name of someone you love?

Just because it's Christmas time, it doesn't mean that you aren't suffering. Deep down inside you may feel lost or broken. Perhaps you've been injured at the hands of someone else. You may feel so weak today from illness, or just plain be sick and tired of being sick and tired. You may be a stray, wandering around in the wilderness today, not knowing where on earth to find your Shepherd. You know what? He knows right where you are. If you're lost, He's tirelessly searching for you. If you've strayed, He will move heaven and earth to bring you back. If you're broken, He's got the balm and the soothing touch of healing in His hands. And if you're weak today, He will give you His strength.

Is that not the best news ever? On this week before Christmas, let it bring peace to your fearful mind, refreshment to your weary soul, and transformation to your entire life. The baby whose birth was announced to lowly shepherds living out in the fields tending their flocks by night, is now your Good Shepherd, who laid down His life for you. And He is forever tending to you, continuously watching over you, and tenderly leading you with His rod and His staff.

I pray that the Good Shepherd will lead you to lie down in green pastures and restore your soul beside quiet waters this Christmas. Fear no evil. He is with you. Emmanuel. God with us. That's what Christmas is all about.