It's beginning to look a lot like.......

CHRISTmas....WOW....I cannot believe we have already reached Dec. and in one week it will be a new year!! Amazing how time flies when you get OLD lol. Our Christmas traditions have ALL been thrown out the window this year and we have made it a point to be as untraditional as possible haha. It has been soooo much more enjoyable this year b/c we have focused on just LOVING and CARING for each other and not on what to BUY for each other. The kids each got 2 gifts, one they asked for, and the other a pair of p.j.'s w/slippers. I want my children to appreciate the true reason we celebrate, Jesus birth, and not be waiting for the gifts. I want them to have the spirit of giving and sharing with those around them. I want them to always stop and look around and see others who are in need, not just at Christmas.

I count my blessings everyday b/c we truly have been blessed beyond measure. So many things I take for granted if I forget to pause and say THANK YOU Father!! I pray this Christmas we each focus on HIM and have His spirit of loving, sharing, and caring for those around us. I have been thinking of my little niece a lot this holiday season and it has made my heart smile. Victoria is 3 months older than Hayden, making her 8. She goes and helps her mother at one of their local homeless shelters on the holidays. This year she told her mom she wanted to collect socks and gloves for the people at the shelter. I have not heard the count yet but I am just so very PROUD of her. Children are always a light, so be careful and remember to always let them SHINE....and a child shall lead them :)....

I encourage us all to use what God has given each of us, it may be; money, hospitality, listening, witnessing, teaching, time, etc...Not all of us are blessed financially but we ALL have the ability to give of our selves in some form. Also, remember to do this ALL year not just on Christmas :).

I pray you each have a very, very, very, MERRY and BLESSED CHRISTmas!!!

Jesus Our Hope

"We have lasting hope through the salvation we have in Christ ... Hope means that even when it looks like it's all over, it's not all over yet. That's why the Bible says we can rejoice even in our tribulations. God is working in our hard times to produce proven character and hope in us." -Dr. Tony Evans, Totally Saved

Psalm 33-22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you."

(NIV)

Jesus Our Hope For millions of people, the Christmas season means nothing more than parties, gifts, decorations, and time off work. For Christians, however, this time of year is a happy reminder of the hope we have because of Jesus Christ.
Before Jesus came, God seemed distant, hidden in the Holy of Holies in the temple, accessible only to the high priest. Worshippers wondered whether their sacrifices were acceptable. They doubted their salvation.
Christ means hope—to the person out of work, to the struggling single mother, to the dying believer. Even if you're just slogging your way through the disappointments of life, if you have Jesus, you have hope. And he is not a false hope, a childish fairy tale that we wish will have a happy ending. When Christ rose from the dead, that ended the argument. Period. Our hope in him is solid and it is real.
Christmas is a renewal of that hope. It reconfirms it for us if our vision has grown dim. It was settled long ago, so we don't have to doubt any more. Jesus is the fulfillment of our hope, our deepest longings come true.