The Day After

Friends,
I do pray that you all had a marvelous Christmas with your family and that you experienced the blessing of our marvelous Savior.

This morning I read in the paper a story of four young men who saved a family from being consumed in an early morning house fire. They were driving along looking for a snack but everything was closed. On their way back home, they passed by a house that was billowing with smoke. They stopped, banged on the door (to no avail), then threw a chair through the window and climbed in. They rushed upstairs and awakened the inhabitants, resucuing them from certain doom. You can read the full article at www.wset.com/news/stories/1209/690580.html
Interesting, two of the heroes bear the last name of Nauss.

There is a greater hero, one who came into our broken and battered world to rescue us from our sins. His name is Jesus, the One who came on Christmas Day. Responding to His offer of forgiveness is as crucial as answering the call to exit a burning house.

That's enough preaching. When I have an opportunity, I'll upload some Christmas photos for you.

One more tidbit. December 26 is known in some places as Boxing Day. One tradition says that this is the day to recognize those who serve us all year round such as the mail carrier. Do something special for a servant in your life today.

The Blizzard of 2009

Many of you are literally snowed in due to a perfect storm, the blizzard of 2009. Weather forcasters state that moisture from both the Gulf of Mexico merged with moisture from the Atlantic which met a cold air, low pressure system from the north, producing beautiful snowfall. We have about 12 inches of snowfall on the ground, reminiscent of snowstorms from long ago. So much for global warming. And think - last fall we gave away our snowblower to a pastoral family that moved north to Pennsylvania. This storm system is so big it stretches from the Carolinas to Maine, affecting DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston on one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year.

We are so thankful for a warm home, electricity, a full cupboard and refrigerator, and safety for our family. We are saddened to have missed church this morning and the candlelight service this evening. The boys and Amy are thrilled with the snowfall. We will be making snowmen when the snow begins to melt. We expect to be able to get out sometime on Monday.

I have been pondering the Christmas story. Did you know:
1. Jesus Christ and John the Baptist were cousins? (born only six months apart).
2. Jesus appeared at the Temple when he was eight days old.?
3. When he was one month old he was presented to the Lord at the Temple for the redemption
of the first born (i.e. to present him to the Lord)?
4. Simeon prophesied that Jesus would be "a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory
to the Israelites"?
5. We don't know how many Magi there were. The Bible does not indicate a certain number. We
only know that they presented him with gifts of gold, frankinsense and myrrh.
(Frankinsense was often used in temple ceremonies when prayer was offered and mixed into
an anointing oil. The word "Messiah" means "anointed one". Myrrh was a spice used in
burial rites. One might consider that gold was for Jesus' royalty, frankinsense for his priestly
ministry, and myrrh for his sacrificial death on the cross for our sins.

When the storms enter your life, let's be thankful that God has made provision through a great gift - His Son Jesus. Merry Christmas everyone.

Christmas is almost here!

Christmas is around the bend! Steven and Samuel are so excited. They wonder how Santa will bring presents into our home since we don't have a chimney. We have enjoyed the Christmas concerts and musicals including the Virginia Christmas Spectacular. As you remember, last year we spent the Christmas season in China. So this is really the first memorable holiday for the two boys. Tonight I took the boys shopping to find a present for mom. I wonder how long they can keep their present a secret?

Alicia and Lorelai is planning to visit our home this Christmas season. Again, this will be the first time she has been with us at Christmastime since 2007. There will be a lot of delicious food to prepare for the holidays. One tradition we enjoy is cooking caramels and banana bread. Fudge is also a wonderful treat during this time of year.

Please pray for Steven. He has a small tumor on his cheek that needs tending. Tomorrow he has a CT scan followed by a doctor visit to discuss the options. On the surface it seems like a simple procedure. However, there are many facial nerves and muscles to contend with. Thankfully it doesn't seem to bother him.

I pray you continue to experience the blessing of the Christ of Christmas!