Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Well, I want my faithful readers to know that I haven't abandoned you--well, I guess I have; but not intentionally!!

I plan on getting back to blogging full steam ahead after the holidays!! I have a lot of ideas and am excited to get back to it. We've had a very busy fall with wonderful visits from family and a ton of activities with our church and other area groups. Add to that an extremely active potty-training 15-month-old who's been sick about three times and has been working hard on sprouting all four of her molars and you have an idea of how crazy my life's been!

We're looking forward to spending a few days back home with the family for Christmas and to having some awesome friends over for New Year's. Then, I'm hoping and praying for a little peace and quiet for at least a couple of months so we can finish this potty training stuff (at least the day-training part of it)!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'm copying below some stuff we included in our family's Christmas newsletter. I hope you enjoy reading it as you think about the reason to celebrate Christ's birth!

LOOKING BACK OVER THE YEAR: 2008
As we sit here, thinking back over the past 12 months, we find ourselves remembering all the bad things: devastating hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes; countless casualties of war; untimely deaths, such as the loss of actor Heath Ledger; the brutal torture and murder of Christians throughout the world; the wavering economy; and soaring prices for daily necessities. But, we also have hope. This is not all there is to life. Tragedy is overwhelming and has the ability to weigh on us like a ton of bricks; but it doesn’t have the ability to take away eternity. In Christ, we have the promise of an eternity with Him in heaven; and we can know the certainty of that promise, especially in the face of a disaster that threatens to claim our life on this earth.

ETERNITY
This life is not the end. When we die we go either to heaven or to hell. All of us are sinful and evil by nature and deserve hell; however, God has provided a way to heaven through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. We can never do enough “good deeds” to work our way to heaven, but Christ paid the price for our sins when he suffered and died on the cross more than 2000 years ago. A believer’s life is not perfect and is difficult, but it is full of forgiveness for sins, the peace that passes understanding and the assurance of salvation and an eternity spent with the Maker of heaven and earth.

ACCEPT
We are sinners “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….” Romans 3: 23

Death is the price “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

BELIEVE
It’s all of grace “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2: 8, 9

Christ paid it “For christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit….” 1 Peter 3:18

CONFESS
We are secure “...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

Obey and grow “but you, O man of God, ...pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life….” I Timothy 6:11, 12a

We wish each of you a wonderful Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Our prayer for you in 2009 is that you will accept Christ as your Savior and will know the peace that He brings or that your light will shine brighter for Him.