Merry Christmas!

 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.  (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.  And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.  He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

  And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
 
  That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,  but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
 
 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
 
 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.  After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,  but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. (Luke 2, NLT)

Just stopping by with a few obervations...

Oh, yes… we’re into the end-of-the-semester-preparing-for-Christmas-don’t-forget-the-next-event days. So, I’m just dropping into this blog o’mine to share a few observations I’ve made over the last few days.

• We’re receiving very few Christmas cards this year. So, I’m wondering… Is no one sending cards this year? Or, have we been marked off everyone’s list???
• We scaled back on the Christmas décor this year. Bud thinks it’s great and says we should scale back even more next year. My opinion? Big mistake. Huge mistake. It won’t happen again.
• My kids are having a hard time coming up with ideas of things they’d like to receive as Christmas gifts. I think Burrito summed it up pretty well when he said, “I think that might be a sign that we’re spoiled.” Hmmm… maybe? (Probably.)
• Speaking of Burrito, he’s halfway through his senior year. He’s been accepted to three universities so far and we’re waiting to hear from one more. We’re very proud of him! Nothing more to say about that lest the tears flow.
• Kat is halfway through her freshman year of high school. Is it just my imagination or is the transition to high school harder for girls than boys?
• You know how the police will tell you that there’s no such thing as ticket quotas… particularly at the end of a month? Well, I’ve been making my own observations of the situation over the last few months. My conclusion? I’m not buying that story. (And, no… I haven’t received a ticket.)
• Blogs are being neglected. And, it’s not just the season – it’s another trend I’ve notice over the last several months. You know who you are! (Of course, those bloggers probably aren’t reading my blog anymore either.) And yes, I realize this point is like the pot calling the kettle black.
• It doesn’t feel like December yet. It’s hard to feel Christmassy when the daily temperatures have been in the mid-60s to mid-70s lately. I still made Bud turn on the gas to our fireplace and we’ve used it on a few cooler evenings. I love it! Bud on the other hand, suggested I just burn a few $20s instead.
• This post is making Bud seem very cynical. He’s really not.
• Speaking of Christmas cards… mine are finished but I haven’t mailed them yet. Just in case you were thinking you’d been marked off my list.
• We scaled way back on Christmas gift-giving this year. It feels good. It feels right.
• I’m still in my jammies and need to leave the house in 20 minutes. Guess I’d better get moving.

What observations have you made lately?

Urgent Prayer Requests

It's been a hard year for my grandfather. We lost Granny last January. It was profoundly hard for Grandad - in one devastating event he lost his love, his partner in life and his "job" as he had cared for her during her several years of illness.

Despite the loss, Grandad has done remarkably well this past year. So much so that we were even able to convince him to allow us to purchase a plane ticket for him so that he could spend Christmas here in Texas with my family, my parents, my sister and nephew. We anticipated this holiday together for many months.

Right before Thanksgiving Grandad had some medical tests completed by his doctor and again with some outstanding physicians at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. The diagnosis was both good and bad. The bad? Lung cancer. The dreaded "C" word. The good? It was caught very early and despite years of smoking when he was younger (no longer, thankfully!) and his age (85 years in December!), he is expected to make a full recovery following the removal of one lobe of his lung and shouldn't need any follow up treatments like chemo or radiation!

The doctors gave him the "all clear" to travel to Texas for Christmas. We enjoyed his time with us so much and are already talking about a return trip. Soon, we hope.

His surgery scheduled for Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Tomorrow.

Grandad caught a respiratory virus while traveling so we won't know for sure that the surgery will really happen until a final check in the morning. As of right now, though, it appears that it is a go. The surgery will take place sometime in the morning and is anticipated to last about four hours.

Unfortunately, my mom also caught the same bug. She needs to be well to help care for Grandad when he's released from the hospital.

So, here are my prayer requests:

• Wisdom for the doctors and medical staff attending Grandad. Especially for discernment regarding whether or not to proceed tomorrow.
  
  
• Concentration, knowledge and skill as the surgery is performed. Supernatural concentration, knowledge and skill!
  
  
• Compassion toward my grandfather and my family members as they are in the hospital.
  
  
• Healing for Mom before Grandad is released to her care.
  
  
• And, Lord willing, for a complete recovery and healing for Grandad following the surgery.

I'll keep you posted so that you can rejoice in the answers to our prayers.

You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. (John 14:13)

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20)

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

I believe!!!

From Our House To Yours

Because I have nothing better to do with my time. I don't have any cleaning to do. No grocery shopping left to complete. No gifts to wrap. (Bud, I'm kidding.)

Because I'm so excited my parents are on their way here from Ohio.

Mostly just because it's so funny. After all, we are a rockin' family!

Enjoy!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Do you really know The Story?

True or False?

There are no records of Joseph speaking in the Christmas story.

True. I'm sure he said something, but there is absolutely no record of him speaking at all.

The wise men were three kings from the orient.
False. The number of wise men is not mentioned. They were not kings. (Matthew 2:1)

The little drummer boy came to the manger after the other shepherds.
False. What little drummer boy? There is no mention of a drummer boy in the Bible.

The star did not appear above the manger.
True. It appeared above the house where Joseph's family was living (Matthew 2:9-11).

Jesus' ancestors include a prostitute, an adulterer, people who committed incest, and two non-Israelites.
True. Rahab was a prostitute. David & Uriah's wife were adulterers. Tamar & Judah committed incest. Rahab was a Canaanite & Ruth was from Moab (Matthew 1:3, 5, 6).

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary first and then Gabriel appeared to Joseph.
Trick question. The first part of the statement is true. Mary was first and the angel was Gabriel. (Luke 1:26) But we don't know the name of the angel who appeared to Joseph (Matthew 1:20). It might have been Harold. You know, "Hark the Harold Angel Sings.” (You do know I’m kidding here, right?) Therefore, since we can't affirm that Gabriel appeared to both Mary AND Joseph, the statement is false.

Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because of a decree by Caesar Augustus.
True. (See Luke 2:1-5.)

Mary rode a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
False: A donkey does not appear any where in the Biblical account. She probably walked. (See references in above question.)

The wise men followed the star as it moved from their eastern land to Israel.
Apparently not. The wise men saw the star in the east (Matthew 2:2). But it did not take them to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem they asked for directions. Once leaving Jerusalem the star appeared again and led them to the house in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:9).

The wise men did not arrive on the night of Jesus' birth.
True. The wise men arrive sometime after Jesus is born (Matthew 2:1). Jesus is called a child, rather than a baby (Matthew 2:11). He may have been as old as two (Matthew 2:7, 8, 14-16).

God sent a choir of chubby angels to announce Jesus' birth to the shepherds.
False. Actually, God sent an army of warrior angels! See Luke 2:13. "Company" and "host" are military terms.

Shepherding was considered a very noble occupation.
False. In first century B.C., shepherding was considereed the lowest, most repulsive of jobs. Shepherds were unable to remain ritually pure according to Pharisaic laws and so were considered unclean by the Jews. Yet God chose them for His birth announcement!

Both Joseph and Mary were told that the baby was to be named "Jesus."
True. See Matthew 1:21 and Luke 1:31. In Judaism, babies were always named by their father. Here we see God the Father (not Joseph) giving Jesus his name. By the way, "Jesus" is the Greek form of the Hebrew name "Joshua," the successor of Moses. (Joshua means "Yahweh saves").

When Herod heard about Jesus he was the only one concerned about this new king.
False. All Jerusalem was disturbed by this news of a new king (Matthew 2:3).

The wise men found Jesus lying in a manger in the town of Bethlehem.
False. The visit of the wise men occurred some months after Jesus’ birth. Mary, Joseph and Jesus were no longer in the stable but living in a house in Bethlehem, a village about 5 miles south of Jerusalem. (Matthew 2:11).

After the angels announcement the shepherds went straight to Bethlehem to see Jesus.
Correct. They were excited! They did not hesitate. They did not stop at Starbucks, they did not pass "Go" and stop to collect their $200! (See Luke 2:15-16.)

Joseph married Mary immediately after the angel appeared to him.
Yes. His obedience was quick, cheerful and complete. (See Matthew 1:24.)

Some of the shepherds doubted and refused to believe the message they heard from the angels.
False. They went to see the baby right away, they spread the word, and they praised God for what they had been permitted to see and hear. No doubt there. (See Luke 2:15-20.)

So, how'd you do???