MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Luke 2:1-19
1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
This is the real reason for the season.
The greatest Christmas gift one can receive is the gift of salvation.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I am enjoying my time at home. I really needed it. I needed to be around my family and friends that I have known for quite some time. The familiarity of people and places I have missed so much.
I guess I just haven't found my niche yet in VA. I know God wants me there and I'm content with that. I just need to find the spot in the puzzle where I belong.
We had a nice Christmas. I was up really late baking and wrapping up some gifts that my dad needed to have done for mom. This was the first Christmas where mom had to get me and Nessa up! We were laughing about that.
We did get some surprises today. AJ got the laptop that my dad got a few months ago but wasn't able to crack the password. I couldn't either, but the computer company was able to help me reset it. It's a nice little laptop. Nessa got an IPOD Nano. I got a new laptop. That was a big surprise because I was given a laptop recently. I sure didn't expect it and I didn't even ask for it. Nessa got me a neat little travel cooler/warmer. AJ got me a bunch of butterfly stuff. Mom also made me a number of things like a scarf, doily, and a heavy sweater. She is so talented .
I put over a thousand miles on my car in three days (a record for me!) I followed one of roommates to the OH/MI state line and then I made it the rest of the way home. I got home around midnight. Then, the next day I left at a little after 2pm and drove to IN (and I picked up a friend on the way) to make it to Fairhaven's midweek service and to attend a friend's wedding on Friday. We then left after the wedding and I made it home around midnight. That was a lot of driving.
I'm selling my Olds and my dad already has someone interested in it. That's fine with me. The money I get back from it will be applied to my loan since it the money I used to get the car was half on my college savings.
I saw something on a news clip a little bit ago. It was about idol worship (well, not in their terms). They were highlighting women who travel to this statue of Madonna to ask her blessing on the desire of getting pregnant. That statue will not do nothing. Unfortunately, that is the world we live in today. Prayers are sent to idols instead of God.
Merry CHRISTmas!

These have been a very busy few weeks for me. I'm involved in the music ministry here, and I had two solos last week (due to the scheduling for the month), one next week, a VBC winter concert last night, and two cantata performances this weekend (as well as all the rehearsals). Whew!

The VBC (Virginia Baptist College) concert was interesting. I was asked to be a substitute soprano in the combined groups. Mind you, I'm not in either singing group! I accepted and I like the song. I have nothing to do with VCB at this time, so I found that to be a little funny. I just recently found out that we are also singing this song during the cantata. I think my voice will get a little tired after this weekend. I am enjoying this ministry.

I got my hunting license the other day. I'm looking to going this weekend. I'm the only female going . My roommates are giving me a hard time about one of the fellows. Apparently, my name and this guy's name came up in a conversation today. My roommate told someone that I got my license and this other person said it was a good thing because this guy would be disappointed. What!?!?! First off this guy and I don't even talk to each other. Second, "snagging" a guy here is not my goal. I am a teacher here. Doing God's will for my life at this moment is my priority. My roommates are having quite the time trying to play matchmaker. Why don't people let God work in His own timing?

I'm looking forward to going home in a couple of weeks. I'll have to drive my tank, though, and then fly back. I did Hank running on Saturday. He roared to life.

Carol and Adam are supposed to be flying in to Richmond tomorrow! I do hope they can make it up for church tomorrow and that I can make it to Chesterfield without getting lost. Carol and Adam are here for a friend's wedding. I've not seen Carol since she and Adam jumped into the limo for their honeymoon.

Recently, I've been reading through Ruth and Esther. I enjoy reading about these ladies.What stands they took while many were against them. Ruth was not expected to go off with Naomi, but she chose to. Here's something I've gathered: Ruth could be a picture of the person who is coming to know Christ (Boaz). Ruth comes into a family that has Christ, but they chose to trust their own thoughts for a while. God knows all that is going to happen. The family undergoes great loss for the decisions they made as they turned from God's plan for them. Naomi turns back to God and Ruth follows her. From there, she meets Boaz while trying to do the right thing to help Naomi. Then, Naomi finally stops looking at all her woes and realizes that Ruth's meeting with Boaz was a great thing: he is a near kinsman. He can redeem the family name.That is what Christ does for us. He redeems our name so that we can stand before God. How incredible is that? There is nothing that we in ourselves can do to get rid of our sin. We are sinful. But, God created a way for us by giving us His one and only Son.

This CHRISTmas season, remember what it is about. It's not about getting and giving gifts. It's about the birth of Jesus Christ, Who lived 33 1/2 years to live a perfect life and bear our sins upon Calvary. What better gift is there than receiving the gift of salvation? How about you? Are you going to receive the gift, or reject it? That is your most important decision you will make in life.