Saturday, December 24, 2011

Christmas Eve pics

We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house as we do every year and had such a great time. Bear with all the pictures - hey, I have time to make up for!


My sisters and our Mama. Jennifer said she didn't get the red memo.
Anthony is crazy about his Uncle Jon.

We were happy to have Brent with us this year. He and Savannah enjoy aggravating each other.

My sweet grandpeeps.Oh how I love them!

My sweet sisters and their husbands - who are also sweet!


It was Connor's year to put the star on top of the tree.

He enjoyed his moment of celebrity!

Graham got a tractor from MiMi and Old Paw - wonder how they knew what he liked. :)

Anthony got a BB gun!!!! He was excited.

My nephew Brian loves to read and when he opened up the Hunger Games trilogy he grinned from ear to ear - until I said,"Oh Brian, I am reading that too right now - we can have a book club!!!" He looked like he wanted to throw them in the fireplace.

Sydney - our fashionista- loved her boots.

Rachel and her American Girl doll.

The boys wanting PawPaw to look at their tractors.


Our little Santa!

Did I mention Christine is GOING TO BE OUR NEW DAUGHTER-IN-LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More on that news later. Love you Christine - happy birthday tomorrow!


Baby girl loves her older brothers and sister. She is like her momma and is happiest when the house is full of them She has been pouting because they will all be somewhere else in the morning.


 So she is stuck with Momma and Daddy!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BELIEVE

I'm baaacccckkkkkkk!!!!!! Long couple of months but back to blogging I will go.

Christmas Eve! It seems hard to imagine we are here already. Time goes so quickly. As I sat this morning during my quiet time and thought back over the last couple of weeks one recurring theme comes to my  mind - BELIEVE.  People go to such measures to get their children to believe in the magic of Santa Claus. (please no one misunderstand- we love us some santa around here. He still visits my grown children and they all moved a long time ago!) Parents wrack their minds to come up with innovative places to hide elves every night just so their babies will thrill at the expectation of the visit to come. We have done all sorts of things from leaving reindeer footprints, notes from Santa, letters and videos from Santa, emails from Santa..... on and on are the lengths to which we will go for our children to BELIEVE that they were visited by Santa. We want our children to experience something magical and we work hard to make it happen.

Question for you - What if we went to the same measures to get people to BELIEVE in the GIFT OF CHRISTMAS- Jesus Christ? What would happen to our families, communities, churches? Interesting thought for me this morning.

What does God's word have to say about believing? Glad you asked :)

1. John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

2.John 1:12

 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

3. Matthew 21:22

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer

4.Luke 1:45

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

5.John 3:18
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

6.John 3:36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

7.Mark 11:24

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

8.Mark 9:23
‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

This is the kind of belief I desire. A belief that has something promised at the end of it. I don't want the magic of belief to end after one morning. I want to stop being like the man who said to Jesus, "I do believe, Help me with my unbelief!" I want it down in my soul that believe is a verb and faith will always be its object. God's word shows us over and over the blessings of belief. That is how He is, giving us a promise if we will just believe. He is so good and loving. But more importantly He is faithful. He fulfills his promises ALWAYS.

If we just believe......................................................................... HIM.

Merry Christmas! May you and your families celebrate the reason for the season and be filled with the magic of Christmas that is Jesus Christ.