Merry Christmas and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!

Merry Christmas and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!

It’s the birthday of our Savior! A day of celebration and joy to the world on this beautiful Christmas Day. Yesterday, I was blessed to be a communion server at my church. It hit home to me that the baby boy sleeping in the manger came to die, so in serving His body and blood, I was giving the Savior of the world -- the conqueror -- not as a little baby. What a privilege!

My Frisco family and I celebrated Christmas Eve at my home for dinner, then a precious time of Payton playing the piano and Staci and Alexia leading us in singing and praising our Lord for His willingness to become one of us earthlings. They opened my gifts to them. Then we headed over to the Wallace’s for their Christmas Eve gifts-giving. It’s always been our Christmas Eve tradition to open gifts and on Christmas Day, we opened the filled stockings.

I kept our traditional Christmas Eve alive as I read our family’s favorite Christmas book “The First Christmas Story” that Papa read to the grandchildren from since the oldest grandsons were just little boys. I did my best to be in the “Papa-style-and-form” with the Austin Family on FaceTime with us. Technology can be such a blessing to us.

In a couple of hours, we’ll travel over the rivers and through the woods to our Austin family for a reunion that celebrates Jesus’ birthday, enjoy a great meal together, get my traditional family photo and embracing everything that Christmas is about – love coming down to earth. We’ll celebrate that love today.

Maybe, this Christmas morning you're having your traditional family breakfast and opening "Santa's" presents and seeing what he left everyone in their stockings.....no longer hung with care. Now they're on the floor, stuffed full of goodies and treasures. Santa's cookie plate only has a few crumbs left.

Oh, the joy of hearing children's laughter and excitement today -- and the thrill of Christmas in their eyes. If your children are grown, enjoy the sweet memories of past Christmases. If you are missing children and loved ones today, then spend Christmas with God's Son praising and thanking Him for coming to be one of us. And if your loved one is in heaven, like mine is, we can know with certainty that he or she is having the most joyful Christmas possible.

Christmas and the tangible gifts we received from friends and loved ones are temporary. But the gifts that heaven brings us are eternal. Just think of it. We know the end of the Christmas Story. Eventually, that sweet little baby boy would grow up and would ask for this "cup" to pass from Him, but it didn't and He pursued and prevailed to become EVERYTHING we would ever need, or want, wrapped in one package. That sweet little baby boy grew up to die for our sins on a cross, just like He said He would. Then, He rose from the grave on the third day, just like He said He would. So that’s not really the end of the story – it’s just the beginning of our future where we will spend eternity with Him, just like He said we would.

Let's spend today celebrating the fact that the baby in the manger was God's perfect gift to us. I hope you will receive all that Jesus was born to give. May your Christmas be blessed with faith, hope and love. God's greatest gift is love. "For God so loved you that He gave you and me His one and only son."

May God richly bless you and those you love, on this special day. From our family to yours.....MERRY CHRISTMAS!