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!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

It ALL happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment. God became a man! Heaven opened up and placed her most precious ONE in a human womb that brought Him to this side of heaven. Yes, so many reasons for a GINORMOUS birthday celebration today!

It's 4 am on this Christmas morning, and I'm about to board my car to travel over the rivers and through the woods and prairies and hills to Austin. After a beautiful week with the Wallace's, complete with Christmas baking, parties, movies, programs, shopping, a yummy meal and celebrating the night when Christ was born. We ended our night by the Wallace's Christmas tradition of everyone opening their Christmas treasures. How blessed I am that I could be in Frisco yesterday and Austin today. BTW -- I noticed Santa visited the Wallace's last night. He left treasures in their stockings that had been hung by the chimney with care. ;-)

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. After all, he gets quite hungry on his exhausting journey.

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 is a day and the tangible gifts we received from friends and loved ones are temporary. But the gifts that heaven brings us are eternal. 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.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve!
My sweet Mama would always make her calls to each of her grown children on Christmas Eve morning, saying -- "Merry Christmas Eve". We expected that call. And I say that to all of my FB friends today -- MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE! That little greeting and memory certainly does turn my heart to this day 2,000 years ago. Mary, in labor and fast approaching the birth of her baby boy, and Joseph scurrying to find a place for the big debut of the Son of God, knew what "last minute details" were all about.

We're getting closer to "Silent Night -- Holy Night", but until then...this day is probably filled with lots of activity for us all -- last minute shopping, wrapping the final packages, and getting some of our Christmas meal ready to go for tomorrow. After two more Christmas productions that Staci and the kids will perform in today, we'll settle down for our Christmas Eve traditions. Then, when these two grandkids wake up tomorrow morning, I will have arrived in Austin after an early morning drive to celebrate Christmas Day with my family there. I'll wave at Santa enroute, as he'll probably be delivering his last presents along the the way! ;-)

What a treat it was to see my sweet cousins, Mary Ellen Snow and Charles Snow and daughter and two of their grandchildren at the production. Of course, I had to have a quick photo opt. They live nearby here in Frisco. Lots of sweet family memories invade my mind when we're together. Our Mamas are sisters.

Tonight we will have our traditional "Wuerch/Wallace style" opening of all the presents -- except for what Santa brings in the stockings, of course which will be tomorrow morning. Sweet, hilarious time of making memories for another year.

Yes, the traditions and festivities are so enjoyable, but rolling out the red carpet and recognizing the Guest of Honor is what this awe-inspiring season is all about. And.....it's up to us to ensure the Honoree is positioned in His rightful place of distinction.

I love the story of St. Nicholas. He was a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who needed it. And that story inspires us all with a heart of giving. St. Nicholas is where "Santa Claus" came from. But, as sweet as those "treasured" photos of Santa Claus with our little ones are, and seeing their little eyes sparkling with wonder, and putting cookies out for this jolly old soul to pay us a visit, Santa ISN'T the "Guest of Honor".

The leading characters of the Christmas Story are Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the angels, and, of course, the Headliner, the main attraction and the Star of the Show is Jesus Christ. He is the REASON for the celebrations and He should be the Guest of Honor at each one. I love that we have a role to play in this great story, too. Perhaps we can be one of the shepherds. We don't need eloquent words and we don't need a place of prominence or status. We just need to be bearers and sharers of "the good news of great joy".

People expect pastors and priests to talk about Christmas being about Christ. But what people need are shepherds of the world to teach and preach that message.

You and I have the ability to amaze someone today with the message of Christmas. "For God so loved the world He GAVE His one and only Son."

Even Santa bows down to Him as the Guest of Honor.

I pray that the awesome richness of this gift is experienced in the lives of you and your precious families -- that makes this a Christmas to remember. Much love and MERRY CHRISTMAS, one and all!

Christmas Traditions Continue.....With Technology

What precious joys and delights I've had with my sweet kids here in Washington!

All four of our boys have been home and we've savored every moment

-- from enjoying the sight and sounds of downtown Seattle, Pike's Place Market, RN-74,

visit to see Santa,

indulging Nana by seeing "Annie" (yes, all 7 of us (big & little boys and their Mom & Dad -- all in a row) -- "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya' tomorrow!", Christmas Eve at City Church

 and then home for Family Skyping with the Wallace's. 

Brennan had worked diligently on an amazing Power Point Presentation describing his "take" on presents and sharing, and the true meaning of Christmas,

Payton & Alexia's song,

 then the highlight every year is our Christmas story read by Uncle Ryan. This year's story was even better as it was spontaneously accentuated with props -- both families used the characters from their nativity sets to demonstrate the story. 

We sang. We laughed. We prayed together. Traditions continue....just in a new and high tech way -- so thankful to be alive in this day and time to experience leading edge technology -- sure makes the distance seem not so distant and separated after all. Blessed. Blessed. Blessed. Thankful. Thankful. Thankful.

Merry Christmas Eve

My sweet Mama would always make her calls to each of her grown children on Christmas Eve morning -- "Merry Christmas Eve".  We expected that call.   And I say that to all of my FB friends today -- MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!  That little greeting and memory certainly does turn my heart to this day 2,000 years ago.  Mary, in labor and fast approaching the birth of her baby boy, and Joseph scurrying to find a place for the big debut of the Son of God, knew what "last minute details" were all about.

Here in Washington, we'll be taking care of a lot of last minute details, too!  Maybe some last minute shopping, final wrapping of presents, placing the plate of cookies by the fireplace for Santa's big debut tonight, preparing food for tomorrow's Christmas dinner, but the sweetest part of today will be the Candlelight service we'll attend that will take our hearts and spirits back to that Christmas Eve when our world changed forever.  A King was born in a stable and His coming brought us love, joy, peace, and everlasting hope. We'll sing "Joy to the World", "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful", "Silent Night", and we'll make our way to the stable -- to bow down and worship our LIFE-CHANGER, our HOPE-MAKER......and LOVE personified.

Can you imagine.....this BABY, sent straight from Heaven's Throne, was about to be born in the lowliest and dirtiest of all places, but it didn't matter, because wherever HE shows up -- it becomes a place of honor, dignity and high esteem.  That little stable became a Throne Room for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  And that Throne Room is what our hearts become when we invite Him into our hearts.  It doesn't matter the condition of our hearts -- dirty and lowly -- it WILL become the Throne Room for Him. Let's make this Christmas Eve the ONE to remember.  Let's give Him an invitation to "Come in today.  Come in to stay.  Come into my heart, Lord Jesus."

Oh, come let us adore Him -- Christ, the Lord!
#ChristmasEve #ComeIntoMyHeart