Merry Christmas

Well, the time of year is once again upon us. We have been out with the masses (many of them unwashed) dropping our debit cards left and right in order to bring the love of Jesus home and to extended family by giving away shiny stuff. Those darn wise men made it rough on everybody! Oh well, I usually get some neat stuff too.

We are spending the day with the in-laws today. We have had a pretty good time. Zach came away from it feeling like he hit the jackpot, and Jessica got enough new books to keep the average 6th grader tied up for at least four months. I expect she will finished by Thursday. Tammi got some nice stuff, and I came away feeling like a big winner. I got a really nice picture to hang over my new computer desk.

We got a new desk this summer, and we now have an empty wall above it. Tammi saw this as an affront to her innate decorating abilities, and immediately set out on a quest to remedy this travesty. I was able to reign her in and get her to wait until I could find the piece I wanted to hang above the desk. I could see the fear in her eyes as she pictured a fender from a wrecked Nextel Cup car hanging there above the desk which is in a corner of our living room facing the couch. I consoled her and said I didn't know what I wanted, but I would know when I saw it.

After much searching, I came across the right picture in Rainbow bookstore. It is a picture of an old farmhouse that has been just stuck to a black board. It is a very simple picture, but it ties in with the black desk, the room decor, and my love for old barns and farmhouses. I knew it was what I wanted. Well, Tammi's mother wanted to know if I would be offended by getting a gift of cash for Christmas. When I was asked I said that would be fine, because I would then use it toward buying the picture. Long story short, tomorrow when I get home from work I am hanging my new picture because she went and bought it for me. Very cool.

It is nice to get what we want for Christmas. There have been many times we don't get what we want, but if we are honest, we quite often do get something that someone who loves us thinks we really need. That is what happened at the first Christmas. The gift we got might not make the top ten list of most wanted Christmas gifts, but it was something that we need. God gave us His Son at that first Christmas. We needed Him to save us from the sin in our lives. It might not be something that we see the need for at a certain time, but that doesn't change the fact that we need Jesus in our lives.

Two weeks ago tomorrow, Tammi realized that she had lived her whole life without having Jesus in her heart. After 36 years she made the decision. It wasn't easy for her. She was afraid of what people might think of her. She was afraid of what people might think of her parents. There were so many things that she could allow to keep her from that need that she had. Finally she realized it, and is now born again without a doubt in her mind.

It would be an understatement to say that I am very happy. I can honestly say that I would gladly have nothing else for Christmas save the fact that my everyone under my roof is on their way to heaven. It is a feeling that goes farther than the joy we can receive from even the shiniest of gifts. It is eternal peace. There is no greater gift than the salvation we have through Jesus.

If there is anyone out there who might ever read this and wonder about a need in their own life, I pray that they would find someone who can talk to them, or contact me, and I would be happy to correspond. Take the gift that started it all. Merry Christmas to everyone!