A Little Break.

     Can it really be that I haven't posted in two whole weeks? Umm....yes. Do I have an excuse for my laziness? Umm...no. Well, other than the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed my Thanksgiving hiatus with family and friends. I also shopped till I dropped. I also ate like there was no tomorrow. Now that I'm done destroying my financial future and adding about ten points to my total cholesterol, I believe it's time to get back to business. Okay, I'm just kidding. I do have most of my shopping done and I am sticking to my budget as planned. As far as overeating goes, there wasn't too much of that either. My family had a really strange stomach bug hit us last week. It wasn't severe and lasted only a few hours, but it left most of us with hardly any appetite for the rest of the week. Let's face it, sometimes blessings come in disguise.
      I am excited as I can be about this next month. There will be many special things to see and do. I am most grateful for the ultimate Christmas gift that was given to us in the form a sweet baby boy so many years ago. He was and is and will always be the most perfect gift from above. Last Sunday, my pastor brought up the idea of how ridiculous it would be to show up to someone else's birthday party and expect all the presents to be given to you. He pointed out that we so often do that to Jesus on His birthday. One of our precious children replied, "Well Brother Alex, that's just how Christmas works.".  Out of the mouths of babes.... I, too, like the special traditions of Christmas such as gift giving, family gatherings, and beautiful decorations. I just want to be sure that all the glory goes to the One who truly deserves it. I want to be sure that I am living out the directions that He gave me in His Word. I want to give up the selfish desires that I have and look for ways to give to others, especially those in need. I want my children to get to experience that for themselves as well. We are currently thinking about a family project that we can do to raise money for a mission program. How about you? We've all been given talents and abilities, let's use what God gave us to glorify Him.
     I am so looking forward to sharing some fun and interesting things that I have found to help make this season a little merrier and bright. I hope that you won't do like me and just kind of take a break from life over the next few weeks. Yes, I hope your holiday is relaxing and rejuvenating for you. I hope you get to enjoy the blessings that will be sure to abound. I just want us all to remember the true reason for the season and pray about what God would have us to do to minister to others and spread His love around.  Merry CHRISTmas!