Merry Christmas!

I hope that all of you are having a great day today as we celebrate the birth of Jesus! I know, I know, you've been running to get ready, wrapping gifts, at church yesterday, cleaning house all last week, up late last night cooking today's feast. But stop for a moment, and consider why we do all of this. Him. It's all His fault. He came as a baby to take our sin upon Himself. Then a short life later He died and rose from the grave to give us life.

One Solitary Life...

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty.
Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He
never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big
city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never
did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself.

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends
ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went
through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves.
While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He
had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave
through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the
navys that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that
ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as
powerfully as has that ONE SOLITARY LIFE!

And today He is still affecting the world. Who do YOU say He is?

Ladies & Gentlemen....Marissa

This afternoon Marissa Erin Mason was born.
Her Mom, Dad, and sisters Megan & Savanna were excited to see her. I mean, they had been waiting a while.




The nurses cleaned her up, checked out, and pronounced her beautiful. I agree.

Don't you?

It is finished.

Last week was our Living Christmas Tree at FBCJ. This is the first time I have been asked to have a role in the drama. So they gave me two. I was a frazzled business man, working late at his office, who when searching through his desk for some item, found a bible WAY down in that really deep filing drawer on the lower right hand side. You know the one. Every desk has one I think. What's in yours way down in the bottom? Better glove up before reaching in there. So I find the bible, and remember a time when it was important to me. When family was important. I open it and find the word of God still applies, and he has been waiting on me to come back to Him. What about you? He is waiting on you too. Stop for a moment and speak to Him. He's right there.

Well that was fine. Enough really. But I was also asked to be the Resurrection Jesus in the last scene. I came out to "Honored, Glorified, Exalted", went to center stage where a host of angels were waiting and when I lifted my arms they all bowed down to Jesus. I have to say it was wierd. Once I was in the robe, had the beard, mustache, and hair on, it felt weird. Not just physically, although the hair up my nose was kind of freaky at times. It felt strange being looked at by small kids as Jesus. Being called Jesus. Being called "Hay-sus" was funny too.

What was really gettig me though was the way I felt. I was very aware of being Jesus. I was very aware of people watching me. I was very concious that I was being seen as Jesus and my words and actions carried weight. But you know what? We are to be Jesus everyday. We should everyday be aware that we are being watched. As His people we should know that what we do and say carries much weight. Someone is watching you today to see how you act, or react to a situation or hardship. Think about that, and be Jesus to someone. Don't let them, yourself, or Him, down.

So a couple of pics, with more to come later...
Me as Jesus. Obviously Jesus would shoot a Nikon.

And if you have never seen the light of Jesus, well this ain't it, but...

Thanksgiving Family Fun!

Well, Thanksgiving is now a pleasant memory. I'm almost ready to get up off of the sofa.

How was yours?

Mine was fan-tas-tic! Here's how it went...

There was a lot of food, and Santa was eyeing the Mac & Cheese...

Everyone was checking out the cooking, just to be sure...

Allyson had the Sweet Potato Souffle' duty, as usual, and was ready with marshmallows...

With the history of burning the marshmallow's, Betsy and Allyson kept a close watch this year...

Sarah kept her eye on Dad...

My Mom, and unusually long armed Lauren said "No Pics!"...

Savanna and Meagan played with their GrandDad...

Savanna's kinda cute, huh?

I finally caught Lauren with out her unusually long arm...

Everyone had a great time with family, and a great meal. Everyone, that is, except the cat, who was shut in her room, left on the inside looking out...