He'll Be Home for Christmas

Jan and I are sooo excited because Blake is coming home for Christmas. That's the best Christmas present we could have hoped for this year. Blake, our one and only, lives in Bozeman, Montana building homes and working in a coffee shop. He is doing so well in getting established and developing new relationships and just growing up. In my mind, he should still be that little blonde-headed boy running out of his room on Christmas morning in his Batman pajamas and finding the baby Jesus in the manger. My how those days quickly pass by. Oh, they were precious!
Now, however, Blake is a man and leading his own life. He lives in the snowy mountains of Montana where the air is clean and the surroundings are breathtaking. He's good at teasing me by saying that he likes his office (the beautiful mountains) better than mine. Don't get me wrong, I love my office, but his really does beat mine. I'm just thankful one of us is enjoying what both of us love. (the outdoors, mountain streams and fabulous views)
It will take him at least two days of hard driving to get home and then two more to make his way back. Therefore, four of his days off will be spent driving long and hard. Though that's going to be a chore, he will truly be blessing a couple of old people. Okay, one old person and Jan. I really appreciate the sacrifice he is making to make our Christmas special.
As a bonus gift, Blake will be bringing Jen along with him. We had the pleasure of meeting her there in Bozeman when we visited in October. She is a precious young lady that really seems to have a sweet walk with the Lord as well. We are delighted that we will have the time to be with her again.
The drive will be long, the time will be short, but the fellowship will be sweet and the memories will be lasting. Isn't family just great!. Above is a picture of the three of us when we were in Bozeman. If you haven't seen Blake in a while, maybe this will refresh your memory of the good looks he got from his dad.

Look Under My Tree

Wow! Take a look at the picture below and see what I have under my tree. What do you think of it's shape? Look at those legs. See how soft it appears. Look how it's standing there in that position. It really stands out, doesn't it? .....Hey, I'm talking about the manger filled with soft straw and the baby Jesus! Do you see it? It's sitting there right behind Jan. It's the focal point under our tree. (when Jan get's out of the way) The tree is beautiful with all it's decorations, lights, ornaments and snow. It's great to see the angel sitting atop the tree. It seems to keep watch over all that goes on there. However, even the brightly wrapped presents fade in comparison to the manger cradling the precious baby Jesus. After all, He is the reason for all that goes on during this season. He should be the focal point of all that we do. Christmas is a celebration of a miraculous birth, the birth of God's own Son into our world. His birth enables each of to have the opportunity of "new birth" as we trust Him by faith. As you look under your tree this Christmas season, may you see what I see; Jesus. (Okay Jan, we see you too.)

Well, Here Goes

I've never attempted to "blog" before, but I thought I'd give it a try. I'm not convinced that anyone would be interested in anything I have to say, but the fact that I can say it means a lot. Therefore, this is an attempt to leave my fingerprints on this world-wide-web. Since I will never write a book, (or even a pamphlet), I thought I would sneak in a blog. That way, I don't have to worry about finding a publisher or buying all the copies of the book myself. I can just sling this out there for all the world NOT to see if they don't want to.
Well, since I'm just trying to get this site up and going, I will save any real thoughts for later on. Right now, I'm just trying to put something in this space to see what the blog will look like. I'll say more later on.