It is another one for the books.  Just as quickly as it comes, it is gone.  You look forward to it’s coming, you decorate the house, plan gatherings and turn around twice and it is time to take down the decorations and put them away until next year!  

I hope you had a wonderful time with your family and friends.  I know for some it was a bittersweet time as it was the first Christmas without a loved one.  I think of several who have had memorial services for family members in 2007.  I also thought about those who had loved ones away serving our country.  I thought about and prayed for you all.

It was a different celebration for the Hurts as well.  This was the first Christmas we did not meet with Deb’s family on Christmas Eve at her mom’s house.  As many know, her mom is suffering from the final stages of Alzheimer’s.  We have for over 25 years celebrated Christmas with her family on Christmas Eve.  When the kids were small we would do the big dinner together and open gifts.  We would then leave late that night so we would be home for Christmas morning.  Since moving to Lavaca 10 years ago we have driven home on Christmas day and then we would have Christmas with the kids at home.

This year Debbie fixed a big dinner for Christmas Eve.  It was awesome…ham, turkey, dressing, the works!  Josh spent the night with us and we had Christmas together on Christmas morning.  It was such a sweet time.  We ended up watching videos of the kids early years all morning.  We have tapes of the kids when they were small on 4 different tape formats.  Many of those tapes we can’t watch because we don’t have players that will play them anymore.  Josh snuck those tapes out of the house and after purchasing a player from EBAY converted them to DVD’s.  He gave that to Deb and me as part of our Christmas.  So, after a few tears of excitement we popped those DVD’s in.  We watched, laughed and cried as we re-lived the memories of those early years.  How fun!  I will be glad to share some of the better video's with anyone who is interested!  :-)

We had a great time in Texas with my folks family.  We always have Christmas in Texas the weekend between Christmas and New Years.  They are a crazy bunch and it is always loud, wild and crazy when we get together.  We had much to be thankful for this year as Dad’s health continues to improve following his by-pass and valve replacement surgery.  We are truly blessed!

Most importantly it was a very reflective time for me.  God impressed upon me more this year than ever before how much He loves us by giving us Jesus as our redeemer.  He really did give His very best and all He had…He poured it out on us that first Christmas Day.  

My favorite song of the Christmas season was “You Came.”  The lyrics from Travis Cottrell, David Moffitt and Sue C. Smith say:

Before You came we were stranded in the dark,
Bearing wounded hearts without hope.
Before You came, we were drifting on the sea,
Desperate and in need, sinking low.
We cried for help ‘cause we could not save ourselves.

You heard, You saw, You knew, and You felt it all.
You wept when You watched us fall, and You could not stay a-way.
And You came.

And when You came, You were every hope fulfilled,
All that’s good revealed, love divine.
And when You came, You were fellowship restored.
You fed us with Your Word, Bread of Life.

When we were crushed underneath the weight of living,
You heard, You saw, You knew, and You felt it all.
You wept when You watched us fall, and You could not stay a-way.
And You came.

And I am overwhelmed, and I am overcome.
I am breathless in Your presence.
I am humbled by Your love.
And I am overwhelmed, and I am overcome.
I am breathless in Your presence.
I am humbled by Your love.

You heard, You saw, You knew, and You felt it all.
You wept when You watched us fall, and You could not stay a-way.
You could not stay away, You could not stay away.
And You came.

I am so glad He came.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.  Matthew 1:21