Hope Your Christmas was Merry and Bright!

We had a wonderful Christmas! It's been great to be able to spend time with the kids during our vacation and to just appreciate each other. Christmas was low-key and relaxing. We had a nice dinner and the kids were able to play with their new toys.

What Would You Do If You Couldn't Talk to God Anymore?

A couple of weeks ago at church, our pastor was teaching us that when we pray, we should pray to the Father through Jesus, the Son. I had been in the habit of praying to both Jesus and Abba Father and thought a lot about this.

When the part of the service came where we go to God in prayer, I thought about praying directly to Father God, and something kind of scary happened. I suddenly thought, "What if I were unable to talk to Jesus, my friend, AT ALL?"

Tears began streaming down my face as I realized that this is what it would be like to die without accepting Jesus as my Savior - in other words, to go to Hell. This is what it would be like to be forever separated from my precious bridegroom, Jesus, and Father God; to be unable to communicate with them EVER again.

If you are reading this and you are unsaved, please take heart and take heed on the eve of this day we celebrate the birth of our precious Jesus. The King of Kings who stepped out of Heaven into the earthly world as a tiny baby - who grew as we grew and felt how we felt; who grieved as we grieve and loved as we love. The Alpha and Omega who did all of this for each one of us, so he could intercede for us when we pray, telling our Abba Father exactly the way we are feeling when we ask for something in prayer. Then as a precious, perfect Lamb, was sacraficed on the cross for our sins, when it should be each of us in His place. He did all of this just so we could bridge into Heaven - all because of Him, because of Jesus' love for us. Take a moment to pray and ask for forgiveness, and ask for Jesus to lead your life.

It's not about works, it's about Jesus.
It's not about trying to be perfect, it's about Jesus.
It's not about religion, it's about Jesus.

Learn How to Receive Christ
Learn What to Do Next

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas!

After tracking Santa on the Norad website, we got into the Christmas spirit by elfing ourselves. This was fun and it's pretty cute. Check out Dad, Mom, and Cooper dancing at the North Pole. (Nemo declined the opportunity.) Of course, we couldn't leave out the cats, Zoe and Gabbie!

What is Christmas All About? God and Family!

Merry Christmas to all of you, our family and friends, during this wondrous time of year. We pray that you are happy and healthy and that you are taking some time to enjoy the beautifully decorated homes and the Jack Frost twinkling on the lawns and rooftops.

The highlight of our year was attending Heather’s wedding. She looked radiant as she walked down the aisle to marry Darrell on November 18. They both looked so happy and the wedding was wonderful.

This year marked Pete’s 30th year with the Police Department and his responsibilities switched from overseeing Patrol to overseeing the Services Division, which includes managing the Dispatchers and Records Personnel. He also continues to enjoy his woodworking hobby. Pete is still a member of the Exchange Club and continues to put most of his efforts into the annual Crab Feed.

Early this summer, Pete went in for knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. We were a little concerned – not because there were any problems with the surgery, but because Pete wouldn’t rest long enough to let his knee heal. He’s just too tough!

Nemo, 16, and Cooper, 13, are still in Scouts and are busy with school and playing video games. Cooper played on the Junior High’s Flag Football team and really enjoyed it. Nemo started working on his Eagle Project. He has also begun the search to figure out which college he wants to go to. His interests lie in Biomedical Engineering; Cooper wants to be a Veterinarian because he just loves animals.

Sherry continues to tap dance and performed in the dance recital, which was so much fun! Then this fall, she joined the competitive team. Sherry created a scrapbook for the kids’ Boy Scout Troop, which was entered into a competition for its sponsoring agency, the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars. She was surprised and thrilled when she was honored with winning awards for both the state and national competitions.

If any of you watch the show Top Chef (season 2) on Bravo, you’ll catch Sherry’s sister, Betty Fraser. Every Wednesday night, we’re biting our nails and holding our breath to see what’s going to happen. She’s won several competitions, including the TGI Friday’s episode. The prize for that competition was getting her recipe on the TGI Friday’s menu. Check out the Tuscan Portobello Melt with Roasted Red Pepper Soup – her grown-up version of Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.

We spent this year’s vacation in beautiful Texas Hill Country. Sherry’s mom joined us as we visited Austin, San Antonio, and zigzagged our way through quaint towns like Fredericksburg, Wimberley, and Dripping Springs. We ate authentic Tex-Mex in San Antonio, and Texas Bar-B-Q at the Salt Lick in Driftwood. We saw the bats of the Congress Avenue Bridge and visited “SoCo” (South Congress) in Austin, trekked up Enchanted Rock and experienced Hill Country living in Fredericksburg, and toured the Alamo and drifted down the Riverwalk in San Antonio. It was so wonderful there; we can’t wait to go back (well, Sherry can’t wait!).

Our hope for you is that you will have a wonderful and joyful Christmas and that 2007 will be a great year for you! We also pray that you will have time, this Christmas, to reflect on the precious Gift sent from above.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us – John 1:14a

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right be become children of God – John 1:12

Top Chef Sister Interview with MeeVee

Some of the blogs out there can be pretty mean to my sweet sister, but this article was really wonderful. Read it here: MeeVee Exclusive! Interview with Top Chef’s Betty Fraser