Welcome to December!

Wow! December already? I hope that all of you had a pleasant and joyful Thanksgiving. Now we turn to all the activities, programs, etc. of December. I just can't believe that the Christmas season is finally here....AND we really want to remember the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ!

First of all, I am pleased with the progress of the Christmas Eve Worship Service music at First Baptist. We have a good group of folks from our church that have been participating in our rehearsals each Sunday evening. We're not quite ready for the program, but I am very excited with the quick progress that we're making....and I know that the program will bring glory to God!

Student Ministries from First "B" will be heading out this Friday to Billings, Montana for "Acquire the Fire". The kids will be charged up with a challenge to share their faith in Christ and also enjoy being a part of worship with several bands. They will also get to see Sanctus Real in concert among other great Christian performers. My sons Caleb and Jacob are really excited about going this year. Me? I'm staying home this year to spend time with our youngest son, Josh. I will enjoy this time!

Speaking of the my family.....I can't believe we found our Christmas tree already this year. Last year was a goofy Christmas tree search. We were so busy with all the Christmas activities last year that Sandra and I never found the time to get a tree until the last minute. We ended up getting a very small artificial "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree. It was pretty pathetic looking. And then we got... Jess and Heather's "used" Christmas tree when they left to California for Christmas break. After all was said and done... I thought, "Number one.....the season is about Jesus! Then I remembered my own father was so poor that when his family celebrated Christmas in Texas, they cut down some sagebrush and then decorated it with aluminum foil...some from chewing gum wrappers!" You know....we all have so much to be thankful for. Remembering this really taught me a lesson.

This brings me to a conclusion...even though I could write a whole lot more. As we enter deeper into December and the Christmas season, let's not forget what Christmas is all about. We can get caught up in all of the hustle and bustle. We can get distracted by the decorations, commercialism, and even the fact that we may be struggling financially because of the economy. Ultimately...let's remember JESUS CHRIST...Son of God! Let's not take Christ out of Christmas! He came, born as the Christ child. He grew into manhood, spreading His Gospel message and performing miracles. He died on the cross for our sins! He was raised from the dead on the third day! Praise God! He's coming again!