I thoroughly enjoy the Christmas season...meditating on how God came in the flesh to rescue our souls from our sins is what Christmas means to me. To think about God's beautiful plan from start to finish is just amazing and to think that we have the story in God's Word given to us so that we can KNOW what He has done for us...it just causes my heart to worship thinking on it.

We attempt to make this season focused on Christ and His work on our behalf to our children. It takes some intentional time management and planning to make it happen. Indeed, there are so many distractions--it can be difficult at times...we keep trying, though. One of the things we do is keep our schedule free from so many *things* of the season. This allows for us to have family worship times all together-not kids scheduled out in different directions all the time in the evenings. Keeping schedules free also allows for having time to do for others, which I think should be a focus during this season. It might mean saying *no* to a *just for fun* Christmas party with friends and *yes* to volunteering at the Good Samaritan Center for the needy in our town. It may mean choosing to host a Christmas party for the residents of a nursing home and passing out cards with a Biblical message of hope instead of staying home and watching Christmas movies...it may also mean saying no to a day of shopping and yes to going to church for wonderful Biblical Christmas music. It is all about choices, isn't it?

I'm not saying that the other things are bad in and of themselves, but those perfectly fine things can rob us of the time that we could be using for more important things. So, as a family, we have to make choices on what is good or BEST for us to participate in.

This is our focus.

This does not mean that we always make the right choices, in fact, I feel the tension very much--the pull from the world. I can easily get caught up in the *things* of the season, so this is as much for me as anybody that could be reading this. For us, it just means that as a family who loves God, we are striving to be a light in a world of darkness and trying to teach our children that Christmas is not about them. Kinda backwards from what the world says...so that is where choices come in.

I don't want to be controlled or even persuaded by the world's ways...I don't want our time to be used up on things that have no meaning, and I don't want Christ's birth, life, death and resurrection to be something that sits in the background while the bright lights, fancy toys, glittering decor, and *me* mentality floods over our hearts and causes our hearts to worship something other than Christ. It happens. It happens in well meaning Christian homes...I pray that this season will be one that you all relish in what Christ has done....how God made a way for us to love Him and be with Him forever...that the babe born so long ago still gives hope and healing to a world living in darkness. Christ is sufficient...His Word is all together true...He is the true light of the world. Let's not allow the other bright lights to hinder our worship of the One True Light.

John 8:12 Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Merry Christmas!