I'll Be Home For Christmas

Several months ago we held out a bleak hope that we would be in our home for Thanksgiving. That date passed and we turned our hearts toward Christmas. While our home is not restored at this point, we are able to sleep in it ... we have a den set up with TV and a few couches ... and we are blessed with central heat / air. We are happy to be home for Christmas. Around our tree were gifts that came from somewhere else. We didn't have the time to do much shopping for ourselves this year. We were blessed with gifts from people like you. Thank you so much. I did post some pictures on my picture page, though I don't think they're all that interesting! We didn't quite make it to 70 in attendance today, but there was a good spirit at the assembly. We sang carols, had readings from Luke 2 and Matthew 2. I spoke for a few minutes from Romans 8:1-4 on why Jesus came to earth. During the announcement time a man stood in the back. I did not recognize him, but it was obvious he wanted to talk to the church. I don't think I need to explain why this made me very nervous! He read part of the teachings of Jesus about doing good to those who hate you, loving those who do not know you, and serving others. Then he said that his name was Daniel. He lives on my street, though I've never met him. He said he had visited lots of churches, but he HAD to come see Central. He thanked us heartily for the workers who came to his house and helped him out. It was a stunning and unexpected conclusion to the service. I was pretty much speechless as the church applauded the sentiments of this stranger. I was glad for many in our church to hear this uninvited testimony - especially those who have not volunteered to help our ministry. It was a beautiful moment, and I was moved to thank God. We had prepared to have a ham sandwich Christmas dinner (our stove and refrigerator are not installed yet - waiting on flooring in the kitchen!). But we had two families come to our rescue. We ended up at the Boswells - great friends for many years. Thanks also to the Harris family for the invitation. I actually took a long nap this afternoon and enjoyed the day so much. We were scheduled to have a steak dinner at the Seab's Friday night, but that's when we were passing around a virus. So Debbie packed up our part and brought it to us. That's what we had for supper tonight. Tomorrow begins a new day in the hurricane relief ministry. One of our chief helpers around here are from the Loneoke Church of Christ in Paducah, Kentucky. Paul and Elsie England are awesome people in my estimation. They are a great team, and they bring so much encouragement everywhere they go. So I thought I'd share their picture with you as I close out this Christmas Night post. I hope your Christmas was warm with the love of Christ, family, and friends.