It's hard to believe that another year is almost over. 2003 was a very good year for me... maybe even my best yet. Not only did I get to sit in the 3rd row at the SuperBowl, but in the past 12 months I have lived in San Diego, Germany, and Nashville (with occasional breaks in Bethany, OK of course!). I am truly blessed. I can only hope that 2004 will be just as fulfilling.

As far as tihs summer is concerned.. I still don't know what I will be doing, but I'm ok with that. For the moment I am keeping my options wide-open, and I have vowed not to stress about it. In fact, I have decided to stress a lot less in general. Typically I am a fairly laid-back person who can occassionally be dramatic, but for the most part, I'm not near as bad as some people I know (and live with, or am related to!). I just figure that stress is overated and not worth my trouble. For example: school loans. Yes this is a very big deal, and yes, someday I will have to face them. However, that day is not today, and in the grand scheme of things I would much rather have school loans to occupy my mind then to have a spouse diagnosed with cancer or have a friend die unexpectedly or something like that. Basically, school loans are terrible (especially mine!) but they are not the be all end all of stress in this world.. in all actuality I am quite lucky that that's all I have to worry about right now!

Once again, Christmas is upon us at last. Despite all of the cleaning and busy schedules and crowded malls, Christmas is my favorite time of year. Always has been, and probably always will be. And the true meaning of Christmas is the best part. I wonder how Mary must have felt on this very night so many years ago. I wonder if she felt ugly and fat, or if she griped at Joseph out of moodiness. Hard to believe that she was my age or younger. I often wonder what it would be like if Jesus had been born in our day in age.... First off no one would believe Mary's divine conception story, they'd run a bunch of DNA tests to try to determine the father, and she would probably be told by several people to just go get an abortion. And I don't know any woman on this earth who would want to give birth in a stable.

It still baffles me how some 2000 some odd years ago a baby was born that changed the course of history! Just think about it, even the dates on our calendars changed the night that baby was born in the stable.


LUKE 2
"1At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2(This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3All returned to their own towns to register for this census. 4And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5He took with him Mary, his fiancé, who was obviously pregnant by this time.
6And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.

8That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, 10but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! 11The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!"
13Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God:

14
"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to all whom God favors.[1] "
15When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Come on, let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished, 19but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said."


May the joy of that night from long, long ago fill your hearts and lives this season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!