"And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."
(Deut. 6:11 - 12)
The picture above was taken yesterday just before our Sunday dinner on Dec. 26th. I pray that I will not soon forget not just the picture, but the people and the event of this wonderful weekend. It seems like the older I get the more worrisome I become about some things, and the more grateful I am for life and for my family. The reason this picture is priceless to me is that this past week end, Coletta and I were able to celebrate our Christmas with both of our sons, our daughter in law and our granddaughter at our home and church.
Aaron, our youngest son had not been back to U. S. for two years. Thus he had not seen his brother and family for two years. His only "niece" Miley was one when he last saw her. She is now three. I'm the one that insisted on this picture because I know that with Aaron's time back in the states being only one month long, we might not be together again as we were yesterday for years to come. It's likely that the next time Aaron sees Miley she will be in Kindergarten.
The thing that makes me feel that God blessed me with such a great Christmas this year is the dark velvet back drop in this year's Christmas scene here in Van Wert, Ohio. Within just the past two weeks, one young man in a nearby town lost his 50 year old mother, his 25 year old wife and his 3 year old son in a car wreck. Another young father we know along with his 3 and 5 year old children lost his 34 year old wife to cancer, and several families here in Ohio lost their children in house fires. I'm also thinking tonight of a little three year old girl who's mother was sent to prison a few days ago. A pastor friend of mine in Kansas died on Christmas morning and another Pastor friend had to resign his church just a few Sundays before Christmas.
So now you see why I say, "God has been so good to me, our family and our church this Christmas." Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody! Thank you Lord for not giving me what I deserve but by showering me with such blessings in having a great family and church this Christmas Season!"
I'm Jim Burns and that's something to think about! Email: jimmycburns@aol.com
