Christmas in Ceramic

I just had a great time with my parents, my wife and kids celebrating Christmas.  It's good to spend time with people I care about during this time of year.  While I am still feeling the warmth of family fellowship, I thought I would share a thought about Christmas.

My parents have a ceramic nativity set on their hearth.  We have a similar one in our house.  These are not just decorations to me.  They are reminders that I can see every day.  They help me to explain to my children the true meaning of Christmas.  We also have a plastic one that the kids can hold without fear of breaking.  Thanks to my in-laws for that.  These peaceful nativity scenes are really ceramic and plastic pointers to the battle for our souls.

Christmas displayed in a nativity set is a reminder that God is good.  I think most of us understand that there is darkness that engulfs the world.  The darkness is here, because mankind declared war on God from the very beginning of history (not just recently, as it sometimes feels).  In spite of that, God offers the warmth of family fellowship with himself to everyone.  His plan for redemption is active in the nativity.  How so?  When I look at a nativity scene, I am looking at a symbol of Almighty God becoming a child, a peace offering to people who don't want or deserve it.  (I have to include that these same people later kill this child, but it's all according to God's plan.)

There is no better way to describe what I see in those nativity sets than in Paul's letter to Titus.  It reads, "For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us"  (Titus 3:3-5a).

Merry Christmas.

Christmas Greetings 2010

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO YOU ALL! In lieu of Christmas cards this year, we wanted to send you our warmest regards using our newfound friend-the internet. We hope you enjoy celebrating with us the TOP MOMENTS IN OUR FAMILY IN 2010!

Scott and Emilee enjoyed their first ever trip in a helicopter, overlooking b eautiful Myrtle Beach, SC. The 7-minute ride was a lot of fun for both of us.

Our newest addition arrived on May 5, 2010 at 1:34 a.m. Bailee Jane Myers made her grand entrance weighing in at 8 lbs. 7 oz., 22 inches long. She has been a very sweet addition to our family.

Grant learned how to ride a tricycle this summer.

What a super cute beach bum!

Sadie got to meet her newest sibling. Bailee and Grant were so happy to have her home for a visit this summer.

We took Grant to his first concert - the Go Fish Guys. We had such a great time and even had some time to goof off during the intermission. You'll often find Grant singing his favorite song by the Go Fish Guys - "Na Na Hoo Hoo" ("Stories").

Sadie was able to graduate early from Ridgeland High School in Rossville, GA. WHAT AN AWESOME ACCOMPLISHMENT! Here she is pictured on the night of her Senior Project Presentation. She plans to begin college classes next Fall. She plans to become a Veterinary Technician. She is currently deciding between staying in GA and attending Chattanooga State Community College or returning home to Lincolnton to live with us and attend Gaston Community College.

Scott and Emilee were fortunate to begin having monthly dates (thanks to Nana and Pop's offer to babysit the kids), beginning with this one to the Corn Maze in Shelby. Neither of us had ever been before!

Another fun outing for us was hiking up South Mountain to the falls. It was an awesome, but very tiring day.

Bailee is growing up into a "big girl" now. She is 7 ½ months old. She began sitting up on her own at 6 months old, the same week she cut her first two teeth.

We have been so blessed this year. There are many more special moments we could share with you, including Grant becoming potty trained, Emilee directing four holiday programs at her schools, and Grant discovering the fun of playing Wii. We know that God has blessed us far beyond what we deserve. We continue to try and focus on the goodness of our Lord and on His Majesty. We pray that your days will be filled with many special moments in the coming year and that you are able to see God's hand working in your life each day. Merry Christmas to you all! Scott, Emilee, Sadie, Grant, and Bailee

Christmas-aholic?

I can introduce myself honestly as an addict. A Christmas addict, that is. Christmas can be a very tough time for some, but no matter how hard and hectic the holiday can be, I still can't hate it. There are just too many things about Christmas that I really enjoy.

One of those is certainly Christmas music. I have listened to Christmas music at all times of the year, even mid-July! It may be the familiarity with most of the tunes that keeps me interested or the deep spirituality that I find in many songs. For example, "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" has an easily overlooked truth hiding just beneath the surface. In an updated version of the old English, it would read "God Make Ye Mighty, Gentlemen." What a source of encouragement! The writer of the song is encouraging listeners to remember that the miracle of Christ's incarnation on Christmas day outweighs any troubles that circumstances may bring. There are other Christmas songs that do the same. I won't attempt to present an exhaustive list, but a few that come to mind are "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and "Joy to the World" (even though this one is actually an Easter hymn). Maybe these hymns just remind me of when I was a child sitting in the church in which I grew up. I remember seeing the decorated tree in the sanctuary and feeling the anticipation for what would come on Christmas morning. What a rush!

Another reason I like Christmas is the hope that it will bring snow. Now, I live in the South. We don't get snow here very often, but I'm still holding out for a white Christmas one day. We've come close in my area a couple times, but you can bet I'll be taking pictures when and if it finally happens, because it's almost certain to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. At any rate, I look forward to it in spite of how far-fetched it may be. Snow is fun if you don't have to shovel it or so I'm told. A case in point would be when I mentioned my desire to see some snow to a customer who called in from the Northeast. He offered to put a lawn chair out in his yard for me to enjoy all the "bleeping" snow I wanted! Bah humbug! I'll keep wishing for it anyway.

I have kids, now. That's another really good reason to enjoy Christmas as an adult. My daughter is already a teenager, so it's not quite the same as when she was small. Even so, it's still a hoot to see her get excited about a certain something that she has been really looking forward to. My son will have his first Christmas in a few days. He won't remember it, of course, but it won't be long and his eyes will start lighting up at the thought of ripping into some wrapping paper and boxes. I can hardly wait!

Certainly, the most amazing thing about Christmas is what we celebrate: God becoming a man. I get blown away when I read the story of God visiting Moses on Mt. Sinai and then skipping to the manger scene. That same God in Exodus is all wrapped up in a newborn in Luke's gospel. What a thought! Once you consider it, you are automatically pointed toward another important day on our Christian calendar: Easter. The reason for the season is Jesus and the reason Jesus came was to give life to us all.

So Christmas holds a lot of significance for me. Of course, I'm as guilty as the next guy of materialism on Christmas. I'm equally as guilty to complain about how busy everything gets. But I am quickly drawn back to the deep well we visit every December 25th. At this point, it may be impossible for me to avoid it. I guess know too much about it. My name is Scott and I'm a Christmas-aholic...and that's a good thing. Merry Christmas!