Long Lost Christmas Letter

This is the letter that was supose to go out to everyone for christmas but the long story is that My printer didn't work so I put the letter on a flash stick to take and print somewhere else. Well before I got it printed Kyle took off with my flash stick and promptly lost it!! My christmas letters set by the front door ready to mail-minus the letter-for 2 weeks I finally gave up on finding it and had to mail them or they wouldn't make it by christmas as it is some people probably got them after Christmas. Well I decided to post it here to share with who ever visits our new site

Merry Christmas to all!!
I hope this letter finds you enjoying all the wonderful sights and sounds of the season. It seems that the world is even more full of wonder at this time of year.
Kyle is 3 and very much a boy. He loves to build stuff and his newest favorite toy is a boat. He basically likes any thing that goes—planes, trains, vehicles, and boats. As we drive down the street he often yells from his seat “yights”. The kids love to see the lights on all the houses.
Emma is 5 and has entered the world of school. She is enjoying it for the most part although there are some mornings she would rather be with mom! She is learning a lot and has recently discovered that letters have sounds and that those sounds when put together make words. It is fun to hear her exploring the beginning sounds of many words “s s s sun” sun starts with s.
Ellie is the big girl of the house. She is 7, does well in school, and is now taking piano lessons. She is a good reader and is now reading books to her brother and sister. It is amazing how fast they pick up reading last year at this time she was reading 3 and 4 letter words now she is on short chapter books. Even though I was a teacher I marvel at the process with my own kids!
Mike is a busy bee these days…he has to be to keep up with is 1700 hives. He is enjoying this new aspect of his life. He has been bee keeping for 2 years now and is learning a lot. His goal over the next year or so is to built at least 3000 hives.I so much enjoy receiving letters from people at this time of year I guess that is why I always write one myself. I also have found that they are starting to serve as a once a year snap shot to chronicle our own memories. As I look over the previous letters, I am reminded of the faithfulness of our Lord who has so graciously provided for us year after year, not only physical needs but more importantly our spiritual needs. I am a core group leader in Community Bible Study in Shafter and as such was working on a devotional based on the theme of Worship. Through my topical study I was reminded that we are made to worship. If we don’t worship Jesus Christ our Savior, than we will worship other things. In the Old Testament we see the children of Israel falling into idol worship. They were often led astray by the influencing culture around them. We are not much different. Oh, we have gotten more sophisticated in our sin---we don’t have golden calves in our living rooms that we bow down to---but we do often bow down to the things of this world that so easily entangle us. And many times the thing that draws us away from God is our own worship of self. How often the culture that surrounds us draws us away from truly focusing the worship of our lives on God. Romans 12:1 says that we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God which is our spiritual act of worship. It is my prayer that we would all seek to worship the Lord with all that we are!! Let us be as the Magi and seek the one who is King of Kings, let’s forsake our country and give up the convenience of the familiar by stepping out in faith, follow the light that leads to Him by being in the Word, humble ourselves and bow down before him by aligning our will with His, offer sacrificial gifts to Him (not because he needs us, but because we need Him!!) by forsaking what we want for things of kingdom value. May we rejoice with exceeding great joy as we worship him with all that we are!!