I am not typically a sap. Mushy and emotional is not normally me.

During this Christmas season, I was not myself. I will share a few highlights of my Christmas...

• After seeing the kids open Christmas from Santa, I cried on Susanne's shoulders. She just held me... and held me.. and held me... She is truly my #2 --behind only Christ!
• Later, I found myself holding Sam, snotty nose and all; we rocked in my chair and just loved on one another. While praying for him, I was dripping tears on him and he let me.
• A little later, Emilee let me snuggle with her. Rocking in that same chair, praying over her and her future spouse... I found myself crying yet again.
• While Susanne was getting ready for us to go to Columbia (her parents'); Jacob came to sit with me in that same rocking chair. Yup... you guessed it... while I was praying for him... I cried crocodile tears. After Jake finished filling my tank he went on to play with some toys.
• Then I started thinking about my Grand Pa Allen. The night before, at our Allen Family Christmas Eve gathering, he blessed my heart. He told the entire family that he had not been the best Priest for his family. He told us how he should have been praying on his knees with his children and challenged us to do that. Then he even sang a song about his/our Savour! And yes... I cried then too!
• Then I thought about how Grandpa and Grandma Reeder use to come over every Christmas Day to see what Santa had brought me and my sister. They are both with the Lord now. I started thinking about how much they would have loved to come see their three great grand kids on Christmas day! I knew that Grandma Reeder was smiling from heaven watching me hold them in her recliner. Yep... you guessed it... more tears.
• Susanne walked by and noticed me just siting by myself... CRYING! She told me "Please don't look at me like that... I just put my makeup on!"
• As I sat there, Savior King came up on the CD player, and I cried again to these words:

Let now your church shine as the bride
That you soar in your heart as you offered up your life
Let now the lost be welcomed home
By the saved and redeemed those adopted as your own

I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the Savior King

2008 will be such an awesome year. I can hardly wait to see what God is going to do with His church plant. Susanne and I have given it all over to Him. We are trusting that God will use us in an powerful way to impact Florence, SC!

You see, crying is not always bad nor sad.

Christmas Day 2007: For the first time... I really realized how truly blessed I am!