Perfect!

Our Pastor wrote this excerpt this week and I loved how it summed up the meaning of Christmas! I wanted to share it with you! Merry Christmas!!

God's Christmas Plan - Christmas was required in God’s plan because the righteous life he requires was not attained by Adam or any of his fallen descendants. God, prompted by grace, chose to fulfill the holy human standard himself. The incarnate Deity chose to live the life we should have lived – the perfect childhood, the spotless teenage years and the righteous adult life. Had we been able to present to the Father the righteous life he requires so that we could perfectly enjoy his presence and his presents, God would not have needed to become a man and live among us. But we couldn’t, so he did. Were it only our sins that needed a payment, Christ could have arrived on the day of his crucifixion. But our deficiencies were more than our acts of transgression (doing the things we shouldn’t do), our problems included the “falling short of his glory” (failing to do the things we should do). It is with gratitude that we celebrate his advent as an infant, because we know that as our sins were atoned for on the cross, so it was that all our human deficits began to be rectified by one perfectly-lived life starting that very night in Bethlehem.

Tennessee, Two Thanksgivings, Turkey, Trees, Twilight...

I was trying to come up with as many Ts as possible for my title. We were blessed to have two Thanksgivings this year. My Mom moved the holiday up a few days and did the whole deal. It was such fun to spend time with family and end with the traditional movie. Most years the kids and Dads would go see the new James Bond movie, but this year there was no JB....not to worry! We switched it up and all the girls went to see New Moon. This was my first introduction to the Twilight series. I wasn't totally lost in the movie, probably because I had a die hard fan sitting next to me. Thanks Katie for talking me through it! I still have no desire to read the books, but it was definitely a fun evening. You can see prego Melissa in the picture. We hope Cade comes soon!!

Then we took off with the Poladians. Tennessee was an absolute blast. We enjoyed hiking, LOTS of food, a bike ride, hours of reading, fire places, games, hot chocolate and apple cider. There is something wonderfully endearing about the South. The accent and hospitality were just as I expected. Life was slower, properties were spread out and everyone was ready with a story. Appealing.

Here is the link to our pictures if you would like to take a look.

http://gallery.me.com/mattpoladian#100488