From the Inside Out

Our Christmas celebration spanned three days this year, but when you’re celebrating the birth of Jesus, I see no reason to limit it to just one day. We began our holiday with a Christmas Eve experience at church. My best friend and her family made it special by joining us for the service. We also reconnected with a few friends afterwards who had returned home for the holidays. The theme for the evening was Snow, and although we didn’t have a snowy white Christmas in Dallas, there were a few digital snow effects on stage. It was as close as we would come this year to the real thing. The deeper significance behind the snow theme was that Jesus’ birth changed the world forever, bringing deliverance and transformation to all of humanity. Through His birth, the complete remission of sin became possible — sin left a crimson stain on us, but Jesus washed it white as snow. No matter what stains we have in our lives, He is able to remove them and give us a fresh start on life. It’s no wonder that the celebration of His birth is like none other!

On Christmas day, the celebration continued at my house with both of our families coming over for lunch and the annual Christmas gift exchange.

2010 Christmas Trees

Hanging with the family

Gary and the snowman

Nerf Gun Wars!!

After the family fun ended, Gary and I ventured out that evening for dinner. Last year we couldn’t find any restaurants open, but we got lucky this year. Snuffers was serving food and showing the Cowboys game on their screens — win! For the grand finale, we met up with a friend for a late showing of True Grit, a great Western movie remake.

On Sunday, we went to Gary’s parent’s house for lunch. His sister and her family wasn’t able to make it to our house on Saturday, so we continued the Christmas celebration with them in Forney.

Opening the pet snuggie — Xander actually likes it!

Jack posing with one of his gifts

Opening gifts

Fun with tents

Our 3-day celebration finally came to an end on Sunday. We had lots of food, fun, family fellowship, and gifts, but the greatest gift of all was given over 2,000 years ago. It’s because of Him that we celebrate. It’s because of Jesus that my life is complete and I have joy. He is the best gift that my parents ever gave me. I’m eternally thankful that I know Him and that He loved me enough to come into this world to live as my Savior.

Happy birthday, Jesus!

I’m writing this post late on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow, I will join with millions of other Christians in celebrating the birth of Jesus, but this Christmas is special. It means even more to me after my recent trip to Israel. While I was there, I had the privilege of visiting Bethlehem, the city of His birth. I can’t begin to describe how it felt to be in that city, and now that I’m home, the feeling still lingers with me. His birth somehow became more real, more alive, more tangible. That is just one of the many reasons why I enjoyed my trip to Israel so very much.

The Bible is not just a series of interesting stories. It is real. No matter how hard people try to disprove it, the Bible still stands true. Being in Israel — walking in His steps — even further cemented that in my mind. The study of history and science also continues to prove the validity of the events depicted in the Bible. For example, you may recall that the book of Matthew chronicles the journey of wise men who came from the East to worship Jesus. They saw His star and followed it to find Him. Even though the star appeared over 2,000 years ago, a BBC astronomer and Discovery new contributor recently decided to do some research into this special star and what it could have been.

Mark Thompson scoured through historical records and computer simulations until he stumbled upon a significant astronomical event that might explain what caused the Star of Bethlehem. According to an article by Ian O’Neill on Discovery News:

Between Sept. 3 B.C. and May 2 B.C. there were three conjunctions (on Sept. 14, 3 B.C., Feb. 17, 2 B.C. and May 8, 2 B.C.) where Jupiter passed close to the star Regulus (the brightest star in the constellation Leo). This rare sequence of events would have looked very strange to those familiar with the night sky.

Thompson found that the gas giant passed Regulus in an easterly motion before appearing to reverse direction, passing the star again in a westerly direction. This change in direction is known as retrograde motion. Due to the near-circular orbits of Earth and Jupiter, as Earth has a faster orbital period than Jupiter, from our point of view we will appear to “overtake” the gas giant. The motion of Jupiter will therefore appear to change direction for several weeks before changing direction again continuing its easterly drift.

The Three Wise Men, thought by many to have been zoroastrianist priests (who were also renowned astrologers) might have noticed this strange motion and considered it to be a ’sign.’

“By camel it would have taken about three months and interestingly this is roughly about the same time Jupiter was traveling in this westward direction.”

Interestingly, Indiana University researchers noted in 2003 that there was a spectacular conjunction between Jupiter and Venus a month after Thompson’s time line. Both planets are thought to have overlapped in the night sky making them indistinguishable to the naked eye on June 17, 2 B.C.

People have often speculated about the accuracy of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. I’ll admit that I’ve wondered how a single star led people to the city of Bethlehem, but research shows us that it was not only possible, it was probable. Jupiter could have led the wise men to the city after its odd change in direction, and a conjunction with Venus may have provided the grand finale in the night sky. I’ve seen a conjunction before, and it is a unique sight to behold (click here for an example). Maybe, just maybe, this is what caught the attention of those searching for Jesus.

I don’t need scientific proof to believe it, but my inner “Scully” thinks it’s pretty cool when the Bible, history, and science align to validate the truth of the story. So, the next time you read the second chapter of Matthew or you watch a Christmas play, you’ll know how they followed the star.

Gary and I have a Halloween tradition. Every October we get together with our friends and check out the local haunted houses. I’m not sure why, but it’s something I’ve never grown tired of doing. It’s fun to go to some dark, spooky place in the middle of nowhere and have people jump out and try to scare you. I love it!

Some of the haunted houses we visit are lame, but others are quite scary. We’ve been to so many over the years that we now know the best ones to frequent. Our favorites are in Ft. Worth. Hangman’s House of Horrors and the Cutting Edge (voted one of the best haunted houses in America and Guinness World Record holder for the world’s largest walk through haunted house) are the best. Verdun Manor in Terrell and Screams in Waxahachie are not too far behind.

We didn’t visit any of our favorites this weekend, though. By the time we left on Saturday, it was late, so we decided to visit a couple of haunted houses closer to home. First up was The Parker House in Lewisville. The Parker House does a good job of creating an eery environment while you are waiting in line. And that’s a good thing because you will be waiting a long time, even with the fast pass. Once you finally get into the house, it’s worth the wait. There are some good scares, and the attraction offers a nice mix of inside and outside haunts, complete with the chainsaw wielding maniac at the end.

Our “scary” picture while waiting in line

The next attraction we visited was Phantoms Ghost Ranch in McKinney. Phantoms consists of 15 old western buildings that are haunted. You walk through the town and go into the various building to get scared. The environment is pretty cool, and it was well staffed when we went through last night. It was fun, and I’d recommend it, but I wish it lasted just a little bit longer.

Even though we didn’t make it to Fort Worth, we had a great night. Two haunted houses + friends + a few screams = another priceless Halloween memory.

Halloween is only 2 weeks away, and for those of you who are frantically searching for last minute costume ideas for the little ones, you may want to check out the following. They are funny, inventive, and sometimes a little creepy.

I don’t have a baby, but if I did, I would be tempted. They’re hilarious and definitely conversation starters.

7. Air Freshener

6. Lady GaGa

5. Baby Burger

4. Octobaby

3. Thanksgiving Turkey Baby

And my 2 favorites….

2. Alien busting out of a chicken

1. Lobster in a bucket

Don’t know what to get your loved one for Valentine’s Day this year? Tired of the standard fare? Looking for something more creative than flowers and candy? Well, nothing says love like a big fat hug, and this year you can send a hug that lasts forever to your special Valentine.

The Hug-E-Gram consists of two soft plush cotton arms with cartoon hands that are held together by an elastic band. They are stuffed with a polyester fiber to create a soft and cuddly hug. You can even add your own voice message to personalize the Hug-E-Gram. It’s almost as awesome as a snuggie (and for those who are wondering…yes, that’s sarcasm)!

Check it out in the video below.

Okay, okay, I know…it may not be the best gift ever, but it’s definitely a unique gift your loved one will never, ever forget.

And a word to the wise, if you order it for your Valentine, you may want to have some candy on hand as a back-up gift, just in case.