Salyer Christmas 2008

Sights and sounds of our Christmas Season!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

You must read this book.

I just finished reading The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren, and it was great!

My mom had given it to me a few weeks ago and I never got around to reading it until today. Once I started I could not stop.

According to Pastor Warren there are 3 purposes to Christmas:

1. A time for celebration
2. A time for salvation
3. A time for reconciliation

I could not do it justice trying to explain all of it, but please, look for it over the holidays, you will not be disappointed.

Anyone seen my Ark? UPDATED 1:30 PM

Wow, what a wet morning. Just very thankful that is was above 32 degrees when I headed out. In fact, when I left Newark it was 32 and by the time I got to Columbus it was 37 degrees. From http://www.weather.com/ it looks like we have got between 0.5" and 0.75" of rain, seems like more.

I know some friends in Chicago got hammered this AM by the weather. I think most are off today or working from home. This place is pretty quiet, a few people working part of the day today. Now they are calling for high winds this PM, what crazy weather, another potential storm coming through Sunday PM, hope Tyler and Rachel make it on Monday.

Tyler posted this on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280295419782

And as you can see, someone actually bought it! Amazing what people will buy.

Off next 2 weeks! Looking forward to holidays , but I know I will not want to come back on 1/5, maybe GOD will bless us financially and I can call it a career!

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It is now 62 degrees in Columbus! What crazy weather we are having, must be global warning? NOT!

Reason for the Season. UPDATED

I feel very fortunate to be almost done working for the year. This is my last week working, I am off the last 2 weeks of 2008 for vacation and holidays.

I am also very appreciative of just being blessed with a job right now. One of my co-workers told me today, her husband's pay was being cut between 15% and 25% the 1st of next year! They hope to get it back phased in over 2009, UGH! Not something anyone wants to hear.

It seems like for many people this might be the worst Christmas ever, from a financial point of view it might be. But just turn your radio to a station playing Christmas Carols and escape your troubles, at least for a little while.

I am back in the mood, with the cold weather and constant carols playing on my radio in my office. It will be the best Christmas ever, not because of the presents I will get (OSU Train from Santa?), but because of seeing family and friends and laughing and playing games and eating and sleeping late and knowing that GOD is in control!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season, if you remember that, write down or tell someone what that means to you, it cannot be a bad Christmas

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Update 10:00 PM

Tyler called today to tell us he got a Christmas present from one of his kids. A bag of chocolate covered peanuts, actually it was only half a bag of peanuts, with a twist tie around them. So if you have more than that, you might have a better Christmas than some people!

Church Information

Christmas Sermon Series
Everyone knows someone who struggles during the Christmas season. Join us each Sunday through December 21st to find out how the Bible deals with these issues.This Sunday
December 14th10:45 amGod is in ControlMatthew 1-2 Last Sunday's Audio:Click Here

Christmas Eve Service
Date: December 24thTime: 7:00Location: Worship Center

tonight, heaven touches earth
A Musical Drama for Christmas
Each year our choir presents a Christmas musical that we pray will reach the hearts of the lost and change the hearts of all believers as we're reminded of why God chose to send His only Son to be born of a virgin in the humblest of circumstances. This year is no exception. Invite your friends, neighbors, and coworkers to join us this Sunday night as our Celebration Choir presents:

tonight, heaven touches earthDate: December 14thTime: 6:00 pmLocation: Family Life Center of First Baptist HeathBelow is the forward written by the lyricist, Randy Vader.

The silence since the astounding proclamations of the prophets centuries before has been deafening. The Children of God have relied more on the ritual of the Law than the reality of the Lord. The Messiah seems more like a myth than a coming Conqueror. The Glory of God has been hidden from mankind since the Fall. Even Moses could not look upon the Glory of God and live. He was placed in the cleft of a rock and could only observe the Almighty from the back as He passed by. The world is waiting in a solemn stillness - but Heaven is as distant as ancient promises.
All of that is about to change...
Tonight - God will fulfill His promise in ways beyond imagination. Tonight - the eternal and the temporal will intertwine in a way that can never be unwoven. Tonight - God will show His love in the most miraculous way - through the gift of His Son. Tonight will be the birth of Jesus, the Christ. Tonight - we will once again be allowed to see God's glory. Tonight - Heavenly music and earthly rejoicing will be in concert. Tonight - all creation sings! Tonight - Heaven Touches Earth!

This video explains my job

CONNECT Group Christmas 2008

Really good time of the year!

I just love this time of year. I have 3 presets on my car radio set to Christmas music. I 2 presets on my satellite radio set to Christmas music. I found that station 424 on the TV plays Christmas music.

It is something about the music really gets me in the mood for the Holiday season. That and Angela starts cooking up a storm! Every night this week when I get home, she has been in the kitchen cooking stuff for our CONNECT Group Christmas party. We do a progressive dinner every year. Salads and appetizers at the 1st stop. Get back in our cars and drive to a new house for the main course. Finally we end up at our house for desserts, that's plural on purpose, and games. I think we have over 30 signed up to come this year!

It has been a good week, I finished teaching class on Monday, met with Pastor Dear on Tuesday, had a church council meeting on Wednesday, and just got back from lunch with Pastor Dear and Billy Andrews today.

Yesterday I found that my satellite radio has added a Southern Gospel music (the kind they play in Heaven) station so I listened to it all of the time to and from work. I was also surprised with an award by the DVP of HR yesterday.

Last night, mom called and said they were coming right over. Since she never does that, I was a little nervous. Aunt Rhoda had fallen a couple of times, so they put her in the nursing home. Sad for the holidays, but a relief for mom and dad, since the only option would have been for them to take care of her.

Today was a little different story. I got to work early so I could leave early. Turned off the engine and heard the heater blower still running. I tried to pull a fuse to stop it, but could not. So I took it to a place to get it fixed. The part itself was $300! UGH! Thanks Pastor Wally for selling me a Cadillac! Just kidding, it really has been a good car, just rolled over 200,000 miles and still going strong, I hope, at least until Corey graduates or God gives us another car.

Work today is very slow, actually getting ready to leave early since I have to fly to Chicago on Sunday. Only about 5 people still here out of 20 some.

Looking forward to class party tomorrow night, I'll post some pictures later.

Remember to say "Merry Christmas" as often as you can!