**Thursday Roll Call**

Good morning one and all. How is your day going? Well, I discovered that caffeine works on me! Too well! The good news about being retired is that I can take a nap today, plus I have had lots of time during the night and the wee hours of the morning to pray for you. I am so glad that we can pray for each other. It is one of my favorite things to do. I am going to physical therapy this morning, and then I am going to come home and cook the turkey for Christmas. I love those cooking bags, and it has really worked well for me to cook the bird ahead of time, then get it all cut up. Boy, does that simplify things when I am trying to put together the meal! I have music practice tonight at church. We are going to prepare for our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. Hmm. Maybe I won't have time for that nap today! Dawn, you have been so good a making up questions of the day. I thought I'd try my hand at it today, if you don't mind. Here goes! 1. How many people will you be celebrating Christmas with this year? 2. Where are you going to be at Christmas? 3. What does Christmas mean to you? 4. If you could have anything you wanted for Christmas, what would it be? +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ My Answers: 1. There will be 9 of us at my son's house for brunch, and then there will be 8 of us at our house for dinner. 2. Church in the morning, brunch at my son's house, then dinner at our house. 3. Christmas to me means a new beginning. When God sent His son that Christmas Day, I feel like it is a "Do Over" for me. Jesus wiped my slate clean and lets me do my life over in Him. Thank you, Lord Jesus for Your Grace and for taking the sins of the world upon Your shoulders. 4. Peace. Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. I pray that our soldiers can come home because there would be no more wars. I pray for those who are hungering and thirsting that they find Jesus. On a personal note, I would love to see my younger son married and having children of his own. I pray for him because he is in a new relationship with a wonderful Christian woman. If she is the one, I pray that God will bless their relationship. Have a very Merry Christmas. God bless. Love, Peg

Hi Peg~ Your not stepping on my toes at all!! I think it's just that I get to work so early compared to people in other time zones. Normally I am the first one on here. QOD 1. My church family through worship, then my parents, then Nick's parents, then my godson's, and probably my our friends. 2. (see #1) church first, then my parents house, Nick's parents house, etc, etc. Normally we go to a homeless shelter and prepare dinner for them, but our church service time clashes with the shelter's dinner time. It's really put a burden on my heart as I know that these people need food and love. I'll have to trust that my other brothers and sisters in Jesus will take care of them. I will probably still send something for them to eat anyway. 3. I had to answer that question in front of the congregation at church on Sunday. To me, Christmas is about gifts. Not the gifts that we get from under the tree Christmas morning, but the gift that hung on a tree 2000 years ago. I thank God daily for Him wrapping Himself in human flesh and coming down to this earth as a baby. He could have chosen to come anyway He wanted to, but He chose to come to a young poor couple. He could have chose to be born in a mansion, but he chose a manger. In every way, from the very beginning He made it so we could come to Him unashamed. We don't have to look at Him as this unatainable High King that is too important to hear us. We can look at Him as someone who brought Himself down to our level so that we can see Him face to face. Praise God for His love for us!!! 4. I would love to say peace, but the bible says that Jesus didn't come to bring peace, but a sword (Matt 10:34). Because of that, I know it is impossible. What I would want is for everyone to understand what Christmas is. For them to see that they need a savior. That the life they are living is leading them to eternal damnation. I want people everywhere to give Jesus the gift of their lives for Christmas. Great questions Peg!! On a personal note, I applied for a job yesterday. I really didn't want to because I know that I will be having this surgery soon, but when I saw the ad it just jumped out at me. It is for a receptionist position at a non-profit organization that helps teens and adults overcome drug and alcohol addictions. Doesn't that sound like something I would do? Love ya!! Dawn

Hi Dawn. Good answers! And yes, that job does sound like something you would do! I'm praying for you that God will make His will known in your job situation. I also pray that God will open a door of opportunity for your husband too. Stay warm! Sending lots of prayers and love your way. Peg

Peg, Good Morning! Good Morning, Everyone! Great questions, Peg! Hey, I agree with you on those cooking bags!!!! They're great! And I cook the turkey ahead too! It works out really well! God bless! 1. On Christmas Eve, we have dinner at my parent's home...usually everyone stays for supper too. There will be my two sisters there & their families and my one brother and his family there. So probably about 25 people. 2. On Christmas day we have dinner at my husband's parent's home and everyone will stay all day and then eat supper together too. 3. That Jesus was born to die for our sins! Thank You, Lord Jesus! 4. That all my family members and our entire community would come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior! Love, Cindy

Hello all! I enjoy roll call and also the questions. Your answers give some neat insight into your life and thoughts and its good to get to know you. 1. There will be 9 of us at my home from Christmas Eve through MOnday. Then the next weekend there were be 12 of us through the New Year Weekend. One of my daughters in law and two grands will stay with us the week between. 2. Our church is having a Christmas Eve service (they always do) and they are repeating basically the same service for Sunday morning so that the church family can pick which or both services. We go to the Christmas Eve service. We will have candlelight carols and communion. 3. This is a tough one and I hope you will not jump to conclusions on my answer . I know, as I'm sure you do, that this date is not the actualy birthdate of Jesus. I had become so involved in Jewish roots study and felt that the Feasts of the Lord as given initially in the Old Testament were what Christians should be recognizing instead of the man made dates of Christmas and Easter with their pagan roots. Okay, I went a little overboard at one point and really did not want to do anything at Christmas time but found that difficult since the rest of my family did not understand this. I believe I have now found a very happy medium.... I still believe the Feasts of the Lord have more meaning, at least for me, but I also now see that we have the freedom in Christ to celebrate anyday we want to and as we do it unto Him it is meaningfull and a wonderful occasion to lift up the name of Jesus in our family and among our friends (and the world). This process took me over 10 years of working through so.... 4. My best Christmas gift would just be all my family coming to know the Lord. So thankful that my sons and thier wives are believers and they are raising their children to know the Lord. What a blessing! And peace on earth! Because that would mean that the Prince of Peace had come again!

Good Morning Everyone - what a glorious day! Peg and Cindy - I use the cooking bags too! That is too funny because I always feel like I'm cheating or somethng - but the turkey always turns out great! I agree with you Peg, praying for one another is so precious and I thank the Lord everyday for all of you and your gracious, loving hearts. Answers: 1. I will be celebrating with my family, about 15 of us, and my church family about 100. 2. On Christimas Eve we will be going to the Candle Light Service at my son's church and on Christimas day we will be having a special time of fellowship and celebration with our church family after the worship service. Then we will be heading up to Idaho to spend time with my parents. My father's chemo has been taking its toll even though his cancer is now in remission. So instead of them coming here we will be going there for a couple of days. What a neat gift though to have my father's cancer in remission - Thank you Lord! 3. Christmas shows God's ultimate love towards fallen humanity - He didn't have to send His Son but He did - the plan is all His - HIStory unveiling God's desire for His own. Christ coming humbly and dying on the cross that a sinner such as myself can have eternal life even though I deserve death. Praise you Jesus! 4. Peg, my daughter and I were singing that song at the top of our lungs yesterday in the car - sometimes I just think God has given me such a connection with all of you - I am so blessed. If I could have anything I wanted for Christmas it would be simply be to be in God's will and see a dying and lost world recognize their Lord and Savior. My new position at Curves is going very well and I am thanking the Lord that He is not letting me off the hook when it comes to exercising! Everyday I wonder though if I am getting all the nutrition in that I need to be but I guess only time will tell and in the mean time I need to be a good steward over the body the Lord has intrusted me with. Do any of you think about that? Am I eating right? Taking everything that should, etc? Well, anyway off and running! Love all of you! God Bless, Lynda Phil. 4:8

Hello Peg! 1. How many people will you be celebrating Christmas with this year? It will probably be 5 of us. 2. Where are you going to be at Christmas? at my house 3. What does Christmas mean to you? The birth of Jesus Christ who came to give us LIFE. 4. If you could have anything you wanted for Christmas, what would it be? nothing materialistic. I feel i have everything and everyone I need and only pray for those who do not know Jesus, to come to know him. Hugs, Letty

Peg, I consider it a privilege to engage in prayer on other's behalf as well. I remember seeing my grandfather, kneeling in prayer and weeping over people in far-a-way lands that he didn't know and I always wondered why....but God had given him a burden for lost souls and a gift of being a strong prayer warrior. I find as I get older that this is the desire of my heart as well.... At my house on Christmas morn will be my DH, my youngest daughter (age 19) my older daughter, her husband and thier 20 month old son, my son, who is my oldest child, his wife and two children age 5 and 13 months. By Tuesday, the 27th my husband, my youngest daughter and her boyfriend and myself will be driving to Panama City Beach, FL to see my only living brother. It's a very long trip from Miami. Christmas is a celebration and recognizng God's choice to come to earth thru His Son Jesus and ultimately the salvation for us all. It is a time to set together as a family and read Luke and talk to the little ones about this special time of year....and why we give gifts. It is a time to remember the past and prepare for the future. More than anything, I want my children happy and fulfilled in their lives. I pray for those who are suffering for the cause of Christ and for those who will be open to receiving the Good News. I pray that 2006 will be a year for our nation to return to its roots and once again be "one nation under God." This is my prayer.... luvitsunnyv