This time last year the future seemed so daunting. So many things were undefined, crumbling and apparently finished. I remember sitting in the living room in front of my fireplace on Christmas Eve after everyone else was fast asleep. It was so hard to count my blessings surrounded by so much loss.

For the first time ever there were no presents to wrap, no stockings to fill, no Christmas ham to bake. The lights on the tree and the candles glowing around the room felt almost surreal in the midst of so much shifting and transition; these were the only comforting remnants I had of times past, when the foot of the tree burgeoned with tokens of our love for family and friends. Sharing our prosperity on Christmas day was a blessing I had never fully weighed until that moment. Would love really be enough?

The next day our home filled up with children and friends and family. The table was set meagerly with paper plates and plastic forks and pot bless dishes brought by others. As we formed our traditional prayer circle, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and maybe the deepest sense of satisfaction I have ever known. Love was enough.

This year, the wrapping paper and bows have returned. There are brightly colored boxes and dazzling ribbons, gifts from the heart for everyone who gathers in my home. I will sit in the glow of the fire long after everyone has gone to bed and count my blessings one by one. I will start with this; love endures.

The baby in the manger so sweet and new has given me the greatest of all gifts. That one night when angels sang over the fields as God gifted the earth with enduring love; that night is mine to keep forever. I have it in the hands of my friends as they reach to hold me; their laughter warms me, their prayers strengthen me, their peace calms me. The bonds we share were birthed in Bethlehem; not Macy's. 

The year that followed Christmas 2007 has proven to be the year only faith could carry us through. We looked Goliath in the eye more than once. At each encounter we found supernatural supply...stones of wisdom in God's word that took the giant to the mat time and time again. Our house was in foreclosure, our income was insufficient to meet even our basic needs...yet we never lost any material thing. For twelve months we did not make a house payment. For six months we did not make a car payment. My car is still sitting in my driveway and my house was just refinanced, significantly lowering the interest rate and monthly payment. Everything that was stripped away has been fully restored, with great gain, I might add.

In a few days, my home will be filled with family and friends. We will grasp hands, knowing there is only One who is sufficient. He is mightier than Wall Street, Citibank and Wells Fargo. His will for us cannot be altered by credit ratings, unemployment, or forclosure threats. His Kingdom supercedes the kingdoms of this world. He bought our future between Bethlehem and the Cross. Love endures.   

"Fear not, for I bring you tidings of great joy. Unto you this day, in the city of Bethlehem  is born to you a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."