Christmas Eve

It's 00:15 here now so that means... It's Christmas Day!!!

But I'll be blogging about Christmas Eve, because if I don't do it now, I'll have to do it later; which means I may never do it.

Early this morning my mom woke me up to ask if we wanted to go to the diner. We usually go to the diner on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day morning each year for breakfast.

However this year instead of going to American Diner, we went to Michael's Diner to try something new.

Max saying that he wants juice.

Ashley trying to decide what she wants to eat.

I ordered two eggs sunny side, scrapple with toast and homefries. It's a relatively small meal compared to the ones I'm accustomed to having each year. Decided to be more disciplined this year because I'm trying to run faster.

The food turned out to be not as nice as the one in American Diner. Also the service wasn't very good. In all, we decided that American Diner was still better than Michael's. I just couldn't understand why Michael's was so much more crowded and you even had to wait 15 minutes just to be seated!

Spent the late morning/early afternoon lying around the house watching TV and hanging out. After which, Ashley and I went for a run at the Green Ribbon Trail nearby.

I'm so grateful to have somebody to run with because I'd have close to zero motivation to run if Ashley weren't here. I think God knew this and sent her here in advance.... Haha.

In the evening after a crowded Christmas Eve service at church, we went to Aunt Theresa's for a family gathering.

Church was filled with at least three times more people than regular today. I guess because on Christmas Eve all the commercial Christians decide that to help them feel less guilty or more "Christian", they should attend church on Christmas Eve. I just wonder how many of them will be back again the following Sunday...

Obviously not all of them are "fakers". Many people, because it's Christmas Eve, are able to drag their entire family to church with them. Also, some people go to different churches and every year they will have to choose between going to "grandmom's church" or "dad's church".

As I sat there in service though, I was thinking to myself "wow... I used to be one of these people". Not that I only went to church on Christmas, but that I would call myself Christian yet not really pursue a relationship with Christ by being in constant communication with Him and following His commands and living in the Spirit. Instead I was doing Christian things like going to church just because... Not because I truly longed to be there... Just because...

The whole time we were at Aunt Theresa's, it was *click* here *click* there, *click* everywhere.

The kids got to open some of their gifts tonight.

I lost count of how much these two got.

And I realised that I'm too old to be receiving gifts. It's kind of bittersweet... because although on the one hand I don't receive gifts anymore, yet soon it will be my turn to put a smile on other children's faces. That will be the best gift for me.

Tomorrow morning we're going to open the rest of the gifts around our tree.

I just ask Lord that while my brothers get to enjoy all their presents, you will help them to understand someday that materialism and pleasure is not the point of life. Rather, Your gift of life in Jesus Christ is the point of all creation! I ask that You will give them the greatest gift of all, which is the gift of knowing You Lord. And I thank You for granting me that which you denied the strong in this world, but poured out to the weak and poor who have humbled themselves before you. It pleased You to make plain Your wisdom to me, a nobody... Thank you so much for doing that.

Tonight I am hungry once again. Full in my belly but hungry in spirit.

I haven't turned on my cellphone all day because I just want to be away from people for a while. I guess I should probably stay away from Facebook too for a while. I plan to fast from my "virtual relationships". But I shall keep on blogging. I can't think of anything that important that people need to reach me on Facebook or on my cellphone anyway.

Gonna shut down now so that I can spend some time with the Almighty God.

Wow.

Just think about that....... spend some time with the ALMIGHTY GOD.

How amazing is it that we can talk heart-to-heart with the Alpha & Omega, the Ancient of Days?

If you could spend an hour in the world with any famous person who would it be?

:)