A Christmas Day Surprise - A Christmas Eve Reminder

At 5:15 AM EST on Christmas Day a loud alarm started sounding in our room in the Marriott where Beth, Michaela, Skye, Alia and I have been staying since we came to Charlotte on Saturday. Beth's first waking thought was that I must have had a wonderful dream and was making loud whoops to celebrate! Then a voice came over the PA saying that there was an emergency in the hotel and that we all had to evacuate. We quickly got the girls up, threw on some shoes; I grabbed my laptop and we flew toward the stairwell.

As we were going down the stairwell, an older woman looked shocked, upset, and disoriented. I put my hand on her shoulder and told her, "It'll be ok; it'll be ok" as we all continued our exit. A little instant community formed outside as we waited to hear what was going on.

A fire had broken out in the hotel's main kitchen, but fire trucks descended on our location and within 15 minutes we were given the all clear to come back up to our rooms. It was a good thing too 'cause we had forgotten to grab coats and it was cold and raining. (Yes, I realize grabbing the laptop and not everyone's coats is evidence of a serious deficiency of proper priorities.) The girls opened their stocking gifts and we went back to bed until almost 9. And then we re-began our day in normal fashion.

On Christmas Eve, we visited Warehouse 242 here and Bruce Marcey gave a great message on the prophetess Anna. Bruce's main point was that it can be intoxicating to inordinately focus on our brokenness and pain, but at some point we have to avert our gaze and let ourselves be lost in the beauty of Jesus, as Anna had done.

And so we are thankful to God that our little ones were protected, thankful to God that He is there at the bottom of our brokenness, and thankful to Jesus Christ for His beauty and for the new life that He gives us when we have faith in Him.