Holidays Update

For all the family here is a little update on how the holidays have been at the Welch household.


First, for all of those who sent money or gift cards to Cooper for his birthday, he used his money to buy an iPod.  It is something that he should use for a long time and it hooks up to the iDog that he had asked for and Santa brought.  So thank you to everyone.

Thank you grandparents for all agreeing to kick in for Val's new video camera.  Even though she asked for it she was surprised on when she opened her present.  I have tried to stay out of the way and only offer assistance if asked.  I am as excited as you to see what videos come out of it, but she was very excited.

We had a great Christmas here.  My mom and dad came up for the week.  Dad helped with several projects around the house (mainly involving doors.)  We opened family gifts on Christmas eve.  Then the big man came that night and left a little more for Christmas day, including a new sled, which has been used several times already.

On Thursday night Val and I went out for our anniversary to the Wabasha Street Caves Swing night.  We had a lot of fun and then stayed at the Saint Paul Hotel.

Right now Cooper is trying to stay up with Val to ring in the new year.  Lincoln has been sick and Saturday night I was up most of the night with him, so I don't think I will see the new year pass.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and have a wonderful 2008.

welch digital archives start to go online

Slowly the welch digital archives are moving online. You can check them out at: http://picasaweb.google.com/chadmwelch

No Room in the What?

Ben Witherington at Christianity Today has an interesting article about the way we have interpreted Luke 2:1-7 and what Luke may have been trying to tell us.

"We've heard it countless times before. We've all been inoculated with a slight case of Christmas, preventing us from getting the real thing, or in this case, from reading these texts in a more historical way. The problem with the Christmas-pageant version is, this is not at all likely to be what Luke intends to tell us in this much beloved and belabored Christmas tale."

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE

(HT: Cindy Bryan)

Cooper's Radio Interview (update)

We got a CD today of Cooper's "Holiday Outlook" radio interview. Not as much static.

LISTEN HERE

snowball fight

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

created by Cooper

Isaiah on True Fasting

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

Isaiah 58