Merry Christmas!

Well, it looks like Smoky Mountain Tower is going to be empty tonight and tomorrow night. That's okay, because we're thankful that guests are coming in on Saturday and we're booked right through New Year's weekend!

I've been saving this picture for Christmas eve:


Yes, that's one of our rhododendron bushes on the driveway at Smoky Mountain Tower - and it's blooming! I took the picture when we were there a couple of weeks ago, so it's probably in full bloom right about now - just in time for Christmas. If you look carefully, you can see the Christmas wreath just above the front door.

Rhododendron bushes are supposed to bloom in the spring - not in the dead of winter. But God controls the seasons, and He decides when and where plants should bloom. So here we are, in the Autumn of our lives. But with God's help, we can still "bloom."

That's our Christmas wish for you - that you will bloom in the light of God's love, which He made known to us some 2,000 years ago when He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus didn't come like everyone expected - as a mighty king. Instead, He came as a baby - unexpectedly, like the blooming bush.

We hope this will be your best Christmas ever. And we have a suggestion for you if you still haven't believed on Jesus Christ as your Savior. Just give in and accept Him, and we can promise you that this will be your best Christmas ever! And if you already know Him as your Lord and Savior, like we do, we trust that this will be the Christmas when you let your life bloom for Him - wherever and whenever He chooses.

Merry Christmas!

Dave and Phyllis