Ran 10.04 in the morning with Ted in 1:09:51. The roads were completely covered with snow and ice. Ted suggested the 7:00 mile guy felt safe and was laughing at us. But he laughed too soon. We sped up to 6:30 - 6:40 pace, which was probably worth 6:10-6:20 on dry ground, and got him. Ran with the kids in the afternoon. I am writing this entry on Christmas morning, as I am thinking about what Christmas means to me. Christmas without presents is still Christmas. However, Christmas without service is not. What is the big deal about the birth of Christ? Why do we celebrate his birth? Why do we count years from the time of his birth? He has done something for us that we could not. It is not possible for us to come back into God's presence without first being cleansed from the physical and spiritual damage we experience while living on earth. And Christ makes that cleansing possible. I was 17 when I first heard of this. I had many questions that were not answered. I believed the Biblical account of Christ's life was mostly correct, but could not quite understand its sigfinicance, or what it meant for me in practical terms. Later, the answers that made sense came to me as I read the Book of Mormon. I do not think I would have believed in Christ was it not for the Book of Mormon. My friend related an experience that happened while he was serving an LDS mission. One lady had a hard time with the idea of faith, and was asking for historical evidence. After a long discussion, my friend finally received an inspiration. "Suppose we could go back in time with a video camera, and tape Christ's suffering on the cross. Watching the footage, you would know that he had suffered and died. But how would you know he had died for your sins?" That knowledge comes through the Holy Ghost, by which power we may know the truth of all things. And the Holy Ghost comes when we obey God's commandments, humble ourselves, remove the spiritual static from our lives, and quitely listen. Then Christ can come into our lives, and we will know him. | 