It is hard to believe that another year is completed, and that another year is just around the corner. If you are like me, you are always shocked at how quickly time flies. For Stacy and me, Christmastime is one of our favorite times of the year. The time we are able to spend with our family and friends reminds us of the many blessings God has given us.

Christmas is also a time when I take a step back and look at the many gifts that I have been given, especially my wife, Stacy, and my two kids, Will and Delaney. Another gift I am thankful for is the country that we all live in and call our home. I am mindful of the gift that was given to our forefathers as they were working to form this new nation, and the lengths they took to ensure that there would be a nation whose founding principles would include the inalienable rights endowed upon us by our Creator – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The gift that this nation has been to generations of Americans and also to countless generations around the world is something for which I am grateful. The direction and path that we take as a nation is a responsibility that each of you has entrusted to me as your Congressman and it is not a responsibility I take lightly. I am thankful every day for the opportunity to serve in this capacity, and to work on behalf of the people of the First District.

While I am thankful for the work our forefathers put in to creating and establishing our great nation, I am even more thankful for the gift of God’s son, whose life and work was much of the inspiration to our forefathers as they tirelessly and purposefully fought to establish a new nation, under God, whose focus and goals would be that of liberty and justice for all
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We customarily celebrate this time as the birth of the Messiah to an average family in a below average setting. In a manger, surrounded by barn yard animals, the Son of God came as a gift of to an otherwise dark world. This gift came in the form of a man who would bear the sins and burdens of mankind. While we were entirely unfit to accept this blessing, our merciful Creator loved us enough to carry that which would crush us.

Stacy and I hope that you and your family will enjoy this Christmas with your family and loved ones. We hope that you and your family will be blessed in the new year and that the gift of this great nation, and the gift of God’s Son, will continue to be a blessing to you in your life.