Best of Our Christmas

Here are a few highlights from my Christmas:

• Watching my daughter master the art of toy train engineering in less than one hour!
• The look of wonder and awe when our toddler said, 'Look at all these presents...(hugs herself) for me!'
• Napping in the middle of Christmas morning's mess while my husband laughs and giggles with our daughter's trains.
• The wonderful music of our Christmas Eve services.
• Eating yummy Christmas morning breakfast pizza.
• Not being able to sleep at 1am after 4 worship services because I cannot wait for my daughter to see her presents.
• The fact that it took our daughter 2 hours and 45 minutes to open her presents because she kept stopping to play with her train, or play with the toy she just opened. (Clothes were ignored.)
• The gorgeous flowers my husband got me after I ruined the Christmas Eve turkey and had a fit of tears as a result.

I pray you had wonderful memories and moments this Christmas as well!

CHRISTmas Eve 5

We did it! We brought in Christmas- Calvary in Brownsburg style!

With 1015 people!

Thanks to all the amazing volunteers, musicians, staff and of course, the Holy Spirit for keeping us going!

Merry Christmas- officially!

CHRISTmas Eve 4.5

Oh- by the way- before he harps at me again.

I need to give credit where credit is due and thank Aaron for a line in my 5pm Children's Sermon. It was his idea to talk about the angel's scaring the shepherds so much that ..."they might have pee'd their pants (or robes or whatever)".

Yep- his idea!

CHRISTmas Eve 4

A habit could be formed from attending and worshipping at Christmas Eve worship services! (I actually think Calvary already has a few of those addicts- folks who are attending more than one service just for the thrill of it.)

It has been such fun watching our congregation greet and love on each other! College students are seeing friends they haven't seen in awhile. Our military personell are receiving hugs and salutes from folks who have been praying for them. And I have see several Calvary families that I haven't seen in a while... gosh that is great.

All that lovin' and greetin' has been a bonus this year- that and the awesome luminaries!

My slippers are on; ate a little power snack; Diet Coke is in hand; and my feet are up!

See you all at the 11pm service!

One more service to go and then, I think, we can officially declare it a Merry Christmas!

CHRISTmas Eve 3

WOW- the music at our 7pm service was enough to "throw you under your chair" to quote our esteemed youth director! Wow! That and the candle light was awesome. Not a seat or dry eye left in the place!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

Now we go and do it again!

CHRISTmas Eve 2

5:00pm service was loud, noisy, busy, and wonderfully young! I wonder what the average age was? 13? We had soooooooooooo many children and babies! I am not sure if anyone was actually able to hear the sermon.

I got choked up on the Luke 2:1-20 passage which I have read lots of times but, was especially poignant for me in that moment of reading.

Wow- is God good or what?!?!

Now, off to do the 7pm service! See you in a few!

CHRISTmas Eve 1

Forty eight minutes and counting before we begin our first of four worship services tonight! While this is Calvary's second Christmas in the new building, it is my first! Am I soooo excited! The sanctuary is gorgeous with the most beautiful poinsettias ever! (Notice I use lots of !'s when I get excited!)

Jesus' manager is filled with fresh straw. His table for Holy Communion is set. The luminaries are ready to be lit. The candles are prepared with fire extinguishers in close proximity. The praise band is warming up for the 5pm service. Brass and vocal choirs will be here before the 7pm service.

All we need is the Holy Family to arrive along with about 1,000 other worshippers! Oh- and hopefully, my boss will be here soon...because I have not prepared a sermon. (Hey, just as I wrote this he walked in- thank goodness! Whew.)

Now, I just need to decide which of the three children sermon ideas I want to use....

See you in a few...

All My Family Wants for Christmas...

All, the loved ones I live with, want for Christmas is either a set of ear plugs; a freshly tuned piano; or for me to stop practicing Christmas carols.

I have to admit I am not the pianist I used to be.

But it has been fun to tickle the ivories and stretch my stiff fingers with after dinner piano caroling. This experiences has brought back memories of my various piano teachers through the years. And brought back the nervous horror of recitals, concerts, and solo/ensemble contests.

You know, its weird, but I just realized that I either had piano teachers who were nuns or they had lots of cats. What is up with that?!

Anyway, I am not sure what I'll do after dinner on December 26th to terrorize, oh, I mean entertain my family. Maybe a little jazz...

Commentary on Comments

The other fellows that I work with have all done a blog on the comments they have received. Good for them. They have received comments and I have not. They also have facial hair and gratefully, I do not.

But, I thought it would be fun to share the two comments that have come my way. When asking my spouse at the dinner table what he thinks about my blog, a grunt and "Did you put too much garlic in this again?" was the response.

My three year old has a fuller response. Last week as we drove to my work and her childcare we passed about eight different churches. An announcement was made from the backseat, "Momma, I can't like those churches."

"Why, Sweetie? They love Jesus too."

"Momma, I can't like those churches... (big sigh)... 'cause I like your church better (giggle)."

The vote is in... she likes my church, but cannot read and therefore has no idea what her mother writes...

Standing Up for Christmas!

Everyone who waits on me (grocery story, checkout, drive thru, bank etc) is going to hear, "Merry Christmas!" I am proud to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world.

Our Ultimate Hero, Jesus, is a really cool guy. And He loves everybody unconditionally, even those (especially those) who make fun of him and call him names. Yes, he is like Rudolph in that way. Jesus loves us. He forgives us. And challenges and equips with His grace to try life fresh, new and different than what we've done before. That sounds better than any New Year's resolution!

Sales ads may call it "holiday shopping" or "holiday trees" or "happy holidays", but for me it is the Christ in Christmas that matters. So, it is Happy Birthday Jesus! Happy Incarnation Day- God! And Happy Future-coming-into-the-world-to-save-it-and-us-from-ourselves Day! That is what Christmas is about...and I am proud to celebrate!

Holiday Drizzle

While parts of the US are covered in snow or ice, we in the middle of Indiana have rain. And lots of it.

Kinda makes shopping a drag. Christmas cards have ink smudges. Wrapping paper gets ruined. And don't even ask about the boxes of stuff on my front porch ordered on ebay that are now drying... I really don't think that there are any holiday songs that wish you a soggy Christmas.

I guess the only good thing about all this is- at least we are not in a drought.

Puppy's First Snow

Our family's greatest joy and entertainment came early this morning. We stood with our noses pressed against the cold glass of our sliding glass back door. There standing on the precipice of the deck step was our eight month old labrador retriever. The three of us couldn't take our eyes off him. What would he do?

Shocked by the cold wet white stuff all over his domain (our backyard) he stood perfectly still and stared at it. Stood there for a good 3 minutes. Unmoving. The he turned around and scratched on the door to be let into the house. We encouraged, we yelled, we hollared at him to go and 'do his business' in the snow, but he wouldn't go.

Finally, my husband put on his coat and shoes and walked the pup out into the snow. Where he jumped around in it; sniffed it; sneezed it back out of his nose; and then suddenly took off in a puppy like crazy sprint through the entire yard!

He wouldn't come in for 20 minutes. When he did, he wanted back out.

I think, our pup likes snow now!

Mothers at Christmas

After paying attention to both the local and nationals news media, these past two weeks, I find myself deeply saddened by the multiple reports of mothers abusing and several murdering their young children here in the USA. Words are lost on me for these children... and their mothers.

In the season of Advent, the Christian Church prepares to welcome the Savior of the world as we recognize the anniversary of his birth and as we await His final coming into the world. We celebrate by telling the stories of two amazing mothers... Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Mary, the mother of Jesus.

I trust and believe that these two mothers who were able to minister and nurture one another, grieve for these situations today. And I do believe God cares about them as well.

If you know a single mom who is working, raising kids, or mothers who are frazzled anmd overwhelmed for whatever reason- please be kind. Reach out to these women. Help them and most of all help their children by offering kindness, understanding, love, and patience!

Odds and ends

Yes, I did watch the season finale of Dancing with the Stars. And yes, there was great rejoicing in our house over Helio and Julianne's win! I am so proud!

But the great thing about the l-o-n-g (and often boring) finale was that I got my Christmas cards addressed! Plus, I organized my Christmas shopping list.

You might be interested in our Made in China free Christmas. It is hard to find toys that are not made there. Wow- but the neat thing is that we are finding some terrific nostalgic toys on Ebay and some USA toy manufacturers online that we would have never discovered. There is some fun stuff out there- Santa may need to put forth a little extra effort- but we think it will be worth it.

Timing, just may be everything

You've heard it like I have. "Timing may be everything." Well, it is certainly true when it comes to renewal leave. A year ago, my congregation and I were blessed with Renewal through the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Program. It was amazing for me and sustaining & fun for my congregation!

But the timing...

Last Year – Broadway Open (We were there over Thanksgiving weekend.)
This Year – Broadway Closed

But, did you know:

Last Year – Paris Subway Open (We were there during the 2nd week of Advent.)
This Year – Paris Subway Closed

What a difference a year makes!

Still Dancin'

Okay, why is Marie still on the show?
Does she really have that many fans or are all the votes from the Mormon church?

Come on America- vote for Helio. Or at least don't vote for Marie. Monday is the final night! I'll be dancing in the living room!

Attitude of Gratitude

Having a sense of gratitude this Thanksgiving has a new twist. I am not allowed to eat any of the holiday goodies... doctor orders! No sugar, fat, chocolate, alcohol, and caffeine.

Bummer of a holiday- especially because it is totally based upon what you put into your stomach!

Alas, I shall not despair. I'll be the one at the Thanksgiving feast smelling and drooling over everyone else's plates! I am thankful that at least my nose still functions.

Have a terrific holiday being thankful for whatever you've got!

'Made in China' Free Christmas!

Because of the recent toy recalls, I spent yesterday evening in a pile of my daughter's toys. I was reading labels on everything. Stuffed animals. Fisher Price doll houses. Plastic toys from McD's etc. I was overwhelmed with information I gleaned.

All of her stuffed animals (even the ones my husband purchased for her in Japan) were made in China. Even her Build-A-Bear stuffed animals that she made in the US- the bear fabric she stuffed was made in China. All of her Leap Frog toys, music toys, Fisher Price Little People, Home Depot tools, play kitchen etc. were made in China. I found one plastic toy that was made in Mexico. And one set of Mega blocks that were made in Canada, but the bag to put them in was made in China.

The only toys that were not made in China are her books with the exception of four. My daughter's DVD's were also made in the USA. Several toys got tossed last night into the trash can.

My husband and I are a declaring this a Made in China free Christmas this year. It will not exactly be a 'home-made' Christmas, but almost. All of our daughter's grandparents, aunts and uncles are on the alert to not purchase any toys made in China. We are even writing to Santa to inform him of our wishes. We will consider alternative toys that are manufactured anywhere but China. And of course, books and clothes will be a big hit this year!

Furthermore, we are going to write letters to these toy manufacturers that we are disgusted with their production practices that put our precious ones in harm's way.

I hope that you will join us in our Made in China free Christmas this year. Perhaps this is simply a terrific opportunity to un-commercilize this holy season of expectation!

Proud to be American

The day after election day I am proud to live where I do. We don't get a lot of things perfect as Americans. We have been making attempts at this republic for a couple of centuries and we still have a long way to go.... but one thing that is awesome is the day after election day.

Debate, disagreement, talk, chatter, gossip, political maneuvering, etc occurs on all the days and weeks leading up to election day. Then we vote. What a cool thing that is. I really think it is fun to vote!

And then the next day the work begins again. We don't shot each other. Although we may disagree. We don't launch military strikes. Although we may be frustrated with one another. We get back at the business of trying to figure out how to make this democratic system work.

And that is really cool and a good thing to be proud of.

Time Change

We made it! I never know for sure how the time change will go. Will I forget to set my clock? Will I set it in the opposite direction?

But more than that- the time change for me is a space-time continum question of existence. What time am I really in? Does changing my clock 'do' anything? Affect any reality of existence?

Over the years I have lived in many different time zones and I have changed my clock several different occasions. So, am I really the age I think I am? Weird, isn't it?

Connections

This past weekend a group of women from our church attended our women's retreat. The delicious snacks, loud laughter, and long conversations into the night are evidence that it was a great experience of sharing and friendship connections for the women! I think we learned a few things too.

It seems that these women more than I remember from any other year I have led these groups, (and I think this is year #10), craved friendships. They were so grateful for the sharing! They were so amazed by what they had in common with one another. They were floored to realize that they weren't the 'only one' who was a single mom, or thought that way, or whatever. Some were simply grateful for the hugs. One woman stated that her family is so far away she doesn't get any hugs on a regular basis.

My experience this weekend makes me wonder if there is something going on in our world which makes us hungry, starving, and needy for closeness, intimacy, and companionship. It seems that things like the internet, blogs, chat rooms, etc. aren't satisfying all of our needs.

I am grateful for these women that there is a place and there is a group of people who can... by the grace of God... help us feel close, intimate friends with God- the church.

Harvest

What is most meaningful about autumn is harvest season. The sense of culmination of growth with the fruits/veggies coming in from the fields is a celebratory feeling.

Harvest took on a new theologcial meaning for me the October of 1992. My grandfather a lifelong farmer was harvesting his crops when he died suddenly. His death was a shock and surprise. At 70 plus he was a spry guy! But his death was not devastating because God harvested him- and brought him home to his eternal reward and rest.

Ever since that experience I have some to think of death as a harvest... and the good ol' hymn Bringing in the Sheaves hums through my mind. God simply gathers into the heavenly barn those who are 'ripe' for the picking!

Autumn Beauty- Autumn Yuck

I have decided that Autumn is really my favorite season. I like the cool air, the relief from summer's heat and humidity. The leaves change colors are awesome. The harvesting of crops is meaningful. The start of football and marching band are fun.

The only thing, I think, that is yucky about fall is well- my allergies! I am so glad that we are having some hard frosts (not because they are killing the flowers that I have nurtured all summer), but that maybe, just maybe my nose will have a much needed break. Bring it- I say to fall!

Birthday for the Boss-Man

We did it! We surprised him. Chocolate cheesecake can put a smile on anyone's face, especially the boss!

Don't forget, folks, Todd's big prime number birthday is tomorrow, Friday October 12th. Send him a note, call him, email him, comment on his blog... wish him a good day. He deserves it.

Silence

I started reading a book about preaching yesterday afternoon. The author is a Duke Div professor, one of my fav's. And he basically talks about the 'end of words'. That we have run out. There are too many. People are over saturated in words/verbage/ya da ya da ya.

He challenges us that we are in an age of craving silence and we don't know it.

So, after reading that first chapter. I put the book down. Turned off all the noise in my house. Complete Silence. I fell asleep for three hours.

It was the best nap ever!

Dance, Dance, Dance!

I think I am a freak. I love musicals! In fact in college my friends and I would have musical marathons over the weekends. My addiction was not helped by the fact that I played in the pit orchestra in high school and college!

For a certain period of my life I got frustrated with the fact that my friends and family would not break out in song and perfectly choreographed dancing. Sigh. I guess real life isn't a musical... that is until I started watching Dancing with the Stars this fall.

Now my life long dream of taking ball room dancing lessons has been re-activated. Actually, we're watching the show together in our house because an Indy Car driver, Helio, is dancing up a storm. My hubbie besides being a avid race fan works for the Indy Racing League, so of course we are voting for Helio! (We encourage you to vote too!)

So, if you see me dancing in the hallways at church, or humming a little fox trot tune, or tapping my toe in worship... just remember somewhere inside of this pastor is a dancing queen!

Blessings,
Michelle

What I Learned About God from Dog Obedience School

For eight weeks this summer I took our new pup to dog obedience school (i.e. puppy kindergarten). I am not sure who earned our B. In fact I have never worked so hard for a B in my life, but we passed. There were moments during training at home that I thought for sure that we would fail the class.

One of our instructors nicknamed our pup, Tank, because he is just so think and bulky for a lab. After receiving our report card I think 'Tank' has more to do with his stubbornness!Anyhow, the entire experience was fascinating! I learned alot about dog psychology, dog training, and really about what a dog handler needs to do in order to insure the success of their dog's training.

The great part about dogs and the hard part about training them is that dogs are always perpetually 'in the moment'. That is how they can love and care unconditionally. But that makes it difficult and tricky for training. You need to repeat the lessons often!

Yet, what a great role model for people of prayer because we get too caught up in the past or too worried about the future- we need to learn to be with our Caregiver/Master/Handler in the moment as our pups are with us. Maybe then we would learn to trust more, listen more fully, and be more obedient to the leading of the One who Loves Us Unconditionally.

Anyhow- that's what I learned about God at dog obedience school this summer. It wasn't on the test on th elast day, but I think I got at least an A minus on this lesson!
Blessings,
Michelle