Christmas Eve #5- Last One!

We did it! A total 1119 served with the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Woo hoo!

God is good.

Loved the mellow cello and piano music at this service with lots of carols and scripture readings. Excellent crowd (and yes, there were repeaters!) Thoroughly enjoyed seeing our college student in worship tonight! What a hoot!

Thanks for dinner- Staff Parish Committee you brought in a yummy supper for the staff. We appreciate not eating PBJ sandwiches on Christmas Eve.

Thanks for all the other goodies that arrived on my desk during the night. Santa has been here! I shall enjoy opening them!

Merry Christmas!

Blessings to all and to all a good night!

Christmas Eve #4.5

The Incarnation Among Us

For God

husband whose heart fails him kissed his wife's hand while she rocked their son & sang

so loved

glow of light warmed a young girl's face as she waved to her momma from the first row

the world

once strong man now shrunken in gasped for air and beckoned a prayer of blessing

God gave

mother of boys corals them in a pew wiping tears of... frustration, pain, and joy? that only God can know

The Only Son

pixy-sweet girl nose kisses her momma while remembering her Nana's journey into heaven

Christmas Eve #4

Down hill Santa slope now... with only one more service to go. By the time we get finished with this last worship service the new day of Christmas will be here! WAHOO!

Gorgeous, gorgeous music! Wow! Absolutely fabulous! Familiar faces, new faces. Faces shedding tears and other faces with big grins on them! WOW! Loved it! !!!

5pm 379 served at the Lord's table

7pm 388 served at the Lord's table

9pm 226 served at the Lord's table

Now comes the final clean up and touches. Sometimes at the 11pm service we see 'repeaters'. Folks who just want to be in worship as the new day begins. How fun is that?!

Me- I've got some thank you's to write and get ready to mail.

Choir loft is littered with water bottles. Todd's voice is getting scratchier than his beard. Jen cannot stop smiling. Andrew and Megan have not set any luminaries on fire this year. And Mark has been burning calories all night running to and from the organ loft! What a team!

Christmas Eve #3

Half way there! Two done and two to go!

I was minding my own business vacuuming the sanctuary when two different men came and stole the vacuum cleaner from my hands declaring, "That is not work for the pastor!" ha ha! Only time that will ever happen!

Best ever Christmas Cantata! Wow- to the music, the songs, the people, the candles, and the Holy Communion! Gorgeous.

I lost count of all the people!

Love me some Jesus! :)

Christmas Eve #2

WOW- what fun! We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus! Shared at His table and were blessed!

And I think I tear'd up throughout the entire thing. Gosh- my mascara may not make it for 3 more services. Where is my Mary Kay lady when I need her?

My tears were helped along by the Baby Jesus' sister who knew her line (as the Angel Gabriel)- "Do not be afraid" which means (in Mackenzie Noland language) don't be scared! ha ha!

Time to switch things around for service #2 with the choir's cantata, more great music, Holy Communion, and the candles!

Christmas Eve #1- the Pre-Worship blog

Hello there! This moment marks the third annual blog-through-four-Christmas-Eve-worship-services for Michelle! 5, 7, 9, and 11pm! Yeah- baby!

Hope you are ready for the inside scoop on the behind-the-scenes fun and action here at Calvary UMC in good ol' snow covered (and yes, it is snowing right now) Brownsburg.

The sidewalks and parking lot were clear moments ago. We are poised and ready for some worship!

The Youth Choir (GLORY) are rehearsing. And I have yet to see Baby Jesus and his Ensemble arrive to get dressed. My children's sermon ala' props hidden in the manger are ready to reveal... this first service is loud, wiggly, noisy, crazy, chaos!

It is all good! :)

Blog again soon!

Broken

What do you do when...?

• furnace's heat exchanger cracks (get a new one)
• garage door spring busts (have it fixed)
• windows rot (get new installed)
• dishwasher leaks (buy a new one)
• light switches fail (get an electrician to fix it)

I do not know what you do when all that happens within a 12 day period. But my husband screams, "I want to move!" And then he tries to convince me it is a good idea to stop being a home owner because we are watching our emergency fund dwindle and dwindle and dwindle.

I shall just put a big red bow on the house on Christmas Eve and tell my kid that she has a warm, easy-to-enter, weather sealed, non-leaking, bright lit house from Santa for a present!

Untitled Poem

Saw you from afar
and close
arrogance slapped my face
strength pushed out the walls
you were you

today I see you from afar
and close
limbs thin, muscles drawn-in
weakness collapses the walls
you are you

but not the one, I knew

for your Soul tickles my cheek
depth and warmth envelope me
and I wonder

wonder at the transformation
of you
and
me

Do Over!

Here's to wishing on a 'do over' for today's call to have school. My itinerary for a snow day was all planned, prepared and organized. But no- it was not to be.

Now I am caught up on work at the office, but behind on baking at home. sigh. Just cannot win. Christmas Eve is a week away with two gifts to purchase and wrap, baking to finish, and gifts to deliver.

Then, the fun begins because we're planning our trip to the not-so-warm western coast of Florida! We just might need a 'do over' of Florida weather too!

Operation Classroom- Education Ministry in West Africa

Here is an amazing story of a young person making his life better through education... I just received this information from Joe Wagner who is working in West Africa with our United Methodist schools there.

This student is from Albert Academy. Though he is not from Taiama, it does show how determined some students are..

Abdulai Kamara came to Freetown in 2001 with no one to care for him. He ended up staying at Regent Street, sleeping under the gutter. In the morning he moves from house to house collecting garbage (household rubbish)proceeds from which he used for his feeding and the other part payment private lesson fees as he was determined to learn.

After his first 2 years of garbage collection, and as his savings reached some level, all by himself, enrolled in a Primary school. He as the NPSE examination in May 2007 and chose Albert Academy Junior Secondary School as his School of choice for the JSS program.

He is hardworking, serious and determined, sat for the examinations in 2010 and made his mark to enter the senior secondary school. Up to this day Abdulai still lives at his usual gutter, collecting garbage to feed himself and support his education. He will be awarded an Operation Classroom Scholarship.

What an amazing young man! May God bless his hard efforts!

Meeting with Santa Claus

Sunday evening in the cold and snowy night Santa arrived unexpectedly at the door our friend's home. I thought the children's eyes would POP out of their heads. "Santa, here?!"

He was a wonderful Santa too... gave peppermints to everyone, told a wonderful story about the joy of giving, listened to each child's list of gifts, and took countless photos. Santa made sure each child was being good, doing homework, and cleaning their rooms. Santa asked our daughter if she was riding the purple bike he gave her.

To our surprise Santa inquired about all the grown ups too. He asked us if we were registered to vote, change our oil every 3,000 miles, and took good care of our families. Gosh- I didn't realize he was paying attention to us!

The best surprise about Santa came at the end of his visit. Santa gathered everyone at the party into a big circle to hold hands. And then he prayed with us! Yep- Santa does indeed work for and with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit! He prayed blessings upon us and offered thanks to God for Christmas, Jesus, and the joy of generosity.

Loved it! Best visit with Father Christmas ever. And just a tiny foretaste of what it will be like to visit at the feet of our Heavenly Father.

Adventing, we go!

With Advent full speed ahead, the Tooth Fairy paid us a visit last night. Her visit was timely and important because now my daughter has even more cash to buy me a really nice present from the dollar store to go with her homemade present from kindergarten! I just may get that plastic back scratcher I've been eyeing since Mother's Day.

The Tooth Fairy's arrival does indeed affirm our household's belief in Santa, Easter Bunny, and leprechons. (Did I mention my husband's family are firmly committed to their Irish roots?) We do not, however, practice homage to the Great Pumpkin. We leave that to Linus.

Along with a Barbie Camper and Easy Bake Oven, our daughter wants her two front teeth for Christmas! I am sure Santa can supply a couple of those gift wrapped, but not the teeth part.

Don't you just love the holidays!