Hello 2009!!

Well, another year has come and gone. I've been thinking about whether I've had any regrets this year. I've also been thinking about what kind of goals I'd like to make for myself for 2009.

Regrets:

That I didn't listen more. To the Holy Spirit. And to people.

Goals:

1. To be a better listener.
2. To go see a play.
3. To visit Portland, Oregon
4. To lose ten (10) pounds.
5. To be a better friend (#1 is key to this)
6. Spend more time in the Word.

So I think that's about it. I'm excited for 2009. The best is yet to come and I can't wait to see what this year holds.

Wicked Low Airfares

Check out this link to see some pretty good deals from the Harrisburg area.

There's good fares from other airports as well, just type your city name into the box in the center of the page.

I made a Peanut Butter Pie

Here's the proof:

Thoughts on Christmas Eve

I wanted to get a few things down in an entry, so here I am. I'm currently listening to the theme from "Amahl and the Night Visitors."

1. I was reading through the Christmas story this week and happened to take note of a couple of verses in Luke 1. Gabriel has just appeared to Mary and he says

"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." -Luke 1:30-33

Did you ever notice the name-dropping on Gabriel's part? Not only does he mention God, but he then proceeds to connect her son to historical figures like King David and Jacob. How daunting must that have appeared? I've been trying to figure out how I could make that relevant to today. I can't. But I'm fairly certain that Mary was familiar with these figures and probably didn't know what to make of it all.

2. There is a lot of rich Christian traditions outside of America. Tonight, I accompanied our choir on a Nigerian Christmas piece called "Betelemu." It was awesome to think about cultures so rich in percussion, using that talent to it's fullest extent. It almost makes a lot of our American music kind of bland. And it makes me want to play more world music. Does that make me un-American? (It's okay if it does, my citizenship is somewhere else)

3. I had a very encouraging online chat with a friend this morning. I was hoping to touch base with him before Christmas and was glad I was able to do so.

4. Have you ever thought about what Jesus did before age 30? What kind of carpenter was he? Were his rates good? Was his handiwork sought after? Did he have an apprentice? Imagine this job interview:

Interviewer: "I see that you had an apprenticeship several years ago. Who did you apprentice with?
Job Candidate: "Oh, I apprenticed with Jesus of Nazereth."
Interviewer: [jaw drops] Umm, you're hired!

5. Last thought. Ladies, have you ever wondered what Elizabeth felt when John leaped in the womb in the presence of Mary? Would it be like a normal kick? Or would it be like a somersault or something like that?

Merry Christmas.

The one with Monica and Dewey

Just thought I'd pass along a link to an article that I found earlier today. It was an interview with Courtney Cox and she had some very encouraging things to say the importance of making marriage work.

I think it's a refreshing change from the way Hollywood often treats marriage.

Super-Good Stuff!

I make a habit of keeping up with what's going on in a handful of churches in the immediate area, as well as churches that are a little further away. Buckhead Church falls into the latter category. They're in Atlanta, GA and they've got some pretty creative programs. Check out the program they put together called Giving Up Christmas.

That is some powerful stuff!!

Advent Devotional

If you're looking for an Advent Devotional this season, consider Following the Star. It's an online devotional specifically geared towards Advent.

C-SPAN usually gets a bad knock.

So most people don't watch C-SPAN. I do. And tonight, I'm watching something really fun. They're showing tape of the White House Children's Holiday Reception from this past Monday. There was a band that played at the reception called the Sweet Heaven Kings.

These guys were awesome. If you can imagine Christmas music with a New Orleans jazz swing, you're pretty close to what they played. I wasn't able to find out much about them on the internet (they do not appear to have a website of their own). However, they're playing at the Kennedy Center this week and you can read some info on them as well as view their performances from years past here. Definitely worth a peek to the musically-minded among you.

Ding Dong Merrily on High

The bells are sweetly ringing! 'Tis the season for multiple opportunities to attend Christmas hanbell concerts.....

The Grantham Ringers will be ringing at Grantham Church on the 21st. They will be joined by several other choirs and ensembles. More information here.

One of the Camp Hill United Methodist bell choirs (I think maybe the Chancel Bells?) is playing at the governor's mansion this Sunday, the 14th at 1:00pm. They'll also be playing on Christmas Eve. More info on the Christmas Eve service here.

And finally, I got this email tonight from the Hershey Handbell Ensemble. They normally have several holiday concerts, but this appears to be the only one this season.

The Hershey Handbell Ensemble, a thirteen-member auditioned community group, will present a free concert on Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 12:00 PM at Strawberry Square Shopping Complex, 11 North Third Street, Harrisburg.

The concert will include arrangements of holiday music and transcriptions of classical works for handbells. The program will feature music of Bach, arr. Gramann; with carol arrangements by Cynthia Dobrinski, Cathy Moklebust, Terry Price, and Valerie Stephenson. Also included will be several selections for handbell duet and piano rung by Ruth Dunnewold and Susan Stiller. Visit the program page of the website for complete details.

The ensemble, under the direction of Shawn Gingrich, was formed in 2004 and is committed to advancing the art of handbell ringing through performance, education, and community, while uniting people through this musical art.

Ensemble members are: Maggie Beatty, Holly Brubaker, Ruth Dunnewold, Cindy Fair, Laine Heltebridle, Laura Henry, Dawn Herring, Liz Kielley, John Kilheffer, Natalie Sandel, Susan Stiller, Gay Wells, and Janice Wilson.

For more information visit www.hersheyhandbellensemble.org or call Shawn Gingrich 717-583-1922.

Dark Night, but a Glorious Morning

My Redskins took it hard on the chin last night. Really hard. Which
caused me to become rather cross while watching the game. And after
the last Baltimore touchdown, I muttered to myself as I turned off the
TV and went to bed. It wasn't a good ending to the day.

But this morning, was a complete 180. The sunrise this morning was
ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS! I don't know if anyone was up and out around
7:00am this morning, but I was awestruck by the beauty of the morning
(and I'm not exactly one to find much exciting about mornings when you
wake before the dawn). And it caused me to praise the Lord.

Consider Psalm 148:

Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.

He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,

you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,

wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,

kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,

young men and maidens, old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints,
of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the LORD.

Fiction Family

Fiction Family is coming to Grantham! January 25, 2009