Christmas Eve 2010

Family Ornament 2010~Crafted by Catelyn

Christmas Emma
Miss 'G'
Sleep in heavenly peace...

Twas the night before Christmas

& all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even...Emma

Samuel...

or Ben

The Calm before the Storm

Momma Clause put out the gifts...love that woman!

Ben is still clutching his candle - he couldn't wait to light it but fell fast asleep right before we did it...maybe next year little buddy

Stellar Picture by Elizabeth - We make beautiful babies

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My wife had a great post on Christmas Eve.

This year was a bit of a rush job for me as I ended up having to work some major hours at the funeral home. That has been a fascinating experience & I'll have to post on that soon. Suffice it to say, the Snows staff are consummate professionals who really know how to help a family navigate the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

I got home at 5:30 Christmas Eve - just an hour & a half before the service. I had the whole thing planned & the Advent poem written. What I hadn't been able to do was to practice a couple of key songs. Zack has really improved in his piano skills in just a few months under his tutor - Roxie Adrian. He was able to get all the songs together & just nail them. He really put feeling into his playing.

I read pertinent scripture then read a section of poem that I wrote from those texts.

Zack, Dave, Andy, & Dad did all the prep work in the sanctuary as well as Joseph & James Creath & Paul Jr. They evicted the bats (we think, hope, & pray!) My Mom did a bang up job decorating the beautiful rustic sanctuary.

God just showed up & showed out. We had many new faces from the community there. What a blessing.

The children's bell choir did great on Silent night. All in all it was wonderful.

Some old friends were there as well as some new ones. It really is a new day for our Church & I am looking forward to what God is going to do for His glory through our Church. We had a time of precious candle lit silence with the instruction to listen to what God would say to you personally. I actually did 'hear from God' in that time. As I looked around that sanctuary it was as if God said, "These are your people - love them, lead them, for my name's sake". That thought really didn't come from me as I was thinking about the logistics for the closing song. God just kind of broke through my frantic thinking & 'spoke' to me. I felt a love for that congregation just flow over me. Oh that God would help me nurture that command & to lovingly lead my little flock to love Jesus more & live out the gospel every day.