Signs that you're in Portland

I'm writing from Troy & Shauna Wagner's home in Portland, OR! Yesterday I attended the Oregon Professional Educator Fair at the Oregon Convention Center. There were over 220 school districts there and probably over 2500 teacher applicants. I was able to talk to many districts that are looking for music teachers and gave my resume (& Lani's) to about 15 of them that seemed most interested. I was "interviewed" (to some extent anyway) by four districts, while several others took down notes about me and said they'd follow up later.

Interesting note: I was originally only thinking of talking to Oregon districts (or maybe ones right across in Vancouver, WA), but at lunch yesterday, two administrators were sitting by me from Walla Walla, WA and after we talked awhile they showed interest in me as a music teacher and encouraged me to come by their booth. When I did so that afternoon, they were excited and immediately had me sit down and be interviewed by a grade school principal. Another interesting thing happened when I was walking past a booth for Nyssa, OR (a small town near where I grew up in Eastern Oregon). One of the three guys there caught my eye and he said, "Randy?", then stepped toward me and said, "or, Dan?" Turns out it was Geno Bates, a guy who'd gone to school with us in Ontario (in Randy's class, I believe). He didn't have any openings to fit us (and I wouldn't have wanted to go there anyway!), but he recommended I talk to the folks from Nampa, ID. When I stopped there, they were very interested right away and asked to interview me right then. So, two districts that I wouldn't have even talked to ended up being the most interested in me. Interesting! I also did interviews with Estacada, OR and the David Douglas district in Portland.

So, now to the title for this post. Here are some signs that one is in Portland:
First sign, when Troy was driving me home from the airport Monday and we were turning onto his street, we stopped at the corner for a jogger -- at 11:38 at night!
You see lots of women with little or no make-up on (and it's just a normal thing).
There are big mountains nearby.
There is lots of snow on the big mountains.
People at a restaurant picked up your plastic bottles separate from the trash to recycle them.

I suppose I could list a lot more, but these were some things I noticed right away.

Final notes: I got to eat last night at Chevy's with Troy & Shauna & kids, and my good friends Paul & Linda McDonald.
Then we went to see Makinna and all the 3rd grade class at Glencoe Elementary do a musical intitled: "Portland, a Musical".
After that, my good friend Jeff Beachy joined us back at the house for a couple hours of visiting.

Today, I'm hoping to have lunch with Ike Graul (WorshipForum.com founder, PUMP minister, Take 6 lover, and good friend). Tonight I'll go see Randy & Charlene at their new home. I also hope to go for a run through Laurelhurst Park; it's a beautiful day and the park should be full of runners, walkers, children playing, people feeding birds. . .

Great weekend!

We were blessed with a wonderful weekend in Tulsa! Safe travel, good discussions during the interview, and worship seemed to go well. Thanks be to God (and thanks to all who prayed on our behalf!).

As it turns out, I am the first of five guys that are being brought in. So, they have four more weeks in a row to do this, four more guys to try out (and they are gonna be really tired after doing this for five consecutive weeks!). I guess we need the virtue of patience as we wait for a month or more to hear what they will do there.

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Tomorrow I fly to Portland to go to a big teacher's job fair. They will have something like 216 districts there to meet and interview teachers. I'm going to take my resume (& Lani's too) and see how God leads and blesses on this pathway too. It's kind of hard to know just what to do. I still have it in my heart to be a full-time worship leader, but there are reasons that returning to the teaching field might be the way to go (we could bless a smaller church, we'd be close to family, we'd be ministering in "secular" jobs, etc.). I'm praying daily for God's wisdom, leading, and blessing.

Oklahoma!

Today Lani & I fly up to Tulsa, OK to interview with the Memorial Drive Church of Christ for their Worship Minister position. We'll be going through a full day tomorrow of interviews and meals with various groups (staff in the morning, worship team representatives in the afternoon, then the elders later). Sunday I'll lead worship and then we're back home by Sunday night.

Thanks for your prayers!

College Choir memories

Last night Hannah was showing Lani & I her choir music -- several songs that they are learning for UIL competition -- and asked us if we knew any of them. The first one was, "All That Hath Life and Breath Praise Ye the Lord" by Rene Clausen. Immediately Lani and I both started singing the song. I guess Hannah figured out right away that we knew it! Then, I said, "Wait a minute, I think I've got a recording of that" and off I went to the garage to look through all our old records.

Talk about your "memory lane"! I found the box of records and pulled out all the ones from Columbia Christian College, where Lani and I both sang in the Concert Choir, Joyful Noise, and His Heirs groups that my dad directed. Just reading through all the song titles and looking at the pictures of the groups filled my head with music and good memories. I saw some peoples' faces that I haven't thought about in years (and a couple that I couldn't remember their names). What was amazing was how many songs just came right back as soon as I read the title. I could even picture singing them in certain places.

Eventually I made it back inside with the album, "Glorify the Lord" in my hands. The first track is the "All That Hath Life & Breath. . ." that Hannah is learning. So we put it on and Lani and I kind of sang along. Then we played it again for Hannah without singing, so she could hear it. And then we just listened to most of the album with Hannah and Micah there too. I dropped the needle on "Set Down Servant", a song which I had a solo on, and Micah and Hannah didn't think it sounded like me at all! Micah actually didn't realize for awhile that this was a recording that Lani and I were both singing on; he was wondering why we knew all these old songs.

So, it was a fun time listening to our old college choir and recalling friends and choir tours and yellow tuxes and all these songs. And you know, that choir sounded pretty good too!

Faithwalkin'

Today I heard from a WorshipForum friend who said that he was also interviewing at Memorial Drive in Tulsa. I appreciate his openness and let him know. And we'll be praying for each other. He also indicated that they have three other guys that they're bringing in (though I don't know who they are). So, we'll be praying for them too. It just reminded me today that I'm perfectly fine with getting this job or with not getting it, because I'm confident that the Lord is at work and is leading me, my friend, and the church there. Of course, I want to do well and to lead people in an intimate worship time with God this Sunday; but, I also want God to help make it clear whether this ministry and place is a good fit for me and my family (or if it's best for someone else).

It rained most all day here. . . and I was thankful because yesterday I planted a bunch of new flowers in our flowerbeds and patched ugly places in our front lawn with new grass. Thank God for small blessings.

Just a nice Saturday

What a nice day! I think it topped out right around 70 and with low humidity. Caleb, Levi, Micah, and a friend who's staying with us today all went swimming this afternoon (I think the water temp. was 69 -- brrrr!). Lani & I went to Houston Garden Center and got a bunch of flowers and stuff to spruce up the yard before we put the house up for sale. I like working in the yard, especially on nice days like this (not so much in 90+ degrees and/or 90+ humidity). It may be "Adam's curse" to till the soil, but I kind of like it in small doses (I probably wouldn't want to have to make a living that way).

This week I subbed two days, but times in 5th grade classrooms. I kind of like that age-level. Friday I was actually in Lani's building and was her "teaching partner" (our classes traded back and forth; she teaches math/science and I did language arts/social studies). I've met all the other 5th grade team there and it was fun to work with them.

I'm enjoying the NCAA tourney! Just now saw UCLA finish off Memphis! Go Pac-10. I still can't believe Gonzaga lost that game to them Thursday though.

A week from today Lani and I will be in Tulsa interviewing with the Memorial Drive C of C. Some odd things about that weekend: we'll be doing the interview on April Fool's day and daylight savings time begins (so Sunday morning will feel especially early!).

God's blessings to you!

American Idol thoughts

OK, until this year, I had never watched an entire episode of American Idol (I'd watched a few clips, but never a whole show). This year all of my family -- led primarily by Hannah -- tune in to watch most every episode. And, I confess, I've watched several (but not all) of the shows too.

I really dislike the regional, qualifying-event shows. What a big, staged farce! They show about 2/3 of the really terrible performers just for the allure & amusement and I can't stand these shows; I could turn it off and walk away at any moment. On the other hand, once they got down to the top 24 or so, then it was all pretty good.

Here are my comments at this point:
I'm so glad Kevin (a.k.a. "Chicken Little") is gone! I was cringing every time I heard him sing because of the pitch problems (and as Simon says, "This is a singing competition.").
When they had the bottom three standing there together, my son Caleb (age 10) was terribly sad, saying, "Oh, I don't want either of my favorites (Kevin & Bucky) to get kicked off. . ." I wanted to laugh & cry at the same time!
Ace has got to go! Again, he's just not a strong singer. Obviously, he's getting by on his looks. And my favorites: Mandisa (can she ever sing!), Elliott (looks odd, but has impressive vocal style & agility), and Chris (just seems like a pro already).
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Here's a great verse for today:

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Here's an encouraging verse that I read today (from Heartlight):
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought. -- Jeremiah 17:7-8

Keep your trust in the Lord!
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I've been playing with my blog a bit. Did you notice the Flickr pictures box on the sidebar? (I got that idea from Ike Graul's blog, then had to figure out how to do it!). I tried to change the look a little, but only managed to change my overall background color (and then had to figure out how to change all the "rounders" or corners, since they weren't black before). I don't know much of anything about HTML, so whatever I attempt is trial and error. I'd love to have some sort of graphic in my top header box, but am not even sure where to begin. Maybe on some rainy day when I'm not subbing, I'll explore the template code again.

Final Four and more!

OK, first, here are my "Final Four" picks: Duke, UCLA, UConn, and Florida. So far, my top picks are still in. It's always fun to pull for an underdog and today I thoroughly enjoyed watching George Mason beat the "defending Nat'l champion" UNC. And I really pulled for Arizona to beat Villanova; it was close, but they just couldn't pull it out at the end. And though I didn't see any of this one, somewhere a bunch of Bradley alums must be awefully elated. I'd love to see Gonzaga win, but just don't think they'll get past UCLA and then I'm picking UCLA to win it all.

Yesterday I watched a ton of basketball and then at night's end I was feeling kind of guilty about it. As I prayed, I was confessing to God that all this basketball wasn't really that important and that it's all just a game for fun. And then I heard this question: "So why did you spend so much time watching it if it's not really that important?" It was hard to come up with any reasonable answer. Today I watched some games, but I folded laundry and did some other chores while it was all going on.

I'm loving the free games via computer video feed. I'll keep the CBS-televised game on and then select an online game that I wouldn't otherwise get to see. Sometimes the one on the computer is more fun to watch (and you can switch back and forth between 2 or 3 online games at once). I suppose we'll all get hooked on these free video broadcasts this year and then next year they'll charge a fee for them.
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We had a good worship experience at Spring Woodlands today. I introduced a new arrangement that I'd done of "We Want to See Jesus Lifted High". We'll come back and do it again in a couple of weeks. Carl did a great job teaching about "Celebrate Suffering". I think we were all challenged to have an attitude like Paul, Silas, and many early Christians who were positive in the midst of intense trials and suffering. Like Carl said, "I'm not there yet, but I want to be more like that!"

Latest News

Today I subbed in Jr. High band. I monitored two periods of written exams, but during the periods when bands actually rehearsed I just watched as another teacher did the directing (pretty easy day!). I also taught a math class during my "prep"; I guess I needed to actually do some teaching!

Remember your Jr. High days? To start 2nd period, they came on the intercom and said that this pinching thing had to stop, or students would be charged with physical assault (remember it is St. Patrick's Day today!). Ah, the joys and craziness of that age.
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So, here's the latest on my job search: I have an interview/try-out scheduled at the Memorial Drive Church of Christ in Tulsa, OK on the first weekend in April (yes, I'll be interviewing on April Fool's Day!). Seems like some great people there and a healthy church.

I've had some good e-mail correspondence with the senior minister at the Norkenzie Christian Church in Eugene, OR. I don't know how fast they'll be moving along, but it also seems like a good church (in a city that really needs the light of Christ!).

My back-up plan has been to seek out a music teaching job back in Oregon. I've started watching for openings there and have considered going to a big teachers' job fair there on April 4 & 5. My first desire is still to find a full-time worship-leading position, but I also need to take care of my family and so I'm ready to go the teaching route if needed. And too, God may lead me in that direction for His purposes too. We'll just keep praying and see what doors open up and which ones get closed.

To my Montana relatives: Go Griz! (Montana won an NCAA tourney BBall game for the first time since 1970-something!).

Today's blessings

All of our house guests got off to the airport this morning. It was nice to have family visiting (we got to play cards several times, went to Galveston one day, even all pitched in for some heavy-duty house-cleaning), but now we can get things kind of back to normal. Actually, we're trying to get things in tip-top-shape so that we can put our house on the market.

Seemed like a great time of worship Sunday (especially during 2nd service). The video testimony of Jeff Pleshek was especially heart-touching and inspiring. Jeff has some sort of untreatable or incurable brain cancer, but also has a great faith in God!

Wherever I go, I'm sure gonna miss the excellent video production done by Cindy Cochran. She typically produces two special videos per week (writing scripts, shooting the footage, then editing/mixing the finished product) and they are incredibly well done!

Our church staff ate lunch today at the new Red Robin here in The Woodlands. Red Robin was one of our favorite restaurants back in Portland (in fact, Lani & I ate our first meal together there as a married couple -- we were going to eat at a fancy restaurant, but opted at the last minute to go to a favorite place where we were comfortable). Sitting in this new Red Robin (it opened two days ago), I was reminded of many other times, places, & people that I've eaten with at Red Robin. It was a good flood of memories!

Busy week!

It's been hard to post this week, since I've been extremely busy with other things! I guess this is what happens when Lani is off for Spring Break!

Since she had time off, we decided to do some painting in our house. So, we painted ceilings and walls in three bedrooms and the master bath. We started painting on Sunday and finished on Wed. night (er. . . actually Thursday morning, since it was after 1:00 a.m.!). My shoulders and back are still sore from painting over my head! Also, we cleared out gobs of stuff from these rooms. All this is to get ready to put our house up for sale. Even though we don't know where we're going, we feel that we need to be ready to move and don't want to be stuck with a house that's not sold.

Also, Lani's mom, Gladys, and her sister, Shauna, and her brother Brian's wife, Eryann, are all here for a few days, along with Brian & Eryann's youngest son, Jaden. They got here Wednesday night and leave next Tuesday. Today we went out to Galveston for the day. It was a pretty nice time there with temps in the 70's. We ate at Joe's Crab Shack, played on the beach and collected shells, and then walked and shopped on the "Strand".

Now for some job news. After a few days with no worship jobs in sight to even apply for, I've had three pop up in the last two days. One with a Christian church in Eugene, OR (I saw their listing on WorshipLeaderJobs.com), one inquiry from the First Baptist Church in Bend, OR (they had my name in their files from when my brother attended there two years ago), and today an inquiry from an elder with the Memorial Drive Church of Christ in Tulsa, OK (my name was given to him by a fellow WF member). So. . . now to do some paperwork, some prayer, and see if any of these are directions I'm supposed to head in. I've mostly only applied previously for jobs within the C of C (the previous exception was a Bible Church in Portland where I knew several people); now I've got to carefully consider how to proceed with these possibilities. I'm thinking that I should go ahead with these and see how God leads, blesses, and directs.

What makes a song connect?

A guy came to talk to me yesterday after church and asked me, "What makes a (worship) song connect with people?" I'll admit that my first reaction inside my head was a little defensive as I wondered if he was going to be critical of some of our song choices or something. But, as I started to formulate a safe answer, he cut in and said that it was when a song uses "I" instead of "we" and "me" instead of "us" (and so on). He wasn't judging any of our song choices at all, but was just thinking about what made some songs really "connect" and others not (including songs in the service we'd just expeienced). He went on to say that he thought that songs in the first-person -- whether old hymns or new songs -- connected a lot better with people's hearts. I think he's on to something. At the same time, I think there's a time to sing together as the church or the body of Christ (like in "Revive Us Again" or "Had It Not Been the Lord"). In either case, I think that songs from our individual perspective or sung as part of the redeemed Church/family of God speak to our hearts and allow us to have engaged spirits as we turn our thanks and praise and petitions to God. More impersonal songs that talk about God or talk just to each other as believers don't seem to connect as well, in my experience. Lots of worship leaders talk about "horizontal" and "vertical" songs, "horizontal" being to each other and "vertical" being to God. So, what do you think?

Subbing in elementary music today and it's at the closest Cy-Fair school to my house. Today is Cy-Fair's last day before Spring Break, so it ought to be a little crazy I'll bet. The phone message said they had a party at the end of the day. (I'm sure all the teachers will be partying at the end of the day too!)

I found out that I'm no longer being considered for the worship leading job at the Eastside C of C in Colorado Springs. The note I got just said they had other applicants who better matched what they are looking for. I was a little bummed about it -- rejection always feels a bit personal -- but trust fully that God is in control and that that must not have been the right place for me either. On a more positive note for me, one of the Spring Woodlands praise team members (who can't always come to rehearsal due to his work schedule) just realized last night at practice that they had offered that job to another guy and that I wouldn't be there after April. He told Lani that he was really, sincerely disappointed because he had been pulling for me all along. It was kind of funny to see him just find out the news, but it was kind of a pat on the back to hear his reaction. Two church members came by my office yesterday just to say good things to me and tell me how much they enjoyed my leading there (one said he hadn't counted on how much he and others would start liking me). Now if I can just find a place with a job opening that has such open arms!

Back in the Classroom again

Today was my first day subbing! I taught a 4th grade "Spanish English Immersion" class at Matzke Elementary (where Lani teaches). I was eligible and equipped to sub for my first time on Monday, but decided to totally finish up my tax return before beginning the sub routine (lest I find myself on April 15 still trying to get it filed; so my taxes have now been filed -- I had to pay to bit, bummer).

I got a great first subbing assignment. Only had eight students, since they're all from Spanish-speaking families (though they all seemed to know English pretty well), and they had an Spanish-speaking aide help for one hour in the morning and a different one help for an hour and 15 minutes in the afternoon. I'd be happy to take that job again any time! It was quite chaotic all around my classroom, however, as there were subs in all three of the adjacent rooms in that quad area and in most of the rooms up and down the hallway (seems all the teachers were pulled out for a training). So while I was enjoying a pretty easy ride, I heard some wildness here and there around me and saw one sub have to yell at her kids toward the end of the day. Funnest part of the day was all the 5th graders who peeked in my room and said, "Are you Ms. Dalzell's husband?" Recess duty was a little warm outside today (must have been about 80), but I can hardly imagine how it is in August or May!

A Case for Acappella & Instrumental Worship

I picked up a couple of books this week while up at the ACU Lectures and one of those addresses the acappella/instrumental music issue for Church of Christ people. "The Other Side of the Keyboard" (ISBN 0-89900-918-2, copyright 2005 College Press Pub.) is a brief, balanced, and personal book by Milton Jones. Jones tells why he has changed his view from being one who was opposed to instrumental worship music to being one who supports it's use (but doesn't judge those who use or don't use instruments).

Jones' six chapter book (only 61 pages long) explains his thinking by telling his own story and offers an overview of the traditional C of C position(s) and then his more enlightened view. The six chapters deal with 1) Jones' own experience 2) Methods of "Interpretation" 3) What the Bible says on the issue 4) How church history bears on this issue 5) "Entertainment" (what it is and whether that's bad) 6) The "Division" over this issue and how we might reunite. I found this short book to reaffirm most of the positions I've come to believe on this issue. While Jones now advocates the use of instrumental music in worship, he still maintains that those who don't use instruments should be respected for their view and that we all should be able to practice unity, if not in our actual assemblies then at least in working together in other ways. Jones' own church, the Northwest Church of Christ in Seattle, recently merged with the Shoreline Christian Church. They now have a combined leadership and ministries, yet offer two worship services representing their acappella and instrumental heritages.

I'd be happy to share this book with any of you nearby that might like to read it (it'll probably take you only about an hour or so to read).

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I had fun Friday afternoon doing an arrangement of "We Want to See Jesus Lifted High". It's a pretty pumped up worship song that's been out for quite awhile, but I didn't seem to have an acappella arrangement of it anywhere.

Post-ACU

I had a great time at the ACU Lectures. I certainly enjoyed getting to see and visit with some dear old friends (notably, Rex Hamilton and Ike Graul). My dad and I also enjoyed chances to get together with relatives there: Dave & Joyce Dalzell, Bill & Mary Womack, Joy Crouch, and Doug Dalzell (and his companion, Leah).

The best classes I attended were Jack Reese & Ike's class on worship/hymnody, the Restoration Unity Forum, and the Kairos Church planting. Best worship experience was the Taize service on Tuesday night in the Chapel on the Hill. Best meal was the "$2.99 Taco Plate" at Rosa's (although BBQ at Harold's was a good experience too!).

I shook lots of hands and inquired often about worship leading opportunites. No one seemed to have or be aware of any new full-time job leads, but several people invited me to come and be a volunteer worship leader at their church. I may end up teaching again and volunteering for a church, but at this time I'm still praying and looking for a full-time ministry position.

I also came home with a head cold and feel stuffy and achy today. I guess that might have come from all the hand-shaking!

ACU Lectureships

I'm heading to the ACU Lectureships tomorrow right after morning church services. My dad flew in from Boise tonight and we're going up together, staying at my Uncle David's. Should be a great few days there and I'm looking forward to seeing several good friends, being stimulated by some good teaching, and worshiping with the Zoe Group and others who are leading. I hope also to network a bit and see if there are any job leads.

So. . . keep me in your prayers (and pray for Lani as she's here at home for a few days with all the kids!). And I probably won't have a chance to blog for a few days!

Things that get you excited

So, what gets you excited? What are you passionate about?

I can tell when I'm really wrapped up in something because I don't want to put it down or walk away from it. I'll ignore other things that I could or should be doing to keep doing this. I might work right through meal times or late into the night. And I feel good about the experience while I'm doing it and after I'm finished.

Yesterday (and part of today) I've been doing an arrangement of the song, "Can't Keep a Good Man Down" (performed by Newsong, when Russ Lee was still with them -- what a voice!). I spent hours yesterday tediously setting up the layout and entering notes. I love doing this (and I think this one will turn out pretty good, as long as there's a gifted soloist to present it). I could keep at this for hours and hours, maybe days and days, if it weren't for all the rest of "life" that needs my attention too. Sometimes I get like this when I'm working on home improvement/handyman projects (not maintenance like plumbing, but like when you're building something). Occasionally, I might get this drawn in by a movie, a TV show, or a book ("24" is doing this to me this year).

So, what is it for you? Is it something creative (building, song-writing, poetry, writing, etc.)? Is it something engaging like a good book or movie?

Tax Time

I started doing my taxes today and so now I've taken over our entire informal dining table. Evey year I think "this would be sooooooo much easier if I'd file things better or start using Quicken faithfully" and yet here I am again sorting stacks and stacks of reciepts and payment records and hoping I find everything.

Other notes:
In the Texas Master Chorale we're rehearsing "The Chichester Psalms" by Leonard Bernstein. It's tough! Not only are we dealing with strange tonality and lots of changing meters, but on top of that, it's in Hebrew!

We received a generous gift of support from some friends today (a "Valentine", they said). I'm still moved by the caring and love and support that so many have shown us. We are trying to be more and more careful about how we spend money because it feels like we're spending other people's money. Hmm. . . maybe we should have that in mind all the time; after all, every good gift is from our Father!

It's all good!

So many good things to be thankful for. . .

Yesterday my good friend, Lyle Jarvis, flew into Houston to pick up a car he'd bought through eBay. Of course, I was happy to pick him up at the airport and get to spend some time with him. He came with my family to see the new Pink Panther movie after we got his car. Then we just enjoyed visiting and watching the Olympics. After spending the night and coming to church with us this morning, he was off in his new purchase, headed back to Amarillo.

Worship this morning was great! Especially in our second service today it seemed like there was both excitement and Spirit. Also, I was blessed to have several dear families come visit at Spring Woodlands today; it was encouraging to receive their hugs and kind words. We finished our services today with "This is How We Overcome". I'd never led this one before, but always enjoyed singing it at Zoe events. It was fun and encouraging to do it today.

Tonight we had a "Chili Cook-Off" event at Spring Woodlands. And as part of that, they asked several staff-member couples to participate in a "Not-So-Newlyweds Game". So Lani and I were among the six teams and WE WON! I guess we know each other pretty well (although we had to survive a playoff against the youth minister and his wife)!

I still don't know where my next job will be or where we'll be living, but it's all good. God is caring for and blessing us one day at a time.

Rrrrrriinnnnngg!

This morning I got four phone calls between 5:30 & 6:30 to sub. So. . . that means I'm in the system for Cy-Fair now. But I can't accept any sub jobs until I have my security ID, which you can pick up after you've been in the system for approx. 10 days (I'm going to check today to see if I can get it now anyway; I guess all they can say is "no, come back in a few days."). So these early morning phone calls may become a routine thing.

It's raining today -- which is good because we need it -- but the weather reporters are cracking me up with their joking about winter coming and "Siberian" air (yes, they said that this morning). It's supposed to get down to a high of 52 tomorrow. 52! OK, the overnight lows might get below freezing on Saturday night, but "Siberian"??? I think people here have led a cold-sheltered life!

At our Praise Team rehearsal last night, one lady shared that she and her husband are going to get a divorce and several others shared prayer requests for spouses or friends who were dealing with cancer, horrible back problems, surgeries, etc. It sure made me realize that my own problems aren't so bad at all. I'm very blessed and thankful. At the same time, it sure tugs at my heart to hear what others are dealing with. What an awesome God we have who cares for us all!

Four things. . .

So, I hear that this has been on several blogs. I copied it from Patti Alexander (Patti Does Life).
Here are my responses:

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Clerk/stocker at Hardware Joe's True Value Hardware
2. Summer Singer (for four years during college)
3. Music Teacher/Choir Director
4. Worship Leader & Children's Minister

Four Movies you would watch over and over:
1. Princess Bride
2. The Quest for the Holy Grail (Monty Python)
3. Napoleon Dynamite
4. Star Wars & Lord of the Rings movies (we do watch them over & over & over. . .)

Four Books you could read over and over:
1. The Psalms
2. The Gospels
3. The "Pastoral Epistles"
4. Frank Peretti books

Five Places you have lived:
1. Lewiston & Nampa, Idaho (birth to 3)
2. Ontario, Oregon (ages 3 to 16)
3. Portland, Oregon (ages 16 to 38)
4. Tomball, Texas (current)

Four TV shows you watch:
1. Local News (mostly KATU, sometimes at 5 or 6; always at 10)
2. Tonight Show w/Jay Leno
3. 24 (I just started watching this season)
4. This Old House

Places you have vacationed:
1. Disneyland
2. Missoula, Montana
3. Portland, Oregon
4. Victoria, British Columbia

Four websites you visit daily:
1. ABC News (my home homepage)
2. WorshipForum.com
3. My blog
4. All the blogs linked on my site

Four Favorite foods:
1. Pizza
2. Mexican Food, especially fajitas & enchiladas (Chevy's when out West)
3. Red Robin burgers (& they're coming soon to The Woodlands!)
4. Bananas (one-a-day, every day!)

Four Places you would rather be:
1. Portland
2. Missoula
3. Playing cards with friends
4. In my new job (where ever that is!)

Super Day!

Yesterday was "Super Bowl Sunday" and it was indeed a super day. Worship at SWCC went well. I especially enjoyed introducing "How Great is Our God" and look forward to singing that one again. Carl's message was really positive and powerful as he spoke about what to do when things are difficult. We used three different video pieces during the service and all were done quite well (but it did make for a challenge to fit everything within our time frame!).

They announced that Rod Brady would be their full-time worship leader, but then they also honored me in a special way and everyone applauded. They've certainly done a nice job of encouraging me and being sensitive to what I might be going through even as they chose another guy. I had more people giving me positive comments about the worship time than on any other week.

Then there was the SuperBowl. Seemed like Seattle had the better team and outplayed the Steelers for most of the game, but Pittsburgh had three big plays that made the difference (and Seattle couldn't get any help from the officials). My favorite commercial was the one where the two guys are comparing the features of their cell phones and one says his has theft deterence; then he throws his phone at the other guy when he attempts to take his wallet. The Bud Light commercials were all pretty funny too (why do beer commercials have to always be so good?). Best part of all was being with friends though -- the Smiths, Woods, Alexanders, Lonards, and Phil Stambaugh.

What's next?

What's next? Wouldn't we all like to know sometimes what will happen in the future? Could be advantageous if you like to bet on things. On the other hand, it would probably frighten or surprise most of us to see what's going to occur. I guess that's why we're supposed to live one day at a time!

I'm confident that God is taking care of me. I've been blessed where I am right now in lots of ways. But where I'm at is temporary. Sunday they will announce at SWCC that they have hired Rod Brady to be their full-time worship leader; he will begin on April 30. He's a gifted and nice man and I'm happy for him. He'll do a great job at Spring Woodlands. I'm still certain that God has been good in putting me there for this time, but now I'm wondering more and more about where I'll be headed next. I know I need to be patient and faithful ("one day at a time"), but I'd sure like to get things rolling toward the next part of my journey! So. . . I keep looking and searching and praying and waiting. . .

Scattered other thoughts:
Happy Birthday today to my wonderful Mother-in-law, Gladys Maki!

Looking forward to going to the ACU Lectureships later this month. And yesterday I learned that my dad will get to fly down here and go with me! Also, friends Rex Hamilton and Ike Graul will be there.

I brought out a whole bunch of new music at the SWCC Praise Team rehearsal last night. I felt like I hadn't really been leading "my own" choices of songs the last two weeks, so we read a lot of new things. It was fun, but by the end of practice they convinced me to maybe cut back on a couple of the new ones for this week! We will introduce "How Great is Our God" this Sunday; that should be a good one.

Dad's Birthday

Today is my dad's 67th birthday. And so I'm reflecting on things I'm thankful for about my dad:
Thanks for doing lots of things well. For showing me a "you can do it" spirit about life. I guess I always thought you could do anything and that helped me to believe that I could try about anything too. I guess I never thought it unusual that you could be a choral conductor and a carpenter, or that you could serve as an Elder and also be the guy that wired in lights or put up sheetrock at church.
Along those line, thanks for lending expertise and hands-on help in so many "projects". I still vividly recall when we built our own house back in Ontario and lots of other remodeling and fixing of things over the years. I have a love of doing my own projects because of those experiences with you.
Thanks for surrounding me with music. Music was always a part of the environment around our home when growing up. I appreciate you for doing vocal music well. When I finally got down to choosing a college major, I decided I'd had so much music around me and that I just couldn't let that go to waste.
Thanks for being a man of faith and prayer and grace. I appreciate the exposure to a bigger world of Christian faith than just our own church. I know I've been shaped by your attitudes and acceptance of change in forms and styles while never abandoning any foundations of our faith. I'm thankful for your example in leading worship. And I'm thankful that you're a man teaching and living by God's grace.
Often now as a father myself, I recall times when you took time out to shoot baskets, times when you insisted I do chores, times you included me in discussions or experiences in worship and music, and on and on. And I'm reminded to do similar things with my own children.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

"Immeasurably More"

This morning the lesson at SWCC was about the power of God. It ended with Eph. 3:20-21 where it says "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. . ." I love this passage, but I'm not sure I'd ever considered just how powerfully God could act in our lives: "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" is huge and deep and powerful and awesome. Carl Etchison showed us 12 great miracles of God from the O.T. and N.T. and then challenged/encouraged us that God can act like that in our lives and in our church. Wow! Awesome thought!

We closed with the Acappella song, "Now to Him" (how fitting, huh?). I'm enjoying the experience with SWCC and especially their Praise Team and staff.

Jury Duty

Today I performed my civic responsibility and did jury duty. Have you ever done jury duty? I guess I've done it five or six times. Sometimes it's actually pretty interesting.

Today, I drove downtown and reported to the Jury Room at about 7:40 a.m. (which means I got up at about 5:30 this morning -- too early for me!). After listening to all the instructions umpteen times -- and not only in English, but also in Spanish and some other languages that I couldn't recognize -- we finally got to the part where we took our oath and then had our numbers called in large groups to report to certain court rooms. My number came up in a group of 65 and we were briefed that we would be heading to the 19th floor of the Criminal Justice Center. Oh joy! So, after our group made the three block walk with our police escort, then we had go through security screening (pretty much just like at the airport -- lots of things to unload or take off) and that meant about a 20-30 minute line. Eventually we all got into the building and up to the 19th floor. Here, our escort got us all lined up in order (I was actually prospective juror #2) and struggled with finding all the stragglers.

As all this was going on, I was amused to see various people walk by. Some well-dressed men in suits; "lawyer" I'm thinking as each of them goes by (actually, sometimes I'm thinking "good lawyer" and sometimes "cheap counsel"). Then there are the more interesting folks. I hate being at all racist, but several people of African-American descent strolled past (with unique walks and clothes) both into our court room and into the one across the hall and each time I'd catch myself thinking "defendent" or "friend/family of defendent". I suppose if we'd been lined up to judge the Enron/Ken Lay trial, then it might not have been the same and I might not have passed judgement on folks walking by so quickly. And a couple of people that passed me just looked so beaten down by life (and I caught myself thinking, "Is that what someone who's suffered abuse or abused drugs looks like?"). And then looking out the window at the end of the hallway, from atop our 19th floor perch, I wondered to myself, "who cares about all the people out there who are abused and despondent and at the end of their rope?" I'm not proud that my mind and heart classified people so quickly. I guess being at that particular location makes it easy to distinguish between the haves and have-nots. And my heart was touched as I realized that there are a whole lot more needy folks going unseen all around, every day. I need to be more like Jesus and less like me, to start actively caring and not so much passively ignoring.

Back to our group getting ready in the hallway. Finally we were all present and accounted for, we'd been allowed one last restroom break, and we'd all turned our cell phones off. It was a quiet moment in that "hall of justice". Then a deputy came out of the courtroom and passed out a paper to each of us: our work excuse. He explained, "I don't know who you all are, but I guess all today's defendents didn't like what they saw as they passed you because all today's cases decided to 'plea' " (meaning none of them would go to trial). "You are all free to go home now, or you can go back and sit in the jury room until 11:45 (it was about 10:30 then)."

A guy by me was really bummed to not get a chance at serving on a jury. Me, I was feeling quite blessed and thankful to get to go. I guess I won't get to find out if my hunches about the people were right. I hope I can have my eyes open more to the people right around me all the time and respond to their needs.

No big news

I don't have anything major to write about today. . . and that's OK!

Last Thursday I went to the Tomball ISD Sub Orientation and then yesterday went to the Cy-Fair ISD Sub Training. Whew! That's a lot of hours of seat time just trying to get on the sub lists. I also had to submit transcripts, references, get a TB test, fill out a pile of forms, etc. And then they pay subs something like $8 to $9 an hour. Seems odd that in Texas they pay a person to be working with a room full of children less than they pay a bus driver (and less than the person might make just doing general labor jobs in the area). But, I'm getting ready to Sub anyway and actually kind of look forward to being in a classroom again. BTW, at this point it still takes about three weeks or so to get into the system while they run background checks, hook you up with payroll, get you your security badge, etc.

My brother-in-law, Troy Wagner, let us know yesterday that he will get to visit us in Feb. He's going to Florida (from Portland, OR) to visit "Helping Hands" (or something like that) and Continental will let him do a stopover in Houston for about a day-and-a-half. Cool!

Today's thoughts. . .

I enjoyed leading worship at Spring Woodlands today and look forward to more experiences there. Several former Tomball C of C families were there; it was good to see them (though I'm concerned for those affected by the changes at Tomball). My voice got a bit worn out (three services is tough!), but overall it seemed like things went well.

Go Seahawks! SuperBowl bound!!!

I'm so thankful for good friends today. One called early this morning before church to let us know she was praying. Some who came to Spring Woodlands were there just to support me (thanks!). Several went to lunch with us. And a few came over to watch the Seahawks game. It's just nice to have friends!

SWCC Blessings

This is my first week at the Spring Woodlands Church of Christ and already I feel blessed in so many ways. The staff has been very warm, friendly, and accomodating. I have a nice office with a screaming fast computer (I guess the last guy was a "gamer" and NEEDED a super-fast machine for his obsession). The lead minister, Carl Etchison, has been especially affirming and supportive (which is such a breath of fresh air!). Last night I met with the Praise Team and they were wonderful -- musically, of course, but also very welcoming. We had a nice time of singing and prayer and talk (and had the biggest group they'd had in quite awhile, they said). Whether I'm just there a few months, or it works out longer-term, it's all a great blessing at this point.

Other thoughts today:
I'm wondering what happened to WorshipForum.com??? I've tried to call Ike Graul three times, but no news yet. Others are asking me, but I don't have any info.

Tonight we're going to see "Hoodwinked". I hear it's very good family fun.

Cooking Lessons

Yesterday Lani and I were both late coming home so Lani called and asked Micah and Hannah to make a meatloaf -- a first for both of them. She told them where a recipe was and the items they would need and they said they could do it.

Well, when we got home it was in the oven and looking fine. In fact, when the timer went off and we took it out of the oven, Lani said it was the best-looking meatloaf she'd ever seen in this house (not that we eat meatloaf very often, but it did look good and she was doing her best positive-parenting).

So we got the rest of the dinner done and on the table and everyone settled in, prayed, and then said some nice things to Lani (since it was her birthday) and then served up the best-looking meatloaf ever. . . and then we started taking our first bites. Hannah said "Ooo, what's wrong with this" and others faces puckered & grimaced as they took their first taste. Then Lani said to Micah and Hannah, "Did you put the right seasonings in, or did you BOTH put the seasoning in?"
And Micah said, "Well, it called for 1/2 cup of chopped onion, but we didn't have any fresh onion so I put in 1/2 cup onion salt instead" (Actually, he first said it called for 2 cups of chopped onion and said he'd put in 2 cups of onion salt, which was even funnier at the moment; he later changed his story after retrieving the recipe and remembering what he'd done.). We all laughed pretty hard about his mistake and explained to him that a 1/2 cup of fresh, chopped onion would reduce to a tablespoon or probably less of onion salt.

In the end, we all ate it anyway, but found it was tolerable when you took a bit of meatloaf along with some mashed potatoes and either gravy or ketchup. And we all feared that we'd have strong onion-breath all day the next day (today). Ah, the joys of learning to cook!

Thoughts & hopes. . .

This morning I'm heading over to Spring Woodlands C of C to set up my office space and start planning my first service there (at least my first "non-tryout" service). This is exciting and I'm looking forward to it!

I got wrapped up in the new season of "24" and watched both of the last two night's 2-hour season premieres. I've never been a fan before and I have a usual Monday-night commitment, but I may have to start taping it. I like the intensity (the clock probably adds to that). I didn't like Jack carrying out his own justice by executing a guy, and the violence is sometimes a little intense (especially if any younger eyes are in the room).

Go Seahawks! One more win to be in the SuperBowl! (If you're from the NW, Seattle is the only "local" team to cheer for).

The Hollywood liberals had their way yesterday. I hated seeing homosexual and transexual movies getting big coverage and awards at the Golden Globes. On the other hand, I really liked the Johnny Cash movie, "Walk the Line", and was glad it was a winner.

Finally, today is Lani's Birthday! The whole family went out to dinner last night (on a gift card) to celebrate. She's double digits today (33, 44, 55. . . your guess).

Endings & Beginnings

Today was my final day at the Tomball Church of Christ. It was a little bit emotional, especially all the hugging, well-wishing, and good-byes from folks. The Elders prayed over our family during the service; that was nice, although it caught me a little by surprise.

It was a strange final Sunday. I thought our worship time went quite well (although I'm probably not the most unbiased to judge it), but the unusual thing today was when the Elders presented the results of a survey done back in November and then told some new directions the church would be heading. I was personally quite surprised for how little support there really was for the three major changes; I expected a fair number of people to object to some of the changes, but I thought there'd be at least 2/3 or 3/4 clearly in favor of the change. My own opinion is that maybe the survey showed a need to wait a bit longer or do some study/teaching before moving ahead. However, what was announced was that the Tomball Church would be changing their name (dropping "Church of Christ"), adding instrumental music (perhaps as soon as next Sunday!), and expanding women's role as ministry leaders and in public assemblies. Though I'm praying for God's blessing on the Tomball Church and it's leaders, I'm left wondering a little about where they're headed. I think it will be a tough road, at least in the near future.

Then, later in the afternoon I attended a "Congregational Meeting" over at the Spring Woodlands Church of Christ (where I'll begin leading worship next week). Five of their Elders spoke and it was all really positive and well-received. They encouraged the church with a number of Scriptures, they recognized and honored each staff member, and then they presented some upcoming changes. At the end they even introduced me. They announced that they are going from three services to two, changing their Sunday night format to a prayer time, holding firm on a closing date for the sale of their property to Walmart, presented a budget summary, and then handed out some "feedback" or "response" cards. All in all a very positive experience. And the people that visited with me before and after the meeting were all so kind!

How many disks does it take?

Just a follow up to the cleaning out my office post: I ended up with about seven or eight CD-Roms full of files that I saved. There was one folder that had some videos I'd made; I started to save it and then noticed that it was over 8 gigabytes! Needless to say, I didn't keep those.

Though this was a difficult week emotionally with the final moving out at my old office, it was a very positive week in talking to other churches. I had e-mail correspondence with two churches and a nice phone call with someone from another church. I'm confident something will work out, I just don't know where and when. And that makes it kind of exciting!

Cleaning "House"

Yesterday I went into the office at Tomball, thinking I'd try to be there for just a couple of hours. Then I started going through my e-mail files and unsubscribing, or changing my subscription to my home e-mail account, or changing it to Tomball's new Children's Minister, Sherri St. Germain. I went through this process for several hours!!! Who knew? Hopefully, there are just a few stray e-mail subscriptions out there that I haven't caught yet.

Today I plan to go in and clean up lots of computer files, either burn them to disks or delete them. Wonder how long this will take?

Last night was my final "Praise Team Rehearsal" at Tomball. We had a nice circle of people singing together and afterward I was reflecting that that was a nice way to finish with them (besides this Sunday, of course).

Somebody loves me. . .

Today I got two anonymous cards in the mail with encouraging messages. Isn't that nice?!!! I hope I can learn to anonymously bless more people too.

Sudoku

I recently discovered the joys of Sudoku puzzles. Lani came home one day with a stack of them that she'd run off at work and I remembered Ike Graul mentioning them in his blog, so I thought I'd give them a try. I'm pretty good at the 1 & 2 star puzzles, but it gets more challenging after that. On Saturday, I successfully completed my first 4 star puzzle (and I think I picked up a bit more puzzle solving strategy along the way). But, I've been totally stumped by a 5 star puzzle. I solved 8 numbers on it, but after that I can't seem to progress anywhere. I've written in with little numbers all the possibilities for each square, yet don't see any move to make. So, you Sudoku players, do you have to take a "leap of faith" and guess at this level, or am I probably missing something??? It's just a game, I know, but I love this mental challenge and I can't figure out what to do next!

Blessed. . .

Today someone (who will remain anonymous) told me that a group of people were going to give me some monthly support during this transition time. Incredible! Makes me ask why I should be so blessed. I'm very grateful. Also, makes me want to be doubly sure that I'm using money and resources wisely.

God (through others) is so good!

Tribute to Irby Jackson

Yesterday we celebrated the life of Irby Jackson. His funeral was held at the Tomball Church of Christ, where he'd served as an elder (and friend and mentor and helper to so many) for a number of years. There were about 400 in attendance and lots of kind words expressed by the speakers, Rick Brown, Charlie Middlebrook, and Danny Simms. I led the singing and was honored to be able to participate.

We sang "When the Night is Falling" and "There's a Stirring" with our Praise Team to begin the service. I've always wanted to use these great songs in a time like this and they were especially meaningful yesterday (a few of our team couldn't quite get through them as we sang). Later we sang "Amazing Grace" and "It Is Well With My Soul" congregationally (songs requested by the family). Toward the end of the service we did "Days of Elijah" (another request by Irby's wife, Shirley). It was done in a more subdued way than we normally would, but finally toward the end we started clapping and a few people even shouted out; it was pretty moving.

The most important thing about the time, however, was remembering what an incredible person Irby was. I remember being inspired by my Grandfather's life and thinking at his funeral about how I really want to emulate some things about him in my life. Yesterday was like that too. Irby was a very warm, caring person. Careful about speaking out, but generous in giving his time and effort to help others. He mentored scores and scores of young men (and some gals too) by taking them water skiiing, having them over to work on cars, or just hanging out. I've heard several guys say that when they got into trouble they'd call Irby instead of their own parents. Lots of people who've joined the Tomball Church of Christ over the years will say that Irby & Shirley were primary reasons that they came back after their initial visit; they were always warm and welcoming. Irby loved to have fun and always seemed to have a glint or twinkle in his eye (which often meant he was "up to something"). When I look around our church building, I see things everywhere that Irby did or maintained. How do you replace a guy like that?

The last few times I saw Irby, he wasn't doing too well physically. He'd been battling cancer for the last couple years and then had some heart trouble and other things start to pile up on him. It was hard to see a guy that had always been so strong and active be in such a weakened state. This wasn't the real Irby and I believe it was a blessing that he was released from this frail human flesh into his heavenly body.

I do want to share my last two times with him. On Dec. 11, a group of children and parents had gone caroling to two nursing homes in Tomball and then met for a little Christmas party. Someone (Bonnie Abel) suggested that we go over and sing to Irby. So seven carloads of us drove over to Irby & Shirley's. We weren't sure how we'd find Irby and were ready to sing from outside the door or maybe just step in and do a carol or two. Instead, we were all welcomed inside and gathered around the hospital-style bed that Irby was on in his living room. I don't know how Irby's body felt, but he smiled alot and sure seemed to enjoy it all; I even saw him wink at one or two of the little girls. He had that glimmer in his eye that night! The last time I saw him was on Christmas Eve. We'd made some holiday goodies for friends and neighbors and had a special tray for Irby & Shirley. Christmas had almost come and we hadn't delivered it yet. So, at about 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Micah (my son) and I drove over to deliver the tray. Again we were warmly welcomed in and sat down to visit awhile (while there, my friend Phil Stambaugh and his parents dropped by too). It was a special little visit and Irby seemed pretty strong and was able to talk pretty well. He had that smile on his face again that night. I treasure these last two visits. I don't want to remember his weakened body, but I will remember getting to see his smile and joyful spirit.

Our lives go on. I'm praying for Shirley and other family members as they live on with a big hole in their lives. But I'm grateful for the inspiration and positive effect Irby had on me and so many others.

Interim Worship Leader

Yesterday I decided to post a prayer request on WorshipForum.com for my job search and finances, etc. As I was typing the request, my cell phone rang and I got a call offering a position as "interim" Worship Minister with the Spring Woodlands Church of Christ. It's amazing how God's timing is!

So, here's what was offered -- and which I accepted today:
I'll receive a part-time cash salary to be the worship leader at SWCC starting Jan. 22, with a commitment through May 1st (but possibly longer). The salary is about what I could make at Tomball as part-time worship leader plus what I'd make subbing 15 days a month. My work days will be Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday morning at SWCC (so I could do some subbing or other work on MWF). They'll pay me the agreed amount even if I need to go do interviews at other places. They say I'm also still being considered for the long-term position too and that this will allow them to get to know me fully. This offer allows me to have some guaranteed income through most of the rest of this school year, which is what I was seeking as I continue looking for a full-time position.

Thanks for your prayers, my friends.

Changes

Yesterday we un-did Christmas around here, inside and out. Now all the lights and decorations are boxed back up and in our attic. It always seems so dreary after everything's put away. I looked out our front window last night and the whole street just seemed dark, as if everyone not only took down their lights, but also decided not to turn on their porch lights either.

Today Lani's back at work. I know it was hard for her to get going. She's been drinking decaf coffee, but this morning when I made hers I mixed half and half decaf & regular (without her knowing -- just seemed like she needed a little boost!). Ha!

Due to my "unemployment" and need to be free for other work, we're switching Caleb and Levi to Lani's school. They don't want to go and we've been really happy with their teachers and opportunities in Tomball, but it's the only thing that makes sense for us right now. Just another one of those difficult decisions we're making.

New Year -- 2006

This seems like a good day to reflect back and look forward. . .

Looking back:
I've enjoyed so many good things this year -- good health, a blessed family, fun travel times, chances to sing, great kids, and a wonderful wife. I especially enjoyed singing with Hallel at Pepperdine and going to the Zoe conference in Nashville. Although I haven't landed a new job, I've enjoyed the experiences and relationships built with people in Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, and more. I've enjoyed having my daughter sing regularly on our praise team (and she gets compliments all the time!). I've (mostly) enjoyed having a new dog this last year, our "labradoodle", Molly.

Looking ahead:
Who knows what adventure, opportunities, and challenges lie ahead? I'm excited to be talking to churches in Oregon and Colorado about possible jobs (and some other places too). I'm concerned about our finances and how to keep things afloat, but still believe that God will take care of us. It's exciting to know that we will be moving somewhere new sometime this year; yet, it's difficult not knowing where and when and how it will all come together.

This new year should be one of the most interesting years of my life. Ready or not, here it is!

Date night!

The first few years that Lani and I were married, we had "date night" once a week (or more!). Usually Friday night, but sometimes on Saturday. Somewhere in all the hustle and bustle and four kids, we lost the habit. But, tonight we had a nice dinner out with no kids! We both had wonderful steak dinners at the Pecos Mesquite Grill (thanks to Willie for a gift certificate that helped out). It made for a relaxing time to enjoy dinner and just talk.

Best & Worst of today

Best things that happened today:
Got to sleep in (again); no alarm set, got up at about 8:00.
Had a nice phone call from a preacher who's church is looking for a worship minister (in Colorado!).
Found out I may have a little extra money owed me at work!
Heard after dinner that Harold Hillegeist's brain surgery went well. PTL!
Had fun playing "Hate Your Neighbor" card game with my kids tonight.

Worst things today:
Struggled with kids this morning -- whining, fussing, bullying. When do they go back to school???
Heard mid-day that Harold Hillegeist was going in for brain surgery this afternoon.
Cleaned out my office files and desk piles today. (I was surprised that my stomach actually felt a little upset as I cleaned things out; this must be bothering me more than I consciously realize.)

"Don't worry about tomorrow, today has enough trouble of it's own" -- Jesus

King Kong!

Tonight (well, actually from 4:00 to 7:10) we took all our kids and Elizabeth and Hayden Woods to see "King Kong". That's a pretty intense movie! And loooonnnng! Levi got scared only about 30 minutes into it and so Lani took him out then and never got to return (so I guess I'll have to take her again sometime). I liked all of it except the yucky scene with huge bugs and things -- that part had me really squirming.

The last two nights (and we're about to make it 3-in-a-row), Lani and I have put on a movie and then "processed" my CD collection. We're taking all the CDs and putting them into little slip cover jackets (so we have to take the CD booklet out and then sometimes take out the back liner and trim it down to match the booklet size; also we take the two little end tabs and pull them off at their perforation and then slide them into each side of the new slip case). In the end, we get rid of all those bulky (and often cracked or broken) "jewel" cases. We got these cool boxes from Target that will hold about 90 CDs each in their slip cases. Hopefully, when all is done, my CDs will take up a lot less room. I've done all my Christmas ones (about 90, a full box), and most of my Praise & Worship and Kids music. Along the way, I'm trying to decide which ones to just totally get rid of too; at some point, I've really got to thin out a bunch of these! Lani thinks I should adopt my friend Ike's idea of "for every new one you get, you get rid of two old ones".

Reality check

I started cleaning out my office at church today. . .
I hadn't thought about it much, but as I started sorting and packing some things, it really hit me in the gut that I'm done here. I've moved out of offices twice before in my working years, but each time before I was excited to be headed somewhere else; this is a little different because I'm not sure what I'm doing or where I'm going next.

Lani noticed today that there are a couple of music teaching jobs in a local district posted in mid December. I'll see what I need to do to get ready to sub or be able to apply for any mid-year openings.

Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Christmas Eve

Normally, I'm the type that would never allow opening our Christmas gifts on the night BEFORE Christmas. But, this is a bit unusual when Christmas morning is a Sunday morning, so. . . tonight we opened presents! Mind you, tomorrow morning there will still be stockings to unload and "Santa" presents, but tonight we did all the regular gifts. Pretty fun family time, but it is our first time ever to not be doing Christmas with extended family either in Oregon or Montana.

As I think about past Christmas Eve's I'm overwhelmed with a flood of memories of joyful childhood anticipation, of my grandpa (and dad) seeing who could stay up the latest to do their "Santa" things after everyone else was in bed, of my first Christmas Eve service I ever attended (went with my Uncle Doug to a mostly hispanic Catholic church in Abilene that was packed to the walls), of my pre-teen years when I'd try to stay up past when my parents both were asleep so that I could then get up, and on and on and on. . . Christmas time is special like that, isn't it? Of course, some may have difficult memories tied to the holidays, but for me it's a time of treasured memories.

So, what am I doing now? Waiting for everyone else to be asleep in bed so that I can sneak in and do all my "Santa" things!

A "Griswald" House?!?!?

Here's proof that we qualify as a "Griswald House" candidate! We got an award from the city as "Best Decorated in our Neighborhood" (a nice certificate actually arrived in the mail yesterday -- I told Lani I might have to frame it and hang it by the front door! Ha!).

My first missed day

So, after 23 straight days of posting on my blog, yesterday I missed. I didn't mean to, but we just had a full, fun day and by the time I thought about it, it was 12:45 a.m. and I was getting into bed.

Last night we went up to College Station with some friends (Linda, Hayden, and Elizabeth Woods) to see "Santa's Wonderland", a huge, drive-through lights display. It was really fun, the displays were great (I think I got some ideas for my house!), and our timing was perfect. We got there just as it really got dark and hardly had any wait (whereas, as we were leaving, there was a long line backed up onto the feeder road). After the lights, we went to eat at Freebirds (one of those places where you pick your tortilla and what goes in it -- yum!).

Today there's a little more shopping and wrapping to do, laundry and house-cleaning (isn't that just "daily"?), and I'm still trying to finish a Christmas letter. Some of you may get my letter for New Years!

First day of Winter?

I guess today, Dec. 21, is the first day of Winter. Hah! I think we had a high today of 67 and we're supposed to reach 70 or so in the next couple of days. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. . . (and it's just dreaming!)

We had a lovely day today. First, no one got up early (and I actually got a nice 8-hour rest). Then we had breakfast all together as a family -- a very rare occurance. Lani read aloud a Christmas story from one of her Mary Engelbreit Christmas books (Believe, I think); the story was called "The Three Skaters". Later, Lani and I went Christmas shopping without any kids. Hannah made glass candy while we were gone and apparently the boys all played together peacefully. When we got home in the late afternoon I made one final batch of Christmas goodies and then we all had dinner together. After dinner, Lani and I filled 13 plates & tins with holiday goodies to give away tomorrow (I'll mention below what all I made). At 8:00, I was checking to see if any decent Christmas special was on and I came across "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir" on PBS; I knew I'd enjoy it, but had no idea that the entire family would gather and peacefully watch the whole thing. Now, while I'm writing this, "Christmas with the St. Olaf Choir in Norway" is on. Such lovely music for two straight hours!

Here's the Christmas goodies I made over the last few days:
Peanut Brittle (I made two double batches!)
Chrenlich's Christmas Candy (easiest to make and my favorite!)
No Oven Peanut Butter Squares (a new one for me this year; Hannah made a batch and I made one too)
Salted Nut Roll Bars
Glass Candy (Hannah made a green, mint batch and a blue, vanilla batch)
Peanut Butter Fudge
Fantasy Fudge (the one made with marshmallow creme)

When we were filling the plates, Lani said "everything's brown, either peanut or chocolate or both" (then we added the glass candy to the plates last).

It's been a nice day! Now, maybe to start writing that Christmas letter. . .

Can't sleep. . .

Can't sleep. . . went to sleep by 11:00, awoke at 1:15, went back to sleep until the 3:00 hour. Got out of bed at 3:41 and took two extra strength Tylenol. Layed restlessly in bed until 5:04, when Levi got up to go to the bathroom and came to our bed.

Funny how I'm sick and I know my body really needs to rest to get well, but it's the last thing that I seem to be able to do right now.

Looked out my front window and noticed that three houses in my cul-de-sac have their Christmas lights on -- at 5:00 a.m. (mine come on at 6:00 -- maybe I should change that). Saw my next door neighbor leave for work. Didn't realize that so many people were up this early. I'd like to be back in bed sleeping!

The last two hours have provided lots of time to pray for people that come to mind (Mark Moran, Jennifer Hamilton and fam, my wife and kids) and for things that I'm anxious about (like not having a full-time job soon, seeing how we can reduce our living costs, current job applications). There's always blessings amid our adversity.

Divide and conquer!

Lani and I took our kids Christmas shopping today. Lani went out with Micah and Levi; I had Hannah and Caleb. We had our kids draw names for who they would buy presents for in our family and then this grouping seemed to work best. Do you remember ever doing something like this? Or do you just go shopping with your spouse or whole family and try to hide your purchases from each other? Ah, the creative fun of shopping!

I've got a nasty cold today -- congested, runny nose, body aches, the works. What a way to "enjoy" a day of vacation!

Special Christmas Worship today!

Just wanted to share a few pictures from church today. We did a lot of Christmas singing, including a 12-minute long special called "The Story". It is from IntegrityMedia.com and includes video, narration, and songs of the birth of Jesus. It went pretty well. Hannah also did a solo verse on one of our communion songs! I was proud of her.

The first picture here shows the whole Praise Team singing. We had ten singers today. Lights were dim to accomodate the video.

Here are Claire & Emma Gist, who opened the medley with "Tell Me the Story of Jesus" and then also did part of "Silent Night" as a duet.

And here's a picture of my family taken right after the service was over.

A FREE day!

Today we had nothing scheduled all day (until a party tonight). What a nice feeling! Lani and I both spent several hours cleaning and straightening up things, including some areas that get cleaned maybe once a year. I'm getting ready to make a couple of holiday goodies from favorite recipes (miracle fudge and salted nut roll bars). I put on Christmas music at about 10:00 a.m. and now it's finishing up the tenth CD -- hopefully we'll get through about 15 by the end of our time today.

Lani and I are going to her teaching team's Christmas party tonight. Besides an hors d'oeuvre, we're supposed to bring a bottle of some type of spirits. So, earlier today I went to the store and walked through the wine section, all the while thinking. . . "I have no idea what kind of wine to bring to a party." I don't mind an occasional glass of wine, but know so little about wine that I never know what to order at a restaurant, or in this case what to bring to a party. I picked up a bottle of "spumante" and thought maybe that sounded good. Then I saw a "sparkling white zinfandel" and decided that fit the bill (since white zinfandel is one of the few wines that I know Lani and I both like and a sparkling version of it sounds like it's more fit for a party). I guess I'll see tonight what regular drinkers and party-goers bring to this type of occasion! Cheers!

Remember the excitement?!?

Today my kids all have a half-day of school and begin their two-week Christmas vacation. So, I'll be picking them up soon and going out to lunch, then perhaps Christmas shopping, etc. Do you remember how exciting it was to be out of school for Christmas break?

Family notes:
Lani came home sick from work yesterday, but felt like she could make it through today and went to work (plus, they'll be having parties, getting teacher gifts, etc.!).
Micah called me after school yesterday and was excited to tell me that there is a sign in our yard proclaiming us the best decorated house in our neighborhood! Fun! Lani already asked, even in her ill fog, if I was going to take a picture of it and send it out and post it here. Ha!
We rehearsed last night for this Sunday's special music at church. Hannah will do a little solo on one song. Things went pretty well with the team and I look forward to Sunday.


Just thought I'd share a favorite Dickens quote before going.

Here's Levi last night at our Children's Musical and party. We had a fun time and had lots of parents from our JOY School and church there. 

Hidden dirt!

When was the last time you cleaned under your washer & dryer? If you're like me, it was either when you moved or when you last got a new washer & dryer! My plugged sink adventure this week led me to clean places that seldom if ever get attention, under the sink and under my washer and dryer. Of course, no one usually sees these places -- not guests, and not even us. I should not have been surprised at how totally gross it was back under there!

Is life like that sometimes, too? Does it take some calamity to make us examine and perhaps clean out an area of our life that we might normally just ignore? For me, I'm thinking that maybe my loss of my current job is doing that. It definitely has caused me to examine some deep recesses of my heart, of my giftedness, of my career path(s), and perhaps even of my faith walk with God. I don't like it much, of course. I'd rather not have ever had to get into this mess. And just like I struggled and grimaced as I worked through my plugged sink ordeal, it's tough going to face some of my buried personal problems. But. . . when it's all said and done, things are better off. At home, I've got a cleaned out drain line along with a clean under-sink cabinet, and even clean laundry room floor under my washer and dryer; in my own life, I don't know the final outcome, but I know that my character & my faith are getting cleaned up and strengthened through my struggles.

The concert was great last night! It's fun to sing to a packed house!

Still have a plugged up sink and now I know that the plug is far enough down the drain system that we can't run our washer either (I found this out this morning when I tried to put in a load of clothes and later heard the sound of water gushing out on the floor of the laundry room. . . ugh!). I ran about 17 or so of my new 20-foot snake into the drain line, but didn't reach the plug (or perhaps moved it down further???). Someone at the concert last night suggested I try putting in a big bottle of drain opener and then filling the sinks up really full so that the weight of the water would help push. Hmm. . . I got more drain cleaner last night (after the concert) and put it all in, then filled both kitchen sinks up to the rim. . . awoke this morning to still find two sinks full of water. Today when I go home, I guess I'll stop and rent a big, long, heavy-duty auger, bail out all the standing water, and then see if I can open up the line. At what point do I give up and call in a professional???

I led some carol singing at the Tomball Christian Business Assoc. luncheon today. I played carols on my keyboard for awhile beforehand while everyone was just visiting. I heard some people saying, "HE's from the CHURCH OF CHRIST!" (with a tinge of surprise in their voices). One guy came up while I was playing beforehand and asked what keys my carols were in. I handed him a copy of the book and then he asked if he could bring in his harmonica and play along. I'm thinking. . . "this will be interesting. . ." Turns out, he was really good, and he had a case full of about 15 harmonicas (one in just about every key)! Jack Fry is his name. So, Jack and I played together the rest of the time and on 2-3 songs we let Jack do a solo verse while I played some accompanying chords. We did a bunch of requests later after the lunch with everyone singing along. It was a good experience.

Up and down times. . .

Today, I woke up to Lani telling me that our kitchen sink was plugged up. We'd been thinking that something in our fridge was smelling (even have that happen, but not have enough time to check every container to find out the source?), and this morning Lani got up and had to find out what it was. Then she did the logical thing and put the culprit -- a bowl of pinto beans and ham from who knows how many days back -- down the disposal. Only it didn't all go down and that's when I was awakened. Not exactly how I'd hoped to start my work week! Anyway, I tried several things this morning before taking kids to work, like plunging, putting drain cleaner in, running the disposal more, even taking apart the two drain traps and cleaning them out, etc. Lots of mess, but to no avail. Next, after taking Caleb and Levi to school and stopping by work for an hour, I went to Lowe's and got more drain cleaner, a new plunger, and a "snake" (or "auger", as they call it). Back home, I tried double-plunging the sink (both at the same time) and then poured a whole bottle of drain opener in. While I let that work, I fixed some other things around the house (now all my Christmas light timers work!), but still no luck. So, now I'm at work and dreading going home and draining all the water (again!) and using my new snake. . .

BTW, I didn't mention that all this while, my daughter Hannah woke up ill and has thrown up several times. While I was in our kitchen this morning working with yucky, stinky water, I could hear her in the kids' bathroom losing whatever was still in her stomach. And while wrestling with my plumbing, I'm thinking about how bad it will be for Hannah to miss school today before her finals begin tomorrow. . . Lani knew what I was contemplating and said, "they don't allow someone to come to school who's throwing up!"

Life is so up and down and unpredictable! And these things this morning are just very minor bumps along the road. We're going over some bigger hills right now with my job search and all that uncertainty (along with Holiday busyness and financial stress). Yet, a bigger hurt is in my heart today because last night we learned that our good friend, Jennifer Hamilton, had just lost her dad this weekend; he, Don House, was in a traffic accident Saturday night along with his wife, Molly. He had severe internal injuries and did not survive. She is in the Stanford Medical Center with a fractured vertebra and broken wrist, but is stable. I'm praying today for Molly, Jennifer and her family.

So, what do we do with these little and big life events? Well, for one thing, we will have some emotional responses. That's normal! So, I'm feeling some dread of my next step with my sink, some pressure on behalf of my daughter, some sympathy with her illness, some heaviness of heart for my friend, Jen, and her family. Yet, I'm at peace. . . I'm confident that God is in control. . . I'm not overwhelmed with life (just a little surprised with each event), but I just continue on, perhaps going down a little bit different path than I'd hoped for today. When I stop and check my soul's pulse at this mid-day point, I find that I'm not too stressed out. I guess I've learned that life just has these ups and downs and I know who carries me through it all.

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Tonight I'm singing with the Texas Master Chorale in our Christmas Concert (7:30 pm at Tomball United Methodist Church, if you're reading this and live nearby!). We'll sing Rutter's Magnificat -- a truly lovely work -- and a Christmas medley of familiar carols, all accompanied by a full orchestra. I look forward to singing!

Meaningful Christmas Party with Kids

This afternoon we had our church's Children's Christmas Party. Of course, we do something like this every year, but I thought today's was extra special. First, we met to go caroling to a nursing home before doing anything else. As it turned out, two of us had booked our group at different locations (I had been asked to schedule us at a place about a month back and actually did it two weeks ago; then another lady called a place just last Friday). So, just as we were all loading up in our cars to go, it became obvious that we had two different places in mind. What to do??? We decided to go to both! It was cool because the old folks at both places really seemed to enjoy the singing and the little kids -- more the little kids, I'm sure. We had about 27 kids and a dozen adults. One lady said she'd been in the home there since March and that we were just the second group to come by. I was a little surprised (and saddened) because I sort of assumed that they were probably getting flooded with group after group at this time of year. Boy, all their kind smiles, handshakes, and words sure touched me -- and I hope our kids too.

When we got back to our church building to do some crafts, eat, and do a book exchange, one of the moms suggested that maybe at the close of our party that we could go sing some carols at the home of one of our elders who's been very ill and just got to go home after being in the hospital over a month. So, after we'd had our fun time together (we actually had four very cute little crafts that they rotated around and did), I announced that -- after cleaning up -- anyone that would like to could go sing for Irby. While several had to get on home, we had a caravan of seven vehicles head over to Irby & Shirley's place. When we got there, Irby was sitting up in his hospital-style bed in their living room and had a few other visitors there. We sang for about 15-20 minutes and he sure seemed to enjoy it. I even saw him give a wink to one of the little girls! I hope these kind of experiences create some meaningful memories in our kids. I know all of us adults were touched today.

Aslan!

We just got back from seeing "The Chronciles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". Lani & I, along with our three boys, all really enjoyed it! We have been anticipating this movie for months now and decided during last Summer to read the book aloud each night (which was a real hit with our whole family).

I won't pretend to be a critic, but I think young and old alike will really like this movie. And if you're looking a little bit, you'll see some parallels between Aslan and Jesus (which Lewis intended, I'm sure). There are some little deviations from Lewis' book, so watch carefully.

I didn't quite catch all the credits, but I thought the White Witch sure looked alot like the main being in the center of the Borg (for you Star Trek fans); eerily similar, if you ask me.

Tomorrow we're doing a tie-in with the Narnia movie at church. The sermon and our service theme is "The Lion of the Tribe of Judah".

In other life news, I found out from the Glenwood Church in Tyler that I didn't get that job. I'm totally OK and at peace with that because I believe that God is directing things. I suppose I felt a twinge of "rejection", but I really was thinking that I probably wasn't a good fit there (since I'm probably a bit more "progressive" than they'd be comfortable with for awhile!). They did say that I caused quite a bit of "fervent discussion" when their committee tried to decide who to go with.

Kemper Crabb

We just finished up a "Medieval Christmas" concert by Kemper Crabb and Mysterium. It was oh so lovely. Peaceful and lively at the same time. They shared many of the stories behind the old carols and songs they played. I sure enjoyed it! You can see who Kemper Crabb is at: http://www.kempercrabb.net/

Christmas Lights!

Call this post "Christmas Lights" or "Why My December Power Bill is Always So High!"

I love to brighten our house with lots of cheery lights. Just thought I'd share how things are looking this year.

Before you think I'm going way crazy with this, you have to understand that our whole culdesac does it up pretty good. And my neighbor to my immediate right got a city "Best in the Neighborhood" award last year. I'd love to add a big star right up at the peak of our roof and also a sign that says "Peace on Earth! Good will to men!" I've been dreaming about how to make just such a sign, but I just don't have the time to do it. Ah. . . maybe next year.

Wintery Mix!

Today I drove back from Tyler. I think I had a good interview there. I'm wondering if it's the right place for me to serve. It did seem like a good place for a family. All the people -- staff, elders, other search committee folks -- seemed really nice and were both inquisitive and positive with me. I've committed my way to the Lord on this one and trust that He is at work in this and other job search prospects that are going on.

It was kind of fun to see on the weather in Tyler that they might be getting snow, sleet, or a "wintery mix" tonight! I'll have to check the weather tomorrow and see if it panned out there. Even here in Tomball tonight it's dipped into the 30's and there's a little bit of precip coming down. Tomorrow morning could be interesting. I love the cooler weather!!!

From Tyler, TX

Well, I'm now getting in such a habit of blogging each day that I don't want to miss it!

Today I'm in Tyler, TX to interview with the Glenwood Church of Christ for a Worship Leader/Equipping Minister position. If you're reading this, I solicit your prayers for a good, honest time of communication during my interview tonight at 7:00.

The drive up from Tomball to Tyler was BEAUTIFUL! Lots of Fall colors and pretty scenery. Small towns and several lakes. I rolled along praying and listening to Christian radio (I could hear KSBJ over halfway here and then found KVNE up this way and really liked what they were playing).

That's all for now!

A Sunny, Cool Monday 12/5/2005

Today it feels more like Fall, not really Winter yet, but Fall perhaps (which is nice since two days ago it felt like late Spring or early Summer!). We're looking for a high here in the mid-50's.

Tomorrow I drive up to Tyler, TX to do an interview with the Glenwood Church of Christ. I really don't know alot about things there, but look forward to visiting with the church staff and search committee.

Here's one of my favorite Christmas poems, called "A Christmas Carol". I always thought it was called "In the Bleak Midwinter" as it's first line begins (and indeed as a published song, it's usually titled this way). It's by Christina Rossetti and was written sometime before 1872.

A Christmas Carol
In the bleak mid-winter

Frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron,

Water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow,

Snow on snow,

In the bleak mid-winter

Long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him

Nor earth sustain;

Heaven and earth shall flee away

When He comes to reign:

In the bleak mid-winter

A stable-place sufficed

The Lord God Almighty

Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim

Worship night and day,

A breastful of milk

And a mangerful of hay;

Enough for Him, whom angels

Fall down before,

The ox and ass and camel

Which adore.

Angels and archangels

May have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim

Thronged the air,

But only His mother

In her maiden bliss

Worshipped the Beloved

With a kiss.

What can I give Him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd

I would bring a lamb,

If I were a Wise Man

I would do my part, –

Yet what I can I give Him,

Give my heart.

The third and fourth stanzas are not familiar to me, but I love the last one as it delivers the message to present our hearts to Him.

Sunday, Dec. 4

I love Christmas time! I love putting up Christmas lights and a fresh, good-smelling tree! I love decorating our house (most of which Lani does! It's looking quite festive now!). I love listening to Christmas music and going caroling. I dream every year of writing at least one original carol and this year I've started four (but not completed any yet). I love Christmas movies old & new, animated or really acted (tonight I watched "Christmas with the Kranks" for the first time. Fun! And with a nice redeeming virtue for the main character.).

And I really love Advent & Christmas worship times. I love planning and leading these seasonal services. It's such a joy to celebrate the coming of Jesus.

Today I led worship at the Spring Woodlands Church of Christ and we celebrated Jesus! We sang several carols during worship, had two "presentational" songs, had live and video drama, and heard a great message about remembering what Christmas is all about (the "big picture" is about Jesus and about God's "presence" - Immanuel - with us). I sure enjoyed my time there and hope it was a blessing to the folks there too!

Tonight I'm worn out and drained from a busy week and full day, but I feel good because of what has been done. God is good!

83 degrees on Dec. 3!!!

Something's wrong! It shouldn't be 83 on Dec. 3rd! This is one of those days when I'm really "longing to be up North" (as the line in "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" says). I saw this week that in Portland they were flirting with snow showers in the forecast a couple of times. . . I'll bet the reporters were out on the Sylvan Hills overpass just waiting for a few flakes!

Today I have no scheduled commitments! It feels nice. Lani and I plan to get our Christmas lights and decorating done. Maybe that'll bring on a little more of a December feel!

TGIF!

Don't you love Fridays! I know when I used to be a teacher, I always really looked forward to Fridays (I guess Lani probably lives in that world now!).

Still listening to KSBJ's Christmas Open House. Great Christmas music!

So, my favorite Christmas recordings are:
Harry Conick: Harry for the Holidays
Amy Grant: All three of her Christmas albums (and I hear there's maybe something new out there).
Michael W. Smith: Both of his
GRP Christmas, Vol. 1 & Vol. 3
King's Singers: A Little Christmas Music
Acappella Christmas Party
Bing Crosby: White Christmas (I think that's the title)
Nat King Cole: (a collection that has "Chestnuts Roasting. . .")

Hmm. . . there's a lot more that I like, but that'll do for starters.

Now, to get some work done! Lani and I have both really wanted to finish Christmas decorating at home (her inside, me the lights), so I've got to finish all work projects today so that tonight and tomorrow are free.

Dec. 1

It's DECEMBER!

I'd love to stop and share my favorite Christmas recordings, but I can't take the time. Maybe tomorrow. . .

Our cable modem crashed yesterday, so the arrangment that I'm madly trying to finish for a rehearsal tonight couldn't be retrieved at home to work on (hidden blessing: I slept a little more than I would have if I'd have stayed up working on it).

I love the angels' words when announcing Jesus' birth: "Peace on Earth, goodwill to men. . ."
(I'd sure love to have that displayed on my house along with all my Christmas lights.)