Sunday at SPUMC - Dec. 13th, 2009

What a FABulous day at church!

Education Hour started with some great discussions:
* The Children learned about Jesus being the Son of God and were encouraged to thank someone who has taught them about Jesus and sharing the wonderful gift of Christ!
* The Confirmands met with their parents and Pastor Penny to watch the NOOMA video, "Shells" - a discussion about all the ways we find ourselves "too busy" and wondering what our focuses in life should be...
* Wired Word was led by Andrea this weekend - and the topic was an interesting one! The new Uganda laws pertaining to homosexuality, prison time, and the death sentence - how should we, as Christians, respond to this? And how can we live out our daily lives following the commandment to "love our neighbors as ourselves"?
* The Advent Conspiracy group focused on how to bring meaning to our holiday celebrations without focusing on money and materials.

Worship was a celebration today! Jennifer and Bennet lit the Advent wreath... Mark reminded us in the children's chat that one of the most simple and ordinary things we can do this holiday season is give food and gifts to Neighbor's, Inc, to help out other families! Pastor Penny briefly spoke about the "Ordinary" people around the dinner table and in Jesus' family tree... That sometimes the "ordinary" ones can bring the greatest gifts to us all! Think of Mary! Popcorn was handed out as a reminder of an "ordinary" way to spend time with the family and friends in this month of simplicity... Play a game, listen to each other talk about your days, or pray together!

Then... the choir performance! We thank our choir and Jennifer for all their hard work! It was beautiful! Sandy played her harp and sang a solo, Janet and Peter sang solos, and it was wonderful!

Afterward, just about everyone sat down to a warm, yummy breakfast of egg bake, muffins, and COOKIES! What a fun way to celebrate the holiday season together! Thanks to our hosts for doing an amazing job!

Remember: Next, week is the Children's Choir Performance - AND we're asking everyone to bring in their Nativity Scenes for a display of all the variety and beauty they bring to our decorations and traditions!

God is in the Small Stuff

"Unless we choose to bring the meaning of Christmas to our celebrations, we will miss the meaning altogether.

There's someting about waiting that prepares us for arrival.

Christmas is a time of contrasting emotions: hope and despair, peace and conflict, togetherness and loneliness. Advent helps put them in perspective.

Getting on and getting off the holiday fast track have this in common: They are both choices.

We will never recognize the significance of Christmas until we slow down enough to think about it."
--from the book "God is in the Small Stuff at Christmas" by Bruce and Stan

Give-a-way #2!

I promised another give-a-way! So, here it is!

If you saw me walking around on Sunday with my cool Christmas mug - now's your chance to get one, too!

You have four ways to enter the give-a-way:

1) Comment on this post.

2) Be or become a follower of this blog.

3) Mention the give-a-way on your blog.

4) Mention the give-a-way on Facebook.

Just let me know the ways you have entered... All entries must be in by Friday, Dec. 18th, at noon!

Good luck!

Good Will to All

"As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience."
--Colossians 3:12

"Kindness is more than thoughtful words and actions - it is also defined as a state of being kind. It's an attitude, a way of living, a well-exercised habit. If we truly want to emulate the kindness God showed when He sent us His son to be born in Bethlehem's manger, then we must make it a living, breathing part of who we are every day of the year.

"An attitude of kindness must start from within. Do we judge others by the color of their skin? What about those from unfamiliar cultures? Can we extend kind gestures to those who do not share our opinions about politics and religion? How about those whose lifestyles we disapprove of?

"It's easy to be kind to those who think like we do, look like we do, and act like we do. But it is far more difficult to show kindness to those who don't. We must remember that kindness neither condemns nor condones. It just is. God in all His holiness reached out in kindness to ALL of us, without reservation. His loving kindness is extended to every living soul. Glorify Him by asking that your own attitude of kindness would become as broad as a sky filled with angels."
--from the book, "Celebrating Christmas Every Day" by Helen Steiner Rice

Give-a-way Winner!

We had 11 entries, each was assigned a number, then using www.random.org I entered the numbers into a "random number generator" and number 6 was the winner!

Jill E. you are now the proud owner of Matthew West's "Give This Christmas Away!"

I'll have it for you on Sunday!

Watch tomorrow for our next give-a-way....

Simple Abundance

My friend, Andrea from NY, posted a beautiful blog entry last week honoring her grandmother who died recently... A story of simple abundance, joy, and beauty. I invite you to visit her blog today and read this beautiful tribute - and then think of all the ways you live in abundance as well!

Thanks, Andrea!

PS: The give-a-way ends at noon today!

Prayers

Well, you never know in what ways God may decide to use you... And in our theme of simplicity - what could be better than knowing God used a frustrating afternoon to provide for someone in need of prayer? The most simple gift to give....

Tuesday afternoon as the snow was falling and I was trying to get things lined up so I could leave early for the day... The phone rang. I debated answering it - knowing I didn't want to get even more bogged down with more tasks... But I did.

And on the other end was a woman from a homeless shelter - simply asking for prayer. She told me a story of great love, struggle, depression, and a frustrating situation with her husband... All she wanted was prayers for peace, healing, and help in this difficult time - and she fully believed that the more people praying, the better things would get.

I listened to her story and I prayed with her - and told her to call back anytime.

When I hung up, I realized that all the frustrations on this afternoon were meant to be. She needed a friendly voice, willing to pray out loud with her - and I was here to be that person.

God works in mysterious ways... But what a blessing to see those ways at work!

By the way... Can you keep her in your prayers? Her name starts with an R (I don't want to compromise her privacy). Thank you - she would be delighted to know you're praying!