An unexpected vision
Revealing an extraordinary destiny
Sending a hero on down a wary path
Quickly condemned by the worst of minds
Misunderstood by even the best
Trudging, pressing, facing forward
Unwilling to bend or relent
Until the prophecy’s fulfillment is in hand.
.
This is what faith is:
Grace Under Pressure.
The Christmas program at my church is finally over. We had two performances this past weekend. The program great — happy and sad, funny and somber, side-splitting, tear-jerking, and thought-provoking all rolled into a 45-minute segment of life.
Now, I have twelve days left before Christmas Eve.
We managed to get the outside decorations up before the program, but between the general busyness of life, plus the near-runaway train that is the last two weeks of program rehearsals, we hadn’t had much time for anything else. Oh sure, I’ve thought about it, but is it really the thought that counts? (I didn’t think so.)
So what’s going into these next twelve days? (Don’t worry; I’m not about to break into song.)
And these are all fun and good, but one thing I’m really anticipating is the chance to sit still and really think about God’s goodness. Thanksgiving is supposed to be that time when everyone is thankful for all the good in their lives, and then we forget all of that in a mad Christmas rush. My Christmas rush may be a little madder this year, but I’m looking forward to those moments when I can just chill in the fact that God has been good to us a lot longer than we’ve been thankful to Him; and the fact that we even have Christmas to celebrate is proof.
So let’s bring on the next twelve days of good cheer, and decorative pears, and trees. “We know what Christmas is really about…. Christmas is in our hearts!” 😉
Last weekend was our annual youth leader Christmas party. As one of our traditions, we play Bingo for prizes. It’s always fun to watch people who have spent the whole year teaching teenagers principles of Christian discipleship trying not to lose their religion while waiting for that one number they need to come up. 🙂
This year one of the prizes we played for was a $50 Visa gift card. When I heard that prize mentioned I claimed it for myself. I could use it for Christmas gifts! The game we played for that prize was a “T” — trying to get the top row across plus the middle row down. I started off slow, but suddenly I realized my “T” was almost complete — I just needed one space in the middle. I was waiting and praying for it when someone else yelled out “BINGO!”
Oh well. I came to enjoy the party, and I wasn’t going to let not getting that prize ruin it for me.
A few rounds later someone suggest we play “4 Corners”. That game seems to take longer because you’re only looking for numbers in two columns (and you have to disregard every number that comes up that doesn’t apply to those two columns), but at the same time, each person is only looking for four numbers, so it could actually be over pretty quick. I started off the same way as before, with a bunch of blank spaces, and then suddenly needing only one. I didn’t want to get too excited, but I did start calling for my last number under my breath.
The next number? O64. Bingo.
The prize? $50 Cash.
You’re number may not always come when you think it’s about to or when the options seem greatest. But don’t get down, and don’t give up, because what you prayed for is on its way.
 It’s NaNoWriMo time! I’m doing a quasi-participation this year, so my focus is on writing some fiction that is long overdue in my life. While I’m at it, please enjoy a few throwback posts from yesteryear. See you in December!
They say things are easier to swallow
as long as you don’t bite off more than you can chew
and it’s true.
Slow and steady wins the race little by
little; you can always go a little farther
than you thought.
Which is all lovely and inspiring, yes;
just don’t forget it applies to downward spirals
just as well.
But either way, that’s how progress is made –
only one handful more, and the rest, they say, is
history.
 It’s NaNoWriMo time! I’m doing a quasi-participation this year, so my focus is on writing some fiction that is long overdue in my life. While I’m at it, please enjoy a few throwback posts from yesteryear. See you in December!
let’s not pretend
I have a lot to say
by focusing on silly things
like word count.
it may not trend –
who cares about what may –
but it’s more the content I bring
than amount.
 It’s NaNoWriMo time! I’m doing a quasi-participation this year, so my focus is on writing some fiction that is long overdue in my life. While I’m at it, please enjoy a few throwback posts from yesteryear. See you in December!
Life inside of me wants out.
AnotherJoy Writes 