My theme this Christmas is JOY because of all that God has taught me this year about JOY. Since it is directly related to our awareness of God's Presence in our lives, it makes sense that Christmas is a time of JOY because we celebrate Emmanuel, GOD WITH US!
9-Dec: Went to the FISH Christmas concert last night. I really enjoyed it; and it was even better than last year. A theme that I heard through the sharing and songs was that of HOPE; that no matter what we are going through, we have HOPE that God will carry us through beyond it.
- The AFTERS - They were the ones most focused on getting the audience involved in singing in worship. "Lift Me Up" and "Broken Hallelujahs" stood out
- Danny Gokey - He was very impressive, both with his singing in his very strong raspy voice, and his powerful delivery of songs. His pianist was also really good. I really enjoyed his heartfelt story-telling style, especially on "Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" which brought me to tears. And his rendition of "Mary Did You Know" was really great. He shared about losing his first wife, and the touching power of his music shows how pain and loss can really help us to grow and be used of God
- Aaron Shust - He seemed like "thinker" of the group. He shared some of his thoughts and analysis, read from associated Scripture, etc. And, I could tell that he was a classically trained pianist, not just playing chords. Some of his piano arrangements were really beautiful and impressive, especially with "Unto Us", especially where he interspersed some other themes like from Handel's "For Unto Us a Child is Born". I like how he shared that he started piano lessons at age seven and wanted to quit by eight; but his mom said "no" and look at what he is doing now.
11-Dec: My message this Christmas is that our joy comes through the presence of Christ, Emmanuel - God with Us.
15-Dec: My small group Christmas get-together last night was nice. It was a little more subdued than in previous years, and it may be because of the different mix of people. I brought a "grey elephant" but it didn't get picked till the end, maybe because people are afraid of large wrapped packages. Oh well, at least it went to my small group leaders. I picked up a candle holder and soap dish - at least it's better than glitter tattoo or the aflac duck and monkey stuffed animals. For the potluck, I made a fruit green salad with spinach, arugala, kiwi, raspberries, blackberries, red onion, walnuts, and dried cranberries, served with a raspberry vinagrette. The arugala may have been a little too bitter; and the vinagrette with the fruit may have been a little to acidic. But, the walnuts and cranberries were good.
It was a really busy day yesterday with church, class, and then made lunch for a friend I gave a ride to. I made a marinated chicken with asian marinade and green onions, which turned out pretty well, served with coucous which soaked up the flavors well, corn, and a mandarin orange spinach salad which was really good with ponzu sauce.
I also picked up our church Bluegrass Gospel concert CD. It was okay; but probably would've been more fun and had a bigger effect in person.
18-Dec: I sent my last eCards today, and all my regular cards are done, I think. Gifts are all done also, except that there are a couple of AV guys that I want to get some small gifts as a token of my appreciation for what they do throughout the year. So, I have a week to really ponder on and appreciate the true reason for the season.
22-Dec: I was able to get some Paris Baguette bakery items for the AV guys along with cards. They actually ate it right away that evening we were running AV, so it worked out well. For the person who doesn't like sweets, he seemed to like the Garlic Frenchtoast. Next year, with more time, I think I can give more gifts to the rest of the worship ministry team; and I can gear it towards the area they serve in (e.g. I have a drum ornament I can give to the drummer)
A person at church I don't know very well gave me a gift box with some individually wrapped cookies. It was unexpected, which made it even more appreciated. And a couple people in class gave me gift certificates/cards which made me feel appreciated. So, I can see how gifts can be special.
And our family was able to take my mom out for her birthday. We went to the Cantonese noodle place we saw last time. The food was a little bland, and it was funny that the best dish was a vietnamese vermicelli with grilled pork, which we don't usually order.
27-Dec: Christmas has come and gone. We spend so much time and energy preparing for it and looking forward to it; and it seemed to fly by so quickly. I may not have spent as much time reflecting quietly as maybe I should have; but, from my class study of John, I was instilled clearly with the true meaning of Christmas, that Christ came as our Savior, to give us the gift of salvation.
Overall, I'm glad that I was able to put up decorations. I even hooked up some of my lights outside. I went to my small group get-together, "worked" on AV Team pretty much all day Christmas Eve for services, after working about half day at my actual workplace, and spent Christmas with family. This year for Christmas dinner, the menu consisted of:
15-Dec: My small group Christmas get-together last night was nice. It was a little more subdued than in previous years, and it may be because of the different mix of people. I brought a "grey elephant" but it didn't get picked till the end, maybe because people are afraid of large wrapped packages. Oh well, at least it went to my small group leaders. I picked up a candle holder and soap dish - at least it's better than glitter tattoo or the aflac duck and monkey stuffed animals. For the potluck, I made a fruit green salad with spinach, arugala, kiwi, raspberries, blackberries, red onion, walnuts, and dried cranberries, served with a raspberry vinagrette. The arugala may have been a little too bitter; and the vinagrette with the fruit may have been a little to acidic. But, the walnuts and cranberries were good.
It was a really busy day yesterday with church, class, and then made lunch for a friend I gave a ride to. I made a marinated chicken with asian marinade and green onions, which turned out pretty well, served with coucous which soaked up the flavors well, corn, and a mandarin orange spinach salad which was really good with ponzu sauce.
I also picked up our church Bluegrass Gospel concert CD. It was okay; but probably would've been more fun and had a bigger effect in person.
18-Dec: I sent my last eCards today, and all my regular cards are done, I think. Gifts are all done also, except that there are a couple of AV guys that I want to get some small gifts as a token of my appreciation for what they do throughout the year. So, I have a week to really ponder on and appreciate the true reason for the season.
22-Dec: I was able to get some Paris Baguette bakery items for the AV guys along with cards. They actually ate it right away that evening we were running AV, so it worked out well. For the person who doesn't like sweets, he seemed to like the Garlic Frenchtoast. Next year, with more time, I think I can give more gifts to the rest of the worship ministry team; and I can gear it towards the area they serve in (e.g. I have a drum ornament I can give to the drummer)
A person at church I don't know very well gave me a gift box with some individually wrapped cookies. It was unexpected, which made it even more appreciated. And a couple people in class gave me gift certificates/cards which made me feel appreciated. So, I can see how gifts can be special.
And our family was able to take my mom out for her birthday. We went to the Cantonese noodle place we saw last time. The food was a little bland, and it was funny that the best dish was a vietnamese vermicelli with grilled pork, which we don't usually order.
27-Dec: Christmas has come and gone. We spend so much time and energy preparing for it and looking forward to it; and it seemed to fly by so quickly. I may not have spent as much time reflecting quietly as maybe I should have; but, from my class study of John, I was instilled clearly with the true meaning of Christmas, that Christ came as our Savior, to give us the gift of salvation.
Overall, I'm glad that I was able to put up decorations. I even hooked up some of my lights outside. I went to my small group get-together, "worked" on AV Team pretty much all day Christmas Eve for services, after working about half day at my actual workplace, and spent Christmas with family. This year for Christmas dinner, the menu consisted of:
- Lamb Stew - it turned out well with the radish, carrot, rosemary, garlic, ginger, and lemon
- Breaded Coconut Shrimp - I only baked it and it was actually quite popular, the first dish to be finished
- Marinated Chicken - It was pretty tasty but probably would've been better served together with a vegetable
- Kale w/Fried Onions - I think it was a healthy dish and the buttery taste came out
- Broccolli and Cauliflower - Did a simple roast vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper
- Mashed Broccoli and Califlower - It was actually not a bad substitute for mashed potatoes
- CousCous - This was not very popular though I thought it would go better with the lamb than rice
- Bread - Just baked a La Brea Bakery multigrain loaf
- Yams - Just used up leftovers from Thanksgiving; seems like an easy go-to holiday dish that everyone likes
Served with Hot Apple Cider, and then a raspberry creamcheese coffee cake for dessert.
After Christmas, did a little shopping, but didn't really find a lot sales.
28-Dec: Had my class Christmas-New Years get-together today. It almost feels like it marks the end of Christmas; but, I do have to still get together with a couple of friends before the end of the year.
My pastor said something today that stood out.... He said that we often don't know how strong our anchor is until we are in the midst of the storm. My anchor in Christ is the strongest!
28-Dec: Had my class Christmas-New Years get-together today. It almost feels like it marks the end of Christmas; but, I do have to still get together with a couple of friends before the end of the year.
My pastor said something today that stood out.... He said that we often don't know how strong our anchor is until we are in the midst of the storm. My anchor in Christ is the strongest!
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