Newsletter  -  Wednesday, December 12, 2007

In this issue:

  -  If the wise men would have brought children
  -  Excerpt from Dawn's book
  -  Christmas sale - 20% off

If the wise men would have brought children

If the wise men would have brought children on the long journey to Bethlehem, do you think they would have heard, "Are we there yet?"

Just a thought that came to me as we are nearing the weekend of our children’s Christmas program. You too may be heading up or contributing to a Christmas musical or cantata in your neck of the woods. ‘Tis the season for dining on takeout meals as you rush off to rehearsal after an already busy day. Nerves being tested as once again somebody didn’t show up on time or actors still have not learned their lines. Headaches with the costumes and props, and, please God, my child can't be sick right now!

During this season of joy, I have had to remind myself be quiet and soak in the amazement of what God has done. Sitting with a cup of hot tea, watching the lights flash on the Christmas tree while carols play softly in the background; I began contemplating one of Isaiah’s prophecies about the Messiah.

For unto us a child is born - Jesus was birthed into a human body

For unto us a son is given - God gave us His only Son

and the government will be upon His shoulders - why am I worried? God is reigning; all the weight of my stuff is on His shoulders

He Is:

Wonderful Counselor - I can tell Him everything and His words of guidance to me are perfect

Mighty God - Nothing is too difficult for God

Everlasting Father - God has been with me from the beginning, He is with me now and is directing my path as I move with Him into my future

Prince of Peace - He will allow me to enter into His rest during any situation

During this celebration of the birth of our incredible Lord when He humbled Himself and became a human baby, I don’t know about you, but I need to follow the example of the shepherds. I need to set aside the daily tasks that capture my attention and energy and run to the place where I can fall on my knees and adore Jesus. In His presence I find peace, rest and complete joy. As I wait, expecting God’s move in my life, my spirit begins to soar. This is how my strength is renewed. And I need it; tomorrow will be another crazy day.

Mirror mirror on the wall - an excerpt from Dawn's book

Having trouble synchronizing your team’s movements?  Are facial expressions nonexistent? Do you wonder what that move in your head looks like when you actually do it with your body?  Practicing and choreographing in front of mirrors can make all the difference. Unfortunately, most creative arts ministries do not have mirrors.

You may ask, “How do we get mirrors?”  First, ask your church leadership if your group could receive funding for the mirrors. If there are no funds available, then that opens up an opportunity for your team to invest themselves into raising money for the "mirror fund". Go to the old money making handbook: bake sales, pancake breakfasts, car washes, garage sales, washing windows, dance/drama camps, dinner theater, cook books, and so on.

Once you have the money, then you must decide what kind of mirrors to buy.  If you have a room assigned to your team for rehearsal, then you may opt for wall-mounted mirrors. Do you share a room with another group? If other groups in your church use your room occasionally and you are allowed to wall mount the mirrors, consider putting a movable curtain over the mirrors. This way the drapes can be pulled closed so that other people using the room won’t be distracted by seeing their reflection. What if you can’t have wall-mounted mirrors? A friend of mine did something quite ingenious; She bought mirrored closet doors. When it was time to prepare her dance space, she rolled them out from their storage area and lined them up along the wall. When she was finished with classes, the mirrors went back into the closet. Mirrors - something you should reflect on.