Reflections

Hmmm, I'm not sure where to start. I think it is always good to look back at things you have done; see what worked, see what could be done differently next time... those kinds of things. But more importantly I think it is good to reflect on all the great things God was able to do because of our hard work and faithfulness.

Here are some of my thoughts after resting and thinking a day.

*WOW! It was fantastic!

* There are so many people that worked so hard behind the scenes. We should all be very thankful that they have been willing to answer God's call to serve Him here at Hilldale.

*Musically - you all were great, the orchestra was great, the sound was great.

*I am overwhelmed at the number of churches in our area that were represented at the three performances. "The Tree" truly is a city-wide event. That's pretty cool!

*Comments we received were so very kind. I hope you all feel very appreciated.

*It was a lot of work to involve the children and youth in our presentation, but worth it. These are the kinds of memories we need to build into our children so they will 1. realize they are an important part of our church NOW and 2. so they will carry on doing great things for God when we are 130 years old and locked in our rooms.

*I'm thankful for people who stepped in at the last minute to cover areas where others had to back out. They helped make "the Tree" a great success.

*The really awesome thing to see in a presentation like this is how God takes what we do - our hard work, our planning, our rehearsals, etc. - and doesn't just add them all together, He multiplies and makes something grander and more powerful than we could do on our own. Which reminds me of my favorite Bible verse.

Ephesians 3:20-21 20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

What would I do differently?

Hmmm, probably not much.

I guess I might, no, that was good.

Maybe we should... hmm, that was good too.

I thought about... well, now that I think about it, that was great too.

But I definitely need to think twice before going to play racquetball with a star football player twenty years younger than me the day after "the Tree". I'm a bit sore today. But it was worth it.

Here are a few pics I thought you would enjoy.

Opening Night!

WOW!

What else is there to say? Incredible! Super-duper! Excellent! Inspirational! Worshipful! Fun! Exciting! Beautiful! Magnificent! Muy bien!
The singing, the acting, the sound, the orchestra, the lighting, the bells, the flags, the costumes, the decorations, the story tellers from each country, the solos and trios... God used all of your hard work, practice, commitment, willingness... to speak to people's hearts.

Gracias! Obrigado! Danke shane! Merci beaucoup! Thanks ya'll!

Pics from our Dress Rehearsal

"Christmastime is here... ring Christmas bells!"

The Mystery of Incarnation

This post is in honor of my pastor, Dr. Larry robertson, who loves words.


Carnations are beautiful flowers. You can find them in many shades of red, pink, white, yellow... But originally - before plant breeders worked with them - they were only found in biege and "flesh" colors. That's why they have the name "carnation" - referring to the flesh color of the flowers. It comes from the same Latin word from which we got the word "carnal" - which means "fleshly" and "carnivorous" - refering to animals and plants that eat flesh.



This is the same etymology (how's that for a really cool big word?) behind the word "incarnation" which means - well here - I'll just paste it in from Merriam-Webster

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/incarnation



1 a (1): the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form (2)capitalized : the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ



Here is one of my favorite passages about the incarnation of Jesus Christ.


Colossians 1: 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation; 16 because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. 19 Because all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Him, 20 and to reconcile everything to Himself through Him by making peace through the blood of His cross -- whether things on earth or things in heaven.

We'll be singing these words Sunday morning when we sing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"

Veiled in flesh the God-head see,
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus our Immanuel.

Hebrews 13:3

Heb 13:3
Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily.

As we celebrate Christmas and pray that "every tribe and tongue" will rejoice and that we want to "see the nations worship", please remember to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who risk all to worship our Lord Jesus Christ.

China: 270 House Church Pastors Detained for Alleged Illegal Religious Gathering
China Aid Association reports that 270 House Church Pastors have been detained for what Chinese officials are calling an "illegal religious gathering." According to ASSIST News Service, China Aid says that on December 7 at 1:30pm, House Church pastors in Hedeng District, Linyi City, were gathered for a Bible Study when their meeting was disrupted by police officials. According to Pastor Li, an eyewitness, 40-50 policemen from 12 different towns were involved in the massive detention. The pastors were then handcuffed two-by-two and taken to the local police station for questioning. As of this week 150 pastors remain in custody. Others have been released on a 300 Yuan ($40 USD) interrogation fee.

For more information about the persecuted church and to seehow you can help check out these links.

http://www.persecution.com/
http://www.persecutedchurch.org/

The Tree Up Close

Here are some "up close" pictures I took earlier today.



The rehearsal before the dress rehearsal and the dress rehearsal are about as up close to the real deal as you can get. And usually they are a little rough - no often they are verrrrry rough. But Wednesday night wasn't too bad and tonight went very, very well. I know it seems a little wild and unorganized when you are looking at it from the Tree, but any time you have 3,264 people involved in one production there are going to be a few people roaming around aimlessly - or so it seems.
I was verrrry pleased with tonight's rehearsal. The choir sang great. The sound was great. (However, we do need to hear all of the trios and solos before 6:00 tomorrow to set some EQs). The acting was wonderful. The non-speaking acting was great. The words on the back screen went well. (and Mark and I fixed the words to African Noel)





What more can I say? Yeah team!





I'll have Star send me some of the pictures she took tonight and I'll get some from Julie and I'll post them in the morning.

Merry Christmas Choir