Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Christmas Past

I am an extremely sentimental person. I have confetti from the 1st night that Shawn & I met. I treasure the small things that people do for me. Our Christmas tree has a lot of ornaments on it that were made by a child or by me as a child. I wish I had some from when Shawn was little but I think they did their tree different from how mine was done growing up.


Christmas has always meant so much to me. It was a time of year when we as a family were all together. We went to church on Wednesday for Advent then Christmas Eve then again on Christmas morning, & Sunday. Some years that was 4 times in one week! That was a lot of sitting still for a family with four kids.


I loved the fact that we went to church on Christmas morning. I still miss it...We would get up and open our stockings and eat a sugar coated breakfast...Usually Monkey Bread and orange juice. Get dressed and go to church. The entire service was filled with Christmas Carols and the story that we new by heart. The CHRISTmas Story! As we sat there and celebrated the anticipation of what was still under our tree at home was almost more than this little girl could take.


Once we got home my mom took pictures in front of the Christmas tree and then got changed into our "present opening clothes" while my mom pulled out allllllll kinds of finger food. Some years it was turkey other times it was ham for small roll sandwiches and then there was a ton of other stuff. We never had a big family meal on Christmas just a hours of uninterrupted family time!


We would all get a plate of food and then pick a spot to open our gifts. Then either my brother or I would pass out the gifts to each person. My Dad would pull out the trash bag and his pocket knife so he would be ready. My Mom had worked so hard at making each year a Christmas that we would never forget she wasn't going to miss a minute of anyone opening a gift so we went one by one opening one gift at a time. One year we would start at the oldest and work our way down then the next year we started at the youngest and went up. It made Christmas last FOREVER!!!


We would put our try on our clothes, toys together and play all afternoon. Friends of the family would come over in the afternoon...rarely did we leave the house to go anywhere on Christmas except to Church.


I feel so blessed to have such wonderful memories of Christmas. I am so thankful that my mom made such an effort to bless us not with gifts but with the GIFT. We did receive gifts but I remember her saying as my brother, each year, would try to persadue her to let us open gifts BEFORE church...


"You can't open up your gifts until until we celebrate THE GIFT."











Thanks mom for always showing us what the TRUE meaning of CHRISTmas was!





“And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.’”
Luke 1:46&47

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Just a little something funny

Church Bulletin Bloopers

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.

Evening massage - 6 p.m.

The Pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.

The audience is asked to remain seated until the end of the recession.

Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door.

Ushers will eat latecomers.

The third verse of Blessed Assurance will be sung without musical accomplishment.
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
The Rev. Merriwether spoke briefly, much to the delight of the audience.

The pastor will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, "Break Forth Into Joy."

During the absence of our pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when J.F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.

Next Sunday Mrs. Vinson will be soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on "It's a Terrible Experience."
Due to the Rector's illness, Wednesday's healing services will be discontinued until further notice.
Stewardship Offertory: "Jesus Paid It All"

The music for today's service was all composed by George Friedrich Handel in celebration of the 300th anniversary of his birth.

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the church basement on Friday at 7 p.m. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

The concert held in Fellowship Hall was a great success. Special thanks are due to the minister's daughter, who labored the whole evening at the piano, which as usual fell upon her.

22 members were present at the church meeting held at the home of Mrs. Marsha Crutchfield last evening. Mrs. Crutchfield and Mrs. Rankin sang a duet, The Lord Knows Why.
A song fest was hell at the Methodist church Wednesday.

Today's Sermon: HOW MUCH CAN A MAN DRINK? with hymns from a full choir.
Hymn 43: "Great God, what do I see here?"

Preacher: The Rev. Horace Blodgett

Hymn 47: "Hark! an awful voice is sounding"

On a church bulletin during the minister's illness: GOD IS GOOD Dr. Hargreaves is better.

Potluck supper: prayer and medication to follow.

Don't let worry kill you off - let the church help.
The 1997 Spring Council Retreat will be hell May 10 and 11.

Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary.
Just a little something that made me smile so I thought I'd share. I know I haven't posted anything in awhile...I am still alive...That's a good thing I guess. Praying each and every person out there is having a blessed Christmas season!