December 2006 - Posts
I made 9 dozen rolls today. Half of them delicious “no good” white rolls, half tasty and “good for you” sprouted Kamut wheat rolls. Top that!
A year or so ago I bought a store scale at a garage sale. It didn't work so I worked on it and fixed it to the point that it will weigh in metric. I read somewhere that some cooks weigh their rolls so that they come out the same size. I tried it...drum roll...tada...they turned out perfect!!! It was so cool.
Tomorrow I will bake a tart cherry pie for Jodie. She loves them. I'm smoking two turkey breasts over Sassafrass to slice and go on the rolls for our big family Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day we make Klejner, a danish donut from my grandmother's side from my family. Christmas makes me hungry.
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Jodie and I were walking at the mall this morning because of the rain. There was a group of “primetimers“ having a chat in the food court. There were also a few young mom's getting their exercise by walking fast, pushing their kids around in strollers. I thought to myself. “That's interesting. The moms are are wearing themselves out while the kids get a ride. When they get home the kids will be bouncing off the walls and the moms will be dragging” Jodie used to have our kids run around the outside of the house a few times when they got rowdy. That makes more sense to me.
Services are planned for Christmas Eve morning, Christmas Eve., and New Years Eve. We also went through the music in the library and began to put together a spring singspiration musical from our favorite worship songs of the past. After we got the list together I put it into a flow order and read the list. We got chills as I finished reading it.
In case I don't show up later this week,
Merry Christmas Everybody
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Last Saturday and Sunday our choir and orchestra, along with CCO's choir performed “Everything Glorious” at Taylor Auditorium.
The setup was so smooth it was almost scary. The three performances went almost without a hitch. It was moving to hear the crowd's response. This year we had close to 2,300 attend.
It was a big blessing to have John and Sue Smith there an the Sunday afternoon service. Sue is one of the writers of the musical. Before the concert she and John spoke to our choir. It was very encouraging. Before the first performance, Lynn read some of the great lyrics to the choir from the title song, “Everything Glorious”. The worship leader script that Sue wrote and I spoke was very moving to me.
A big thank you to everyone who worked so hard on the event. Lord bless you all.
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I did a strange thing today. I made a cat of nine tails...the whip they used to scourge Jesus. I did it because we needed it for a video we are shooting for an upcoming worship service. I went to the craft store and picked up some leather strips and metal pieces and went home to work on it. I lashed nine strips together and wrapped the end with a leather handle. I fastened the metal pieces to the strips. I got some old nails and made some hooks to fasten to the ends of some of the strips. They might also have used bone or glass.
It was at this point that it occurred to me that at one time someone must have invented this awful thing. Fashioning it just as I have...and with what motive? To cause extreme agony. The process began to take on a different feel for me. I was not just making a prop for a video. It became a tool of torture. It made me wonder who made the original, used on the Lord. I struck my own hand lightly with it to feel a little of it's sting. It looked too new and unused, so I put some red paint on it and rubbed it in the dirt. That process was even more disturbing. “He was wounded for our transgressions...” How could anyone use one of these?
The video will be shot today...a Christmas tree...a family...the opening of 3 presents.
The nails, the crown of thorns, and the whip
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It's late but I just got the word tonight that our dear brother in the Lord, Seth Wilson has gone to his reward. I cannot imagine his joy at this moment. He loved the Lord so. When we heard that he was critical at elders meeting I mumbled something to the effect that it was Seth (then Academic Dean) who brought my dad to teach at Ozark Christian College. Chris DeWelt then said, “He brought my dad (Don DeWelt) here too” A wave hit in that moment of Seth's obvious impact on the kingdom, not only in his teaching but in so many other ways. Our move from California to Missouri altered the destiny of my family and others from our church that followed us here. Dad taught for 17 years and was elder at College Heights until his final days. His influence on the church still lingers. I was thinking that he, and Seth, and Don, and Perry and....my, what a conversation that would be.
I remember Seth getting red faced, passionate about the meaning of the Life of Christ...inspiring that passion in us. I remember him expecting us to memorize everything, know everything in class, and yet he was graceful in grading. I remember the day when Seth kindly thanked me for writing and singing the scripture like a cantor. Those were strategic words for my heart. When he signed my copy of “Learning from Jesus“, he wrote the verse from Colossians “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, making melody in your heart to the Lord.“ That verse has been special ever since he applied it to me that day.
And now...he has eternity with the Jesus he sought to know so fully, for so long.
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Well, the Christmas musical weekend is approaching at top speed. I am in the process of memorizing all the lines Sue wrote for worship leader part in the “Everything Glorious“ Christmas musical. It is really moving to hear everything coming together at last. Jubi's commercial for the musical is running on the radio now. After it played one day someone told me they heard the D.J. say “I just love that spot“ Yesterday after leading three services, rehearsals all afternoon, and taking mom back home, I sat down and relaxed to watch Jubi in the children's program (except for jumping up for an occasional picture). I have to confess, I listened to some of it with my eyes closed, “meditating” on the lyrics.
I sang the song Sue and I wrote Sunday. I played it for Jay last week and he asked me to sing it as part of the sermon. The response really surprised me. I knew it was a special song when we were finishing it up but I am not sure I have never had that kind of response from a song in church before. It really struck a chord.
We decorated our home for Christmas tonight. I was wondering how many more times we will be able to do this with all our kids. In some ways our decorating night is more special to me than Christmas itself, what with all business of the Christmas eve services.
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We took the southern route home from Nashville and missed all the ice and snow 'till we hit Fayetteville. I never noticed before but we kept thinking that we had taken the wrong road back to Tennessee when we passed by “Clarksville” or entered “Franklin county” in Arkansas. A big thanks to my cowriters this week.
When I got home and braved the ice for rehearsal I didn't know how the weekend would play out. Leading with the choir and orchestra on Sunday was wonderful. We had over 1900 there despite the snow and what a great spirit!
During rehearsal, my drummer, Ryan and I got on this cool groove for “Praise to the Lord, The Almighty” changing it from 3/4 to a syncopated 4/4. It was sweet so I decided to go with it in the service. The choir caught right on and it came out great. The orchestra had to be flexible on that one, since their music was in 3/4. We didn't have time this week to rehearse the choir for Sunday so it was “Hand out the lyrics and go with it” time. After all...you can over-rehearse the life out of a worship set. It's always interesting to see how the Lord empowers the the moment.
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