For many of us this is a wondrous time of year, as we prepare and wait for the Christ Child to be born among us anew. For others though it brings sadness and a sense of loss and can be a difficult time to enjoy. And it seems for many families the emotions and expectations over Christmas pushes some individuals over the edge and disagreements or worse occur.
If you find yourself feeling down or are frustrated due to problems that tend to occur over holidays, please reach out to someone. Many times, just sharing your feelings with someone, even though they probably cannot ‘fix’ anything, helps and lightens the load. Give a friend a call or plan to meet for coffee. And I am always here willing to listen and share your load. Just give me a call or stop in at my office when I am at the church in St. Charles.
Likewise, if you know someone who you believe may have reason to have some difficulty this time of year, reach out with God’s Love to them. Give them a phone call, a quick text, an email, contact them through Facebook – whatever way the two of you normally communicate – and let them know you haven’t forgotten them.
Brad and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your unexpected gifts, you are very generous. We also thank you for everything you have done in this sometimes-hectic season. The Hanging of the Greens services at the beginning of December were wonderful as were both Children’s Christmas Programs on the 15th. All of these took a lot of effort and it was heartwarming to see how willing everyone was to pitch in and pull these services together.
Two book studies are planned leading up to Easter:
The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus, by Adam Hamilton
6 weeks on Sundays, 3:00-4:30pm, at the Parsonage starting on January 12th
24 Hours That Changed the World, by Adam Hamilton
7 weeks on Sundays, 3:00-4:30pm, at the Parsonage starting on February 23rd
There are sign-up sheets at both churches, and I will order the books for The Way by January 8thso the books will arrive by the 10th, this will give everyone a couple of days to read the first chapter before the study starts. Also, please let me know if you would like to join either of these book studies but cannot if only held on Sundays. I am very willing to have 2 meeting times each week for book studies.
