Olaf takes pictures

Oh oh! This doesn't look right

Okay guys! Take 1

Take 2

Just take me

Uhm I didn't mean literally

Jesus in the Choir

Its Christmas time! Tinsel and lights, spruce and pine trees are all on display.

An invitation was made in church to join the choir for our carol service. As I toyed with the idea I recalled my experience last Christmas.
We had just moved into the area and I wanted to get involved. I signed up. Every practice my faith was tested. I got to see another side of Jesus that I had brushed aside or didn't care to notice even though if was written all over the scriptures.

Because of my low tone I sing tenor. That's not a problem, I'm used to being one of the few ladies that sings with the men. I was sandwiched between two goofy guys. One smelled like a chimney and the other a bar. I struggled to hold my note through "glo -o- o-ria" as fumes clashed right at the center of my nose.
During the 5 minute break, one dashed out to get another puff while the other hurried to the restroom. I enjoyed their company for the most part but couldn't wrap my mind around their habits. From the look of things this was not their first carol service either. Dave the choir master always called them by name.
Billy the smoker was quite free with his hands, he placed them over my shoulder like we were long lost buddies. "Got to leave early today, my 9 year old son is spending the weekend with me"
Jeff on the other hand pulled a crumpled sheet of music from his jacket pocket straightened it out and sung like he composed "Joy to the World". The day of the carol service, Jeff came a little late,
dressed in a maroon shirt, black suspenders and a bow tie. Even though the clothes hung off his skinny frame, he seemed pleased with himself. He had made the effort to clean up. He walked up to the choir master and said "Look Dave, I made it! Couldn't find a red shirt though"
Billy and Jeff, sang their hearts out. I could tell they loved Jesus in spite of their brokenness. He came to seek and save the lost. He asks us to come just as we are, He is looking for the sick and not the well. Church is the place for the sick not the well who have it all together. For some the brokenness is evident on the outside but for people like me, the brokenness is hidden behind a quiet demeanor.
The beauty with Jesus is that His arms are always open to welcome every one.

Merry Christmas!!!

…But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."… Luke 2:10 - 12

Remembering Evelyn

“The value of life is not in its duration, but in its donation. You are not important because of how long you live, you are important because of how effective you live. And most people are concerned about growing old rather than being effective," ― Myles Munroe,

"The people who have impacted the world didn't live long. Martin Luther King. John F. Kennedy. These people who impact the world were not old people, but they lived so effectively that we cannot erase them from history,”― Myles Munroe,

On this first day of December I remember Evelyn, a graceful leader, elegant, intelligent, compassionate, thoughtful and selfless. She was here for 24 years and left a precious imprint. She led a school, she was a faithful friend, a big sister and a wonderful daughter to her parents.

At a young age few things terrified more than being dropped off to boarding school. I watched clouds of dust rise as my dad drove away. My stomach plunked down on my pelvis and like a full stop there was nothing more to say. It was going to be a while before I saw him again. I faced the enormous school campus with resolve and trudged down to the dormitory. Oblivious to the possibility that the sun would shine again I sat on my bed, unpacked my suitcase and begun to count down to visiting day.That changed when I received a note from Evelyn. I had been wrapped up in my own little world I forgot I had a family friend in the school. She became the head girl and with that came a private room. She showed me where she kept her key and gave me access to her stash of grab. Compared to the O'Level dormitories crammed with 10 girls on double Decker beds, this was a welcome change.
As a junior in college little else topped access to the head prefect. I felt invincible. Chances of being bullied were slim to none. In a sweet spot between students and the school authorities, I heard both the dormitory gossip and administrative decisions passed on to the prefects.
One day a girl said "The head girl is back. Have you seen her legs, they have black dots. She is sick." I was puzzled. I knew Evelyn went home on occasion but I assumed that was a privilege head girls enjoyed. Clueless as a sheep, I mentioned what I heard and asked her what she was suffering from.
I found out she had HIV. She was probably 18. The first young HIV patient I knew.
She excelled and joined university for a Law degree. She came back to school often, sent me a success card and wrote me letters about life at the University.
She fell seriously ill but that didn't rob her grace, even on her hospital bed. At the end students, parents and teachers from schools near and far packed the church service and filled her parents compound. She loved and was loved by many in those 24 years.

Today I think about Evelyn and the many young women who have faced and are facing AIDS.
There is hope. Let's Focus, Partner and Achieve an AIDS-free Generation.

 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28