More Christmas service . . . in Jesus' name

You have to read this story: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373

Christmas service . . . in Jesus' name

I have had the privilege of being in dozens of conversations over the past couple of weeks. Conversations that centered around acts of service that were being done in Jesus' name.

*One person drove by a man in front of a local department store every Friday around lunch time. The man was holding a sign up that said, "Will work for food." We've all seen them . . . This young guy, prompted by God, has begun stopping at McDonalds every Friday now and taking the man lunch. He's gotten to know him . . . in Jesus' name.

*Another person was telling me about a group of people who are now going to the Coleman Center in downtown Canton once a month. The Refuge of Hope homeless shelter and soup kitchen has begun a ministry for the children of these homeless families. This group of people orders pizza and hangs out with the kids--they play games, read stories, love on them . . . in Jesus' name.

*Another family, as it has grown larger, would select a name each Christmas and become that person's Secret Santa for the year. The guys in the family recently opted out of the family name exchange. Now these guys take a day of vacation and get together to go serve someone (this year they did home repairs for a single mom) . . . in Jesus' name.

*Another group of families took their children to an elderly care facility. They baked cookies together in advance for those they would meet. They sang carols, listened and loved on . . . in Jesus' name.

*One guy is a leader in the Canton Player's Guild of Canton. The Player's Guild has been doing their performance of A Christmas Carol for the past several weeks. Last week this friend of mine put on a FREE performance for homeless people. There was extra room so he invited children in who may never have the opportunity to see another performance like this. Opening the theater . . . in Jesus' name.

*A young guy was talking to a cashier who seemed a bit down. The cashier explained that she had been working since 4 AM and didn't get off 'till one. He went next door and bought her a cup of Starbucks . . . in Jesus' name.

*Another person had accumulated free gas on his Giant Eagle grocery card. He gave his card to a family going through a tough time. 30 gallons of free gas . . . in Jesus' name.

*A group of moms got together and made fleece pillows for children in foster care. They prayed that when the children would hold the pillows close at night they would know how much God loves them. A simple gift . . . in Jesus' name.

I think Jesus is smiling . . .

I would love to hear your stories.

Twilight

I've read the first three books in the Stephanie Meyer series: Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse.

Even though they've been at the top of the bestseller list for months and months, I've been reticent about reading them. Typically I stay away from anything that has to do with vampires.

I asked a friend of mine, who widely reads books targeted at teens, if she had heard anything about the series. She responded that she loved them and that they were her favorite books to give away right now. So I picked up the first in the series and the rest is history.

Now, even though I'm still not wild about the whole vampire thing, these are very good and very innocuous reads. Not as good as the Harry Potter series but very engaging nonetheless.

The vampires that are the main characters in Meyer's story are actually on the side of good (right alongside the werewolves). The teenage love story is one of the most chaste I've read in books marketed to teens. And, there's a pretty good line of adventure in each.

If you know someone who loves to read or you're trying to get someone to learn to enjoy reading . . . Twilight is a good place to start.

*If you've read one or all of them I'd love to hear what you think. I haven't seen the movie yet either, so please write your review.

Best new Christmas music

Every year I listen to a lot of new Christmas music. Here's the best . . . and worst of what I've found this year.

Honorable mentions:

Christmas Spirit by Los Lonely Boys. A few fun songs on this one. Best rendition of Feliz Navidad I've ever heard. Also check out Run Run Rudolph and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Peace On Earth by Casting Crowns. Check out O Come All Ye Faithful, Joy To The World and Away In A Manger.

Best so far:

The Dawn Of Grace by Sixpence None The Richer. Very creative musically and as always featuring Leigh Nash's inimitable, haunting vocals. Angels We Have Heard On High, River and Silent Night are worth the price of the recording.

Don't even think about buying this:

Joy To The World by Faith Hill. Uuuugh!

Found any good Christmas music?

Blessed by the best

Did you ever have one of "those" days? You know, where you wake up and you realize that you're in a foul mood. Stress that's not going to go away. Critical spirit. Okay, I'm probably the only one that ever has one of "those".

And I had one yesterday.

Until I was out and about early in the morning. I overheard this conversation: One woman meets another older lady and asks, "How are you doing?" And this older black woman responds, "I am blessed by the best, ain't no cause to be stressed."

I came home and wrote that one down in my journal. Repeated it to myself throughout the day. Wise, wise words.