As you know, I had my CT scan and check-up with Dr. Beck. I got good news from him-- "You're still cured on paper", he told me. While that was very exciting, it was playing music in the chemo room withOUT being hooked up to an IV myself that was really special. I also found out that Dr. Beck has been using my "Quiet Sunshine" CD in the bone marrow room. When I recorded that CD, I dreamed of it being used for things like that but had no idea how to make it happen, or if it would ever would. Wow.
Thursday, I rode with my friend Kathy to Lindsborg. I was truly blessed by the conversations I had with Kathy on the way there and back. She is my parent's age, but we are definitely "kindred spirits". It was so refreshing to talk with another like-minded Christian about our relationships with God, the things He is teaching us, and they ways He is challenging us.
From Thursday night through Monday morning, we had company. Our friend Kyle Cooper (from Nashville) and two of his friends, Brian and Joel, came to town for the Teens for Christ Rally and stayed with our family. They are all talented musicians and very strong Christians. It was awesome to watch them spend time every morning studying their Bibles and praying together to prepare for their programs. Their music practice came after their quiet times with the Lord, even though the music was the most obvious part of the program. It was a joy to witness that, and also just to be servants to them, preparing & serving meals, printing sheet music, making powerpoints, etc. Now that I'm feeling well and have energy, it is a delight to do simple things like clean and cook and shovel the driveway and carry in wood... things that used to be tedious work.
Friday evening, Amber & I took "the boys" to the Beloit Juvenile Correctional Facility for the monthly Teens for Christ (TFC) program there. It was the smallest group of girls we've ever had, but they seemed genuinely touched by the message that Kyle, Brian, and Joel shared through music and testimony. This program was the one-year anniversary of TFC's presence there. It has been life-changing to spend time with the girls there. They are criminals, and yet they are just little girls who are hurting and need the love of God in their lives. That God would choose me to be a part of sharing that love with them is just incredible. It leaves me speechless.
Saturday evening was the TFC rally here in Concordia. Another one of Kyle's friends, Jeremy, came up from Wichita to play drums. The four of them also invited Amber and I to play with them on several songs. It was really special for me. You see, I have a huge heart for worship and love worshiping with my dulcimer, but leading worship is not what the Lord has called me to with my music. Saturday was one of those rare times when I got to combine my passions for music and worship, and it was enormously refreshing.
Additionally, Amber & I were honored in a really special way by Kent and Lisa, directors of TFC. They declared us "honorary staff members" and gave us each a beautiful plaque, honoring us for our support and involvement in their work with area teenagers. It was a really emotional moment. Amber & I had no clue they were going to do that, so it caught us completely off-guard. We all shed a few tears. We've been involved with Teens for Christ programs since I was in high school, and they've done so much to encourage my spiritual growth. What a blessing!
To culminate this very special week, our family will be celebrating Jesus' birthday with friends tonight for Christmas Eve. We will be having chili and cinnamon bread, and then a birthday cake for Jesus. We always close the evening by reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and then the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2. Through the years, our time as a family on Christmas Eve has become one of my fondest memories. We've always dedicated this night to focusing on the Greatest Gift of all-- our Savior, Jesus Christ. As much as I enjoy giving and receiving packages on Christmas morning, it is Jesus' birthday party that means the most to me.
Ok, enough rambling and sentimentality... Merry Christmas and may the Lord richly bless each of you as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!
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