Friday Fun Night Revisited

This photo makes my heart sing. Back when I was just starting Grad School and Angela was a sophomore at Western Michigan University, we decided that we wanted to have something to do on Friday nights that didn't involve going out and partying. We wanted to meet new people and have fun and do it on campus, at the Wesley Foundation where Angela was a peer minister. So we started Friday Fun Night. At first we didn't get a lot of response but Angela and I showed up to Wesley at 7pm on a Friday night anyway and waited. And guess who was the first person to walk in the door? Joe (see the guy above in the orange shirt). Joe who over a decade later would be sitting in our kitchen on a Friday night, playing games again. I love that so much. So much.

Joe and his wife have recently moved back to Michigan and we rounded up Rick and Eric and Susie (all pictured above) and had dinner this week. We laughed and shared stories and caught up on lives (Facebook doesn't do justice to what's been going on over the past 7 years since we'd seen Rick and Joe) and had a great time meeting Joe and Amanda's one and a half year old son.

Eleven years ago I never would have dreamed that friendships started over board games in a church rec room would still live on so strongly. I'm so so thankful for that. And for all of these people in my life!

Christmas!

Whew! It has been a busy couple of weeks. We had the Christmas tea, we had our day trips, we had multiple family Christmases, we had parties and celebrations and worship services and time with the little ones. We had baking and cooking and shopping and wrapping and gift giving and receiving. We had such fun. And then on Christmas morning, I woke everyone up at 5:45am! (Yes, I waited 45 minutes after I woke up!) We had a great time and a great day. But whew, it has been a whirlwind. That's why the day after Christmas we were so excited to spend the day in PJs (aka, the new Red Wings thermals we'd all gotten) watching movies, playing games and reading new books (and yes, napping). But it has been a good vacation regardless of the pace. And tomorrow we head to Canada to visit family! 2012 is going out with a bang!

Gleaners

Last Saturday, December 22nd, Angela, my mom, my dad and I headed to a small industrial park just outside of Howell. There we found a door in the back and entered a large warehouse. Inside? Gleaners Food Bank. Now, I've been to food banks before, worked at many in college and grad school, et cetera. But this one was a bit different. Set up like a grocery store, with scales instead of cash registers, it's designed to look like any other store. The difference? People make appointments to shop and get so many pounds of food based on their need. They shop on average 4 to 6 times a year and popular items include peanut butter, jelly, soup, boxed milk, and fresh pastries. This time of year there's also candy for stocking stuffers and toys for the kids.

It was an interesting experience, one I'm so glad we could have. My parents have worked at Gleaners before, in the fall, with a church group, and talked so highly of their experience I couldn't wait to get a chance to go too. While there we stocked shelves, helped bag groceries and check people out, and do just whatever needed to be done. We got to empty some of the donation bins from the local schools (side note: if you ever find yourself donating to these bins, consider donating a case of something - a case is much easier to shelve and display than several single cans of different things). I enjoyed the time because we weren't doing just one job - we were milling about, taking ownership of different tasks, helping the customers, chatting with the other volunteers. But most of all? I'm glad that there are places like Gleaners, places where families who need help can get help. Places where the mom with the toddler can stock up on milk and cans of beef stew. Places where the couple can get fresh squash to make soup for Christmas Eve. Places where there are donuts sprinkled red and green for the father to take home for Christmas morning. I'm so glad.

Christmastime fun

Angela and I flew into Detroit Saturday afternoon for three weeks at home. And while it's only Wednesday afternoon now, we've already knocked out a ton of our to-do list and had so much fun. We've shopped and shopped. We've baked and assembled. We've had the candlelight Christmas Tea at church, we've worshipped twice at Howell UMC. We've seen the grandneighbors in the Catholic school Christmas program. We've toured the Dodge house at Meadow Brook. We've walked through Rochester Hills and looked at the lights and eaten a yummy meal at an Irish pub. We've seen the grandparents, all three, and we've hugged tons of friends. We've even squeaked in some wrapping and singing and last night we got to watch the family favorite: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. We all laugh every year at the same jokes until we cry. Such fun. And Christmas is still a week away! Whew!

My Advent Devotion

Here's the devotion I wrote for the Hollywood UMC Advent Devotion Booklet for today:

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Luke 1:26-31

We’re all familiar with the story of how the angel Gabriel was sent by God to tell Mary the good news. She had found favor with God and would give birth to a son who’s name would be Jesus. And I think we’re all familiar with being surprised by news ourselves, whether it be a scary health diagnosis, a promotion at work, a wrench thrown in our plans or even a new relationship. But what we’re likely less familiar with is the sense of control we can feel in such a situation.

Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid. He wanted to make sure she knew right away that she was loved, that the Lord was with her. Often times people talk about giving over control to God in tough situations, relying on His will, whatever it is. But I think this passage is a reminder that really, we’re the ones with control in these situations. We’re the ones who heed God’s call, we’re the ones who make the conscious choice to say a prayer, to ask God for help, to be comforted by His words and His love. Mary didn’t have to believe that the Lord was with her in that moment but she did; she made the choice to believe.

Every day we’re faced with millions of choices. What to eat for breakfast, what to watch on television, whether or not to take a drink or say a hurtful word. And this Advent season, we get to make another choice. We get to decide whether or not we’ll be comforted by the baby that’s about to be born, by the baby who will be called Jesus. We get to decide how we celebrate His impending arrival. We get to make the choice to believe. And that’s really all there is to it: belief that God loves us, belief that He sent his Son to die for us, belief that Good will always win out over Bad. So it’s up to you, what do you choose?

Dear Lord,

Thank you for free will and the opportunity to choose You. Amen.

Merry Christmas 2012

Angela found a gorgeous set of Christmas cards online this fall - all designs made with things found near the sea: rope, shells, sticks, etc. They were made by a local photographer but they were expensive. That didn't matter, she had her own idea. We copy the idea, the theme, and make our own! So...

Off we went! The week before Thanksgiving we headed out to the beach, Venice Beach specifically, on a bright and sunny and cold Monday morning (Presidents' Day, in fact). We collected things to take with us, some rope from the garage, some Santa hats we'd used at the children's AIDS clinic last year, and I purchased some shells and starfish at a craft shop. We wrapped an empty box and used a 99 cent bow to decorate it and Voila! instant photography shoot props!

The day was sunny and crisp and perfect. We used the digital camera I got for Christmas last year (a little point and shoot) and our iPhones as back up. We took 146 pictures. Way more than necessary but it was perfect, we had a lot to pick from when we got home.

All in all the shoot lasted about an hour. We got sand everywhere, we laughed a lot and we even had several offers from fellow beachgoers to take our picture together which was very sweet (even though the photo we ended up using is one taken by me on my iPhone). A very good day. And a beautiful result, if I do say so myself. I'm so glad Angela had the idea and we were able to execute it easily and perfectly. So Merry Christmas from us to you!
xoxo

Once Upon a Christmas 2012

Last year my church, Hollywood UMC, put on the first annual "Once Upon a Christmas", an afternoon of storytelling and music. There were five of us who each took turns sitting on a stool in Grant Hall, George played the guitar and there were maybe 50 people present. We told stories and laughed and teared up and smiled. It was a great December afternoon.

Well, this year, they decided to do it again. But on a Saturday night. With us storytellers at the front of the sanctuary with microphones and a 30-member choir behind us. George was still there with his guitar, and the stories were the same (you can read mine here, on last year's blog) but the event? Very different. We had a host, Pauley Perrette from NCIS (and a member of our church), we also had cookies afterward arranged by the fabulous Angela and we had a rehearsal. And cues. And we had to remember when to go where and we did our very own "Saturday Night Live' ending with us on stage waving goodbye. Quite the night.

It really was a great event, we had a good turn out (though we'd have liked more we had about 150 people, 180 if you count the choir) and most of all? We had a great time, all for a great cause (we raised money for the Homeless Lunch program on Tuesdays at church). And I have to say, I really did like performing. I wasn't nervous at all, I loved the comradeship that comes with putting on a show and being in it together. It was also so fun to make people laugh and to have people, even the next day at church, quote my story back to me ("when televisions were the size of Priuses") and tell me how I inspired them to make their own "tree of boys" (do I know my audience or what?!?!). 

Am I going to become a performer? No. Wearing heels all night wasn't great fun. Sitting around waiting for rehearsals? Over it. But actually performing? Amazing. I'm a writer and so just getting to share my work (because I read my story, there was no memorization involved) with others, and make them smile and laugh was something very special for me. Very special. 

Angela's Advent Devotion

It's Guest Blogger Day! Here's the advent devotion Angela wrote for our church's advent booklet:

Advent Devotional for Sunday, December 9
Scripture: Luke 3:1-6

…the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
He went into all the region around the Jordan,

proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord…”

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John the Baptist was an interesting character. He was, by all accounts, different than other religious men of his day. He was an itinerant preacher who cared only for his cause. Verse 3 tells us that John the Baptist went around proclaiming to everyone that a “baptism of repentance” was needed in order for people to repent. John the Baptist was not quiet about his beliefs and neither should we be.

I don’t recommend going to work tomorrow and baptizing your coworkers at the water cooler but do not shy away from your beliefs. We need to “prepare the way of the Lord” as John the Baptist did. As you prepare your house, wrap your presents and decorate your cookies this Christmas, be a little bit louder in action and word about the reason you are so very merry this holiday season.

- Angela Knapp

PRAYER
God, We pray this season that your spirit will flow through us so that we can be an example to others as we prepare for your arrival. Amen.