Concert with Jodi Benson

You may not recognize the name Jodi Benson right away, but if I asked you if you have seen The Little Mermaid, Toy Story II, Flubber with Robin Williams, Thumbelina, or a number of Broadway shows, you would recognize her voice. We were privileged to have her come to the Center for the Arts here in Midland and sing in the Christmas concert. The first half of the show featured all of the musical groups in Midland, including the Chorale, of which I am a part. I made my "debut" (Ha ha) by singing a short solo, accompanied by harp, during our performance of Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols. Thankfully, it went very well! After our part and other groups performed, we had an intermission (or as Emma has called it, "interception"--probably because of her football dad :-) ), and then Jodi Benson came out for the second half singing, "Part of Your World" and then many other Christmas songs. We ended the concert with her singing, "Let There Be Peace on Earth" and "O Holy Night." It was amazing! Jodi and I had an opportunity to talk for quite awhile on Fri. night at the dress rehearsal. I had gone into the green room when Chorale had a bit of a break, and Jodi came out of her dressing room. I wanted to welcome her to Midland and let her know that I had found out she was a Christian, and I would be praying for her that weekend. She had arrived in Midland without her luggage arriving at the airport with her. :-( Long story short, God gave us a wonderful time of talking about Him, our families, etc. I was so encouraged by her testimony, genuineness, and friendliness. She said I could bring the girls back before Sat. night's show to get a picture and have their books signed. We were able to do that, and again, Jodi was gracious, taking time to talk to the girls, and let us hang out for more than a minute in her dressing room. I was trying to be sure both Fri. night and Sat. that I was sensitive of her time, and mentioned something both times. She was so laid back and real, for lack of a better word, and said she didn't mind at all and enjoyed the time to chat. Well, the real kicker was her calling out to my girls during the performance! She asked where they were and waved to them, talked about their time together before the show, and was very kind to me in referring to my solo. To say the least, we were on a high that night. I had other opportunities to talk with Jodi briefly the next day before and after our performance. She was so wonderful on stage too, talking about not caring if she is politically correct about saying/not saying, "Merry Christmas." She made no bones about it that her faith is in Jesus and she is celebrating His birth. It was just a wonderful weekend, and again, I am so ecouraged and thankful for the kind of woman she is in the entertainment world!

Many Fun Events Lately

We certainly were busy in the last month, but we have had a lot of fun. We took the girls to see A Year With Frog and Toad. This was Olivia's first theatre experience, and she did just great. It was in the little theatre, and I think that was perfect for the girls. They were both mesmerized by the costumes, music, etc. What a fun show! We had the Sunday School Christmas program a couple of weeks ago, so I have included pics of both of the girls in their groups. Kris was trying to video and get still shots as I was leading the music for the kids. That was a bit difficult. :-) Emma played her violin for an audience for the first time last week. She did so well. She has been taking violin lessons since the start of this school year. She and the other two beginners were featured together first. They played "Jingle Bells." Kris took the girls to another concert that I will be posting about seperately. Last week was Kris' school program, our church Christmas cantata, and my two concerts at the Midland Center for the Arts. Yes, we were crazy! Every night was either a rehearsal, performance, or something going on. I am very much enjoying catching up on things at home this week. It was crazy, but thank the Lord, everything went well and was lots of fun.

Merry Christmas

Emma's Birthday Party

The Birthday Girl

My Seven Year Old

Yesterday we were able to celebrate Emma's birthday and thank God for the wonderful 7 years He has given her. It is hard to believe in some ways that we have a child who is 7 and in first grade. What a blessing though! Emma is a wonderful little girl. She is definitely entering a different phase of life. Preschool is over, interests are changing, physical and spiritual growth has been very evident. I am reminded to cherish each day with Emma and Olivia. They are gifts from God, and as you all know about my friend, Laura, recently losing her 5 yr. old, we've been reminded that we don't know how long any of us will be here. We do know that God is in charge of our lives and knows how long we will have them on this earth. We want to make good, lasting, precious memories along the way that God will be pleased with. I don't want to look back with regret one day, wishing I had spent more time with my girls, wanting to take back words I have said, or having not pointed them every day to our God. With His strength and help, Kris and I are trying to raise them the right way and enjoy every stage of life with them. Pray for us as we continue this huge, but wonderful, responsibility.

God Supplies Our Needs

What a blessing it is to see God work in totally unexpected ways. Our minivan "died" on us recently, and we knew the problem could be a thermostat (approx. $10), a water pump (approx. $400), or a blown head gasket (approx. $2000). As you can imagine, we as a family have been praying that our van would have the least costly problem. We did ask God to provide if something major was wrong, because we just couldn't imagine that big of a bill right now. Well, God provided 3 days ahead of time before we even had the diagnosis. On Saturday we were informed that we would be receiving a check in the mail this week that we never dreamed was due us (long story). We immediately knew that it would possibly be just what we needed if the van was going to need major repair. On Monday our van was checked, and our dreaded answer came--a head gasket was the problem! God knew what we would need, and He took care of it (in a way that surprised us) before we even had a definitive answer. We still need to make decisions about the van (who can or do we want to fix it, when will it get done, etc.) and don't know what the real cost will end up being, but thanks be to God Who has already done great things! May this encourage us to live without worry, anxiety, and fear. We have a big God--bigger than any of our problems. He is sovereign and working all things out for our good and His glory. May we trust Him more and have our first reactions be to rest in HIM!

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Funny Mistake

Last night we had Emma's first grade teacher over for dinner. Toward the end of our meal we were talking about things Mrs. Reece could pray for or help with concerning Emma. One of the things that we mentioned was that Olivia is not saved yet, and we are praying for her salvation and for Emma to continue to be loving and kind to her. We want her to be a good example and help point Olivia to the Lord. Mrs. Reece asked Emma, "Emma, when did you get saved?" Emma just very confidently said, "I got saved on Happy Friday!" Mrs. Reece looked confused, as did we for only about a second, and then Kris and I just started laughing. Emma was saved on Good Friday when she was four years old. She just replaced "Good" with "happy." Oh, the funny things kids say. . . .

Here Comes Winter!

Final Fall Fun