1. My long awaited break
This will be the last day of 2008 I will be at work before I begin my long awaited Christmas holidays. Yippee! I look forward for the time to be spent with my family, and especially with Calvin.
2. My favourite cantata - Night of Miracles
I participated in the choir singing this piece when I was 11 or 12, and we are doing it again after all these years. It will be presented in my family church on 20th Dec at 8.00pm and 21st Dec during the morning church service at 9.00am. I am privileged to do the Mary's lullaby and I am working very hard to perfect it. A beautiful tune but in the lower range, which is a bit difficult for me. And as usual, I sound okay during practice when there is less people, but when I sing proper, my voice go haywire!
3. My favourite Christmas song - Welcome to Our World
Joanna, Grace Notes' conductor gave us a present each this Christmas: the score to Chris Rice's Welcome to Our World, which happens to be one of my favourite Christmas song of the contemporary genre. She shared with us yesterday that it is a song beyond the story of Christmas. Our Christmas story does not end on Christmas, but it went on to the cross, where Christ died for us to we may live. I love the song because of its musical simplicity and beauty in its words. It is our hope that the Christmas message and Christ's sacrificial love will reach out to many.
Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting
Welcome Holy Child, welcome Holy Child
Hope that you don't mind our manger
How we wish we would have known
But long awaited Holy Stranger,
Make yourself at home, please make yourself at home
Bring your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Words now breaking heaven's silence
Welcome to our world, welcome to our world
Fragile fingers sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born, unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfert Son of God, perfect Son of God
4. My Christmas article in Kairos magazine
I had my first-ever written article published. Kairos had requested that I write an article about Christmas and I wrote a short one entitled, "The Sights and Sounds of Christmas". It began like this:
We hear it every year, come December, that Christmas is only real when it happens in our hearts, that it is never the gifts or the tree, nor the food and the toasts. None of the festivities, none of the fanfare matters essentially. Only the heart.
But what if they do matter?
God forbid that we should equate Christmas with just material things and expressions. But somehow, we are in danger of reducing Christmas only to a “heart” thing and nothing more. If things are meaningful only if they are spiritualised, we risk forgetting the concreteness of our Christian faith ...
pearlie
Photo (c) 2008 Wong Mei Teng
Hi Pearlie, thanks for using my image.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Christmas hols...:)
Love the words in both #3 & #4. What a beautiful song. I had not seen these words or heard it. Boy, how very badly we need Him in our world today. "He stands at the door and knocks." Praise God He does!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSusan
congrats on having your article published. Well done.
ReplyDeleteGood job, pearlie! Awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe best Christmas 'gifts' aren't material, are they? I'm so frustrated with the commercialism...we don't participate in this like most folks and I actually feel guilty sometimes!
The singing...I so understand. Just sing it to your Audience of One when it comes time. Just to Him, and it will be wonderful.
Hi Pearlie. I read your previous three blogs tonight. You sure are an active lady! Well done for having an article published. Enjoy Christmas with your family and the time off. - Dave
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Mei Teng =)
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan, and yes, that is great reminder, for he does stand at the door to knock and sometimes we are too preoccupied to even notice!
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex :)
ReplyDeleteKaren, indeed ... we are at this stage where we are not so into presents anymore -- I know, may sound drastic to some but presents means so much more than a shirt, a tie, a mug, a what-not.
ReplyDeleteYou should try to participate - may be a bit too late to do it for Christmas but Easter is just around the corner :) it is wonderful to serve the Lord IN the body of Christ!
Dave,
ReplyDeleteHaha ... i know, i can't help it. I suppose I just do it because I really enjoy doing those things. And I thank God for the privilege and most of all for life.
Thanks for your kind words on my article. And you, have a marvellous Christmas with all at home!
I think you misunderstood, pearlie. We don't participate in the commercialism.
ReplyDeleteI've served "in" the Body of Christ. I am an ordained elder in the RCA, however, I find little true freedom in any building for women to answer their calling fully(Acts 2:16-17). I serve Him for the Body..and serve those not yet in the Body--following His direction in any appointment He entrusts to me.
Karen, I apologise - I misread you. What does the RCA stand for, btw?
ReplyDeleteHey, pearlie. RCA=Reformed Church of America. Offshoot of the Dutch Reformed Church; oldest Protestant denomination in America--older than Presbyterian even.
ReplyDelete