Elektroniks! Aren't they Great?

We're working hard to reach out to the "modern world" that gets its information from the internet rather than from print media. First we made our Newsletter E-mail for most everyone. Now we are working to make our Web site new, refreshed, and full of the kind of information you really want and need.

Of course we need a little patience to get it all right and the way we would all like it to be, but that is not a good reason to stay away or to prevent you from using the resources that are becoming available. For instance: on the website there is now a section to "Light a Candle" for someone--in memory of, in honor of, or to say a prayer for someone you care for. Try it out and see how it works. It would be great to fill the page with burning candles. There is also a link to this blog, so you can join in on the conversation. Why not go there and comment on one of the weekly postings.

There is also an interactive calendar--up to the date by the day. Wow!! never thought that could happen. Encourage the Webmaster by sending him an E-mail. He will work even harder to put us on the E-map.

I'm Dreaming of a ??? Christmas

I'm old enough to have a memory of that famous crooner Bing Crosby, pipe in hand (or in his mouth) singing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas," while snow falls gently from the sky making for a fluffy and beautiful covering on my lawn. I think of my grandson who can barely contain his excitement for just enough snow to get his "slider" out and head for the little hill at the back of his yard. But, it seems that when the snow does arrive, I am not quite ready for it. The outdoor decorations were only half up, which meant standing in the snow to finish them. The guy who was supposed to plow the streets and drives in our little development left almost 2 inches of hard pack in the middle of my drive way (and I wasn't happy about it.) So maybe I'm not really dreaming of a White Christmas--unless it doesn't involve discomfort or hard work on my part.

But just down the street, there is someone who would be willing to accept any kind of Christmas at all. Right now the only thought on this person's mind is how to find groceries for the family, or how to find any kind of present at all to give the children on Christmas morning. White would be great, but any Christmas would be satisfactory. That is why I am excited about the "Christmas Miracle" that could occur at COJ if we all provide the "Extra Present" that will fund our Mission Program for 2007. We are asking everyone to simply send an amount equal to the average present they buy at Christmas to COJ designated as the Christmas Miracle and we will make it work for the good of someone somewhere who needs the gift.

That way, we can all have a "Merry Christmas" if not a white one.