star of the show

One year, in the week preceding Christmas, a school was getting ready to do its Christmas pageant. One little girl came home from school extremely excited the day they received their parts.

"Mommy! Daddy! I got the most important part in the pageant!"

"What was it, Mary?"

But she wouldn't tell them, just talked on and on about how important her part was. She was so excited that she bounced rather than walked for the entire week preceding the pageant. Her parents chuckled, but didn't curtail her excitement.

Finally the night of the pageant arrived. Mary's parents sat in the audience while the older grades performed their songs and skits. Finally, it was time for the kindergarten class to perform their part.

The teacher walked up to a podium at the side of the stage. A little boy and girl walked on the stage and stood in the center, while next to the teacher children pretending to be shepherds and sheep arranged themselves. When all of the children were situated, the teacher began to tell the story of Christmas.

First, she spoke of the journey to Bethlehem from Nazareth. While she spoke, the children playing Joseph and Mary walked to a little stable that had been constructed from cardboard. When the time came for Mary to have the baby Jesus, a baby doll was produced and laid in a manger - also fashioned with cardboard and filled with construction paper "hay". Then the teacher spoke of the star that rose over the stable.

Little Mary walked onto the stage, holding a big silver star. She stood behind the manger, holding the star so that it would mark the place where Jesus lay.

The teacher then spoke of the angels that appeared to the shepherds, and how the shepherds found the stable. Little Mary walked over and led them to the baby Jesus with the star. When the time came for the Magi to journey to the baby as well, Mary went over and led them to the baby as well. Once the Magi had given their gifts to the baby, all of the children from the program came and gave their final bows.

On the way home, Mary's mother turned around in the car and said, "You were right, Mary. You were quite literally the 'star' of the show with that big sparkling star."

Mary said in a very matter-of-fact tone, "That's not why I was the most important part."

"Then why was your part the most important?" her dad queried, looking at her with the rearview mirror.

Smiling broadly, she responded, "I was the one who led everyone else to Jesus!"

Oh, the innocence of children. May we lead others to Christ this Christmas season. Merry Christmas!

-enna

what if?

What if the Nativity, instead of being in about the year 3 B.C, had been in 2010? Watch this video to see what it might have been like...





-enna

'tis the season...

...to use "tis"! Most of the rest of the year, the use of this word merits you only strange looks from people, but during this particular time of year, 'TIS found acceptable for common use.

Granted, as far as most people are concerned, the Christmas season started the day after Thanksgiving. (Personally, though, I think that having Christmas decorations out in July is a bit much.) But my question is this: do we celebrate our birthdays for a month, and then quit celebrating right after? Maybe my family is just old-fashioned, but we don't celebrate Thanksgiving...until Thanksgiving. We don't celebrate birthdays...until the birthday itself. And we don't start celebrating Christmas until December 25.

Oh sure, we decorate. We went and got our Christmas tree on Saturday. We prepare food and presents for Christmas - but we don't celebrate Christmas until Christmas Day. Call me old-fashioned and outdated, but to me, that seems right.

Christmas celebrates the single most influential event in the entire course of history. Whether or not you acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah promised to the Israelites, the only Son of God, the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator of our universe, whether you acknowledge this or not, you still have to admit that this Man's life was the single most influential event in history. Because of this single Man, a new religion was formed - and regardless of denomination, 33% of the world's population follows Christianity. This Man preached a doctrine unlike anything that anyone had ever heard before - even the Jews, His own people, were amazed and baffled by His teaching.

His teaching spread throughout the world. Nations rose and fell, fought and died over this one Man. Education spread, large and beautiful new buildings were built, and music was written - and the greatest architects, teachers, composers and musicians taught the glory of the God who came to earth.

The United States of America was founded on Christian principles and ideals. Even with her freedom of religion, this country still used Christian morals and ethics in her laws and justice.

Even if you don't recognize Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God, He was still the most influential person on earth. His birth was the turning point of the world, and we celebrate it on Christmas Day.

Not in July.

-enna

unchanged

For those who don't know, a new rock band called Satus Lucis is working on their first album. As a first in this blog, I will let it be known that I am the lead singer and songwriter for this new band, and I wanted to share this new draft of a song called Unchanged with you today. It's not done, but I do like this particular draft, and it inspires a lot of questions.

Swirling around me
Blowing through me
Knock me over
Smack me down
Chaos it seems
Reigns supreme
Within and without
Take me out

Furious change
Desperate change
Ripping through me
Tearing through me
Transformations
Alterations
Variations
Adaptations
Just leave me alone
And let me be unchanged

Propelling me forward
Driving me ahead
Knock me over
Smack me down
Riding hurricanes
Toward a change
Within and without
Take me out

Furious change
Desperate change
Ripping through me
Tearing through me
Transformations
Alterations
Variations
Adaptations
Just leave me alone
And let me be unchanged

Just leave me alone…

Give me peace
Transitions
Have no serenity
Mundanity
Has tranquility

JUST LEAVE ME ALONE

Furious change
Desperate change
Ripping through me
Tearing through me
Transformations
Alterations
Variations
Adaptations
Won’t leave me alone
And let me be unchanged

Furious change
Desperate change
Ripping through me
Tearing through me
Transformations
Alterations
Variations
Adaptations
Can’t leave me alone
So I’m not unchanged

 This song is decidedly different any other songs I've written, especially "Fear", which utilizes part of the poem I posted earlier this year (and will be released as a single later this week). I am not normally angry, and as such, do not typically write such an angst-ridden song. I almost always have a resolution that is pleasing to the reader and to me, as the writer. In a way, we think that if a story or song has a happy ending - or at least ends with some feeling of resolution - we have a chance at a final resolution in whatever we do. Preferably one that we like.

That is not always the case.

In this instance, we are looking at change. We all like some kind of change, yes? For those in high school, they eagerly await the completion of high school so that they can move on to college and living on their own. For college students, there's the change of supporting oneself and having a full time job after however many years of study. Real life. For parents, there's a major change after a child is born. Most of the time, these are desirable changes - things we all want.

But how do we get to change? There has to be a transition - a moving from one thing toward another. We don't instantly teleport from complete satisfaction in one thing to complete satisfaction in a new one. Transitions don't happen instantaneously. Transitions are rough. They beat you up. They make you question and think and wonder and fear and pray. Transitions are suffering and pain.

We don't like pain. Is there anyone in the readership that actually LIKES to go through pain? That LIKES to feel confused and scared because you don't know what will happen next? We may like change - but we don't like pain. And change involves transitions. Transitions are painful.

We sometimes feel that a change is just too much. For example, lots of people want to lose weight. So they diet and exercise. Eventually, many of them stop because they don't think they can go through the  difficult time of losing the weight. So they stop.

This song addresses the next question: are they truly unchanged?

No. Even if we don't complete the transition process, we do not come out of something exactly the same as when we entered. We can't. This transition, knocking and smacking, has taken time and energy. Even if we leave, you can never be the same after riding a hurricane as you were before. The driving force of a transition to a complete change is such that even if you don't finish, you don't walk away unchanged.

Life is change. Even if we don't want that change, it's still going to grab us by the ears and throw us around. We may leave, but it
Can't leave me alone
So I'm not unchanged

-enna