Family at Christmas

Last night, Lisa & I were able to give something to our Liberty Church Family. Our parents were able to attend the church Christmas meal & the variety show afterwards. Even better, we were able to share some of our own family Christmas traditions with our church family. My father, Papa to those of you who know him, sang O Holy Night. I was bursting with pride and had to wipe more than one tear from my eyes. Then, as a gift to Liberty, my mother took the stage and read the beginning of Luke 2. We arranged a chair for her and had all the children in the audience come and sit around her. I have to say that my mother was made to be surrounded by children! It was truly a beautiful way to prepare for the days before Christmas.

I so enjoy sharing my birth family with my church family. They both are sweet gifts from God into my life! As Paul so eloquently said, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you..." May you have a rich, beautiful and merry Christmas whether you are with the family you were born with, or the family that has been given to you.

Lara

Music

Of the many beautiful things that my parents have sowed into my life, music is one of the greatest. My father has one of the best tenor voices I've ever heard. And no, I'm not biased, why do you ask? Honestly, though, people are have always loved to hear him sing. Lisa and I both sing. Richard can, and very well, but prefers to preach. Mother has sung in each of my father's choirs, but listens, smiling, from the audience as we sing. Growing up, I believed that music had no color or race. I grew up listening to Christian music from Andre Crouch, Truth & Bill Gaither. My father brought music from all of these artists to Baptist churches in Mississippi and Louisiana where they might not have been heard otherwise.

Shown here is the official Moore Christmas favorite! As children, each school morning in December, our mother woke us up with the first song on this album. As each one of us went to college, she couldn't do so each morning, but on December 1st, the payphone in the hall would ring. Sure enough it was our mom, playing 'Ching-a-Ling'! Now, with part of the family in NY, it's still played over the phone on 12/1. Those of you who know us, know that we are a bit fanatical about Christmas, with each room decorated. Yes, even the bathrooms! This is one of our precious traditions. May you hear our 'Ching-a-Ling' someday! Merry Christmas!

Lara

Where Do We Get Off?

This is from a young man in Bible college in south FL. His family are members of my church, Liberty. Cam was in our youth group and has participated in just about all of my dramas and drama classes. He's always been a great kid, but this level of maturity is a beautiful thing to see. Especially in someone I've watched grow up!

"Where do we get off?

(American Dream)
11:47pm Monday, Dec 10

So I've been doing a lot of thinking lately.

And one thought keeps coming to mind...

Where do we get off?

Where do we get off complaining about not getting an iPod for Christmas?Where do we get off complaining that we don't have an SLR camera?

Where do we get off complaining that the food in the school cafeteria tastes like filth?

Where do we get off complaining that the coach section of a plane isn't comfortable enough?

Where do we get off complaining?

Period.

How many times have you seen a video of people in Africa jamming to an iPod or taking artsy fartsy pictures with an SLR?

The kids in Sudan.

Uganda.

Darfur.

Mexico.

Bosnia.

On the streets in America.

Wherever.

A lot of them are lucky to get one meal a day.

Lucky to have one shirt.

A pair of shoes.

A mat to sleep on.

Any kind of shelter.

Where do we get off?

This is what I challenge you to do.

Watch Invisible Children.

Think globally.

Think about the homeless.

Think about others.

Your money.

Our money.

It is a blessing from God.

We are blessed.

Why don't we share the wealth?

Why don't we bless others with what we have excess of?

But let's remember what we have.

Let's be thankful.

I go to the best school on the face of this planet.

I get 3 meals a day.

I am going to have an amazing Christmas.

I am 19 years old and have never gone without.

I have a Savior who loves me more than life itself.

Literally.

Let's look at what we have.

Let's thank God for what we have.

Let's be happy.

Let's help others.

Let's be used of God.

Let's reach out.

Let's be a blessing instead of a mass of consumerism and selfishness.

Let's do what we were called to do.

Let's fulfill the Great Comission."Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned"(Mark 16:15-16)

Let's do what we were meant to do.

Let's wake up the church.

Let's wake up America.

An America that cares for its neighbors.

An America that cares for the needy.

An America that cares for the suffering.

Let's start a brand new American Dream."

Cam Harless

I can't think of anything that I can add to this.

Lara

All Things

I'm pretty wiped out today. We, Lisa & I spent the weekend making the house 'Christmas Ready'. We decorated 2 trees, pulled up boxes out of the basement, unpacked them, then took the empty ones back down. While decorating the living room tree, I thought about all the stories I've heard. You know the ones, where the tree falls, breaking all the most precious ornaments. And guess what? That tree fell this Monday. I kept thinking about our special ornaments. The ones that 'mean' something. Lisa's Waterford ball. The glass ornament from Baggins' (our dog that died a few years ago) first Christmas with us. The blown glass ornament that I always try to hang by a light so it will glisten. Okay, so maybe I'm just a tiny bit materialistic! I just love those ornaments! And the nativity scene underneath the tree. Lisa's pieces that are limited editions, and hard to replace.
To put these material things into perspective, grief is blanketing Blount and North Jefferson counties, here in Alabama. Seven cheerleaders of Hayden High School ran off the road and down a ravine on Thursday night, 11/30/07. Whitney, Sarah and Courtney were killed. What are these ornaments compared to the loss of three girls just at the start of their lives? Which one of their loved ones would break every memento if it meant bringing the girls back?

I am connected to them through co-workers and patients in my doctor's office. And only one question is on every one's mind, "Why?" I can't answer that question. There is no answer. But I can tell you this. At the close of each funeral on Monday, there was an altar call. Bonnie, my co-worker who was at Sarah & Whitney's combined funeral, couldn't count the number of people who went up for salvation. Does the salvation of these people make up for the loss of these girls? Some might not think so. But, because of them many now know Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. We will see Whitney, Sarah, and Courtney again. We will be together in eternity with them, as well as those who pledged their lives to Christ at their funerals.

We know that God causes all things to work together for good

to those who love God, to those who are called

according to His purpose.

Rom. 8:28 NAS

May the comfort of the Holy Spirit be felt by those loved ones who are grieving today. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Lara