Merry Christmas

Christmas is here! We've spent the whole month reflecting on the testimony of the people who witnessed Christmas:

• Mary: through her experience she was an eyewitness to God's love, majesty and faithfulness
• Shepherds & Angels: they testified to how Christ meets our needs, gives hope and provides peace
• Magi: they remind us that we should not discount anyone and start where they are looking. They also encourage seekers to make an investment in pursuing Christ, to put aside their preconceptions and to not be afraid to ask for help.

I can't believe that I get paid to do this. What a privilege to magnify God's character, brag about Christ's work and see lives changed.

Staff Devotions

Each Wednesday morning, the Pastors, Executive Director, Business Administrator and Directors gather for a staff meeting. We begin each meeting by sharing prayer requests for our ministry and for each other. Once a month, we talk about what we're learning from the bible in our devotional time. I'm impressed by the level of reflection on the staff.

Last Wednesday, we talked about God's wrath, propitiation, grace, mercy and salvation. When the discussion was over, there was a moment of silence - spontaneous and sacred. It felt like dew settling when the sun rises. Then when we prayed, it felt like God was sitting at the table speaking to us.

Another Great Sunday

Making the call about services on a snowy day is one of my hardest decisions. As I watched the snow fall and fall and fall some more on Saturday, I got worried about services. The worship ministry has worked hard on services, people have taken the risk to invite new people to church and the message couldn't be used next Sunday.

In the end, I just decided to keep it going. When Sheila and I showed up at 7:20 AM, we were two of only a few people. By 8:00 am, the worship ministry had arrived. By 9:00 am hundreds of people arrived. By the end of the morning, 774 people attended services! On a snowy Sunday morning!

What a wonderful Christmas service! The snow just added to the atmosphere.

Changes on the Horizon

So there are more changes on the horizon. Our Missions Coordinator, Director of Student Ministries and Jr. High Coordinator are all leaving. Kristi and Suzan are moving because their husbands are being transferred. Andrew is finishing seminary and will move on with his call (counseling). We're going to miss them terribly. Kristi brought organization and clarity to Missions. Suzan and Andrew stabilized and grew the Student Ministries. Sigh...
I know that God will work through them in powerful ways because I've already seen Him do that. I know that God will lead us to find new people through whom God will work just as powerfully. He brought them at just the right time didn't He? It's just hard to say goodbye to people you appreciate.

Matthew's Day

I took Matthew and a friend to the New England Car Show. He's only 10 but he has been asking for a couple of years now. I've included some pictures of my car enthusiast. He loved the Jaguars, Mercedes and Corvettes (we had to go to that section three times). These two guys were like ants at a picnic. I had to call it after 4 and a half hours. Matthew was disappointed to leave (he begged me the next day to take him back).
The frosting on the cake was his fifteen minutes of fame. He likes to surf the car section of boston.com. They were asking for pictures from the car show. So I submitted a picture of him and his friend posing in front of a Lotus. The editors put it at the front of their picture show. Now, he's famous.

Here's the picture that made the web!

The closest they may get to cruising around in a Corvette.

This is my favorite car: Audi TT Coupe

We ended with a big bang!

A Friend as Close as a Brother

You have to know Lew to truly appreciate him. He has a generous smile, an engaging laugh, sharp intellect and the heart of Christ. We've known each other for almost 20 years. We've been Elders together, worked in summer missions together and traveled twice to Africa together. He loves my family and we feel the same.

So we're having breakfast and Lew is waxing poetic about the Clauflin Hill Symphony Orchestra in Milford. He loves their presentation, especially their Holiday Pops. Lew also knows that I love Classical Music. In the middle of his soliloquy, he asks me about my favorite instrument. I replied how I love the French Horn. I truly do...the deep, rich, sonorous tone can be both haunting and inspiring.

"I'm going to name a chair after you," Lew exclaims. Yeah, OK. We continued with breakfast. Well a few months later, Sheila and I get an invitation to dinner and the Pops. Turns out there were 30 something people invited to the meal (Lew's treat of course). At the beginning of the presentation, the conductor stops to sing the praises of Lew and announce the French Horn Chair he sponsored in the name of the "Rev. Dr. Michael Laurence." Lew was beaming from ear to ear.

What a guy. I call him my brother in Christ and I mean it.

My Favorite Number

So today was a special day. We're in week 2 of our special "Imagine Christmas" series. Baird has based the services on a Cantata from Willow Creek. I've been amazed two weeks in a row at the talent and vision we have in the Worship Arts Ministry. God has blessed us tremendously.
The services have music, dance, drama, and a specially designed set. We spent the month of November teaching people about outreach. Knowing that people are more likely to go to church at Christmas and Easter, we designed services that would be both inspiring to Christians and appealing to those who do not typically attend church. We encouraged people to invite their friends to church.
Last week, 828 people attended services. This week, 956 people came. I was amazed. It said to me that people trusted us. It takes courage to invite a friend to church nowadays. Our people have been courageous.
Those numbers are fun, but my favorite number is 1. Right after second service, I looked over to two friends who had invited their neighbor. The husband was leading their neighbor to Christ while the wife was praying. They invited me over and I had the privilege of seeing her surrender her life. We gave her a bible. The wife promised to follow up with her. Pastor Bob said he would call to help her connect to a small group. What a day!
(If you want to see pictures, check out Sheila's blog: Connecting With Sheila)