I'm soo totally loving this new Christmas cd out by Sara Groves. If you can get your hands on one or if you have a Zune or Ipod account download it. Now. There are some original songs on the album that are great...like the cute and catchy song Toy Packaging.....what parent can't relate to the frustration of removing a new toy from a package? Or the sweet sentiment evoked in the song To Be With You. But, I'm really enjoying the traditional hymns and carols she includes on the album. I'm listening to Angels We have Heard on High and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas over and over. Sara has made them and the others sound fresh and new. The over all feel of the album is meaningful, worshipful, and conveys her love for for family.
Also, I have listed to the right, a few of my favorite Christmas links. I'm thinking specifically of you young mothers who come here (yes, you) that may be looking for ways to make your Christmas celebrations a bit more meaningful and less material, or are looking for new traditions to start.
Peace
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I have read of many churches celebrating Christmas with Pageants that include an actual baby portraying the role of 'baby Jesus'. Our first child Ruth, was born December 12th, 1981 and was chosen to be 'baby Jesus' for our church's (Reba Place Fellowship) Christmas Eve service. Last year, our grandson, Charlie, born on Oct. 19th 2008, was chosen, also at Reba Place Fellowship. But in prison no such ritual exists. I wasn't even thinking about babies being in Christmas plays back in 1972. This was yet another year in prison the difference being this was my first Christmas as a christian. The Christmas service held new meaning for me as we sang the traditional Christmas Carols bringing with it a hope for a new life with a redeemed future. Christian volunteers were apart of our service at the U. S. Medical Center for Prisoners in Springfield, Mo. As our service wound to completion a cry was heard. The faint whimpering of a baby. My first thought was that I wasn't hearing what I thought I had heard. I had been in prison for many years and had never even seen a baby inside of a prison (not counting my infrequent times in the visiting room.) But there it was again, a baby crying. Someone, a volunteer, had brought their baby into the service wrapped in a blanket unnoticed by the guards. I then thought, there was our 'baby Jesus'. The parents of the yet unknown child were the children of an older couple (Lloyd and Nita Colbaugh) who had only a few years previously began their ministry to the prison. Even the great-grandmother (Mom Carter) was a volunteer and had played a significant role in my own conversion, telling me that God had a plan for my life. Life would go on and the incident of 'baby Jesus' coming to prison would fade to a memory, until the baby grew up and now is known throughout many countries far and wide as acclaimed singer/songwriter Sara Groves. I hope this story adds to your appreciation of the life of Sara and her family.John C Thomson
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