Skip to main content

The Joyful Comedy Hour

Candlelight service.
I know I wrote a lovely, nearly sappy summation of what I love so much about such things last year (read it here).
Sometimes they can feel that way, be that way - it really depends on the person responsible for putting the program together.

This year, sappy is not the word I would use to describe what happened.
I would have to use a phrase - specifically "The Joyful Comedy Hour."

The order of the program was no different than the order of the program from last year.
I know.
I was the one to hear our pastor's extra-exuberant "All right!" from over my shoulder as I pulled up last year's slides.

And the joy in those two words, "All right," made its way through the rest of the night.
The pace was relaxed, and laughter was never far from anyone's lips.
Which was a good thing, because when we readers failed to inspire laughter over mishaps adjusting (or readjusting) the microphone stand or word pronunciation, our audience kindly jumped in with a few cracks of their own.

Yup. They let me read. No good can possibly come of this.

I did not walk out of the sanctuary last night thinking the service was beautiful, and I know it was not the most reverent rendition of the Christmas stories out of Matthew and Luke I have ever encountered.
But I believe God took great delight in our joy and laughter and fellowship as we went back to the story of how our rescue began.
He met us where we were at, and the magic of His presence did the rest.

So, I did walk out last night with far less weight on my shoulders, and an ease of spirit I haven't felt in a while.
Life has been heavy these last fifteen months, and while I've mostly adjusted to the load, it was a relief to leave with less to carry.
His yoke is easy, and his burden is light, remember?
I feel lighter.

This year, as we draw closer to the end of another season and look to the next one, I hope you find the time to be still, take stock, and make room for your heart to prepare for next year.
Also, here are my prayers for you.
Yes, some of them are the same as last year, but I promise I'm not cheating.
They really are my prayers for you.

I pray for blessings upon blessings to be heaped upon you.
I pray you find joy in the best and worst of moments.
I pray for good health for you and those you love.
I pray for wisdom for you in all decisions you make in 2016 - large, small, and in between.
I pray for the strength to rise and move forward if something comes along that knocks you down or off your path.
And I pray that love, grace, and thankfulness would abound in your hearts and the hearts of those around you.

Until next time,
Cat

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My Writer's Toolbox: Thesauruses I Love

I don't know about the rest of you writers in the crowd, but there are times when I struggle to get the right words to come out onto the page. The debate over using thesauruses amongst authors can be fierce. My personal opinion is that there is definitely a place and time to use them (they've saved me from missing deadlines on a few occasions), so long as a writer is careful not to overuse them. Because I do consider them an essential in my writer's toolbox of resources, I thought I would share the ones I make the most use out of and where you can find them. 1. Webster's New World Thesaurus (credit: @catpollockwrites IG, posted 8/24/2017 ) When you were in grade school, did your teachers ever hand out those monthly or bimonthly Scholastic book catalogs with all the age-appropriate books coming out that they wanted you to buy? That, my friends, is how I got a hold of my thesaurus. It's almost like mid-thirties me traveled back in time and whispered int

Metaphors: Candles

I've recently fallen in love with candles. Since coming home from the World Race , I've bought at least one a month. My favorite candles are the ones that come in glass jars - because when they burn out, I can clean the remaining wax out and put the jars to other uses. Right now,  that means they get cleaned out and packed away in anticipation of my move to Flagstaff. But as I was lighting one tonight (vanilla spice... Thanksgiving smells? Yes, please!), I saw a metaphor for writing flickering away in the flame licking at the wick and melting the wax. I suppose it could be a metaphor for life in general, but since the theme of this blog is writing... Well, you do the math.

How to Make Sure Your Book Review Request Does NOT Get Deleted

I've been hesitant to write this post. That is due, in large part, to how angry I get some days after reading book review requests. I curse, I rant, I snark. My cat will tell you it's not a pretty sight. But I also feel like this is a good opportunity to talk about what it is that makes me feel those feelings AND how to not stir them up. I'm not the only reviewer that gets frustrated when I see certain things in my emails from authors looking for a review. And I know I'm not the only one who gets triggered enough to ignore or delete those messages. I never feel good about doing it. It's just that I'm hitting the proverbial wall here and I want to hit it a little less often. So if you're an author looking for loving advice on how to approach reviewers (especially this one), read on. Review Requests I Always  Delete Before I get into what to do, I wanted to take a minute to look at what not to do (and how I handle it). Want to know what immedi