Nancy Beach

Merry Christmas Eve!

     On this Christmas Eve, I wish for you a time of peace and deep joy, celebrating the wonder of the Incarnation.  I will participate in three more Christmas Eve services at my church, and enjoy the last one sitting with my precious daughters and husband.  Then we'll come home and start our traditions - Warren reading the Christmas story while the girls act it out with our little manger scene (and argue over who gets to play what characters).  After hearing the glorious words of Luke 2, we'll open just one gift, which is always the same - new pajamas for everyone!  Once the girls have finally gone upstairs, Warren and I will play Santa and put gifts under the tree.  Even though they are 20 and l6, they still love the surprise of Christmas morning and the magical sense that gifts appeared from jolly old St. Nick!  

     May you enjoy your own traditions and savor them.  None of us know how many Christmases remain with our loved ones, and each and every year is a gift to be treasured.

with love and Merry Christmas!

Nancy

Toasting the Christmas Team

     Last night we crossed the halfway point of our Christmas services - 6 down, 6 to go.  I invited the primary creative team who put together God With Us to join me at a restaurant afterwards so that we could celebrate.  As each of us held our beverage of choice, we began a series of toasts.  One by one we would lift our glass and look in the eyes of another team member offering words of affirmation for his or her part in creating the service.  I looked around the table at a dozen or so teammates, delighted to have the privilege of leading them the last several months, and thrilled that our work together is now bearing fruit.  Truly, God has been with us all along the way, and we are exceedingly grateful.

     I think we all need to toast one another more often.  When we take the time to specifically and enthusiastically affirm someone's contribution, inevitably that person's eyes shine, and they are reminded of how unique and essential is the part they play.  This Christmas season, among family and friends, I want to intentionally give the gift of words as much as more physical presents.  I intend to look into the eyes of those I treasure, and tell them why I can't imagine life without them.  May you choose to offer lots of "toasts" as we come to the close of 2009.  We have no idea how much our words can mean to others.

All Shall Be Well

     We finished up our last rehearsals for the Willow Christmas services last night, after going through everything from start to finish twice. I am so very grateful for how things are coming together.  The key song that we build toward has this recurring refrain:  All shall be well...all shall be well...all manner of things shall be well.  Hearing that sung over and over in every rehearsal has been a tremendous gift to me. I sense the Holy Spirit reminding me that no matter what life dishes out, all shall be well because God is forever WITH me and FOR me.

     As we come to the close of 2009, most of us have had to trust at a much deeper level that all shall be well.  We all have friends and relatives looking for work, and some losing their homes.  We see the loss of life in Afghanistan and Iraq, the lack of peace in the Mid-East, the scourge of poverty and disease, and can't help but wonder how things can be considered "well."  My travels to Zimbabwe and South Africa this year left me with images I will never forget, faces of those who struggle just for clean water and something to fill their empty bellies.  But we must never give up hope.  One kind gesture at a time, one generous spirit extending help to another, one community of faith moving beyond its safe walls to serve those with less - so many good things are happening!  Surely there is so much more to be done.  But I am comforted this day that the love of Christ can shine in even the darkest of places, when people are clinging to that last shred of hope.  I hope the refrain of this song stays deep in my spirit for a long time, for I need to hold firmly to the belief that truly, in Christ, all shall be well...

Putting It Together

     There's a Stephen Sondheim song from Sunday In The Park With George that describes what the past couple weeks of Christmas rehearsals have felt like - the song is titled Putting It Together.  We have been working for many months on the Christmas services for my church, agreeing on a theme in the summer, writing a story, selecting music, finding real stories from our congregation.  But now we are in those somewhat tedious rehearsals, the ones that threaten every one of your instincts and make your hair turn grayer than it already is!  You may be familiar with what I'm describing - the rehearsals when you try to assemble all the piece parts with lighting and sound, the rehearsals when you wonder if the content that sounded so great in the small little meeting room will actually move people once it is done in the big room.  These are the rehearsals that require infinite patience among team members.  As Executive Producer, I am attempting to lift everyone's spirits with hope and joy even in little moments when I wonder myself if it will ever really come together.

     Everyone is looking for a little hope, perhaps this Christmas more than any in awhile.  In my little corner of the world, I am seeking to spread hope among the cast and crew, to bring hope to my aging parents in their new place of residence, to remind friends and relatives who are without jobs that God can be trusted even in this tough economy.  Without the hope I receive from knowing my Savior, I could not offer any shred of hope to those who cross my path.  

     In your corner of this planet, whatever your challenges this season, may you hold tightly to the hope we have in Christ, and may you intentionally spread that hope.  As I head into yet another long night of rehearsals, that will be my goal.  I want to be a hope-giver, not a hope depleter.  I have every reason to trust that as we put it all together, God will be faithful just like He has proven to be countless times in the past, every year I have led the Christmas process.  Most of all, I long to see the hope of the Christ child encountered by every man, woman, and child who walks through the doors of every church this Christmas.  

I Must Admit...

    We have a two-car garage and are blessed with 3 cars (one driven/shared by our daughters).  So in the bleak midwinter we have decided to rotate week by week who has the privilege and joy of parking outside.  This is my week to be the lucky outdoor girl, and of course, we're getting lots of snow.  In the early hours as I'm trying to rush off to the health club, it's a delight to be brushing off snow in my running shorts!

     And yet...in spite of the hassel...I must admit the snow is absolutely beautiful.  My back yard looks like the front of a perfect Christmas card, and I'm more in the mood than ever to celebrate the sublime gift of Emmanuel, the fun of gathering with family and friends, and the process of final rehearsals on our Christmas services.  Yes, driving is a pain and requires extra patience and time.  But I'm going to choose to replace my whining with wonder...at least until mid January!

Missing Monk Already

     I just watched the final episode of Monk. I will miss that character!  Tony Shaloub crafted such a unique man, one who provoked empathy from viewers like me who rooted for him to overcome his serious OCD and the tragic loss of his wife.  Monk so often made me laugh on Friday nights when the accumulated work of the previous week always catches up with me and I'm laying on my couch, secretly reading People magazine.  Not an exotic picture of vitality, I know!

     The finale wrapped up with a brief highlight montage to a new Randy Newman song about how we'll miss him when he's gone.  I know I will. Anyone else a Monk fan?

Learning About Enneagrams

     I facilitate a little mentoring group of young women leaders.  Today we gathered after reading the book, The Wisdom of the Enneagram, by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson.  For those not familiar with this word, the enneagrams are nine personality types.  My friend Shauna Niequist has explored this subject matter with a lot of depth and energy, and she graciously agreed to meet with our group and share some of her learnings.

     Some tests that show us our patterns or strengths do not provide pathways for growth and development within our personality type.  This book is definately an exception.  Shauna was extremely helpful in showing us ways to more clearly discern our type and then move toward greater health as we fully express ourselves at work and in the home.

     I learned that I'm a "3" (Achiever) with a "2-wing", which essentially means I'm a "Charmer."  Not sure yet how I feel about that!  I certainly relate to the dark side of this type.  Shauna says you feel like someone has been spying on you when you read the warning signs of your type and have it correctly identified.  Yep, I felt found out!  Yet it's incredibly freeing to more clearly understand your tendencies, your fallback patterns, and how you naturally respond to certain situations.  I am very motivated to explore this further, and to discover my husband's type so we can relate more graciously to one another.  

     I'd love to hear from anyone who is familiar with the Enneagrams and wants to weigh in on whether this has been a helpful journey or not for you...