We begin this week with a 46 degree cloudy morning. The air is relatively still out there and as I look around the yard I see that almost every feeder is empty. That tells me at least one job I need to do this morning. Rain is supposed to begin moving in by around noon so I need to get on it. I have a squirrel that has come to check out this one feeder several times and finds it empty. Then it looks around and over at the sunporch as if to remind me that I'm not keeping up with his desires.  Since we are looking at rain, heavy at times for the next two or thee days, I don't want to be walking around in a sogggy back yard to feed these guys later. The Channel 14 weather report on my laptop says that we are getting "much needed rain". I wasn't aware that we needed more rain.

I need to brag, one last time, on my folks at my two churches. We finished up our Operation Christmas Child drive yesterday with a shoebox filling party. We filled 76 shoeboxes and they are being delivered to the collection center today. The most we have ever done is77 and that was our first year when enthusiasm was high about a new program. I am so very proud of them. We also have another charity campaign going on now called "Making a Change". It is simply some small cardboard boxes that look like a church that we ask people to put their change in as they get it. This idea was really Ms. Kate's idea last year and we promoted it to the churches. Ms. Kate and I each have a box and we gave them out to all of the members of the parish that wanted to participate. We will collect them on Christmas Eve and the Sunday morning after Christmas as a symbol of bringing a gift to the Christ Child. Each church will then count up the money and the members of each church will decide what charity they wish to donate the money to. Last year we donated almost $1000.00 to support several different food pantries etc. I love it when God's work gets done.

My trumpet solo went well yesterday. I received a lot of compliments. I've thought about doing another during the Christmas season but Ms. Kate says I have enough on my plate during this season and I know she is right. I'll wait until the Christmas season is over. Between extra services, a Chistmas Cantata, and all of the other stuff that is intertwined with Christmas, yeh, I have enough to do. This coming Sunday will be the Hanging of the Greens at each church as we decorate the sanctuary for the celebration of the coming of the Christ Child.

My coffee cup is empty and I need a re-fill so I think I'll stop. As I do, I again lift up prayers for  the people of France and Kenya, both of which were targets of radical extremeists who killed hundreds of people in an all out slaughter in the name of their religion. I pray that somehow God will reach through the hate that is spewing out from these groups and let them understand that God is a God of love and peace, not a God of vengence directing them to kill every person on earth who doesn't follow their definition of religion.  May God have mercy on the souls of the victims of these tragedies.Take time to pray with me today. Then take the time to do somethng nice for someone. Have a blessed day.