Have a Blessed New Year

Since my covenant brothers mocked me this morning for not being in blogland for awhile, here is a post.

Happy New Year and I pray you will experience the fullness of God's redeeming love given to us in Jesus Christ.

Coming To Baldwin Community This Sunday!

Check out who's coming to Baldwin Community on Sunday! Heath McNease will be here, live, in concert on Sunday! Tickets are $7 at the door! 7:00 p.m. All are welcome!

http://www.myspace.com/heathmcnease

to listen to his music and ministry!

A surprising moment at the school

Yesterday, Aaron, my son, invited me to be his guest at his Thanksgiving Feast. At this Thanksgiving Feast, all the students from my son's class were to be graded on their manners. His Social Studies unit was on Manners. I got to the feast, eventually found my seat and sat down. As the children came in, Aaron spotted me and came to sit next to me. (He gave me a great hug!) Aaron's teacher greeted the students and all the guests to the Thanksgiving Feast. She then told us, "In my family, we have the opportunity to share around the table at Thanksgiving all the blessings in life. We are going to do that here." Our side was first. Two other parents and their children went before me. I said, "I am so thankful for my son Aaron and his inviting me to this feast today." Aaron then said, "I am thankful for Dad." I was so moved by his sincerity. I love him dearly!

However, as we went around the room, I was ever so surprised to hear from multiple parents words like, "I am thankful for God and all his abundant blessings," or "I am thankful to God the Father Almighty and for His Son Jesus Christ." Wow, I thought I was back down on Baptist Road at Baldwin Community! Instead, I was at the public school! At this feast were people like the principal, the superintendent of schools and many parents. It was a moment of Thanksgiving for me to hear people outside of the church sharing their faith in Jesus Christ!

The world "out there" is not all as "bad" as society, media and other outlets portray it. As you may remember http://jeffstclair.blogspot.com/2007/09/parent-night-at-school.html, Aaron is being taught by a woman who loves the Lord and I think it is making all the difference in the world as I heard parents share it! This I can thank God for at Thanksgiving and everyday.

Naps during the Sermon

Live to 100! Just don't get caught sleeping during the sermon on Sunday!

An Article by Dr. Maoshing Ni

This is one of my favorite longevity tips, but don't get the wrong idea! Sleeping your way to 100 means power naps. Power naps: 10, 20, 30 minutes a day really rejuvenate and refresh your body. Read on to discover how they factor into your longevity plans.Power Up with a Power NapA long-time tradition in Latin countries, a siesta is a great way to jumpstart the second half of your day. Famous nap enthusiasts have included some of the best minds in history, such as Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and Thomas Edison.
What they knew was that a midday snooze - while seeming to be an unproductive use of time - could actually increase their effectiveness. Some of the reviving benefits of naps include enhanced cognitive function, better reaction time, more patience, stress relief, and better overall health.
So how long should your power nap be? It differs from person to person, but on average, a brief nap to revive the brain should be between 15 and 30 minutes.

Pray For One Another

Last week, as you have read in my previous post was a difficult week for my family. After posting last week, Dad had another major setback and almost died this past Friday. He received a certain shot in the ER at Presby and had a major setback with the crashcart used and being called to come in because we didn't know if Dad would make it. Thankfully, Dad made it and is home now recuperating from the last two weeks.

Last week, in the midst of this, my covenant group met me all the way down here in Bethel Park to pray and to help me get my "mind" off everything I/we were facing as a family. Thanks brothers for walking with me during a stressful time in my life. You will never know just how much the two hours of fellowship did for me. The prayers have meant so much. You, Brett,Greg,John, and Chris have been there for me and I pray I can be there for you.

This week, we need to lift up John and the people of Christ Church as they begin the 11:01 service. Much work is involved in starting a new service as we just began The Asbury Alternative in September. It's not easy trying to get everything into the right spot, making sure that every aspect of a worship plan is a go. Know that I will be praying for you as we serve in ministry together.

James 5:16 "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed." The Message

The Great Physician

God is good! All the time! My father took a very bad turn last Thursday evening and we spent most of the weekend and early this week in the hospital and eventually the Neuro ICU at Presby. Dad's neuropathy became severe, to the point he almost left this earth Friday and Saturday. He was in poor shape. Glory to God, dad is doing much better today and should be going home soon! There is much in this story, too much to share, but all I can say is that only God could provide the healing that dad experienced yesterday and today.

God is good! All the time!

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS!

God's Love,
Jeff

The Nerve Of Some People...

My hardworking wife, Jennifer, has finished 99.9% of her course work at UPMC Shadyside. December 14th is graduation from nursing school. I couldn't be more proud of her especially since she is near the top of her class at every evaluation she takes. She is now starting her transition period which is like "student teaching" in the educational field.

Jennifer is assigned a preceptor "mentor" during this time of transition. She shadows this mentor during the entire period of transition. The mentor works this Saturday and Sunday. She works 7 a.m. -7 p.m.

Jennifer does not have to work the entire work week with the mentor. All she needs to do is work 24 hours a week. When Jennifer found out she had to work Sunday, she went to the instructor and asked if she could come in at noon and then work to 7 p.m. fulfilling her time requirement. When the mentor asked why she couldn't be in at 7 a.m. Jennifer replied, "I have church." The instructor then replied in a demeaning tone, "Nurses are 24/7." The instructor wouldn't budge. The instructor will not let Jennifer come in mid-way and finish out her hours for the week. Jennifer is frustrated. Has anyone out there faced this, and if so, what did you do?