Our Christmas Date

For many years now, Les and I have gone on a special Christmas date.  This includes a very nice meal and live music.  Last night we went to the Alex Theatre in Glendale and saw the Angeles Chorale with the Burbank Philharmonic.  I'll get back to that, but first our dinner!

 

After booking our concert tickets, I started looking for two things.  Places to park and places to eat!  The Orange Street parking structure was one block from the theater and parking was $1 for four hours with validation.  We ended up parked there for about five hours, but were only charged $1.  That is a steal!  

 

There are restaurants of every cuisine imaginable within walking distance, so it was just a matter of choosing.  We decided on Raffi's Place for Persian food and it was fantastic!  We ordered two different kinds of beef kabobs.  The dinners came with basmati rice, but we chose to upgrade to Persian rices. We ordered half and half - mine were Albaloo Polo (with cherries) and Sabzee Polo (with fresh herbs.) Les got the Albaloo and Zereshk Polo (mixed with barberries.)  As you can see, the portions were HUGE!  But that's okay, we have plenty of leftovers to tide us over until Christmas!

After dinner, we walked back to the car to store our leftovers, then on to the theater.  Actually, it's spelled "theatre" which I guess makes it a little fancier!  While we waited for the doors to open, we explored the lobby and found lots of history on the Alex.  It was built in 1925 during the days of silent films.  They had a resident organist who was known to expertly improvise on films he had never seen.

The concert was "Holiday in Harmony - Handel's Messiah and More!"  The first half was all music from Handel's Messiah.  I have heard about Handel's Messiah but never sat down and listened to the entire composition.  Hearing it live was extremely moving.  The singers and musicians were flawless, but the words touched my soul.  As one who has studied the Bible, I recognized numerous passages.  (This page lists each act and what scriptures it is based upon.)

The entire Messiah is over two hours with three distinct parts.  Part I focuses on the Old Testament prophecies of Christ and the rejoicing of angels as told in the Book of Luke. Part II centers around Christ’s passion, crucifixion, and resurrection, culminating with the Hallelujah Chorus (books of Isaiah, Psalm, Hebrews, Romans, and Revelation). And Part III is a reflective commentary with text coming largely from First Corinthians.  Most Christmas performances use pieces from Part I and conclude with the Hallelujah Chorus, which is what we experienced last night.  "For Unto Us a Child Is Born" was both beautiful and powerful.  

After intermission we were treated to more singing and music.  This included a bell choir, something else I had never seen live.  Because the choir and orchestra were both local, many in the audience had friends or family members performing.  We were out way past our bedtime, but it was worth it.  It was a fantastic night!

December at Victory Tabernacle

It has been a whirlwind month at church and I have very few pictures to show for it!  We kicked it off with our end of the year banquet on December 9th:

Our Sunday school department had their program on Sunday, December 10th and I didn't take a single picture.  We had our Toys for Tots service on Sunday, December 17th and I again didn't take any pictures.   Our music department had our recital that night.  Our youngest musician, at only two years old, was Zach Martinez.  He drummed along to "The Little Drummer Boy" and it was adorable!

 

Les and Jeremiah played a beautiful trumpet duet of "Down from His Glory:"

The flu has been making the rounds, so on Thursday I was asked to join the Youth Choir.  One of these days I'm going to be too old, but as long as I'm able I can't say no to singing!

We're winding down now, with only one service on Sunday, followed by "Family Week," a much needed time to rest and relax with our loved ones.

Anniversary Dinner and Bagpipes (Day 10, Part 2 of 2)

 

 

Our 32nd anniversary was on Thursday, May 25th.  That was the day we spent in Belfast and at the Giant's Causeway.  We decided to go to one of the specialty restaurants on the ship on Friday, May 26th.  We chose Sabatini's Italian Trattoria.  When we celebrated our 20th anniversary on the Carnival Magic we visited Cucina del Capitano.  When we celebrated our 25th anniversary on Royal's Jewel of the Seas we visited Giovanni's Table.  An Italian dinner on a cruise ship for our anniversary seems to be our thing!

Our meal was absolutely fantastic!  The best meal we've ever had on any cruise.  Although, the only pictures we took during dinner was of our dessert!  We both ordered the Hazelnut Rocher described as a blend of chocolate, pralines, and hazelnut ice cream sealed in milk chocolate.  This thing was huge!  Normally desserts on a cruise ship are just the right size.  This was so big and rich that neither of us came to close to finishing it.

We wandered around the piazza for a while and listened to the "Sisters Duo" play.  They are two sisters from the Ukraine who both play the violin.  Watching them play is so interesting as they communicate only with their eyes.

We then were "treated" to bagpipe music by Pipe Major, David McRobert.  Let's just say two minutes of this is plenty and he played for 15!

Musical

What role does music play in your life?

 

 

A quick glanced shows that 60 posts on this blog have the tag "music."  I hardly know where to start describing the role music plays in my life.  I've always loved music.  I remember records playing in our home when I was a child.

 

 

In a post called "Courage to Start" I wrote about learning to play the piano after Les and I got married:

I enrolled at Moorpark Community College for a semester of Class Piano.  I knew nothing about music, so I was starting at middle C!  I tried to keep it a secret that I was attempting to learn the piano.  Long before I was ready, Sis. White found out and before I could do a thing about it I was playing a keyboard in church!  Actually, I was attempting to play a keyboard in church! 

I was terrified.  Even though I could hide behind the organ, bass and drums, I was still terrified.  My keyboard wasn't plugged into the house system - I just had a small amp that I usually kept so quiet I couldn't hear it myself!  It took a lot of courage in those early months to come to service and try to play along.

I have had so many people help me through the years.  I don't consider myself a great musician, but I can carry a service entirely if I need to.  Victory Tabernacle is now blessed with many musicians who started at a much younger age and have far surpassed my abilities.  But I do think my courage to start was an example to others that they too could be a blessing to the Kingdom!

 

I wrote about the Sunday school child who said I sing like a Rock Star.  I've also written about the time it all fell apart at Pacific Coast Camp when the organ got out of tune.  I've written about Christmas recitals and music workshops.  I've written many, many posts about how a particular song encouraged or challenged me.

I wrote a post a few years ago called "The Power of Music."  If you're involved in music ministry at your church, it's worth reading.  I just want to share a little:

I have been involved in music in one way or another the majority of my life.  I started in children's choir and have been involved in just about every type of choir or group there is.  I love music and I know how it can move me.  I've written before about crying over "Jingle Bell Rock."  The thoughts I want to share have been in my heart for quite some time.  After reading Long Way Gone, I decided today would be the day to share them. 

Church Isn't American Idol
There are a couple of minor characters in Long Way Gone.  The first chapter opens with an old man playing his guitar on a street corner.  Much later we meet his grandson, Jubal.  When Jubal is going to play in front of a crowd for the first time he is very nervous, wondering how people will respond if he messes up.  "But all those people on the TV shows always get raked over the coals by the judges..."  Cooper sets him straight, telling Jubal that music is a gift that we make to give away.  And anyone who doesn't like that can "go suck on a lemon."

It's tough playing or singing in church sometimes.  Over 30 years ago I was part of a small singing group.  The director stopped us in practice and pointed me out, telling me I was not singing my part correctly.  He went over our part again.  When the sopranos sang, I just listened, trying to hear our part in a female voice and figure out what I was doing wrong.  The director stopped us and again pointed me out, telling me I was still off (even though I hadn't actually been singing.)  I've never forgotten how he made me feel and I've tried to be careful in offering even "constructive" criticism to others.

I've been on the receiving end of criticism many times.  I'm not the greatest singer or musician in the world but I give it my best.  Words hurt and and they can make people back completely away from doing what God wants them to do for His glory. Sitting in church, judging those who are striving to lead the congregation in worship only accomplishes one thing - it takes our minds and hearts away from Who we should be worshiping.  Believe me, musicians and singers know when they've messed up.  You don't need to tell them!

 

Music is Powerful
Choosing songs for a service, whether it's a solo or the entire service set, is something I struggle with.  It's not that I don't have songs.  I've got hundreds of them.  But I don't take the responsibility lightly.

Music is powerful.  It can cause people to dance and shout or bring them to tears.  Hurting souls walk through our doors every service.  They may be first time visitors or long time saints, but life has brought hurt their way.  Music can bring peace and healing. We can't take that powerful gift lightly, but must prayerfully consider each song.  

Keep on Singing!
If you're a musician or singer, I hope you'll be encouraged.   If you've been burned and are thinking about hanging up your microphone, don't!  Remember Who gave you the song in the first place and keep on singing!

How to Face Uncertain Days

I spent time playing the piano yesterday. Most of the songs I chose were about the cross and the resurrection. One of the songs I played was "Because He Lives." The song was written by Bill and Gloria Gaither in 1971.  Most of us are familiar with verse 1:

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Verse 3 is also pretty familiar:

And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!

Verse 2 is what caught my attention yesterday.  In an interview, Bill and Gloria said, "Because He Lives’ was written in the midst of social upheaval, threats of war, and betrayals of national and personal trust. It was into this world at such a time that we were bringing our third little baby. Assassinations, drug traffic, and war monopolized the headlines. It was in the midst of this kind of uncertainty that the assurance of the Lordship of the risen Christ blew across our troubled minds like a cooling breeze in the parched desert. Holding our tiny son in our arms we were able to write:"

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

After our trip to the Philippines, I wrote about our Sunday morning in Lucena:  "We sang "Because He Lives" and it was just beautiful!  EVERYONE sang.  The entire church was the praise team!  These precious people, who have so little materially, sang, "life is worth the living, just because He lives," more beautifully than I have ever heard it."  I remember us singing verse two that morning and it struck me then, as it did yesterday, what a beautiful verse it is.

We are living in uncertain days.  Things as mundane as going to the store for toilet paper bring a level of uncertainty.  Of greater concern is the trajectory of COVID-19.  I spent 10 minutes reading the news and the only thing I am certain of is the uncertainty.  But we can face these uncertain days because He lives!  Look at the chorus to this song:

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, 
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

No, we won't be meeting in our churches on Sunday to celebrate the resurrection.  But that doesn't stop the fact that Jesus did rise from the dead.  We can face tomorrow.  We can live without fear because HE holds the future.  Life, even in isolation and uncertainty, is worth the living.  Not because of anything we have or have done.  Life is worth the living just because He lives! 

Thursday This and That

I started my morning off with a trail run.  Seven miles of almost complete solitude.  I saw 8 runners, 1 walker, and 6 mountain bikers while I was out.  If you are not a regular exerciser, now is a great time to go for a walk.  Just keep your distance from others, but enjoy some fresh air.  I have some of my best ideas while I'm out exercising.  It's easy to let your mind work when you don't have any digital distractions.

If you're needing a little extra church, our services are streaming live but they are also being made available after the fact.  You might even hear me praise singing from time to time if you tune in while we are live.  You can find them at Victory Tabernacle's website right HERE.  We will be starting a Children's Power Hour on Saturday morning at 11:00.  I believe there will also be a Youth Hour on Saturdays at 5:00.  I'm thankful that our Pastor, Sunday school and Youth departments are putting this extra effort in.

When I was getting in my car after my trail run this morning, I saw a guy out walking his dog.  Nothing unusual, I see people walking their dogs all the time.  Except this guy was in his robe!  He wasn't standing on the sidewalk in front of his house.  He's was quite a ways from any houses.  I know we're all staying home, but it's probably a good idea to get dressed when you head out away from your house!

On the topic of dressing, I got this from my aunt yesterday!

No worrying about what to wear on Easter Sunday!  And for all the times we ladies have complained about our feet hurting after a long church service, just add some comfy footwear.

I saw this sidewalk chalk art while out running last week.  I don't even know the people who live in that particular house, but it made my day.

Keep hanging in there!  Don't let fear rule your heart.  Reach out to your friends and family.  Then reach out to someone who is not in your close circle.  We need each other.  Send an encouraging text, email, or make a phone call.  If YOU are feeling lonely, don't let loneliness control you.  Reach out!  You don't even have to say you're lonely - just reach out and tell someone you miss seeing them.  You'll make two people feel better.

Finally, we sang an old song last night.  "Hold To God's Unchanging Hand" was written by Jennie Bain Wilson in 1904. She was born on a farm at Cleveland, IN, on November 13, 1856, to Robert and Mary Frances Russell Wilson. Her father died while she was still in her infancy. When she was about four years old, an attack of spinal trouble resulted in her being rendered an invalid, confined to a wheel-chair and bed.  A prolific poet, she produced about 2,200 poems and hymn texts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Yet, over the course of her life she never interjected sadness from her condition in her works.  She died in 1913 at the age of 57, still holding to that unchanging hand.

Hold to God's Unchanging Hand

Time is filled with swift transition
Naught of earth unmoved can stand 

Build your hopes on things eternal
Hold to God's unchanging hand

 

Hold to God's unchanging hand

Hold to God's unchanging hand
Build your hopes on things eternal
Hold to God's unchanging hand

Trust in Him who will not leave you
Whatsoever years may bring
If by earthly friends forsaken
Still more closely to Him cling

Covet not this world's vain riches
That so rapidly decay
Seek to gain the Heavenly treasures
They will never pass away

When your journey is completed
If to God you have been true
Fair and bright your home in glory
Your enraptured soul will view

Hold to God's unchanging hand
Hold to God's unchanging hand
Build your hopes on things eternal
Hold to God's unchanging hand

Just keep holding to His hand, it's unchanging!

This and That from Here and There

Happy Christmas Adam!  That's a phrase I read somewhere and think it's kinda cute.  Since Adam came before Eve it makes sense that the day before Christmas Eve should be called Christmas Adam ;)

It's only been three and a half weeks since Thanksgiving, but it feels much longer.  We were home for three days when Les had to go to Las Vegas for a work conference.  He got home on Thursday night, December 5th, and we flew to Hawaii on Friday morning, December 6th.  While Les was in Vegas I decorated our house for Christmas.  It was great coming home two weeks later to a decorated house!

It was during the week before we left that a mountain lion made an appearance in Simi Valley.  It was first spotted on our street.  The next day it attacked two dogs.  This mountain lion is believed to be a female with a tracking collar that is no longer working.  I learned about this from a neighbor while I was out walking in the early morning.  Yikes!  A few days later a young male mountain lion was spotted and later captured.

Not what you want to see sitting on your patio!

The captured cat, taking a little tranquilizer induced nap.

December 7th was the First Church Hawaii Christmas banquet.  Good food and great friends made for a wonderful evening. We played several fun games, my favorite being each table making a snowman out of toilet paper!

Sunday morning, December 8th was the Honolulu Marathon.  I planned ahead this year and brought a handy clapper.  I found a perfect spot to cheer on the runners.  Just past mile seven the route starts going around Diamond Head.  At the same place, the route returns with less than a mile to the finish line.  I found a kindred spirit who wanted to cheer and we clapped and cheered for about an hour. We saw fast runners coming back to place in the top 5 and slow runners still going out, but they all got cheered on.  We also saw the wheelchair racers, Les did his annual cycling escort and he got a special cheer from me.

Proof that I clapped much - I got a blister!

Les' company Christmas party was Tuesday night, December 17th.  Les took his trumpet and we played "Name that Christmas Tune."  There are definitely some Christmas music fans in the company.  I took one picture of Les with his trumpet but it's super blurry.  I ended up holding his music book for him because it was breezy since we were seated outside.  It was a beautiful evening at Cafe Julia and I enjoyed chatting with many of Les' co-workers.

As I've already blogged about, we flew home on Thursday, December 19th.  Friday was a blur of napping.

We had a great day at church yesterday.  Les and his trumpet student, Jeremiah, played a duet of "Oh Holy Night" on Sunday morning.  Jeremiah has been taking lessons for a little over a year and he is doing fantastic!  They also played during our afternoon service - a first for Jeremiah.  It was so great hearing the trumpets as I was praise singing.

We're home for Christmas this year.  Due to our travels I'm not doing my usual bake-fest, I just made a few cookies.  Les will be off work from Christmas to New Years and I think we'll be doing a lot of reading, sitting by the fire, and sipping hot chocolate!

I hope you enjoy time with family and friends, safe travels, good eats and a very merry Christmas!

A Visit to New Orleans

New Orleans, Nawlins', NOLA - whatever you call it, the Crescent City was our first stop during our Thanksgiving trip this year.  Les and I found cheap tickets and decided to take a couple of days to play before meeting up with the extended McElhaney clan in Panama City, Florida.

Our flight landed at 12:30 Sunday night/Monday morning, so our fun didn't begin until mid morning on Monday.  We picked up our rental car then went to Dot's Diner for breakfast.  The food was good, not great, and our server was subpar.  We asked for and never got a refill on our coffee, which should be a crime at a breakfast location!

We spent most of Monday in the French Quarter.  We had two objectives - beignets at Cafe du Monde and live music.  The paid parking lot was great - I could pay right from my phone.  I even got a text reminding me that my time was almost up and could add additional time if needed.

Cafe du Monde did not disappoint!  The line looked a little scary, but it moved quickly.  Two orders of beignets and we were quickly diving in to powdered sugar goodness.  I found this recipe online if you can't find beignets near you.  The final instruction of "Sprinkle the beignets with the confectioners' sugar and serve hot" is not quite accurate.  It's more like a downpour than a sprinkle!

We wandered the French Quarter for a few hours, laughing a lot, and just enjoying a beautiful southern Fall day.  Wanna-be street musicians (mostly kids playing "drums" on large buckets) and magicians entertained the crowds while carriages filled the streets.  We walked in and out of shops without buying a thing.

As I mentioned, we really wanted to hear live music.  What we didn't want was to go in a bar or club.  Just steps away from where we parked we found the best of both worlds - Cafe Beignet with live music!  Since we'd already had our beignets for the day, we wanted to get another New Orleans specialty - the Muffuletta.  This is an Italian sandwich that was invented in New Orleans.  Cafe Beignet had Muffulettas on the menu, but were out when we tried to order.  We split a roast beef sandwich which was delicious and settled in for a delightful couple of hours.

The first group included a keyboard, bass, and trumpet - the three instruments that Les and I know the best since those are what we play.  They ended their set with "When the Saints Go Marching In."

The second group included a keyboard, drum, and trombone.  The drummer was a guest from France.  This keyboardist was so fun to watch!  I could tell he was having a great time.

The French Quarter was a great way to start our vacation!