It's Monday!

Good morning Team,
Yesterday was a wonderful Christmas Sunday as we gathered together to worship the newborn King. Thank you to Miss Cheryl and the Wee Naz Kidz for the Nativity recreation and to Ari Manwaring and the Naz Kidz singers for adding "Away In a Manger." Add the Owego Naz Worship Band and Praise Team and wonderful Christmas songs and we have an awesome worship celebration. Pastor's message that Christ came for all and the Owego Naz Worship Choir's finale brought it all home! And here's a surprise... if you go to our website and listen to the end of the podcast, you'll hear Tiffany and the choir's rendition of "Go Tell!!" Check it out:
http://owegonaz.com/current-sermon-series

Our most special service of the year is on Thursday night at 7PM. The Christmas Eve service will include all the elements that prepare us for Christmas Day...

Christmas carols
The Christmas story from the Bible
Special music
Pastor's Christmas message
Candle lighting to "Silent Night"
"Joy to the World"

Check your email this week and I'll give you information and times for all participants.

Coleen and I want to express our thanks to all of you for your generous gifts and expressions of love. We are blessed to be a part of the Owego Naz family and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

As you start this week, purposefully allow the specialness of the season to guide you through your days. Choose to dwell on the news that the angels announced and then be the angels to those you are with this week.

Blessings,

Dave

It's Monday!

Good morning team,
I always have mixed feelings the Monday after we do a musical. I'm excited with the satisfaction that you all did a magnificent musical and that we touched so many lives over the weekend. I'm relieved that we pulled it off again. I'm sad, because I love the preparation and rehearsal road we travel to get to this point. But there's good news...EASTER'S COMING!! I especially like completing our Christmas musical because we always head to Florida after Christmas and I get to listen to Easter music on the beach...the hot, sunny beach!

But Christmas is still yet to come. We have 2 more special times that the Owego Naz worship team gets to celebrate. This week is Christmas Sunday and we will be singing, "Go Tell" in the second service. We will NOT rehearse this Wednesday night. Meet in the choir loft on Sunday at 10:40am for a run through.

Then, perhaps, the most special service of the year is our Christmas Eve service at 7PM. We will allow you to sit with your families for most of this service and then we will sing "One Child" as the introduction to Pastor's message. As always, the candlelight finale will be awesome.

"I vow to worship you this Christmas Day,
I'll stand and say,
'Glory, glory to the Highest in excelsis Deo.'
I pledge to celebrate the meaning of this holiday
Giving praises to the beauty of your holy name."

"More than anything I do, more than anything I say,
More than anything I say or do, I worship You.
More than any card I write
More than any Christmas light I light
More than any gift I give
I'll give you my praises from morning to night!"

May it be so, Lord Jesus!

Blessings,
Dave

It's Monday!

Good morning Team,
A special time yesterday as we gathered to worship the King. As you know, I'm all about preparation and rehearsal. While these are essential elements in our worship arts program, they don't replace the power of the Holy Spirit leading us. It was a good morning!

Tonight...6:30pm - 8:00pm... The Owego Naz Worship Choir will rehearse for Rejoice! Woohoo!

Wednesday... 6:15 - 7:45pm... The Owego Naz Worship Choir will rehearse for Rejoice! Hooray!!

Friday... 7:00pm... The Owego Naz Worship Choir presents "Rejoice!" a soulful Christmas musical. A cookie and coffee reception will follow in The Gathering Place.

I want to remind you about the power of a personal invitation. No amount of advertising is as effective in getting people to attend an event as a personal invitation. When you invite a friend, neighbor, co-worker...anyone, that invitation says, "You are important enough to me to get a personal invitation." Think now...who can you invite to our musical on Friday or Sunday? Send an email, text, phone call, or verbal invite right now to those you care about. The message of Christmas is life changing!

Blessings,
Dave

It's Monday!

Good morning Team,
I'm so looking forward to this week. Thanksgiving has always been a special time for our family and I suppose most families because it is a time when scattered kids gather together. It seems that our busy and structured schedules force us to use these planned holiday times to meet up with our parents and siblings and spend time together. Now, men and women look at these gathering times quite differently. Men tend to spend time just being together. This can be accomplished very well watching football or playing Wii. Conversation is of minimal importance. Women on the other hand, don't understand this male thing. They want to TALK! Sitting around chatting is all that is necessary for a wonderful time. Now, I'm not saying that's not perfectly fine to do...just don't expect us do it.

Well, now that I have gotten myself into some deep weeds, lets talk about what's ahead. We have 3 critical rehearsals before our Christmas musical, Rejoice! I need everyone to make a special effort to be at them all:

Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 6:15pm
Saturday, Dec. 5 at 10am
Wednesday, Dec 9 at 6:15pm

last Wednesday I gave a cool gift out to those present. That will likely continue for these remaining rehearsals as well.
Listen to your CD's often!

Have you ever wondered how monks who take a vow of silence can share in the traditions of Christmas music? Now you know...




Coleen and I wish to express our heartfelt appreciation to all of you for the time and talent that you offer freely to the Lord and makes our Worship Arts team so special. Your positive spirit and unselfish efforts are truly the aroma of Jesus to all who enter our sanctuary for worship. Thank you.

Blessings,

Dave

It's Monday!

Good Morning Team,
We kicked off our week wonderfully yesterday with an awesome time of worship, teaching, fellowship, encouragement and recharging. I'm looking forward to what God has planned for us this week.

Here's the new song we will be doing this week...




Wow! How powerful and what a great way to launch us into the Advent season! Speaking of Advent, have you heard any new Christmas songs that would be worth looking at? Send them to me and maybe we can use them this year.

I'm getting charged up about our Christmas musical, Rejoice! Four weeks to go. This Wednesday I will have some posters for you to put up around where you are. Personal invitations are still the best way to get people to come and experience this exciting time of celebration.



Have a outstanding week!

Dave

It's Monday!

Good Monday Team!
It's a beautiful Monday morning and I'm still celebrating an awesome weekend. Best highlight of the weekend was gathering together with you all for worship on Sunday morning. I love it when all the preparation matches up with the Lord's presence and true worship results. ONWC... your contribution of "Our God Saves" lifted me and inspired the congregation...WTG! The hymns in the first service were spot on as Pastor Dennis unraveled the mystery of the Trinity. The band and praise team joined the choir in leading the people in the second service to spirit filled worship. Thank you God for being so good!

The next best thing about the weekend was being an Ohio State fan. After a couple years of humble pie at the hands of Penn State, it was nice to turn the table on the blue and white. I posted a new pic for the PSU T-shirts on facebook :)

Last, but not least, it was great to be an American this weekend and honor our veterans. Without them, we would not be able to worship like we did this weekend or complain about what's happening in Washington. Here is the video we used yesterday...

Have an awesome week!

Blessings,

Dave

It's Monday...OK, it's Tuesday morning!

Good morning Team,
Andre Crouch wrote a song that starts with...
"How can I say thanks for the things you have done for me..." and while he was directing his thankfulness to God, forgive me for borrowing his words and directing them to you. Your displays of appreciation this past month were overwhelming and I cannot put into words, adequately, how much it meant to us. Thank you.

I also want to thank those of you who came out on Saturday to help us paint my office (and Judean's office :) Thank you, Bob, for fixing the desk that Coleen will be using. Thanks to all the guys who helped us move the furniture and bookcases and equipment. And a special thanks to Tim and Sherry French for staying with us to the end. You guys were AWESOME!!!

I'm starting to focus on Christmas. Here's something to help...

CHRISTMAS MUSICAL REHEARSALS...
Every Wednesday night...6:15 to 7:45PM

This Saturday... 10:00am to noon

Take time this week to help someone who doesn't expect you to do it.
Anonymous charity is true charity.
Purposefully, speak the name of Jesus to someone.
Call your mom.

Make your week special.

Blessings,
Dave

BONUS: Do you love nature photography? National Geographic has always been the best at this, but they have outdone themselves here. Check it out...

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/greenguide/infinite-photograph