How To: Have a Candlelight Service

My church recently held a candlelight service. It was a beautiful and amazing experience. This service is popular during the Christmas and New Years service.  I wanted to share some tips and ideas that I gathered from this night.

1. Don’t let outside light in.
My church has no windows in the main auditorium. So we didn’t have to shut out the outside light. If your church has windows, you will want to cover them. A large piece of cardboard outside the window should work.

2. Start the service in the light.
Keep the lights on to start the service. You don’t want people tripping or falling as they find their seats, or for some Baptists, their assigned rows! It’s safer to start out with the light on.
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Yes, this is a very girly post. I’ve been posting tips now and then-and it seemed like a good time to give you some in time for the holiday party season! Here are a few new favorites!

1. Reheat your eyelash curler, for hot lashes! Give a 5 second blast of heat to your eyelashe crimper. Your lashes will stay curled twice as long! Be sure its not too hot before you use it!

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Laughing Squid via Flickr

What should I serve for a holiday party?
Don’t cook something for the first time when you’re having guests. Choose recipes that you’ve made before and have mastered. Presentation is key to wowing guests, not fancy food you have never prepared.

What are some shortcuts when entertaining for large crowds?
A common mistake is trying to cook too many things. Ask guests to bring their specialties. If they don’t cook, ask them to bring some good bread or rolls. Keep an eye out for bakery shops in your area. Everything doesn’t have to be homemade.

What can I do ahead of time so I’m not trapped in the kitchen?
I am a list maker. This helps tremendously when hosting a party. Make a plan, and write out your menu. Don’t forget to include what other people will be bringing. Go to the grocery store early for your nonperishable groceries to avoid the holiday grocery store rush and empty shelves. Buy your fresh ingredients the day before. Set the table before your guests arrive if you’re planning a sit down meal.

What are some unique touches to wow my guests?
Serve appetizers around a decorated kitchen island. Serve coffee in chic, large mugs. Purchase flavor syrups for the coffee, like Starbucks.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
My family always gets together for a pie baking day. We split the cost of ingredients and pie tins. We bake and laugh together, and when the day’s over, we all have several apple pies for our freezers that last through the year!

Do you have any no-fuss ideas for throwing a holiday party?
Try hosting a dessert party. Fill hurricane lamps with festive candies and sweets of all varieties: dark chocolates, candy canes, peppermint pinwheels, and caramels. Serve a warm pie a la mode or bake a gorgeous holiday cake. End the evening with a warm cup of coffee, cider, or cocoa.

niallkennedy via Flickr

Have some spare time this weekend? Do you ever think, “I wish I could do more?” I know sometimes, I get bored with the ‘normal’ Saturday activities. My favorite alternatives are #4, #6, #8,#9. Try one of these ideas out.

1. Start a food pantry at your church. What a better outreach and ministry than feeding the hungry? Perhaps, people in your church have a need. For those in your community, a food pantry could be an answer their prayers.

2. Host pot luck fellowships. Invite the community, get to know your neighbors. Nothing brings people together like food!

3. Have a clothing drive. Have people donate new and used items to support a local mission. Call them ahead of time to find out what they need.

4. Plan for your youth group, sunday school class or church members to work at a local food bank. For Michigan folk: check out Gleaners (www.gcfb.org) for opportunities in your area!

5. Work at a soup kitchen-before the holidays. A lot of people volunteer around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but what about during the ‘off-season’ ?

6. Visit nursing homes. Plan out your visit with the managers before you go. Most allow people to set up regular times of visiting. Perhaps you could start a small nursing home ministry, sing a few songs, have a devotional, or preach. Ministering to the hearts of the elderly is rewarding.

7. Call a local homeless shelter to learn of their needs. Maybe your church, your Sunday school class, your family, or you could help to meet some of those needs.

8. Start planning ahead for the Christmas season. Find out the needs of your missionaries. Send care packages now, so they will receive them in time for Christmas! If you can’t afford that, send individual cards.

9. Adopt a college student. During the college years, its hard to be away from home. Invite one of the new college students over for a good home cooked meal. Mail a letter of encouragement to the students who have decided to go away to school.

10. Start a leave raking ministry. Get a group together and go rake leaves for free in a neighborhood. Bless them, and let them know about your ministry.

Leave us more ideas to reach out in your community. Maybe something you have planned to do, something you have done, or an idea you have!

Did the summer wear you out? Anxious about the new school year? Feeling homesick? Overwhelmed? Here’s 11 tips to perk you up!

1. Read a Psalm. Then insert your name into it.

i.e. ”God is our refuge and strength, Ashleigh, a very present help in time of trouble” Ps 46:1

2. Don’t be in such a rush. Many times we are overwhelmed and stressed because we are so busy. Remember what Jesus said to Martha? “You are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part.” Take some time to just sit with Jesus.

3. Call a friend or family member. Who knows you better than those who are closest to you? Often, they have just what we need to feel better.

4. Take time to count your blessings. Make a list of things, people, situations, places your thankful for.

5. Switch on your desk lamp instead of the overheads. Harsh lighting can amplify stress and irritation, while a softer glow can help soothe you.

6. Surround yourself with yellow and orange. Studies show that people become more joyful in these warm, bright colors, explains Leatrice Eiseman, author of More Alive With Color. Possibly because they remind us of the sunshine. God knew what he was doing, eh?

7. Visualize your happy place. Maybe it’s a tropical beach or your childhood bedroom. Whatever the location, close your eyes and imagine. Changing your mind’s wallpaper to a place you adore can make you happy.

8. Just breathe. Inhale slowly and deeply for five seconds, then exhale for five. Just a change in breath can help calm and relax you.

9. Enjoy God’s creation. Go on a picnic. Lie on the grass in your backyard and watch birds fly overhead. Exposure to the outdoors will help lower your heart rate and defuse a pessimistic outlook.

10. Snack on citrus fruits. They can improve your mood, says psychologist Dale Atkins, PhD, author of Sanity Savers.

11. Make a list of all the things you have to do. Number them 1-4, one being the most important. Focus on the 1′s first.

Sometimes if we just need to change our perspective. Give one of these defusing ideas a try, and let me know what happens!