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I feel as if I am about to bust! All of the sudden I am completely beside myself about what is getting ready to happen at The ROCK on December 16th. Over the past 24 hours I have watched in amazement as every available nook and cranny in the church building has become home to props, presents, clothing, stars, flyers, posters, postcards, Christmas trees. It’s everywhere!!!! I have had 3 people walk in my office today, eyes big as saucers saying how they really had no idea the scope of what was happening with Imagine Christmas.

We are down to the last 3 weeks. Now is crunch time for rehearsals and promotion. Today I have been printing 3,000 flyers for Leslie Averitt to be inserted in Good Life and distributed all over Wilmington. Our copier has a tendency to chew up quite a few copies, and I bought all the blue paper Staples had. It was only exactly enough and no more for what I needed for Leslie. As I sorted the misfits from the acceptable, throwing pieces of ragged paper in the trash, I began to deeply resent what I was doing. I began to see each scrap of paper as a person; someone who is a ragged, crooked, crinkled up mess who feels like they’ve just been thrown away; someone who has believed the lie that they are not good enough for God to love unconditionally; someone who has been damaged by life and is desperately, perhaps secretly, needing peace in their heart — or else. No lie, I teared up as I looked at the copier and growled out loud, “stop it!”.  i haven’t lost a piece of paper since then. I’m really not making that up - - that amazes me. I wish I would have done it 2,000 copies ago.

I ordered 1,000 more invitation cards today because the 1,000 I bought 2 weeks ago are just about gone. People have been inviting their friends and co-workers, putting up signs up in their workplaces and all over town. I’ve ordered almost a week’s worth of radio advertising on WGNI. (My Cumulus sales rep says he wants to come with his family ). 12,000 Postcards are sitting in my office sorted and ready for saturation mailing. It’s going to happen, ya’ll. I have no doubt after what I have seen the past week or so, that we are going to have more people at The ROCK for Imagine Christmas than we have ever had for any service before.

So, are you ready?

Yes, we have been preparing. Yes, we will be ready with all the logistical elements, bells and whistles. But that is not what is going to change people’s lives when they walk through our doors. Did you hear that???? Fancy lights, great music and awesome talent will not change people’s lives. What will change their lives is pure, honest and sincerely authentic love. So, are you ready? How will we love our visitors? I am challenged today more than ever to be on my knees asking God to make me salt and light; to show Himself in all His glory through each and every one of us; to fill us so full of His love that we ooze compassion and excitement; to be so real through us that our guests will leave challenged to imagine their lives with Christ in it. What a gift.

So - -are you ready?

P.S.
OK - - 1,000 Blue sheets just ran crinkle free. I’m printing 500 more on white paper which are about 3/4 of the way through printing. I just have to. It’s only paper. Who cares if it’s blue? I don’t like colored paper anyway.

- - hang on - - let me go check…

Nope, no cast offs (except for the one I messed up pulling it off the copier).

I hope some crinkled up misfit gets one of the white ones and thinks it’s special - just for them.

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