Ms. Marry McMoo

Ms. Marry McMoo

Did you hear of Ms. Marry McMoo
Who stood with her legs tied with glue
Oh if you only heard what they did do
With poor Ms. Marry McMoo

Every morning she started to sound
A moo that carried through out town
Is it a cow?  Some would frown
But the mooer was Marry all bound

A few who knew of her all stuck
Thought it was her own bad luck
Others just assumed the ruck
Was just an annoying young puck

How did she get stuck that way
I mean really, did she have a say
Back then she just leaned against hay
Day after day after day after day

Bitter Bob Boo didn't care the why
The moo was making him die
He started the chatter and lies
That grew malice and selfish cries

One night at a quarter past nine
The village had enough of her kind
They set out with rope and sticks to bind
At last arrived and questioned their find

Ms. Marry McMoo smiled a bit
Legs all twisted and in a fit
She offered them to take a sit
"It's nice to see you," She had to admit

Still holding onto the blame
Bitter Bob spoke why they came
But the tears humbled and tamed
And ultimately brought him to shame

They sat and she stood
Doing the best that she could
She spoke like she should
Asking for help if they would

"I tried to call for you all right
When my legs got tangled one night
A few just fled at the sight
So I decided to put up a fight

"With all my might I've said my name
Until last night my yell did change
I can't do this with my own range
So to the Lord I made my claim

"And to my delight and wonder
Here you are with quite a number
With tools and all kinds of lumber
To pick me up out of this slumber"

Ropes in hand and sticks at feet
Bitter Bob cleared his voice to speak
"Here she wants to be free"
Smiled, and bent down on one knee

It took all night and the next day
Pulling and pushing every which way
Binding together to loosen the lay
Some even stood by her to pray

At last Ms. Marry McMoo
Wiggled out one foot then two
Her legs feeling all brand new
She danced all around the crew

To this day there was never a sound
Then the people's cheer from that ol' town
They say that Mrs. Marry Boo never found
A less bitter and more sweet Bobby around

-Michelle Fozounmayeh
9-14-10

I thought this was a good one for the new year as we reflect on a year gone past.  As we strive to let go of the things that keep us bound and look forward to new beginnings.  Never be afraid of an unknown future to a known God!

Advent at Home

Not everyone knows what Advent is.  I have been a Christian since the day I asked Jesus to come into my heart at the age of 7 and did not know about this word "Advent" and traditions tied to it until I was an adult.  I love traditions that give purpose to Holidays.  Advent in Latin means “The Coming”.  In short, Advent is the time period leading up to Christmas.  Counting down the days!  My kids use an advent calender where we velcro a new character/animal/object each day to a scene that slowly unveils the nativity.  I love it!  Another tradition is the Advent wreath.  When I started to attend a church that used this tradition to prepare our hearts for Christmas I fell in love.  A visual with meaning.  Not all churches use this tradition but many still do.  The advent wreath has 5 candles that are lit one by one in church services all over the world on the 4 Sundays that lead up to Christmas.  The last Candle is lit in a Christmas eve service.  So why light candles? The lighting of these candles help remind us of the promise that a Light would come to the World.  This promise is all over the Old Testament of The Bible. “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined” (Isaiah 9.2)  With each Sunday the candles bring us closer to the time when we recall Jesus' birth and the fulfillment of this promise.  But that is not the only coming we are to look forward to.  The candle lighting reminds us to look forward to Jesus' Second Coming as well.  We seek to be wise and have our lamps ready for the Bridegroom who is coming again.  He said it would happen!  Remember Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25.1-13, the Parable of the Ten Virgins?  As Jesus said: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (25:13).  

You can worship in this way whether you go to a church that follows this tradition or not;  recalling His first coming and looking forward to His Second Coming.  You can do it right there in your own home.  Light candles each week leading up to Christmas or do it all at once.  That's what we are doing this year, lighting them all at once.  On Christmas day my brother and sisters' families are coming over.  I LOVE hosting because this means I am in charge of how the Christmas story is presented.  Along with a cute play that the kids will put on, we are going to light the Advent Candles! 

The Prophecy Candle (Dawn)
The Prophecy Candle signifies Hope and tells us of the Prophets who expected and predicted the coming of the Messiah who would bring peace, love and salvation to the world. It also reminds us that he will come again in glory.   Jesus said, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of light."  
Song:   
Jesus, Name above All Names

                                
The Bethlehem Candle (Viramonte Family)
The Bethlehem candle represents Peace and reminds us that Christ was born as a human baby at a precise time and place in history. He is also eternal God. 
Jesus said, I am the Light of the World.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life."
Song:
Silent Night

The Shepherd's Candle (Jordan Family)
The Shepherds Candle represents Joy and celebration.  Just as the shepherds shared the joy of Christ's birth, we can share with others the joy of His presence in our lives.  Jesus said, I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life."
Song:
Go Tell It on the Mountain

The Angels Candle (Fozounmayeh Family)
The Angels Candle represents Love.  The angels were messengers proclaiming Christ's birth to the shepherds; we are God's messengers proclaiming Christ's Love for our world.  Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life."
Song:
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

The Christ Candle (Kretz Family)
The Christ Candle declares to us that God sent Christ into our world.  He is Jesus Christ, God's Son, our Savior.   Now all the candles are lit.  Christ is born! Let us rejoice!
Song:
Joy to the World

And there you go... Advent at Home!  Traditions that give Holidays great purpose.

Time to be Free

A song I wrote:  The inspiration for writing this song came from one person I know.  But the truth in it is for all of us...
"Time to be Free"

(Verse 1)

It was a Friday night

She was held tight

The pain began to fade

Lost in imagination

Forgetting rejection

Until the very next day

A note was left

Three words at best

She gave a familiar nod

Just like before

Felt like a whore

He left with “thanks a lot”

(Chorus)

Time to be free from the same old trap

She looked in the mirror, it all came back

“I care about the way you turn out”

Moving her lips, tears on her mouth

“Why should your worth be less then it can

On false attention- on a one night stand”

(Verse 2)

A knock at the door

Got her off the floor

Her mom stood in agony

About a man

Didn’t understand

The same old sympathy

Taken by the sight

She sensed the true fight

To break the pattern made

God did not intend

On the very same end

That day her future changed

(Chorus)

Time to be free from the same old trap

She looked in the mirror, it all came back

“I care about the way you turn out”

Moving her lips, tears on her mouth

“Why should your worth be less then it can

On false attention- on a one night stand”

(Bridge)

So she fell on her knees

N’said “Jesus take all of me,

Break this chain!

I won’t go back again.”

(Chorus)

Time to be free from the same old trap

She looked in the mirror, it all came back

“I care about the way you turn out”

Moving her lips, tears on her mouth

“Why should your worth be less then it can

On false attention- on a one night stand”

(Ending)

Steps in a new direction

A new road, new view of affection

“Lord it starts today.

Take my hand, show me the way.

You know what I need

I need you, time to be free.”

James 2:10 says “For whoever should keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”  Sin is a one night stand.  It does not yield one ounce of righteousness.  We can't be perfect on our own, no matter how hard we try.  We all need Jesus to be free!

The Battle of the Food Face

“But solid food is for the mature…”

SHIRIN:

Shirin sat across from her little brother Frederick at the dinning room table waiting for her lunch.  Watching her mom get it ready she tried to imagine what it might look like today.  Arranged in a shape?  Maybe a star or a sun!  “Maybe de food will be a car Frederick!” Shirin knew that her little one and a half year old brother loved her Little People cars.  His first birthday was the theme “anything with wheels.”

Clueless, Frederick started his latest little chant.  “Ba, ba, baaaaaaaa.  Ba, ba, baaaaaaaa.  Ba, ba, baaaaaa.”  Repeating it over and over again.  Shirin joined in and she could see his face light up and continue with even more conviction.

“Ba, ba, baaaaaaaa.!  Ba, ba, baaaaaaaa!  Ba, ba, baaaaaa!”  Bringing the lunch plates over Shirin’s mom joined the fun.  “Ba, ba, baaaaaaaa!  Ba, ba, baaaaaaaa!  Ba, ba, baaaaaa!”  All together and right in beat they got louder and louder until Shirin’s mom set the plates down in front of them.

“A face!”  Shirin screeched.  Cottage cheese as hair, olives for eyes, a cheerio nose with one lunch meat shaped as a smiling mouth!

Shirin’s mom handed her a fork.  “You are 3 Shirin, you have to use this to eat your cottage cheese!”  The excitement from just a moment before dwindled as Shirin contemplated having to use a fork!  There is nothing better then letting her mushy food squish between her fingers, scooping it up into her mouth and feeling it all over her face.  It was exhilarating.

After giving her fork a solid stare down, she looked over at her brother who had already gobbled up 3 bites with his car spoon.  How could he have better coordination then she could ever muster up? Shirin studied his perfect technique.  Such control!  When a dot of cottage cheese got on his finger he quickly lifted his hand for her mom to wipe it off. “Augh, augh!”  Acting as if his finger was scarred for life, he was not able to continue eating until it was clean.  His anguish puzzled her.  Looking again at her own food face, its lunch meat lips seemed to talk to her... eat me!  Shirin decided to stall.  After all, she could use her hands with everything else.  So there! She thought with a final glare at the fork.

“Mom, I ate his eyes… look, he can’t see!  Now no nose.  Bye bye mouth!  He can’t say bye! ‘Mmmmm Mmmmm.’  Look mom, no mouth.  Bye bye hair!”

“That’s nice honey” Shirin’s mom said from over her shoulder as she cleaned up the counters in the kitchen.  Caught up in disassembling her food face she completely forgot about the fork.  Scooping up the cottage cheese Shirin let it settle in all the curves of her hands.  A tight fist let the cottage cheese seep out of any little crevice.

“The hair is falling!”  After the death squeeze Shirin licked up what was left in the palm of her hand.  Leaning down like a puppy, she sucked more right off her plate.  Cottage Cheese finger painting was added to her slurping as her clean, untouched fork lay next to her plate.

“Shirin!”  Her mom said sharply.  Shirin jerked her head up making cottage cheese fly everywhere.  “What are you doing?  I told you to use your fork!”  Oh no, she had forgotten about the fork.  Her mom hurried to her with a wet cloth wiping up cottage cheese from all over the table, Shirin’s face, nose and even chunks in her hair.  “Oh man Shirin, you are a mess!  You’re getting too big for this!”  Her mom was clearly agitated; her regularly gentle hands wiped Shirin’s face with an unusual intensity.  After she was all clean Shirin’s mom looked directly into her eyes, handed her the fork and calmly said, “Eat what is left on your plate with this.”

Shirin gazed, as if it were the most foreign object ever placed in her hands. She remembered trying to use this fork so many times before.  Most recently at her sweetheart birthday party last week.  Her Grandma Gwen had baked heart shaped mini cakes for the kids to decorate.  Shirin’s master piece had frosting, sprinkles and heart shaped candy on top.  The pink fork seemed flawed so using her hands to digest her marvelous work of art was inevitable.

Why did her mom insist on training her in this method of eating? She tried to scoop up the cottage cheese but it fell right off the fork.  Out of frustration Shirin lashed out, “I can’t do it! It falls off!” 

But her mom would not let her off the hook.  “Take a breath.  Don’t give up.” The fork was replaced in Shirin’s hand again and again until she managed to balance it.  So much effort just to get one little nibble in her mouth!  It went faster and was more enjoyable to use her hands.  Every single failed attempt tensed Shirin’s body until at last she was shaking her fists at her inability to keep anything on the top of that fork.  Frederick was done and off in the next room playing with HER little people, how fair was that?  Finally after what seemed like an eternity of fork scooping, cottage cheese dropping and grouchy grumbling the last bit of cottage cheese made it into her mouth.  “Good job honey!  I knew you could do it!”  Her mom said after the last bite.  Sliding off her chair, Shirin could sense a slight feeling of accomplishment, but still could not see anything “good” about the fork.  With a mad dash toward her toys, Shirin could not get away from the table fast enough!

“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Hebrews 5:14

A Christmas Play; A "must have"

Here is a "must have" at a Christmas gathering that could turn into a tradition... Have the kids put on a simple play of the Christmas Story!  Last year (2009) I helped all the cousins put on this simple play.  Ages 2 to 12.  I wrote it up and e-mailed out the parts two weeks before.  It was everyone's favorite part of the evening!

Christmas Story Script:

No costumes – simple “hats” will be provided- No pressure for perfection or complete memorization.  We will go over it here too.  

The Cast:

Narrator – Cherish (don’t have to memorize, just read it)

Angel - Kendall

Mary - Shirin

Joseph - Jordan

Inn keeper - Cassidy

Shepards – Cassidy(1) and Kendall(2)

Sheep – Frederick, Preston, Annabelle

Wise men/women – Frederick(1), Preston(2), Annabelle(3)

Baby Jesus – doll

Cow- Frederick

Horse – Preston

Donkey – Cassidy

Mouse – Kendall

Kids sit to side with their hats on and come up at their parts.  Annabelle will be helped by other kids.

Scene One

Narrator

Scene 1, “The Birth of Jesus Foretold!” 

So it went like this… in the 6^th month God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph.

Angel

Greetings!  You are majorly favored and will have a baby named Jesus!

Mary

WHAT???  I’m not married yet!

Angel

Perfect!  He will be called the Son of God!

Mary

Ok, if God says so.

Narrator

And when Mary told Joseph…

Mary

Yes?

Joseph

No!

Angel

(Taps Joseph on shoulder)

Yes!

Joseph

(To angel)

Yes?

Angel

Yes!

Joseph

(To Mary)

Yes!

Mary

Yes!

Scene 2

Narrator

Scene 2, “The Birth of Jesus.” 

Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem for the census.  And when they got there…

Inn Keeper

Hey there, you are pretty pregnant there!

Joseph

Do you have any room for us?

Inn Keeper

Sorry dude, we’re all full. 

Joseph and Mary

Oh no!

Inn Keeper

But if you don’t mind the smell I do have a place out back.

Narrator

(Handing Jesus to Mary)

So Jesus was born in a Stable

Cow

(Holding cow sign)

Mooooo

Horse

(Holding horse sign)

Neeeehhh

Sheep (Annabelle)

(Holding sheep sign)

Baaaaaa

Donkey

(Holding Donkey sign)

HEE-HAA

Mouse

(Holding mouse sign)

Squeak

Scene 3

Narrator

Scene 3, “The Sheppards”

There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night…

Shepherd 1

And they are looking good!

Sheeps

Baaaaaaaa

Narrator:

When an angel of the Lord appeared to them telling them all about Jesus and where to find him.

(Shepherds look up in the sky)

Shepherds and sheep

(Gasp!)

Narrator

And a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angle, praising God. 

(Get adults/audience to sing "Hark the Harold") 

Shepherds and sheep

(Bigger gasp)

Narrator

And then they left.

Shepherd 2

Well what are we waiting for, let’s go see what happened!

Narrator

The Shepherds did find Mary, Joseph and Jesus.  And spread the word of what had happened to them.

Scene 4

Narrator

Scene 4, “The Wise Men”

Three wise men were following a star that God placed in the sky and it led them to Jesus.  (Looking at the wise man) Umm, well two men and one wise wo-man.  They came with gifts fit for a King!

Wise man 1

(Placing his gift at Mary and Joseph’s feet)

Here you go Jesus

Wise man 2

(Placing his gift at Mary and Joseph’s feet)

Here you go Jesus

Wise woman 3

(Placing her gift at Mary and Joseph’s feet)

Here you go Jesus

(Everyone stands around the baby Jesus: Shepherds, Wise men, Mary, Joseph)

Narrator

And that is how it all began.  How God came into this world, not to rule as an earthly king but to rule in our hearts setting us free from the bondage of sin and death!  He came to be our Savior!

Everyone

The End

(Bow)