Merry And Bright

Tada!!! The Merry & Bright Gayla Event was a huge success. What a joyous evening we had this past Sunday Night full of fun from beginning to end.  As everyone walked in Sunday evening they were awe-struck with the BRIGHT decorations and incredible Christmas Caroling from our own WOLCC Choir. It was a sight you would not have wanted to miss.  Everyone enjoyed the delicious appetizers and filled up on an array of desserts from cookies, to mini cupcakes, to colored chocolate fountains. Nothing topped the yummy glow stick cotton candy that was a highlight for every age. After filling up on food and desserts many ventured in and tried one of our photo areas. Some decided to be a little silly and jumped into a FUN photo booth to show their Merry & Bright Spirit while others had a BRIGHT time getting their photo taken in front of a Merry & Bright Christmas Tree.

The festivities continued on in the sanctuary with more caroling and a beautiful presentation of “Joy to the World” led by Berean Chambers. Joy filled the sanctuary as we all rejoiced about the greatness of our God. We were soon mesmerized by the incredible Christian Illusionists that had us on the edge of our seats excited for what would come next. Ken Bordeaux will still never know how the illusionist was able to put on his jacket while she was tied up.

Everyone knows you can’t leave a Gayla event empty handed; however, no one expected to see women running down the aisles in high heels eager to be the first to answer the Merry & Bright questions. The women were out done by the men who started body checking each other in order to reach Pastor and Pastor Aaron first. We still don’t know who body checked Pastor causing him to fall, but boy were they excited about receiving their giveaways.

After already experiencing such a fun and joyous evening, nothing could top the incredible teaching by Pastor Gayla Bagwell. Her message on joy ministered to everyone in the room; reminding us to celebrate, laugh, and enjoy life. As Christians we can so easily be bogged down by life, situations, and trials, but God reminds us in His Word that “A merry heart doeth good like medicine…” (Proverbs 17:22). Joy is a condition of the heart and instead of allowing our trials and circumstances to get us down, we must cast (throw) our cares on the Lord. After doing so we must anticipate deliverance and rejoice. Just like a pregnant mother, she may be in pain or discomfort at the present moment, but she rejoices in advance by preparing the nursery for her new bundle of joy.

We learned the 8 Steps to Enjoying Life:

1)     Lighten Up!  – Laugh at yourself daily.
2)     Light the Way – Smile and tell yourself you are happy.
3)     Step Lightly – God’s Word is a lamp unto your feet. Enjoy every step!
4)     Discover Your Inner Light – Remove all the noise and hear God’s voice.
5)     Delight Yourself – Notice the beauty of God’s creation and sing out loud again.
6)     Use Your Good Things – Why wait to use your good dishes, use them now and make memories. What are you waiting for?
7)     Lighten Your Load – Is being busy better? No! Learn to delegate and let others help lift the load. Just because someone does it different than you would, doesn’t mean that your way is better.
8)     Speak Lightly – Talk more about the Lord and less about others.

As the night came to a close everyone was filled with joy, laughter, and thankfulness in their hearts for all the Lord has done.  Make this Christmas season Merry & Bright! Laugh, enjoy every day, and smile for this is the medicine that will bring true JOY to your spirit!