"Jesus loves the little children All the children of the world Red, brown, yellow Black and white They are precious in His sight Jesus loves the little children Of the world."

From the promos I did back in August.

Good morning and welcome. It is Monday, October 28, 2019. This week is somewhat of a countdown for us as we anticipate the official start of our seasonal Santa Enterprise work. We will be in the studio for photos on Friday with one professional and with another on Saturday. I do look forward to getting started while also having a smidgen of dread into the mix as well. This will be my 10th season to wear the red. The wife has always been with me and supported me, but, I think she didn't become Mrs. Claus until my second or third year. She obviously has been a great asset and at times she has been the star. We make a good team. I might be the jolly ole elf, but, she has an innate connection with people that draw them in. So much so, I really have grown to dislike doing solo work. I do quite a few of them but I always, always prefer us to work as a team. Any reservations and reluctance to begin the Christmas themed work will fade away when the children appear. The work itself can be grueling and stressful with all the expectations operating on overdrive, but, the little ones, they truly are, as the song goes, precious in the sight of our Lord, and, in my eyes too!

Last Thursday evening we were pleased to host another gathering of folks in our home to enjoy a meal together, to sing songs of our shared faith, to pray one for the other, and to hear from God as His Word was shared. Ten of us showed up to reunite our hearts in love. We had good testimonies and beautiful fellowship. I do thank my wife for all of her hard work. (I did help some.) We moved out into the area where we live in 1976. We've lived in the house we have now for over 35 years. We've known many of these folks for nearly as long as we've been in the area. Many were a part of the same Church fellowship for many years, therefore, we've served together, we've raised our families together, and, we've helped bear one another's burdens together. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, many of us changed our Church affiliations, and our gatherings began as a way for us to stay in touch. Over time, we've had new ones to come and they too have been a blessing. We've all become in so many ways slaves to the clock on the wall, and, it was so refreshing to let the schedule take care of itself while we enjoyed the presence of the Lord and each others' company. Some say these types of get-togethers are a preview of heaven. I don't know that to be a fact, but, it does sound about right. Amen.

We are also anticipating this week's Haloween festivities. We don't celebrate Halloween, but, we are going to be a part of a program called Light Shine. We are teaming up with some folks and will be at one of their homes because they do have the potential for more children. On Thursday evening we will be doing a Christmas themed trick or treat and yours truly will be there as a fall festival Santa for anyone who may want to make photos. We will be passing out candy along with Gospel tracts and information about our local fellowship and all the events and activities coming up for the holiday season. These Light Shine homes are scattered all over our county and are designed to reach out to folks, giving them what we know to be the Source of hope for them and their families. The Santa portion will be like a preview for our work coming up on Friday and Saturday. We may be older but we are still staying occupied. Or, at least, we are acting like it. Let's hope I don't overtax our bones in the process. Have a great day and let's all remember to thank God for His blessings. Amen. ....More later.