December news - lighthousemonroe

Volume 7, Issue 12
Listening to Christmas songs
in the stores and on the radio
also help to lift spirits during
this time of they year. And
yes, smells of sweet
aromatic cookies and pies
baking in the oven invoke
many special feelings.
As we create more
memories and explore other
traditions this season, let us
remember the true meaning
of Christmas--the birth of
Jesus Christ. He is the
reason for this season, and
every season.
He is the one who was born
to save us from our sins, the
one who died on an old
rugged cross, the one who
was raised from the dead,
the one who became poor
that we might be rich, the
2
one who was beaten in our
place, the one who defeated
the devil, the one who
snatched the keys from hell,
the one who is Lord of Lord,
and King of Kings. He is
Alpha and Omega, the
mighty God, the prince of
peace, and the everlasting
father. He is Jesus Christ.
Some families appreciate him
by reading of his birth in the
bible, some families have the
tradition of baking a birthday
cake for him and having a
party. Others attend special
church services. These are
just a few ways to honor and
celebrate him during
Christmas time. Let us not
only remember him at this
time of the year, but all year
round.
3
4
Written by Sarita Daniel
It is a packed house. The main
lights in the church are dimmed
for the full effect as the colorchanging spotlights cascade
over the pulpit-stage. From up
top in the production room, you
can capture the view of a sea of
people rushing to the front of
the church like at a rock concert.
It is a rock concert, and Jesus is
the lead performer.
The infamous “Eleven fiftyseven, I’m on my way to
heaven. Eleven fifty-eight, don’t
be late. Eleven fifty-nine got to
be on time. Twelve o’clock, I’m
gonna shout, shout, shout......
Happy New Year” will be heard
throughout the building. Many
come to hear those very words.
Others come to enjoy the songs
and performances during the
New Year’s Eve program.
They want to bring in the New
Year where God will surely be The Lighthouse Church.
The crowd is watching,
watching and waiting for the
power of God to show up and
show out. As the Spirit of
God is ushered in, there is a
dense and solid praise going
up. Worship with a hint of
anticipation develops into The
Big Bang theory in the spirit
realm. You can tell that the
Spirit is in the place. As you
scan the audience, you can see
people worshipping Him in a
dance, others are shedding
tears of joy and some are lying
prostrate on the floor in a
world of their own. There is
no age discrimination. The
Spirit decides whose soul He
will touch on Watch Night. All
the praise and worship helps
shape the beginning of the
New Year.
The theme for this year is “Get
Your Praise On”. We invite
you to come and enjoy this
annual celebration of worship
and praise. Remember, when
the praises go up, the blessings
come down. Bring in the New
Year right!
Isn’t it wonderful to be able to belong
to a church where you are getting fed
a word that you KNOW is coming
directly from God? And not only that,
but you are blessed with praise
singers and a choir that are “off the
chain!”
The Lighthouse
Ministers of
Music blesses
us every
Sunday. When
asked about
their mission,
Sis. Ge Ge
replies, “We
believe that it is
our task to set
the atmosphere
for the service
by ushering in
the Spirit of the Lord.” They are
constantly going to another level.
They have written 8 new songs and
have a CD coming out in September
of 2009! The songs have been
written by 6 of the choir members
and one of them by Daril aka Bro.
Damon Nailer. So far we’ve been
blessed to hear I will Praise Him, I
Thank You, The Greatest Love and
Do you Know the Man, just to name
a few. Sis. Ge Ge says, “We love to
use our gifts to uplift and encourage
others through music and song and
we strive for excellence.”
The choir is looking forward to going
on the Ernie Myles show soon. They
also plan to recruit more anointed
singers and musicians and to
complete their upcoming CD. I’m
personally waiting on their next
concert. If you have never seen
them in concert, you missed a treat.
You will be on your feet, clapping
your
hands
and
praising
the Lord
with
them the
entire
time. If
you are
sitting
on the
pews
and you
know
you can
sing or play instruments, get up and
join The Lighthouse Ministers of
Music and use the gifts God has
blessed you with. When the choir
“blowuptuates” you will kick yourself
for procrastinating.
Sis. Kanika Trigg is the choir’s
newest member, she sang with the
gospel group Rizen (a ladies trio)
and has been on TBN. Welcome
Sis. Kanika!
I would like to give Kudos to Sis. Ge
Ge Waters, Sis. Nikki Gaines and the
entire choir & praise singers for their
faithfulness in blessing us every
Sunday.
Written by Regina Wafer
Use light cooking sprays and healthy oils such as olive or canola.
Bake your turkey instead of frying it.
Don’t go to a dinner party hungry. Eat healthy small meals throughout the day.
Don’t overeat. Eat slower and stop when you are full.
Stay away from high calorie sweets like pecan pie. Eat sweet potato pie instead.
Keep exercising. Many people stop working out because of the holidays.
Yummy Molasses Crackles
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened . 1 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar, divided . 1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup molasses . 2 cups all-purpose flour . 2 teaspoons baking soda . 1 teaspoon ground
cinnamon . 1/2 teaspoon salt .1/4 teaspoon ground cloves . 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger .
/3 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1. Beat butter and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg and
molasses. Mix well.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and ginger in another large bowl until well
blended. Stir in crystallized ginger.
3. Blend the flour mixture into the butter mixture a cup at a time, mixing well, until it is all
incorporated. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
5. Place the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a shallow dish. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and then roll
in the sugar. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake the cookies, in batches, until they crackle on top, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to
cool. Enjoy...only 79 calories and 1 gram of fat per cookie.
The Lighthouse
513 Sunnyside Drive
Monroe, LA 71202
Bishop Alvin Walker, Pastor
(318) 387-0686
(318) 387-0634
Visit us at
www.lighthousemonroe.com
THE LIGHTHOUSE
Newsletter
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Necole Nailer
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Damon Nailer
WRITERS
Sarita Daniel
Jennifer Louis
Regina Wafer