Clark Griswald: Eat your heart out!

Does anyone else go overboard with Christmas decorations? The people who run the Christmas sections at Menards and Target both know me by name all ready!

I don’t know why but ever since I was a kid I’ve been obsessed with decorations. There’s nothing like watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas while decorating the tree. And perhaps I drank too much egg nog; but, this stuff is exciting! I just put over 2500 Christmas lights on my house. And I haven’t even started assembling my little “Christmas Village” yet! But my mom can vouch for me. I’ve been this way ever since I was a little kid.
In fact, in Wisconsin, I used to really go overboard with outside decorations. I was the first person on my street to put up lights. And before long my neighbors and I started escalating things until our whole street became a winter wonderland.
So, you can imagine just how much it kills me that we don’t have a church facility to go overboard in! Every time I see one of those 25 foot tall Christmas trees, I’m tempted to buy it (in hopes that someday we’ll have a church foyer to put it in). And when we’ve got to set things up every week, it gets pretty tough to be elaborate! But alas, I know that we are in the center of God’s will by staying portable.
Yet you ask: “So what exactly is your plan for a facility? …or at least some church offices?” Good Question! Whenever I tell people that we’re a 1500 member church with no offices, they all realize that we operate in chaos. Yet, for months Pastor Pete and I have been pounding the pavement… looking for the best warehouse possible to house our new operation center with a 300-seat leadership auditorium. Of course, this wouldn’t be a permanent “weekend facility” (because that’s gonna take a little more saving). But we definitely need a better space for our staff, our interns, our video studios, our youth ministry, and a boat load of other ministries.
But, although I can’t say much, I would, at least, like to say that we might be very close to finding the perfect spot!!!! : ) To get an office of my own would make this the best Christmas ever. (Well… at least a pretty decent one : )
So as you pray for a parking spot at your local Shopping Mall this Christmas, don’t forget to pray for us. The staff has a lot of things cooking behind the scenes that we’re gonna unveil this January. This is really going to be an exciting new year! So have fun this Christmas. And get geared up! Cause, Substance, we’re about to party like its 2009.

Last Year's Haas House