As I sit in my office on a cold, snowy day, I find myself staring vacantly into the computer screen. It is full of images, scrolling messages, blinking signs, and ads flashing continuously tempting me to click on an icon for the chance to win some fabulous prize. In addition, my cell phone is vibrating, indicating that I have a call or message waiting and my IPod is playing my favorite tunes. Every few minutes I receive text messages from my family and friends.

Advances in technology have allowed us to be bombarded with continuous messages nearly every second of the day. Many of them are positive but there are a fair number that are negative. During this politically-charged and economically-challenged year I feel as though because of the things coming into my life, my ears, and my mind I have been reminded that more than ever, I need a Savior.

John W. Smith is the executive director of PastorCare West Michigan.It’s rare to meet the leader of a ministry who wishes his services weren’t needed. John W. Smith is one of them.

“I wish my ministry wasn’t needed,” said Smith, executive director of PastorCare West Michigan (PCWM). “But I know it is.”

PCWM is intended for pastors, their spouses, and full-time ministry leaders such as youth and Christian education directors who need someone like Smith to come alongside them to help them through their ministerial rough patches. Smith accomplishes this through what he calls “confidential coaching.”

   The Collingsworth Family sings at Calvin College on Dec. 11  It seems like we’re barely into the month of December and already some of the area’s Christmas concerts are in the rearview mirror.

     But there are still plenty of opportunities to join a musical celebration of the season at a number of different West Michigan events.

     For an arena-sized experience, gospel music maven Bill Gaither and his Homecoming artists mark the Christmas spirit in a big way at 6 p.m. Sat. Dec. 13 at Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids.

     Not only will Gaither sing with his Grammy-winning Vocal Band (featuring tenor David Phelps), but he’s brought along fan favorites such as The Isaacs, The Martins, soloist Charlotte Ritchie, funny-man (and former Vocal Band member) Mark Lowry, among others.

     A local choir, coordinated by Chris Hansen of Hark Up Ministries, will sing background on many of the songs.

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Master Arts Theatre, located at 75 77^th St SW in Grand Rapids, is initiating a six season tribute to World War II and to thank all veterans who have fought for our nation. The tribute began on November 21 with the musical, “Sanders Family Christmas”.

The story takes place on Christmas Eve, 1941, just eighteen days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.   The Sanders family is performing at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in North Carolina, just as they had done for the past several years. This year, however, is a little different. The country is in the midst of World War II and the family’s son, Dennis, will be leaving home to join the Marines in just a few days. The play is filled with laughter and song, but yet effectively expresses the deep emotions involved when a loved one goes off to war. The story also shows the concern the average citizen had knowing that the rationing of many items was imminent. But, as the playbill states, this musical is designed to “get your toes tapping, your voice singing, and your heart soaring in reminiscence and old-fashioned joy in the Lord.” The cast certainly accomplishes this goal with their talents and enthusiasm.

  You had to wonder: after local singer-songwriter and worship leader Tommee Profitt signed deal as a major record label producer/songwriter, would he have any time to complete a collection of his own music for a new release?

     But his (and fans’) patience have been rewarded with “Deeper,” a two-years-in-the-making combination of worship themes and heartfelt lyrics set very much in pop arrangements – some on a grand scale.

West Michigan Christian writer Terry DeBoer surveys the landscape for the area’s faith-based arts and entertainment events over the coming month. Here are a few December highlights:

*“Women's Christmas Tea” – Susan Sorensen is the special guest at 3 p.m. Sun. Dec. 7 at Maranatha Bible Conference, 4759 Lake Harbor Road, Muskegon. Sorensen is women’s ministry coordinator at Calvary Church in Grand Rapids and co-author of the 90-day devotional “Praying Through Cancer: Set Your Heart Free From Fear” (Harper Collins). Her holiday message parallels a familiar Christmas carol. Worship leader is Sarah Whaley, chapel coordinator at Cornerstone University. There will also be a special presentation by the Muskegon Rescue Mission. Tickets are $20 general ($15 for Maranatha members) and available at www.vacationwithpurpose.org. (231)-798-2161.

Cheryl Schuch is the executive director of Family Promise of Grand Rapids.For many people living in the Grand Rapids area, the Great Recession has become a distant, unpleasant memory. Others, however, remain gripped in the economic downturn's tentacles.

Financial hardship is an especially thorny problem for homeless parents who fear loosing custody of their children because they have no fixed address, according to Cheryl Schuch, executive director of the nonprofit interfaith ministry, Family Promise of Grand Rapids (FPGR).

     This tour is different for multiple Grammy-winner TobyMac.

     “The idea is like a more intimate setting rather than in an arena,” said the inspirational artist by phone while on a tour bus traveling to Louisville, Ky.

     It’s really about having things a little more broken down and allowing yourself the time to tell the stories behind these songs,” he said.

     Toby will still have his full band complement with him when he visits DeVos Performance Hall on Nov. 23. Even his turn table DJ. But with a smaller drum kit, scaled down lighting and stage sets and a simpler approach, the artist will have a little more space and time to spill out the origins of many of his chart-topping songs.

During the holidays, many of you may visit the home where you grew up. Sometimes it’s fun to reflect back on what you’ve done or where you’ve lived. Recently, I was thinking about all the different houses where my family has resided in the Holland area.

I remember the first time my boys threw a ball and our daughter played with her baby doll at our home on West 20^th Street. It was wide-bodied and flat as though a giant, from on top of a beanstalk, had stepped on it. Yet, despite how widespread it was, it is the warmth and coziness that are my fondest memories.

Brittany Christopher keeps a number of photos of her daughter, Sola, in her smart phone. Sola is a spunky, wide-eyed, blond-hair cutie who quickly steals the hearts of the people she encounters. It’s understandable why the two-and-a-half year old is the pride and joy of her mother, Brittany Christopher.

“She’s rocking it out,” a beaming Christopher said of her daughter. “She’s so smart.”

Smart and very much alive.

There was a time during Christopher’s pregnancy when she was a hair’s breadth away from having an abortion. All her reasons seemed valid, she told herself. She was only 20 and single, with no clue what the demands of motherhood entailed.