"I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS" (by Marla Carter)

Alone at the piano, in a cozy fire-stoked living room, with snow blanketing the world outside, while reminiscent notes drip from the keys as a comforting and inviting voice sings—I can almost see Randy Buehler in that scene from White Christmas, can’t you? Well, maybe not “alone,” since he does have five vivacious children and a lovely wife, and maybe not in Kentucky, since snow rarely “blankets” our world here, but you get the point! Randy Buehler loves Christmas, and though he always brings that love for the holiday season to the OCC Christmas productions, never has he attempted a performance of the magnitude of “A Time For Christmas.”

Randy hails from a town in southwest Michigan called Hastings and attended Western Michigan University. The oldest of five, he now repeats that sibling pattern in his own family of two boys and three girls. Married to Christianne for 16 years, their children are Wes, 14, Andrew, 13, Grace, 12, Allie, 10, and Emma, 4.

Randy’s favorite Christmas memories include lots of snow and lots of family. He remembers jumping off the roof into the snow. This might scare you until you realize that the snow was so high, the distance from the roof to the snow was only about 2 feet! For those of us who’ve lived in the flurry-frightened state of Kentucky our whole lives, that seems nearly incomprehensible. Randy loved sledding and digging tunnels in the snow. Many times he and his siblings would dig out a huge circular area in the snow and place plywood over the top, creating a completely enclosed fort. (Makes me feel claustrophobic!) Christmas was always loud and always full of family as everyone went to his grandmother’s house. She was a bow-saver (aren’t all grandmothers?) and Randy’s family loved to aggravate her by playing in all the bows.

Recently, God has been challenging Randy to deepen his understanding of what worship really is. That may sound funny coming from a worship minister, but Randy says that the strength of his corporate worship of God is only as strong as the worship he gives God on a day to day basis. Randy says that every decision in life gives us the choice and the opportunity to worship--or not worship--God. It is this constant, daily adoration of God that makes the weekend’s corporate worship more powerful and meaningful. If you’ve walked with God all week and known Him intimately every day, then the musical worship is that much more exciting and significant.

Now, since we know Randy loves Christmas and is working hard to make this the grandest Christmas celebration yet, and, since we know he loves snow—lots and lots of snow--I have to wonder—will we be seeing any snow at OCC this year?