Brooks rang a bell for the children’s Christmas music service this year at church. It was a lot of fun for him. He loved his red bell and knew he had to wait to ring it. Not a small feat for a two year old.
We were/are quite proud of our little man.
christmas
Ice Ice Baby
We had some investment friends give us some tickets to ICE at Opry Mills this week. All we had to do was watch a short sales video. ICE is cool, literally & figuratively. Brooks walking around was our highlight and especially the full size parka he had to wear.
Evening with the Oak Ridge Boys
When I moved to Nashville there was some knowledge that country music resided here, but coming out of the Philadelphia area of New Jersey there wasn’t much country music in my background. So the run ins with an Alan Jackson, Brooks or Dunn (still not sure it was), and a few others I was told were country stars which was news to me has always been odd to me.
When starting work at Hendersonville First I got to know the Sterban family. Lauren was an older youth and had plugged into the theater happenings more than the youth group, but she was around a bunch & eventually came back as young adult to volunteer in ministry. Tori, the youngest started out in VBS with me. She always gave me this look of “really” and “I can’t believe I’m associating with you” which I always thought was cute. Many times I probably deserved those looks. Turns out their dad is Rich Sterban, the bass voice to the Oak Ridge Boys, who knew.. I certainly didn’t for the longest time.
Anyways, Donna, Rich’s wife, was super generous & invited us to the Christmas tour concert of the Oak Ridge Boys in Nashville. I still don’t know all the ORB’s songs, but I’m learning. A favorite moment was seeing the girls & some of the Sterban grandkids on stage at the end of ‘Thank God for Kids.’
Contemplative Christmastide Worship Free Resource
This originally published for YouthWorker Movement
I’ve been designing and dreaming up contemplative worship experiences for over 8 years now with youth, young adults, regular ole’ adults and multi-generational groups. It has been one of the most mysterious and gratifying things I’ve done in ministry.
Being a part of the movement I thought I’d put together some ideas on pulling together your own “Contemplative Christmastide Worship” worship experience in these coming weeks. If you give this a go, it is designed to be a pretty simple set up and to go around 45 minutes to an hour. You are welcome to blow this out of the water and do some crazy stuff with it. That would be awesome!
Download : Contemplative Christmastide Worship
If you do use it and get some pictures, could you send them to us to show on the site? That’d be really cool as well.
Have a fabulous Advent and Christmastide experience.
shalom
Gift a Goat : Because Christmas is Not Your Birthday #giftagoat
My friend Matthew (JesusNeedsNewPR) is campaigning to spread the word for Give a Goat week. This week, before the black Friday & the holiday rush begins, start off your giving by giving a goat to a needy family.
Goats nourish hungry children and families with healthy milk, cheese, and yogurt. Goats also give a much-needed income boost by providing offspring and extra dairy products for sale at the market.
A healthy dairy goat can give up to 16 cups of milk a day. Goat milk is easier to digest than cow’s milk and is an excellent source of calcium, protein, and other essential nutrients that growing children need. Goats are practical animals — flourishing in harsh climates while producing valuable manure to fertilize crops and vegetable gardens.
From Matthew:
…a goat is affordable: Only $75. And for somebody who might not be able to afford to sponsor a child through World Vision, this is an affordable option to give and help a family in need this holiday season.
I’ve been on two trips with World Vision, to Uganda and Dominican Republic, and have witnessed firsthand the amazing benefits that one goat can make in the life of a family or community. While a goat might not seem like much to us, for many across the globe, a goat is one of the most cherished gifts they can receive. Because for them, one goat represents the opportunity for sustainability.
Still Not Convinced?