Random Acts of Christmas

I love this video of a group a people, showing up at a mall food court and bursting into song, proclaiming the birth of Christ through Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.

What an experience it must of been for those who witnessed the event!

Imagine the preparation that went into rehearsing for this big moment.

What a sight it must have been when the angel appeared to the shepherds to tell them that something amazing was about to happen!

I wonder, how can we prepare ourselves for the big moment that is coming? How can we prepare to receive the gift of Jesus’ birth in a fresh way as we approach Christmas?

God is Love

Check out this video from The Michael Gungor Band.

Mousetrap Extreme?

Check out this super fun video for the song “This Too Shall Pass” by OK Go.

Is it hard to believe that “This Too Shall Pass” when you are having a hard time?

Remember joy. Remember to have fun. Remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Read Psalm 139:12.

It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Comin

Here’s an appropriate video for today from Igniter Media:

Isn’t the Bible just kids stuff?

Probably not!

Join us for a Seldom Animated Bible Story!

Letting God Chisel

At the beginning of this year we talked a bit about learning to tune out those voices in our lives that have taught us to believe that we are not good enough.

We talked about letting God change the “If Onlys into Eventhoughs”, as Jeanne Stevens puts it. The truth is that we are God’s beloved. As we put ourselves in the position to learn how God really feels about us we can begin to catch glimpses of all that God has created us to be.

I think this video really hits that idea home.

The Best Way to Spend a Sunday by Kyra Flowers

Teen small group. Let me guess, you have something better to do, right? Some friends to text, some party to go to… oh and your crops are ready to harvest on FarmVille tonight. You already go to church, so why should you bother to waste a perfectly good Sunday night doing the same thing you do at church?

Teen Small Group isn’t church as usual.. Small group is a group of people the same age as you. It’s people who know what you’re going through and are there to help you and listen to you. It’s people gathering together on a search for the most important prize of all eternity… an eternity with God in heaven.

A small group is your own little support group when something goes wrong. Walking through the halls at school and seeing someone who knows what you’re going through and is praying for you is a fantastic feeling.

Teen Small Group is very different from youth group. In youth group we sit in chairs. Our youth pastor preaches a sermon and we listen and pray and read the Bible and play fun games and make lots of noise. But the main part is that our pastor preaches the sermon. In Teen Small Group we teach the sermon. We read passages from the Bible and our small group leaders ask us questions. Someone answers the question and a discussion soon ensues. The discussion is often personal and because of that you are able to take the answers to the questions and relate them to your own life in a way that is hard to achieve in youth group.

At Teen Small Group it always feels like you’re being spoken to, never spoken at. Those who attend a small group are given insight into problems or questions that would not have come to them without it. Thoughts from many minds come together to create a bigger picture. Without this picture it would be much more difficult to get the idea.

Most importantly, Teen Small Group is a place where you can feel safe. The people there trust you and you can trust them. Everyone is in this thing… this search for God… together. Teen Small Group reminds you that you are never alone, but that when you feel alone there is always someone to call on.

Read Kyra’s blog here.

Teen Fun Night: Gift Card Giver House Party

Hey Teens! We have a super fun event coming up on January 15th. We hope you can make it!

Here’s a taste of what this event is all about:

From the GiftCardGiver.com website:

Four friends had an idea to collect gift cards and give them to people in need. They went to a gathering and asked 8 people how much money in unused Gift Cards they had in their wallets and walked away with $50 in Gift Cards to help people in need. GiftCardGiver.com was born.

Gift Card Giver is a new form of giving. The Gift Card industry has risen to be a 60 billion dollar industry. Ever wonder how many gift cards are unused? More than 10%. That means billions of dollars are waiting to be used for good on Gift Cards.

How many gift cards do you have sitting in your wallet? We guess you have at least $5 of unused gift cards in your wallet or purse right now. What’s 5 bucks going to buy you? Five bucks in Gift Cards may buy you a pair of socks…but 10 people giving 5 bucks will buy a kid a winter coat or 1000 people giving $5 from may give that same kid a warm bedroom to sleep through the night.

Join us for a fun night of card games and giving.

Admission: one gift card (new or one with a leftover balance)

Advent Conspiracy

because the classics never die…

What is real life?

Read: Matthew 11:28