'Twas the Night Before Imagine Christmas...

and all through the Lord's house, not a computer is whirling with a wireless mouse.   The lights are all hung from the cieling with care, in hopes that 3000 people would soon be there!  

I can't believe it is the night before IMAGINE CHRISTMAS!  This month has flown by.  All the rehearsals are done.  All the videos are finished.  All the lights are programmed.  All the decorations have been set.  All the lines have been memorized.  All the music has been rehearsed.  Now all we need is YOU!

Let me rewind for you to the summer.  It seems like just a moment ago that we were all sitting in Robert and Angie's house, listening to music and watching DVD's of production elements...IMAGINATIONS running wild!  The excitement was high.  Thoughts were that this might be the biggest and best Christmas program that First Euless has ever done.  We were working hard to dream big and make sure that every part of the Worship Ministry would be involved to bring to you IMAGINE CHRISTMAS.

Fast forward to December 12th... All the work has been accomplished.  Now it is just time to show you.  To help you see Christmas in a whole new way.  And I don't mean the color scheme or set on the stage.  I don't mean rearranging this original Bible story.  Think about this for just a minute. To us, the believer, Christmas isn't the pretty lights, trees with wrapped presents  and Christmas carols.  It is the appointed time that God sent us Emmanuel and fulfilled his name 

"God With Us."  The world was waiting for their Messiah.  And after his time to come was completed and the price was paid that satisfied His Father, we were given the Holy Spirit, who lives in us.  For me...Christmas is always living in me.  Now we await his coming again.  But until then, we have to share Christmas with the rest of the world.  Not in gifts and toys...but in name.  He is the One True Gift - perfect, meeting all needs.  So, that is what we are doing tomorrow night and Sunday.  We're celebrating the time when Christmas was given once for all. Join us tomorrow night.  Bring your IMAGINATION, open wild like a child's.  And join with us as we re-visit this timeless story of the First Christmas.  This is way better than "visions of sugar plums dancing in your heads..."  See you tomorrow.

Meet Cynthia Kilgore - A Dancing Angel

I have often let my IMAGINATION wrap itself around what it must have been like to see a "host of angels" sharing the good news...the birth of the Christ Child.  Shut your eyes for a moment and try to IMAGINE this sight in the sky.... something to behold.  Well, we won't be having any angelic beings at our IMAGINE CHRISTMAS performance, but I'd like you to meet this young lady, because she is quite an angel herself.  Cindy's time on stage will just be about 2 minutes...but the sight will be something to behold.  

When we conducted our auditions this year for a ballerina, this young lady took my breath away.  I sat beside her mom as she performed for us...and her mom was crying.  Why?  The beauty that was before us.  But there was more...this young lady loves Jesus and this is her form of worship...her gift back to Christ.  Her spirit is precious and her love for Christ radiates from every part of her.  And I can tell you that o

ur Heavenly Father has given her an amazing talent...her dancing.  She will bless you as she helps us paint a picture of how all of Heaven rejoiced as "A Child Was Born" and given "Unto Us."

There are only                                IMAGINE CHRISTMAS!

A Star Will Point The Way

Well, we've officially reached the end of 3 days left for IMAGINE CHRISTMAS.  I know, I just can't believe it.  And folks, I have to tell you that I've been excited from the beginning.  I mean, I'm a producer and even talking through the plan for this program thrilled me.  But now that all the elements are coming together, I can't even explain to you the level that my excitement has reached!  You'll just have to see it to believe it!  This is a show where no IMAGINATION of what could be accomplished was spared.  And it comes out in every element.  You should see Uprising dancing in the opening number!  You should see how precious all the kids are!  You should hear how GLORIOUS the choir sounds!  Wait, there's a theme here... YOU'VE GOT TO SEE THIS SHOW!  It is a collaboration of so many people who dared to dream BIG!  And I have to tell you that I believe that they have all delivered!  And better than that, God has blessed all of their effort and hard work all along the way.  This is something so special, you've just got to share it with someone!  How easy it is to invite a friend, neighbor, co-worker, family member.  And here is one element that will show you just how big our IMAGINATIONS took us...THE STAR!

OH, it is amazing!  And I'm sure the Bethlehem Star that pointed the way for all those who had been looking for generations for "The Long-Awaited One".  It guided those Wisemen from a far.  It shed light in that dark, cold cave when Mary gave birth to God's Son, Jesus.  This light got the attention of those Shepherds who came to adore this Holy Infant.  But truth be told, the rest of Bethlehem just missed it.  It was just an ordinary night and that was just a bright and pretty star.  And in the midst of the ordinary, came the extraordinary!  Emmanuel, God With Us!  The beginning of the road of redemption of God's final creation - MAN!  What about you?  Take a look at your Bethlehem.  There are so many, busy people.  And they are missing it.  The One who can bring them peace.  The One who gave His life so that they can know life eternal.  The One who bring comfort and guidance to every moment of every day.  Wake up your Bethlehem.  Don't let the ordinary miss the extraordinary!  The message is timeless and speaks for itself.  Let's just fill that room with folks who need to be touched by the EXTRAORDINARY Himself.  Jesus!  

 

We're Excited!

IMAGINE CHRISTMAS!

A Beehive Of Activity

The week is finally here!  I just can't believe it...but it has arrived.  And today was a beehive of activity.  Lights were delivered and hung.  The stage was struck and the orchestra pit was formed.  The snake (one that doesn't bite) was moved.  The curtain was hung.  The star was pullied.  The ballerina was videoed.  See...a beehive of activity.  Each day this week we'll be working on one more element of the day before, layering them together like a scrumptious cake that will just be waiting on you when you arrive.  But as busy as we were today, the moments to stop and be thankful for God's providence were there.  I went into this day trying to remind myself to not be so busy as to miss God at work all around me.  There was another woman over 2000 years ago who was mindful of how God must be working out the all important details on her behalf.

IMAGINE THIS with me for just a minute....  Mary was only 5 days away from the time appointed that she would give birth to the Christ-child.  She had been on a long journey with her new husband.  She was very pregnant and not with HIS child.  There were tons of other people who were also having to travel to Bethlehem.  All returning to the city of their ancestors birth.  We don't really know what weather must have been like for them.  We don't really know if people traveling that similar journey were helpful to them.  We don't really know if their donkey was traveling at a decent pace or decided to stop and be stubborn from his weariness from carrying this young and very pregnant girl.  So, IMAGINE all of the uncertainty, all of the activity...  This is a favorite part of scripture for me.  The Bible says that "Mary pondered or hid all of this in her heart."  She held all of this journey, as crazy as it was near and dear to her heart.  God's child lived inside her body.  Surely, the journey for her was a different than for others.  Her point of view watching God deliver His plan of redemption to earth was the closest possible.  Surely her soul was very sensitive to how God was working around her...after all He was IN her too.  So this week as we work hard to be prepared for your arrival at IMAGINE CHRISTMAS, my prayer is that my soul and spirit is ever sensitive to all that God is doing to prepare the message.  I hope you'll join me in praying for the souls who need to hear the message of REDEMPTION made flesh.  Pray their hearts will be ripe and ready to just receive THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER GIVEN.  His name is Jesus.  He is Emmanuel, God With Us.

A Sneak Peak into IMAGINE CHRISTMAS

Look at Angie...wife of our Worship Pastor, mother to three cute red heads (Jack, Audrey & Foster), Creator and Director of The Little Levites at First Euless, Volunteer Children's Choir Coordinator, Legacy Music Teacher, Vocal Coach and BULLFIGHTER!  Really?  Well, you can decide or come to IMAGINE CHRISTMAS next Saturday at 6 pm or Sunday at 3 pm and see exactly what this is she's wearing and what part it plays in the production.  Trust me...there is so much to see and experience.  We're praying that you're finding folks to invite that need to hear the message of Christ's birth.  Over and over again this week I saw instances and reminders that the world is looking this time of year...it's Christmas and the story of the birth of Christ is not offensive to them...for some reason, the world remains open to Christmas carols and the Christmas story.  So, as believers, we've got to take this open door and remarkable opportunity that we find so easy, especially at this time of year, and INVITE them to our program.  I've invited my friends and acquaintances outside of my "Christian Bubble".  Have you?  IMAGINE CHRISTMAS is the perfect place to bring them.  One week left!!!  

I can't believe it's only

IMAGINE CHRISTMAS!

Big Band Concert & The Parade of Lights

First Euless has something else going this Christmas besides IMAGINE CHRISTMAS.   If you love Jazz, Christmas, parades and lights, then you can't miss the Euless Parade of Lights this Saturday night.  The First Euless Big Band will be performing at the end of the parade route near the Rec Center.  That is always an awesome show!  The big band will be playing jazz standards that are sure to make your Christmas season feel more complete.  And David Gentiles will be there to sing some Christmas Jazz to.  For those of you who remember the last several years, Robert and David recorded a Christmas CD.  I'm sure they'll be singing a selection from that at the big band concert.  And then there is the parade.  The Kids Choirs are walking in the parade.  They will singing some of their worship songs from KidStuf and making their way to the end.  I hope you'll take time out of all the Christmas busyness to join us at the Euless Parade of Lights this Saturday night.  It's a perfect way to head into our IMAGINE CHRISTMAS week.  The anticipation is growing....  

IMAGINE CHRISTMAS!

196 Voices Strong!

We've talked about a lot of things and aspects of IMAGINE CHRISTMAS...but one thing we haven't really touched on yet is THE CHOIR!  You heard me 196 voices strong!  And folks, they are glorious!  We've been rehearsing since August, getting ready for these amazing songs that have been chosen for the choir to sing.  And each time I get to sit and  listen to them sing, I'm just in awe.  There's a line in one of our drama scenes that says, "We need a choir filled with voices as big as the sea!"  And we've got it!  There were so many in the loft tonight, that I'm nervous that they won't actually all fit!  HA!  What an amazing problem to have.  And we've got so many kids dancing on stage, that they almost don't fit up there all together.  So...just know that there are many exciting things to look forward to in this production.  When was the last time you heard a 196 voiced choir sing praise to Emmanuel, God With Us?  Don't miss it on Saturday, December 13 & Sunday, December 14.  

The Highway Banner Speaks to Commuters

Ok...this title sounds a little strange, I know...but follow me for a moment.  I know you've seen our big highway banner that is up on the church sign on highway 183.  Well, I've personally been praying that as folks pass by day after day that it wouldn't just become a part of their every day scenery, but it would jump out and grab their attention, and that they would make plans to attend one of the IMAGINE CHRISTMAS shows.  Are you still with me?  So yesterday, in the middle of a crazy Monday, Ms. Vicki answered the phone to begin talking to a 183 commuter who decided to make that phone call to get information about our program.  YES!!!!  It's working!  Our 183 friend and his family love to attend Christmas shows each year.  He's been looking for the one they would attend this year and decided to give our program a try.  Oh, but this story gets better.  He told Ms. Vicki that he THINKS that his children have heard the Nativity story before....  Ponder that for a moment.  Now, I don't know who all is reading this blog day in and day out (and hope there are bunches), but if you are like me, you probably feel like you've always known THE NATIVITY STORY.  Is that how the world thinks of this story?  A frozen Nativity scene?  You know, you have them on the front of your Christmas card.  You sit them on your coffee table.  You see them in people's yards all lit up at night.  Maybe you have one in a snow globe on your desk at work.  Common place this time of year, right?  But The Nativity Story is so much more to me, as I hope it is to you.  It is the story of God's Son leaving his home coming down to earth to be one of us - Jesus, Emmanuel, God With Us.  A promise fulfilled in the flesh.  And not just to be a cute baby on a Christmas card, or to give song writers a precious topic for writing hit songs.  He left that manger and grew up to walk this earth as a man - a Perfect One.  And there was only one reason...to build a bridge through His sacrifice on a terrible cross so that you and I could be reconciled back to God.  How can we help the world understand that part of the message?  Well, one way is getting them to come see IMAGINE CHRISTMAS...our version of The Nativity Story.  There is huge world that doesn't know the reason we celebrate Christmas.  There are children who might have heard it before, but most likely have not.  And guess what folks....they are driving down 183 and 157, all over town, looking for a place to see a Christmas show.  Please join me in several things.  1) Pray that our Highway Banner will be a beacon on that road for those searching...for more than a good show this season; and 2) invite someone.  Statistics show that over 80% of non-believers would attend a church service if they were extended a personal invitation by a friend, neighbor or co-worker.  Who is it in your life?  They are waiting on you.  We can't let that highway sign do all the work for us this Christmas.  

Meet Harold & Alvin

I was driving home from the Ladies Dinner tonight at our church.  It is one of my favorite events of the year.  It also happens to mark the beginning of the Christmas Season at our church.  Angie and the Ladies Praise Team sang "Jesus, What A Wonderful Child".  Kristi Brown debuted my favorite song from IMAGINE CHRISTMAS called "I Believe".  I cried as the ladies stood all over the room in honor of the One we'd come to celebrate.  And now I was in my cold car, the heat was on, and Bing Crosby was singing "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" on the radio.  It is here!  December 1st, Christmastime and only 12 days until IMAGINE CHRISTMAS!

Then I started to IMAGINE what it must have been like 12 days before the Blessed Event over 2000 years ago.  Mary's belly had grown very round and tight as the God child grew inside her.  She and Joseph were on the road to Bethlehem, very far away from home.  And what must Heaven have been like.  Can you IMAGINE having the bird's eye view from Heaven watching this story unfold before you on the canvas of earth?  All of Heaven was preparing, watching, waiting...but did they understand the why?  Jesus had left to go down to "The Planet of the People" almost 9 months before to go and take residence in the womb of a young girl.  But why?  For the "earthlings"?  Wasn't this a lot of fuss over the people who seemed to do nothing but keep messing up?  I mean, they started that from the very beginning when Eve handed Adam that apple in the garden.  Well this is where Harold and Alvin enter on our IMAGINE CHRISTMAS journey.  We'll watch as they ask these questions and make a journey to the planet to see the plan unfold in person.  And what they find on their journey, is the same thing that is still changing lives over 2000 years later.  Their journey might just be a part of a church program, but the message is absolutely true!  If only the world as we know it today could really discover the reason why Jesus would leave His perfect home, be God wrapped in flesh and leave that manger to take up a cross for the likes of you and me.  IMAGINE what a different place "The Planet With The People" would be....  

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

IMAGINE CHRISTMAS

The Countdown is On!

Hello everyone, this is the Worship Pastor at First Euless - I suppose it's about time for me to contribute to this post! Yes, two more weeks until blast-off - I'm excited! I do have a good excuse for not posting yet - namely, getting ready for the above-mentioned production!

I do hope you are doing all you can to be here and to invite your friends and family. It will be something we have not attempted in my 10+ years serving at First Euless. This is about as close to a pageant as we will probably get. This is what I would call a CONTEMPORARY pageant (Wow - now we have to differentiate between TRADITIONAL pageant and CONTEMPORARY pageant!). The content is the same - the timeless story of the birth of Jesus, our Emmanuel, God With Us. But the presentation will be unique, utilizing just about every area of ministry and every available technology at our disposal - adult choir, orchestra, kids' choirs, student choir, drama, elaborate set, cool lights and video, and some other surprises!

The presentation fits well within our philosophy in worship - making the most of every Sunday. One reason our church has never embraced the pageant is because of the possible neglect and loss of excellence in our week-to-week Sunday services. Our goal has always been to make each Sunday the BIG EVENT. This production allows us to utilize many of the same elements of a pageant, but without affecting our weekly Sunday mornings, and it will more than likely add greater emphasis to our worship services in December. It's allowed us to create a pageant-like environment without losing sight of the big picture. And it's energized our ministry - we have close to 200 signed up in our choir! That will be the record for any event I've led. It will be glorious!

So make plans to join us in TWO weeks! I'll try to check in again SOON.

The Journey, Part IV - They Followed The Star....

...all the way to Bethlehem, to worship Him.  I can't believe that we've only got 2 weeks until we take our Imagination journey to revisit Bethlehem at the time of Christ's blessed birth.  2 Weeks!  WOW!  There were 2 groups of guys that took very different journeys to come and see the Christ child.  As my family heads home toward Texas today from our Thanksgiving vacation, let's IMAGINE these 2 different journeys together.

First....the Shepherds.  IMAGINE this...it was dark....most of the sheep were settled in for the night on the hillside.  You've counted them....97, 98, 99, they are all there.  It's time for some hot soup around the little fire that all the shepherds gather around for warmth.  It's been a long day and you're just waiting to lay your head on that rock for some sleep.  When suddenly, the dark night is cut in half with the brightest light you've ever seen.  You shield your eyes not to be blinded by the fierceness.  Is it fire?  Is it the sun falling down to earth right here on the hillside?  Wait...your eyes begin to adjust...what is that gorgeous being.  You aren't afraid at all.  You feel warm and peaceful and filled with awe.  And you hear news that makes you leap with joy down to your toes.  "Do not be afraid for I bring to you good news.  Today, a Savior is born to you in the City of David...Christ the Lord.  This shall be a sign.  You shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."  Everyone is listening.  Even the sheep are still.  You know what you must do.  You gather the herd and head down that rocky hill toward the city.  Wait...there is no guessing.  Even though the angels are gone...you see a star like you've never seen before shining brightly in the night sky, hovering right above a cave.  Could this be the place?  Heaven showed up to tell you about a baby born in a barn?  But you go, because you must see for yourself.  And there He is....  There is no doubt.  Will His young mother let you see her newly born child.  Your dirty and smell like sheep.  But she is gracious and seems to understand that the child she holds is no ordinary child.  One look...and you know...the world has been changed forever.  And you will never be the same.  You wish you had a gift for this sweet, little child.  Maybe your prized lamb would be something that His parents could use and cherish.  It is the least you can do.

And then there were the Wisemen.  Their journey was much longer than down the hill and around the corner.  They were smart guys.  They had been reading the prophecy and studying the stars.  And then it finally happens.  That bright star is there in the sky.  Quick...these royal foreigners must pack the camels and get going.  The journey will take years.  What if they can't get there in time to see the baby.  Well, he won't be an infant when they arrive.  But they must make this pilgrimage to see the child that was prophesied to change the world forever.  Sand storms...stubborn camels...unpredictable weather.  But this trip was worth it.  There were precious gifts that must be delivered.  And then the time comes.  They arrive in the City of David...where the prophecy foretold he would be.  But where?  They decide to visit the palace.  Surely the local king would have direction to where to find this Holy Child.  But He seems odd and confused.  Herod does invite them to join him for a nice meal, but it seems like he's just pressing them for information.  Inside they feel they should not give him the information he is after.  He makes a request, that when they find the king, that they come back by the palace and tell him so he too can go and worship the new king.  Night is falling now and that bright star that has shown them the way for all this time will surely be there again.  And it is.  They journey to a humble dwelling.  And there playing the yard is this beautiful child that they can't take their eyes off of.  And He seems enamored with their whole entourage.  The time is right.  3 Important gifts...symbolic according to prophecy.  Gold, frankincense and myrrh.  IMAGINE this...each king in his royal regalia bowing one at a time in front of this beautiful boy.  His parents almost seem embarrassed by the fuss, but it isn't the first time strangers have come to be respect to their first born.  See Him standing so still as these old, wise, weary travelers and all those who traveled with them, bend the knee.  And then another gift of kindness from these foreign strangers.  They inform the young parents that the local king named Herod has been looking for their child.  His request didn't sit right with them, so they chose not to return to tell him where they found the Holy Child.  And now that they had come and seen this King of Kings for themselves...the journey home would be well worth it.  They trusted that the prophecy foretold would be true...and they found its truth in the flesh of a child that Mary called Jesus.  

The Journey Part III, A New King Has Arrived

Did you know that King Herod was on a journey of his own around the time that Christ was born?  He was ruling Judah and knew that Jewish prophecy foretold that a great king would come to rescue the people.  OH NO!  A great king that would come to over throw him as ruler...he must begin to hunt down this king that was a threat to his reign.  Can you IMAGINE THIS?  Herod sleepless at night, standing out on his royal balcony...pacing back and forth, worrying when this great king would show his mighty face?  He must increase his army.  He must make sure the troops are ready for a great fight.  He must have spies in and among the people so when the news spread of the arrival of this "Savior", he'd be the first to know and take him out!  Poor Herod.  I almost laugh thinking about the weeks of lost sleep, meals wasted because his stomach was churning with worry.  Little did he know that the Mightiest King was the Tiniest King at this time.  A small, little red infant...sleeping in the feeding trough of an animal.  He was royalty wrapped in rags.  He was completely dependent on his young mother to meet his every need.  He had no army here on earth at his disposal.  This Mighty King chose a completely different strategy than massing His grand army and marching into Jerusalem to overthrow King Herod.  He chose to float in the small womb of a virgin.  He chose to enter the world fully flesh as tiny boy child.  He chose to be one of us.  And those who saw the star and were met by choirs of angels pronouncing His coming, came and saw His Mighty hand as a tiny hand.  Only Abba could have IMAGINED it done this way.  Genius....pure genius.  

Be Thankful For The Journey

Happy Thanksgiving!  What a great holiday...and depending how your family choses to celebrate it, it can be very different from the family's next door. Today I am grateful to have an amazing and loving family.  How blessed we are to have 2 beautiful children and a great support system of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as friends.  Today we stop and give thanks for all that God has blessed us with.

And today I am thankful that my Lord and Savior chose to leave His perfect home and come to earth to be one of us, so that he could break the curse of sin.  The journey for His arrival wasn't easy.  We've been talking about Mary and Joseph having to travel so far away from home, near the time of Mary's delivery.  Let's IMAGINE this part for just a moment...

Joseph is exhausted.  His feet could possibly be bleeding from the rough terrain and walking over 100 miles.  He probably kept them moving as much as possible, being nervous that Mary was so close to her time to give birth.  He had to be mindful of the taxes he would have to pay when he arrived in Bethlehem, so they probably didn't have a lot of extra money, not that there were convenient stores along the way to stop and get refreshments.  And then there is Mary...

Joseph has kept that stubborn, old donkey moving so they could make it to Bethlehem.  But she's got questions.  How much further?  Where will they be staying when they get to the village?  Will there be anyone to help her when the time comes to give birth?  Will she have everything she needs to bring this child into the world?  What is that pain that isn't going away?  Should she tell Joseph that her time is getting near?  Did God know this was how it was going to be?  Didn't He want His son to have a place to be born that was warm and sanitary? Oh, those pains are growing closer.   She remembers how it was for Elizabeth.  She is going to need to get off this donkey soon.

But the crowd is huge.  The inns are packed with people!  Maybe Joseph began to panic a little.  He promised Mary's family that he would take good care of her.  What are they going to do?  Do you think there was a moment when Joseph lifted his head up towards the heavens and cried out, "God, help me help Mary!"  And finally, one Innkeeper didn't just shut the door, but he was kind and pointed out that there was cave for the animals out back that would be a great place to take shelter.  Hurry, Joseph!  This baby is coming....

Joseph gets Mary in there.  Hopefully she can give him some instructions on how to help her during this process.  Watching her in pain is terrible.  He is praying that everything is going as it should.  Maybe the Innkeeper's wife brought out some clean supplies.  Joseph saw a feeding trough and emptied it out for when the baby would be here( It certainly wasn't an infant warmer like I had for when our firstborn came into this world.)  The time is here.  Mary's doing it!  She's giving the world its long awaited Messiah...in a barn...filled with animals...on a hillside in the crowded village of Bethlehem.  Would I have been able to give thanks for this journey?  Would I have been grateful to have been chosen to bear this child into the world in this way?  Finding joy in the journey is a personal choice.  And as Mary and her husband looked down at the round cheeks of this Holy Child, I IMAGINE they were filled with nothing by joy at His arrival!  And I IMAGINE that all of Heaven was watching.  And I IMAGINE that the world was rejoicing at the arrival of EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US.  Thank you, Lord.  Hope had come.  

The Journey Part II, The Donkey Express

And so our journey continues...  Mary stayed at her cousin Elizabeth's house for 3 months.  For the ladies, that's one trimester in pregnancy.  I'm sure that she learned an awful lot in her time there that helped her when her time came to deliver Jesus.  I was thinking about this last night...during Mary's stay there, she probably thought that she's be at home giving birth to Baby Jesus.  But we know that didn't happen.

So Mary returned to her home very different than we she left.  If she wasn't before, she was "great with child" now.  If she hadn't before, she had felt the Christ child move in her womb.  She had come to know him in only the way a mother can carrying her child.  She journeyed back to her village and there was Joseph and the family waiting.  Joseph had a decision to make.  Mary was expecting and it wasn't his child.  We know that at some point Joseph was visited by an angel in his sleep.  He was told that this child was of God and that he needed to take Mary as his wife, and help her raise this child as his own.  He was told that this child would be great and would save His people.  And Joseph, being a great man, took this heavenly message as truth.  He went ahead and took Mary as his wife.  But the story gets more interesting still  Then came the degree from Caesar that every man was to be counted in the city of his ancestor's birth.  Oh, and pay taxes too.  Now Joseph told Mary and her family that he couldn't stay in Nazareth to be counted and pay his tax.  His people were from a little town called Bethlehem.  He'd have to make the journey, and Mary would have to go with him.  She and the baby she carried inside were Joseph's family now.  

IMAGINE this....being "great with child" and your husband (who you really don't know yet) walks in and tells you that you've got to climb on the back of boney donkey and ride over 100 miles to a city where you don't know anyone.  You're not traveling on a paved road, or in a comfortable SUV with passenger side temperature control.  You won't be sleeping in the Holiday Inn Express each night when you need to stop for sleep.  And very pregnant women have to go to the bathroom a lot!  This was not going to be an easy journey for anyone, let alone a 9 month pregnant young woman.  Mary was riding on an old, stubborn donkey.  She was going to have to cross over hills, river beds and rocky terrains.  I IMAGINE that everyone on the road to Bethlehem wasn't kind and considerate.  And she had no idea when this very important baby she was carrying would make His grand entrance into this world.  You know, Mary didn't have all the pieces to this God-designed plan.  We get to read about the whole story in the Bible.  But she just had to trust that her new husband would take care of her along the way, and that the God she said "yes" to when she was chosen to bear his Son, had all of these very important details worked out for her.  Surely, He was in control of this part of the journey, even if it made no sense to her or her family.  So, she packed what little things the donkey could carry, some food, and climbed up on the boney back of that donkey to travel to the little Town of Bethlehem.  What trust!  What surrender to a plan that was bigger than her ideas of how this baby would be born.  IMAGINE trusting like that....   

Magnificat (The Journey Part I cont'd)

So, yesterday Mary arrives at her cousin's house to be greeted by a blessing.  Elizabeth, in the excitement for the child in her own womb leaping with joy at Mary's arrival, speaks these words, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  Why is it the mother of MY LORD should come to me."  Now, Mary hasn't been able to send word ahead that she's pregnant with God's child.  But Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and instantly knew.  And at this moment, Mary has a song for all time birthed in her soul.  IMAGINE this...her sweet, innocent voice, lilting through the air...making Elizabeth, Zachariah and all the servants and workers stop to listen.  It was sweet and beautiful.  Do you hear it?  Listen....  

"My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, My Savior.

For He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant.

From now on, all generations will call me blessed

for the Mighty One has done great things for me

Holy is His name.....  "  Luke 1:46-56

A God song....sung by the young woman chosen to bring MY REDEEMER into this world.  God graciously gave Mary wisdom beyond her years.  And she hid all of it in her heart.  I wonder if this song might have become a lullabye when Baby Jesus was restless for sleep.  I wonder if when she held him crying from a scraped knee, that she hummed this song and it brought him comfort.  I wonder if when she had to watch Him die so her grown up baby could bring salvation to all the world, that the words to this song could have replayed in her mind.  IMAGINE it....  What a journey that still lay ahead for Mary and her boy child....

The Journey, Part I

So this week marks Thanksgiving, and in my family, that means traveling.  Now that we live in Texas, that means traveling a long way!  We have several legs to our journey.  First, to Memphis, where my family all lives...then the next day to Knoxville, where Bradley's family all lives.  Knoxville, according to my son, Brody, is our home town.  So this week, while we're on the different legs of our journey home and back, I thought we could focus on all the journeys that Jesus took...even the one before He was born.  Today, "The Journey, Part I"

Let's think about Mary's first journey we read about in the Bible. IMAGINE this situation for a second....  Joseph and Mary were to be married, and before that official day when the father of the bridegroom decides it is time for the family to journey together and go get the Bride and bring her to her new home...a huge Jewish celebration, mind you...  Well, before Joseph got to do this with Mary, she came to the family and informed them all that she was pregnant with God's child.  Well, their engagement time changed quite a bit.  And with all the gossip in their little town of Nazareth...and the shame that her family must have felt...Mary decided that she needed to go and spend some time with her cousin Elizabeth.  Elizabeth was expecting her first child too.  And this the first part of Mary's journey.  

We're not exactly sure how long it took Mary to get there...but she went alone.  She most likely walked...could have rode for a ways on a wagon or donkey.  Yes, newly pregnant, alone, scared and traveling far from home.  You know, this was the time before letters, phones, emails, etc.  Mary took this long journey and it would be a surprise for her waiting cousin.  Now IMAGINE the moment that she walked up to the house where Zachariah and Elizabeth lived, and Mary began to call out with excitement for her cousin.  "Elizabeth...Zachariah...it's Mary!  Where are you?"  And out ran Elizabeth holding her round belly, and her face with filled with awe.  And with excitement, her greeting to her young cousin was this..."Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  Why is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"  Ok...this passage is filled with so much that I get excited.  First of all...the baby inside Elizabeth was a miracle child too..given to Elizabeth and Zachariah in their old age.  He was to prepare the way for the coming Messiah...Mary's baby, Jesus.  That's another story.  But here is Elizabeth asking our young, scared, alone, pregnant Mary this question, "Why is it that the mother of MY LORD has come to me?"  What a moment!  Could Mary's heart have skipped a beat?  Her family didn't quite understand all that was happening...but in a moment, Elizabeth did.  I IMAGINE that Mary's heart felt comfort, maybe her eyes welled up with tears of joy and relief...Elizabeth understood that Mary had a special calling on her life to carry "THE LORD".  This was going to be a good visit for our young Mary.  There are many reasons, but one that I feel was most important is that Elizabeth was having a baby before Mary.  Mary could learn all that she'd need to know for when it would be her time to give birth to this Holy Child.  Isn't our God a God of the details?  Of course He is.  And He was ordaining the perfect plan to prepare this young woman who was blessed among all women.   Oh, but the story doesn't stop there....more to come tomorrow.  And it is special!

How Time Flies...

IMAGINE CHRISTMAS

What If He Hadn't Come?

Today we don't just celebrate 20 days until IMAGINE CHRISTMAS, we have a reason to celebrate because it's Sunday!  I love Sundays.  We get 52 of those a year, so how awesome is that!  And I love Christmas just as much.  We only get to do that for a few week each year.  I started thinking about why we celebrate Christmas.  It isn't because it's a great time to give gifts.  It isn't because it's fun to hang the stockings and decorate the tree...no, we celebrate Christmas because it is when Jesus came to dwell among us.  IMAGINE this for just a moment...what IF He hadn't come.  Would we still celebrate?  To be honest..what reason would there be to celebrate? As a Christian, we celebrate that we'll live with Him forever.  We celebrate the hope He alone gave us when He paid the sacrifice for our sin.  If He hadn't come...we'd be just like the people in the Old Testament.  We'd be waiting, hoping, longing for a Savior.  IMAGINE that if He hadn't come, when you reach for your Bible in church today...the pages from Malachi on would not be there.  No record...no hope.  There was a 400 year silence from the last word written in Malachi to where the New Testament begins.  And it begins by telling the birth of Jesus.  Would you or I have a reason to get up in the morning, dress our crying kids, weather the cold temperature and go sit in church for 3 hours if He hadn't come?  IMAGINE what it would it be like to stand around the deathbed of a loved one?  HORRIBLE! Thank you Jesus for choosing to come.  For giving us HOPE and a FUTURE!  Today, this Sunday, I choose to celebrate You and your choosing to come and be EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US!  

What Could This Be?

On our imagination journey for the next 21 days, we must exercise our imaginations to have them sharp and ready for action on December 13th and 14th, right?  So, can you wrap some imagination power around what this interesting looking object might be?  A new fangled version of the rabbit ears antennae in this digital age?  A model of planet earth's axis?  A CSI tool to solve the latest mystery?  Post your best guess and stay tuned to see just what this INTERESTING object might become.  Merry Day 21 to you!

3 Weeks From Today

IMAGINE CHRISTMAS

I Want To Be Baby Jesus's Daddy

Yesterday, I was helping Paulette from the Mid-cities Pregnancy Center get costumes for a photo shoot for their Christmas card. I can't wait to see it. Little Children dressed in nativity costumes. And not just any little children. Some of these children are special because their moms and dads chose life for them instead of abortion, and some because their moms and dads chose to give them a home through adoption because their birth parents couldn't keep them or didn't want them. Imagine that... Paulette was telling me a precious story about one little boy that asked, "Can I be Baby Jesus's daddy?" I stopped in my tracks and almost cried. Just the word "Daddy" brings a warmness to my heart. Remember the first time you heard your firstborn utter something out that resembled daddy. I wondered if this little boy knew the significance of Baby Jesus having a daddy here on earth. Probably not...but to him it was a special honor and so he was asking to play the part. And it made me think about Joseph.

The Bible tells us that when Joseph realized that Mary's Baby was of God, and that this little child would need an earthly father, happened in a dream. Joseph awoke from his sleep and knew that the Holy Spirit had visited him. Imagine it with me...it was then that he approached Mary and told her that he knew this was God's child, and it would be his honor to be Baby Jesus' Daddy! I believe this was a pivotable point for Mary. She was all alone, growing God's Son in her belly, facing public ridicule, shame for being pregnant before she became Jospeh's wife. And when she came back from Elizabeth's house, Joseph met her and said, "Let's be a family. We'll raise this child together. It doesn't matter what anyone else says. We've heard from God. He chose you, as I chose you to be my bethrothed; and now, I choose to father this child. We'll give this baby a home, a family."

Why did God chose to visit Joseph in a dream. Well, Joseph was busy. He heard the rumors around town...his betrothed was carrying another man's child. She was a disgrace! I'm sure the pressure was enormous for Joseph to do something with this horrible girl who cheated on him! What stress! What shame! You know what I do when I'm stressed and my mind is crazy with questions and fear and doubt? I stay busy. Sometimes I bake. Sometimes I clean. I imagine Joseph logged a lot of hours on that house he was building, building for his wife and HIS children. Oh, I bet he swung the fire out that hammer during those days. So...maybe he was too busy for a day time encounter with the Holy One. Or maybe he was too mad in the waking hours. So...God had to get him asleep so he was still enough to hear the message, the promise that Mary's Baby was from God. A blessing, not a curse. And he needed to be this baby's earthly father, and make a home for this incredible child who would be called Emmanuel, God With Us.

I was telling my Pastor's wife recently, that sometimes, when I go to bed with a problem at work or in a relationship, whatever... that I often wake up knowing exactly what to do. I'm not a genius in my sleep...I believe that God needs me to be still and quiet to speak to me. And since I'm not very good at that in the waking hours, especially when I'm stressed or upset, I believe His still small voice meets me in the subconscious. The Holy Spirit lives in me and I don't think He sleeps...so why can't He catch me in the middle of the night. Sometimes I wake up and know I need to pray for someone. Sometimes I wake up to know that God is calling for me to come and spend time alone with Him to talk about a solution. In sleep...I'm still, just like Joseph was. Thank you God, that You are the God of my day, my night, and my sleep. And that Your still small voice is always at work in me. May I be able to hear and wake to obey...just like Joseph did, when he said yes to the important job of being Baby Jesus's earthly Daddy.

An Invitation To Share

Can you believe it?  Only 23 days left...but guess what we have to offer you on this wonderful day?  AN INVITATION...  Right here on the RIGHT of this blog, is a unique email invitation that our team member, Kevin Parker, helped us figure out just for you.  If you click this link, you'll go to an invitation that is so simple to send to folks you want to invite.  All you need is their name and email.  But what they will receive is a written note that was crafted by our Maestro himself, Robert Elkins, sharing with them a little portion of what they can expect to hear and see when then attend IMAGINE CHRISTMAS on Saturday, December 13th or 14th.  So, not only do we have printed tickets, and cool wallpapers for your desktop, but now you can send a personalized email invitation without having to know tons about the program yourself.  Awesome!  I hope you'll take advantage of this and invite your co-workers, neighbors, friends, and family.  And I hope you're as excited as we are that we've got these great tools to tell others about our upcoming celebration.  There is not greater thing this time of year than to focus on the One who came and dwelt among us for us.  Happy Day 23!

And The Number Rolls to...

IMAGINE CHRISTMAS!

Imagine Leaving Heaven For This Place!

I started thinking about Heaven today.  Thinking that from the moment we become a believer, we start working toward Heaven.  "Store up your treasures in Heaven....", "Great is your reward in Heaven....".  For us, the final victory is reaching Heaven!  This is a place that we don't know a lot about, except that John the Beloved got a glimpse of it and wrote the book of Revelation for us to have a sneak peak.  We sing songs and talk about walking the streets of gold in Heaven, worshipping the Son around the throne of Heaven, laying our crowns at the feet of the Jesus in Heaven.  Just typing it makes me pray, "Come Lord, come quickly!"  

So, in thinking about Heaven, I tried to IMAGINE what it could have been like for Jesus, the creator of Heaven, to willingly leave Heaven and come to dwell with us on earth.  Heaven is perfect!  Earth certainly isn't.  Not only did He have to leave this place beyond our IMAGINATIONS, but He took up the clothes of man.  God Himself zipped up in a tiny baby's flesh.  He really didn't get any special privileges, you know.  In fact, He and the Father decided that He would be common, ordinary, even poor by the world's standards.  Oh, and before He got to return to Heaven, His own people nailed him to a rugged cross.  It was part of the plan of redemption, the price for OUR sin.  In fact, He WAS SIN!  Every sin you can think of...the really bad ones we don't even like to let ourselves imagine.  He was so filthy when every sin of every man was laid upon his shoulders, that God the Father had to turn His back from him until the price was paid.  And I know, as many of you do, that after He had completed the will of His Father here, He went back to prepare a home for us in Heaven.  He was only out of Heaven for 30 something years.  But just to let myself ponder, imagine, what it must have been like to KNOW what Heaven is like and leave it just for you and me, so we could go there and live there FOREVER!  WOW!  Just another way I can acknowledge what an AMAZING thing Jesus did for us.  I can hardly IMAGINE it...

Can you believe that it is...

IMAGINE CHRISTMAS!

Be sure to invite someone today.

Mary & A Mundane Monday

Have you ever let yourself imagine just what Mary might have been doing the day that the messenger from God paid her a visit.  Imagine for just a second...perhaps she was out in the harvest field picking up the barley or wheat that her father had just cut down with his big sheath.  Or maybe she was washing dishes out behind her family's humble dwelling.  Maybe she was taking the other children for a walk so her mother could have a moment of solitude from the busy chores of child rearing.  Or maybe it was something fun that a young girl would be doing, like playing hide and go seek with her other adolescent friends, when there in the middle of the corn field that she was hiding in, an angelic being stepped out from behind the rock and met her in the middle of the mundane.  

This makes me think about my day.  It was filled with meetings, emails, phone calls, lots of time spent on IMAGINE CHRISTMAS, but at any point did a find myself at a place where I could meet God in the middle of the mudane?  Was there a phone call that I needed to take because the person on the other end was a miracle moment put in the middle of my Monday? Or a person I passed by because I was just really ready to get home and out of the mass of people that were shopping at Wal-Mart?  Or that potential "sweet mommy moment" that my son needed but felt like an interruption while I was cooking dinner?  These are ministry moments that I surely could have missed in many places on this mundane Monday.  

But what about an encounter with the Holy One.  I'm not suggesting that a messenger from God the Father was going to step around the corner at the grocery to deliver a message straight from the throne of Heaven.  But the Spirit does live inside me, and He richly fills me each and every moment that I surrender to walking in the Spirit.  A moment of obedience so that I know the right thing to do; or a moment of encouragement from the peace He promises to fill me with when I surrender to His will.  So many days can become mundane.  I challenge you to be like Mary, and find yourself in a place where God Himself can meet you in the middle of the mundane.  Mary's meeting changed our world FOREVER!   Who could have imagined?

O Worship The King

Today is my favorite day of the week...Sunday.  It also marks 27 days left until IMAGINE CHRISTMAS.  This morning during Worship, which was amazing, I let myself imagine what it must have been like to come and see the baby Jesus.  Shepherds came...the Wisemen came later...all to worship the Christ Child.  But that little, sweet baby didn't stay in the manger.  He grew and ultimately sacrificed His life for you and me.  Just to let myself ponder on what the Lord has done for me took me to a whole new place of Worship today!  "Lord, I'm amazed by You!  How you love me!"  If you haven't yet today, take some time and ponder or imagine just what the Lord has done for you.  You might just find yourself with hands uplifted or with your face to the floor.  Today is the height of our Worship.  May it continue on through this week.  

28 Days left!

What do you think these lovely ladies have in common? Could they be a book club, a knitting club, a group of PTA moms? Well, on this particular night, they had the daunting task of listening to 5 wonderful little soloists who were auditioning of the big stage for our 1 child solo. I know....WOW...what a big task. But when you are working together to put so many elements together to form as big of a production as we are, every decision is important and a big deal. We just want to take this moment to say a BIG "THANK YOU" to all of you volunteers that give extra time to work with our amazing kid Choirs. IMAGINE teaching music and dance to over 175 kids every week - all original! This semester, they are led by an amazing leader, Angie Elkins, who happens to be the creator of the Little Levites. And then, we couldn't do it without Mrs. Kristin Wheeler and her amazing staff of KidPrayz workers; and of course, Mrs. Marci Lasiter and her super cool Express leaders! What this group of ladies pulls off each week is astounding. Our church is very blessed to have them all volunteering and doing Kingdom work with Kids! We love you ladies and gentlemen!

Setting the Stage

With every great Christmas production comes a well thought out plan. I like to start dreaming about Christmas right after Easter. And just ask Robert...if we're not talking about Christmas in July, I'm sweating! What will we sing? What will we wear? What time will the show be? What will the stage look like? Details, details, details... Someone has to wrap their mind around every detail involved with putting together an event. And then, the teams must be assembled. The right players to carry out that well thought through plan. Then choir begins working. The orchestra starts practicing. The kids are dancing. The actors keep memorizing. Months of preparation and hard work. But for me, there is always one particular element that always makes me realize the show is just around the corner. That is the SET! How appropriate that our set team started working exactly 30 days from Imagine Christmas. What a great way to start the countdown! And in a couple of hours of work, they got me more excited than even before. Magical...whimsical...imaginary! They got it! They are working the plan. I just visited with these talented folks for just a few minutes, but what I saw heightened my anticipation for IMAGINE CHRISTMAS big time! The set is the first visual element that the audience will see. It begins their journey even before the show begins. The stage must be set and then match all the hard work that the performers have been doing. If it's not right, then the audience might be distracted and miss some part of the message. Well trust me, our set is going to be amazing! Thanks to the hard work of Joe, Wanda, Machelle, Tiffiny and Marla! What a great crew!

Now, imagine this...the team of all teams is assembled. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are gathered around a big white board and they are laying out the plan. (Yes, we are using our imaginations here.) God's plan of redemption is being formulated. There are names, dates, places. Every detail must be discussed...nothing left to chance. They must decide the perfect time in history for the Christ child to make his entrance. His people were waiting for a Savior, a Redeemer, the Messiah to deliver them from the persecution of the Roman empire. A census, taxes, the right girl, the right man, in the right place at the appointed time. Details, details, details. Important details that will alter mankind's eternity. These players and props were heaven picked and God ordained. A perfectly set stage for history - HIS story. They were Imagining the First Christmas. The perfect Christmas.

Imagine This...

When I was a child, my dad was a pastor. Our first few ministries were in very small churches imbedded deep in the countryside of Mississippi. We actually lived 30 miles down a dirt road until I was in the 3rd grade and our nearest neighbor was over 3 miles away. Needless to say, having a HUGE imagination served me well during those years. When the church was putting fresh rock down on the gravel parking lot…it wasn’t just a pile of rocks, but Mt. Everest that was filled with snowdrifts and dangerous clefts. My twin brother and I could play for hours fighting against the elements of that cold mountain in our quest to the top. Well, that was until it all got spread out and had to become regular gravel again. And the nearest neighbor I mentioned, well, he was the local junk dealer. What’s that old saying, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure”? Well that was exactly what the junkyard was for me. One adventure after another just waiting to be discovered, or in my case, “produced” among us children. In the long, hot Mississippi summer months, you never knew what lie ahead in that place when our imaginations were turned loose. The truth is, our imaginations were our greatest toys. There was nothing that we couldn’t dream up and create into a magnificent adventure. Our minds saw no boundaries when we got lost in the junkyard, and only the setting of the sun, or sometimes snack time, brought that day’s quest to an end. But we’d be back to live out another adventure into our imaginations. Trust me.

We moved away from that 30 mile long dirt road and my long, lazy summer days turned into a busy schedule filled with whatever I had chosen to turn my focus too. Who had time to imagine grand adventures with life staring you in the face, right? And yet…and this can only be a God thing, mine never seemed to leave or be squelched like so many imaginations of friends and acquaintances. Maybe it was all the reading my mom and dad made us do, or my great literature and drama teachers that kept it alive in me. Personally, I think it was the Lord and His calling on my life to do creative arts ministry. And that leads me to IMAGINE CHRISTMAS.

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about the adventure that we’re planning for our church and our community this Christmas. Ok, I know the word “Imagine” makes some folks nervous. Scripture cannot be changed. It is God breathed, the words of God the Father and God the Son written down on paper. There is no argument there. But God in His perfect plan chose not to write down every moment of every day of every story in the Bible. And that leaves a little room for the imagination. He did create and gift us with our imaginations, right? He is the Creator and therefore gave us creativity. Ever let yourself “imagine” about the parts not recorded from scripture? Let’s do that just for a second with the Christmas story.

This story is over 2000 years old. And yet every year, every church in America and many around the world, pause to revisit the story. Why? Timeless? Because it is Christmas and that’s the time we can ponder on the Christ-child? I honestly have no answer to this question, but I know that people search for a place, theatre, church, auditorium, etc., to go and see a “Christmas pageant”. Even Charlie Brown produced the Christmas story. This is a favorite place for me to sit and imagine in scripture. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a “host” of heavenly beings fill the sky in the darkest night before. Just how crowded was the little town of Bethlehem when Joseph was looking for a place for Mary’s baby to be born – SOON. Think back even before that…what must it have been like in Heaven the day the angels found out that The Son was going to become a human – fully God and fully man. Could there have been emotion…surprise…maybe even shock! Why would He do it? How could He do it? What was the purpose? Why not be royalty instead of a lowly carpenter? Why a young girl chosen as His mother? What if Mary had said no? She did have a choice, right? What if Joseph, a man of good reputation, decided to not act like it? I could go on and on. It captivates my mind to let myself ponder on the parts not written down. Not to change it, but to envision it. Can you close your eyes and envision His sweet, round face? God zipped up in the skin of a baby. All-powerful, All-Mighty God helpless and needing an imperfect human to care for his every need. That is mind boogling.

I am inviting you to open your mind and imagination and to take a journey with us this Christmas. To “Imagine Christmas” like you may never have before. You just might discover something about this old, old story that will breathe new life in you this Christmas. You just might be changed by a new application that you can pull from this story heard and told so many times.

We’re launching this blog site as a way to begin your imagination journey. We are going to fill it with hints about what you’ll see on December 13th and 14th. We want to allow you to begin your experience of Christmas early, so that when you come to enjoy the event, your heart and mind will be ready to experience this timeless story in a whole new way. We’ll show you the behind-the-scenes of everything we’re already working on for our Imagine Christmas Event. And we’ve already begun to pray that God will awaken your senses and fill you with excitement for the story of God’s plan to redeem us back unto Himself. It started in Heaven and journeyed down to man. God’s perfect plan in the flesh!
Imagine that…