very quickly this year. We are having a Good Friday service as well as three Easter services this Sunday at Buckhead Church. As a child it was a tradition to get a new outfit to wear to church on Easter morning. Does anyone else know about this tradition? Is this just a Tennessee thing or maybe a Baptist thing? Either way I think it would be interesting to hear what traditions you have for Easter and if they have anything to do with the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ.
Happy Valentine’s Day, but I am not sure this is one of them. This is a gift Jill received from one of her Kindergarten students this week. He saved up his allowance to buy it…I have some competition…that does not surprise me with the wife that I have! What should we name it?
to the movie theater. I love to go to the movie theater around the new year. Jill and I went to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets on New Years Day. I have to say that it was such a fun experience. Going to the movies is an investment so there are several decisions that must be made correctly in order to enjoy the experience.
1. What movie to see? This can make or break the movie going experience.
2. What theater to go to? All theaters charge pretty much the same prices but all theaters are not created equal. Find a theater that you feel comfortable investing in.
3. What concessions to buy? Now there are ways around this issue by stopping by your favorite fast food restaurant and smuggling in your burrito of choice but there are also many options at the concession stand. Have you noticed that you can order a combo at the theater for nearly the same price you can eat at a fast food restaurant? Gee…let me think. Taco Bell is sounding better and better.
Jill and I ending up investing in a #1 combo- 480z. Diet Coke and 10lbs of popcorn (Just in case this does not make you sick you can come back for 1 free refill). How ridiculous that they would limit my popcorn intake to 20lbs per movie and my soda intake to 90oz. Wait! I’ll be back…I gotta go to the bathroom!
was so much fun. As you can see below we had plenty to eat, including this 13 lb. ham that Cody cooked, as well as our first group picture. Who would ever imagine that a group of people could meet weekly for a years time and not have taken a group picture? Well we finally got one! Thanks to everyone in our small group for all that you are to Jill and I. We look forward to another 6 months with you all!
real or fake Christmas trees? I have had both types of trees throughout the years and I believe that there are pros and cons to both. What do you think? Real or fake and why?
to a Christmas tree with great excitement wanting not just to look at it but to touch and experience it. I wish that I could come to Christ day after day with the same type of eager anticipation that children approach a Christmas tree with. Josh Peters told me earlier this week that when his girls get close to their tree, they cannot contain their excitement and one of them begins to scream. When was the last time that I responded in like manner towards the one who has saved me and given me more hope than I can imagine? No wonder Christ said “let the children come to me”…they get it!
i love this time of year when the Christmas decor comes out. We decorated our condo on Sunday night and I love the way it feels with the tree up and the lights on. It makes me want to cuddle up on the couch with Jill and fix some hot chocolate chip cookies and milk and turn on the fire and enjoy a good Christmas movie. (I must say that Home Alone 2 is my favorite). Wait…I gotta go…Jill just showed me some chocolate chip cookie dough she bought for us. Out…
I love all of the different kinds of food that appear this time of year around the holidays. Out of all the different foods that one has to choose from around Thanksgiving and Christmas I would have to say that my favorite is sweet potato casserole. You may pay for it later but enjoy your favorite dish this holiday season!
this time of the year it seems we find more ways to spend money than we usually do. One of the things I hate about Christmas time is that we play these games with our money. I personally am not a gambler but I know that some enjoy this type of activity but it seems like a stupid thing to me. Secret Santa, White Elephant…whatever you want to call it, this game is a waste of money. Everyone goes out and wastes 5-10 bucks (at least where I come from) on some piece of junk that no one wants. At the end of the game everyone goes home mad because the only thing they wanted is the very thing they brought themselves (that is the case for those who spent time trying to find something valuable for such a small amount of money). I am not saying that giving is bad but it basically ends up that it is a game that no one enjoys because they threw away their money. I would be surprised if someone actually had a memory of a gift they received from this type of game that did not include the trash can.
the point of this post is to encourage you to try something different this season. Instead of taking 5, 10, or whatever amount you would spend on a game like this and throwing it in the trash via a crappy gift, I would encourage you to find someone in need to give money to. The past three years our small group has given money or gifts (amount is insignificant) to a family or people in need. This seems to be a much better way of using the resources that God has given us to impact the lives of those around us.
