Kids Praise 2009-2010

THE POINT:
In helping develop in children a heart for worship, the Word, and the world, we will strive this year to expose two truths...
1. What is the gospel? (Jesus)
2. What does the gospel require? (Faith & Obedience)

We will seek to accomplish this in the following ways...

FALL SEMESTER:
The Point:
Faith

Musical:
The First Day of Christmas, created and written by Jeff Slaughter

Setting:
Can you say Hillbilly special? Then you get the idea. A redneck family reunion gives the Baum family a great opportunity to talk about the real meaning of Christmas.

Music:
Just what you've come to expect from Jeff Slaughter, the man behind Lifeway's VBS music.

A Message from Jeff:
"As you prepare this musical, I pray that you will be reminded of your own first day of Christmas: The day you truly understood Jesus' love for you and His desire to have a relationship with you. I also pray that you will remember all the things your True Love has given you. Lastly, I pray that those who come to see your production and don't know Jesus will be touched by the Holy Spirit and experience their first day of Christmas!"
Merry Christmas,...y'all!
Jeff Slaughter

Fall Party:
Hillbilly Hoedown

Musical Performance Date:
Sunday, December 6, 2009


SPRING SEMESTER:
The Point:
Obedience

Musical:
Survivor Babylon, created by Dave Noel and Jay Rouse

Setting:
The name kind of gives it away. The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego really comes to life in the game show Survivor.

Music:
Not as familiar to Westmeade as Jeff Slaughter, but just as musically catchy and textually strong.

A Message from Dave:
"Through Survivor Babylon, your children will learn valuable lessons about faithfulness, integrity, and devotion. In a culture where public expressions of faith are frequently frowned upon, our children need to learn to be 'unashamed of the gospel of Christ.' We believe the Holy Spirit can use Survivor Babylon to nourish and reinforce such bold confidence in the children entrusted to your care. It is our prayer that God will mightily use Survivor Babylon to impact the lives of your children, their families, and all who see it performed. May God bless your efforts to that end. Thank you for choosing Survivor Babylon.
Dave Noel

Spring Party:
Survivor: Kids Praise

Musical Performance Date:
Sunday, May 2, 2010

Smile. God loves you. Seriously!

What If?

Tell It

If the great commandment is to love God and love people, AND if the great commission is to go and make disciples, AND if Decatur (North Alabama) is filled with professing Christians, AND if all of the professing Christians are doing what God expects them to do, does it stand to reason that every once in a while we would be approached by someone wanting to share with us the gospel of Christ?

In six years (that's how long I've lived in Decatur) I have never been approached by anyone desiring to share the gospel with me. Never. I am convicted (again!) about the importance of sharing Christ with my mouth. Looking good and acting good are not enough.

"But how will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" (Romans 10:14)

Joy

Several people have commented on how deeply they were affected by the video yesterday so I thought I'd post it as a reminder. The video was produced by The Work of the People and features the group Page CXVI singing the song Joy. You can check them out at www.pagecxvi.com.

Joy from Living Water International on Vimeo.

Mushroom Caps

Night before last I had the opportunity to eat some of the best mushroom caps I've ever tasted. They were cooked just right, the melted cheese was ooey-gooey fresh, the seasoning was sweetly noticeable but not overpowering, and the seafood stuffing was a blend-o-perfection. While I was eating them I didn't have the brain energy to expend on thought, all available resources were being diverted to my exploding taste buds. Later, however, I begin to wonder. Why, with everything going on in this little recipe, had they been named "mushroom caps"? I mean, sure, there were mushroom caps involved, but what about the cheese? What about the spices? And of all things, not even a mention of the seafood stuffing? WHY!? For crying out loud, give that seafood stuffing some props! Then it occured to me, everything in the recipe is contained in the mushroom cap. The mushroom cap gives the recipe its foundation. The mushroom cap gives the recipe its distinct flavor. The mushroom cap holds it all together. Without the mushroom cap there really is no recipe at all, it becomes something different all together.

And then, just like that, the other shoe dropped. See, I want it so badly to be about me. I not only want to feel like I've contributed, I want the recognition too. I feel like I deserve some props. Heck, I'm the one that's doing the work, right?! Wrong. It's not about me. It's about God. He alone deserves the recognition. He alone deserves the praise of His glorious name. He is the foundation. He's the one that makes the flavor distinct. He holds this whole deal together. God, not me. But, you know another amazing thing? He allows me to be a part of what He's doing. He invites me to spread the glory of His name in all the earth. Now that, my friend, is a real blend-o-perfection!

Caller ID

I'm not ancient but I do remember a time when there was no such thing as caller id. You could prank call your neighbor. You could play tricks on your friends. And best of all, people would actually answer the phone. Now? Well, now it's a whole different story.

Think about it. Do you always answer your phone when it rings? Be honest. Probably not, right? You first check the caller id to see if you really want to speak to the caller. If not, well, too bad, so sad for them. Try again later, but you better hope my caller id is broken or I've suddenly gone blind.

Well, yesterday I had a thought. How often do I "caller id" God? Really. I know it's Him. (He has my number, you know.) I know He's calling. The "phone" is ringing, I know it's God, and I'm trying to decide if I want to answer. I'm thinking, "What if He wants me to do something uncomfortable? He loves doing that to me." Or, "He's been bothering me about that for years, if I just keep ignoring Him He'll eventually leave me alone." I know He wants me for something. I'm sure He wants something from me, and I simply do not answer.

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways." (Psalm 95:7b-10)

In Memory

Question.

Are you doing what God made you to do?
If not, why not?

Happy Independence Day!

Broke Down and Belting Out

The following story was written by Westmeade Choir member, Jessica C.

This has been one of those weeks. Well, couple of weeks. I even had a dude try to break in the house (while I was in it!) and my cruddy car keeps breaking down on me. Well, a couple of nights ago, I managed to coast into a parking lot and I sat there for a second, quite frustrated (I have just the one car). My first thought was, "Well, crap." Then, out of nowhere, the part of Awesome God Medley where we're supposed to tap our Aretha Franklin...the "there ain't no stopping us...devil, there ain't no blocking us" part, pops in my head. You know when you feel you've been really stretched, a bad situation can seem kind of weirdly funny? Well, I'm sitting like a crazy person, in my beat up car, in the dark, belting out those two lines like I'm with the Brooklyn Tabernacle (you know, how most people are when no one else is around!), with the biggest smile on my face. I couldn't even get really upset. Since I was within a mile of my house, I walked home and I tried to keep it in my head, but I kept getting snippets out loud...and I mean loud. I'm sure the people thought I was a loon, but we'll just call it a unique way to witness!