Last week I had to drive downtown to pick up something at the official police headquarters. Thankfully it wasn't a relative.
I actually had to get a copy of a crime report for a friend of mine to mail to her insurance agent so she could be reimbursed for the thousands of dollars of camera equipment that was stolen out of the back of her car.
Wait, I'm going somewhere with this.
Anyway, as I meandered around the streets of downtown in what proved to many, MANY, failed attempts to locate the police station, I decided I needed some music to calm my nerves because the talk radio was just adding to my already high stress level. And do you know what I just happened to pull out?
My copy of Travis Cottrell's Ring the Bells Christmas CD.
And although I usually have a hard and fast rule (or maybe just a rule) about listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, I made an exception. Because if the shopping centers can start hanging garland and red bows the second the clock strikes midnight on the day after Halloween, then I can sing me some carols. I'm so glad I did.
I spent the next thirty minutes doing my best to end up going the wrong way on a one way street, but I didn't even care because I was singing Christmas songs at the top of my voice.
It had been almost a year since I'd listened to Ring the Bells and in that time I'd forgotten that In the First Light makes me cry every time and that his version of Frosty the Snowman is delightful.
In other words, Ring the Bells is a must-have CD for your Christmas collection. Best of all, you can download it on iTunes right now for only $9.90 by clicking here.
And you can even start listening to it before Thanksgiving. I won't tell.
But here's the thing: once those people sit down (or stand up - I really have no idea whether sitting or standing will be the webcast preference, so let's just pretend we land somewhere in the middle and everyone is sitting on a tall stool, thank you), Paige and Pam are going to need some questions for them. Since that's sort of how an interview works and all.
So.
You know how we usually ask y'all for questions for the panel part of Deeper Still? Well, we're going to do the same thing today. We need your questions - whether serious or light-hearted - for the webcast. Your questions can be directed to a particular person (Dear Priscilla, How do you make your hair so pretty? Love, Me) or your question can be general (Dear People, What's your favorite way to eat corn? Love, Me). And please know that if your question is general, you can expect to hear it over and over again because whoever's doing the interviewing will WEAR IT OUT and ask every single person about their favorite way to eat corn.
That's what you call hard-hitting journalism, my friends.
Leave your questions in the comments - and thanks in advance!
Next week Melanie and I are going to Nashville for LifeWay's National Women's Leadership Forum. We're going to teach a couple of classes on blogging, and we're also hoping to eat a meal or two where we don't have to cut up somebody else's food.
Our dreams are big. Our hearts are filled with expectation.
Anyway, the LifeWay folks are going to be doing a really cool thing on Friday, November 13th. And that really cool thing is a day-long webcast that you can watch right here on AllAccess. You see that video of Pam and Paige over to the right? Well, next Friday it won't be there. But what WILL be there is the live feed from the Leadership Forum - from 8:30 in the AM until 9:30 in the PM.
Isn't that the neatest? You can sit on your couch in your pajamas and eat fried chicken and listen to Travis Cottrell and Priscilla Shirer and Kelly Minter and Mary Kassian and a whole host of other wonderful people. Paige and Pam will be doing interviews throughout the day, and Melanie and I might show up to perform an uplifting duet or maybe even a lyrical ballet routine to "On The Wings of Love."
We're still ironing out some of the details, not to mention our choreography. So really, there's not a bit of telling.
We'll be talking more about the live feed - and even asking for your input - over the next week. We're so excited that even if you're not with us in Nashville, you can still be with us in Nashville, and yes, that TOTALLY makes sense.
Now I know y'all are a savvy Bible-study bunch, so you're probably well-aware of what I'm about to tell you - but tomorrow is a mighty big Bible study day, oh yes it is.
If you've ever heard Beth Moore teach, you've probably heard her say that Breaking Free is her life message. And this new version - which was filmed at Franklin Avenue Baptist in New Orleans and contains testimonies from women who have broken free of strongholds in their lives - promises to be absolutely awesome.
And do you know what I love? If this is a season of your life when you can't be a part of a group Bible study at your church or in your town (been there, had the crazy schedule, done that), you can actually watch the teaching sessions online. It's a deeee-lightful option if you really want to dig deep in the Word but don't have room for another outside-the-house commitment.
Sometimes technology makes me smile.
Have any of you done the first Breaking Free study? And are any of you planning to do this new one?
A couple of weekends ago, Christi (LifeWay Women's designer, and a very amazing designer at that!) and I went to a women's event called Iron Sharpens Iron in Bloomfield, CT. Anyone from around that area? It's beautiful up there for sure. Crazy, but that weekend it was as cold in Nashville as it was in New England.
So, anyway, we gave away lots of LifeWay Women STUFF. Many of you ladies up there knew us but I say a bunch of you didn't know who we were. So it was a good experience and great to meet ya'll. Also, we were able to see one of our very own Bible study teachers, Shaunti Feldhahn, who I just love and who's coming out with something new in 2010 so stay tuned! We hung out a bit with Anthony Evans, Jr. who led us in some mighty worship! Anthony leads worship at our LifeWay Women Going Beyond events with his amazing, God-gifted Bible teaching sister, Priscilla Shirer. Check out 2010 events to worship with both Anthony and Priscilla at an event that will certainly change your walk with Jesus!
Now, I'm gonna end with this little video clip. The beginning shows what we do - the calm before the storm at a marketing table where we give out lots of stuff and talk to you about all the great Bible study resources LifeWay Women has to offer. Then you'll see a glimpse of Anthony leading worship.
PS: Don't miss the lady knitting during Praise and Worship. That's priceless!
Ya'll have a good weekend and be safe. As we dress up our kiddos, let's remind them of who's King and who's coming back for us!
Melanie
Melanie
Sophie
Sophie
Pam
Pam
Paige
Paige
Kris
Kris