I’m off work for the holidays, so I’m gonna retire the blog for a week, but I’ll be back at it after Christmas. Merry Christmas!
Enjoy your time with family and friends, and if you get a chance please eat some pie for me. (and pray that my wife decides to make some pie for me too!)
I’ve not been in Children’s Ministry for decades, but I think I’ve finally compiled a strong list of ways to keep parents from bringing kids to church:
I can guarantee you with actually certainty that all of these work. Trust me, I have first-hand experience in these matters. ;)
This past Tuesday I had AT&T come out and install U-Verse at the house. I signed up for the TV and Internet package. I’ve heard rumors about U-Verse coming to my area, but mostly things like this in Lubbock are just rumors. Then right before Thanksgiving, I found out that it was a reality. For those of you wondering what U-Verse is:
Uverse is a suite of Internet Protocol (IP)-based products and services , including AT&T U-verse TV, AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet, and AT&T U-verse Voice telephone, (VoIP) service. It’s NOT DSL, it’s NOT traditional phone service, and it’s NOT a dish on your house.
In Lubbock when using a DISH you can’t get local channels in HD and you have to have two dishes on the roof to get all the channels. With the cable company the service is decent, but is way behind on the technology sides of things and is always behind their competitors offerings.
So I made the switch and I love it (famous last words, huh?) The DVR menu is wonderfully organized, and is superior to anything I have ever used. U-Verse also is instant, meaning you can actually channel surf; eliminating the 3-5 second hangup that I always got when selecting a channel with others. The coolest things about U-Verse TV is that I can program my DVR through my computer and even through my mobile device, and it offers 4 inputs of recording so I can record up to 2 HD feeds and 2 SD feeds at the same time. The SD channels are of great quality, and the HD seems to be pretty fantastic as well. I’ve got more for my money with U-Verse than I was getting with my cable company and I got it all for about $10/less a month. (Can you hear the cheap bird? Cheap…cheap…cheap…)
I signed up online, and am expecting $225 in rebates of some sort in the next 2 months. U-Verse also has NO contracts upon sign-up. I’m guessing they’re doing this to encourage people to try out the new technology. So basically I’m on a free two-month trial.
The Internet speeds are what I’m paying for, and that’s about all you can ask for. Right?
The only downside was the 3 week wait for install, and the fact that the DVR remote they gave me won’t turn my new HD television on or off (I’ve found a work-around so it’s not a killer.) If you’re getting one of those shiny new High Definition TV’s for Christmas, then you should really consider U-verse, really!
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If you like my little commercial for U-Verse, Go to att.com/referrals, enter my referral code shown below, and order eligible AT&T services. Referral Code: JX1413981
Why does Texas Stadium have a hole in the roof?So God can watch his favorite team.
You’ve heard the joke right? Well, Saturday night will mark the last game played in Texas Stadium by the Dallas Cowboys. Over the past few years I have watched as many old faithful sports stadiums have been demolished for newer and better venues (Tiger Stadium, Three Rivers Stadium, RFK Stadium, etc…); but this time it’s personal. I’ve been following the stories at the Dallas Morning News for weeks now, documenting personal stories from the stadium and it has me feeling nostalgic. (There is a great top 10 greatest games list HERE, as well as a memorial site HERE.)
I’m as excited as anyone about something new coming down the road for my Cowboys, but I’m really showing my age when I say that I’m gonna miss the old place. Lots of memories.
I can remember the first time I went to a game there. I’m I was in 11th or 12th grade and the Cowboys were good again. As a teenager I was a Dallas Cowboy ball boy during their training camp in Austin, TX; but had never actually been to Texas Stadium. For Christmas that year my dad had bought my brother and I Dallas Cowboys sweatshirts, and we headed off early on a Sunday Morning from Tulsa to catch the 3pm game at Texas Stadium. I remember that we played the Giants (and we won!), but my funniest memory is of arriving at the stadium about 3 hours before game time and my brother, father and I sitting like a bunch of kindergartners for hours just soaking in all the history. (I know, I know…we’re Cowboy nerds.)
Over the years I would return to see the Cowboys a dozen or so times, happening to catch some big moments. I was there when Emmitt Smith broke Walter Payton’s all-time NFL rushing record. The crowd was super crazy that day. It was unlike any sporting experience I’ve ever been a part of.
I was there when Terrell Owens disgraced the star at mid-field, and George Teague decked him. I remember that moment, because I was trying to explain to my wife the entire time why someone would take offense to that. Still not sure she got it.
When my son was born in late October 2004 we were unable to go back to Tulsa for Thanksgiving, so the family all came to Dallas and the men took in a Cowboy game on Thanksgiving Day. I remember Toby Keith performed at halftime, and the Cowboys got their butts kicked! I was also there for a few Quincy Carter moments, and even saw Vinny Testaverde throw 5 or 6 interceptions in a game. Whoopee!
It’s funny how inanimate objects that have been in and around our lives for decades can become so full of memories for us. So long Texas Stadium. May the wrecking ball come quick and swift for you, and here’s hoping I can afford a ticket to the new stadium at some point in my lifetime.
Found a great post today over at Churchrelevance.com (and yes that title can be an oxymoron…) I’ve had this argument many times, being on both sides of the conversation:
Will parents attend a church that doesn’t meet their needs if it meets the
needs of their children?
Sometimes I think yes, and other times I think no. Kent Shaffer has a great answer on this question:
SO WHAT DO PARENTS WANT?
Each parent has their own mix of “wants,” but here is a list of things that every parent seems to like:
A children’s ministry that makes their kids feel loved.
A children’s ministry and church with good security.
A children’s ministry that effectively teaches
their kids valuable lessons.
A children’s ministry that is fun and “wows” their kids.
A friendly church.
A church with good preaching.
A church with good worship.
A church that makes it easy to make friends.
A church that offers opportunities to get involved.
For more go HERE.
