More Family Art 2011

If you missed the first post of Family Art Projects, look here First Family Art Post

Here are the rest of the collages made from pictures of The Family Art Project 2011. I hope they will inspire you to create something beautiful this week.

Phyllis has wanted to paint this picture for years. Now she has. Isn't it wonderful?

This one is of each of their favorite Bible stories.

Pretty gray abstract that will look lovely in their living room.

They are going to add coconuts to the tree and put their names on the coconuts.

Pretty stenciling. They had a picture up on FaceBook of it hanging on their living room wall before I got home that day.

Initials of family members (including the cats of course)

Family Television Repost

I first posted this in March of 2008. I wanted to give you the opportunity to see it again - in case you missed it.

Family Television


I’m happy to report that I have now seen an episode of “Hannah Montana.” My granddaughter loves the Disney channel. After a week in Oklahoma I’ve actually seen many new things on TV.

We watched some show with Alton the cook on the food channel where he was in Minnesota eating nasty things like rotten fish head jelly. My son loves to watch the food network.



My daughter-in-law likes to watch Diane Sawyer on “Good Morning America”, but she likes to see it around 10:00, so it’s on the TiVO schedule.
Now and then they watched Fox News with me. But most of the time we watched Gibson bowl and play tennis on Wii.

It was nice, in this day of every room having its own TV, for us to be together as a family. Would I have watched Hannah or Alton or Diane if I had been home by myself? Nope. I guess I could have gone to a different room and watched what I wanted to watch all day long, but then I wouldn’t have been with my son and grandchildren and we wouldn’t have those shared – even if it was TV – experiences together.

Guess where I’m going with this: Sunday morning worship. Our congregation is blessed to have people of all ages worshipping together. How nice it is that when we gather together on a Sunday morning that we sing a great variety of music that speaks to all generations. How nice it is that grandparents, parents and children are singing God’s praises together. They may not sit together (It’s definitely not cool to sit with mom when you are 16.) but they have that same shared experience that helps make a family.
It would be quite sad for grandma to go to one service, mom and dad to another, teenage brother go to another and kid sister to a fourth service. In that situation, where is the common bond, the shared experience, the give and take of loving someone and giving up some of your own wants to meet the needs of another?

The Apostle Pauls' words apply to worship too.
Philippians 2:3-4 NASB
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves ; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Bottom line.
I hope that when I am 70 and my grandchildren are 25, 24, 22, 21, 21 and 19 that we will go to church together. I hope that they will sing “old” songs that I like, like “How Great Is Our God” and that I will want to sing whatever “new” songs are written in 2028 and that we will worship together because we are “family!” I also hope that we’ll still be singing “Holy, Holy, Holy” which was written in 1861. It’s part of our Christian heritage and it connects us with all of the saints who have gone before us (but that is a whole other post).

Who knows, by then we may have rediscovered the grandeur of a pipe organ and how well it expresses the greatness of God and they’ll be replacing guitars and drums…

The Family Art Project sign up continues...

This is a repost of an earlier post.
I need to know VERY soon if your family is going to join us. I need to order canvas and paint and stuff. (Stuff is the fancy art term for "other art supplies." See - you learn something new every day.

Notice the date is March 21 for The Family Art Project.

So here's the original post.
You know I can't help myself. I'm always looking for something new and creative and either musical or artsy to do. So I've come up with something that I know will be a lot of fun.

I'm calling it "The Family Art Project."

Now before you start thinking how cute it would be for the families with 6 year olds in them to paint something together, this project is perfect for families with youth, empty-nesters, and Sr. Adult couples as well as families with elementary aged children - basically any family.

Click on the picture for a larger version of this poster. (Makes it easier to read!)

We'll begin with some fun activities that will show each family a little bit about their family personality. Then we'll talk just a little about color and form and some of those kinds of artistic things. Then we'll break out the paints and brushes!

I'll have some step-by-step instructions that will guide each family in making a beautiful piece of art that will be a cooperative effort by everyone. Each family will be proud to hang this one-of-a-kind painting over their sofa or in the family room or - well, just about any place where there is room for a 30 x 40 painting.

I do have to charge for this - to buy canvases and paint. The cost will be only $40 - cheaper than a night at the movies and a whole lot more fun and you'll end up with something that will last forever. It's also my hope that you'll learn a little bit about each member of your family and make some great memories.

Call the church office if you need more information.

Friends - Old and New

Day 6 of a week of Thanksgiving.

Philippians 1:3 - Show Context
I thank my God every time I remember you.

2 Thessalonians 1:3 - Show Context
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

I put up one of my Christmas trees yesterday. (Cheryl says I can only put up one since we are trying to sell the house.) I have so many wonderful memories that I'm reminded of each year as I hang the ornaments on the tree. And I'm reminded of all the friends I have been blessed to know and love.

One of the joys of being in full-time Christian vocation is that you get to meet a lot of wonderful people over the years at a lot of wonderful churches. As I hang ornaments I'm reminded of friends who gave us ornaments.

This snowman playing the violin is a brand new ornament I got from Brenda. I hung it first.

These pines in front of the Rockies was hand-painted by Alan in Denver.

Here's another hand-painted one by Ruby in Spiro, Oklahoma. We had chickens in Spiro. Ha! The big city kid had moved to a small town and those cute little chicks you used to be able to get your kids for Easter grow up! Who knew?!

These Lyndel and Cheryl snowmen were given to Cheryl by friends at LifeWay.

So Christmas and Thanksgiving are times I am reminded over and over again of how blessed I am - not just with things (house, car, clothes, food, etc.) - but mostly with wonderful relationships: family, old friends, new friends, co-workers... by YOU!

I thank God each time I am reminded of you.

Family Television

I’m happy to report that I have now seen an episode of “Hannah Montana.” My granddaughter loves the Disney channel. After a week in Oklahoma I’ve actually seen many new things on TV.

We watched some show with Alton the cook on the food channel where he was in Minnesota eating nasty things like rotten fish head jelly. My son loves to watch the food network.

My daughter-in-law likes to watch “Good Morning America”, but she likes to see it around 10:00, so it’s on the TiVO schedule. Now and then they watched Fox News with me. But most of the time we watched Gibson bowl and play tennis on Wii.

It was nice, in this day of every room having its own TV, for us to be together as a family. Would I have watched Hannah or Alton or Diane if I had been home by myself? Nope. I guess I could have gone to a different room and watched what I wanted to watch all day long, but then I wouldn’t have been with my son and grandchildren and we wouldn’t have those shared – even if it was TV – experiences together.

Guess where I’m going with this: Sunday morning worship. Our congregation is blessed to have people of all ages worshipping together. How nice it is that when we gather together on a Sunday morning that we sing a great variety of music that speaks to all generations. How nice it is that grandparents, parents and children are singing God’s praises together. They may not sit together (It’s definitely not cool to sit with mom when you are 16.) but they have that same shared experience that helps make a family. It would be quite sad for grandma to go to one service, mom and dad to another, teenage brother go to another and kid sister to a fourth service. In that situation, where is the common bond, the shared experience, the give and take of loving someone and giving up some of your own wants to meet the needs of another?

Oooo, he’s gone to preachin’. Land the plane! (If you missed yesterday’s sermon I’ll explain that one to you.)

Bottom line. I hope that when I am 70 and my grandchildren are 25, 24, 22, 21, 21 and 19 that we will go to church together. I hope that they will sing “old” songs that I like, like “How Great Is Our God” and that I will want to sing whatever “new” songs are written in 2028 and that we will worship together because we are “family!” I also hope that we’ll still be singing “Holy, Holy, Holy” which was written in 1861. It’s part of our Christian heritage and it connects us with all of the saints who have gone before us (but that is a whole other post).

Who knows, by then we may have rediscovered the grandeur of a pipe organ and how well it expresses the greatness of God and they’ll be replacing guitars and drums…