My daughters are involved with a theatre group known as the College Street Players. The College Street Players are directly affiliated with the Hartselle Fine Arts Center. I had the opportunity today to sit down with Jennifer Sittason, the Vice Chairman of the HFAC and talk with her about how the College Street Players came to be. I wish you could have seen how excited she was to share with me how the Fine Arts Center came to be.

You see the Hartselle Fine Arts Center began as a school. It was built in 1916. In November 1922, a reporter with a Birmingham newspaper wrote: “You will have to travel up and down and across Alabama to find a finer grammar school building than is the Hartselle Public School structure. It is classic looking with its great pillars.”

As a matter of fact I myself went to this school. I attended FE Burleson Elementary School for 1st through 5th Grade. The first time I walked my own daughters into this building was to watch the College Street Players production of Charlotte’s Web. I had a nostalgic flashback walking in the door. I immediately recalled the smell of the old wood floors and the creak of the stairs and as we walked into the auditorium that was a library when I attended, I pointed at the stage and was able to tell my girls about the time I acted up there when I was in 5th grade. I was the nagging wife in our school’s production of Rip Van Winkle.  

It wasn’t until 2001 that this building was left empty. The elementary enrollment had outgrown the capacity of the building and a new one was on the way. When the building of the new elementary school was complete and the students moved in… the city left this beautiful historic building falling apart behind them.

However there were many who just could not live with the thought of this building falling apart or being destroyed. Community volunteers who attended classes in the building or whose families attended the school there went to work with the Hartselle Historical Society to save the building with a dream of turning it into a fine arts center. They began by raising about $218,000, spending the first $144,000 replacing the roof and facing and restoring the white columns.

For six years the group worked to raise funds in order to restore and repair the building and finally in 2006 the birth of the College Street Players was announced. The first auditions would be held February 9th, 2006 for an inaugural performance. Auditions were announced by the first board members, Lisa King- President, Christie Kieschnick- Vice President, Edd Balch- Treasurer, and Page Dunlap- Secretary. Later that same year the first full scale production would be held in the new Fine Arts Center. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever would be directed by Edd Balch and the production would be held December 0f 2006.

Now here we are exactly 8 years later and the College Street Players are currently in rehearsals for their production of The Little Mermaid Jr directed by Dena Nagel, the President of the CSP. The Little Mermaid Jr hosts a cast of at least 85 kids. The Fine Arts Center and the College Street Players continues to make an impact in not just the city of Hartselle but it also reaches out to the surrounding cities and communities.

So what are the benefits of drama and theatre in education? There are many benefits. Gai Jones, a theatre educator states that “Theatre addresses the skills which benefit children’s education and development in five general areas: physical development/kinesthetic skills, artistic development /drama and theater skills, mental development/thinking skills, personal development/intra-personal skills, and social development/interpersonal skills.” Kimberley Haynes from educator.com writes, “While many parents fear participation in drama will damage their child’s academic progress, a UCLA study concluded that students involved in the arts tend to have higher academic performance and better standardized test scores — nearly 100 points better on the SAT, according to a separate study by The College Board.”

This beautiful building is not just for theatre use by the College Street Players. The Fine Arts Center also opens its doors up for a wonderful program called Jewels for Prom. Young girls who do not have the money to purchase a prom dress are sent an invitation to the Center where they will walk in to experience their very own shopping day with dresses donated by The Something Blue Shoppe. The girls also receive other gifts. This is all underwritten by the Something Blue Shoppe and Nucor Steel and other small businesses in the area. Hartselle City and Morgan County are blessed to have the Hartselle Fine Arts Center and the College Street Players. I know they have been a blessing and a joy in our family’s life.

This building is also available for rental for concerts, weddings, birthday parties, banquets, etc. They also partner with the Huntsville Symphony to host violin lessons. So if this interests you, give them a call. Trust me, this would be a beautiful venue for a wedding. They would love for you to utilize their facilities.

The Hartselle Fine Arts Center is run by volunteers and the facility rentals are what keep the lights on. The Center does not receive any funds from the city. They have just received their 501C3 status, which means any donations made to the Center are tax deductible. If the arts are important to you, if the history of this building is important to you… why not consider making a donation or at least remember them the next time you need a venue.

The clock is ticking and people around the world are waiting. How exciting the anticipation is! In less than 5 hours Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis will publicly debate Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Bill Nye, scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, is a man with a mission: to help foster a scientifically literate society, to help people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes our world work. Making science entertaining and accessible is something Bill has been doing most of his life. Bill’s fascination with how things work led him to Cornell University and a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After graduation, he headed for Seattle and work as an engineer at Boeing.

For the last few years, Bill has served as Vice President of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest space-interest group. He recently spoke on behalf of the Society at the International Astronautical Federation Congress in Glasgow, Scotland.

He holds three Honorary Doctorate degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Goucher College, and Johns Hopkins. He has delivered commencement addresses at the University of California Santa Barbara, RPI, Goucher, Hopkins, Harvey Mudd College, and Caltech.

Bill is currently the Executive Director of The Planetary Society, the world’s large space interest organization.

(above information directly from billnye.com)

Ken Ham co-founded AiG in 1994 with the purpose of upholding the authority of the Bible from the very first verse. Ken’s emphasis is on the relevance and authority of the book of Genesis to the life of the average Christian, and how compromise on Genesis has opened a dangerous door regarding how the culture and church view biblical authority. His Australian accent, keen sense of humor, captivating stories, and exceptional PowerPoint/Keynote illustrations have made him one of North America’s most effective Christian communicators.

His bachelor’s degree in applied science (with an emphasis on environmental biology) was awarded by the Queensland Institute of Technology in Australia. He also holds a diploma of education from the University of Queensland (a graduate qualification necessary for Ken to begin his initial career as a science teacher in the public schools in Australia).

In recognition of the contribution Ken has made to the church in the USA and internationally, Ken has been awarded four honorary doctorates: a Doctor of Divinity (1997) from Temple Baptist College in Cincinnati, Ohio, a Doctor of Literature (2004) from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, a Doctor of Letters (2010) from Tennessee Temple University, and a Doctorate in Humane Letters from Mid-Continent University in Kentucky (2012).

(above information from answersingenesis.org)

You will be able to watch their debate live right here:

You can go ahead pre- order your own personal copy of the debate to keep for future references right here at any of my affiliate links:

Did you know this Sunday is the Superbowl? Well, just in case you missed that info, there you go. In all honesty I don’t even know who is playing in it… I just found out this week that it will take place in New York this year. So, yeh, I am all over it.

I lost my taste for the Superbowl many years ago… and it became pretty much nauseating to me after I learned that the Superbowl is the number one event in America for sex trafficking. You see when others are watching millionaire grown men tackle one another and thousands of people in the stands jumping up and down and loosing their minds over the officials calls… all I can think about are how many precious young girls… my daughters age… are being raped and beaten over and over and over and over again… right outside or even inside that massive stadium.

But I suppose I better watch myself. Its not politically correct to put limitations on the sexual  behavior of others in this day and age…

Earlier this week… Sunday night actually, my girls and I came home late from church and my husband was already home and watching some of the Grammy awards. He had just said that nothing crazy had really happened, and that maybe they had learned something from the Robin Thicke stunt, when Queen Latifah took the stage.

Grammy crash and burn.

Then on Friday night as I was waiting on my girls to rehearse their parts in an upcoming theatre play, I read an article that a friend had posted on their FB page. Granted, I posted without commentary and without research because I was using my phone. The article is posted from a website that openly claims that is Up to date unbelievable news! It’s a very satirical website… quite possibly the news is propagated, but as I have now spent three days searching for confirmation or denial on the article… there is none. It’s as if this is not actually circling the world of social media at all.

In case you didn’t click to read the above the link, the news is that Bruno is going to follow in Queen Latifah’s steps and hold a half-time ceremony similar to the Grammy’s… a homosexual marriage ceremony.

Yes, this concerns me. On the heals of the Rose Bowl and the Grammy’s… why would it not?

It also concerns me that the news media has chosen to completely ignore this. If it’s false, say it’s false. If it’s real, say it’s real. But then again there was no disclaimer at the Grammy’s either.

This morning I went straight to the NFL website to see if I could find something… but all I found was this: Bruno Mars Superbowl interview

Everyone wants to know what this years “spectacle” is going to be. What “surprise” does he have? What is Bruno going to do… especially since he simply just is not up to par with all the past Superbowl performers.

Here is what I figure. If the NFL denies it… well then they are “intolerant”. If they confirm it… they know they will risk losing viewers and possibly sponsors. So the answer is to act like nothing is going on.

So what will happen at the Superbowl half-time show? I won’t know… because my family won’t be watching.

Strike one: it’s on a Sunday

Strike two: number one American day for sex trafficking and prostitution

Strike three: rumors of gay marriage ceremony taking place at half-time

But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Perhaps by not watching I will miss Bruno Mars make a stand for Judeo-Christian values… he is part Jewish… but then again… I don’t know… and when in doubt…

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

Romans 14:23

Call me intolerant… call me judgmental… call me a hater… but I stand where I stand. Any sexual behavior outside of the covenant designed by God in Genesis 1:26-28 and Genesis 2:18-25 is sin. I don’t care who is making the choice to step outside these boundaries… and know that just because you do doesn’t mean that I will not treat you with kindness… it does not mean that my heart does not break with yours as you struggle with the desires of this sin craving flesh of ours and the emotional turmoil that comes with the fight between darkness and light… if anything I would love for you to sit down with me and explain to me the desires of your heart the best way that you can… and I will offer you the utmost respect… I just ask for the same in return… because I also will not be able to tell you that it’s okay… but I promise I will listen and I will offer you the only real hope I know of in this world… the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

If we don’t recognize what God calls sin as sin, then we will never be able to see the One He sent to save us sinners… I don’t know about you, but I was desperately sick and wicked and I needed a Savior. 

But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 9:12-14

When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

John 2:3

Back in November I taught a lesson on prayer at a women’s retreat. I called it “pray in this way”. The lesson was centered around the Lord’s prayer and many of His other teachings concerning our prayer life. The Lord has taught me much about prayer in the past several years.

I am currently working through a precept study on the book of John. As I was reading through this beautiful book and was closely observing the first two chapters in John, I stopped at the first recorded sign of the Son of Man, the turning of the water into wine.

There is currently much debate in the American church about wine/drinking and being a Christian, but I am not writing about that today… whether or not it is okay to partake of the vine is not what struck me as I read about this wedding in Cana of Galilee.

First of all what struck me was the fact that here is the Lord of lords and the King of kings, the One who within three years is going to die for the sin of the world, the One who is God incarnate, the Word made flesh… and here He is at a wedding with His mother and His disciples. He has a world to save, yet here He is not preaching to anyone, just celebrating the beginning of a man and woman being joined together and becoming one flesh…

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

Genesis 2:24

I love the connection of the book of John with the book of Genesis… Genesis begins with “In the beginning” and so does John… Genesis 2 has a wedding and well so does John 2… but that’s another side trip… I am not writing about that today either.

So here’s the context of our story. Jesus is at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. He is there with his mother and his disciples. Perhaps it is one of his brothers or sisters that is getting married today, perhaps it’s a cousin or close family friend… maybe Mary the mother of Jesus was one of the original wedding planners, either which way they were there as part of the backstage, behind the scenes, crew with the authority to command the servants.

Mary observes a problem. They have no wine.

Now the first question in our modern day Baptist ideology most likely is, so what’s the big deal?

Why was wine so important at a wedding?

When I was in college (the second round) finally completing my AS degree I had to pass a public speaking class to graduate. Now, you might not believe it, but I am terrified to speak in front of people. I took zero’s in high school rather than give a speech, and I dropped speech at least three times in college… the first round.

I returned to finish my degree as a Holy Spirit filled woman of God. I faced the public speaking course in His power. I chose to use this course as an opportunity to bring glory to my Christ. Each required speech was used as an opportunity to share His truth with those attending.

One of the speeches I gave was the importance of the return of teaching Creationism in public schools as a possible origin of man and the universe. I was honored to be able share information I had learned in my own personal studies in this subject. I was surprised at how genuinely interested those in the class were because they had never been taught what I was sharing .

I pray, that by the grace of God, that His truth was able to resonate in the ears of at least one in that course as I shared that semester. So now here is this opportunity to see this debate take place between two men who know much more than I. This is going to be a very informing debate. I hope you are excited and sharing this news with your family and friends.

Imagine how the soul of a person can be impacted when they finally wrap their minds around the beautiful truth that a holy loving Creator God knit them in their mother’s womb with meticulous design and purpose… and that this same God holds the sun in the sky.

It’s almost time!

Bill Nye will be debating Ken Ham live on February 4th at 7pm Eastern/6pm Central.

The topic “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern, scientific era?”

You will be able to watch this debate live via the internet for free!

For more info on the live stream click here: Debate

What can you do until then?

Pray! We are asking for earnest prayer over this event. Below are some specific prayer points:

• Please pray daily, between now and February 3, for the Answers in Genesis support staff and, of course, Ken Ham himself, as they prepare for this event.
• Pray that weather does not impact the event.
• Please also pray daily that many people are made aware of and watch the debate online.
• On the day of the event please pray for Ken Ham and Bill Nye, that the Lord will guide this debate and use it for His glory.
  • Pray for all the support staff, that the event will be free of any issues.
  • Pray for the viewers and attendees, that God’s Word will be an encouragement for the believers and conviction for the non-believers.
  • If you are showing the debate to a group, we ask that your prayer group gather ten minutes before the event.

Thank you in advance for supporting this historic event. One of the biggest blessings will be the new relationships we form, and the dialog opened between Christians and non-Christians all across the U.S. and the world.

Do you have friends, family, or co-workers that struggle with reconciling science and religion? Why not have a debate dinner? Invite them to watch this debate with you. Use this opportunity to open the dialogue with those in your area of influence. 

For more Answers in Genesis outreach events, or to request a speaker at your church go to answersingenesis.org/outreach/.
Purchase excellent resources from the Answers in Genesis Bookstore

This past Sunday night our Pastor taught on the Biblical worldview of family regarding sex. As he shared on this topic in light of the Scriptures he taught from Leviticus 18, Deuteronomy 22, Romans 1, and 1 Corinthians 6. As you read through and hear out loud the things that God is having to pin point in Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 22 that the Israelites are not to do, it is almost flabbergasting. God is having to flat-out tell the children of Israel that this is unacceptable. He is having to flat-out point it out because these are the things that the people in the land have been doing and are doing.

Many times our girls will read the warning labels on items. After learning some of the warnings they will look up at their Daddy and ask why on earth that certain thing had to be listed. Their Daddy simply replies, It’s on there because someone did it, and because that person or persons who did it probably sued the company because it didn’t work out for them. Now they have to put this specific warning label on it.

Our Pastor shared that unredeemed man (as in mankind which includes we women) left to themselves, their imaginations are evil and corrupt, and there is no depth to the depravity. For me, this is where the “do not judge” thing applies. No one else’s sin is any worse than my sin. We all, apart from Christ, have no limits to our ability to sin with the best of them, so I am not to write any soul off. Who am I to determine the limits of the grace and mercy of God? I am to share the Way, the Truth, and the Life with every soul in hopeful expectation of their eternal salvation.

As I read once again the words of Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 22, my first gut reaction was to shudder and think not here, but that is thinking way to highly of the people of our modern day nations. All I had to do is be still long enough to think about some of the news headlines of the last ten years and reality hits like a brick in the face.

How does a person get to such a depraved state?

I am reading through the book of Genesis again and as I came to what I consider one of the hardest chapters in Scripture, Genesis 19, I saw some very familiar things… some similarities to our day.

Genesis 19 is the famous story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In Genesis 13:13 we are introduced to the wickedness of Sodom.

In Genesis 19:3-5 we discover that the men of Sodom are sexually perverted and violent,

Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.”

In Ezekiel 16:49 we find out more about Sodom,

“Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy“

There was more to Sodom than homosexuality. It was place of great selfishness and self gratification. It was also a place of people who refused to be corrected. This is what I believe is the true root behind the great sin of Sodom. There is not much left to do for a person who refuses to listen.

When you read through the first chapters of Exodus, you will see a phrase repeated over and over, he did not listen. It didn’t matter what God said or did through Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen. His refusal to listen led to his destruction. No wonder Jesus, so often said, he who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Now, we know from other verses of Scripture that Lot was a righteous man living in an unrighteous place. I, at first, just thought Lot was a complete idiot for choosing to move to Sodom, but I now believe that God allowed Lot and his family to move there as one final witness of righteousness to the people of this city. God was giving them one more chance to listen. However, the final words of the people of Sodom would be, HOW DARE YOU JUDGE ME!

But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door.

Genesis 19:9

Does this sound familiar?

Now, to what have the men of the city accused Lot of “passing judgment” on them? What horrible thing has Lot said to lead them to pull out the “do not judge” card?

But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.” 

Genesis 19:6-7

Yep, that’s it. There it is. Lot’s exact words. Simply, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.”

As I met with a group of Children’s ministers this week, one of the questions asked was, what is the most quoted verse spoken by Jesus in the world today? My answer, do not judge, lest you be judged…

Yes, that’s it.

I have even seen people with the phrase, Only God can judge me, tattooed on their bodies.

I don’t know about you… but I don’t want God to have to judge me. Have you read the end of the book? Did you read what happened in Sodom when God had to judge?

God sent His Word and THE Word into the world so that we would not have to be judged, but so that we could find grace and receive mercy and be saved from judgement.

But we have to be willing to be corrected, to listen, to repent, if we are to be saved.

For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:3-8

This is our fundamental calling as parents — to be the smile of God to our children. We are charged by God to bring our children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. God himself has commanded us to communicate to our children what he is like. And God is fundamentally a Happy Father, a Well-Pleased Parent. And just as the Father communicates his delight in his Son through his words and deeds and demeanor and presence, so also should we.

~ Be the Smile of God to Your Children

I read this post a while back and I was reminded about how important it is for us to speak truth and love and hope into our children… and not just our children but into all people.

I have been in hard place for a while… a place of complaint… aggravation… frustration… and just wanting to shake some people… sometimes…well many times God has to bring me through this cycle to get me into a new place of growth. If you follow my posts you will see the trend.

I was watching the show Wipeout with my twelve year old last night and one of the challenges was this rotating maze. The Wipeout person had to jump into this rotating maze and they spent anywhere from 2 minutes to 15 minutes bouncing around in this contraption until they were able to get their wits about them enough to find the exit and jump out of it. However, they jumped out this challenge, just to land face to face with another one that was ready to try and knock them out of the game. Life is a lot like Wipeout.

I have found myself in times that felt like I was stuck in one of those rotating mazes. I think, in all honesty, I just recently found my way out of my latest. It’s real easy in this day of constant media to get focused on all the things that stir up frustrations… and before you know it you are wrapped up in this thought cycle of negativity and grumbling… and in this place it is easy to forget the power that the darkness has on those who are walking in it. Forgetting the power of the darkness causes you to forget that apart from Christ we are all powerless… and not just powerless, but flat out dead. It also causes us to forget that those who might even have Christ but are currently walking in darkness are blinded and deceived and yes, quite possibly even deceiving.

Many times our reaction to those walking in the darkness is anger or just flat out befuddlement. In this reaction we also forget that we battle not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12) 

Our earthly struggles are actually heavenly battles… which means to have victory in the earthly struggle we have to win the heavenly battle and to win the heavenly battle we have to take the fight to the heavens and the only way we can take the fight to the heavens is on our knees in and through and by and with Christ.

And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Luke 1:51

The darkness wants us to fight the darkness with more darkness which actually strengthens the hold of the darkness… but we must fight the darkness with light. Fighting with the light fights in two ways. One, the darkness hates the light and will flee from it. Two, light added to light only brightens and strengthens the light.

God saw that the light was good;

and God separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:4

******************************************

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you,

that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:5

In Him there is no darkness… None…not a single shadow.

It never ceases to blow my mind that this God of no darkness, of not even a shadow, willingly comes and resides within the darkness of this flesh of ours, stepping into the deepest recesses of our mind and diving down into the darkest depths of the pits of our soul… just to create in us a clean and pure heart that is finally able to fellowship with Him. No nook or cranny is off limits to Him… He wants to shine His light in every dark place within us. He comes in with the light calling us to the Light…

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

1 Peter 2:9

We are here on this earth, and while here it can feel like we are being thrown in one Wipeout contraption after another… but what we have is this amazing opportunity, for while in the race, what we do have is access to the One who is seeing the whole course laid out and knows exactly the way through the maze and past and through every crazy deceptive imagination set up to knock us out… He is there cheering us on and giving us direction and encouragement and strength and hope… if we will just be still long enough to be steadied by Him and allow Him to get our wits about us.

If we who are walking in the Light would remember how warm the smile of God is… and be willing to smile His light upon others… have you ever noticed how a face will light up when it carries a smile? Oh that we would reflect His glory and that others could behold His glorious light through His face shining upon ours…

The Lord bless you, and keep you;

Smile, precious one, because He loves you.