JustOne WeekThree Slideshow

Enjoy ... this week is in high definition.

The Roots

I just saw this piece in the Johnson City Press. It's a nice glance at the new venture of Tom and Peggy Root as they launch Root Studios.

I've known Tom and Peggy since my Jonesborough days and I have nothing but appreciation for their art, their faith, and their kindness. May they thrive in their new venture as art teachers!

This Week's Slideshow

We have new photographers this week, which means that you aren't having to rely on my limited camera skills. Enjoy!

The Seminary Boom

It must be the dawning of the age of Aquinas!

Time Magazine and CNN are reporting that aging Baby Boomers (what a phrase! it's as though people don't start aging until they retire) are going to seminary now that they've either stalled in their careers or have retired. The reporter speculates that some of them wanted to go to seminary when they were young, but were too saddled with their kids' tuition and their mortgages. Now, in their retirement, they have the freedom to do what they've always wanted to do.

The article's vision of the Boomers doesn't match with my own. I don't remember hearing about the great yearning of Boomers to go seminary when they were young. I seem to remember hearing more about a desire for free love than for free tuition. I remember hearing that a bunch of Boomers put off careers while they tuned in, dropped out, and some other sloganeering.

I hope the article is right, though. I hope Baby Boomers feel free to go to seminary and to serve the church. My suspicion is that the trend may be exaggerated in the article, but that's okay. We'll take all the help we can get.

The article suggests that it may be better to have older ministers than younger ones. The author wonders what a young person really knows about life, grief, deep disappointment and failure. Ironic, isn't it? The same generation that refused to trust anyone over 30 now questions the wisdom of trusting anyone under 30.

Here's to the new seminarian! I can hear their evangelistic chanting now, "Hell. No! You won't go!"

Get Ready, Grandview!

Two4Two returns on Wednesday night. Here's a preview of the slideshow and the theme.

Night at the Improv

Great turn out for the Night at the Improv. If you want a sample, just watch the video. If you don't want a sample, thanks for coming by anyway!

What an Adorable Little Doll

I opened my email last week to discover that as a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary I had first dibs on getting a free John Wesley stuffed doll (for at least a $15 donation ... grace is free, dolls cost money).

Not being a Methodist, I don't know how most of them feel about John Wesley dolls. I'm pretty sure, though, that Alexander Campbell dolls wouldn't become terribly popular with people from my own Stone-Campbell churches.

Here are the Top 5 Reasons I wouldn't want an Alexander Campbell doll:

5) It might be too prickly.
4) The "Old-Light, Anti-Burgher, Seceder Presbyterian Dollhouse" would be too cumbersome for my play room
3) I'm afraid that if I pulled the string it would only speak where the Bible speaks.
2) Instead of coming with a birth certificate like Cabbage Patch dolls, it would come with a Last Will and Testament.
1) It wouldn't really get along with my Barton W. Stone doll.


PS: If you "get" any of this, I hope you enjoyed your time in church history classes.

You Still Here?

Blogging Vacation is over. The irony about blogging is that when the most interesting stuff is happening, you have the least time to blog. The holiday season was super busy, but good, around the Wymer household and at Grandview Christian Church.

I hope your entry into 2011 was wonderful. I'll try to be a more faithful blogger for at least a week or two.

Here are the top things I would have blogged about it I had time in the previous months:

1. The Cold!

It has been a cold, cold winter so far in East Tennessee. People used to talk about the weather to pass the time, or as a way of saying "Hello, how are you?" I've noticed that the Global Warming issue has changed that, however. Weather discussions can easily become tense. I've heard people say, "Hey what about this global warming?" as a way of denying the reality of it (this, by the way, is closer to my own jaded, cynical view of anything that gains political momentum). I've also heard people say, "Global warming causes these kinds of cold snaps." In either case, it used to be easier when we just said, "Cold enough for ya?!"

All I know for sure is that I shoveled a lot of snow on Christmas night at my home and at the church. Then I shoveled a bit more on Sunday morning (along with Roger Allman) while we waited upon the the snow plow.

2. The Babies!

We're on a baby run at Grandview. Baby runs warm my heart. On the First Sunday of Christmas I got to use lil' Charlie as part of my sermon on the incarnation (during the 9:30 service). I can't even express what a joy it was to hold him while talking about how God feels about humanity.

But the baby run isn't just at Grandview. Below is a picture of my new niece, Esther, and her adoring cousins and aunt. New life around Christmas time is such a wonderful gift!
3. The Gators
Did you think I wouldn't have mentioned the loss of Coach Meyer? The weird thing about his retiring is that he is well loved by all of the Gator fans I know. But we could all see that his heart wasn't in it the it used to be, so we're not devastated by his leaving. We have high hopes for the next victim ... er ... coach of the University of Florida.

I find myself in a conundrum when it comes to college athletics these days. For a coach to be successful it appears he has to sell his soul (family and all) to the school. I contend that Tim Tebow ruined Coach Meyer. I watched it happen (through the articles I read while he was coach, so my version is 5th hand at best). Because of his interaction with Tebow, Coach Meyer began to take his Catholic faith more seriously. He even went on a short term missions trip with his church (to Costa Rica or Honduras, I can't remember which).

I think his enlivened faith awakened the conflict between family and football for Meyer and led to his retiring to be with family. He may be the first coach to quit during his prime who actually meant it when he said he wanted to spend more time with family.

We Gators wish you all the best, Coach.

4. Tim Tebow
Speaking of the Gators, if you have a few minutes I recommend watching this trailer for an upcoming documentary to air on ESPN about Tim Tebow. If follows him from his final Gator game through the NFL draft. I'm anxious to watch it.

Tim Tebow Documentary from FCTN on Vimeo.

Children's Christmas Program

I can't wait to watch this again when these kids are in high school. What a blessing it is is to be around them during this time in their lives.

Special thanks to Anna Jones and Ashlee Graham for putting together such a great program! Also, thanks to Lorna for taking a bunch of the photos I used for the slide show.

Hanging of the Greens

I wasn't able to get as many pictures as I wanted, but such as I have give I thee:

Take Your Pick

Today we will show a recap of the Fall Semester of Two4Two. If you've watched the weekly slideshows there will only be a couple of pics you haven't seen. The last pic is the logo and theme for the Spring Semester. See you February 9, 2011!

I have two versions. The second one has more pep than the first:



Same pics, different tune:

Wow.

You'll need a little extra time to watch this video, but you'll be glad you did. I don't know who this little girl is, but she is a gifted storyteller.

The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.

More videos to post

I haven't posted all of the Rendezvous videos yet. They're in high def and they're a bear to upload.

Little by little, though, we'll accomplish the goals. Here is my interview with the irrepressible Katie Smith.

Two4Two's Final Week

Welcome to the final Rendezvous slide show. The pics move quickly because there are so many. I guess you can pause it if you want a longer look at one of them.

It's been a wonderful semester of Two4Two. Special Thanks to Anna Jones for doing a great job on her very first go-round!

Week Nine Slide Show

Make sure you catch the great shots of Jude and then Miles toward the end. Great pics, Joe!

Carter did a great job. I, of course, misspelled "brokenness". It's late. We have to live with it.

Slide Show is Ready

There are some cute worship pictures of the young'ns toward the end (and some goofy pictures of the old'n).

One Sweet Ride

Carol Norris sent me a link to this video. She promised it would make me smile.

 

She was right!

This one is funny.

After I post this I'm going to google "diesel jeans". Man oh man. I'm out of touch! Deke Bowman drew my attention to this video.

Ready Early...

This week's slide show is ready early. Again, special thanks go to Joe Wise for his photography.