Area senior adults gave canned goods to those in need at the recent “Thanks-for-Giving Drive-Thru Food Drive.” Earlier this year the Hoover Senior Center hosted a Drive Thru Ice Cream Social and a Drive Thru “Treat and Greet” for senior adults in the community.
The City of Hoover Senior Center recently hosted its third drive-thru event in 2020 called “Thanks-for-Giving Drive-Thru Food Drive.” Center staff say events like this provide a unique way to be able to connect with members and to provide something to look forward to while staying safe and socially distanced. The Senior Center partnered with Green Valley Baptist Church for the third year in a row for the canned food drive and this special event was the most successful food drive yet! The Senior Center staff enjoyed watching the faces of those who donated become surprised when they received pre-packaged cider packs, honey packages, and small pies as a thank you gift from event sponsors Brookdale Senior Living Community and Right at Home. The Hoover Senior Center’s next drive-thru function will be held Tuesday, December 8 from 10 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. with lots of festive surprises in store for senior adults that they will not want to miss. If you would like to learn more about the Senior Center, call 205-739-6700 or click here. †
What’s Your Answer? Sometimes we’re struck with inspiring ideas but shy away from saying yes to God. What He is asking us to do looks dangerous. It looks difficult. People will think we’re crazy. It will cost us. We could fail.
God often asks us to do the impossible because, for Him, all things are possible. God is calling us-calling you- into His story. He’s asking you to trust that He is responsible for all the consequences of your obedience. Say Yes is the epic story of a broken man who, when rescued by God, dared to say yes. The story of how God led a group of pastors to do church, business, and missions together for the good of others. This is the story of Phoenix Roasters and what God did. Will you let their story of trust inspire you? Will you trust God with the consequences of your yes?
Britt Mooney was a missionary in the Republic of Korea, has traveled the world, and pastors the Phoenix Community of Suwanee while working in marketing and communications with Phoenix Roasters.
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Deck the Halls, Jesus is the Reason for the Season and other phrases are common this time of year. One of my favorites is another familiar phrase tied to the 1954 Christmas tune, “Home for the Holidays.” My initial thought when I hear that song in 2020 is, “Please Lord let me be anywhere but home!” I feel like I’ve been at home this entire year and I need to get out of here. For those who may be traveling during December, these words may bring you to the steps of your childhood home while visiting your parents. There will be those who travel from Tennessee or Pennsylvania or even to Dixie’s sunny shore but not everyone will be able to be home for these holidays.
Aside from the COVID related issues, there are so many that have no family to visit, no home to keep them warm and no joy for this time of year. In fact, this is a difficult time of the year. It reminds them of the things that they maybe once had but have lost. Christmas is not a time of peace for everyone as some find this to be a painful time of year. It even feels a little like insult to injury this year, as if 2020 hasn’t been difficult enough.
At The Foundry Ministries, it is not uncommon for us to serve men and women during the holidays that can hardly wait for these days to pass. Whether it is addiction or homelessness or a combination of the two, we see how difficult the holidays can be for so many. However, we know the source of peace that makes a troubled heart settled. When we say, “Peace on Earth” it becomes a testimony that we can and have experienced His peace while on earth. As you celebrate this Christmas season, please pray for those we serve and those around our great nation who have no place to call home.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
2020 has been a year of constantly changing circumstances. As Christians, we have been reminded that we can only look to and put our trust in God. His Word is sure and unchanging. What are the ways you hide God’s Word in your heart? Adam Wright, the creator of The Corner Room, has written worship songs whose lyrics are verses and chapters of the Bible.
As Adam Wright reflects on the journey of creating “Remember and Proclaim”, he is thankful for many vocalists he worked with from various churches across the city.
Wright has been the worship leader at Cahaba Park Church for 11 years. In 2013, as Wright was preparing the worship set for a series on Psalms, he began to brainstorm ways to musically tie the Psalm of the week into worship. “I had the idea of sitting down and writing the Psalms to music straight from the Bible.” He reflects that the first time he sat down to put music to the Bible, he felt more connected to the passage than ever before. After only two and a half hours, he had nearly completed a musical arrangement for Psalm 1 that he led the congregation in worship to the next Sunday. He adds, “I enjoyed the process so much that I said I want to do more of this.” By that summer, Wright wrote 12 additional Psalms to music and within a year wrote eight more. “This was my initial discovery of taking text and trying to interpret the feeling and the intent of it in a way that is faithful to what the Psalmist is trying to say.”
Adam Wright joined Cahaba Park Church in 2011. He and his wife, Jessica, have two daughters: Nora (6) and Jill (4).
In 2015, Wright embarked on the journey of recording these songs at Cahaba Park Church’s current location. On the second floor of the church building, there is room literally in the corner that Wright inquired about transforming into a recording space. A good friend helped him design the room that is now referred to as “The Corner Room.” Since then, Wright has continued to put music to Scripture. He has written songs on 1 Corinthians 13, Isaiah 53, and more.
One year ago, the children’s ministry team asked Wright for Scripture songs that coincided with their curriculum. They began to study and brainstorm the curriculum and came up with a list of Scriptures that would complement the lessons. Wright just released new songs designed for children to sing with their families to “hear the Word and store the truths in their hearts.” The album, “Remember and Proclaim”, includes Old and New Testament passages that Wright prays will serve his church and other churches throughout the year in encouraging hiding God’s Word in the hearts of children. “I see how easy it is to be swayed by what the world tells you to do or not to do. My prayer for this album is that the children, including my two daughters, will be able to recognize that what God’s Word says is ultimately the truth.” Visit www.cornerroommusic.com to learn more about the songs that are available on Spotify, Apple Music, and more.
This year has been a rough one for most people. Politics and a pandemic have disrupted our society, and Christmas will not feel the same for many of us. Perhaps that is why Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas (Zondervan) resonated with me. Many of our most loved Christmas carols were written in times of great distress. Some were written in times of grief and loss. Others were written in the midst of warfare and social upheaval. Throughout the centuries, Christians have found hope and faith in songs that celebrate the birth of a Savior who was acquainted with grief and sorrow.
Ace Collins is the author of more than 70 books including Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas.
In Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, Ace Collins shares the history behind many of our favorite songs of the season. For example, “Angels, From the Realms of Glory” was written by an Irish political activist and agitator who was imprisoned twice for his radical writing. The four calling birds in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” represent Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. “Joy to the World” was written by Isaac Watts in reference to Psalm 98 and was not intended to be a Christmas song. The first music to ever be played on radio airwaves was a violin rendition of “Oh Holy Night.” Did you know that the Latin chorus of “Angels We Have Heard on High” may have been sung as early as the third century?
Perhaps my favorite chapter in Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas is the history of “I Heard the Bells of Christmas Day.” Longfellow wrote the lyrics on Christmas Day in 1863. As the church bells of Cambridge, Massachusetts celebrated the birth of Christ, Longfellow poured out his grief and outrage over the Civil War into a poem of lament and hope. After expressing his confusion and despair over a broken and unjust world, Longfellow turns the poem from a lamentation of sorrow into a proclamation of defiant faith. “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. The wrong shall fall, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” It is my favorite line in all the carols in our hymnals. When we sing the powerful words, we should lift every voice and put our fists in the air. God will bring healing, for Christ is born. God will bring justice, for Christ is born. God will bring peace, for Christ is born! Glory to God in the Highest.
“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 ESV
Mike Medici graduated from respiratory therapy school in December 2019 and began working at St. Vincent’s in January 2020.”I love to get up and go to work and most people can’t say that.”
“My life is absolutely a miracle. I was so far gone and hopeless. I didn’t see a future whatsoever. What I did see was death. I watched so many people die and it’s a miracle that I didn’t die myself,” says 36 year old Mike Medici whose life has transformed from being homeless with multiple addictions on the streets of Birmingham- ready to take his own life- to fighting for the lives of others as a respiratory therapist. “I believe that the Lord was preparing me for this task,” says Medici who cares for patients in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at St. Vincent’s Hospital. “I deal with a lot of sick, sick patients that are hopeless and scared. It’s so important to be able to encourage them that this life is so short and the big picture of what follows is what matters.” Caring for COVID-19 patients has been most difficult. “The family members are not allowed into the COVID-19 units so we as healthcare workers are all they have. What breaks my heart the most is when we do a zoom call with the patients and their loved ones. Just to hear them say their goodbyes to each other over a zoom call is so sad, but I get to be with these people and pray over them in their final minutes of life.”
Medici and his wife Crystal married in early January and are expecting their first child in December. “I pray over my family and fellow workers daily to not contract this novel virus. I pray over my unborn child and my wife that I do not get them sick,” says Medici. “I can feel a sense of God’s protection…during these difficult times.”
So, what led to this drastic change in Medici’s life? He explains that in April of 2016 he literally cried out to God, “ ‘Please show yourself to me if you are real or otherwise, I’m ready to end it.’ I was ready to take my life.” At that point, someone suggested he walk to the Brother Bryan Mission just a few blocks away from where he was at the time. “They let me in, completely engulfed me in the word of God. The people loved on me. Through the love and discipleship, I started reading the Bible and the words jumped off the page. It was like it was written just for me.” John Chapter 1 in particular got his attention. “I had read that passage so many times but this time it really impacted my heart. It was a renewing of my mind in the Word. Being washed in the Word and renewed in the Word is the key to life- it’s our road map.” Medici lived at the mission for two and a half years, first completing the Mission’s New Life Fellowship program and then working at the mission while going to school full time. He graduated from Respiratory Therapy School at Jefferson State Community College in December of 2019 and began working at St. Vincent’s in January of this year. “The change in Mike’s life became obvious to all,” remembers Brother Bryan Executive Director Jim Etheredge who received a letter from Mike Medici’s aunt who expressed her thanks for what was taking place in Mike’s life. She wrote, “This year the Messena and Medici families are thankful to have our nephew whole.”
“The happiness that I now have is immeasurable, ” says Medici. I let God into my life. I decided to seek what He thought was right not what I thought was right.”
-Laurie Stroud
If you have a Miracle that you would be like to share with us to give hope to others, email [email protected]. Subject Line: Miracle Moments or call 205-408-7150.
When COVID-19 hit, the worship team at Shades Mountain Baptist Church knew that Christmas could not go by without being celebrated. From this thought, Hope is Alive, a nostalgic program of music and storytelling, was born.
Tune in to WBRC Fox 6 on December 6 for Shades Mountain Baptist Church’s Christmas special called Hope is Alive. The event will include opportunities for viewers to give to the Christian Service Mission.
Hope is Alive will take place at your home, on your television! Gather your friends, neighbors, small group, or family and watch Hope is Alive on WBRC FOX6 on December 6 at 5 p.m. Nashville recording artists Drew and Ellie Holcomb are special guests for the hour-long Christmas special created right here in Birmingham with the help of a cast and crew of about 90 people. After the television premiere on December 6, LifeWay Digital Pass becomes the official streaming home of Hope is Alive.
This musical celebration of the birth of Christ was filmed on seven stage locations including the historic Alabama Theater as well as “living room” sets created right on the campus of Shades Mountain Baptist Church. Worship Arts Pastor, Michael Adler, brought musical styles and messages in all forms to this creative hour of television and with the brilliant cinematic skills of Shades Visual Arts Director, Ethan Milner, the end product should serve as a staple for Christmas. Hope is Alive brings together everything you love about Christmas… and the Shades Mountain Baptist Church team can’t wait to share it with you! Find a short preview of Hope is Alive here. †
Enjoy music and storytelling from the Shades Mountain Baptist Church Worship Team and special guests Drew and Ellie Holcomb.
Whether you want to dine in, order to go, place a catering order or give the gift of Carrabba’s with a gift card, Carrabba’s Italian Grill on Highway 280 is ready to serve you! Carrabba’s offers guests a unique and delicious menu everyone will enjoy. Open daily, the team at Carrabba’s is ready to serve you food- however you would like it to be delivered to you. View their menu here.
We are giving away a $50 Gift Card to Carrabba’s on December 17 as part of our 12 Days of Christmas giveaways! Follow us on Facebook to learn how you can win!
God the Father calls His people to not only follow His Son Jesus, but to go and invite others to “come and see for yourself.” (John 1:46) Christianity’s vitality and endurance relies on us sharing our faith with others, both in the here and now and with future generations.
If you and your family member’s greatest joy is found in Christ, wouldn’t it be wrong to keep that joy all to yourself? If you feel this is the time to make a bold switch and are prepared to make the transition, The Relay by author/pastor George Shamblin will coach you and others through the process. It will give you food for thought and fuel for action. The Relay will inspire you and your family members to become bolder in telling your story so you can best minister to others. Each day can start on a new footing: “I will share Christ with one person before the sun goes down.”
In Charles Spurgeon’s strong words: “It is not a new person or a new plan, but the life of God in you that the church needs. Let us ask God for it! Perhaps God is ready to shake the world at its very foundations. Perhaps even now, He is about to pour forth a mighty influence upon His people, which shall make the church in this age as vital as it ever was in any age that has passed!”
Shamblin is providing a signed copy of his book and a $50 Gift Card to Wayfair as a part of Birmingham Christian Family’s 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways. Like our Facebook page and tag three friends in the giveaway post to enter to win on December 13.
Engage in the reason for the season with some great gifts available at Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts in Alabaster. First, an interactive family celebration of Advent, The Wonder of the Greatest Gift by New York Times Bestseller Ann Voskamp which includes daily family devotionals, 24 full color ornaments, a star shaped tree topper and more. Also check out Ruth Graham Bell’s heartwarming, beautifully illustrated version of the Christmas story that begins with creation and ends with the resurrection, One Wintry Night. Special thanks to Sanctuary for providing both of these items in a Christmas Gift Pack to be given to a BCF reader as a part of our 12 Gifts of Christmas Giveaways. Be sure to visit Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts for all types of great gifts for occasions all year long!
We are giving away these great books on December 3! Be sure to like and follow our Facebook page to enter to win.
