MUSICAL TALENT

This is a season of new beginnings...the fall...a fresh start...

Church of the Highlands is the church we attend...along with now over 10,000 people a weekend. Each week on Sunday we are inspired to walk a better path than we did the week before...

That is all we need to do..trust God...learn, grow, and try to improve...baby steps...

On Wednesdays, we get deeper into the word of God..Pastor Chris has messages that he is spreading across the nation and the world.

Also on Wednesdays, SWITCH takes place upstairs in the church, where now 500 pre-teens and teens burst out in song for the love of their God.

I wanted to include a sample of a couple of these teens who are giving it all for God...their myspace pages are listed...
Alexa is a talented 15 year old who writes her own music..Christian songs that we will no doubt find playing on our radios...
the other...a link to my son, Brent's website...where he too is writing songs and wants to be a praise and worship leader.

I think back to what I was listening to at their age...and I am amazed at the clarity they have at such a young age..and I thank God every day that He has led me...and as a result, my children to THE ROCK.

Click here for:
Alexa Rankin

Brent McCollough

CHURCH OF THE HIGHLANDS

God wants us all to use our gifts and talents for HIS KINGDOM...
Blessings and may Fall bring you in touch with your gifts and talents...

and a winning football team (GO BAMA!) :)

FACEBOOK

I have joined the ranks of FACEBOOK...
wow..you can lose a day on there!
With buttons and gadgets...and chat groups...
WOW..
I have had to limit the kids to a few hours a day...

We have also taken the liberty of making our home TEEN FRIENDLY..
more for parents than teens...

No more computers in their rooms..
I built a computer station in the den..where I can look over at any time..
and the tv...they have to watch movies in the den...

They are surprisingly ok with all of this, as they are such incredibly spiritual kids...they go to Church of the Highlands...where they are being challenged to be different...to stand for more...to want better values and morals..
They have decided to wait til college to "date"...a wise thing as all you do is practice divorce by breaking up (the only option when dating starting at 10!)

And they want to "hang in groups" and start bible studies at their school, and write praise and worship music...
they tell me the WANT me to know who they talk to (their pastor talked to them about this..about accountability...) and what they do online...they are far more mature than I was at that age..they tell me if they think a movie is too harsh....

And last week they went with us to Hemphill Elementary at West End for a prayer walk to take back our streets from crime and paint the school..the playground...
they loved it....

They read their Bibles daily but are REAL...not "religious".
I am so proud of them all...

they are tonight at the final night of a three day conference...they are ON FIRE...
and such an inspiration to me.

I wish so badly I had been so grounded...perhaps I would not have made so many bad choices and mistakes...

God has incredible things for their lives...I can't wait to watch them unfold...

If you have a pre-teen..I encourage you to arm them with whatever you can to help them combat the worldly views of sex, love, money and power...

there is something to be said for children with humility.
Photos: The girls painting the hallway at the school
A band of warriors praying through the streets in the rain...people ran out to give us umbrellas...asking "what are you marching for?" and we said...
"we are here to pray for your town...to fix up your
school" not once did we get a "why?"...we got "THANK YOU JESUS" FROM MORE THAN ONE MOM AND "THANK YOU...PRAISE GOD" from a local business man...

This area was suggested by the Bham Police Dept. as one of the most needed and highest in crime (we were escorted by three patrol cars as we walked and prayed)
(The kids stayed in the school...with our new doberman, SAMSON)