kenmurphy.org

Merry Christmas!

 

Three of my favorite muppets ringing in the season... a throwback from my childhood!

Merry Christmas! Join us at Stonecreek Church on December 24 for one of four identical Candlelight Services at 1, 2:30, 4 or 5:30 p.m. For free tickets and information, visit www.stonecreekchurch.org.

 

SCHEDULE INFORMATION:

There will be no worship gatherings on Sunday, December 25. Stonecreek Church facilities will be closed December 25 through January 2.

For year-end giving through The Gift Christmas Offering or the New Life Offering, give online here.

New Year's Day Communion will be Sunday, January 1 at 11 a.m. only (environments for babies through K available).

Nursery & Splash (Preschool, 9:30 & 11 a.m.), Kidzu (Elementary, 9:30 & 11 a.m.), Surge (Middle School, 9:30 a.m.), & Hydr8 (High School, 11 a.m.) will kick-off 2012 on Sunday, January 8. Stonecreek's adult worship gatherings resume at 9:30 a.m. & 11 a.m. as Steven Gibbs begins a brand new teaching series. stonecreekchurch.org

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Thought you'd enjoy this photo of "May." "May" was officially pardoned by President Bush outside the White House for the 60th Annual Turkey Pardoning.

My family will be enjoying "Ethyl," a very close relative of May's. The story that is not being told, is that Ethyl and May are actually twins. Ethyl switched talon tags without May knowing it, changing her identity. This slipped under the Federal Bureau of Investigation's radar somehow, leaving May branded as Ethyl, and Ethyl tagged as May. I realize this is confusing, but it really must be told. There is so much injustice in the world. While it will be difficult for us to enjoy May, knowing it should be Ethyl, we'll smother some cranberry sauce on top and enjoy none-the-less.

So, on behalf of "Ethyl" (who is really May) and the Murphy family, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Wedding Bells in Vegas

My niece Brittany is getting married this weekend to a great guy named Chris. She and her husband-to-be are on staff at Central Christian Church in Henderson, Nevada. I'm taking my camera, just in case there is an Elvis spotting. They're not going to Vegas to get married. They actually live there. So, if you were wondering where people in Vegas go to get married...well, they go to Vegas. :)

Taco Night at the Table... Together

Steven challenged us Sunday at Stonecreek to take the lead, to set the agenda for our families and recapture the art of a shared meal together. So, Kim and I set a goal to have three shared mealtime experiences this week, at home, at the table, uninterrupted... together. We had our first one tonight, and we had a great time!

Here's what we came up with as a family as we talked about what made tonight so great:

1. We were face to face, together. We prayed together. Not just for the food, but remembered Christ's sacrifice and love freely given so that we might have abundant life today and for eternity.
2. We eliminated distractions. The television was off. We did not get up to answer the gazillon phone calls we're getting from Milton City Council candidates.
3. The food was on the table, not buffet-style. We actually had to ask one another, "Please pass the hot sauce." There was no self-service buffet. We had to work together. We had to serve each other.
4. We were family. We shared what we loved best about our day. We celebrated successes with one another. We encouraged one another. We also talked about times in our day we were faced to "make wise choices, even when it was hard." We laughed. We hugged. We ate!
5. Tacos!
6. We made up our minds in advance that the shared meal was our priority, and then did something about it.
7. It made us want to do it again. It made us realize how much we don't miss the other noise we allow to creep in.

Don't miss Sundays at Stonecreek as Steven continues the series, Whole Family: Everyday Values. Invite a friend.

Captain Jack O'Lantern

Meet Milton's most fierce Irish pirate, Captain Jack O'Lantern. The kids and I had a great time last night painting their pumpkins and creating Captain Jack for tonight's candy-fest.

Have a safe and fun evening with your families!

Things I Liked This Week

Seven things I liked this week:
1. Miles' 9th birthday party and watching him build his new Mars Mission & Star Wars Lego ships. The boy loves to build things!
2. Eating popcorn with Millie, playing UNO (she dogged me!) and watching another episode of Hannah Montana.
3. Popping popcorn the old fashioned way, in a pot over the gas stove (just like my dad used to do it!).
4. Going to the Bebo Norman / Shane & Shane concert with Kim at Church of The Apostles, Atlanta, and hearing that 100,000 children came to know Jesus this past year because of child sponsorships through Compassion International!
5. Experiencing baptisms at Stonecreek Church on Sunday!
6. Meeting Sarah, a Leadership Development Program student from Kenya, Africa, Sunday morning at Stonecreek, and hearing how Compassion International is making a difference in her life!
7. Meeting with Brandon Christensen and planning a project to provide backpacks full of school supplies and hygiene products for children in Guatemala! (Christmas Project coming this November at Stonecreek!)

One thing I did not like this week (I cannot resist):
1. Getting a summons from Fulton County to serve on jury duty!

Happy Birthday, Kim!

Today is Kim's birthday! In our family, the kids get to pick the birthday cake for their parents or grandparents. Check out this cool ice cream cake Miles and Millie picked out from Carvel. Millie wanted to know why they used bacon as the hair on the cake. (It's actually toasted coconut!) I told her it was to balance out the sweetness of the icing and ice cream. :)

Things I Liked This Week

Here are seven things I liked this week:
1. talking about God's plans for Stonecreek on the beach in Seaside, Florida with Steven
2. watching 100s of teenagers worship at Big Stuf Camp, Panama City Beach, Florida
3. making up Saturday-Night-Live-esque "National Spelling Bee" sketches with Matt Brogden
4. the two-man band at Stinkey's Fish Camp at Grayton Beach
5. Wifi at the Watercolor Starbucks and my Venti lemonade iced tea (hit the spot)
6. sunscreen spray! (feels like shellack on my bald head)
7. laughing at the humor in my head and wondering why the contestants in the National Spelling Bee ask for the etymology, definition and pronunciations of words, but never ask for the spelling! ("May I have the spelling, please?)