Christmas has been good, tiring, surreal, fun, filled with laughter, contemplative, relational, and amazing to experience this season. Christmas happenings included....

- the trivial... mee maw supplied Rock Band for our family. I am practicing like crazy and I do feel that I will very soon be savvy for one of our praise teams!

- the highly anticipatory..... I love having a bunch of kids and living Christmas through them. From checking out every light in Crestview to celebrating with family on several occasions to swapping presents after AWANA night to seeing my son in my face at 4 dadgum 30 AM on Christmas morning. His eyes were ALIVE! It was a good month.

- the totally surprising.... Sheena, a friend of ours, shared an incredible gift with Lydia (our 9 year old). She traded her stuff and shared her love with our kid so that Lydia could have a guitar. This was one of the most sacrificial gifts that I have ever received. Amazing.

- the sacrifical..... it was incredible to celebrate the Advent with the Emmanuel family. Lives are being changed in our fellowship and God is using people in audacious ways. The Advent Conspiracy was incredible. We also managed to drop a couple of wells in W. Africa; sustain missionaries over the next year; and serve some local needs in Crestview.

- the surprising... we (our entire extended family) went to a homeless shelter in B'ham and served breakfast on Christmas eve morn. It was early and beautiful and amazing. I went to serve... I left having been served. The gratefulness that I saw and the hope that abounds in the shelter amazed me and humbled me. A poignant moment happened as we were cleaning up and prepping to leave. A couple of dozen women broke into song and 'wished us a merry Christmas'... It was the most beautiful and heart-felt singing that I have heard in a long time. Christmas was right in that moment.

- the cute... as in Susan and I had the opp to fulfill the role of Mary and Joseph at her home church during the Christmas eve service. Thus, Ella portrayed the Messiah... the baby Jesus. I must admit that she was quite the cute one! It was, honestly, a sacred and contemplative moment to consider that the Word really did put on flesh and the Word really was an infant.

I could keep writing of Christmas moments, but I really can summarize with the truth that I am so so thankful for Jesus Christ. I love Him and I am deeply grateful that He fleshed out God on this planet.

The Advent was intended to change the world. The advent of Christ evokes a conspiracy! I hope to give presence throughout this year.

I hope that your new year is anticipatory. This year, we get to follow Christ. This year, we get to experience the life of Christ in every day moments. This year, if we follow Him, we might just experience a conspiratorial 2009.

By Grace.... For Glory,

Mark

A few random thoughts from the past week:
- I watched 'church' Saturday morning. Our church had the privilege of partnering with two organizations in the area. A Christmas fest with 'HEROES' and Foster Families was incredible to experience. I am SO thankful to be a part of Emmanuel and to watch our fellowship serve our community. Amazing.

- Christ, Carols, and Communion always feels so 'right'. It was a great and reflective service. It was also an amazing service musically! We have incredible musicians at EBC.

- We baked all afternoon Sunday..... then, our family piled into the Suburban at dusk and went 'light' hunting. We drove for quite awhile and enjoyed each other and the lights around Crestview. Our kids managed to not kill each other and we ended up at BK for a feast of burgers and a fest on the playground.

- Our staff team is incredible. Our family team have truly brought it during this life conspiracy. I love this group of people that God has formed up at EBC.

- I received the most amazing gift. Words can't convey the meaning of this gift. A friend of mine heard that Lydia wanted to play guitar with her daddy (it will not take her long to surpass my skills!). So this friend, Sheena, proceeds to search for a guitar and to delve into relational gift giving by exchanging her stuff for the guitar.... all of this so that my kid could play! So, when I received the guitar and brought it home to Lydia, we were simply amazed.. overwhelmed. What a meaningful and thoughtful gift! So, here's Lydia's words about her future in music. She says, 'I want to play and write songs so that I can make Jesus famous!' Sheena, thanks for loving our family and for fostering my kids desire to make much of Christ.

Moments like these are why I love Christmas. Moments like these are why I love that I get to follow Christ everyday. Being a Christ-follower is meant to change the world!

Merry Christmas!

By Grace..... For Glory,
Mark

Life Conspiracy is just hopping. There were several passion-evoking moments this past weekend. I loved....

*Celebrating our small group leaders and hosts and the joy of knowing that our groups are increasingly becoming points of light and hope in neighborhoods across Crestview.

*Recognizing the amazing movement of God in the life of this church. As Ian, Kara and I were sharing multiple specifics of God at work through us, I was so thankful to be a part of EBC. God is on the move in the life of our fellowship!

* Standing and sharing of our future hope for the life of Emmanuel. We believe that God will do great things through us. We believe that we believe mammoth things from our God. We also believe that our wildest belief cannot possibly touch God's belief about His church. He longs to live, move, and have his being far beyond our best beliefs and our wildest imagination.

* Singing God of this City.... There was such a depth of passion as that song was sung this weekend.

*What I loved most was honoring those who launched the Emmanuel conspiracy. To recognize those who have been leading and serving and worshipping and giving and sacrificing at EBC for 27+ years was significant. I love that group of people. I love walking in their steps of faith!

Enjoy this season. May your life... our lives together... be conspiratorial! Merry Christmas!

By Grace... For Glory,
Mark

The past few weeks have amazed me.... It has been phenomenal to see so many people who have arranged their lives around what matters most and also in a way that God has gifted them. Hanging out with preschool workers, several of whom have served preschoolers for more than a decade (one for over 3 decades!)... and others who give a dozen hours of volunteer time each week... that was an amazing time of worship for our fellowship.

Then, to know that there are hundreds of coach's pouring into our kids. The Word does not return void and our kids have hidden a couple of hundred thousand verses of Scripture in their hearts over the past decade. That could prove to be revolutionary. I thank my God for every worker who pours into the lives of our kids.

This past Sunday was phenomenal. I love Bruce Baber. He's been a friend for a very long time. I love the way Bruce has vested his life in our students. For 24+ years he has discipled students and gone to camp and hosted D-Now and had kids study the Word as they met on his driveway and he has loved kids and taught them to follow Christ consistently for a very long time. To see a 36 year old man that Bruce discipled as a teen and a 13 year old that he is currently discipling standing on the stage at the same moment truly brought home to me the profundity of the Advent. Bruce is 'fleshing out' Christ to students.... dozens of others are doing that as well. Thank you for teaching me about conspiracy!

I feel like I am surrounded by heroes of the faith at EBC. I watch people play their instruments and lift their voices and lead adult SG's and love our pre-schoolers and kids and students.... I watch people advance and advance and advance the name of Christ and I am amazed. I love our fellowship. I love that Christ is leading us more deeply into a conspiracy.

This Sunday will be incredible! We will give. We will provide clean water. We will sustain missionaries. We will open the door for the fame of God and the worship of Christ to increase. I think that is right. I think that is conspiratorial. I love this place and Christ among us.

Worship Abundantly. Spend Differently. Give Fully. Love All.

By Grace... For Glory,
Mark

a few totally random thoughts from the past week....

- Proverbs 30.7-9 continues to waylay me...

- It was incredibly good to be with my family for a few days. We ventured to Jax and all of the Seagle fam was together. My mom is an amazing cook and I love my family. A good week of Thanksgiving was had by all in our clan!

- Kyle Boone sings better than the Bee Gee's.

- Did you ever think that you would hear the Bee Gee's in church and love it!?!

- I never see an image of an African child who is suffering without being under compulsion to be a part of the solution.

- If a 9 year old kid can provide water... build a school.... and change the future of a village in Africa, I think that we may have a role to play as well!

- I love the kids at EBC. It has been an incredible two weeks of Advent/Life Conspiracy. We have SO many people who are pouring their lives into our children.

- We have many who, in days to come, will join with our preschool, kids, or student ministry teams...... Let the conspiracy continue!

- 184,971 verses of Scripture in the hearts of our children over the past ten years. Because the Word does not return void, we should anticipate some pretty extreme Kingdom results!

- Christmas will change the world. It has. It is. It will. The word becoming flesh is pretty audacious.

- What will happen if every person in our fellowship discovers their spiritual niche and each of us chooses to relentlessly advance the Kingdom in the framework of how our creator formed us? What will happen when we actually experience a Life Conspiracy as a church? It could be radical!

- I am so thankful for sugar cookies!

- My son is so anxious to give money to help kids in need. I love that about him.

- I am loving the LIFE Conspiracy. Our family team is simply amazing!

- I think that I get to work with some amazing people. I cannot wait to get to the office each day. That is a pretty big deal!

- Is anyone else finding themselves singing "Glory to God... Glory to God... Glory to God, forever.."? I'm SO glad that song keeps rolling through my head.

- Okay, what will happen this weekend @ EBC? It's going to be fun... and life changing... and beautiful!

Christmas is meant to change the world. This year, give presence.

Mark