[Debbie] Well, we intended to be in Savannah this week, but after a few recommendations from friends we decided to hit Ormond Beach first. Many of you have requested suggestions for a church at the beach since the Daytona area is such a favorite weekend hangout for the Central Florida crowd. This blog is true to life...things change, we roll with it. So, this time, we've had the opportunity to explore a church plant in Ormond Beach, FL. Perfectly enough, the message of the weekend was about our lives as a journey...even the every day adventures.
Beachside Church is just steps away from the ocean with a casual internal atmosphere to match. We'd heard of Beachside by word of mouth as being non-denominational, progressive, young, and service oriented. Upon arrival, it seemed just that. A kind gentleman named Brian greeted us, introduced us, and gave us a verbal tour. Beachside has connection programs ranging from Mens/Womens groups to the "Christian Surfers" group (how can you not love fellowship on the beach?!). For me, however, it was the message that stood out today. The reminder today was that our lives are often remembered by the big eventful single points in time (when its easy to recognize the presence of God), but are mainly composed of the smaller, unimpressive ones that got us there. God is in ALL of our days, the Pastor reminded us. The compilation is the adventure... just in the form of a journey.
As for the church, I loved that it felt "real"... comfortable, relatable, and relevant. You could even wear board shorts and a tee shirt to the service. Great church spot for those spending the weekend at the coast.
Beachside gets..... Hallelujah!
David here. It is with great pleasure I get to blog about the "dinner" part of dinner and a sermon this week. The Daytona 500 Nascar race is just two weeks away so we figured a race theme was in order. Our journey this week brought us to the now world famous "Brickyard." Upon entering the Brickyard we were greeted by a happy and outgoing cook just beyond the hamburger bar. He was ready and willing to cook up two of the biggest, juiciest, and mouth-watering burgers we had ever eaten. Both burgers came on an over sized bun with fresh onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. We ordered ours with jalapenos and cheddar cheese for a little kick. They were absolutely fantastic and while we were there they brought to our attention that the restaurant will be featured on CBS a few hours before the Super Bowl for their wings and burgers. It's only a matter of time before you see this one on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives!"
Rating: We both split our pants!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
A Family That Prays Together Eats Together!
Hi..this is David and I want to welcome you to our inaugural post to the "Dinner And A Sermon" blog. My beautiful fiance Debbie and I love each other very much, but first and foremost we love God. I think the best description of the hierarchy of our love pyramid would go...
God, Each Other, Family, Everyone Else, and Food. The first and latter of those inspired us to go on a whirlwind quest in 2010 to visit the 50 most dynamic churches in America while at the same time sampling unique and tasty local fare from the neighboring areas the churches belong to. First up on our mission is a church near and dear to my own heart. Northland, A Church Distributed, is a mega church in Longwood, Fl. Longwood is just outside of Orlando and the church is pastored by Dr. Joel Hunter. Dr. Hunter recently hit the big time spot light when he was selected to be a part of Barack Obama's advisory council. All the politics aside we would be in for a real treat today. My Mom would be joining us today so she drove down from Gainesville to meet us in Daytona so we could all drive down to Longwood together. We arrived just in time to get three seats up close and center. The service began with a quick reminder of how important it is to serve others and then without further ado the music began with the soul inspiring angelic sounds of Mighty To Save. The Broadway like special effects and top notch musicians were nothing short of spectacular. I almost forgot that this was a church, and not a christian rock concert. After the first song my Mom looked up at me and winked as if to say...wow...this is amazing. When the songs were over, the associate pastor went through a list of about 10 things we could all do to help with the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Haiti. There were a group of about 20 church members that came forward so the congregation could pray for them as they will be leaving tomorrow to join the relief effort on the ground. Brave souls! Dr. Hunter came up on the stage next and started with a brief reminder about having compassion for people when they are going through a tragedy....it isn't the time for a lecture. I think he was referencing the lunatic comments made by Pat Robertson earlier this week. Good to know Dr. Hunter is willing to take a stand when fundamentalists make such damaging comments. Moving on he delved deeply in to how important our families are and how we should treat each other. It was one of the most moving sermons I've ever heard and it brought tears to my eyes on several occasions. In the end there was an altar call with about 60 to 70 people coming forward to commit their lives to Christ. I was again in tears and holding my Mom and Debbie's hands as we watched in wonderment. It really turned out to be one of the best church services I have ever attended. A great beginning to our 50 week journey with God.
Ratings Scale: Great = Hallelujah
Average = I'm Grateful
Not Good = Could Use A Prayer
Northland Gets....................Hallelujah
Now its my turn (Debbie)... If you know Dave and I, you know that food just HAD to be incorporated in our adventure! Having personally grown up in a large Italian family, I've grown to feel as if food was a way of celebrating. We do it up ; )
For our first food stop, we met a woman that seems to share this same tradition. Vittoria is the owner of an Italian Bakery in Daytona Beach Shores that shares her name. Upon entry to the bakery, you see a case filled with biscotti and assorted cookies.... Around the corner, a case with cannoli, cream puffs, ricotta pie, and other assorted baked goods. Remember the tears of joy that Dave spoke of above? It was heavenly! Dave ordered a cannoli, I had a cream puff, and Mom had a lemon cake topped with pastry cream and powdered sugar. Yummy. Now, today was Vittoria's 70th birthday, according to her daughter who was working behind the counter. Yet, she was still in the kitchen creating these mouth watering concoctions in a way that demonstrated her passion for baking and love for Italian tradition. Thank you, Vittoria, for sharing a piece of yourself with us...and for sharing a piece of your dessert with us as well. Happy Birthday!
Ratings Scale: Great = I Split My Pants
Average = I Cleaned My Plate
Not Good = Could Use A Prayer
Vittoria's Gets....................I Split My Pants
Next stop... Savannah Georgia!
God, Each Other, Family, Everyone Else, and Food. The first and latter of those inspired us to go on a whirlwind quest in 2010 to visit the 50 most dynamic churches in America while at the same time sampling unique and tasty local fare from the neighboring areas the churches belong to. First up on our mission is a church near and dear to my own heart. Northland, A Church Distributed, is a mega church in Longwood, Fl. Longwood is just outside of Orlando and the church is pastored by Dr. Joel Hunter. Dr. Hunter recently hit the big time spot light when he was selected to be a part of Barack Obama's advisory council. All the politics aside we would be in for a real treat today. My Mom would be joining us today so she drove down from Gainesville to meet us in Daytona so we could all drive down to Longwood together. We arrived just in time to get three seats up close and center. The service began with a quick reminder of how important it is to serve others and then without further ado the music began with the soul inspiring angelic sounds of Mighty To Save. The Broadway like special effects and top notch musicians were nothing short of spectacular. I almost forgot that this was a church, and not a christian rock concert. After the first song my Mom looked up at me and winked as if to say...wow...this is amazing. When the songs were over, the associate pastor went through a list of about 10 things we could all do to help with the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Haiti. There were a group of about 20 church members that came forward so the congregation could pray for them as they will be leaving tomorrow to join the relief effort on the ground. Brave souls! Dr. Hunter came up on the stage next and started with a brief reminder about having compassion for people when they are going through a tragedy....it isn't the time for a lecture. I think he was referencing the lunatic comments made by Pat Robertson earlier this week. Good to know Dr. Hunter is willing to take a stand when fundamentalists make such damaging comments. Moving on he delved deeply in to how important our families are and how we should treat each other. It was one of the most moving sermons I've ever heard and it brought tears to my eyes on several occasions. In the end there was an altar call with about 60 to 70 people coming forward to commit their lives to Christ. I was again in tears and holding my Mom and Debbie's hands as we watched in wonderment. It really turned out to be one of the best church services I have ever attended. A great beginning to our 50 week journey with God.
Ratings Scale: Great = Hallelujah
Average = I'm Grateful
Not Good = Could Use A Prayer
Northland Gets....................Hallelujah
Now its my turn (Debbie)... If you know Dave and I, you know that food just HAD to be incorporated in our adventure! Having personally grown up in a large Italian family, I've grown to feel as if food was a way of celebrating. We do it up ; )
For our first food stop, we met a woman that seems to share this same tradition. Vittoria is the owner of an Italian Bakery in Daytona Beach Shores that shares her name. Upon entry to the bakery, you see a case filled with biscotti and assorted cookies.... Around the corner, a case with cannoli, cream puffs, ricotta pie, and other assorted baked goods. Remember the tears of joy that Dave spoke of above? It was heavenly! Dave ordered a cannoli, I had a cream puff, and Mom had a lemon cake topped with pastry cream and powdered sugar. Yummy. Now, today was Vittoria's 70th birthday, according to her daughter who was working behind the counter. Yet, she was still in the kitchen creating these mouth watering concoctions in a way that demonstrated her passion for baking and love for Italian tradition. Thank you, Vittoria, for sharing a piece of yourself with us...and for sharing a piece of your dessert with us as well. Happy Birthday!
Ratings Scale: Great = I Split My Pants
Average = I Cleaned My Plate
Not Good = Could Use A Prayer
Vittoria's Gets....................I Split My Pants
Next stop... Savannah Georgia!
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