This is an interesting DVD about Rick Larsons investigation of scientific proof of the Star of Bethlehem. Check out the promo video below:
To order the video: http://thestarofbethlehemmovie.com/index.php
To read more about Rick Larson search for the Star of Bethlehem: http://www.bethlehemstar.net/
One of our friends sent us this website and we decided to try it. To see the Christmas goofiness, click on this link. http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1526208945
Since my dad started reviewing movies, I decided to review one of my favorite movies. Mr. Bean's Holiday is a hilarious movie with many "heart-warming" moments followed with another hilarious situation. Mr. Bean is a person that is followed by chaos. No matter what he does, he some how gets in trouble, with knee-slapping results. Click on the link for the Mr. Bean's Holiday for trailer and clips. http://www.mrbeansholiday.net/main2.html
We enjoyed a matinée to start our Christmas school break. The movie of choice was "National Treasure: Book of Secrets". There are not many movies that you enjoy the sequel as much as you the original block buster but this movie broke that norm. You will like much of the same reasons that you enjoyed in the first: action, treasure hunting... I rank it a 4 0f 5 stars.
I'm sorry for not updating with a post in forever, so I am going to start now. We started the season officially on Friday, November 30th with a 53-15 win over Crossroads Christian (formally known as Believer's Faith) and will continue tomorrow (Tuesday, December 4th) against Harris Chapel. Basketball season has been extra tough as this being my freshman year but everything is working out fine. Our game against Crossroads was a good win with lots of hustle from everyone in the team. I was able to score 12 points and help our team as much as I could. I can tell that this year will be a good year for the CFA Fire. So long for now, and look for more from the Herrells soon.
MERRY CHRISTMAS! : )
Hi everyone, We are now fully back in the swing of things. I have a lot of hard classes which amounts to a lot of homework. I am really enjoying the school year so far though. We have 7 exchange students this year and I am beginning to get to know them. Being a junior this year is going to be fun. We get to plan the schools Junior/Senior(the closest our school gets to a prom) and because I'm in AP English this year we might get to go to New York to see a play on Broadway. I'm am in praise band again as well as being in the Lenoir Rhyne Youth Chorus. I am going to be a small group leader in my Bible class and reading through the bible for class too. I am finally done taking Spanish but now I'm being recruited to help every once in a while during my study hall. Well I better get to my homework. Hope to hear from you soon.
Hey everyone this is Hanna and I'm going to continue where my brother left off. Well, once we got there and saw where we were going to be living for the next 12 days. I was not very happy to be there and so was my room mate Laura. We were all very tired and ready to sleep because of the jet lag. We hadn't met any kids yet and I missed my family. Even though I was not having one of the best times I decided to make the best of it. We talked to the main American leader Jenny, and she told us to get our swim suits on and go down to the pond/lake where they were preparing for water day. As soon as Laura and I got close some Ukrainian Leader asked me something about having some Ukrainian fun . I really didn't understand and so we walked up to the group building a slip and slide on the beach. And all of a sudden the same Ukrainian lady comes up and grabs my arm and drags me down the beachy hill and into the lake and a split second later Laura was beside me in the water. I think that was a God thing because we were both wondering what we were doing there and all of a sudden we were welcomed into the Ukrainian team and even though we couldn't speak the language we knew that was where God wanted us. Later on the kids began showing up and loving the slip and slide and just having fun with us in the water. They loved coming up to you and splashing you with the water or going under water and grabbing your leg and trying to pull you under.
Then we got cleaned up while the kids ate and then on my way to the large building where the cafeteria and the auditorium was I had the realization that I was going to have to walk up 51 uneven steps to the top of this hill where it was. When we got to the top I thought I was going to die but I kept walking in hopes of some food. Once we got there we all sat at tables and we prayed and began to eat. It was some soup and other stuff and this stuff that looked like tea. Then some of the Ukrainian team came up to our table and was like "Ukrainian Tradition" and started to hit their glasses together and wanted us to do the same so we did and then drank it. It is probably the nastiest stuff I've ever put in my mouth it was like barbecued prune juice. Then we went down stairs and had what they called "concert" because they weren't legally allowed to have a church service. It always had tons of crazy skits and singing in Russian it was so much fun for us and the kids. Then we had a group meeting and went back to our rooms to sleep. I woke up to the noise of birds flying in and out of my room. Because our window had a hole for a window but no glass in it so birds flew freely in and out of our room to their nest on top of our light bulb. Then we began our first full day at the camp. More coming soon !
While thinking on what that I should write about our mission trip to Ukraine, hundreds of faces and names flood my mind and I think about every one of them and how God has used them to give myself an experience that has changed my outlook on life and family. When I finally realized I would be able to minister to hundreds of orphans in a country in the former USSR and be able to share my faith of Jesus Christ with them just amazed me, and I had the chance to do that exact thing while I was there. On Sunday the 15th at about 2:00, my sister and I met with the rest of our school's team and said goodbye to our parents before leaving on a connecting flight to Munich, Germany and then to Kiev, Ukraine. After a VERY long plane ride and some nasty plane food we finally arrived in Kiev and went to the administrator of the trip's apartment which where we had an orientation of what to expect at the camp and to prepare us for life in Kharkiv. After a 11 hour train ride and a 3 hour bus ride to the camp itself, we arrived at the camp. More of the story to come... Here are some pics of the trip:
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Ukraine
It's amazing how God can take a situation that might not look so good, to a wonderful opportunity to minister to the hurting. At somewhere in the beginning of July, my dad received a call from my principal at my school. Every year the school goes somewhere on a mission trip. Before it has been at New Zealand, Africa, and the Ukraine. This year, they are going to the Ukraine again and had their slots filled. (At least we thought.) The call was about one of the people going (Her daughter) became sick with Lyme's disease and the doctor told her not to go because it could hurt her health. Because there was an extra seat, she wondered if either my sister or I would like to take her seat on the plane and go to the Ukraine. My family prayed about it and we tried to come to a decision but we couldn't. So, the next time my principal called us, we explained our position and she asked us if there was another seat, if both of us could go to th Ukraine. We said "Yes" and she checked with the directors of the trip if there was another seat for myself. They told us that was another seat but we would have to raise more money to go. Plus we have to go get tetanus shots, and go to Washington DC at the passport office to get, you guessed it, passports. After all of this is done, we have to pack up everything and actually go to the Ukraine on the 15th. In all of this going on, I can see how all of is coming together beautifully to be able to love kids who have never been loved before. I can't wait to go and please pray for the team and the kids and teens we will be ministering to in the Ukraine because prayer is the only thing that has got us through so far. Thank You.
Our latest addition to the family blog is embedding some of our favorites videos (youtube stuff) that can be played inside the blog. To see some things funny and serious by scrolling half way down the left column.
Video description:
As a normal teenager, I've always enjoyed playing video games, but sometimes you get tired of mashing random buttons to win. I found a cure for that by the new game "Guitar Hero". The point of the game is to hold down different buttons according to the song and strum the "strings" (another button-like trigger) to play it. They take old rock songs like "Smoke on the Water", "Iron Man", and "Crossroads". I think it's one of the coolest concept for a video game in a while. I highly recommend it.
Hello Blog Viewers, I just came home from one of the coolest events for kids and youth I have ever seen (I've been in it since preschool). If you haven't seen the title, it's AWANA. AWANA stands for approved workmen are not ashamed and is a really cool program because of the scripture memorization and incorporating it with fun and games. Our church has AWANA for preschool through high school. I'll be posting again soon. Bye
Hello everyone, This week since it was spring break I refined my duct tape abilities by making lots of stuff. I'm going to attach some pictures of them. Let me know what you think and give me some new ideas. I think I am beginning to find out how to make poka-dots . I've also found that it's hard to deal with sticky tape in a car going 70 on the interstate. But now I must go back to school and restrain myself from making anything else till my homework is done.
Freda and I have come to the agreement that we enjoy and would like to make Easter the most important holiday celebration. Over Christmas with all the commercialization and busyness we like Easter because of the New Life Christ provides. It is even revealed in nature as everything is in bloom and alive. This year was one of the best Easter weekends so far for the following reasons:
Hello everybody, Well this weekend we went with the Drummonds side of the family to Gatlinburg. Once I got there we played with my cousins and went to the clubhouse and ate a home made meal made by my Aunt, Uncle and some of my cousins and had fun in their game room and exercise room. The next day we all ate breakfast together and headed off to Dollywood and got to go on the new ride "The Mystery Mine". We all left and different times and ate supper separately and then came back to the room and played some board games while my little cousin Katie colored eggs. The next morning my cousin and my brother accidentally woke me and my other cousin up. But as I went to go take my shower in the other building it was snowing very lightly but it was still snowing. Nothing stuck but it was pretty to watch. Then we packed up and checked out and played again in the game room and I beat my cousin by almost double on a game I just learned. Then we said our goodbyes and headed home. It was so much fun.
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If you know me you know I enjoy gadgets and how they work. I realized that my Olympus SP500 digital camera has the ability to record low resolution video. I used it to take some video of a two muskets and a 6 pound cannon. See the link below to see the videos.
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| CFA Williamsbu |
This week from Wednesday to Friday we have been on a school field trip to Colonial Jamestown and Williamsburg. On Wednesday we spent around 7 hours on a fairly nice bus traveling to Virginia and having lots of fun on the way. When we arrived at the Jamestown Colony Museum, we were amazed at the huge ships that the citizens sailed for over 120 days! I feel guilty for complaining about the bus trip. Afterwards, we ate and went on a tour of Williamsburg by lantern, which was very cool, I might add. We have the chance to see how many things were done in the seventh century. It made me think about the book "The Scarlet Letter" which was placed in puritan Boston that we had just finished in English class. I never thought about what you had to do just to make a living. After the tour we headed back to the hotel to go to sleep. The next morning, we ate at a breakfast buffet which was delicious. We were full and now ready to look at Williamsburg in the daylight. We got to see the Gunsmith, Blacksmith, Kitchen and other places. Next we got to shop and eat at The Merchant's Square which I recommend the chicken sandwich or hotdog from Retro's and I also recommend the Candy Shop's "1lb of jelly beans for 6.59'' which I had a half lb of delicious jelly beans for less than 4 dollars. We returned to the bus to be transported to Yorktown and be shown around the colony's tobacco hut and was given a cannon demonstration which I was the "Hunk" (The Aiming lifter). Next was the President's Hall. I thought this was very cool with the giant heads of presidents and their accomplishments on a board. We were also given a scavenger hunt list of facts about the presidents which we had to find. Afterwards, our group went to the coolest meal I've had in a long time. Forget Dixie Stampede and make way for The King's Arms. We were given a three course meal with Salad, Fried Chicken, and Homemade Ice Cream. After a wonderful meal, we decided it was time to start dancing colonial style. We received some group lessons on how to dance. It was so much fun to dance just for fun. Tomorrow we will go to Richmond to hear a reenactment of Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty or Give me Death!" speech. So long for now.
-Elijah Herrell
If you know our family at all you know that music plays a big part. Within our family you will find 2 music degrees, 1 music teacher, 1 worship leader, 3 piano players, 2 guitar players and 4 singers. So I thought that the "Herrell Family Place" should be musical as well. By now you should be hearing a guitar composition of Phil Keaggy entitled "As It Is In Heaven". Enjoy the soothing tones!
If soothing tunes is not you. Check out Hanna's and Elijah's (coming very soon) playlist of more upbeat tunes. Whatever your pleasure have some music while you read the latest post. Oh by the way we love to read your comments. Thanks for reading.
To be honest, 2007 has not been a easy time. My brother passed away on January 12th (which, unfortunately, was also my nephew's birthday). Ever since Thanksgiving, my Dad's health has been deteriorating. He has lost much of his appetite and has lost a lot of weight. He has been in the hospital with a bowel blockage, pneumonia, collapsed lung, and anemia. My mother has been under so much stress through all of this that we agreed as a family that the best thing to do would be to admit Dad to a nursing home. My brother-in-law and I took my Dad to the nursing facility on February 15th. My sister's and niece's families visited him everyday. He seemed to be doing well, even though we had a few small concerns . Mom decided after seeing him there that she wanted him back home. He came home on February 23rd. Needless to say, I'm concerned. I was concerned for Dad when he was in the nursing home, and I'm concerned for him (and Mom) at home when Mom is too overcome by such a large responsibility. So, I'm stepping into another period of faith-building. To trust God's character and not the circumstances is not a new precept, but a hard one to put into practice. I can firmly say that God has never failed to be faithful in the past, so I have no reason to doubt. It's just that doubting is so easy, but not the best. Sort of like eating dessert:-) So, "I am pressed, but not crushed..."and realize that life could be much worse. I'm still able to call Dad everyday and hear him tell me that he loves me, and I am able to tell him the same. The fact that he still recognizes me is a big blessing. I hate being 3 and a half hours away, but I hope God allows me to be able to help as much as I can from here. So, in closing, I'll share some life lessons that I've learned already this year.
Here are pics of our dog using a tool called PictureTrail. Just click on the cube to enlarge the picture.
It is hard to believe that flowers are beginning to bloom and that spring is ready to begin. Because of the mild winter with little snow or very low temperature it seems that we have experienced a very long season of fall and just skipped winter altogether. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I realize that we could be living in upstate NY and be crushed under snow storm after snow storm. You will see to the right a picture of the first of our crop of Daffodils that bloomed this Wednesday - amazing!
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Flowers,
Nature
If you know me, you will almost immediately know that I love basketball and playing basketball is my favorite hobby. I have playing for CFA (Christian Family Academy) for about 2 yrs. and this season we have placed (so far) 4th and are tied by Woodlawn Christian Academy and will play them at Charlotte Sports Gym and will advance if we win and will probably play Success Academy or North Hills Christian School. I also have been chosen to play in our Conference's All Star Game with my friends Christian Huffman and Christopher McGrath. This Season has been my best season with the wonderful coaching by Andy Fox and being in 8th Grade in a 7th-8th grade league. My highest scoring game was against Clearview Academy with 20 points and about 8 rebounds. I will report back later on our school Christian Family Academy.
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Basketball
This past week has been a difficult one for the Herrells. Joseph, Hanna and Elijah were sick with an ugly Sinus Infection/Flu. We still after 8 days are coughing but thankful that they are not running a fever. To add to the difficulty Freda needed to attend to family situations in TN and was gone for a couple of days. We realized more than ever how much we rely on each other. Not only do we need each other but we enjoy being together. We are looking forward to a trip in a couple of weeks with the school to Colonial Williamsburg. I should be fun!
It only takes a dusting of snow and sleet and a good TV meteorologist that is predicting freezing rain to make it a SNOW DAY. I hope you are enjoying yours!
Hi, I'm Elijah and this is my first entry into the Herrell family place blog. I'm the son in the family and my interests are basketball, hip hop and rock music, and legal graffiti artwork. I will be posting info about my basketball season later.
One of my school activities at Christian Family Academy(CFA) is playing bass in our praise band. We have mostly 8th through 11th graders except one of my favorite singers who's in 5th. We practie weekly to prepare ourselves for Chapel (school worship service). Our favorite and most worn-down song is "We've Got So Much" that we learned for Thanksgiving. We learned "Trading My Sorrows" (that I have a solo in) not so long ago. We are now working on "Blessed Be Your Name", "The Glory of Your Name", "Your Love is Deep", and "Rescue". My parents are the leaders and Elijah is our sound(and much more) guy. Click on my picture to see pictures of my friends and I in the CFA Band.
I don't know exactly why but I love taking photos of flowers. It may be the color or the beauty. I know I'm not a professional but even an amateur can get great pleasure from capturing the image of something that God has made. I hope to be more accomplished in the art of photography and understand more about f stops, apertures. The good thing about digital photography with a large memory card is that you can take as many shoots of a subject until you get something that looks descent. I will post any (what I think are good pictures in future updates. Thanks for looking at flowers.
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Art
Right after the New Year began on January 3 the Herrell's had a chance to worship at the New Life Mt. View church site. New Life Mt. View is our second of many new church sites that God has called our family to help build. Since the summer of 2005 Hanna has committed herself to be part of the Praise Band there. She sings and plays Bass guitar as well as Keyboard. I think that she feels a great purpose in being a part of the Mt. View site. Maybe she will share more about her experiences at Mt. View in another post. Freda & I are so proud of Hanna not just that she is using her talent but that she is investing herself in the work of the Kingdom of God. Way to go Hanna! Click on the picture to link to more pictures of the Wednesday night service.
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Church
As most of you may have heard, Freda's brother, Gale Drummonds, passed away this weekend. He had some long term health difficulties, and died at his home on January 12 2007. The Herrell's would like to honor his memory by posting an web album of pictures of the funeral services. You can connect to the web album with the following link: Memorial of Gale Drummonds or by clicking on the Flag picture to the left. From this web album you can download pictures to your own computer or even order prints that are mailed to you or someone else. If you find a caption that is incorrect (Freda could not remember everyone's name), please leave a comment on the picture in question. There is also a private photo that you can have access too by emailing me directly at Joseph Herrell .
I'm excited to be part of sharing with friends and family. Share with us, okay? You can leave comments after each article.
After spending some time with loved ones. We all agreed that we need to stay connected. I have made a renewed effort to blog more regularly about my life as a worshipper called: Life of a Worshipper. I talked with my wife Freda about starting a blog about our family so our extended family stays connected and hungry for the next time to get together in person. So please check out this page
( http://herrellfamily.blogspot.com ) often or get the RSS feed so you will be notified when new posts come on line. Each member of our family will be able to post so it should be varied and interesting.
