Ladies 50's Luncheon at ICC's Winter Ignite

What's that you said??? A ladies luncheon??? I haven't a thing to wear!

(The 50's Ladies Luncheon. Sweet! Let's get started with a little 50's lingo!)

No threads to wear? Well, maybe this lady could help you get in the mix with some lid advice :).

Gotta be hip with the grooviest peepers!

Have you picked out a sharp set of earth pads yet?

Time to get all dolled up!

We set a cool blanket . . .

. . . and some rockin' bee sticks.

Cast an eyeball on these getups :).

The joint was cranked!

Zoot suits were far out!

Hip cats dug the vibes. (Hahahaha! Mrs. Moon is a hip cat :))

Hangin' with the cool cats!

These two rocked a little jitterbug.

Everyone had a blast at the bash! It was like, crazy man!

ICC 2011 The Future Is Now Evening Program

The 2011 Institute For Cultural Communicators Intern Team with the author and director of the 2011 The Future is Now Evening Program.


Yes, they are quite a serious, professional bunch :).
Their mission is to reach as many students across the United States as they can,
and equip them to get out the message of Jesus Christ through communications skills.

At the parents' commissioning weekend, we got to attend the national debut of the Evening Program.

One of the literary pieces they presented was Cindermaid - the original version of Cinderella.




(A birdie in the tree.)

The children's story this year is Barrie's Peter Pan.

Wendy, with Smee and Captain Hook. In the background, lost boys and a really cute pirate - who happens to be my daughter Kali :).

The last piece they presented was called Hope and Despair. 






It was a great program and the interns did a marvelous job!


God has much in store for this group this year. Praying for the team as they are touring across the country, teaching classes and presenting this program. For more information on a conference in your area, you can contact me or you can see the ICC website here.

ICC National Convention

Kali and I are in Virginia at the Institute For Cultural Communicators' National Convention. If you have ever attended an ICC, or Communicators For Christ, event you will immediately understand the previous cartoon :). Kali brought a special pair of apple shaped sunglasses that Mark got for her in Cedar Key at the bait shop - just for ICC.

This year's theme is: The Future is Now. Get ready! New to the convention this year is the addition of laptops, ipads, cell phones, ipods, any type of communications device that the students can use to more effectively communicate with other people.

They were instructed to bring said electronics to the sessions with them. I am curious to see how the interns and convention staff work the use of these electronics into the conference teaching schedule.

Millenials. I can see our students in these cartoons. And I can't wait to see how the week goes! Tournament today and tomorrow. Students are using laptops in the debate rounds to prepare their speeches on and to flow the other debaters' speeches. So far it has worked well, only had one student almost drop his laptop as he got up for the cross-fire :).

NCFCA Speech and Debate Qualifying Tournament Success

Kali and I just returned home from the Georgia NCFCA Qualifying Tournament. The NCFCA (National Christian Forensics and Communications Association) is a Christian homeschool speech and debate league. This is Kali's third year competing. Above you see my beautiful daughter's look of pure joy shortly after it was announced that she had taken first place in the Lincoln Douglas Value Debate Speakers category. This is based on speaker points given by each individual judge during the debaters six debate rounds. There were so many talented speakers at the tournament, Kali was blessed, and honored, to receive this recognition.

The top eight speakers, you have to look at them from right to left because we loaded the platform backwards. Sorry.

During the actual debating, Kali took third place.

Kali also competed in Impromptu and took sixth place. Impromptu is a limited prep category. The speakers draws three slips from a spread of face-down papers, which have a variety of random topics printed on them. The topics might be random words like: lampshade, ears, watermelon, machinery, basically anything, or it might be a compilation of quotes. The timepiece begins when the student touches the first paper. They get two minutes to decide which topic to use, and to prepare a five minute speech on that topic, which they then give on the spot. They are not allowed to use any notes when giving their speech. Kali has been getting better with this speech category and placed 6th, the highest she's ever gotten with it. She made it all the way in to the finals round.

At this tournament she qualified in debate and impromptu to compete at the regional competition, which will include three states. She also qualified in Humorous Interpretation at an earlier qualifier. Way to go, Kali! Great job!

Shooting at Cedine

This young man lives a little over 800 miles from where I live. Recently, his mom and I were trying to figure out how I could shoot his senior pictures when we live so far apart from each other.

I was looking into traveling to them, when it dawned on us that the Institute For Cultural Communicators' winter retreat might be a convenient time, since we'd all be in one place at the same time!

The retreat was held at Cedine Bible Camp in eastern Tennessee. We got there shortly after a huge snow and ice storm, and the grounds were so beautiful covered in snow. I could have done without all the ice, though.

He was there to work - as a potential intern. They got to do all the behind-the-scenes grunt work of facilitating the retreat. And, he was a blessing to many.

His sense of humor brightened the day for many of us that week!

When I asked him what his favorite scripture was, he assured me he never ran out of scripture, that he had many favorites. A tell-tell sign of what this young man is, of WHO he is.

Of whom he belongs to.

For this young man is a man after God's own heart.

This is evidenced in his actions, in his mannerisms, in his character, in his words, in the way he treats others.

He is a blessing to many. He is an example for the younger students. He is an example for his peers.

He's a caring and loving son. He's one awesome big brother!

He's someone you can depend on, and count on.

A man of God.

A man of God who memorizes and lives by the Word.

He is a man who isn't afraid to take a stand for God, to take a stand for his beliefs, to take a stand for eternity and for making a difference. And right now, he is a Senior! And I got to shoot his senior pictures! Whoot! Whoot! Congratulations! Remember your roots and grounding in your faith, and go out and Be Awesome for God!