Wednesdays Word

I was kicking around what message to look at today and more importantly who was going to convey it and I knew I wanted it to be someone I've personally heard speak so that helped narrow it down a bit and then I determined it actually had to be somebody I enjoyed hearing so there again that helped narrow it down some more. Considering I've had the opportunity to hear him speak a couple times at Winter Jam (which is by the way the best deal in music not just Christian music...$10 for 10 bands) and converse with him on Twitter (@tonynolanlive by the way) I figured I'd introduce you to a bold lover of Jesus Christ that's been through it all yet has kept his sense of humor and wants to share God's love for us through his personal testimony that can be in your face blunt at times..but it's the Truth. So enjoy these few moments with Tony Nolan.

Wednesdays Word via William Butler

Today's word isn't necessarily a word at all but if it was it'd be called thomaslift. This particular segment that I'm sharing with you could be classified under many things; a video, musically enhanced photos or quite simply art but regardless it is very unique, personal and quite amazing. I had the privilege of getting to know William Butler through a variety of circumstances. One way or another I meet everyone that moves to town because I handle the city's utility billing and there are few people who stick out to me but William & his wife struck a chord with me through their humbleness and kindness. I would see them every month and I'd look forward to our couple minute conversations; mainly because they'd leave me with a "God Bless" and being in a government office you don't hear that every day. One year I took a season off from coaching soccer and actually got to experience games as a parent rather than a coach and our sons played against each other and again I was amazed to see them living out their faith in the community right there on the sidelines. Being the sucker that I am that fall I was back on the other sideline and my path crossed with the Butlers again only this time I had the privilege of having their sons on my team and William helping me coach and considering he was quite the accomplished soccer player I was more than willing to pick his brain and take any input he had to offer. It was during this time that I found out what he did for a living and I checked his work out and I was blown away. Fast forward through the season and I found out my church's pastor was leaving us after 9 years to move back home and be closer to his family and it just so happened to be that one of the other parents of a kid on my team was our church's parish staff relations person so I got the two together and they came up with the perfect going away gift and had William create 2 paintings (similar to the one in the video); 1 for our pastor to put in his new home and and 1 for our church to display. It is an amazing experience. That's the only way to describe it and it's something you'll never forget if you are blessed enough to be a part of it. Combining music with his art enhances the experience and you don't know if you should listen to the preacher or watch William create during the sermon. To truly understand the finished painting you have to see it from start to finish...just like our lives. William builds upon that blank canvas and creates a depth and meaning that you can't fully appreciate or understand unless you've watched it from start to finish and then every time you think this beautiful creation is done something else gets added. God does that with everyone around us including ourselves.....so look closely and if you can still see the painting underneath that's ok because we are all a work in progress and we won't be complete until we hear those words..."well done, good and faithful servant".
The Butler's have answered God's next call for them and have moved away and I'll forever be grateful that our church, my family and myself were graced by the presence of this wonderful family. Find out more about William here... http://www.thomaslift.com/


Everything from William Butler on Vimeo.

Wednesdays Word from The Afters

Well it is Wednesday again and I figured I'd introduce you to a song by The Afters. This week I got a text from my wife saying "I heard a song and can't track it down.Argh!!! He spoke to me clearly though it and I can't find it. Dunno what it was called or who by and even the radio station couldn't tell me". I asked her for some hints and luckily I was listening to the same radio station just online so I put a couple of her hints together and a part of some lyrics that stuck with her and sent her the video....moments later she downloaded it on iTunes.

I've followed these guys since their Beautiful Love days and downloaded the Never Going Back to Ok album the day it was released and even though they've won a couple Dove awards I don't think they've gotten the recognition or air-wave time until their song Light Up the Sky (new album is of the same name) went #1.

But their single Lift Me Up is the song I'm talking about this week and the official video to it brings the song to an entirely different level. Lyrically it speaks to everyone because we've all been there, melodically it is catchy and it is spiritually it is powerful. Thanks for reading & listening.

Wednesdays Word....Elliana

Well today's Word is many things. It is a song which I will share with you at the end of this, it is a word that means God has answered, but most importantly Elliana is my daughter and today is her 3rd birthday so I figured it was perfect timing to share a little about her and the story surrounding her.

To preface all of this we already had 3 boys; Cole, Luke & Zack and my wife had several miscarriages (here's her "testimony"  my wife's blog ). We had a girl's name picked out for what seems like forever. She was always going to be Hailey Jane but then that's what my cousin named his daughter...this was after we told his dad the name we had picked out because Jane was not only my aunt but she also my Godmother and we lost her to cancer when I was in junior high and it was the only name my wife & I could ever agree on other than our oldest son Cole. So we had to scrap that girl name. In 2007 we went through 2 of those miscarriages and our youth pastor at church gave us a CD. She said her mom really liked them but wasn't her thing but knew there was a song on it for us. She was right...it just wasn't the song she assumed it would be. It was a CD from the husband wife group of Watermark and the song she intended for us to hear was Glory Baby; a song about their own loss. What she didn't fully know was that right after that song was one called Elliana; a song thanking God for their child. We finally had a name picked out....now we just needed a middle name which I covered here in a previous post of mine Just so happened to be

Fast forward to February 14th 2008 we found out we were having a girl. All was good in our household though I was not prepared for the multitude of pink that me and the boys were destined for. That all changed in April as we were forced into the harsh reality of things don't always go as planned. My wife does daycare and we found out she was exposed to 5th disease (that slapped bright red rash cheek virus which is virtually harmless to kids but very dangerous to a pregnant women). Knowing she'd done daycare so long we assumed she had had it before and was already immune to it but they did a blood test which to our surprise came back positive so we were referred to a perinatal specialist.

So we were left scared and with a lot questions in the meantime because they said their could be drastic problems. We had already lost 2 the previous year due to my wife's body not producing enough "stuff" to tell her body she's pregnant....I know real technical terms here. After meeting the perinatologist we learned we'd get a chance to see our little girl every few weeks for a few months via ultrasounds to monitor the baby's blood flow to her brain. If it increased, it would indicate she could be becoming anemic and they would do a blood transfusion in utero or possibly have her early. So we had to prepare each time that this could be the day. But through a lot of prayers she was fine and we got to double check time and time again to make sure she was a girl....already having 3 boys we wanted to make sure before we repainted the house pink.

Fast forward 3 years and we're here today with our beautiful little girl who has completed our family and makes each day a true joy and we thank God for answering our prayers and bringing our family unimaginable blessings.

Here are some of her pictures from this past year put to her song...