The first annual Fido & Whiskers’ Big Day Out was a huge success this past Saturday, with approximately 400 people, 200 dogs, and 0 cats in attendance.  We gave out tons of free food & drinks, Sarah took lots of free photos, and people won all sorts of free prizes.  Plus the vendors did an incredible job, from the Central K-9 agility curse to the fun competitions.  Kristin Burns was an incredible MC, of course, and Rachel Lutzker was a great judge for the competitions.  Here are some of the best pictures from the day:

Flying through the Central K-9 agility course

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Two Sundays after preaching on how The Church as it was Meant to Be is made up of fearless and bold Christians who are full of conviction, check out this real-life illustration of fearlessness in the face of opposition: 

SAN ANTONIO — A man said he had a heart-to-heart conversation with an armed burglar over a cup of coffee after he found him stealing his belongings from his home on Sept. 11, KSAT-TV in San Antonio reported.
Steve Swanson said he found a man, whom police suspect is Armando Hernandez, stealing items from his home.
“I said, ‘What are you doing here?’” Swanson said. “He said, ‘I’m taking your stuff, and it’s too bad you showed up.’”
Swanson said the man was carrying a knife in one hand and a gun in the other, but he didn’t panic.

“I said, ‘You don’t want to do this. First of all, if you harm me or kill me, I’m just going to go to heaven. You’re going to go to prison forever,’” Swanson said.
Swanson said he gave the burglar all the money in his wallet and offered to listen to his problems over breakfast.
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This Sunday, our church will be hosting an exciting, totally free event on Hubbard Green in Glastonbury called “Fido & Whiskers’ Big Day Out.”  You really have to check out the amazing website put together by Matt LaCroix at www.newlife-glastonbury.org/bigdayout - it took a lot of work, but really helps communicate how awesome the event will be.  The Big Day Out idea began as a way to engage the community through a ceremony known as the Blessing of the Animals that is often done by Catholic churches in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi.  My wife and I have attended a couple of these events with our dog Otis and have had a great time, so I thought it might be a fun way to engage our community and share about our God with whoever comes.  But then I thought, why stop there?  Why not invite all the pet businesses in town to come and set up booths, set up agility courses and do demonstrations, and give out free stuff?  And then I thought again, why stop there???  Why not offer some more free things from our church, like free food and drinks, free photos with your pet, with a free 4×6 printed on-site, and a Draw Your Pet booth with fun prizes?  And why not have competitions, with a celebrity judge (thank you, Rachel Lutzker) and prizes for the top three finishers in each category?

And then I thought… I’ll stop there.

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“The baby died.”

If there were a list of things you hope you never have to hear, “the baby died” would have to be up near the top, somewhere right above “I’m leaving you” and “It’s definitely cancerous.”  Last Wednesday, as I was on the phone with Andy Hood, my cell phone began to ring, with an unfamiliar Manchester number on the caller ID.  I had warned Andy that my wife was at an appointment at the OB/GYN office, and that she would be calling anytime, so he graciously said good-bye and allowed me to answer the incoming call, where I heard a hysterical voice punch me in the gut with those three words:

“The baby died.”

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Authenticity is a huge buzzword in Christian circles these days, as younger generations clamor for a faith and church that is real and not afraid to be who they are, in all their glory and shame.  But one pastor recently decided to take authenticity to a whole other level.  This Sunday, beginning at 9:00 PM, Pastor Troy Gramling of Flamingo Road Church in Cooper City, Florida will become the naked pastor.  Not THAT kind of naked… the transparent kind.  Pastor Gramling has had webcams set up in his house, car, office and a hotel that will be displaying his life 24/7 over the internet on www.mynakedpastor.com for all to see.  Not just for a day or two – for the next FIVE WEEKS (thanks to Monday Morning Insight for the tip).

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