Dream In Soul – Creativity for the Kingdom:

“Here, before Your altar,
I am letting go of all I’ve held
of every motive, every burden,
Everything that’s of myself.
and I just want to wait on You my God
I just want to dwell on who You are…”

– Lyrics from the Song Beautiful,
on Kari Jobe’s self-titled album

The way we connect may have changed but the story will always remain the same. Here are two fun, clever videos showing how the story of the Nativity might have been told if it took place in the time of social media:

“How social media, web and mobile tell the story of the Nativity; the Christmas story told through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Wikipedia, Google Maps, GMail, Foursquare, and Amazon…”

This video from Igniter Media is another artistic take on how the story of the Nativity might have taken place if Facebook existed at the time of Jesus’s birth…

I shared this story a few years ago on my personal blog but wanted to post it on Dream in Soul because of its connection to the themes of Christmas and finding purpose. Here’s a story that illustrates how God works in the most creative of ways:

When I was little, writing was my favorite thing in the world to do. From little illustrated poems and storybooks I made for my family and friends as gifts to the little magazine I started and sold in elementary school, I’ve always loved to write. It seems recently though that other things have been taking over my life. I’ve felt so drained and confused lately as to if these other interests were what I should be pursuing fully, and if there was something missing.

I got an email a few weeks ago from a teacher I met in the first grade, Mrs. O’Connor (actually she was my brother’s 5th grade teacher at the time). She’s such a wonderful woman, and always encouraged me to write, and even encouraged me to try to get my stories published, even though I was only about six years old. I wrote so many stories and poems for her, and she nurtured my dream of expressing myself in the written word. She eventually became a family friend and even took my brother and I to see a movie for the first time in our little lives (I remember it was Aladdin) and swimming for the very first time (I was a really sheltered child). Wow, she was really a blessing to us, as my family was having difficulties at the time. We lost contact with her about a year or two after we first met, because my family moved to another state. That was 15 years ago…

This beautiful song became a favorite of mine last Christmas, and I’ve found myself singing it throughout the year – now that it’s actually Christmastime I have an excuse to post it. From Chris Tomlin’s first Christmas album, Glory in the Highest: Christmas Songs of Worship.

Lyrics
What hope we hold this starlit night
A King is born in Bethlehem
Our journey long, we seek the light
That leads to the hallowed manger ground
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Here are some of Dream in Soul’s favorite Christmas songs from throughout the years, (the list was posted last year but reposted because they are still favorites!). You can listen to clips from the songs in the widget, and see the selections and album info below. What are some of your favorites?

Notable Quotable:
“Now as we give gifts to loved ones,
It should remind us of God’s gift to us
Jesus the King sent from the Father above…

So on every Christmas day
Remember the reason why we celebrate
Lift up your voice, make a joyful noise
Give thanks for we have been redeemed…”

– Fred Hammond, From the song “Just Remember” from Fred Hammond Christmas: Just Remember

The Songs

* Christmas Makes Me Cry – Mandisa featuring Matthew West
From the album It’s Christmas (Click for more info)

* Christmas Invitation – David & Nicole Binion
From the album When Heaven Kisses Earth (Click for more info)

* Just Remember – Fred Hammond
From the album Fred Hammond Christmas: Just Remember (Click for more info)

* Christmastime – Michael W. Smith
From the album The Ultimate Christmas Collection (Click for more info)

* Now Behold The Lamb – Kirk Franklin & The Family
From the album Kirk Franklin and the Family Christmas (Click for more info)

* O Come, All Ye Faithful – Stacie Orrico
From the album Christmas Wish (Click for more info)

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