MID WEEK MOTIVATION - May 7, 2025 (Marc Lewis & Laura Ullrich)

Where are y'all going this summer?

We're going to do Indianapolis, Louisville, Kentucky, Nashville.

We may go over to the Ark because I'll be close to that.

I want to go there.

That'd be fun.

This is one of those vacations where there's no plan, and to me that is some of the most fun you can have, because if there's no plan, you don't have to be anywhere on any particular time, that's true.

You can just decide what to do, so we get there and then we're like what's in this area?

But I know like Indianapolis has some like insane water parks and like there's lots of stuff to do up there.

so You're listening to the Midweek Motivation Podcast from DeZoto Hills Baptist Church in South Haven Mississippi.

Here's your hosts Mark Lewis, david Burgess and Pastor Grant Stegall.

And Laura.

Welcome to the Midweek Motivation Podcast for May 7th here at DeSoto Hills Baptist Church.

I'm Mark Lewis and I'm Laura Ulrich, laura, ulrich and we hope this programming can encourage folks throughout DeSoto County and beyond.

Be sure to subscribe and share our link on social media.

I did contact my guy who did this little voiceover here at the beginning, so he has assured me that he's going to try to get your name stuck in there.

There may just be an episode next season and you hear it and it's all of a sudden like, oh my goodness.

Oh, Laura is actually a part of the thing.

Laura's name is in there now, magically.

What are you looking forward to, as the summer has now started to arrive?

I guess we're still technically in spring, but it is true.

Is it hard to really think about it until we're past Vacation Bible.

School yes, absolutely.

Yeah, and for those wondering, like years ago, we did that because for any of us involved in it.

So we did that because for any of us involved in it, it's hard to enjoy your summer if that's looming over you, because it's such a big, big undertaking.

So we chose those dates at the very beginning of summer and, if you remember, most other churches didn't do it until late June or July Until Everybody started doing it.

When we started doing it at the very beginning, yeah, we did it first.

So, but anyway, what tell us that's?

I did want to start the top of the show off talking about Vacation Bible School a little bit.

Tell us what our theme is this year and some things that you're looking forward to.

Okay, well, let's start with the dates first, because everybody wants to know.

So, if you don't know, it's June 2nd through the 6th from 9 to noon and it's for completed kindergarten through eighth grade and you can even register your child now I'm on the website and you can do that until may the 26th.

The theme it's a good one, true north.

You ever been to al?

I have not Me neither, but.

I hear it's pretty awesome.

My parents have been.

They took a cruise.

You know one of those.

One of the warm months in Alaska.

It's only like two or three months, I have no idea.

I think it's only two months and it has to be light outside, like it's dark there, right.

I don't know.

So anyway, that's.

The theme is Alaska, northern Lights, the tagline is trusting Jesus in a wild world, and it's all about pointing kids to Jesus.

And kids experience different emotions throughout their lives, even some throughout their day.

We said when kids wonder, when kids feel alone, when kids feel powerless when kids need hope and when kids need help, that there's Jesus to help them through all those things.

So I'm excited.

Yeah, alaska, uh, what are some of the areas that they will end up quote unquote traveling to?

right?

Well, there's always games.

That's always fun.

Snack is always a hit.

Um, a few years ago, we started something a little different with the elementary age kids.

So like completed first grade through fifth grade, um, we decided that we were going to try to not do crafts one year and see how that worked out and uh, it worked out really really well.

So that grade they do, that group of kids, they do um science experiments instead of crafts.

It's very popular.

The kids like it.

They do.

They do like it.

It's hands-on, they can get involved.

They seem to learn more that way.

And then the preschoolers and kindergartners they still do crafts because they like that stuff.

So we have that going on.

We have a new it's not a rotation, it's just a new offering this year.

Mark, I know you've spent a lot of time and energy doing your opening and closing celebrations and that's the highlight of Bible school and it's also what sets our Bible school apart from everybody else.

In some cases, yes, it's fantastic.

But there are some kids, and more and more every year that are bothered by the noise and the lights and the sounds.

It's a little much for them, and so we're going to provide a space, a room for them to go to if it becomes too much, kind of like a sensory room, and they can hang out in there with some adults until the opening is over and then they can rejoin their class.

we'll also have a streaming of the opening and closing celebration going in that room so they can still be a part in an environment that's a little more conducive to them.

We do go all out with production lights, smoke, bubbles.

It is.

Confetti.

Yes, it's definitely a lot.

We've been working a lot this year.

We've got a couple of new songs I say new, laura, they're really oldie classics, but but some that are that old.

I looked one of them up that we're bringing back this year.

The last time we did it was in 2012, so that's been a whole lot of years ago that's what 13 years ago?

yes, so I was here you were it'll be a good one.

But we got several different ones, and me and you talked about this on the phone last week.

For those who don't, we spend months, like I spend months trying to figure out the right formula every year and we do a lot of songs from year to year.

So don't get me wrong, people come in.

You probably think I heard this last year.

It's just the same thing over and over.

We try to rotate through because what you don't realize is the children get mad if they don't hear some of the classics that we've always done.

So we try to keep the quote unquote hits in for them.

We rotate through some of them, but we also try to offer something new every year, and sometimes that is in the format of an old song, but we just change it up or rearrange it and do something new.

We've got three or four new ones that we're pulling back in this year and changing up, and I've actually been.

I use a team of people to help me, because it is a whole whole lot to try to do all of this on my own.

So we have some very talented musicians that helped me out in Nashville, including Casey Moore, and, if you don't know, he is Chris Tomlin's guitar player, a very talented producer, and he's been working with me this past week.

Some I've got I use you know probably don't realize this, I use graphics people from all over the world, so I wrote it down because you wouldn't believe me.

I've got one guy from Egypt who's been working on one of the videos with me.

I've got a guy from Pakistan who's been working on the other video with me, and then I've got a musician in Brazil, zeke, who is amazing.

He is, he's an amazing all round guy.

He can do pretty much anything I ask, and to a very, very high level, and he is really big in the worship scene in South America.

So he is anything.

If I say a Chris Tomlin song or a Kerry Jobe, anything, he knows exactly.

He knows the songs, he knows all of it.

So he immediately and he speaks all the music lingo with me too so he'll, he'll know.

Oh, you're talking about this lead line in this particular measure or whatever, and he just does it for me.

So I've got people all over.

I know I got people all over um the world.

that that help me with this, because, uh, if you see the, the production we put on, it is impressive, and the reason for that is we have for many years sourced a lot of really talented people that help us out, and not all are around the world.

We have a lot of local people that help us who are very, very talented as well.

A lot of church people.

Church people and people outside of this church in DeSoto County and I don't want to start naming names because then we'll leave people out but I'm just telling you there are people from other churches and people in our church all over DeSoto County that come together to help us pull this event off every year, because it is that big of an undertaking.

What will our Bible stories be centered around?

Do you know that off the top of your head?

It is different stories in the life of Jesus throughout the New Testament.

Okay, I don't really.

I mean, I can look up specifics if you really want to know that badly, or they can look it up.

If you just Google group vacation Bible school, okay, you'll find it Wonderful.

One thing you did mention earlier that I want to mention loudly is registration is now open.

Open Register your child.

Don't wait until the last minute Please.

Normally we have to close that for y'all to get certain clerical things done before we open the doors on Monday morning.

So do you know off the top of your head when that closing will happen?

Will it be the week before?

It's the 26th.

The 26th of May will be the end of pre-registration.

Pre.

Pre-register Pre-register.

Pre-register.

You can still walk a child in the door on Monday.

That's fine.

You can do that, but you're going to be waiting in a longer line and it's going to be more involved.

Yeah, and there's no fast pass like at Disney World.

So you have to wait.

The pre-registration is the fast pass.

That's your fast pass, yep, and it doesn't cost you a thing.

So just take a few minutes and sign your kit up.

That really, really, truly does help tremendously.

Yes, and it allows us to get name badges printed ahead of time and all of that stuff.

It is a big ordeal.

So if you know you're coming, go ahead and register.

You might as well.

Yep.

So you can grab that link off of our website, desotohillscom or DeSotoHillsBaptistcom, whichever you prefer, and if you can't remember it, as long as you Google DeSoto Hills, our site will come up very quickly.

The calendar we are off tonight.

Tonight is no church, so we're taking this one week off to help us get everything reset and prepped, because next Wednesday we are going to start our Summer Wednesday Night series and our summer events have typically been a little bit different than what we're doing this year.

We are going to expand our Wednesday night offerings.

This summer We've talked about it here on the podcast, we've been talking about it on Sunday mornings, but next Wednesday night, may 14th, we'll begin our summer calendar and that will include a meal, and the Wednesday night meals will be from 4.30 to 5.45.

And then adults will be 6 to 7.

Students 6 to 7.

Children 6 to 7.

And preschool 6 to 7.

Everybody will be just a single hour.

Some of our programming will differ as far as what we're doing in those hours, but your whole family can come from 6 to 7 and enjoy a whole list of different things that will be going on here at church, and we encourage you to do that.

We will not use the master list for meals.

We need you to sign up each and every week for the meals.

You can do that by scanning the QR code on Sunday morning.

You can do that by calling the church office by I believe it's 10 o'clock on Monday mornings.

So 10 o'clock on Monday morning, saying, hey, I am bringing my family of four, three, two, whatever.

Hey, I am bringing my family of four, three, two, whatever, and we will make sure to have a meal for you ready for the week.

Adults are going to have three offerings the general missions mobilization, which Grant will be doing in the DeSoto room, and that's going to be going through that book study Pretty fascinating, so that's going to be awesome.

Study pretty fascinating, so that's going to be awesome.

And then the women will have a class by Katie Downs in S206, which is in the south wing of the church, and the men will be in the prayer tower with Barry Dale.

Women are going to be in a Jude study and the men will be in a Titus study.

So students will be in the attic.

Of course, students will not do our traditional Wednesday night programming from the school year.

We won't do the band and all that worship type stuff.

We will do some Bible studies.

David has mentioned we're doing a lot of outdoor activities, including team building.

He also wanted to make everybody aware that we do have our water park trip.

That will happen this summer, but next Wednesday, on the 14th, we will have a kickoff summer party night.

Looking forward to that too.

Laura Kids Quest Summer Edition in the Treehouse Tell us a little bit about what some of your plans are this summer.

We have lots of plans.

It starts the 14th and we are going to be kind of doing a study on apologetics through the whole Genesis to Revelation, walking through some different parts of scripture and how it relates to us today and how like creation, bible, creation versus evangelism, right, evolution and different things, kind of what the bible says versus what pop culture says and how we, you know, know that the bible is true.

We started last year but we didn't finish, so we're going to look at again this summer and then we always leave time at the end for a little playtime, whether it's gaga ball, dodgeball, kickball, chalk, whatever it may be, we're going to leave some time at the end for that.

I love it.

And then preschool has what they call preschool pals through the summer and that's going to be downstairs in the preschool area, and you said that was going to be some missions activities.

Yeah, bonnie said they're going to do missions and then play outside as well.

I love it all right.

So that is our calendar.

Let's head to table topics.

Of course, table topics are, um, it's like a card game type thing you can buy online, but it's a great way for you to get a conversation started around the dinner table and I love it we use at our house.

So when we started the podcast, I wanted to bring that as one of our segments.

What do you love about your hometown?

where in alabama was is, was the birmingham your hometown, basically yeah, um, so I'm actually from hoover, alabama, but you say birmingham because bir Birmingham's a big city, it's the same as we tell people if you're out.

if I'm in St Louis and someone says where am I from, I say Memphis.

Yeah, it's the same thing.

Similar.

Sometimes people look funny at you when you say you're from Memphis, but anyway, but that's neither here nor there.

My hometown, what was the question?

What's my favorite?

thing what do you love about your hometown?

oh wow, um, probably the scenery.

I would say it's very.

It's up on a hill.

Um, if you know where hoover, it's up on a mountain, it's.

I'm on a mountain, not just a hill.

I'm sorry, it's up that is a big hill red mountain, I'm sorry, um, and it's just beautiful.

There's lots of trees and hills and you know, if you go to a certain spot, there used to be I guess it's still there a restaurant and that was one of my dad's favorites and called Tip Top and it was at the tip top of the mountain.

I mean, it was beautiful because you could look out over the mountain and the cliffs and the golf course down below and it's just a really pretty place.

It's funny to me when you look at that hill quote unquote.

Sorry, from the bottom you can see it really well from sanford, but that's where I went to school, I know.

But when you look at it you're like because you just see the little houses stuck between the trees and you're like, how do roads get up there?

But then when you drive up there you don't think the trees and you're like, how do roads get up there?

But then when you drive up there you don't think much of it.

It doesn't almost feel like you're on a mountain, unless you get towards the edge and look over.

It just feels like you're in a wooded area.

It's interesting how it's all done.

It's strange.

If you could have any view from your backyard, what would it be?

Oh, my, any view from my backyard.

I'll start.

You go ahead with yours.

I'll start, I'll think on mine.

I love watching a lot of discovery shows.

I love watching a lot of discovery shows and one of the discovery shows that me and Jen like is called Homestead Rescue and most of these are happening in Alaska and these people will have a back deck and you'll look out to this massive open expanse and then you'll see these huge majestic mountains in their backyard.

I mean, you're talking, you know you're probably looking 60 miles out and you just see these massive mountains that go into the clouds with snow and that's the view out of their back window, out of their backyard off their deck.

That'd be pretty nice to look at every morning, you know, and to see the sunset.

Put a fire pot out there and sit and sit in the mornings with the little fire and eat your breakfast and look at the mountains.

To me that's.

But you know, people talk about an ocean view and all of that, but there's not much to see on an ocean view, it's just water, water that's true, I was was going to say a waterfall with green, a waterfall would be nice.

Yes, something.

If you've ever been in the Opryland Hotel and you see the insides of that looking out over something like that every day would be a fantastic view.

Maybe some animals, yes, I don't know.

How many different places have you lived Texas?

Texas, texas, birmingham, birmingham, south Haven.

Does South Haven and Olive Branch?

Are those two different, or are they the same?

Oh come on, it's the same.

I'm just saying in areas Birmingham.

Texas, South Haven.

So three Just three.

Did you like Texas better than this area?

That is not a fair question.

It is a fair question.

I like things about Texas.

Waco is a great little town.

I didn't live in Waco.

Had I lived in Waco it would have been really cool, but I live close.

You had to have, because that's where you went.

I didn't go to Waco.

I didn't go to Baylor.

I thought you went to Baylor.

No, you went to baylor.

No, I went to southwestern seminary how close?

Is that god?

We could clear that up from waco.

Yeah, about an hour, hour and a half okay, fort worth okay so you lived out.

You lived on the outskirts of fort worth yes, well, I lived in fort worth when I went to seminary and then when I moved to burleson.

It's south of fort worth, it's's between Fort.

Worth and Waco Got it, so you lived in two different places in Texas.

If you were an hour apart, then that's a different area, for sure.

Well, anyway, we don't want to spend all our time talking about Texas, but I lived close to Fort Worth and about when I was in Burleson, probably about 45 minutes from Waco.

Fort Worth and Dallas.

That is quite an experience.

You want to talk about a culture shock.

That is a different place to live than over here.

I mean, we're still in the South, but that's a different kind of South.

Oh, it's a different South, it's just Texas.

Everything's different over there.

Yes, everything.

Okay, I'm just looking through these questions trying to choose which one I want to ask.

If you could design and build a room all to yourself, what would it be like?

What would your ultimate she shed?

Is that what they call them?

They call them a she shed, kelly, I don't know, I might get bored in a room by myself.

You obviously have some hobbies.

Surely there's something you'd like where nobody would go in there and touch your stuff.

I mean, I like to do puzzles.

I'm kind of a nerd sometimes.

You're not a nerd, I like to do puzzles.

I'm kind of a nerd sometimes, you're not a nerd.

I like to read books, I like to watch movies.

So there'd be like a A cozy book nook.

A cozy book nook, a TV.

It would have the ability to keep my children out.

That's what I'm saying.

I'm not sure how to accomplish that, though, because locks on the doors don't even seem to work sometimes, so it would have to be secret Like a bat cave and soundproof.

Yes, because I don't want to hear you know all this.

That is Table Topics.

We're now going to shift to our devotion portion of the podcast that we call the midweek moment.

All right.

So since we have been talking about Bible school, I found it rather interesting that in our reading for this week we have been in Nehemiah chapter 3, and I looked at Nehemiah chapter 3 in relation to just the reading and just to kind of see you know what it was all about.

Nehemiah 3 · chapter mention Nehemiah 3 · chapter mention

And it's a list of people who repaired the wall of Jerusalem.

It's very exciting to read all these names that are not like ours.

I'm just gonna be, I'm glad.

I'm glad it's you I mean I, oh, I'm not gonna say any of them, except nehemiah, that one I can do.

Um, usually if I was teaching kids I would just say hard word and we'd move on right.

So or I would make up like this, like this one over here, like joe I would just call that him joe, even though that's not his name my dad used to always just blame it on greek.

I mean, I just yeah I don't, I don't know what to tell you.

All right, so anyway, nehemiah, chapter 3 um.

Nehemiah 3 · chapter mention

The city of jerusalem had been conquered by babylon and um in 586 BC and sometime past that, under the leadership of Nehemiah, the priests got together and decided they were going to rebuild the wall, and it only took 52 days to rebuild the wall around the city of Jerusalem.

You should Google what it looks like, because it's quite fascinating.

I'm fascinated by biblical architecture, like what do things look like in Bible times?

Absolutely.

It's very interesting.

So the wall is a pretty big structure because it goes around the whole city and it was used for protection, and so when babylon came in and conquered the city, they of course destroyed the wall.

So nehemiah and the priest are going to rebuild this wall.

And what stood out to me in chapter three not the hard names, but what stood out to me in chapter three was no one thought they had a better job than anybody else, except for, in verse five, the nobles.

They didn't want to do any work.

So take that for what you will, I'm not really going to talk about that, but the nobles didn't want to do anything.

It said they didn't pay attention to the people who were in charge of the work.

So I think they're just watching it happen.

But everybody else who's working hard doesn't complain about what they're doing.

Hard doesn't complain about what they're doing.

And it made me think of Vacation, bible School and how it's one thing, one large, huge thing that we do, and there's a lot of different parts and pieces to it.

And there's a lot of different people that do a lot of different things and nobody really complains about what they have to do usually.

If they do, they don't complain to me, or you?

So right, we'll say nobody complains um.

But in chapter 3 of nehemiah there's this fella, in verse 14, who his job is to rebuild the dung gate.

You know dung, you know it's another word for yes, okay, so, but he doesn't complain about it, like that's his job, like I mean.

It says this dude repaired the dung gate.

I can't say his name.

But and then nowhere does it say and he didn't like to gate that's next to the pool, or the wall, that's next to the pool of Siloam, that's near the king's garden.

That sounds like those backyard things, you know, right, like the pool and the garden, not the dung gate.

Who wants to do that?

So when we think about this and I was thinking about Bible school, because that's where my brain is and will be for a long time we have a goal, just like they had a goal to rebuild the wall.

Our goal at Bible school is to introduce Jesus to these kids and to have them grow in their relationship with him and with each other and to come and just really enjoy worship and enjoy church and all the things that it has to offer.

That's our goal, just like Nehemiah's goal and the priest was to rebuild the wall.

That's our common goal of Vacation Bible School.

And I wonder if some people in our church, family or just in general think that because I can't be there the week of Bible school, then what I have to offer isn't important.

Darrell Bock, which couldn't be further from the truth.

Right, absolutely.

And that's what I really want to get across today is, you know, just like all these priests in Nehemiah had different jobs, like this dude had to repair the dung gate and this other fellow, he got to repair the gate by the pool in the king's garden.

But it didn't matter because it all had to be done.

And so if you think, well, I can't be there during Bible school, what can I offer?

I challenge you to come find me, or Mark or Bonnie or Grant, and ask us Say, hey, I can't be there during Bible school.

Or hey, I'm not physically able to walk kids around during Bible school, or I'm really not even physically able to be there at the church during those times.

So what can I do to help?

Or hey, I really enjoy decorating but I can't be there the week of Bible school.

Hey, I have quite the job for you.

So there's a lot of parts and pieces, but we all have that one common goal which is just like Nehemiah in chapter three.

They had that one common goal of repairing the wall and it took all kinds of people with all kinds of different talents and abilities to get that done.

So that's kind of my encouragement for today is to, not only in Bible school but in church world, to find your niche, to find something that you enjoy doing and you know join us or approach us about it and say, hey, I enjoy doing this.

Is there a place for me to do this?

To serve at church, whether it's Bible school or not.

So that's pretty much it for today.

But remember too that every act of service, no matter how big or small, brings glory to God and will help kids and others learn about Jesus.

That's an awesome reminder, laura.

Thank you so much and thank you all for listening.

If you don't have a church home, we'd love to see you here Sunday morning.

You can catch our services online at desotahillscom, our YouTube channel at Desoto Hills Baptist.

For all of our church family, we love you.

We'll see you back here next Wednesday morning, bright and early.

God bless.

This has been your midweek motivation.

We'd love to have you join us in person on Sunday mornings.

Our services are at 9 and 10 30 am.