We swear that this isn’t a joke – the 8th annual Drive-Thru Christmas Story will be this weekend, Dec. 12th and 13th from 6pm to 8:30pm in the church parking lot at Normandy Christian Church in Des Moines.

From what we can tell, not only are there live actors involved, but also live animals, and you can experience the entire story in just 10 minutes!

We’re not quite sure if the baby Jesus is a real child though, but there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?

Here are the details:

WHAT: The 8th Annual Drive-Thru Christmas Story

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 12th and Sunday, Dec. 13th from 6pm to 8:30pm

WHERE: Parking lot of the Normandy Christian Church, located at 908 South 200th Street in Des Moines.

INFO: Here’s a blurb from the church’s website:

Normandy Christian Church invites you to the 8th Annual DRIVE-THRU CHRISTMAS STORY December 12-13, 6:00-8:30pm.

For 10 minutes this Christmas season, you and your family can be transported to Bethlehem while driving through the church parking lot at Normandy Christian Church.

^Now that’s a great marketing line isn’t it?^

Here’s a video promo that will make you want to jump in your car, drive on thru and get your 10-minute Christmas fix:

More information available at the church’s website here.

The B-Town Blog welcomes its latest Advertiser – Burien’s 10th Church of Christ, Scientist’s upcoming guest lecture “Cut Through the Glare – See What’s Real,” featuring Kevin G. Graunke on Saturday, Nov. 7th.

Graunke is a national speaker who will discuss Biblical basis of prayer as a practical way to discover what’s spiritually real.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Christian Science Church lecture “Cut Through the Glare – See What’s Real” featuring Kevin G. Graunke

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 7th at 2pm

WHERE: Burien Library, 4th St and SW 152nd Street

INFO: For more information, call (206) 439-8069; here’s their press release:

Living life spiritually—and finding deeper meaning

National speaker to discuss Biblical basis of prayer as a practical way to discover what’s spiritually real.

American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “It is not length of life, but depth of life.” A national speaker coming to this area will discuss how spiritual perception—gained through prayer—can shift our view away from surface appearances toward a more deeply satisfying way of life.

Kevin G. Graunke, a full-time prayer-based healer using the Christian Science system of healing, will present a talk titled “Cut Through the Glare—See What’s Real” at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, November 7, 2009 at the Burien Library, 4th St and SW 152nd Street.

Graunke said, “Everyone has the ability to pray—and even the simplest prayer can take us beneath the surface of everyday life. It takes us to the very center of who we are and how we live. It’s a spiritual approach that moves our thinking and living out of the shallows and limitations of a strictly mortal view and into deeply divine inspiration and spiritual conclusions.”

He continued, “Then we start to see that there’s a divine, all-powerful source of good at work in the lives of everyone—of you and me—right here and now. And that this source of good applies to every aspect of our lives.”

During his talk, Graunke will draw on ideas from the Bible and from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, a book that describes how to find health and healing through practical, spiritual means. He’ll also draw from his own experiences to explain that when we embrace the law of God, of Truth and Love, here and now, we’ve actually engaged the full law and the power of God for ourselves.

As an experienced practitioner and authorized teacher of Christian Science healing, Graunke—who lives in Wisconsin—has helped many people find renewed health and lasting answers to problems of all kinds through the Scriptures as well as in the practical system of healing presented in Science and Health.

In addition to serving as a national speaker for the Christian Science Board of Lectureship, Graunke serves the public through his healing practice and teaching; writing for The Christian Science Journal and Christian Science Sentinel, and audio contributions to the Sentinel’s radio edition.

He added, “Moving our lives out of the shallows of mortal limits brings us clearer, deeper views of who we are as God’s children. As this spiritual perception gets clearer and sharper, we’ll stop measuring life by what’s just on the surface. We’ll cut through the glare. We’ll see what’s real.”

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On Saturday May 2nd, Holy Family Elementary is holding its 21st annual R.E.A.C.H. (Reinforcing Education And Catholic Heritage) Fiesta Auction and Dinner.

Here are the details:

WHAT: 21st Annual R.E.A.C.H. Fiesta Auction and Dinner for Holy Family Elementary

WHEN: Saturday, May 2nd with Silent Auction starting at 5pm; Dinner at 7:30pm and Live Auction at 7:45pm

WHERE: Holy Family Elementary School, located at 9615 20th Ave SW in Seattle (map below)

INFO: All proceeds go to the school for operational costs, deferring costs for teachers and scholarships, providing an excellent Catholic education to everyone in the community regardless of their ability to pay.

Hosting the evening will be Master of Ceremonies Joe Budde and Auctioneer Jeff Stehr. There are more than 220 items available that guests can look forward to winning.

Live auction items include:

• Donated by E.B. Foote Winery: Private 2 hour evening wine tasting which includes hors d’oeuvres & wine for winner & 40, plus a gift basket to take home that night, value $635
• Donated by Tellit Productions in Burien: The Evergreen Package which is a video interview of family member & production of a DVD with music & photographs to preserve family history, valued at $1000
• Dinner for 8 with Fr. Bloom the Pastor at Holy Family Parish at Salty’s a $500 value
• Donated by Christine Gregoire: Gift certificate for Washington Wine & hors d’oeuvres at first mansion on December 8, 2009 for a meet & greet with the governor & first gentleman value $100
• And much more

Some of the 267 silent auction items include;

• Donated by Dunville Gallery in White Center: $50 gift certificate towards custom framing of your choice
• Donated by Seattle Art Museum: SAM admission for 2 value $30
• Donated by the Garage (in Seattle): Evening at the Garage for 2 including 4 course dinner and 1.5 hrs of bowling or pool, value $85
• Donated by West Seattle Karate Academy: month of Karate lessons for one adult or child includes registration, dues, month of classes, uniform & autographed book by Sensei

Silent auction tables will be open from 5-7pm. All auction items can be purchase in cash, check or credit card.

The night of the auction, donations toward scholarships will be accepted through the Randy Terlicker Endowment Fund. Started by Colleen Terlicker, the endowment fund was started in honor of her son Randy a Holy Family Graduate & Firefighter whose life was taken in the Pang Warehouse Fire.

Dinner, donated by Las Margaritas Catering, includes tasty options of Steak A La Chicana, Pollo Con Crema Portuguesa and Seafood Enchiladas. There will also be a no-host bar. Sit down dinner starts at approximately 7:30pm, with the live auction at 7:45pm.

Individual tickets and corporate sponsorships can be purchased in advance by contacting Sandy Cavazos at 206-248-2728 or e-mailing her your name, address, phone number and dinner choice at scavazos@comcast.net.

The cost per person is $50 or $500 for a table of ten and accepted in cash or check.

Holy Family Elementary is located at 9615 20th Ave SW (map below).

For more information contact Sandy Cavazos at 206-248-2728 or download and view the auction catalogue (PDF file) at:

http://www.hfseattle.org/school/documents/auction09.pdf

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Internationally-renowned Christian musician Steve Bell will be a featured guest artist on Sunday, April 26th at both the 9:30am worship as well as a 7pm concert at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Christian musician Steve Bell will perform two shows

WHEN: Sunday, April 26th at 9:30am and 7pm

WHERE: Lake Burien Presbyterian Church, located at 15003 – 14th Avenue SW (map below)

COST: Suggested donation is $15.

INFO: To purchase tickets, please call (206) 242-6023.

Bell has recorded 15 albums, received multiple JUNO awards and other industry accolades, and criss-crossed the globe performing his songs of devotion, transcendence and praise.

Influenced by artists such as Bruce Cockburn, Leo Kottke, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Allison Kraus and John Michael Talbot, Steve Bell is sure to inspire the entire family.

Here are some video clips of Bell:

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Three Tree Community Church is holding a Benefit Community Concert and Art Show benefiting the Des Moines Food Bank this Saturday, April 11th, starting at 4pm.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Benefit Community Concert and Art Show

WHEN: Saturday, April 11th starting at 4pm

WHERE: Three Tree Community Church, located at 16261 First Ave South in Burien

INFO: There will be 6 bands, an Art Show, 6 acoustical sets, and the cover is $5.00 per person or Donations of non-perishable food items, all of which goes directly to the food bank.

• All bands are donating their time and will be playing in the auditorium.
• There will also be 11 artists donating their time and showing their wares in the Student Center.
• Where the art show is being held – there will be 6 acoustical sets being played. It will start at 4pm.
• Admission is just $5.00 per person OR Donations of non-perishable food items. All proceeds from the admission will go directly to the Des Moines Food Bank.
• You can also check out their website at: www.threetreechurch.com.

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Burien’s Christian Science Reading Room, located at 629-A SW 152nd (map below) is holding an Open House from Thursday April 16th through Sunday April 19th.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Open House at Christian Science Reading Room

WHERE: Located at 629-A SW 152nd (map below)

WHEN: Thursday April 16th/Friday April 17th from 10am to 6pm; Saturday April 18th from 10am to 5pm and Sunday April 19th from 1pm to 5pm

COST: None

INFO: Christian Science Reading Rooms are bookstores and reading centers for the exploration of spirituality, prayer, and healing. They are public resources for anyone on his or her quest for spiritual understanding and are open to people of all faiths, backgrounds and ways of life.

Each Reading Room is a community bookstore and resource center for spiritual discovery as well as health and healing through prayer. Your local Reading Room:

• Provides information and materials about Christian Science and its discoverer, Mary Baker Eddy, including her primary work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, and her other writings, which teach and illustrate the healing power demonstrated by Christ Jesus.
• Offers a variety of Bible research materials, books and magazines (in various languages), audio-video products, and world news from The Christian Science Monitor.
• Sponsors special activities and community events, and also participate in national and local conferences, fairs, and expos.

More info at their website.

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As we stepped out of our house Saturday morning to go cover the Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics, we were surprised with the sight above – of some 20 or so kitschy plastic lawn Flamingoes flocking all over our lawn, courtesy of a local church youth group.

“You’ve been Flamingoed” said the sign near our door.

We knew instantly what had happened, since our neighbor Fred had previously been a victim of the practical joke fundraiser for Grace Lutheran Church’s Summer Mission Team in Des Moines. We had seen the results of at least four Flamingo attacks on Fred’s garden and yard, and um, we’re honored to have been chosen.

So, what now? The Flamingoes are still grazing on our winter lawn, seemingly happy and content for now.

To get rid of the Flamingoes, a donaton to Grace Lutheran Church might help. A pink envelope was politely left behind, with pink feathers inside surrounding a card telling us the sponsor of our pranking was “Anonymous” and that they’d be removed next Friday, along with this info:

“If you would like to Flamingo someone else’s yard (or perhaps the yard of the person who Flamingoed you), stop by the youth kiosk on Sundays between services or call Tessa at 206-550-9975 to purchase your flock for only $50!”

We think we have a good idea of who the “Anonymous” culprit might be…right Fred?

Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first time we’ve had Flamingoes on our lawn. During our college days, we purposely ‘Flamingoed’ our own yard with a couple of them (a true sign of rebellion), even going so far as to nickname our Seattle residence “Flamingo West.” One of the highlights during this era of silliness (as if it’s over some 20+ years later…) was when a fellow prankster friend “kidnapped” our Flamingoes with a ransom note and we played the entire drama out during our DJ morning program on the 10-watt radio station at Eastern Washington University in Cheney.

Those memories certainly came back after this weekend’s gag, like a bright pink plastic flashback.

We just hope that our donation can be considered a business expense (hey, now that it’s been used for content, it can…right?).

Burien’s Knights of Columbus Council #5495 of St. Francis of Assisi will be holding their annual Spaghetti Dinner on Sunday, Feb. 8th starting at 6:30pm 3pm at Unity Place at St. Francis of Assisi Church, located at 15236 21st Ave SW (map below).

WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 8th at 6:30pm CORRECTION: starts at 3pm

WHERE: Unity Place at St. Francis of Assisi

COST: $10.00; Kids 10 and under: $5.00

The Knights of Columbus is an international organization of Catholic men founded on the principles of ‘Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism’. At the present time there are over 1.7 million members, 12,000 in Washington State.

Pope John XXIII Council 5495 (the Burien Council) serves the St. Francis of Assisi parish.

For more information, visit their website here.

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12/20/08 UPDATE: This performance has been POSTPONED until Sunday, Dec. 28th at 10am!

Crosspointe Christian Presents “A Christmas Trilogy,” which is a blend of music, dance and scripture on Saturday, Dec. 20th at 2pm at Crosspointe Church, located at 1807 S. 223rd Street in Des Moines (map below).

This production is directed by Sarah Edwards-Strode, and will feature live musicians from Crosspointe Christian’s Worship Team, as well as local dancers from Burien’s New City Dance Company:

• Marina Davies
• Sarah Edwards-Strode
• Jordan Kimmel
• Maren Sherwood

Admission is free, with a $5 suggested donation to benefit Pastor Paul Kwon’s fund (as you may recall, Pastor Kwon is fighting Acute Myelogenous Leukemia; he is the pastor of Crosspointe Church, and is also a dedicated father and husband. New City Dance held a benefit for him on Nov. 8th that raised over $11,000).

For more information please visit www.crosspointechristian.com.

To read Pastor Kwon’s blog, click here.
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Seattle’s internationally-famous Total Experience Gospel Choir is bringing its collective spiritual voice to Burien on Sunday, Dec. 7th at 9:30am, when they sing at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church.

Here’s a video to prep you for this experience, which is truly impressive:

WHAT: Total Experience Gospel Choir performs

WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 7 at 9:30am

WHERE: Lake Burien Presbyterian Church, located at 15003 14th Avenue SW in Burien (map below)

INFO: The Messenger’s Perspective Seattle’s legendary Total Experience Gospel Choir will lead worship at Lake Burien Presbyterian with infectiously joyful selections from their Intiman Theatre show, Black Nativity. A popular Northwest holiday tradition, Black Nativity is a mix of gospel music, dance, poetry and a re-telling of the Christmas story like you’ve never seen before. Don’t miss this chance to preview musical portions of the 2008 show right here at Lake Burien Presbyterian!

From the Total Experience Gospel Choir website:

The Total Experience Gospel Choir bursts with love, joy and enthusiasm – humanity! It is hailed as one of the Pacific Northwest’s finest soulful ensembles. Pastor Patrinell Staten Wright started the group as a gospel music class at Seattle’s Franklin High School in 1973. Since then the choir has grown to become a nationally and internationally known gospel singing group.

Another interesting anecdote about Total Experience Gospel Choir is that in January they teamed up with Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron and a host of other talented musicians to record this song called “Fired Up, Ready To Go”:

To learn more about Total Experience Gospel Choir:

http://www.totalexperiencegospelchoir.org/

For tickets and information on the Intiman Theatre’s Black Nativity:

http://www.intiman.org/2008Season/bn.html

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Burien’s New City Dance Company is holding Loveliness, a gallery and auction fundraiser for the Rev. Paul Kwon, who is fighting Acute Myelogenous Leukemia.

The event is this Saturday, Nov. 8th at New City’s studios, which is located at 408 SW 153rd Street in Burien.

WHAT: Auction fundraiser for Rev. Paul Kwon; hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served

WHEN: Gallery opens at 2pm; auction begins at 4pm

WHERE: New City Dance Company, located at 408 SW 153rd Street in Burien

COST: $20 per person at the door; please no children under age 12

From a press release:

Rev. Paul Kwon was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia on January 18, 2008. Now almost a year later he has endured 4 rounds of Chemotherapy, transferred from Good Samaritan to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance where he received his Bone Marrow Transplant on June 12. After 97 days of recovery treatment, he was transferred back to Good Samaritan in Puyallup where he, his wife and two small children reside. Rev. Paul Kwon is the pastor of Crosspointe Christian in Des Moines, WA. He is a dedicated and wonderful father and husband. The Kwon’s have a debt of $250,000.00 from the Bone Marrow Transplant alone. Please help us in lightening the financial burden this family is enduring and allow them to focus on their true goal of getting Pastor Paul healthy again.

Sunyoung Kwon has had a passion for painting and drawing utilizing mixed media since her days at an arts high school in Korea. Since then she has received her BFA from Hong Ik University in Seoul Korea and received her Master of Fine Arts degree at Rochester Institute in New York. During this time Ms. Kwon traveled to more than 30 countries in Asia and Europe studying Fine Art in culturally different settings. Sunyoung Kwon was able to spend a year in Paris, France. This was the turning point in her work as it provided a better understanding and a motivation for abstract expression. Ms. Kwon has won several awards for her work and shows her passion and energy through each and every piece she creates. Please come and see her newest work, Loveliness, a gallery and auction benefiting Rev. Paul Kwon.

Burien’s own Glendale Lutheran School (13455 2nd Ave SW) is having its annual Spring Sale this Saturday, April 5th from 9am – 4 pm.

According to the school:

We have so many treasures – something for everyone.

Great prices and an amazing selection.

Also available Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at a great price!

It’s probably worth going just to get some good (and possibly holy, pardon the pun) doughnuts at a reasonable price…

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