computer effects doubled in 2006, causing traffic jams in the neighborhood. In 2007, the display was moved to a location to accommodate traffic; however, cars still backed up for miles, and the display was discontinuedâuntil 2010.
In a rare instance in which a church is involved in a lighting display, this private display was donated to First Baptist Church of Glencoe, and parishioners and members of the local community came to help. The display now consists of more than 100,000 lights and 160 channels of computer animation, with Logan Moore still at the helm. Student minister Dustin Teat said the church wanted to offer the lights as a gift to the community. In addition, the display provides a way to tell the story of the nativity. The computerized lighting display is synchronized with music on a radio frequency visitors listen to in their cars, then the biblical story of Jesus is told on the same frequency. In 2010, the display was called the Light of Christ. âPeople have loved it,â Teat said.
T HE H ORSE T HAT L OVED C HRISTMAS
Steve was excited. It was almost Christmas, and the teenager was going to visit Zeke, a big caramel horse that lived at a nearby ranch. Steve and Zeke understood each other. Both had experienced lifeâs darker sides. Both had come to the Spirit of Hope Youth Ranch in Wilsonville, Alabama, to heal from their wounds.
The ranch was a place where children who had been abused and neglected and left in foster group homes came to learn about horses. The horses at the ranch had also experienced abuse or neglect, only to find love again at the hands of wounded children and the caregivers at the ranch.
Born about 1981, Zeke was much older than Steve, but he had a new spring in his step since coming to the ranch.
Not long before Christmas 2009, Joy OâNeal, director of the ranch, asked if any of the children would like to help staffers create the annual Christmas card, which would be sold as a fundraiser. After seeing a similar photo, Joy wanted to stand a horse draped in Christmas lights, small cool lights that would not bother the horse, next to a wooden cross. She knew that only one horse was up to the task: the aging, ailing but ever patient Zeke.
Steve was among the more than a dozen children who arrived at the ranch to help âdecorateâ the beloved horse. Steve had Aspergerâs syndrome and often struggled in life. But standing at Zekeâs side, watching the big horse stand patiently amid the chaos of laughing children and tangled cords until the lights were finally hung just right, Steve understood that not all things in life are bad. He knew that living beings could be hurt and not only survive but also become stronger.
The photo of Zeke at the cross was taken just after the sun set. It was perfect. It was Zekeâs patience and obvious joy at the attention that he received from the children that made him a favorite at the ranch.
In 2007, Zeke, the then twenty-six-year-old retired show horse, was spending his days in a pasture at the Kings Ranch property, with his physical needs cared for but his emotional ones unmet. The owners of Kings Ranch, also a place that aided children, had discontinued the livestock portion of its program in the 1990s but kept the horses, such as Zeke, with no place to go. Caregivers were considering euthanizing Zeke, who suffered from Cushingâs disease and arthritis and had become depressed.
When Spirit of Hope organizers got use of the property in 2007, Zeke came with it. A veterinarian suggested that a new medication might help Zeke. The Cushingâs disease caused the horse to have a heavy, furry coat because of an inability to shed. In addition, he was unable to sweat as he was supposed to, so he was often hot and uncomfortable, and the Cushingâs also led to hoof problems.
Spirit of Hope offered a combination that could make Zeke well again: medication to help his arthritis and children who offered him
In a rare instance in which a church is involved in a lighting display, this private display was donated to First Baptist Church of Glencoe, and parishioners and members of the local community came to help. The display now consists of more than 100,000 lights and 160 channels of computer animation, with Logan Moore still at the helm. Student minister Dustin Teat said the church wanted to offer the lights as a gift to the community. In addition, the display provides a way to tell the story of the nativity. The computerized lighting display is synchronized with music on a radio frequency visitors listen to in their cars, then the biblical story of Jesus is told on the same frequency. In 2010, the display was called the Light of Christ. âPeople have loved it,â Teat said.
T HE H ORSE T HAT L OVED C HRISTMAS
Steve was excited. It was almost Christmas, and the teenager was going to visit Zeke, a big caramel horse that lived at a nearby ranch. Steve and Zeke understood each other. Both had experienced lifeâs darker sides. Both had come to the Spirit of Hope Youth Ranch in Wilsonville, Alabama, to heal from their wounds.
The ranch was a place where children who had been abused and neglected and left in foster group homes came to learn about horses. The horses at the ranch had also experienced abuse or neglect, only to find love again at the hands of wounded children and the caregivers at the ranch.
Born about 1981, Zeke was much older than Steve, but he had a new spring in his step since coming to the ranch.
Not long before Christmas 2009, Joy OâNeal, director of the ranch, asked if any of the children would like to help staffers create the annual Christmas card, which would be sold as a fundraiser. After seeing a similar photo, Joy wanted to stand a horse draped in Christmas lights, small cool lights that would not bother the horse, next to a wooden cross. She knew that only one horse was up to the task: the aging, ailing but ever patient Zeke.
Steve was among the more than a dozen children who arrived at the ranch to help âdecorateâ the beloved horse. Steve had Aspergerâs syndrome and often struggled in life. But standing at Zekeâs side, watching the big horse stand patiently amid the chaos of laughing children and tangled cords until the lights were finally hung just right, Steve understood that not all things in life are bad. He knew that living beings could be hurt and not only survive but also become stronger.
The photo of Zeke at the cross was taken just after the sun set. It was perfect. It was Zekeâs patience and obvious joy at the attention that he received from the children that made him a favorite at the ranch.
In 2007, Zeke, the then twenty-six-year-old retired show horse, was spending his days in a pasture at the Kings Ranch property, with his physical needs cared for but his emotional ones unmet. The owners of Kings Ranch, also a place that aided children, had discontinued the livestock portion of its program in the 1990s but kept the horses, such as Zeke, with no place to go. Caregivers were considering euthanizing Zeke, who suffered from Cushingâs disease and arthritis and had become depressed.
When Spirit of Hope organizers got use of the property in 2007, Zeke came with it. A veterinarian suggested that a new medication might help Zeke. The Cushingâs disease caused the horse to have a heavy, furry coat because of an inability to shed. In addition, he was unable to sweat as he was supposed to, so he was often hot and uncomfortable, and the Cushingâs also led to hoof problems.
Spirit of Hope offered a combination that could make Zeke well again: medication to help his arthritis and children who offered him
Similar Books
