Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

The Heart of Christmas: A Review of John Lloyd Young’s Christmas concert

The Set List:

  1. It’s the most wonderful time of the year
  2. Christmas waltz
  3. Oh, Come to All ye Faithful
  4. The First Noel
  5. Joy to the world
  6. Christmas time is here
  7. Silent Night
  8. Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Jacquelyn Schreber ( John’s pianist for the evening)
  9. Quartet 405 performed What Child is this, and we wish you a Merry Christmas
  10. White Christmas
  11. Blue Christmas
  12. It came upon a midnight clear
  13. Oh Holy Night
  14. Baby, it’s cold outside
  15. The Christmas Song
  16. Silent Night

The show, as usual, was wonderful and for the first time in the seven years that I’ve known John, I was able to sit in a.front row seat. 

John always does beautiful work, but this particular performance was something very special. 

I sang along to every song, and I even knew the words to it came upon a midnight clear, which is a challenging song!

John and I, in December 2017
John and I in December of 2015

Our friendship Story

I met John on October 13th, 2014, at Sterling’s Upstairs at The Federal in North Hollywood.  During the show, he strolled the audience while singing Hey There Lonely Girl, and when he got to where I was, he reached out to hold my hand, and I didn’t go for it.   

After the show,  I was the first person in line for the meet and greet.  We took a picture, and I asked for a hug, to which he said

How can I say no!

He hugged me, and we said goodbye.   I honestly thought that meeting John would be a one-time event in my life. 

There was a one and a half year period that we did not see each other due to a lack of accessibility at a new venue, but   I’m grateful to once again be in his audience again. 

To date, I’ve seen John over 40 times in Los Angeles alone.  Each time I see him, not only am I elated fan, but I feel like I’m a student ready to learn something new. 

I would love for the tables to turn someday and have him see me perform.

October 13th, 2014

John Lloyd Young

John Lloyd Young.com

Jacqueline Schreber

Jstunes.com

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Quartet 405

Quartet 405

Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Oh Come All ye Faithful

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
John 1:1‭-‬5

A Cosmic Christmas- What we need to know about Jesus Christ


1. The Word of God is a Person, not a principle

2. The word expresses God’s innermost desires.

3. The word speaks authoritatively because the word is God

4. Despite all the signs to the contrary the word still shines.

5. The Word defines the purpose of all he created

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Go Tell it on the mountain

There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby. It was night, and they were taking care of their sheep. An angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news. It will bring great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. Here is how you will know I am telling you the truth. You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a large group of angels from heaven also appeared. They were praising God. They said, “May glory be given to God in the highest heaven! And may peace be given to those he is pleased with on earth!” The angels left and went into heaven. Then the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem. Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby. The baby was lying in the manger. After the shepherds had seen him, they told everyone. They reported what the angel had said about this child. All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. She thought about them over and over. The shepherds returned. They gave glory and praise to God. Everything they had seen and heard was just as they had been told.
Luke 2:8‭-‬20

The Good News of Christmas Deals with…

1. Real sin

2. Is dealt with by a savior who is really God.

3. He really Loves us.

4. Requires a real response

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Silent Night

Christ The Savior is Born

In those days, Caesar Augustus made a law. It required that a list be made of everyone in the whole Roman world. It was the first time a list was made of the people while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone went to their own town to be listed. So Joseph went also. He went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea. That is where Bethlehem, the town of David, was. Joseph went there because he belonged to the family line of David. He went there with Mary to be listed. Mary was engaged to him. She was expecting a baby. While Joseph and Mary were there, the time came for the child to be born. She gave birth to her first baby. It was a boy. She wrapped him in large strips of cloth. Then she placed him in a manger. That’s because there was no guest room where they could stay. There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby. It was night, and they were taking care of their sheep. An angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news. It will bring great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. Here is how you will know I am telling you the truth. You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:1‭-‬12

Christ The Saviour is born to:

1. Reveal God’s identity

No one has ever seen God. But the One and Only is God and is at the Father’s side. The one at the Father’s side has shown us what God is like.
John 1:18

The Word became a human being. He made his home with us. We have seen his glory. It is the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father. And the Word was full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

2. Relay God’s message

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
John 5:24

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
John 14:6

I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.
John 12:46

3. Redeem God’s people

For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Luke 19:10

Memory Verse

but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
Luke 2:10‭-‬11

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Joy to the world

There is Joy When:

1. The King is received

Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let Earth receive her, King! Let every heart prepare Him room And Heaven and Nature Sing

Joy to the World

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:10‭-‬12

2. The Savior reigns

Joy to the World! The Savior reigns.

Let men their songs employ

While fields and floods

Rocks, hills, and plains

Repeat the sounding joy

Joy to the world

People who receive Christ but don’t let him reign are usually not very joyful

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
Matthew 6:24

3. The curse is reversed

No more let sin and sorrow grow.

Nor thorns infest the ground,

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found

He rules the world with truth and grace

And makes the nations prove

The glories of his righteousness

And wonders of His love

Joy to the world

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work

1 John 3:8

Memory Verse

“I have told you these things, so that you can have peace because of me. In this world you will have trouble. But be encouraged! I have won the battle over the world.”
John 16:33

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

My timeline of living with something the world calls a disability

This is how things were when I was growing up:

In 1987 the year I started kindergarten, I was a student in the occupationally handicapped class. This was how we were identified as a group until I graduated from elementary school.

When I was in junior high school until I finished high school, our classes were known as special education/special day classes.

Entering college was the first time I had what has come to be known as a general education experience, which meant I was expected to do most of my work with the same guidelines as everyone else.

While I was in college, I joined an advocacy group called helping hands, a school club that promoted disability awareness and normalized using a piece of equipment.

Near the end of college, I met my best friend, Noel, who taught me to see my cerebral palsy as part of me , but not a disability.

Together, we concluded that; the word disability should only apply to things that can not move and not people because people are capable of thinking, having feelings, and loving others, so I’m on a mission to teach people to start saying I am an equipment user because people are not broken down machines