I’ve talked to several youth pastors, teens and young adults about the venue change and we’ve come up with a list of pros and cons with this change:

Pros:

• More of a festival feel
• Indoor and outdoor venues
• Seating at venues
• More affordable pricing

Cons:

• No Magic Kingdom attractions
• Less of an outreach event. Unsaved friends will come for a trip to Magic Kingdom but not to a Christian concert.
• No Dole Whip
• There is just something special about worshiping Jesus in front of the castle.

One youth pastor told me they won’t attend Night of Joy if it isn’t in a theme park. The kids like the mix of rides and concerts. Personally, I understand that a lot of people don’t like change and I too like attending in the theme park because you can catch a few rides with shorter than normal wait times! To help quench your need for rides Disney is offering  ticket options that include admission to 1 theme park and Night of Joy at a discounted rate.

2016 Night of Joy Ticket Prices

• A single-night, concert only ticket for Friday, Sept. 9 – $39 plus tax (in advance); $45 the day of the show (if available).
• A single-night concert and one-day Disney theme park ticket (valid for one of the four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks) for Saturday, Sept. 10 – $99 plus tax (in advance); $114 plus tax the day of the show (if available).*
• A two-night concert ticket (which includes Friday and Saturday nights’ concerts and one-day Disney theme park ticket (valid for one of the four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks) – $119 plus tax (in advance).*
• Group tickets are also available for groups of 10 or more.

* The one-day Disney theme park ticket is only valid for Saturday, Sept 10.

2016 Night of Joy Artists

Friday, September 9, 2016 – “Praise & Worship” Night

Champion Stadium

• Casting Crowns
• Chris Tomlin
• Francesca Battistelli

HP Fieldhouse

• MercyMe
• Matthew West
• Crowder

Jostens Center

• Stars Go Dim
• Zealand Worship

Saturday, September 10, 2016 – “Rock and Pop” Night

Champion Stadium

• Newsboys
• for King & Country
• Young & Free

HP Field House

• Switchfoot
• Red
• Thousand Foot Krutch

Jostens Center

• Tim Timmons
• Veridia

Please note: Artists and schedule are subject to change without notice.

photo courtesy of Disney

In addition to the concerts there will also be other activities lending to more of a music festival feel.

• Expo with a variety of vendors
• Tasty food and beverage options—including Food Trucks
• Talent Spotlight Competition
• Youth Leader Lounge with food and non-alcoholic beverages
• Family Activity Zone
• Premium reserved seating upgrade option with commemorative lanyard and pin

To plan your trip to Night of Joy to get started.

What are your thoughts about the location change? I can’t wait to see how things work out, I’ll be there and I hope you are too!

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The tricky part about Night of Joy is deciding which concerts to see. For the last few years, they have only used 3 outdoor stages Castle Forecourt, Galaxy and Rocket Tower Plaza. I miss the old days of using Cosmic Ray’s (this year there was a hip hop dance party in there), the Frontierland stage and the old Fantasy Faire stage. Using stages all over the park spreads out the crowds more and makes scheduling a bit easier because the sound from the two Tomorrowland stages bleeds over onto each other when the concert times overlap.

Our original plan was to see Matthew West at the castle at 7:40pm, Building 429 at the Galaxy stage at 8:50pm, catch the end of Chris Tomlin’s 9:20pm concert at the castle, see Mandisa at Galaxy at 10:25pm and For King & Country at Galaxy at 12:10am. We didn’t plan to ride any rides after 7:00pm but we did need to find time to eat dinner at some point.

Our Night of Joy 2014

We arrived at our spot right in front of the castle around 7:00pm for the Matthew West concert. It was raining light but steady. I have never had the opportunity to see Matthew West in concert before so I was really excited about this concert and Matthew didn’t disappoint. He put on a great show and he didn’t let the rain bother him. He came out from under the tent where the band was so that he could get closer to the audience. He shared some of his great songs and some stories, including a little song he wrote about his years performing at Night of Joy and wishing he’d some day make it to the Castle Forecourt Stage. I wish I had recorded it! He was so excited about singing at the castle that he brought his daughters Lulu and Delaney on stage and told them they could sing with him, any song they wanted. Here is a short video of the song they chose. (If you are reading this in your email, click over to the post to see this video)

After Matthew west sang “Hello, My Name Is” we headed to Tomorrowland to find a spot for the Building 429 concert. Building 429 is one of my favorite bands right now and this is the 3rd time I’ve seen them in concert in 11 months! We Won’t Be Shaken by Building 429 is one of my 2 most played albums this year and the crowd at Galaxy Stage loved the entire concert.

Our next stop was for dinner. We headed to Cosmic Ray’s for a quick burger and along the way we could hear a little of Chris Tomlin. I was sad that I missed his concert since I’ve never seen him live but we just couldn’t  make it work.

We arrived back at the Galaxy Stage area at about 9:30pm and the area was already at capacity for the 10:25pm Mandisa concert! There was a long line of people hoping to be allowed in as others filtered out during the show. I hope they give Mandisa  the Castle Forecourt stage next year so more people can see her in concert. We chose to sit on a bench in Tomorrowland where we could hear the end of The Neverclaim’s concert on the Rocket Tower Plaza stage and some of Mandisa’s concert too.

We were tired and my feet were hurting so we made the decision to head back to the castle for the 11:30pm Hillsong United concert instead of getting in line for the For King and Country concert which didn’t start until after midnight. We had a long wait before this concert, but at least it had finally stopped raining! After about 4 songs I just couldn’t stand any longer so we headed out of the park, before they sang Oceans

Walking down Main Street, USA is where the enormity of the night hit me. The crowd was thick all the way to the Main St. Bakery. There was a screen set up near the Main Street Cinema and some people were watching the live feed of the concert there. It is always amazing to be among thousands of Christians worshiping Jesus at the Magic Kingdom during Night of Joy. We are so thankful that we got to be a part of this uplifting event.

The post Night of Joy 2014 Recap appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The Heart of Christmas.

About the movie:

  It takes an entire community to make a little boy’s dreams come true in the Image Entertainment release of The Heart of Christmas, the heartbreaking yet hopeful film about a family faced with losing their child and their quest to give him one last Christmas. Based on the inspiring true story that gained national attention, The Heart of Christmas boasts a stellar cast that includes Candace Cameron Bure (“Make It or Break It,” “Full House”), Jeanne Nielson (Faith Like Potatoes), George Newbern (Father of the Bride), and Erin Bethea (Fireproof). The film recently received an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Lyrics and Music for its title song, composed and performed by Grammy®-nominated singer/songwriter, Matthew West, who is also featured in the film. A wonderful gift for everyone, The Heart of Christmas heads to DVD on October 16, 2012 for an SRP of $27.97.The Heart of Christmas tells the story of Austin and Julie Locke, who are devastated to learn that their young son, Dax, has been diagnosed with cancer. With courage, determination and faith, they decide to give Dax one last Christmas – even if it has to be in October. When the community sees the holiday decorations and learns the heartbreaking truth, what happens next is a miraculous outpouring of care and support. The Heart of Christmas will touch your heart and bring home the spirit of the holidays.

In 2010, singer/songwriter Matthew West asked his fans to send him their inspiring true stories so he could turn those stories into songs. Among the thousands of submissions he received, there were three separate letters about the Locke family and the community that came together to support them. Moved by the letters, Matthew wrote “One Last Christmas,” which inspired the filmmakers to share the story with an even wider audience. Premiering on GMC last December, The Heart of Christmas became the most-watched World Premiere Movie in the history of the network, drawing 3.6 million viewers.

For more information about this inspiring true story of hope and compassion, visit the Dax Locke Foundation website at: http://www.daxlocke.org.

My Review:

I watched the movie last Christmas on television and I was moved to tears. I had the opportunity to view it again for this review and yup, more tears! This true story has been turned into a well written screenplay. The story of the Locke family, which is played out daily by families with ill children, will touch your heart and possibly change your life. In the movie, the life of a stranger and her family is changed because of Dax’ story, remember to cherish every moment.

The Giveaway:

One lucky US reader of The Mom Maven will win their own copy of The Heart of Christmas on DVD. The giveaway ends at 12:01 am on 11/30/12. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and verified. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize via email.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received nothing in exchange for this post All opinions are 100% mine.

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Dave Cruse, Carmen Brown, Matthew West, Eric Smallridge and Bill Martin

This “surprise” was not the first involving Renee Napier. Earlier this year, The Morning Cruise surprised Renee during an interview in their JOY FM studios by hiding Matthew West in an adjoining room. Matthew’s song “Forgiveness” had been written from the story Renee submitted, but remained unknown to Renee until both the song and the waiting artist were revealed. Subsequently, plans were made for Renee to accompany the Into the Light tour in several cities. Eric Smallridge’s appearance was exclusively for JOY FM audiences. To arrange for the personal appearance of Eric, Renee and others had to convince the Florida Department of Corrections to allow temporary mobility to the inmate, still serving 11 years prior to his planned release in November, 2012.

On May 11th, 2002, a drunk driver killed Renee’s daughter, Meagan, and Meagan’s friend, Lisa Dickson. The driver, Eric Smallridge, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. In the midst of grieving the loss of her daughter, Renee came to forgive Eric and help reduce his sentence to 11 years. In turn Eric decided to make something positive out of his tragic mistake. Less than two years after Meagan’s death, Renee began her journey giving DUI Presentations to a multitude of audiences, including high schools, colleges, the military, churches, and DUI offenders. Since 2004, over 100,000 people have heard Renee’s presentation during which she tells the story of Eric’s decision to drink and drive and the healing power of forgiveness. In April 2010, Eric was granted permission to join Renee in her speaking campaign.

The JOY FM is a network of non-commercial, listener-supported contemporary Christian music stations serving Southwest, Central and North Florida since 1986 and Atlanta since 2011. It is owned by Radio Training Network, and is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization.

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Track List:

1. Come On, Christmas-A fun upbeat song expressing the anticipation of the season
2.  Jingle Bells
3.  The Heart Of Christmas-a call to remember the true meaning of Christmas
4. Leaving Heaven (featuring Vince Gill)-an country-ish song about why Jesus is leaving heaven and coming to earth
5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
6. One Last Christmas-a tearjerker based on a true story about a young cancer patient
7. Silent Night (Interlude)
8. Give This Christmas Away (featuring Amy Grant)-from VeggieTales: Saint Nicholas – A Story of Joyful Giving-2009
9. O, Holy Night
10.  Christmas Makes Me Cry (featuring Mandisa)-a poignant song of remembrance
11. Oh, Come All Ye Faithful
12.  Day After Christmas-reminding us that Jesus is still here after Christmas is over

This is my favorite new Christmas CD of the season! If you are lucky you can catch Matthew west and Mandisa in The Heart of Christmas Tour (I am not so lucky, there are no Florida dates on the tour )

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Jordan, my 14yo son accompanied me to the park for the day. I have recently attended a few media events at Busch Gardens but I have not been to the park as a regular guest in several years. My kids, on the other hand, have had annual passes on and off over the years and have visited the park many times with their friends and grandparents, so, Jordan was my tour guide. We arrived at the parking lot at 10:51 am, fought our way onto the tram at 11:10 am and got in line at Guest services at 11:15 am. The line was very long and uncovered. Those of us waiting in line discussed how the ticket booths, with quick moving lines were all covered and the long slow moving line for guest services was uncovered and in full sun. Oh well, 26 minutes later we were in the park!

We knew it was going to be a hot, sunny day, 93 degrees to be exact so Jordan and I each drank 1/2 liter of water before arriving at the park and we carried 2 more liters into the park with us. We had also applied an SPF 30 sunscreen at home and planned on reapplying mid day. You have to be prepared to survive the Florida heat and sun.

When we entered the park Jordan suggested we head to the Moroccan Palace Theatre to the the noon performance of “Katonga”. He said this was the best show in the park so we headed to the theatre. Jordan was right “Katonga” is not to be missed. The costumes were beautiful, the scenery was creative and the dancing was amazing. Unfortunately the soundtrack was rather loud and it drowned out a lot of the singing and speaking so some of the storytelling was lost in the noise. Overall the show was very well done and even with the sound issue, it is a must-see.

We knew we didn’t have much time to tour the park because we wanted to get our seats for the concerts by 3pm so we headed to the Sky Ride to take us to the back of the park so Jordan could ride his beloved bumper cars. Due to the fact that the train ride was closed for rehab, LOTS of people were waiting to board the Sky Ride. We had about a 25 minute wait to board and then we soared over the park in our gondola. Jordan didn’t have to wait long for his turn on the bumper cars and then we discussed maybe getting up our nerve to ride Scorpion for the first time. We headed towards the coaster when we realized that this looping coaster doesn’t have the shoulder harness restraints just a lap bar! We both chickened out and headed over to watch people get squirted with water while they rode Congo River Rapids. Next we meandered our way through the park looking at various plants and animals along the way until we ended up at the Garden Gate Cafe.

This quaint little eatery had a nice menu of pizzas, salads and sandwiches. When we arrived the restaurant was rather full so I sent Jordan to scout out a table while I got in line. This eatery was not designed to handle the crowd that was there at the time, the single serving line is short and there was only one cashier so it took 32 minutes to get our food. I had the club sandwich and Jordan had a pepperoni pizza and both were very good. After our late lunch in the air conditioned restaurant we headed back out into the heat of the day. We stopped and reapplied our subscreen before heading to Gwazi Park to find our concert seats.

Jonny Diaz on left

We ended up sitting in the far right section of seats, near the middle about 1/3 of the way back, they were very good seats. Gwazi Park is a big open space with no trees and no shade and we were sitting on metal seats that were very hot! People were trying everything they could to create shade with hats, umbrellas, blankets and even wearing park maps on their heads. At 4:00pm Jonny Diaz took the stage and he was great! Jonny is a newer artist and I was only familiar with 1 of his songs but I really enjoyed his concert and look forward to hearing more from him! Next there was a 15 minute intermission and I sent Jordan to get me a frozen lemonade. Unfortunately he came back empty handed as the machines were having a lot of trouble keeping up with the demand on this very hot day.

Brandon Heath on left

Next up was Brandon Heath, I love Brandon’s music so I was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately about half way through Brandon’s set I started feeling ill and left the concert to seek some shelter, the sun was just too much for me, I had officially wilted. I texted Jordan and he informed me he too was miserable from the heat and sun so he met me and we headed to Sesame Street Safari of Fun. Jordan rode Air Grover while I sat in the shade. Because Sesame Street Safari of Fun is located right next door to Gwazi Park we could still hear the rest of Brandon’s concert…while enjoying the shade. We stayed there through the first part of Matthew West‘s set and then we decided we better head out or we might not stay awake for the ride home we were both just spent.

We both really did have a good time, in spite of the heat and the sun. I am also proud to report that the sunscreen worked and neither of us got burned. If you are going to Glory at the Gardens over the next 2 weekends, be prepared! Wear a hat, bring lots of water, wear sunscreen, bring an umbrella. Be careful and don’t overheat yourself but have fun!

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These top Christian acts will perform in Busch Gardens’ Gwazi Park beginning at 4 p.m. each day. The festival kicks off May 1 with Dove award-nominee Matthew West as well as Brandon Heath, who won the 2009 Dove Awards for Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year, and Jonny Diaz. Grammy-nominated group Skillet and Building 429 rock Busch Gardens on May 8. On May 15, Grammy and Dove winner Kirk Franklin – who is credited with being the leader of urban contemporary gospel – and 2010 Grammy nominee and former American Idol finalist Mandisa wrap up the series.

For guests looking for the perfect way to attend all Glory at the Gardens concerts at a great value, Florida residents can “Pay For LESS Than A Day” and come back all year for free with a 2010 Fun Card. For the cost of less than one day’s admission (when you buy online), guests can catch all the top acts during Glory at the Gardens, plus experience all the amazing animal encounters, world-class thrill rides, exciting entertainment and family adventure the parks offer with no blackout dates through Dec. 31, 2010.
A VIP Package, which includes lunch and reserved seating at the concert, is available.

Event dates, times and artists are subject to change and/or cancellations without notice. Please visit GloryAtTheGardens.com for concert schedule. Performances are included with any daily admission or annual pass.

Jordan and I will be attending the May 1st event and I will let you know all about it in the next few days.

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