Lunchtime Live with Lisa Harper | Holly Furtick

Welcome to Lunchtime Live, the Holiday edition, also known as the Holidays Edition. I just made that up on the spot. I hope it's not too corny. Okay. I was just saying when we got on. Can we. I think we should open up the curtain because I'm at my office, so you might want to see the people who are behind me. There's no need to cover up.

Working.

Oh, you can see my ring light. But anyway, here we are. Happy holidays. How you doing? What'd you eat for lunch? Because this is Lunchtime Live, so we always like to share if it's lunchtime where you are or breakfast time or.

Dinner time.

Maybe you haven't even eaten lunch yet. I had soup from Panera. Tomato soup. It's easy, it's warm. It feels good in my stomach. So that's what I had for lunch. Let me greet some people. Hello, Renee Cup.

Hello.

Tammy Ferguson. Melissa Johnson. Persephone. Ooh, I like that name. I like that. It's a Greek God, right, Persephone? I think so. Trying to fix my chair here. There we go. Somebody tell me. Look it up, Persephone. It's a Greek God. Or it's a story. Anyway. Hi, Persephone. I like your name. Hello, Teresa Yates. Hello. Amanda Bernhardt. Good morning from Chicago. Which one?

Queen of the Underworld.

Queen of the Underworld? Oh, that's right, because I saw Hadestown. That's how I know it. We took Abby to see Hadestown, the musical. Let me know if you saw Hadestown. Actually, Eva Noblezada, who is the star of Hadestown, she grew up at our church, so there you go. We saw her on Broadway. Hello, Laura Chavez. Hello. Patty Taylor. Who is about to eat breakfast. Selena Ramos from Raleigh, North Carolina. Oh, my gosh, it's flying now. I am Boyer from Hilmar, California. Tammy Luciana. She says you just reminded me to eat. Fun fact about me, I never forget to eat and I never skip lunch. Lunch is my favorite meal. It's. I just. I love lunch. I love sandwiches and French fries and soups. I'm not a big salad girl. But anyway, I love lunch. Hello. Rebecca Russell from Colorado. Rebecca Cliff from London, uk Nice to have you joining us. Michelle from New Jersey. Terry Nichols says she loves Lisa Harper. Well, that's who we're talking with today. So you're in for a real treat for this holiday edition of Lunchtime Live with my dear friend, Lisa Harper. I have a lot of friends named Lisa, and I would say Lisa Harper is one of my favorites of all people and all the Lisa's that? I know. Okay. Jessica Flores, Good to see you. Esme Marelda. Esmeralda, we call her Esme. Nice to see you on here. Kat Smith from Tupelo, Missouri. I always miss Missouri or Mississippi. Mississippi. Tupelo, Mississippi, I think. And last shout out I'm going to give to Sandra Palermo who says no salad. Lol. I don't know if that means Sandra likes salad or not. Right before we got on, we were having a debate about how often you should wash your water bottle or your Stanley Cup. So I wash mine every other day. Judge me or don't judge me. Sometimes it takes me two days to drink one whole Stanley cup. But I will refill it with ice and lemon and every other day. And because I'm that. I don't know, I'm lazy like that man. And. And I don't think it's a bad thing. So, I mean, if I saw something.

Floating in there, I would change it.

Let me know. What do you think? Do you wash your Stanley cup or your water bottle every day? They're laughing at me in here. Nobody's commenting because I think there's a little bit of a delay. But I think we should get Lisa Harper on. I think we should forget about the Stanley cup water bottle debate and start talking about the joy of Advent.

Hello. I'm so excited. I'm here for holiday. I love holidays. And Holly, I have to apologize. I had a crazy morning and I picked up this place, you know, the Franklin Factory, where they have all these wonderful little cubbies. And I thought, oh, it's going to be so pretty and I'll be able to show Holly the decorations at the Franklin Factory. What I did not know was I would get here and all of the really quiet that are conducive for conversations cubbies would be taken by just piglets and I would have to be forced to a table in the public next to a construction project. So alas, this is going. We're gonna have lots of ambient noise. I've got this far, far away as I could from the noise. But it's going to be a rowdy holidays today. You know what?

I am okay with background noise. I'm not the kind of person that's like super distracted by that. So I'm fine with it.

Okay, cool. Okay, cool. I apologize. I was trying to think, can I race? Can I run with my iPad while you're talking about Stanley Cups and just shove somebody out of one of those cubbies? But it just didn't feel Christmassy.

How often do you wash your Stanley Cup? Just out of curiosity.

Right there with you. I'm totally aligned with you in spirit. And Stanley Cups every two days, baby. Okay, What I did not know was you really have to take the lid off and get in there with all the. The, you know, take the little finger that holds a straw and. Okay, well, let me. Let me admit, also, my Stanley Cup. Huge mistake. I was like, well, I want to drink coffee for my Stanley cup, and I don't like drinking coffee from a straw because it's so hot. And so I ordered two more Stanley lids, not realizing all you do is spin that little top piece and it uncovers the cubby that doesn't have the straw and covers the straw hole. I. I didn't know that. So. So I ordered two new Stanley Lids that. For Stanley Cups, not knowing it's already made for the coffee. All you do is turn that little thing.

So maybe you change the lid then. Does that buy you another day of having to wash the cup? That's my question.

You know what? I didn't even think that way. So it could be that. That could be the. The redemptive aspect of my Stanley stupidity.

Okay, we have to talk about Christmas because you are in the middle of this amazing Advent tour, and you're one of my favorite people to talk to in the world. Every time I'm around you, I want more time with you.

I think that is funny. When I saw you, I thought, people at the tour, when you came to the. To our Gastonia stop, I, like, couldn't quite let you go. I don't get to be with you enough in person. And so I think I held on. You know, when it almost gets awkward, the embrace, like, turns into something where people go, she needs to see her therapist. Like, she's held on to poor Holly for seven minutes. And you were real sweet. You kept hugging me back, but I just couldn't quite let you go.

Did you know we were coming?

No. Levi had told me they had invited you, but I know y' all are so stinking busy that I'm like, they do not have the time during because it is the holidays, after all, and if it wasn't holidays, you might have had time. No, I was so. You know, sometimes you don't expect something, and you get something even bigger than you'd hoped for. And it's like your heart goes like, my heart squealed when I saw you. It made me so happy.

You give. You have the best hugs and made me so happy. So, okay, before we start talking about Your tour. I just want to talk about Christmas with you for a second. So this is going to be like a speed round. But also, you know, I'm not very.

Good at speed round. Okay, you may.

We may detour off from it, but let me start off. Real tree or fake tree?

Oh, I feel terrible about this, but fake.

Oh, me too.

We have the cool. Well, I dated a guy that made me do a real tree years ago, and I still have scrapes in my floors over it, so I have a little root of bitterness over him. But also, Missy fell in love her first year home from Haiti with this kind of a Disney tree. It was Charlie Brown. It was on sale because they had had it so much at the store near where we live that they were just. They put it out front because all the fiber optics were falling off. And she loved it. And I thought, well, they were like, it's not for sale. Like, we're throwing it away after the season. And they said, we don't have the directions anymore or anything. And I said, well, can I just take it, Holly? I spent hours and hours and hours zip, tying all the fiber optics back in place. I'll send you a picture. It's the most incredible tree. It's this. I don't know if it's 10 or 12 foot, but it has all these fiber optics and the lights do dances and different things. And she will both just sit, just mesmerized. It's so. I like real trees better, but I'm going to cry when I lose this tree. This is. This is like the coolest Disney tree ever.

I don't like real trees because they're. They're never balanced. They're never. They have holes and they're messy. And I just love.

I like all that. I just don't like that they trash my floors. And one year I almost burned the house down because mine got so brittle. And I tried. And so I love it in everybody else's home. We might go real tree again. We live in the boonies. It would kind of be apropos to have a real tree, But I love this tree Missy picked out, and I will keep it until it falls apart.

I also have a lot of trees in my house.

I have a couple, too.

I have a fancy tree in my living room, and then I have a family tree in a little family room.

Okay. What's the difference? Like, do you decorate them totally different?

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The fancy tree looks like something you would see maybe like, in a department store with, like, more Nordstromy Yeah. With all the matching ornaments and, like, you know, it's all neutrals and all that. The family tree. I am obsessed with Christmas ornaments, so I buy Christmas ornaments all year long.

I did not know this about you. This is a good fact to know.

I buy them almost everywhere I go. I will. Even if I'm somewhere, like, on a vacation and I'm in. I love gift shops. I love gift shops. And. And so if I'm somewhere where they don't have Christmas ornaments, I'll buy, like, a keychain or a magnet, and I'll make it into a Christmas ornament. And so I have.

Now, do you like him to be kind of a little bit trashy? Like. Like, they can be anything.

Yeah, they can be anything.

So you know how people will wear T shirts that say, like, boston Marathon, but they didn't run the Boston Marathon. They just were there, or they gave out water to people, and I think that's cheating. And some people are like that about, like, if I bought you a really cool, kitschy Christmas ornament, you. From some random place, would it bug you because you weren't there? Do you have to be there to get it for the memory?

Well, I would put that one on my family tree because I have a family tree, and I have a travel tree.

Okay.

My travel tree is in my. And it has ornaments from, like, all the places that we've traveled, but it has to be.

You had to have traveled there.

Yeah, I have one. I actually. It's really funny that you asked me that. I have one ornament from New York City that a friend gave me, and it's on the tree, but because I've been to New York, but I didn't actually go, and it always kind of bothers me.

I'm totally like that. Things like that bug me because I feel like I'm misrepresenting. It's like, if I have it as a memory, I have to have made the memory. I have to have at least been there.

So. But with my kids, it's kind of like a documentation of their lives. So if they played a sport, they would get an ornament for that year. If they. Oh, gosh, if they loved something, like, if they were obsessed with Elmo or. Or Elsa or. They would get an ornament for that if they, like. Like. So Elijah this year, he got an ornament for his college, and then he got an ornament for a birthday gift that we had gotten him that I wanted to commemorate. Like, Graham has one this year because he got his driver's license. And so it's like a little keychain driver's license. It says new driver, and I always write their name and the date on the back of every ornament. So that tree is very special.

I love that.

So, anyway. Okay, this is definitely not a speed round.

Sorry, it's me. You know, that concise is not my gift.

And mine is not. Not me too. Okay. Do you decorate before or after Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving Day. Okay.

I decorated two weeks before Thanksgiving this year.

I. You know what? I don't have a problem with that because it makes me so happy. I love it. So. Sorry, I'm trying to be shorter now. Thanksgiving afternoon.

Okay, mine's before. All right. Colored or white lights on the house.

Or on the tree? Both. I do both. I have sections of white lights, and it troubles me if colored lights get into the white lights. And then I have other sections that are col lights. And with the tree, I go back and forth with all different. But Missy loves colored lights, so I've had to get over my white light fetish.

I prefer white, but my family likes colored. And so our family tree has a colored or white setting, but the remote broke this year, and so it's stuck on white, and I have to figure out. Trying to figure it out. Okay, have. Tell me about a present that you have re gifted.

Oh, so many. But I always tell. I always tell people when I re gift. Every time. Oh, I don't do it. Oh, I do. Every time. Every time. I'll go, I didn't really buy this. I got it.

That's what you're saying. You don't tell the person who gave you that the gift. You tell the person you're giving the gift to?

Yes, Yes, I tell the person I'm giving the gift to because otherwise I feel like I'm cheating. It's almost like shoplifting Christmas. So I always tell them. And then if I re gift a gift to somebody, I feel like I have to also pay for a gift. So I end up paying the same amount. But I'll get some really amazing things that I just personally don't like. Like something about myself that is. Well, this. This is not a slight to anybody because it's purely subjective. There's a. I won't say her name, but there's a particular jewelry designer that has a name that is in a lot of malls. But I won't tell you them because lovely jewelry rhymes with. Rhymes with Hendra hot. And. And people love Hindra hots. Jewelry. And for whatever reason, I'm just not a Hindra hot kind of girl. I'm not quite that matchy. And so. But it's lovely Jewel. And I have several friends who are fans of that brand. And so when somebody gives me that. That's very lovely. And so I don't want to just not use it. And so I give it to my friends who like Kendra hot. And. And I tell them that I got it from someone who's very generous, and now I'm giving it to them.

I agree with you 100%. And I'm gonna. I'm gonna tell you a secret. I actually re gifted a Kendra Scott necklace last week.

Did you tell them? I'm buying you Hendra hot next year. And I'm gonna pretend like I forgot. And I'm gonna give you something. Really? I'm gonna give you maybe a triptych. You're gonna get a necklace and earrings and a bracelet that match. And I'm just gonna watch your face and see if you can hide it. I won't. I won't.

Favorite Christmas movie?

Oh, I love It's a Wonderful Life. Missy Loves Elf. So it'd be both on the same night with popcorn. Hot popcorn with M&M's mixed in the hot popcorn so they get melty.

Oh, gosh. I love M and M's and popcorn together. Okay. I also love both of those movies. So let me ask you this. What's a great movie that everybody loves that you don't love? And.

I don't know. I'm real. I'm real kind of cheesy at Christmas. I. I know that is silly, but I cannot think of a Christmas movie I don't like. Well, I can say this. There's a Christmas channel I don't. Oh, yes.

I'm not into that either.

Because they all end a little. Well, first of all, all the girls are skinny. And then it's all just so schmaltzy and I can't quite. It's a little too cheese for me. But then sometimes I'll sucker into it, and I will of those. But I tend to. I. I can't think of an actual movie like that you would go see at the theater or rent on Amazon prime that's Christmasy that I don't like unless it's hateful. Like if somebody's hateful and real mean. I don't love the redone Scrooge. I like the original Scrooge. The redone Scrooge. And I can't remember who it was I didn't love. And actually thought it would never. I don't love Jim Carrey's Grinch. I don't love that Jim Carrey's Grinch because Wrench was so mean. And I just think of Grinch as. As someone who's wounded and needs therapy and really his heart is in there and the unit gets bigger. And so I don't like disliking Grinch so much.

Okay. So I don't love the Grinch movie or story. I. It's fine, but it's just not one of my favorites. I've never watched National Lampoon's Christmas and I've never watched.

I have either.

I've never watched all of A Christmas Story. I can. I don't know, it doesn't look good to me.

So you not read Luke 2 either? I can't believe you don't watch A Christmas Story. A Christmas Story is epic. So you don't love the leg lamp and you'll shoot your eye out? I love A Christmas Story. No, I'll tell you. Before, when I was like in my. I mean, I was. I was old enough to know better, probably my 30s. I had friends with little kids and I loved the Christmas Story so much that I gave several of my friends. That was back when we had vhs, VHS tapes for their kids of the Christmas Story because, you know, I wasn't a mom. I just thought it was hilarious. There's some undertones in that that are really not young child appropriate. And they were like. And I was their Bible teacher. They were like, what is wrong with you? He would give us this movie to watch with like our four year olds now. I was like, oh, I'm so sorry. See, it's funny when something stirs up nostalgia in you and you don't necessarily think about where it's age appropriate. So I do love the Christmas Story, but I did not let. I don't think Missy is actually. She's 14. She could. I don't think I've ever showed it to her because it's. There's just a few little mildly off color elements.

I think I watched it as a kid. I just don't remember ever caring about it or finishing it.

So.

Yeah, so Here are my 2. My two favorite Christmas movies are Home Alone 1.

Yeah, the best one.

And then this one is. I don't know why this doesn't get put on a list of Christmas movies, but it's totally a Christmas movie. And Abby and I watch it together every year. It's called While you were sleeping with Sandra Bullock. Have you ever seen that movie?

I. I love Bill Pullum. I love Bill Pullum. He's like my favorite. No, I love that movie. But I would have never thought of that as a Christmas movie either until you say that. And it really is a Christmas movie.

It is a Christmas movie.

Anything Sandy, my pretend best friend is in, I love.

I totally agree. And so me and Abby watched that. We already watched it once this Christmas.

But a lot of times I'm gonna.

Watch that when I'm wrapping presents, so. Okay. So do you have this now? This is a very important question to me.

Okay.

You have a favorite Christmas book?

Yes, the Gospel of Luke.

Okay. Big shin book.

I. I don't. I shouldn't admit this to you because I. I don't want to admit any of my book fails with you. My favorite Christmas books are these really old. It was back when I worked for folks in the family a million years ago. And I had to wear closed toed shoes because they told me the line between my big toe and second toe was reminiscent of cleavage. So it does bring up that trauma. But they used to have these books that focus. I think maybe they gave them away as a premium, but it was. They were compiled by a guy named Joe Wheeler and it's these. I get them out every year and it's a compilation of true Christmas stories. And every year I reread these Christmas stories and bawl, crying. I was reading it night before last in the bathtub, sitting in the bathtub, preparing for Bible study, bawling, crying. I didn't find a story to read about, but I was just rereading these stories and I've had those for probably 30 years. And I have a three volume set. There may be more volumes, but that. My favorite by far, Christmas stories. Missy has some kids Christmas stories. Like there's a Christmas edition of if you give a mouse a cookie or moose and muffin or one of those. And sometimes we'll read those. But I. And some of these are a little too adult. Not off color, just they're really pointed. Most of them are kind of sad, but like, can I truncate my favorite Christmas story ever from that book for you? Okay, there's this. This town, small town, is having a Christmas play. And it's one of the times when the whole town gathers together, you know, for the play at the first whatever church on the corner. And the director of the play is real persnickety, as you can imagine. This is like she hangs her hat on this all year. And she doesn't really know what to do because there's a little boy who desperately wants to be in the play, but he has some. He's developmentally not as he's not able to memorize his lines like the other kids, but just desperately wants to be in the play. So she doesn't want to ruin this perfect Christmas play she has planned, but she also wants to accommodate this precious kid who's. Who doesn't always get picked for the team. So she chooses him to be the owner of the inn. So he only has one line. He's like 10, 11 years old and. And struggles with language in the school. And so she only. He only has one line. And his line is, there's no more room. His name is Wally, and so that's all he has to do is there's no more room. So, you know, first part of the play goes off without a hitch. You know, the whole town's leaning forward. It's just really, really precious. And then Mary and Joe, these young kids in the bathrobes, you know, they take the fake. You know, the fake donkey up to the inn, and Wally standing there, and he's wearing his bathrobe and his little hat. I don't know why they all wear bathrobes and hats because they didn't all dress like that. But nonetheless, the. You know, and the spotlights on Wally, and all Wally has to say is, there's no room. And he says this line, and you kind of hear the whole church, the whole town, the whole audience kind of sigh with relief that Wally got the line out. And then Mary and Joseph, as they've been trained in the play, they turn away dejectedly from the pretend inn, and Wally's face just crumples. And then he ruins the whole play because he goes, wait, wait. You can have my room. I know, I know. Is it the sweetest story ever? I cry every year when I read about that Christmas play. Gone wrong, but gone so right. Aw. Okay, what's your favorite book? Because I'll read it this year.

Okay. Have you ever read Missy, the Best Christmas Pageant Ever?

No.

Hands down, my favorite book. It will make you cry. It's very easy. I've actually read it, I think 12 times out loud. My kids. Well, so every year, not every kid participates. Sometimes they're too cool, and then sometimes they come back around. But I think I've read it 12 or 13 times, and it's seven chapters, so you can. So you can read it in seven nights. If I was being really pushy. I would tell you to get a copy and read it to the kids on the bus.

I mean, I'll get it today.

Yeah.

We leave for the tour this afternoon, so I probably won't be able to get it for this leg, but for the third leg of the tour, I'll get it and read it to kids. Absolutely.

Hands down, the best Christmas story that you can read.

And then.

Okay, this is more serious. But my favorite, like Christmas devotional or more serious book is Ann Voskamp's book. It's called the Greatest Gift. Have you read it?

It's my favorite. It's my favorite.

It's like a treasure to me. And I, I love that. But you know how some books like you just. They're like a piece of you. They're like a, like a. That one is one of those for me. And I, it's like, has every day for, you know, it's like. I think it's like day one or December 1st or whatever. I just always. I've never read it from start to finish. I just always pick it up and whatever day it is, I read it and I write. I write the date and the year and I make notes and stuff. So for anybody out there that's watching, hands down, the two books that I read every Christmas are the amboss camp's the Greatest Gift and the Best Christmas pageant Ever.

The year the Greatest Gift came out. You know, when it's your friend, you want to read their book because you just. They're your friend and you want to hear their voice in their heart and that. I feel like that book changed the temperature of my Christmas that year. And, you know, you've been raised in the church. You know, you. You know the truth. You know the truth of Advent, you know, but there's something about the way God communicates through Anne's voice that I can hear it louder.

I. I totally agree.

She would be right up there with some of our favorite writers. I mean, Ann and Ann Hatchet. I'm like, yep, you're the greatest writers ever. All the way back from to ancient history. Those. Those two voices. Goodness. I can. I can hear things better through their voices.

I totally agree. And did you know that Ann has a lent book coming out this year?

No, I did not.

So I'm like, really hoping that she sends me an advanced reader copy of it.

Let's. Let's copy this and send it to her and tell her we spent all our time.

Holly and Lisa want to help you promote your Easter book.

Let's do because she's so humble, which is probably why she's such a good communicator. But I don't like, like Ian, there's a few people that, whatever, they have hardback. I'll do anything. I'll do anything to get it. So now that you tell me, I'm like, okay, I'm going to pre order several cases. Okay, I'll give it to you with some Hindra hot jewelry.

All right, so since we are talking a little bit more serious and we're talking about adventures, you and Levi are on this Advent tour. And tell me a little bit about the heart of the tour and why you didn't even put Christmas in the title of the tour.

We started talking about this a couple of years ago, and I mean, there's so many wonderful Christmas events. And so you don't. I mean, there was no need for another Christmas tour, but it was the only time that worked in our cabinet. And so once we realized, well, that's. That's the only time that works for our families to kind of spend this time, you know, in this traumatizing bus experience that we're gonna. It's wonderful and horrible you at the same time. Which is why I'm trying to talk you into at least one night doing Little Women's tour with me. It's like a big adult slumber party. But we just decided we didn't want to do Christmas as usual because the Christmas for both the lascos, Jenny and Levi and myself, that they kind of changed the trajectory of how we practice Advent and Christmas as adults was our darkest, hardest Christmas ever. It's when I didn't get to bring Missy home and I thought I'd lost her forever. And it was the year after they lost Lenya on December 20, when we, you know, both of us had to make the first of all, I had to sit in the dark with Christmas. And Christmas was really hard for me as a kid. My parents divorced when I was little, when I was five. And so I learned to fake it really early at Christmas because no matter what I did, one parent was always sad and it was upset. And I. I hated grieving my mom and I hated grieving my dad. And there was a lot of animosity between my parents. And so Christmas just always felt hard to me. And there was a lot of anxiety around Christmas. And after my dad left, we were really poor for a while. There's just a whole. A little bit of Dickens in our Christmas. Unintentional. My parents did their very Best. But I think learning to pretend Christmas became a sweater I wore year after year after year. And then, you know, being single, I'm still single, but being single and no kids for so many years, I. I mean, I definitely felt like the elf that wanted to be a dentist, because it seemed like everybody had, you know, matching Christmas sweaters and used to be chocolate labs. Now it's goldendoodles in the Christmas cards they sent out, and it was just me. I remember one year sending out it. Remember how for a while, Christians all sent out those letters of what God has done over the past year, and we're celebrating. And I remember writing a letter one year because I was working for ministry that basically made me. And I was like, what do I do for the picture? And I sent out a picture of me, like, in a red sweater and my lap. And I thought, I just feel stupid and not there's anything wrong at all with that. But I felt wrong. I felt lonely, and I felt like I've just got to kind of put a happy face on Christmas because I don't want to rain on anybody else's Christmas parade. And I was afraid if I sat in the dark of what those kind of seasons that seem to be so celebrated is everybody who has what they want, and they've got the 2.5 children and that they've got the beautiful tree, and they. They. They've kind of got everything they wanted. It never felt like that for me, and I felt like a failure as a Christian that sometimes Christmas was hard and sad for me. And so when God in his kindness, gave me the space to sit in the dark and to grieve at Christmas, it took the lid off my joy. Because realizing in a deeper way that Christmas came. You know, Levi says Christmas came at night, and you go, gosh, if you really get the context of Christmas, the way God wrote Christmas, Christmas came when moms are grieving that Herod killed their sons. Christmas came here when his people are crap. Christmas came for people who don't effectively have the matching sweaters and golden and. And we always talk about Emmanuel and the witness of Jesus at Christmas, but I don't think I've experienced that the way. The way I needed to until I made friends with my sad at Christmas. Yeah. And when I learned to sit inside at Christmas, that's actually where I found the true Christmas jewelry. So sorry to be so heavy, but. But it was in loss that I found the heavy of Christmas.

Yeah, I think so. Stephen and I really enjoyed coming to you guys's night. And by the way, I meant to say this at the beginning. We have some tickets to give away, and if you're watching, we're going to list the cities. There's six more stops left, so surely there are people watching who are going to hear about this and they're going to. They're going to come and get to experience this night with you guys. And we're going to give away some tickets at the end, so stay on with us because she might be coming to one of your cities. But the night was so beautiful. And I think one of the things that I took away from it is this idea that, that as a culture, we have built a Christmas.

Evidently a man just become really enthralled with the pneumatic drill. And so I'm walking away from the man with the drill. Excuse me.

So I feel like as a, as a culture, we have built Christmas up to be this, this thing that it's not. Yeah, it's. It's fun and it's family and it's magical and, and, and sure, it, it can be all of those things, but there's there because of, of movies and social media and, you know, just our, our whole culture, we've just built this, this, this holiday up to be something that makes people think that there's something wrong with them. If they're not happy, they're.

They've.

If Christmas is hard for them because they lost a loved one, like, like Jenny and Levi. If Christmas is hard for them because they're divorced. You know, I know. I know a couple that is getting divorced, and they wanted to wait until after Christmas to tell their kids because they didn't want their kids to associate Christmas with their parents getting divorced. I mean, that's heavy. That's a lot. And, and, And I think that what you guys so clearly communicate in this night is, is that Christmas is about God being with you in your pain. And when we misinterpret it, for it, for it to be this magical, fun moment, we miss the point of Jesus's presence. Emmanuel, God with us in our pain, in our sorrow, in our disappointment. And I love how you and Levi, I mean, first of all, you guys are so funny together.

So you're gonna laugh. You're gonna laugh, but it is. I mean, it is. I think if you don't acknowledge the grief of. Because we're in the middle of two Advents, and if you don't acknowledge the grief of being aliens and strangers here, and, and we don't get everything we hope for And. And nothing is perfect. The best marriage has grief in it. The best kid is going to rise up and call their mom blessed every single morning. The best life still has valleys because. Because we're not home yet.

Yeah.

And I love how GK Chesterton says, you know, I love all the old dead theologians. He says that we've got to come to the cognizance, that we've come to the wrong star, that this isn't our home. And so I think if you. If you aren't honest about just the grief of being human, you don't have to have had a tragic loss, but there's loss in being human because we're not face to face with Jesus. And if you don't sit in that a little bit, then the reality of Emmanuel, you miss that, too. Like Holly. Every year, my sweet mom, she packs up the entire everything for Christmas the moment we finish opening the presents. And, you know, when I was a kid, it'd be. It'd be before lunch, our house would be. Everything would be scoured. It was like after the Grinch left Whoville because my mom said, it's over, and it makes me sad now to see it up. And she said it makes her sad. She still does this. She said it makes her sad because she's got a whole nother year to wait for for Christmas again. And I thought, well, then we've missed the whole point. Because for believers, Christmas is not one day. The witness of Jesus is every day. Our friend Sheila Walsh does exactly the opposite. Sheila leaves her tree up until Easter because Sheila says, if you don't get Christmas outside of the context of Easter, it's not that joyful. Wow. To really get the beauty of Christmas, you have to own that there was a birth in view of the death. And so, again, I'm not trying to be existential and heavy. I'm just saying it wasn't until I went, okay, I want. I want all that Christmas has instead of just what's marketed. Yes, yes.

And I think it's okay to have fun with Christmas and to.

I'm gonna throw my laptop with his construction guys. I'm gonna hurl. I'm gonna be very scroogey and hurl my iPad at the guy with the pneumatic drill.

You're doing.

A great job.

I think, though. I think it's okay. I'm not saying, like, as a Christian, we shouldn't celebrate Christmas or do so.

I think we should. We should be the most celebratory, but also the most inclusive.

Is Right.

So the people that go, I don't. If I'm honest, I'm not really feeling a whole lot of happy clappy, we should go. Oh, my goodness. I know what that feels like.

Yes.

And that's why Christmas is such a big deal, because even, you know, Levi brings that passage up from Ezekiel that he came and he sat where they sit. To have somebody when you're. I can't imagine your friends that as she's wrapping every present, she's thinking, in another couple of weeks, we're going to tell him we're not going to be together anymore. The. The weight of that is. Is impossible to carry on your. But when you go, he came. He laid down in scepter and glory, and he came because he's going to carry us through those seasons. When you can't carry the weight of your own life, I mean, that. That's a bigger Christmas.

And, you know, one of the things that I love about the night is all of the emotions that you get to feel when you're there. Right. Because it's. It's funny and it's joyful, and then there's some real, like, seriousness to it. And, you know, I like how you said, like, that Christmas is. Is about realizing that we're not alone. Not just that we have Holy Spirit, we have the presence of. Of. Of Jesus, God with us, but also for. For me to come in into that space and to just see people. Because you guys have this beautiful moment where people can light a candle for a situation that they're going through, a dark season that they're. That they're fighting through. And I think it's a beautiful moment for people to realize, like, I'm also not alone in my guts.

Right.

And when it feels like everyone else is, like, having these magical moments and you come into a room like that, you're like. You get some really great perspective and you realize that you are not alone. Has there been a favorite ministry moment for you on. On this tour so far?

Yeah. You know, normally I really like men in construction because they tend to be very hunky, but this is happening now behind me. Just so you can know my particular. My particular grief, my particular Advent grief today. Can't get away from it, this construction project. Okay, bye, cutie. Yeah, there were. There have actually been a couple of moments. One was just. It was just this sweet little symbolic moment. Missy. You know, Missy came home when she was almost five and she has some processing delays and she doesn't speak English like her friends, and she's got an old white mama. And. And sometimes she feels like she doesn't fit. And she has just. She has been the embodiment of not being alone. To me, what you just said, what you just preached. Because she has loved being on the bus with other kids. She's loved hanging out. And there's this one night. I don't sleep great. And these tiny. I mean, they're like, made for keto people. Tiny little bunks in the claustrophobic. And. And I was walking back to my bunk, and Missy had already gone to bed. And you know how they pull the curtains on those bunks. And Holly, just. Her little beautiful hand was sticking out. Just. She was so. So she. She'd fallen asleep so happy that even in that little space, she just flopped her along. So this is bus. And all these people sleep, sleeping. And there's my little baby's hand. She's not a little baby anymore. She's 14. But you. She'll always be. She'll always be my daughter. And. And just that it just. It was the picture of belonging to me that she felt so safe on a bus in the middle of nowhere with this family of faith that was just. I can't really wrap words around how precious that was for me as a mom to see my child being enveloped at Christmas. And then there have been a couple of people I've had the undeserved privilege of praying with. When they light those candles and you. For some of them, it's huge because they're saying they're choosing this. We call it defiant hope. They're choosing to go, okay. When Jesus came to the world, the light dispelled the darkness. And so I'm going to choose light even though it feels dark and maybe I can't even see around the corner. And so this one woman, I met her at a. At a women's conference months before, and she just said, you know, when I met you, you prayed for my husband. And I. I remember then, here comes the cute construction boy, kids. I'm leaving and going back to the. The other construction people. But she said, you prayed with me and you told me that it would be hard, but that I would never see God's back. Because at the point I prayed with her, it was pretty obvious that her husband was going to lose his life to cancer.

Wow.

And she said, I needed. I needed to come and tell you he died. And I was like. And she said, and I've never seen God's back. Wow. She. And to. To see her, you know, to have Prayed with her a few months before when she was facing the loss of her husband and they were hoping he'd make it through Christmas. She asked so many times that tends to be the hope when you're losing somebody. And. And he did. And she said, I, you know, I toyed with the idea of not leaving the house, but she said, I just wanted to come back and tell you that I haven't seen God's back and I'm in the midst of grief. And she said, after tonight, I think I'm gonna put the tree back up. She told me she hadn't decorated yet because she. Of course, she didn't feel Christmas. Christmas, yeah. And she said to kind of see this different facet of Christmas, that Advent included grief, Advent included weeping. There was. There was fasting Advent that complemented the feasting. And she said, I. I realized I can celebrate Christmas. It's going to look really different this year, but I. But I can celebrate his presence with me in the dark. And that. That was. You know, sometimes you almost feel like an interloper because you get to. You get to observe or see, witness or sit in something so holy that. That you should take your shoes off. And. And that was one of the. That was the same night we were there with you. That was in North Carolina.

Wow. It's just beautiful. It's beautiful. The ministry that you guys have been able to have. I just really hope that anybody who's anywhere near one of your stops will make a way to get there. Okay, I. I do have a couple more questions for you, but we'll go to questions.

But first of all, I want to all of your friends who are listening, I want to recruit them into my. On my team to recruit you to go on a tour with me. Because, y', all, I'm trying to talk Holly into doing just kind of a strong. Women love God's word to her, and she's hesitant. And I think y' all should pray and fast about it, too. And I think y' all should just light up her screen and say, please, Holly, please follow the Holy Spirit and do this with Lisa. So tell her if she doesn't do this tour with me, she'll be an absolute rebellion. So I think.

Tell you what, tell you what, you can come on Elevation Nights and.

And be on my. I. I come to Elevation Nights every time you are within spitting distance of here. And I told you, I never get laryngit. I'm sure some people pray for it. Both times I've come to Elevation Nights. I have Completely lost my voice because I. I scream, sing. I get so excited. It is my favorite. I mean, Elevation Nights is right up there with Christmas for me.

Oh, my gosh. It is a really fun time. But we are not promoting Elevation Nights. We are promoting.

What's the name?

What's the name of the tour?

It's called Recapture the Wonder of Adventure. Yeah.

And you guys, really. It's just so beautiful. Okay, so here are the places that you have left to go. Where is this?

Netherlands? Yes. And we have not been able to figure out if it's Nederland or Nederland. We think it's Nederland, but we're not positive. But they're lovely. And it's a little over an hour outside of Houston, right by the water, close to Beaumont, Texas. Texas. We'll be in Nederland, slash Netherland on the tomorrow night.

So if you're anywhere near Houston, then you're gonna go to tomorrow night to. And then San Antonio on Friday night.

It's New Braunfels. So right between San Antonio and Austin. So real easy to get to from both of those. And then we'll be in Fort Worth, Dallas, Fort Worth on Saturday. This Saturday.

So Thursday, Thursday we're in the Houston area. Friday in San Antonio area. Saturday you're in the Fort Worth area. And then next week, Thursday, Friday, Saturday you're in Birmingham, Orlando and Bradenton, Florida.

Exactly. Another one of our favorite leases, I'm hoping comes to Bradenton. It's not too far from Fort Lauderdale from Lisa Hughes.

Oh, Lisa Hughes. I was. I was thinking of Lisa Turker. She's been in Florida a lot lately.

Oh, that's right. I kind of forgot about that.

I don't think she's near Bradenton. There's so many wonderful Lisas that I'm friends with.

I know. And I was so glad you exaggerated and said I was near the top of the list. When we started.

I was not a graduate.

I got. I felt my. I felt my head swell a little bit. When you said that, I got a little cocky.

Okay, let's give some tickets away. So is there anybody watching who is in the Birmingham area? Lisa, can you see the comments?

If not, I can look at your face. I don't want to see my face.

Okay, anybody in Birmingham? Birmingham area on. And you want. You're going to be available on December 14th.

You got to give it a road. You could road trip from Atlanta. It's only two hours from Atlanta. You can come up from Tuscalor, Caloosa, Roll Tide, Nashville, down from Muscle Shoals. You could drive down from Nashville. There's multiple Starbucks on the way. You could come up from Montgomery. So anywhere in that area, it's gonna be awesome. In the ham.

All right, we need somebody to let us know if they live in Orlando, Bradenton, or Birmingham. Orlando, Bradenton or Birmingham? Pierre says one day I really want to see y' all in France. Me, too, Pierre.

Me too. Here, which. That was a good home alone, too. That Paris home alone was a good one.

It's not as good as the first one.

It's not the first one.

We got one. We got one. Cynthia says I am near Birmingham. Cynthia, we're sending you tickets.

You got two, baby. You got two.

You're gonna love it. Oh, we got another. We got. Okay, we got some Birmingham people coming through, but we already picked Cynthia. Okay. Jennifer Lynn. Hey, hey.

Let's just be wild. Let's just be wild and give away four tickets. Give away two more to Birmingham.

Okay, hold on. I gotta scroll back. Let's see. Christy McGowan is in Birmingham. So Christy McGowan. And then who did I call out for Orlando? Jennifer Lynn is Orlando. And then let's see if we have anyone in that little southwest corner of.

Give away two more for Orlando.

Okay? Michelle Lamberty and Tara Levitt. Michelle Lamberty and Tara Levitt. You're getting tickets to Orlando. And we still don't have anyone down there in that south.

Too far from Tampa, y'. All. So if you're Tampa people, take it. Take a little road trip to Bradenton.

Okay, let's see. I'm waiting for it to come in Orlando. Somebody says it's her birthday, but I don't know where she lives. Oh, here we go. Amanda Ray is. Says I'm in Bradenton.

Amanda, we got you, baby. We got you.

We got you.

That is Bradenton is Saturday night. I believe that's December 17th.

Colin. Oh, wait. He wants to call in.

Okay.

My husband has a question. He says he has a call in question for you.

Okay. Okay. Yes, sir.

Pastor watching. And he wants to know, ask her if she will write a song with me.

Okay. Ask him if he's trying to make me cry. Just tell him I will do anything he asks because he is my pastor. So even though I have a pastor in Nashville, your husband is my. Is my pastor of my heart, and I love him. So, yes, Pastor Steven, I will do anything. Quit. That's just rude to make me cry on national holidays.

Well, I think that the two of you would write a really great song together.

So you Know, I was in a band, Holly, when I was in high school, yes, I started a Christian band. And, you know, I'm close to tone deaf. Not completely tone deaf. I can sing melody if someone sings in my ear, and it's low. But I wanted to be Immigrant, and so my best friend and I started a Christian band. Yeah, I did the curly hair and everything. And I get nervous every time around here. We're friends, and I get so nervous. I say stupid things on Immigrant. But we started a Christian band name Priority. And. And we had these great guy musicians who could really play, but Cindy and I were not. We were. We had a lot of personality, but musicality was not our strong suit. You have heart. Yeah, we had a lot of heart, and I loved heart, too, but it petered out pretty quickly. But I was in a band for a brief period of time.

Well, maybe you can bring your friend Amy Grant and the three of you could write a song together.

I think she would make it infinitely better.

Oh, man, that would be so amazing. And that also means that you'll have to come to Charlotte to write a song.

Listen, listen. Every time I come to Charlotte and I leave y', all, it's one of the. You know, I'm like a horse head to the barn. I love going home. I always loathe leaving y'. All. Like, I feel sad when I leave y'. All. Elevation is definitely a home away from home. I'm. I'm so grateful that God's given me as a friend. Really, really grateful.

I'm so grateful for your friendship, too. And I am so grateful that I got to be at Recapturing the Joy of Advent tour. And I know that so many people that are watching are going to come. Okay, I'm going to tell the dates one more time. If you're in the Houston area on this Thursday, the 7th, San Antonio area on Friday, the 8th, Fort Worth area on Saturday, the 12th, and then Birmingham on the 14th, Orlando on the 15th, Bradenton on the 16th. You guys, if you're in near. Anywhere near, you need to get tickets. You need to go. Some of my best friends in the whole world, the Laskos and Lisa Harper, are. They're, like, roughing it on a tour bus to come capture the joy of Advent. Of Advent. And it's a really special, wonderful night. And so I love you and I'm.

Praying for you so much. Okay? Just know that within the next few days, there will be jewelry and a real tchotchke ornament headed your way.

I want something from the 14 karat line.

Okay. Okay. I don't. Does she have one? I don't know. I'm not gonna give you something in that line. You'll give it away if it's 20.

Okay, in all seriousness, are you in a place of, of non. Construction distraction?

I can totally get away from the construction.

Can you pray? I just want you to pray for anybody who's been watching, for the people who maybe can't make it to the, to the evening, the tour night with you guys that are struggling. I've been watching in the comments of people saying this is a hard Christmas for them. They lost their mom. Somebody in the comments said that they had lost their mom. I saw somebody in the comments said that they had not been able to celebrate Christmas with their adult children for many years. There's a lot of pain, there's a lot of loneliness of, of the people who are, are watching. And I would just love it if you would just pray the, the presence and the peace of Jesus go into this Advent season. Strong and not strong in that we're checking things off of our list, but, but strong in our hearts.

Yeah, I'd love to. And Holly, if I'm. If I may just share one more promise. Yeah. We hardly ever talk about Malachi, last book in the Old Testament as a Christmas story, but it is, you know, his people have just come back from captivity and they thought everything would be great and they get mad because it's just not what they hoped it would be. And they literally raised their fist at God and say, if you were such a good God, our lives wouldn't look like this. And instead of wiping him out or even discipline him or chastising him, he says, I the Lord do not change so that you descend descendants of Jacob. Jacob will not be destroyed. And he goes on to say, Christmas is coming. Yeah. He says a messenger is coming. And so I always think of that as the pre Christmas story. He gives that promise to people who feel like some of the people who've written in who say, I'm hanging on by thread. So that that theme of Christmas, it's not just, it's not just December, just every moment of every day. For those of us who are honest enough to say, I ache so. Yeah. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Thank you that you are our wonderful counselor. You are our prince of peace. You are everlasting father. And. But more than all those titles, Lord, thank you that you came to be with us, that you're not a far away God. You're an up close personal Savior, you really do sit where we sit. Whether we're on a mountaintop this season or whether we're in the dark in a valley, not sure if we can carry the weight of our own lives. So thank you that you're present is what our. Our souls are really longing for. And thank you that you not only promised that you would come be with us, you come and carry us, that you fulfill that promise. Thank you that you're coming again. So, Jesus, in this season, we're living in between the two Advents. Lord, I pray even now by the power of your name, Jesus, the power of Holy Spirit. Spirit, I pray that you'd make the veil a little thinner for us today, especially those of Holly's friends that are just honest enough to say, I. I hurt. I'm struggling. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not happy clapping my way through this season. But I pray the veil would be thin enough even in this moment, that they would recognize your nearness. That they would realize that the promise of Christmas has already come. You came for us. You left glory, and you became like us. To save us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Jesus, for your presence. And give us. Give us the grace to recognize that. A little louder today. We love you. We need you, Jesus. We can't make it by ourselves this season or any season apart from your. Your presence and your compassion. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you that it was new even this morning. We ask all these things by the authority of your name, Jesus, and by the authority of the blood that you. You planned before the beginning of time to shed on our behalf. So we love you. We need you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen.

Amen.

My prayers aren't short either.

Your prayers are beautiful and. And well needed and so many people. Okay, I want to give away one more ticket. Two more tickets or one. Two tickets to one person.

Yes.

Della McKenzie, she says actually. Okay, Della McKenzie says. Still grieving, my husband, who died of an overdose four years ago. We have five children. I completely understand. And I'm in Bradenton, so.

Della, we're giving you six tickets so you can bring your kids. What would you say, Holly? They cut off. It's not. There's anything off color. If they're really little, it might be a little too long for them. It's like an hour and a half. But I'd say if they're over. What do you think, Holly?

Eight?

Yeah, I'd say if your kids are over eight, and we won't kick them out if you bring them they're younger, but if they're over 8, I think they'll actually enjoy it. Levi's kids there, Missy is there. But we'll send you six tickets. So depending on how old your kids are, you can bring the whole family.

Okay. And just to reiterate, if you were chosen for the giveaway, all you have to do is email Holly Furtick at YouTube.holly furtick@YouTube. No, sorry, sorry. I got it now. It's in a little box you can click. But it is Holly. Verdict. YouTube. Elevationchurch.org awesome. It doesn't make sense. Hollyford@youtubeelevationchurch.org if we told you that you won tickets, that is how we're going to get them to you. Lisa, thank you. Bless praying for you guys. I'm praying for health. I'm playing, praying for good sleep on the bus. I'm praying for all the kids to get along and all the adults to get along. And I'm just praying for wonderful moments of, of joy and family and togetherness and ministry and for God's blessing and favor to be over your bus, the, the motor, the tires, no breakdown and, and just, and the people that you're ministering to. I know it's going to be so special.

And snacks that they'll have good snacks for the ministry of snacks.

I love you, my friend. Thank you for being here.

I love you very much. I love you very much. Tell, tell, tell the other four, Furtix I love them.

I will. I'll talk to you later.

Merry Christmas. Bye.

All right, guys, well, thanks for joining us. I hope you enjoyed that. Lunchtime Live. Make sure if you did that you like, that you subscribe. If you know someone that you think this might minister to, make sure you share it with them. It was a great, fun discussion with one of my favorite people, Lisa Harper. Make sure you check out their tour. If you're in Texas or Alabama or Florida in the next two weeks, go check them out. The Recapturing the Joy of Advent tour. And I love you and I'll see you back here next time.