From Fort Wayne, New Haven and Auburn, to Waterloo and Angola – there are an abundance of activities to enjoy this weekend!
Click on each photo for further information on each event.
In the Auburn Area
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I am follower of Christ, a sinner saved by grace, trying to walk in the sweetness of life – resting in the strength of the triune God, who fortifies me daily with His righteousness, loving kindness and holiness of spirit. Read full bio here.
“I wish everyone knew that this kind of family entertainment was right here, in their own backyard.”
If I didn’t know this opportunity existed, both for my kids to learn dramatic arts, and for the great theater enjoyment it provides, I would surely want someone to tell me, so Forti-fy is broadcasting the news!
Fire and Light Productions is a faith-based theater and production company created to engage and inspire a love of the human story among audiences and artists.
Fire and Light Productions began as a youth theatre club in October 2010. It has grown from about 35 kids doing skits in a church basement (sans costumes, sets and technical equipment), to a troupe of more than 100 actors, ages 8-18, performing six productions a year.
Founder Lisa Ellis, would want you to know that Fire & Light Academy is more than just a theater program; she considers it a ministry. “As our troupe portrays a story, we steal a glimpse at another person’s perspective and walk of life.”
Well, if you have a “theater kid” that is an easy answer! Fire and Light provides a wonderful venue for your child to develop in their acting abilities, and really learn dramatic arts. All the directors take the art of “story telling’ seriously, and as such, fervently train your kids to make those stories come alive. Kids whose goal is to learn more and grow in their abilities will definitely meet those goals in the program. Students are educated in voice, stage movement, character development and dance.
And if you don’t have a theater kid? This is what is really interesting. I have seen siblings of kids whose brother or sister is in a show, become really engaged in what they see – where they are actually willing to try it out. Whereas if they had never been exposed to theater, they would say it was the last thing they would ever want to do. And yet, those are the same kids that once they get involved, are trying out for a major role after just a short time in the program.
But again, the beauty of the program is that there is a place for everyone. Maybe you have a child who is artistic and likes to paint or build sets, or perhaps likes tech support, costuming, or make-up. Before you know it, your once reserved child has found a niche and found out they actually love theater!
Because of the great entertainment it provides! Every season, there really is something for everyone – young and old! Grab a friend, or a group of friends, and hangout doing something different – watching live theater! If you are a parent, take the whole family out for an enjoyable night of recreation. If you are a grandparent, spend a fun afternoon or evening watching a show with your grandchild – perhaps grab dinner or a treat before or after the show – make a memory of it!
Click on each performance for ticket information.
Would you like a taste of what Fire and Light is all about? Come and take a sneak peak behind the scenes!
Friday, November 8, 2019 at 1 PM – 3 PM Bethlehem Lutheran Church 3705 S. Anthony Blvd, Fort Wayne
You can watch rehearsals, talk with staff and even register for the Spring Semester.
Fire and Light Spring Productions will be Frozen Jr. (Elementary/Middle School) on April 3 & 4 and
Newsies (High School) on May 15 & 16!
Don’t miss out on the fun. Fire and Light will take up to 8 new students for spring!
(And you know what – Fire and Light is made up of almost all volunteer moms – great forti-fyers!) 
I am follower of Christ, a sinner saved by grace, trying to walk in the sweetness of life – resting in the strength of the triune God, who fortifies me daily with His righteousness, loving kindness and holiness of spirit. Read full bio here.
Am I just my brain?
Are our minds nothing more than a biological computer? Are we just clusters of cells and chemical reactions?
Are we “Human Algorithms”, as best selling author Yuval Harari has suggested? And just dancing to our DNA, as atheist Richard Dawkins asserts?
If that is the case, do we have free will?
Is personhood dependent upon having a fully functioning brain?
Do we believe certain things just due to our brain activity?
What ultimately makes us human?
There are huge implications on how you answer these questions. If you and/or your kids get into deep philosophical questions about science and faith, these interviews with Dr. Sharon Dirckx discussing “Am I Just My Brain?” will provide some thought provoking insights.
Dr. Sharon Dirckx knew she wanted to be a scientist from a very young age. Starting out at university studying biochemistry, she did not believe that one could be a scientist and believe in God. However, she did find out that, yes, indeed you can, and she ultimately did!
In the video below, Sharon is speaking at at an RZIM “Trending Questions” event. She begins her talk at the 35 minute mark and speaks for about 45 minutes. Afterwards, there is a Q & A.
You can also check out Sharon’s new book:
I am follower of Christ, a sinner saved by grace, trying to walk in the sweetness of life – resting in the strength of the triune God, who fortifies me daily with His righteousness, loving kindness and holiness of spirit. Read full bio here.
Which of us mommas has not been here?
How may times have we been here? Too many to count.
Ann Voskamp’s “One Thousand Gifts” devotional is my rattered and tattered, dog-eared and marked-up-on-every-page, all-time favorite books.
I am rarely far from it. I have had it for 7 years and it speaks to this momma’s heart like none other.
Years ago, I was sitting in the Meijer parking lot on Maysville Road at around 7 pm. I had the groceries loaded and ready to head home – but I stopped and listened for a few minutes to the man on the radio. He was sharing on how he had gotten the chance to meet Chuck Swindoll – a steadfast preacher of the word for so many, many years. He was able to ask Chuck what his greatest advice would be after so many years of living, preaching and counseling.
He thought he was going to get some great epiphany – something so grand.
And you know what Chuck said:
“Do everything you can to guard against hurry.”
I guess it’s advice for more than just mommas.
Oh, but how I feel that clock whip.
Hurry up, Hurry up!
Stop, just breathe… and start naming the blessings – the gifts..that are all around you. Open your eyes to see in a way that takes them all in.
Eucharisteo.
Give the thanks to God…He gives His grace back to you..you in return, get the joy.
Your kids are not going to remember all that you accomplished today.
But they will remember what it felt like to be with you today. That is what they will remember not just today, but tomorrow, and 10 years from now and 50 years from now.
Life is not a task to get done. It is moments to be lived out well.
Momma, count the blessings today…and your children will be blessed with remembering the days of joy, with you!
I am follower of Christ, a sinner saved by grace, trying to walk in the sweetness of life – resting in the strength of the triune God, who fortifies me daily with His righteousness, loving kindness and holiness of spirit. Read full bio here.
A few weeks ago Heather posted this on her FB page:
“Ambia introduced me to the @bravasfood caramel apple burger, and while I was apprehensive, it was AMAZING-and they have gluten free buns to boot!”
So I asked her a little more about Bravas and this is what she said:
Bravas started as a food truck and has a free standing location down on Fairfield (next to the old original Casa D’Angelos building). They are local and farm to table with a menu that adds seasonal flavored burgers.
In the fall, they offer a caramel apple burger, which in all honesty, I was not excited to try. My dear friend, Ambia, said we were having them. Period. I honestly think I could even have just gone for the Bravas Patatas with their special aioli. Back to the burger…I ordered a gluten free bun with my burger, and it was, indeed, marvelous. Fresh local apples, bacon, and a homemade caramel sauce-y kind-of-thing, plus an amazing hamburger. So so good. Ambia was lucky enough that her husband wanted to go back there for dinner that night, so she ate two in one day.”
Bravas isn’t about a cool atmosphere, it is just a basic walk-up-to-the-counter and order, then sit at picnic tables, kind of place. The food is so worth it though!
Bravas has both a food truck and a brick and mortar location. This summer they had a food truck at the Barr Street Market on the Saturday morning during the Three Rivers Festival. Isaiah and I ran the “Runners on Parade” 5k that morning, and I had a Bravas patatas poutine with egg after the race. Ah-mazing!
Here is some info from their website:
Bravas got its start in 2011 with a specialty hotdog cart on the streets in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The goal from the beginning was to offer something new, but to do it with only hotdogs. The cart would travel downtown to One Summit Square for lunch and hit The Landing for the late night bar scene on the weekends. The feedback through social media was overwhelmingly positive and in 2012 the brother/sister duo of Bo and Becky Gonzalez worked on the food truck concept.
In late 2012, Bo crossed paths with Zach Croy who shared the same vision about what food trucks and restaurants should be. Zach, who trained at the New England Culinary Institute, was working at Josph Decuis when he left to work full time at Bravas. Zach took on the culinary side of things, launching multiple Dogs of the Week and creating Burger Nights which eventually led to the creation of our first restaurant. To this date we have created over 50 different hotdog stylings and over 30 different burgers. The list will continue to grow.
Now in 2015, we have our Specialty Burger Joint at 3412 Fairfield Avenue where we explore a different realm of the culinary world. We butcher, cure and grind all of our burger meat in house. Controlling every stage of the process to ensure the best quality. This process is timely and takes up to three full days. The end product is a super tender burger with extreme flavor. Literally the only thing we use to season our burgers is salt. Salt and time.
We still operate our Hot Dog Cart and Food Truck seasonally from April through November with the same menu we got our start with. Only now, we also have a permanent home base in the 46807 neighborhood. We are extremely grateful for the support Fort Wayne has shown our company. We have a passion for this thriving city and look forward to doing our part in revitalizing Fort Wayne.
“Three constant burgers stay on the chalkboard menu: The Classic, featuring lettuce, tomato, onion and jalapeño remoulade; the Bravas Burger, featuring chili, fries, bravas sauce and provolone cheese; and the PB, a burger with peanut butter, peppers and white cheddar. The truly unique Caramel Apple burger, sadly, only appears in the fall. Yes, you read that right: Gonzales invented a burger topped with bacon, pickled green apples, white cheddar and caramel sauce. It sounds weird, but it tastes heavenly. And vegetarians should stop by for his house-made veggie burgers, made with roasted mushrooms, kidney beans, tofu, beets and cashews, along with a special spice blend.”
Click below to see their full menu:
3412 Fairfield Ave.
If you are interested, I found this article on Bravas’ “back story”.
I am pretty sure I know where my husband and I are going this weekend! 
I am follower of Christ, a sinner saved by grace, trying to walk in the sweetness of life – resting in the strength of the triune God, who fortifies me daily with His righteousness, loving kindness and holiness of spirit. Read full bio here.