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I know you are going to be disappointed, but this post is not about the awesome Blood, Sweat, & Tears song of the same name. It's about that glorious and wonderful time of the year that us students like to call the "end-of-the-semester-panic" about papers and finals. Seriously, I am getting way too old for this.
Take today for example. I get up and plan to print out some notes so that I can work on a study guide for one of my finals. That didn't work because I was out of ink. So, I had to drive to Staples to get said ink and then come back home and start something else. That something else was a paper. I worked on it for almost 3 1/2 hours and what is the end result? 5 pages. Yup, 5 pages. Hey, I'm halfway there, right? Unfortunately, I'm a glass-half-empty kind of guy.
It's so hard not to feel like I'm spinning my wheels. It's not like I don't keep up with my work all semester, it's just that some things take a LOT of time to accomplish. So much so that you feel like you are ten feet tall but only taking six inch steps. Oh well, the end is near at least. T-minus sixteen days till finals...
In the words of one of my favorite professors, "Quit whining! Take it like a man!" Yes, sir.
Ahhhh...another weekend. And this time we are staying home. Megan has to work tonight so I'll be home alone working on some homework. I hope to get it done early because I would really like to put in the extended version of LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring. I haven't watched that in a while and it would be nice to sit on the couch and do nothing while feeding my mind with images of Middle earth.
Speaking of homework. Finals start in three weeks!!! Oh my...time is flying by. I really need to start studying for my finals as I really don't want to have to do too much cramming the days before. We'll see how that goes. I have one more big paper to finish up and a funeral sermon to write for my preaching clinic. It's weird to be doing a funeral sermon but I guess it is good for us to learn.
Some random stuff:
-I have started a new blog. It's a site where I (and hopefully a friend or two) will post pictures and (hopefully) people will comment with captions (sort of like the post below...). It's still in the early phases of planning, etc. Have a look and don't be shy - try out your own caption. http://thecaption.blogspot.com
-Speaking of captions, my friend Noah has decided to play the caption game on his blog. I think you'll like it. He "stole" a picture of me from Facebook. Noah is one of the funniest guys I know and I hope y'all will enjoy his contributions to the new blog, The Caption.
-Am I the only one on the planet who was actually happy to see Carly get kicked off American Idol this week? Seriously, if cats could meow with an Irish accent they would sound just like her.
-Along the lines of American Idol, I want to publicly thank the producers for allowing those kids to absolutely destroy the genius works of Andrew Lloyd Weber. I can only hope that they do justice to Neil Diamond this week. It would absolutely rock if Brooke sang 'Cracklin' Rosie'. What's next? Idol does songs from Barry White? The Wiggles? Heck, why not just do songs from the collection of John Denver. Seriously...
-This is the last week of the Sunday school class on the Reformation I have been co-teaching. I am working on Sunday's lesson this afternoon which will cover the reformation in Scotland. I'm also going to sneak in some time to talk about the Covenanters - which is so ARP of me.
-Anybody know of any good Irish movies? Meg and I are going to Dublin, Ireland this July with World Harvest Mission and want to get a glimpse of Irish culture through film.
Enough for now. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
At first, I wasn't too excited to wake up at 5:00 this morning. But I just couldn't go back to sleep. So I laid there...and then that great hymn, "May Jesus Christ Be Praised," came to my mind and I just started singing it (out loud - much to the displeasure of the cat...):"When morning gilds the skies, my heart awaking cries!
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!"
I love that hymn - all fifteen verses of it. Too bad I don't have them all memorized...
Anyway, I digress. With praise in my heart I turned my attention to God's Word and was greeted with the pleasure of reading and meditating on Psalm 59 today. I came upon these words in verses 16-17:
"But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love."
What a blessing it is to truly live out God's Word! I now count it a joy to have sung of his steadfast love this morning. Just as sure as I am that I will be unfaithful to him in so many ways today, I am even more confident that his steadfast love (literally, his covenant faithfulness) will not fail me. The LORD loves me perfectly and for that I am grateful.
I pray that all of you will sing his praises today and take time to thank him for his steadfast love towards you!
So I received this picture in an email from a friend today and couldn't help but posting it here and asking some of the wittier among our readers to write a caption for this picture in a comment. Come on, don't be shy. It's actually fun. If it goes well, we'll play this game more often.
I'll go first:
"Nothing says romance like carrying your wife's six pack for her..."
It all began in college when I went to my first party with beer. The keg stood like a precious artifact in the corner and everyone was waiting in line with a five dollar plastic cup ready to get their fill. What was in the keg, you ask? It was none other than Natural Light.
So throughout the rest of my college life I drank Natural Light and on special occasions the king of all southern Illinois beers, Stag, was brought out. If you have never enjoyed the beauty of Stag beer, you must have some the next time you are crossing Illinois on interstates 70 or 55. 
You won't regret it. After I graduated college in 1998, my beer tastes took quite a turn. I gave up the cheap stuff and moved into the wonderful world of cider brews. No longer was I drinking what tasted like animal urine - I was drinking a sweet fermentation of apple pulp. It all started at a Jars of Clay concert at the American Theater in downtown St. Louis when I took that first sip of Woodchuck. It literally changed my life. And as good as Woodchuck was, cider beer got even better when I went to Scotland in 2000 and the smooth dry taste of StrongBow cider encountered my taste buds. Since that moment, I still crave a good StrongBow from time to time...
A couple of years after my cider awakening came a dark day in my beer preference. In late 2002 I fell prey to the low carb craze and decided to limit my beer completely to Michelob Ultra. I wish that a good friend would have slapped me upside the head at this time, but all the faithful ones were duped as well. For almost a year I drank this recycled badger urine mixed with turpentine and I have since been convinced that I lost a good 3 or 4 years off of my liver's lifespan because of it. Because of this I refuse to give it a picture.
In 2003, I was pulled out of this prison by taking a sip of Sam Adam's Octoberfest. This was a beautiful moment in my life. The taste was remarkable and the calories were welcomed by my gut. My beer future was now bright once again and I was primed for the best that that brewing has to offer.
I had tried Guinness before but I didn't love it until 2004. It became the drink that fed my deepest thirst for beer. I had given up on the beers that I could see through and was now embracing the very likeness of motor oil. In fact, I was now convinced that domestic beers were trash and would laugh at and mock my
friends and family who settled for anything made in Milwaukee or St. Louis.In 2005, Guinness allowed me to try other imports and I have now been enlightened to operate on a seasonal calendar. In the spring, I drink Newcastle. The summer, Heineken. The fall, Bass. The winter, Guinness. I do step out and mix and match, but surely this is the way I plan to enjoy my brews throughout the calendar year.
Now, I am thirsty...
So I have a technical dilemma. Maybe you can help.
Our world has been revolutionized by the smart phone. People can now surf the internet, have a calculator handy (without wearing the calculator watch), send pictures of that guy picking his nose in the mall to a friend, and send email from their phones thanks to the Blackberry, the Palm Treo, the iPhone, and a myriad of others. Well, I have noticed a disturbing trend now that people are indeed sending mail from these phones: its the awkward signature at the end where they tout that they have one of these gadgets and you don't. Surely you have seen these. Right after they say, "Thanks, Joe Bob" at the end, there will be a signature line that goes something like this right "Sorry if this is short, but it was sent from my Treo."
Don't you find these somewhat disturbing? I know I am uneasy about them. I have an iPhone and it has been my close friend for the last seven months. And I do A LOT of emailing from it. But I just haven't brought myself to using one of these signatures yet. Sometimes I feel bad because I don't feel like typing out a long email or I don't have the time and it seems that it would be polite to at least clue the person in on why I didn't write a small story in reply to their mail. So what do I do? I guess I have a few options...I could add a signature that says one of the following:
1) Sent from my iPhone
2) This email is short because I am sending it from my iPhone
3) If you were cool enough to own an iPhone like me you would understand why this is short
4) I'd like to type more but this super cool Apple keypad on the iPhone is still a pain in the butt to type anything longer than 26 characters at one sitting on
5) I would have emailed you from my laptop but I'd rather email you from this iPhone so that you think I am too busy right now to send a full reply when in all actuality I really don't want to write much more than this to you.
Such are the dilemmas we are faced with in the 21st century...I welcome any suggestions you might have. Bueller?
This past weekend was absolutely delightful!!!! I had an absolutely wonderful 29th birthday and I cannot wait to see what this next year will bring. Originally, I had asked for a bowling birthday party! Yes, I love to bowl and I hardly ever do it anymore. Dan had agreed to throw such a party (I have such a great husband), but then I had the opportunity to go on a women's retreat at Emerald Isle with our church in Apex, NC. As much as I desired a bowling party, the opportunity to go and spend 2 days at the beach with all my friends was something I could not pass up!!!
The retreat's theme was Seeing and Savoring Jesus (loosely based on the book written by John Piper). I actually spoke on Saturday morning regarding Christ's joy and the joy that he gives to us.....even in the midst of disappointment. The talk went well. All glory to God and my thankfulness to him. The other two talks were equally encouraging and challenging. After each teaching time, we spend about 45 minutes to 1 hour in a discussion group and I LOVED my group. I got to know several ladies much better and am so blessed by their sharing, honesty, laughter and wisdom. God's church is such a sweet, sweet thing.
The beach house that we stayed in was absolutely lovely! The first night, I arrived after the sun had set, but I was able to set on the porch and just listen to the ocean. The second afternoon I spent just a couple hours laying in the sun and enjoying God's powerful creation. Then a couple of my friends and I did some exploring and found a little, tacky, antique shop.... Emily got a lovely oar and I managed to find a lovely tea cup, saucer and dessert plate to add to my collection! Happy Birthday to me!!!!! As the finale for my 29th birthday, my darling, thoughtful husband had arranged to surprised me with an actually birthday cake! Yes, he did have some accomplices (Karen and Matt) , but still it was such a special thing for them all to do. It was an absolutely wonderful day... even if there was no bowling! I would not have traded it for anything.
I rode back to Apex on Sunday morning with the ladies and then Dan and I drove on to Charlotte.... I must say that I was absolutely exhausted and I totally went to bed shortly after getting home and did not get out of bed until about 9 am this morning. Soooo now back to reality. I've already started the laundry and have some light house keeping to take care of as well as some grocery shopping to do. But I am doing so with a song in my heart, and a spring in my step....the joy of the Lord is overflowing....
After a wonderful day full of reading, writing, and Hebrew I met up with my friend John tonight to see Ben Stein's movie "Expelled". Altogether, I am really glad I went to see it. It was entertaining and informative and I felt like patting my fellow Christians on the back as I was leaving (not necessarily a good thing...). So, as a review, let me start with the negatives and then move on to the positives.
Negatives:
- This movie was definitely a cure for sensory deprivation. It seemed at times that there were more images flashing before my eyes than meaningful words. This did help with the flow and entertainment value of the documentary, but some of the images and clips between interviews were just downright awkward or altogether ridiculous. For example, I highly doubt that 60 seconds of computer generated DNA transcription and translation processes without any explanation really did the average movie-goer any good at all...
-There was definitely a lack of good definition in this movie. There was no real stated case for intelligent design and evolution was only defined in pieces. Sometimes just making sure that everyone is on the same board with their definitions can go a long way in defining the parameters of the debate.
-I'm still not sure what the main thrust of this movie was. Was it to highlight the unfair treatment that Intelligent Design sympathizers and proponents are receiving from the academy? Or was it to make a case for Intelligent design as a scientific pardigm? Or was it to point out the slippery slope ramifications of Naturalism as lived out by Nazi Germany? Or was it to promote freedom of speech and expression? All of the above? A, C, & D? I am confused...
-This movie will likely end up just being another sermon to the choir. Christians everywhere will feel better about themselves and find empowerment in the message. That can be good, but how many will really heed Ben's concluding challenge and actually lose their jobs for speaking out? Only time will tell.
Positives:
-The concluding interview between Stein and Dawkins is itself worth the price of admission. Listening to Dawkins back pedal as Stein forces him to admit there must be some level of design possible for the origins of the universe was beautiful. I am impressed that Stein took it that direction and thought for a moment I saw a little Schaeffer-like "take the roof off" action going on.
-I forget his name, but the gentleman who adamantly stated that what is at stake is not really science vs. creationism but rather a battle over worldviews. "Admitting our biases up front" - that is downright truth right there. This guy gets it. We all have the same evidence. We just interpret it differently.
-There is one atheist/evolutionist that is interviewed who is one of the only men I have ever heard who lives consistently in his worldview. He is a man who flat out says there is nothing to this life - no meaning, purpose, will, etc. There is nothing to life after death, etc. At the time of the interview he was in remission from a brain tumor and recognized it could come back at any time. He said he wasn't going to live like that if it did...he said he would put a gun to his head. Stein comments in the movie that sometime after the interview he learned that the cancer had indeed returned. We don't know what the man did or did not do. Either way, I was moved. God have mercy on him.
-I was impressed with the vast array of individuals interviewed. Good representation from both sides of the debate.
-There is a lot of tongue-in-cheek narration in this movie and it was definitely funny. I would expect nothing less of Stein. Again, this documentary was indeed entertaining.
Well, I am sure that there are more positives and negatives. But that is all my tired mind can muster right now. If you have a chance, go see this movie. It's worth it.
Some writers go away to some secluded place to craft their masterpieces, seeking sanctuary in some pristine corner of nature where they can glean inspiration from the sights and sounds of God's creation.
I go to the public library. Yes, this is my inspirational sanctuary. From the awkward whispers of children to the guy who is discreetly looking at the art books hoping no one notices he is looking only for the nudity; from the glaring eye of the librarian to the woman who is not really sure how to use the computerized catalog - this place is beautiful.
So here I sit at my sanctuary table - me and my books and my computer. I am ready to write. I must now enter the world of Calvin and Erasmus...
For those interested, here are links to a couple of sermons I have preached recently:
Spiritual Unity in Community (1 Corinthians 12:1-11 - Ambassador Pres - 4/13/08)
Set Apart for Sacrifice (Leviticus 8 - Uptown Church - 3/02/08)
It has been a long time since I have been this ready for a weekend. I have been on the go ever since Monday morning and I need to take some time to slow down. I had such a wonderful time on my date with Meg last night, and it did provide some relief, but I was definitely shaken back to reality as soon as the blasted alarm started calling out to me this morning.
So what's on tap for the weekend you may be asking. You probably aren't but I am going to tell you anyway.
-We're on the way back to Apex tomorrow afternoon. As soon as we get there Meg is getting into another car and driving another few hours out to the beach (Emerald Isle) to go to the church's (i.e. Ambassador Pres) Ladies' Retreat. If you think about it, please pray for her. She is one of the speakers for the weekend - so pray that the talk goes well and that she gets some much needed rest.
- I don't have much of a plan for the weekend. I really only want to accomplish two things: hang out with some of the guys and work on a paper. I know, I need to slow down a bit, but this paper is actually going to be fun. It's a dialog for my New Testament Canon class. I am doing a debate between Calvin and Erasmus. Now most of you probably don't consider that fun, but I am a nerd and that's all I have to say about that.
-Saturday is Meg's birthday!!!
I'll try to post some over the weekend and Meg will provide you all with an update of how things went for her sometime early next week. Enjoy your Friday and your weekends!
Sounds a little like me, huh. But no, those are just a few of the adjectives I wanted to use to describe my birthday evening! No, today is not my birthday, this weekend is. I will be out of town at a women's retreat this weekend with our church in Apex, and Dan would not have been able to celebrate with me so..... we decided to celebrate tonight!!! I must say that it has been an excellent evening!!
My birthday dinner took place at P.F. Chang's (one of my favorite places to go, but don't normally). As a birthday dinner, I got to splurge on a couple of my favorites (1) appetizer- crab wontons (2) dessert- flourless chocolate mound and banana spring rolls. The wontons have been a favorite for awhile. They are served with this delicious spicy plum sauce and are always very flavorful. The dessert was a new one for me. I have no idea exactly what the "chocolate mound" was made of, but it was rich and amazing!! It was served with this raspberry sauce and fresh berries...yum! Now for those of you who know Dan and I well, know that we CANNOT EVER SPLIT A DESSERT! Why, you may be wondering... Simple... the man doesn't really like chocolate.. (I'm thinking about having him checked out) . Anyway, he had the banana spring roll thing that was served with this coconut pineapple ice cream. It was very tasty too, but not my personal cup of tea. Which is why we don't share when it comes to dessert.
Now for the loud, but very entertaining part of the evening, Dan took me to see Dave Barnes in concert at the Neighborhood Theater. Dan discovered him while looking for music to go on his parents' anniversary CD last year. Anyway, we've come to really enjoy his music, and the concert itself went above our expectations (We give it a 7 out of 10). I'm glad that Dan took this opportunity for us to see him live. It was a great evening!!! Even if today isn't my actually birthday....I do feel very celebrated by my husband!
<- Here I am looking all cute and ready to go out...(Dan wrote that). Dan also wants to let all of his 80s friends out there know that he saw a young Steve Guttenberg dancing around like Big Bird on an acid trip tonight. Dan just kept yelling "Maloney!" and something about Johhny Five at him.
I broke out the churchwarden tonight for my first visit to the Smokeout. Man, I am sad it took me this long to join in this great group. Basically it's a group of guys from my church who sit around and smoke pipes or cigars and drink beer while talking about anything and everything. It was indeed a wonderful way to unwind...
You know the week is not off to the best start when you are ready for the weekend by Monday at 5:00 PM. Not sure exactly what it is, but I am finding it hard to be exceedingly motivated...which is something that I must overcome because there is a lot to accomplish before Friday.
Anyway, a recap of the weekend: Meg and I had a good time in Apex. We spent Saturday evening at our good friends' (Matt & Karen) home. Dinner was great and hanging out with them and Mike and Emily was a good time as always. I also want to thank Matt publicly for the awesome cookies from Fresh Market! Meg was especially pleased to be able to watch a couple of this season's episodes of the Office. Unfortunately, she works most Thursday nights and has to wait to the whole season is released on DVD.
Worship on Sunday morning was good as well. I gave God's message and it was a real blessing to me. By faith, I went to the pulpit with less than a full manuscript and I am humbled that he honored that. I am sure that I did not say everything the exact way that I wanted to say it, but that is not the point. I had several people comment - my effort unbeknown to them - that I seemed to have really "come alive" and authentically connected with the congregation. This was very encouraging to me because it was exactly what is lacking when I use a manuscript.
So, thank God for baby steps. I am not arrogant enough to think that I have "arrived" yet. I have much to learn and experience. However, seeing God work in the way that he did, I am now even more confident in his grace than I was before.
Y'all remember my car "accident" the other day? As "traumatizing" as it was, I really don't think I need a lawyer. However, seven law offices seem to think I do. That's right, we got home from Apex today and in the mail from yesterday were seven letters from law offices, two from chiropractors, and one from a car repair shop. That right there is what I call junk mail. Geez...
...I just want to bang on this drum all day!" So, yeah, that song has been stuck in my head for the last hour or so.
What a beautiful day in Charlotte today! It's mild outside, there's a slight breeze, and the hills are alive with the sound of music - wait! Never mind...
Meg and I are looking forward to a good time this weekend. We're having dinner with some friends tonight and then tomorrow afternoon we are leaving for Apex. We're staying with our friends Matt and Karen - which is always fun - and then Dan is preaching at Ambassador Presbyterian on Sunday morning. We absolutely love the Apex/Cary/Raleigh area and going back there is always a real treat.
So, that's what's up with us this weekend! We hope y'all have a great weekend yourselves!
So, I just turned on American Idol to check out the results and caught the top 8 performing the worship song, "Shout to the Lord." Old news, right? Yeah, I heard they did it at the big 'Idol Gives Back' show last night but tonight, I am almost positive I heard them say, "My Jesus, My Savior" instead of "My Shepherd, My Savior".
I am stunned. Do these folks even know what they are singing? Seriously! Did I hear this right?
Yeah, so today did not quite get off to the start I had hoped for...there was a lot on my plate: work for the church, run through my sermon for preaching clinic, and then preach said sermon at said preaching clinic at 1:00.
So, I canceled my coffee meeting with Josh this morning so I could get to the church early to get that work done. On my way there, when I was literally a block from the church, I was coming to a stop at a stoplight - and that's when I looked in my rear-view mirror and noticed that the Mercedes behind me wasn't going to be able to stop. And, yep, he did hit me. Thankfully we were both okay and thankfully he didn't hit me that hard. Fortunately for me, our Passat took the punch like a champ! As much as working on that car gives me headaches (btw, I did get the headlights replaced...finally), it sure was built to take a beating. Other than some scrapes and scratches it'll be just fine after some touch up. The Mercedes, on the other hand didn't fare so well. It will need at least a new bumper, his hood fixed, and a new radiator.
Maybe I should have kept that coffee meeting after all...
I just cannot stop pondering this verse and how different my life might be if only I lived like I believe it...
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. " ~From Isaiah 43:1-3
In not so exciting news to you, but wonderful news for me, my feet are officially happy. My new flip-flops arrived from Zappos yesterday (see the pic - even Gracie likes them) and I just have to say - Oakley makes the best flip-flops ever, especially for size 14 feet. Spring is officially here and now my feet can enjoy it too.
I know not many guys get excited about shoes, but I do. Before I got married I think I had two pairs of shoes. Now I have...ummm...I am not going to tell you. You'll make fun of me, for sure. The important thing to tell you though is that Meg still has more than I do. Just how many more is not relevant...
Geez. I finally got around to trying to replace one of the headlights on our VW Passat today, and an hour later it's still not changed. Thanks to the online VW community, I was able to get a picture tutorial for how to navigate my way to the bulb itself. You would think that this wouldn't be that difficult, but everything is difficult on a German car. I'm sure the neighbor's kids got a kick out of watching me do this.
Ironically, once I got to the bulb itself, I learned that the replacements I bought Saturday are actually the wrong ones. Grrrrr. So instead of trusting that Autozone will have the correct ones, I just ordered them online. At least I'll get my money back for the others...
Well today ended up being a very good day. I am calling it Hebrew day because I feel like I spent quite a bit of time catching up on vocab, new Grammar, workbook exercises, and doing some translation in Jonah. I have to confess that Hebrew has kind of taken my by surprise. I have had several friends say that it was a nightmare of a language so I was a bit hesitant going in. But I have to say I really like it. Not only is it amazing to be learning the very language that God's inspired authors used to record his Word for us in the Old Testament, but stylistically it is a cool language. I still think I understand and even like Greek better, but Hebrew is now one of my favorites.
I am also calling it Hebrew day because I got to meet with my Hebrew prof this morning to talk about doing a directed study with him on the Old Testament canon. I am currently taking a class on the origin and authority of the New Testament canon and now have all these questions about the Old Testament. The meeting went well and I left very excited to get started on the ground work for the study/class. It's also encouraging to know that there is possibility for me to do ThM studies on this topic in the future. Yeah, I am a nerd...
Non-Hebrew related, I did get some work done on my sermon for Sunday as well as some reading. I knocked out a couple of chapters of "The Worship of the English Puritans," by Horton Davies. Man, that book is a snooze... And to top the evening off, Meg and I had a wonderful dinner with a friend from our Bible study.
Now, all that is left is to watch the basketball game. I guess I'll cheer for Kansas.
Here's to Hebrew, scholarship, reading, food, basketball, and beer! I'll drink to that! Cheers!
Did I really stay up for the UNC - Kansas game? Wow, that was one of the worst games ever. And not because of the outcome - I actually picked Kansas to win. But, come on, if Kansas hadn't fallen asleep towards the end of the first half they would have won by at least 40.
I'm not much of a basketball analyst, but I am obsessed with neck ties. That being so, I must say that Roy Williams wore one of the worst ties in the history of ties. My expert opinion says that is the reason that they lost.
I won't even begin to predict the winner of the Memphis-Kansas game Monday night...but I hope the neck tie plays no part in the outcome.
One of my very favorite things to do is go out to eat and actually go to the theater to see a movie. During this season, those luxuries have been scaled back a little so when we do get to go and do both it is a real treat. We try to go once a month, but lately none of the movie choices have drawn us out to spend the 19 dollars at the show when in two months I can rent it for less than a quarter of the price. But this month we found a movie that we actually did want to go to the box office and see! So last night was an official date night!!!! Yea!!!
For all of you out there that are married with or with out children, please set aside time to date each other. It is so very much fun. Not to mention to be purposeful with what you talk about - or maybe a better way of saying that is what you don't talk about.... no school, papers, tests, work, finances, stressful stuff... just the stuff that matters...like humor, places you would like to travel, things you would like to do, how you wish you were different, how you are changing, what is God teaching you (Not to mention all the sweet stuff about your spouse and how thankful to God you are that they are apart of your life). Everyone needs that time...
Anyway back to the actual date. Dan brought flowers home that evening,which he arranged himself :-)! 
Then we were out for sushi. One of our very favorites places to go in Charlotte. Actually, Nikko's is something that we will definitely miss when we move. 
As much as we enjoy SushiThai in Cary, I seriously doubt that they will have the Charlotte roll (my favorite) or the Dynamite roll (Dan's favorite). But I digress.Dinner was lovely and quiet, plenty of time to just talk and then we went to go and see Leatherheads. The movie was entertaining. Not necessarily the best movie I have seen of recent, but definitely enjoyed. At no point then or since, have I wished for my life back. That can not be said of a majority of movies I have seen. On a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 7. 
I must say one of the most humorous, adventures of the night was the actual ticket buying. We chose to go to a 7:15 show (didn't want to be out too late) and oh, to be a teenager again. We got to be behind about 10 teenagers in line. Let's just say, Dan isn't much for waiting and when you throw in 10 13-16 year olds loitering around the ticket window it is an amusing site. At one point Dan just started shaking his head and of course, as a good wife I asked what he was thinking. With a frown he responds "God is just giving me insight as to what I looked like when I was their age. I did exactly those same things". But once through the line, the movie watching uneventful.
There was a very pleasant light thunder storm as we were leaving. So home we went to enjoy the rain and dessert. Oh, hot chocolate on a rainy night. What a perfect end to the evening!!! Hope all of you have a very happy weekend :-)
Well, I did it. This is officially my fifth post in five days. That's right, one post every day this week. I am proud of myself and you should be too. To mark this monumental occasion, I present to you some randomness:
* I miss Beavis and Butthead. Beavis came up very randomly in a conversation with a friend this morning and I remembered that his 'Cornholio' skit is still one of the funniest moments in TV history.
* Megan and I have a date tonight. I am so excited. We're going to dinner at our favorite Sushi restaurant and are then going to see 'Leatherheads'. Should be a fun evening.
* I really really really want a black Macbook...
* The brown brick EVERYWHERE at RTS does nothing to motivate me to study.
* "I don't care if Monday's blue; Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too; Thursday I don't care about you; It's Friday, I'm in love."
* One day I would like to sneak into a grocery store after it has closed and absolutely rearrange everything on the shelves and change the signs around just to confuse the manager and employees the next morning.
* I really need to get our VW looked at. The transmission is kind of acting up and I am horrified at what it might cost to get fixed if there is a serious problem.
* I am preaching at Ambassador Pres (our home church) next weekend on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. I've tentatively titled the sermon "So Spiritual". Surely I can do better than that.
* I just noticed that my friend Matt changed his facebook status to say he is eating Cadbury eggs. Matt, I am jealous and demand that you save one for me next weekend. I'll trade you three Resse's cups for one cadbury egg. (Speaking of Facebook statuses (stati?), I wonder if Link is playing the recorder...)
* Today I actually missed something about the ole' hometown. I miss taking off from lunch at work to go see a Cards game at Busch. Plus it is a good reason to drink beer at noon. Oooh, I also miss Imo's Pizza and gyros from Majestic and that really-bad-for-you-but-oh-so-amazing-tasting Chinese food from Hon's Wok. This reminds me that Hon's was right next door to a Cat Clinic. Hahahaha. Folks, I am not making that up. It was classic.
* I need new flip-flops. And a pedicure...
Have a great weekend, friends!
Today in my preaching lab, one of my classmates was giving a sermon on Philippians 2:1-4 and in it he told us about a wall hanging he has in his house which reads, "Give without remembering, Take without forgetting." Those words have been clanging around in my head much like a pinball ever since I heard them.
I see these words as representing a coin. On one side of the coin is giving and on the other is thanksgiving. Now if my life were a series of flips of that coin I would have to say that the overwhelming majority of the time it would land on thanksgiving. It appears that my coin is heavily weighted towards one side
Obviously there is nothing wrong with being thankful but there sure is something wrong with always being a taker and hardly ever being a giver. I have received much: from the graciousness of other people to even the very life and salvation I have from God. I'm really good at taking, but I stink at giving. And I truly believe that this robs me of experiencing deeper joy.
Maybe Reba got it right in her song, "The Secret of Giving":
'The one secret to living, whoever you are
It's finding that true joy in giving, with an open heart.'
All I know to do is pray: "Lord, make me a better giver so that I can honor you and experience the joy I am missing."
So, I have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be called to ministry. God doesn't call you on the phone and say, "Hey you, go serve me in ministry!" But I do believe he makes it abundantly clear if he is indeed calling you to serve. I know that I first started sensing a call to ministry about ten years ago when I was finishing up college (oh my, saying that makes me feel sooooooooo old ). And ever since then he has only made that call stronger and stronger. Not only do I sense the inward call to ministry but it has been outwardly affirmed by others as well. Theologically speaking, this is exactly how it is supposed to work.
Ministry, however, is a big word and it encompasses quite a bit. When I first came to seminary, I was unsure if God was calling me to pastoral ministry or something else like teaching, missions, or administration. But now I sense more and more that God is indeed calling me to be a minister of his Word to his people. God is indeed calling me to pastoral ministry. I must confess that this is quite humbling. I am glad that God qualifies his servants, because on my own I am far from qualified.
One way that this has been pressed home on my heart recently is in my preaching. Up until now I have always used a full manuscript when I preach. Recently however, both in class and at church, I have been challenged to move away from that practice and work on being more engaged with the congregation while I speak. At first I was like, 'whatever,' but God has been showing me over the last few months that this is the best thing for me. I know that even a year ago I would have heard such criticism and said, "See, that is why I am called to administration (or whatever) and not preaching." But now, I want to change. I want to be a better preacher. I pray earnestly for that. So as I work on a sermon for next weekend, I am praying diligently that God would help me to trust him as I preach and not my manuscript.
So what does it mean to be called to ministry? It means a lot of things. But right now, for me, it means to be 'malleable'. Not "easily influenced" as some dictionaries define malleable, but "capable of being shaped or bent". I definitely need as much malleability in my life as I can get.
Prodigal Jon over at Stuff Christians Like has asked what the new "Our God is an Awesome God" is in our churches today. He explains that this particular song ("Our God is an Awesome God") was well overplayed and oversung in the 90s and conjectures that he himself may have sung that chorus 19 million times. I know I have at least sang it a million times if not more.
So that got me thinking: What worship songs do I think that churches are running into the ground these days? Here are some that I can think of:
1. Holy is the Lord (Anything by Christ Tomlin, really)
2. Shout to the Lord
3. Sing to the King
4. Here I Am to Worship
5. Open the Eyes of My Heart
6. God of Wonders
I know there are probably more but that is all I can think of right now. If you have any others in mind post a comment and let me know.
I know you are going to be disappointed, but this post is not about the awesome Blood, Sweat, & Tears song of the same name. It's about that glorious and wonderful time of the year that us students like to call the "end-of-the-semester-panic" about papers and finals. Seriously, I am getting way too old for this.
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