T h e L a y m a n V i e w

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

2008-11-27T19:30:00.002-05:00

We are enjoying our holiday in Ellijay, GA with Dan's parents.
We have no cell phone reception, but we do have internet!

So happy Thanksgiving to All!!! We are very blessed and very full :-)

Hopefully, we will post some pictures of our fun weekend!

And the winner is...

2008-10-31T14:26:00.001-04:00

By a whopping 27-10 margin...

Congrats Brian and Megan!!!

VOTE NOW!!!

2008-10-26T20:13:00.004-04:00

Sure the presidential election is right around the corner, but there is an even more important election that needs your vote!! To your left you will find a poll...please vote for which pumpkin you think wins the good ole fashion pumpkin carving contest that took place at the lake house this last weekend. We won't disclose which belongs to which couple (the Laymans or the Coxes) until the results are finally in. Here are the candidates:

This is Pumpkin #1 (the pirate flag)

This is Pumpkin #2 (the smiley face)

Rock the vote, people!

A weekend retreat...

2008-10-26T19:49:00.006-04:00

When we went to Ireland in July we met lots of wonderful people. Two families in particular, Brian and Megan and Tom and April, had become immediate friends and we had all planned to get together for a weekend retreat soon. Well that time came this past weekend! Unfortunately Tom and April had to cancel at the last minute (we missed you guys!!!), but the other four of us met anyway at a house on Smith Mountain lake in Virginia.

The weekend was spent playing games, carving pumpkins, eating like kings and queens, visiting a local winery, and other fun stuff - not to mention the wonderful fellowship we share as brothers and sisters in Christ. We can't wait until the next time we can get together again! Here are some pictures...

We're moving to Cary, NC in DECEMBER!!!

2008-10-18T13:08:00.002-04:00

Here's an excerpt from an update email we sent out this afternoon:

We had been praying specifically that we could find a small apartment (1 bedroom) in the $700/month range ($250 less than we pay now) so that we could have the ability to save some money while we transition from seminary to non-seminary life next year. Well, last weekend, while we were staying with [some friends] in Cary, we were prompted to visit a complex near their home. To make things short, we will be living there in a 2 bedroom apartment for $704/month! This place is actually more square feet than we have here in Charlotte and was actually cheaper than their one bedroom apartments. We weren't nearly as surprised as the leasing agent was, to say the least! Join us in praising the Lord for his awesome provision!

For those who live in the Raleigh/Cary/Apex area, you are heretofore coridally invited to help us unload a moving a truck on December 20! Sure, it seems a long time away, but it will be here before we know it. (Don't worry, Dan will send a reminder email...) Megan promises to have plenty of cookies and hot chocolate available! :-)

Thanks for praying for us and please continue to pray as Megan seeks a job in the area.

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-13T11:00:00.004-04:00

We took a trip to Apex this weekend and spent the afternoon Sunday with our good friends, the Peedins. The task for the afternoon was to carve pumpkins! Here are some pics of the fun (yes...Dan did carve a Saluki logo into his pumpkin!):

WW update...

2008-10-13T10:55:00.002-04:00

Megan: down 14 pounds in 9 weeks...

Dan: down 24.6 pounds in 9 weeks...

Gracie: happy to eat for us...

Our fifth...

2008-10-13T10:39:00.004-04:00

So last Saturday, October 4, Megan and I celebrated our 5th anniversary. I planned a relaxing weekend getaway to Blue Ridge, Ga - the very same place we honeymooned - to stay in a cabin up in the mountains. We had a really good time just catching up on The Office and reflecting on all the good memories we have been blessed to enjoy. We also played some pool - I won two games and lost five (don't ask...let's just say Megan didn't win any...) and I managed to slay a scorpion with a butter knife (again...don't ask).

We also managed to attend a Weight Watchers meeting in Ellijay, Ga. Wow, that was a bit different than the city-fied meetings in Charlotte. I did learn that a caffeine free diet coke counts as a serving of water. Seriously?!?! Oh yeah, and the colder the water, the more calories you burn by drinking it. Really?

We are blessed by the Lord to have a great marriage! We both look forward to many many many more years.

Catching up...

2008-09-25T14:16:00.010-04:00

Wow, it has almost been a whole month since we last posted here...that is really unbelievable. Time is going by way too fast! So, what's been going on with us?

Over labor day weekend we traveled back to Illinois for Megan's dad's wedding. The wedding was great and we are so happy for Loren and Myra! It was really good to be able to see all of Megan's family and we even hung around the area for a few days to see some of mine as well. It was our first trip back home in eight months! Below is a picture of Megan with her dad.

The weekend of September 14 we went to Apex to see our friends and to celebrate my 32nd birthday. Megan asked me what I wanted this year and I told her that I would love to get our friends together for a cookout. Well, it was really hot, but it was a lot of fun. The fellowship was good and the cornhole wasn't bad either (if I could play better it wouldn't have been that bad...). Below is a pic of me in my birthday hat.

Other than the traveling, things have just been pretty busy with Megan's work and my school and work. We've also made some pretty drastic changes in our eating and exercising habits. We are both doing Weight Watchers and are working out at Lifestyle Family Fitness a few days a week. We've both lost some weight and are feeling so much better.

We hope you all are doing fine!

Bring it!

2008-08-26T11:21:00.003-04:00

Here is the current radar image for Charlotte...beautiful isn't it? I really enjoy rainy days. They're great days to just be lazy. Too bad I have so much to do. Oh well!

The return of Friday randomness...

2008-08-22T08:52:00.008-04:00

* On this day in 1865, William Shepherd of NYC patented liquid soap. Here's to you Mr. Liquid Soap maker! Now every man can take a shower like a girl...where's my loofah?

* I am in a massive music rut right now, only listening to the tried and true favorites of the past. Anybody have any suggestions for something new? I am wanting something folk-ish, americana, or even some progressive bluegrass.

* School's back! As mentioned in my previous post, the beginning of this week was devoted to getting back up to speed on my Hebrew. I am in my third semester of the language and to make sure we stayed up on things, my prof had a quiz for us on our first day back from the summer break Wednesday. He's not only a smart guy for doing that, but he's a nice guy for giving us such an easy quiz!

* My preaching classes this year are focusing on preaching expositionally through narrative passages of the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament. I am really excited about this since narrative composes so much of the Bible, and it is often neglected in Churches (if not just relegated to moral pick-me-ups and character studies). Here's to preaching the WHOLE counsel of God!

* Meg and I are excited to be heading to Apex this weekend to visit with friends and the church there! Hopefully, we'll be moving back there in the next year!

* RTS requires its graduates to memorize and take exams on the Westminster Shorter Catechism by Spring break before they graduate. Yeah, I really need to get moving on that...only 7 months to go!

* Meg and I love Trader Joe's grocery store. If you have one in your area, go! Now!

* Calling Luke Johson! Luke? Where are you? I miss you...hope Ireland is still treating you well! Are you wearing man capris yet? A picture is included on the left...if you see this man anywhere in the greater Dublin area please let me know - and please point at him and laugh! :-)

* Meg and I are leaving next Friday morning to fly to St. Louis for her dad's wedding. We're looking foward to going back home for a few days...

* How long before the Cubs finally choke? They are starting to convince even me...man, that crow will taste horrible if I have to eat it.

* Eat more hummus. That's right. Eat hummus. I can't believe I am saying this, but it's good.

Have a good weekend!

Tick tock, you don't stop...

2008-08-18T08:38:00.004-04:00

Well, folks, this is it. On Wednesday I start my last year of seminary....pretty exciting huh? It is but there is this one thing looming over head:

HEBREW

After three months of procrastinating on keeping up with grammar and vocab, when the clock strikes 1:00 PM on Wednesday I will have to take a quiz. So, guess what I am doing over the next two days???

In honor of NYC...a top 10

2008-08-13T14:17:00.004-04:00

This post is dedicated to Megan's step-dad, Bill. (We hope you enjoy it!)

Top 10 things we learned in NYC:

10. Only one person at a time can fit into a revolving door, although trying to fit more is fun!

9. A New York City Pass saves money and time in lines!

8. Even though lines can be short(er) because of the City Pass, it is still customary, acceptable, and welcome to moo like a cow at any time you grow impatient or just giddy.

7. Some cultures don't understand the idea of personal space or deem it a necessity. One must be prepared to breathe heavily on another's neck in order to fit in.

6. If you go to the street fair in Time's Square only walk one block because if you keep going it only repeats (all they sell is junk food, scarves, jewelry, and Reggae and Porn music from the 70s).

5. Restaurants located in museums have one unified purpose among them: to rip you off! The food is mediocre at best and more expensive than nachos and water at a baseball game.

4. The subway and bus system aren't as hard to navigate as you think they are. Save money and just use them!

3. The subway is really, really hot (really!)...

2. Audio tours are the worst inventions ever and should be banned immediately. If you are an audio tour lover you should learn to be aware of your surroundings while meandering and be prepared to step away from the painting, etc. you are looking at so others can see it too. That five minute explanation about Constantine's head is probably not worth listening to anyway.

1. 18% gratuity on meals is expected and even included for your convenience. Extra gratuity (i.e. tipping) is welcome.

The hecticly relaxing vacation...

2008-08-13T13:29:00.013-04:00

We know its been a whole week since we got back from New York, but we are just now getting a moment (together) to fill you in all the goodness of the trip. Here is a brief recap of what we did...

We had a great flight to NY on Thursday and an even better bus ride to our hotel. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan (right next to Grand Central Station - right in the middle of everything) and Megan's parents (who flew in from Chicago) stayed there too. They arrived a few hours after we did so we had a chance to orient ourselves a little bit as well as go pick up subway passes for everyone. That evening the four of us took the bus down to the Circle Line Tour dock and enjoyed an evening harbor cruise (half-way) around the island. It lasted two hours and when the sun finally went down the views were excellent.

Friday morning we awoke from our slumber (we slept sooooooo good in our posh hotel!!!!) and navigated our way on the subway up to Central Park and went to the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The best words to sum up this day are overwhelming and soreness. The History museum wasn't all that great for people over the age of 12 so we didn't stay long. The Met (after we walked through the park to get there - we won't mention the hot dogs we ate or the unexpected wrong turn) on the other hand was awesome. We spent about 6 1/2 hours there but we could have been there for a week. It was fun to get Bill's (Megan's step-Dad - who is an Art professor) perspective and instruction on all the stuff we saw there. To top off the day we took the concierege's advice and had sushi at a nearby restaurant. It was yummy! But that wasn't the end of the evening. We spotted a nice pub on the walk back to the hotel and jumped in for a beer and some dessert.

Saturday morning, we took our pain medications and slathered up with Aspercreme and headed out to the Guggenheim Museum and the Modern Museum of Art. The Guggenheim was great from architectural stand point but the galleries were kind of lame. We would have been out of there in about 30 minutes if it had not been for a terrential downpour of rain. So after another 45 minutes in the cafe we headed to MoMA. Little did we know it was family day at the MoMA, but that didn't stop us from having a great time looking around and learning lots from Bill. You could tell he really enjoyed being at these museums and his joy was contagious. After all that we made our way to the sea of humanity called Times Square and oogled over all the lights, enjoyed a funnel cake, and eventually, ate at Planet Hollywood (where we were entertained by the worst DJ in New York, ever!).

Sunday we rested. The two of us took a walk down fifth avenue - all the way to the coolest Apple store ever. It was fun to see all the fancy stores (which weren't open yet) and landmarks such as Trump Tower. On our walk back to the hotel we found a really excellent breakfast place which was even better because it was clean and you could eat for under five bucks. Anyway, in the afternoon the four of us went to the Empire State Building and then had lunch at Heartland Brewery where we enjoyed an interesting, yet good, fried Pu-Pu platter. (It's not as bad as it sounds). We then headed back to the hotel (after Megan had a brief stop at the Loft store and held herself (or Dan) back from buying anything) and got ready for our Broadway show that night - Mamma Mia! Before the show we had a nice dinner at a Thai restaurant. The show itself was fun and entertaining and we had great seats. Dan even won a CD! After the show we found an Irish Pub open and had ourselves another nightcap.

Monday was Megan's favorite day. We went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. This was Megan's second time in NYC and last time Ellis Island was her favorite stop. Even upon her second visit, it was still just as moving - even if the crowds and lines weren't. Dan really enjoyed it but was growing weary of all the other tourists and found it hard to enjoy as much as he wanted to. We were unable to look up Megan's grandma's info although she did come through Ellis Island in 1947. Perhaps we'll have better luck online. After the tours we hopped off the subway for a little bit and walked around Ground Zero. Later that evening we enjoyed some Chinese food for dinner and then headed off to the Gotham City Comedy Club for an all-star show that night. It was fun, although vulgar at times. Welcome to New York, I guess.

On Tuesday we had a last breakfast together with Megan's parents and then went our separate ways on busses to head back home. We made it Charlotte with no problems or delays and were welcomed back to reality...

NYC Pictures...

2008-08-06T14:58:00.002-04:00

Well, folks, we are home from NYC and have been hurled back into the busyness of life. Until we get some time to post about the specifics of our trip we present to you the following picture gallery. Enjoy!

Click here to see the pictures!

Let the relaxation begin...

2008-07-30T22:03:00.004-04:00

After getting back from Ireland last week, Dan and I have been non-stop busy. Today we spent most of the afternoon running errands and then finally this evening the relaxation began. Dan and I got pedicures at 6:30 (yes Dan did go after I twisted his arm several times...and his feet have never looked so good) which is a tradition we began last year when kicking off vacations. It felt really good to be pampered and it got me relaxed and ready to spend the next five days in New York.

We leave in the morning and are coming next Tuesday. I am really excited because we're spending the time with my mom and step-dad who are flying in to meet us from Chicago. Out of the four of us, I am the only one who has been to New York before so hopefully I won't get us lost and turned around. Dan has already done a good job preparing routes and setting up a rough itinerary. Yeah public transportation! This is also serving as an early celebration of our fifth year anniversary.

We won't be blogging while we're there because Dan is not taking his computer but we will fill you in on all the events when we get back.

Adjusting...

2008-07-25T13:01:00.004-04:00

Life has slowly been returning to normal for Megan and I since we got back from Ireland earlier this week. Here's what's currently going on with us:

* Megan is working quite a bit over the next few days (since Wednesday night she is scheduled to work 6 out of 7 nights...). If you think about it, pray for her. Those twelve hour shifts can be quite overwhelming when there are that many of them at one time.

* I have come down with some kind of cold. My throat hurts and my ears are kind of goofed up. This sure made worship practice last night a lot of fun. I hope I get better soon.

* We leave July 31 for a five day trip to NYC. We're meeting Megan's parents who are flying in from the Chicago area. This should be a lot of fun!

* Speaking of NYC...anyone have any tips on how to get cheap Broadway show tickets?

* It looks like I am going to be working some hours with RTS Virtual campus this fall. Since this upcoming semester will be a bit easier than what I am used to, I have been thinking about picking up some hours somewhere. I've been praying about it lately and then last week my buddy Dave (who works for RTS Virtual) gave me the head's up about the position. The job is a good fit for me and I can get at least 8 hours a week in (mostly on Friday). This should help with all the recent unexpected bills!

* I am still trying to finish up a couple of summer projects for Uptown Church as well as get these classes done. Time is slipping away fast...

* We've added a couple of trips to the fall/winter. We'll be in Southern Illinois over Labor Day weekend for Megan's father's wedding and in the Chicago area the first weekend of December for Megan's sister's wedding. If any of you Illinois people want to hang out and catch up a bit let us know.

That's all I can think of right now. Stay tuned for some more reflections from our week in Ireland we are working on getting done.

Free Time - Sunday and Monday in Ireland

2008-07-24T21:39:00.005-04:00

Come Sunday morning, Megan and I were on our own. We had arranged to stay a couple of extra days after the conference (mainly because the plane tickets were cheaper that way) and to stay with a couple (the Turnbulls) who were at Uptown Church until they moved to Dublin for work last year. It was our intention to go for a day trip on Monday somewhere away from the city but we had underestimated how exhausted we would really be.

So, we tarried around Greystones a bit on Sunday and then took the train to Sandymount where the Turnbulls live. They were away for the weekend but had arranged for us to be able to get in their apartment. And let me tell you, they have a sweet place. As soon as Megan and I walked in we felt immediately at home and wasted no time taking a nice hot shower in their awesome bathroom. We also sat on their couch - something we hadn't been able to do in a week - and just sighed a sigh of relief. It felt so good to relax. We did manage to get up for a while and walk around the neighborhood, taking in the sights and enjoying a good brunch. When they returned from their trip we enjoyed a nice dinner together that Lauren made and went for a nice walk with Jon. The Christian hospitality that this dear couple shared with us whom they had never met until this point was truly a demonstration of the love of Christ and a welcome blessing to us.

On Monday, we ditched the idea of a day trip and just headed back into the city to see the sights we had missed during the week. We started out on Henry Street, taking in some of the shops and enjoying the hustle and bustle. After that we went to the Chester Beatty library where I had a great time looking at all the old Biblical manuscripts housed there - some dating to 150 AD. I am such a nerd, I know. Poor Megan...at least she kept me from staying there all day. From there we went to St. Patrick's cathedral and enjoyed a good hour looking around the church and marveling at such grand and beautiful architecture. As evening came, we made our way to Grafton Street and found a nice pub where we could enjoy our first dose of official Irish fish and chips (I know it's weird that we waited until the last night to do this). It was really really good.

At the end of the day we were a little tired but yet excited about what God had allowed us to experience and share with other people. Our flights home on Tuesday were uneventful and almost right on time, we were home once again to be greeted by a very very happy cat!

Dublin Prayer Conference - Saturday

2008-07-24T16:10:00.006-04:00

Saturday morning we had the priviledge of hearing from Paudge Mulvihill who heads up a group called Calvary Mission which has a vision to reach the west coast of Ireland. He shared some amazing statistics with us regarding the state of the church on the west coast. For example, there are 11 towns of at least 20,000 people, 11 towns of at least 15,000 people, 45 towns with at least 10,000 and 63 towns with at least 7,00 that have no evangelical church presence. This is absolutely staggering and we were moved to pray for God to send more workers into the harvest there.

In the afternoon, the women had a luncheon where the ladies sat at tables with different women involved in ministry and then heard from a guest speaker who is the wife of a church planter in Trim. Megan sat with a woman who heads up a prayer ministry called Lydia International. This group of women gather to pray not for personal concerns but rather for their country, their churches, and their communities. The men, on the other hand, split up into two groups and I headed with the group led by our good buddy Luke down to Dun Laoghaire Evangelical Church where Al Breen told us about the work there. After a season of prayer with him we packed up and headed back to Greystones.

After returning, Megan and I took some time before dinner to discuss what we had learned throughout the week and to talk about how God was moving us to respond to the events of the week. They had given us these response cards that we were to turn in during the evening service and I was glad to see that we were in full agreement right from the beginning. It will be a delight to continue to pray for these folks over the next year!

After dinner with our small groups, we went to the evening worship service. This was a sweet time of singing, communion, and prayer for one another. It was neat to see and hear how God had been working in the hearts of other participants throughout the week and to lift them up in prayer. Following the service, we said our goodbyes to the interns and some of the staff and we all headed down to the pub for one more time of fellowship. What a privilege it was to get to know these folks and we are so thankful that God drew us close to several people to form friendships that we already deeply cherish. It was bittersweet saying all the goodbyes, but just maybe we'll all see one another again soon!

Pictures...

2008-07-22T21:42:00.003-04:00

Hey all...Megan and I made it back to Charlotte safe and sound today. We're still processing everything that we learned/experienced last week and we look forward to sharing that with you in the coming days. In the meantime, don't forget to check out our pictures here: http://gallery.me.com/thelaymans.

What in the heck is a Ceili?

2008-07-20T17:24:00.007-04:00

Irish square dancing? Are you kidding? That's what we were faced with on our schedule for Friday night. In the conferene's desire to expose and engage us in Irish culture they thought sixty plus people learning a form of dancing in a room was a good idea. Well, I'm not sure it was a good idea, but it was fun to watch. And I'm sure the local "band" who came out to play got some good laughs out of it...

The ceili is a traditional Irish social dance. Think riverdance meets square dance - but it involves couple in pairs, etc. working together in a hodge podge of twists, turns, and weird unnatural foot movements. It's really easy for us to criticize because we abstained from trying. Technically I tried but I almost killed myself and would have most certainly maimed others.

Nevertheless, we had a good time watching our new friends have a good time. Maybe if we come back next year we will try it again. In the meantime we are going try hosting some at the seminary...or maybe not.

Dublin Prayer Conference - Friday

2008-07-20T17:03:00.003-04:00

Friday morning came way too quickly and we were hurrying up to get ready for the daily worship at 9:00 (that is 4:00 AM for all east coast folks). Worship was always followed by a devotion and this morning's devotion was by far one of the best. It was given by Cindy Hylton who along with her husband heads up the MAP team here. She spoke of waiting on the Lord in times of barrenness and it was especially appropriate given the fact that her family is packing up and heading to the states after several years of service. They long to come back but Ireland's new immigration laws are making that seem impossible (more on that to come later..).

Our Irish ministry speaker for the day was Mick Breen. He is the pastor who has recently handed over his congregation to an associate so that he can go and plant a new one. This man had a remarkable testimony and his vision for church planting in his county is just as remarkable. We were definitely inspired by him and all of us delighted to minister to him with a sweet season of prayer (that is why we were here after all...).

In the afternoon, we took a long trip to the north side of Dublin and met one of the most amazing Christian women we have ever met - Emma. Emma runs Grandma's Ireland which is a ministry that focuses on caring for families who are affected by HIV. She leads a group of volunteers who offer practical help to families by loving on kids 3-4 hours a week in the children's home. She feels that her ministry literally acts as the hands and feet of Jesus by offering help in a very practical way. She has an amazing testimony of God's goodness and provision. Her ministry does no fundraising (she doesn't mind if others do it for her - she just wants time with the kids) and works entirely off of donations that God's people are moved to give. She has no guaranteed salary (although she is full time) and when asked she said she is glad she doesn't and actually can't picture having one. She loves being blessed by God's provision. This woman was one of the most genuine saints Megan and I have encountered. The joy and delight that she found in knowing God was absolutely evident and contagious.

The source...

2008-07-20T11:52:00.006-04:00

One of my life-long dreams came to fruition on Thursday afternoon. I got to go to the very source of Guinness beer itself. There I stood at St. James gate, my eyes welling with tears and my heart bubbling with joy. So maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but I was pretty much like a kid in a candy store!

Meg and I and our friend Tom made the trek down to the Guinness storehouse and payed our fee for the tour. As cool as the tour was, what we really wanted most was that perfect pint up on the seventh floor in the sky lounge. And contrary to any other opinion, it absolutely tasted amazing right there. I cannot even put it into words, but it was soooooooo good that even Meg drank hers fast. There was a bit of time crunch to make sure we caught the train in time, but I think the fact that she finished hers before we did speaks volumes.

Dublin Prayer Conference - Thursday

2008-07-20T11:33:00.009-04:00

What in the world is a prayer walk? That was our question when we were told we were going to be doing one Thursday morning in Dublin city. It's so easy to be skeptical about such a thing, but we just have to say it was awesome. In fact, it was one of Megan's favorite things from the whole week. We were in a group of about 10 people and we paired up and walked a set route stopping at various places to pray for various things. So, for example, we stopped in front of the Parliament building and prayed for the government and their impact on the people, we prayed for a church and its leadership when we passed by, we prayed for university students at Trinity college, we prayed for the people and their obsession with materialism in one of the busiest shopping centers, and many more. Now so you don't think we were crazy, most people had no idea of what we were even doing. We prayed as we walked - about things that came to mind or things that we saw - and when we stopped at particular places we looked like a group of friends having a conversation (and we were - with Jesus!). Again, we were really blessed by doing this and its one of things that really smacked us in the face and caused us to wonder why we don't do it in the community we live in now.

One of the funny things that came up during the prayer walk was the reality of the saying they have here in Ireland: "If you don't like the weather just wait ten minutes - it will change." Oh how that was true! It had been sunny/partly cloudy most of the week but on Thursday it would rain for ten minutes every 60-90 minutes or so. Good thing I had my rain jacket with the rolled up hood - too bad the hood was too big for my head. :-)

On Thursday night, Eric Brauer, the field director here in Ireland for WHM, gave us an update on the vision and various ministries going on in Ireland. Oh, how we wish he would have done this earlier in the week! This seems to be the moment that everything fell into place for us. Its so easy to wonder why this or that thing is being done the way that it is but there is always a reason. And just let us tell you, their method of ministry is brilliant. WHM is committed to shrinking into the background as facilitators and allowing Irish people do ministry in their country in their way. It was so encouraging to hear how God has not only moved among Irish folk in the last twenty or so years, but how he has given humility to the American missionaries who don't get much recognition and public credit for all the work they do behind the scenes. But their reward comes later in heaven and you can tell they really delight in doing what God has called them to do.

And of course the evening ended at the pub with a pint and a good conversation with new friends. And to make things even better, I got to smoke my brand new pipe that I bought from Peterson's!

Who says it's only for the birds....

2008-07-17T16:12:00.006-04:00

Yesterday afternoon Dan and I took advantage of the marble benches outside the college and enjoyed a brown bag lunch overlooking the sea.

Let's just say that we were not the only ones that wanted to enjoy our lunch at the sea! We enjoyed the company and had lots of fun seeing who would end up being the most "assertive" or at least the most persistent!

As many of you know, Dan does enjoy some bird watching/ bird provoking! It was a great way to reflect on the fun the God has provided for us within his creation.

Dublin Prayer Conference - Tuesday and Wednesday

2008-07-16T15:17:00.007-04:00

The Dublin prayer conference kicked off on Monday afternoon with a scavenger hunt. We were placed in a group and were given a set of questions. Our goal was to walk through town and ask locals to answer these questions for us. This was a really good way to get us interacting with Irish folk and to step out of our comfort zones a little bit. We were paired up with another couple, Tom and April, who we became fast friends with. In fact after the hunt, we all went for coffee and I am told by Megan that it was the best iced latte she had ever had. I don't remember what my coffee tasted like, but it helped keep me awake for the rest of the night. Then after some welcome comments, etc. from the World Harvest (WHM) team, we went to bed at 8:30.

We are staying at Carrig Eden Theological College (pictured above). It's been a very accommodating place for our group and any fears that Megan had of European bathrooms and showers have been eased quite a bit. We sort of scored a coup when we realized that we were actually had a double bed in our room - a luxury which several other couples we have talked with don't have. The college sits right on the Sea and the views are awesome.

The last two mornings, we have enjoyed a time of worship and then hearing from some Irish people who are involved in ministry here. Jacob, the principal of the Irish Bible Institute spoke on Tuesday morning and Joe and Sharon spoke this morning about their community outreach in inner city Dublin. We were both quite inspired by their presentation and challenged by their depth of insight and desire to minister according to the cultural environment they find themselves in. For instance, only one half of one percent of the people in the Republic of Ireland are evangelical Christians. On top of that, seventy five percent of the population is under the age of 28. Those factors along with the recent affluence and subsequent immigration into the country, have made ministry here slow and challenging. It is so refreshing to be with these saints who truly understand what it means to be patient for the Lord's working in his time. They also realize in a profound way that it is the Lord who works and that we are only his instruments. As Americans we are naturally Mr. and Mrs. Fix-its - not so here. They view the world a lot differently than we do and its refreshing to see their perseverance and godliness.

Tuesday afternoon the whole group went on a walking history tour in Dublin (some street performers on Grafton Street and the cathedral at Dublin Castle are pictured to the left). Our subset of the group had a very good guide and she actually made the whole Northern Ireland stuff make sense (but don't ask us to repeat it). We're returning there tomorrow for a prayer walk and some rec time in the afternoon (WE'RE GOING TO ST. JAME'S GATE!!!!!). This afternoon we went with a small group of folks to visit with a church here in Greystones. We heard from the staff there what challenges the church faces and what their current needs are. We spent some time in prayer and now feel a little bit more connected with the people on the ground doing gospel work here.

Tonight we sit in the Beach House Pub drinking Bulmers and Beamish and blogging thanks to some free WiFi. Incedentally, we were here last night too, but we think that is pretty normal for this culture. :-)

Hopefully we'll be able to blog again soon. In the meantime, feel free to check out some picture that we have posted here: http://gallery.me.com/thelaymans. We'll be updating this throughout the week and when we get home. Enjoy!

Delta and the JFK conspiracy...

2008-07-16T14:13:00.007-04:00

Everybody loves to fly, right? Think about it: what used to take weeks, months, or days can now be accomplished in a matter of hours thanks to engineering and aviation. Well, before we continue with this story, we want to definitely say that we still prefer flying to sailing.

Our day Sunday started with a nice, breezy trip through the ticket counter and security at Charlotte airport. That whole process probably took 20 minutes. Our flight to NY took off right on time and we even landed a few minutes early. We then expected a five hour layover as our flight to Dublin did not leave until 7:30. This is when chaos ensued.

At about 6:30, waiting patiently at our gate, we were informed that there was a mechanical problem with our plane and it would be delayed about a half hour. Not more than ten minutes after that, they announced that it would be delayed until 11:00 PM. At this point there was a loud grumbling amongst the peoples and Delta replied that they would give us a $7.00 per person meal voucher (which, incidentally buys a ketchup packet at JFK). As the droves headed off to the food court and we were in line to receive our voucher, the time was updated to 9:00 and then to 8:35. At this point we decided that we would eat a quick meal with the rest of the lemmings and come right back. After stuffing our faces with chinese food, we returned to the announcement that the plane was once again delayed...

At this point, I will stop the play by play and let you peruse the Delta updates that I kept receiving on my phone. Here they are in all their glory:

[13:35 EDT] DL 0112 13Jul departs JFK 7:30PM Gate 14
[18:40 EDT] DL 0112 13Jul departs JFK Now 8:00PM Gate 14
[18:45 EDT] DL 0112 13Jul departs JFK Now 11:00PM Gate 14
[19:15 EDT] DL 0112 13Jul departs JFK Now 9:00PM Gate 14
[19:20 EDT] DL 0112 13Jul departs JFK Now 8:35PM Gate 14
[20:35 EDT] DL 0112 13Jul departs JFK Now 9:00PM Gate 14
[20:45 EDT] DL 0112 13Jul departs JFK Now 10:00PM Gate 14
[22:10 EDT] DL 0112 13Jul departs JFK Now 10:15PM Gate 14

Being the beacon of patience that I am and with the help of my loving, optimistic, polyanne-ish wife, I was thankful that we would board before 10. The somewhat funny thing about the whole ordeal is that we learned the plane needed a battery - ??? - seriously, what kind? I had some AAA's in my bag...

Anyway, we got on the plane before 10 and then we waited some time for a couple of passengers and then waited longer as they didn't show up and they had to remove their bags from the plane. Then things got better when we found out that we were 1 of 80(ish) planes waiting to takeoff. SO, much to our joy, we took off at 12:03:30 AM (yes, I know exactly what time).

It gets better: they actually made the "7 hour" flight in "5 hours and 45 minutes". Brilliant! Why can't they do this all the time. So, we showed up in Dublin four hours later than planned and the lovely interns from World Harvest were still there to meet us. And off we went to Greystones for the conference...

The moral of the story: God is good, we're safe, we got here, and we love it. Thanks for your prayers. And, for the record, we slept really well Monday night!

And here is a picture of us after sleeping roughly 2 hours in 36 hours...lovely, huh?

A week in review...

2008-07-12T21:22:00.007-04:00

Time sure does fly...it was just a week ago that we were in Apex visiting with our friends. We had a good time and I had the opportunity to preach God's Word to his people (click here to listen). It had been a while since we stayed over at our friends' John and Kati's house. They have amazingly cute children and they're very good cooks. And, for the record, I am convinced that peach cobbler or oatmeal cream pies are acceptable breakfast foods. Until I saw their son Jack in Meg's shoes I had never realized how hard it would be to fill them...but that didn't stop him from giving it a shot. Needless to say, we look forward to living around all these folks again real soon...

On Monday, Meg wasn't feeling real good so she called out from work. This was the first time she called out since her grandfather died a year ago. But after much sleep she felt a lot better. Much to her joy, after working Wednesday, she was called off on Thursday. So, although she only worked 12 hours (instead of 36), she still managed to stay busy and get lots of things done (including hanging out with me and her friend Lauren).

I had class last week at RTS. It was good. The real tribulation came on Wednesday when I went home for lunch and the car freaked out on the way home. We have been experiencing some problems with our transmission and the time had finally come for the car to tell us there really was a problem. After waiting three hours for AAA to send a tow truck, the car finally made it to the VW dealer and a couple of hundred dollars later it runs like new. The real blessing in all of it was the fact that our friend Jonathan was staying with us this week (he was up from Columbia, SC for class) and he let us use his car Wednesday evening and Thursday morning to get Meg to and from work. We never cease to be amazed at how God always works out all of the little details of our life...

So Thursday night after Meg got called off we enjoyed an evening at Brixx Pizza with some friends from the seminary. On Friday I had to take the final exam for the class (I know, its weird to take the final the last day of class but it was open book). Since then we have been busy getting everything in order for our trip to the Dublin Prayer Conference in Ireland. At this moment, I think we are pretty much packed and ready to go. We leave in the morning and after a long layover in NYC, we should arrive in Dublin early Monday morning. Please pray that God would continue to amaze us with his providence over all the little details of life and that we would be open to what he wants to teach us this week.

We're going to do our best to keep in touch while gone. If we have access to the internet we'll update with pictures, etc. If not, you'll just get bombarded here when its all over with. :-)

Not sure about this one...

2008-07-04T15:50:00.002-04:00

I came across this site today and I am still trying to decide if I like it or not. It's amusing - I'll give it that much. But I wonder how beneficial it really is. If you have a moment, have a look and let me know what you think.

Independence day randomness...

2008-07-04T09:08:00.001-04:00

Happy 4th of July everybody! To celebrate, I give you a healthy dose of randomness...

* The total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2007 was 6.8 billion pounds. Chances are good that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for about one-sixth of the nation’s total production. And if the beef did not come from Texas, it very well may have come from Nebraska (4.7 billion pounds) or Kansas (4.1 billion pounds). Source: US Census Bureau. Have fun barbecuing that beef!

* How come I can't buy pork steaks in North Carolina? This makes me miss St. Louis-style barbecue.

* I am preaching this Sunday at Ambassador Pres. in Apex. Meg and I are both excited to see all the friends and church family that we love and miss so much! The pastor there, Warren, has recently been doing a series on community entitled, "Life Together," examining various "one another" passages in the NT. I'll be preaching on Romans 15:5-6 and the sermon is titled, "Live in Harmony with One Another".

* Speaking of preaching, here is a link to the sermon I gave a few weeks ago at Uptown Church on Leviticus 22: Holy Priest - Holy Offering

* So I installed VMFusion on the MacBook. This allows me to run Windows XP on a partition so that I can use BibleWorks and various other Windows programs that I already own. Want to know the ironic thing: I have never seen XP run so nicely. Imagine that!

* I have class again next week at RTS. This one is a practical theology class titled "Pastoral Ministry" and it is taught by Rod Mays (Director of Reformed University Ministries). I must say that I am not sure that I am ready for a class again but this one shouldn't be as demanding as the Horton class I took last week. I am looking forward to seeing how God works in my heart through the instruction.

* I don't know about you but I have grown increasingly tired of all the ads that I see on various websites - particularly Facebook. Some of these ads are just downright inappropriate. Well, thanks to a tip from a friend, I found about about Adblock Plus - an addon for Firefox which blocks these ads so that you don't have to see them at all. If you use Firefox I highly recommend that you install this addon!

* Another great Dr. Horton quote from class last week: "The only demographic that really matters for Christians is that they are 'in Christ'." Try putting that down on a survey, etc. the next time they want to know what income, age, or interest demographic you fall into...

* I am planning to read "The Life of John Murray," by Iain Murray while on the plane from NY to Dublin next weekend. I really need to read more biographies...

* I also really need to keep up with my Hebrew vocabulary. I have my exegesis class in the fall and it's amazing how much you can forget over a summer.

* I need a new pair of shoes...

* Don Tomas cigars are fast becoming my favorite. It used to be Arturo Fuente, but these things are good!

Have a great holiday everyone!

The million dollar question...

2008-07-03T14:36:00.000-04:00

I had the privilege of being in class last week with Dr. Michael Horton. He was here at RTS teaching a course titled 'Ministry in the Postmodern Context'. I have to be honest, the course title was a bit misleading. This was definitely not a practical theology class. It was more like an historical philosophy/theology class. I have to admit I got lost a few times in our whirlwind tour from Plato to Ricouer, but I learned quite a bit.

On Tuesday morning, before we launched on the whirlwind philosophical tour, he lectured a bit about technology and its influence on our culture. Undoubtedly our society moves at a rapid pace and things change all the time. Every month there is a new gadget that everyone just has to have. Songs become popular and then 6-8 weeks later something else comes along and replaces them. Television shows come and go. Fashion trends change yearly. We are clearly a data-driven society. Information flows fast and freely and the tides of life are now changing faster than ever.

Then comes Dr. Horton's million dollar question: "How can a culture of perpetual innovation serve a religion in which the God of this religion says “I will be a God to you and your children and your children's children after you?"

I have been thinking a lot about this since last week. Obviously we cannot change things in just one generation. It's not like we can just flip a switch and everything will slow down. But I do think we need to stop and see how this society has affected the Church. Have we not become market driven? As one example, consider how swiftly we introduce new songs and then sweep them out the back door once they aren't "cool" anymore. It's quite striking if you think about it.

One thing I like about Dr. Horton's quote above is that he recognizes that ultimately the culture serves the Church. The logic of mass popular culture cannot be the culture of the church. Rather the Church should strive to stand out while among the culture. Our commitment to the timeless, unchanging principles of the Church should be a beacon of light in this present evil age that we live in. I'm not saying that we cannot introduce anything new and innovative in the church (i.e. songs or technology), but we need to stop and reassess just how much we have capitulated to the culture. Not only for our sake now, but for the sake of the generations to come.

Had I only known....

2008-07-03T12:59:00.005-04:00

During the last 12 months, although at times frustrated, my husband has been diligent to keep our Dell laptop alive. I had been extremely supportive of such endeavors. He had kept me up to date with it's status and even as the end was coming, I was still in denial ~ "Are you sure there isn't something we can do? I mean really just because the thing is dying, do we really need to pull the plug?"

And as previously mentioned we did end up replacing it with a Macbook. Well, due to my extreme lack of knowledge of the technological world little did I know how fun a Macbook could be!!!! After Dan had played with our computer for a little, he started showing me some of it's features. (I can only take small doses~ little overwhelming for me to understand and use all at once)

One of the benefits (huge benefit) is that I can now actually iChat with my mom and her husband (YEAH!!!) because it has a built-in webcam. I got to speak and see them last night for about 45 minutes! I haven't seen my mom since Thanksgiving so this was a really special treat for me. We are definitely going to have to do more of that!

Had I know about this feature, I may have encouraged Dan to euthanize the old computer a long, long, long time ago!

Another fun thing is the photobooth application! Just wanted to share some of our fun with you.

Yes, for all of you that notice. I did just get my hair cut and yes, I have bangs. I'm not sure how I feel about them yet. I've had them long for seven years~ I'd sort of gotten used to my big forehead :-) Dan's says he likes them though :-) I trust his opinion.

Coming up roses...

2008-07-02T08:13:00.001-04:00

Several years ago, my brother and sister-in-law had given my mother a rose bush for mother's day. As my mother prepared to move from my childhood home and into her new home with her husband she actually uprooted the rose bush and took it with her. At the time, I thought she was a little crazy. I mean it was just a bush, right? Who would want to transport a bush three hours north; and besides, once it got there whose to say that it would take well to the new soil and grow again. Then how would you feel, all of that time and mess for nothing but a dead rose bush. Which, had it been left alone, would have been just fine.

Well, I now find myself in a quandary. Within the first two weeks of living in Charlotte, Dan and my parents purchased and planted a rose bush here. It has grown into a very lovely rose bush. As I type this entry, there are 9 new buds about to bloom. I have enjoyed watching it grow and even how resilient it has been against mold, insects, and a drought. I will look out my living room window and am reminded of my parents and my husband care and love for me. As we think about moving either this fall, winter, and spring, I wonder what to do with my rose bush. My desire is to take it with me. But as mentioned above there are a few logical problems with that solution. Not to mention that I don't even know if I will have a place for it.

It's funny how something as simple as a rose bush can become so sentimental.

An apple a day...

2008-07-01T20:23:00.001-04:00

Well, it's official. After two-and-a-half years the ole trusty Dell laptop is now on life support. Only father technology knows how many more days it has here on the earth with us...

Seeing how sentimental I am - I replaced it today. I drove up to the Apple store and took advantage of my educational discount (I knew going back to school had some advantages) for a new Macbook. Now, many of you have heard me say how enamored I was with the black one but on further investigation (and some help from the salesman) I was dissuaded. We are now an apple family. Iphones and a Macbook. Life is good.

I also used my education discount to get a free 8gb Ipod touch. We have absolutely no use for it, so I am selling it. It's never even been opened. Any takers? Let me know.

Countdown to Dublin...

2008-07-01T16:11:00.003-04:00

Only 13 days till we head to Ireland for the Dublin Prayer Conference!!!

We are happy to report that we have raised all of the support needed for the trip. We praise God for providing all that we needed.

We were also excited to see the itinerary for the conference. You know us planning types - hard to get too excited before we actually know what is going to happen. Rumor has it we might be exposed to some Irish dancing...

Backyard fun...

2008-07-01T15:14:00.006-04:00

I had forgotten how much fun VBS or Backyard Bible Clubs could be. Dan was a crew leader for the preschool age group (4-5) and he had 6 little beautiful children to shepard around to all of the activity stations. I helped out on Tuesday and was so blessed by the children and their joy that on Friday when the preschool group would be short a leader I volunteered to help out again. I truly loved the three hours I spent with them those days.

One of my favorite things at Backyard Bible Clubs was that the theme for the day was reiterated at each station. For example, on Tuesday we learned about Jesus healing a blind man with mud so at the first station we had the Bible story, then at the games we played with mud, and then at snacks we ate mud (chocolate pudding and gramham crackers). It was neat and just encouraging to see the children be able to use all five senses while learning about God and the truths of Christ. It actually caused me to reflect on my own learning about God and how I'm sure that I would remember better if I engaged more of my senses in the learning process.

What a blessing to spend time and invest in covenant children and to share the Gospel with the world.

Anchors away...

2008-06-21T09:54:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago, the staff from Uptown Church (where I am currently interning) went on a retreat to Isle of Palms, SC. One of the things we got to do was go on a sailboat cruise. It was a lot of fun. Below is the group picture we managed to get (thanks to Jessica):

(in the back row: moi, Josh, Shannon, and Shane; in the middle row: the pastors - Tom, Dave, and Mike; and in the front: Jay, Julie, and Jessica)

Word clouds...

2008-06-20T18:55:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Jake for pointing me to a program called Wordle which allows you to make a word "cloud" from any text that you enter into it. Here's the one I made from Ephesians 1:3-14 :

Ahh...smokeout!

2008-06-20T00:15:00.004-04:00

I just got home from one of my favorite events: smokeout. Guys sitting around smoking pipes and cigars and drinking some brew while talking about weird surgeries, sports, politics, and whatever else we can think of. This prescription is by far a cure for whatever ails you...

And for the record, never drink a Modelo. I am not sure that it is even beer, but apparently it tastes good with a lemon. I didn't have a lemon - beer and fruit do not naturally go together. Sorry Blue Moon and Corona drinkers.

Pleasantly surpised...

2008-06-16T20:28:00.006-04:00

So, I got the July 2008 electronic edition of the Banner of Truth magazine and one of my pictures that I put up on the other blog was the cover photo! Here's the props from the inside cover:

Cover Picture:

A tour of the book room at the U.S. Banner Ministers’ Conference, held at Messiah College, Grantham, Pennsylvania, 27–29 May, 2008. Iain Murray is guiding those new to the Conference to useful Banner titles. He is holding up one of the books in the new Pocket Puritans series (see p. 12 of this issue, and inside the back cover). Thanks to Dan Layman for the picture (from his blog, www.thelaymanchronicles.blogspot.com).

Here's the pic (taken with the iPhone):

Pure entertainment...

2008-06-16T19:58:00.003-04:00

Alright, so my buddy Link and his comedic friend Rhett have been traveling across America making videos for Alka Seltzer's Great American Road Trip. The first of 21 videos was released today and it hilarious. I present it here for your viewing pleasure. Keep up with the whole series at the link above or at their website.

A little random...

2008-06-16T19:27:00.007-04:00

Now that I have a little bit of breathing room in my schedule, I present to you a new dose of randomness:

* Iphone - yeah, so a lot of people have asked me if I am going to upgrade my iPhone to the flashy new version coming out next month. One word: NO. Even if they do discount it considerably for us current owners (as has been rumored), I will pass. Here's the deal. They are selling it cheaper, right? But, you have to renew your contract for a new two year deal. Plus, they are increasing the data plan price by $10. By my math, that is $240. This is more than the $200 discounted price. As long as they let me keep my current plan (which they plan to do as of now), I will pass. Sure, I will miss out on the 3G goodness, but come on, with the abundant availability of WiFi these days, is it really worth an extra $10 a month?!?! I think I will wait for the 3rd generation, thank you.

* I preached a sermon on Leviticus 22 yesterday at Uptown church. This was my second sermon in Leviticus. Internships are valuable to seminary students for many reasons - but I just may find the most value in my preaching of those two texts. Preaching classes at school never pick books like Leviticus for you to preach from...I wonder why.

* So, I (err...Pedro) actually had a good time bowling a couple of weeks ago. I even broke 100 once. But, even though I had fun, I still hate bowling. Pedro hates it too.

* Backyard Bible Club (aka VBS) is this week. Our church has three different clubs going and I am serving at the one closest to our apartment. Today was a blast. The kids are so much fun to be around and it is an amazing way to be a witness of God's kingdom work among the covenant children of our church.

* Next week is the class with Dr. Horton at RTS. I am real excited about that.

* I only have one year of seminary left...wow. I will be 32 in three months...wow again.

* I have been drinking less coffee and I feel better.

* The Salukis are going to be one of the top four seeds in this years coaches vs. cancer pre-season tourney (the other three are Duke, Michigan, and UCLA). I'm not sure how we landed that privilege after last year's debacle and this years youth movement but it is an awesome opportunity.

* Hey Cubs fans - IT'S JUNE!!!! Have fun choking in September!

Where's waldo?

2008-06-12T11:39:00.002-04:00

ARP and RPCNA brethren at Banner of Truth.

Beautiful...

A delightful weekend was had by all...

2008-06-10T16:19:00.010-04:00

First things first, the red velvet cake turned out great! We ended up eating about half of it over the weekend. It probably rates up in the top 5 of cakes I like. Nothing can beat pure straight up German chocolate cake!!!

Secondly, bowling was a blast!! The ally that we went to was a little pricier than I remembered bowling to be, but we managed to get the Family Fun Pack that came with popcorn and soda :-) We bowled three games and our scores actually improved as we went. I did rock out my personal bowling ball, but it quickly got replaced by a lighter ball. I'm not as strong as I was when I was 10~ 13 lbs was a little too heavy for me this time. Pedro showed up and actually he bowled quite well!! For Pedro that is...

Sunday was a good day of rest. Church that morning was especially good~ very blessed and encouraged by the pastor's message. Enjoyed the traditional crock pot lunch and then ice cream...

I think that my dad had a happy 60th birthday and felt celebrated, which is really all that is important!!

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Keep it out of the gutter...

2008-06-06T16:47:00.004-04:00

My dad is coming to town this evening and I am very excited about it! He will be turning 60 on Monday and he chose to come here to celebrate. Of course, several folks in IL weren't too keen on the idea of not getting to celebrate with him and so he will be leaving early on Monday morning to see them too.

We plan on having a little birthday celebration tomorrow afternoon. We are going bowling with him and a girlfriend of mine (very excited about the bowling!). Dan doesn't enjoy bowling as much as the rest of us, and I love to bowl. I used to be in a league when I was little. I'm thinking maybe 10 years old or so...my high game at that time was 174. I have NEVER even come close to that again!!! I do get to rock out my own personal bowling ball this weekend! (Probably hasn't been used since that high game) My dad to0 is an avid bowler, still bowls in a league. To be honest, he will probably beat the total of all three of our scores (Sorry Lauren, you may be really good. I just know that Dan and I aren't anymore).

I've also made my very first red velvet cake to celebrate. I don't think I've ever had red velvet cake. I'm looking very forward to that experience!

I'm really looking forward to spending time with my dad and relaxing. I promise more details to come - with pictures :-)

Which way is up?

2008-06-04T09:50:00.002-04:00

The Uptown church staff had a refreshing and productive retreat these past couple of days in Isle of Palms, SC. I am really glad I got to be a part of it and I am excited to see how God is going to work in and through the church in the coming year.

It has been a long time since I have laughed as hard as I did Sunday and Monday nights. When I went to bed Monday night, my face literally hurt. The highlights were helping Shane write songs for all of the staff members and Jay's now infamous 'exposed nerve ending' story. You should ask them about it if/when you see them.

Nevertheless, I am declaring today national Reorientation Day. I have a lot to get done and much to get organized, etc. I really trying to get everything in order so that the next week or two will run smoothly. We'll see how that goes...

While the Cat is away...

2008-06-01T14:29:00.007-04:00

Many of you may be wondering what have I been doing while Dan is gone?

The answer: WORK!

Yes, working and missing Dan is what I've been doing. I worked the first two nights last week while Dan was away. So in someways my life maybe didn't change so much... I'm used to sleeping alone during the day, and when I work I don't do much besides work and sleep. So I didn't notice as much that he wasn't around except for the fact that I had to cook all of my meals and clean them up, pack my lunches and didn't get nearly as many hugs and kisses as normal (The cat just isn't the same). Anyway, week one~ learned how much Dan serves me every day and all of the little things that he does to help me be the best I can be and still get everywhere on time. I am a very spoiled wife.

Wednesday was a little bit of a different story. A girlfriend and I went out for dinner, a little shopping, and a movie on Wednesday night. I had a great time. I haven't done that in a long time. I don't have many evenings free and those that I do I prefer to spend with my husband so a girls night out was much over do and a GREAT time. I do believe that even Dan benefited from it too. :-) All was well until I got home and needed to go to sleep. I'm not used to sleeping alone at night. It took awhile for me to fall asleep, but it helped knowing that once I got up Dan would be home that very same day :-) I had to work Thursday night so I didn't get to see him until Friday morning, but we have been together every minute until 2 pm today when I dropped him off to go to the staff retreat.

I am off tonight, and will have a small group meeting this evening. Again, I'll be especially reminded of Dan's MIA when I go to bed tonight. I'm so glad we have a cat. Gracie is a great snuggler. Tomorrow I work, and then Tuesday he will be home when I wake up. All in all, I must say that God has provided abundantly while Dan's been away. Besides missing is good for the heart. It helps me remember all of the fantastic qualities of my husband that I too often take for granted.

Away again...

2008-06-01T12:42:00.004-04:00

Well, it's been fun being home for the last couple of days. Meg and I had a great weekend and I even managed to be somewhat productive. But, alas, I am leaving again this afternoon for a couple of days. All of the staff from Uptown Church are going to Isle of Palms, SC for a retreat. This will be my first staff retreat since becoming an intern there and I am looking forward to it. It's hard to leave again so soon, but I know that I will benefit greatly from the time of planning and fellowship. I won't be gone as long this time as I'll be returning on Tuesday afternoon. See you then!

Home sweet home...

2008-05-31T08:48:00.004-04:00

I made it home from the Banner of Truth conference late Thursday night. It was such a great and refreshing time. I was truly fed by the Lord through the speakers and the times of fellowship. There is no doubt that I will try to attend this event again in the future.

If you look at the picture to the left, you will see the many books that I was able to bring back with me from the conference and the area bookstore that we visited. This was made possible by an anonymous gift given to each of the seminary students in our group by some elders at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC. They truly wanted to provide for us a way to build our libraries and did so out of a spirit of immense generosity. This was truly humbling and well appreciated by me and the others.

I am posting a series of reflections over at The Layman Chronicles for those of you who are interested in reading them. There are others who have done similarly and I would encourage you to also take a look at their offerings as well: Tim Challies, Steve Burlew, and Jim Vallenga.

Thank you all for your prayers!

On the road again...

2008-05-25T21:27:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow morning at 6:30, my buddy Brandon and I are being picked up at the Earth Fare parking lot by a group of pastors, elders, and seminary students from South Carolina and making the trek with them up to Messiah College in Grantham, PA for the Banner of Truth Minister's Conference. I am very excited to go. I know a few of the guys going, but really look forward to getting to know the others.

I'm not bringing my computer, but I will be updating my other blog - the Layman Chronicles - via my iPhone. Though short, the updates should keep you tuned in to what I am learning, being challenged with, or goofing off about. Make sure to check it out!

Please pray for the group going up. Pray for safe travel, good fellowship, and a challenging and refreshing conference.

Up for a visit...

2008-05-24T15:13:00.008-04:00

One of my very favorite things is having people come to visit. I enjoy every aspect of it: the cleaning of the house, meal planning, looking for fun things to do and not to mention the actual visitors.

Well, this past weekend, in the midst of Dan's finals, we had my step-sister, Kari, and her boyfriend, Nick, out for a long weekend from the Chicago area. It was a great time. We had been planning it for several months now and I was off from work for 5 whole days, which means I was not sleep deprived during their stay, and was able to cook all weekend. Cooking for some may not be an exciting thing, but I enjoy it. I am often too tired or just too lazy to go to all the trouble. Don't get me wrong, I cook, but it's nothing fancy and no recipes are needed. This last weekend I tried out 2 new recipes (greek grilled chicken, and this pudding cookie thing~both very good) in addition to my tried and true recipes (blueberry coffee cake, and strawberry shortcake). Dan was in heaven :-)

We also did a little exploring. We went to the local botanical gardens (about 45 minutes away) and had fun. God had given us an absolutely beautiful day. The gardens were lovely and we then enjoyed a picnic. We did a little shopping (standard when coming for a visit...we have some interesting malls), and spent lots of time just talking, enjoying the weather and relaxing. I think the whole weekend (3 1/2 days) we may have had the television on for about four hours!! Praise God for fellowship with his saints. It was a really good time. I think even Dan would have to admit it was a nice break from his finals.

Dan and I often talk about opening a bed and breakfast one day. I truly hope that God would allow us to open our home in that way one day. Anyone up for a visit??

Not to be confused with...

2008-05-23T15:27:00.003-04:00

So this blog, The Layman View, is designed to keep you up to date with what is going on in our lives. Likewise it is filled with all kinds of stuff relating to both of us. Lately, however, I have wanted to start up a blog that is a little more focused on what is going on with me personally as I read, contemplate, etc. Today I finally did it. If you're interested, check it out:

The Layman Chronicles: adventures of a layman called to be a pastor

Of course this current site (right here) will continue to be updated regularly with all sorts of news and randomness from both Megan and I (as always), but go to the other one for the real dorky stuff about me...

Summertime...

2008-05-23T09:19:00.006-04:00

Oh yeah! Summertime. It's definitely here. Come on, celebrate with me, sing some old school Will Smith lyrics with me:

"Here it is the groove slightly transformed
Just a bit of a break from the norm
Just a little somethin to break the monotony..."

You know you know the words...

Anyway, it's nice to be done with the Spring semester. I am now officially a senior seminary student. That sounds really weird to say. But I digress...

This summer is not short on excitement, though. I'll be continuing to work at Uptown Church and have just started a class with RTS Virtual. Besides that, there's lots going on:

* Next week, May 26-29, I'll be heading up to the Banner of Truth Ministers' Conference at Messiah College in Grantham, PA. This should be a lot of fun! I'm heading up there in a van with a bunch of guys (most from SC) and hope to come away refreshed and challenged.

* June 1-3 is the Uptown Church staff retreat at Isle of Palms, SC.

* Meg's Dad is coming to visit us the weekend of June 7-8.

* Preaching at Uptown on June 15.

* I am taking a class at RTS June 23-27 (Ministry in a Postmodern Context) which is being taught by Michael Horton. I am very excited about this. Dr. Horton is professor at Westminster Seminary California, editor-in-chief of Modern Reformation magazine, co-host of The Whitehorse Inn, and author of several books.

* I have another class (Pastoral Ministry) at RTS the week of July 7-11.

* Meg and I will be traveling with World Harvest Mission to the Dublin Prayer Conference July 13-20 in Dublin, Ireland. Not only with this be a wonderful opportunity to see how the Lord is working in Ireland but we get to hang out with our buddy Luke as well!

* To top off the summer, Meg and I will be going to NYC July 31-Aug 5. We are meeting her parents there (who are coming from Chicago) and will a lot of fun. This is also our 5th anniversary celebration (which officially happens on 10/4).

So, there you have it. Lots of plans. Lots of fun.

It is finished...

2008-05-20T23:45:00.004-04:00

Finals are over. I am two thirds of the way done with seminary. Just had a couple of Newcastle's over at Big Ben's Pub with some friends. About to get some much needed sleep and rest. I still can't feel my right hand from all of the writing. I like short sentences.

More to come tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers.

'Twas the night before finals...

2008-05-14T19:57:00.004-04:00

'Twas the night before finals
and all through the house,
Not a noise could be heard,
but the SOUND OF THE PRINTER SPITTING OUT MY HEBREWS-REVELATION PAPER!!!!"

Yes, the last paper of the semester is finally done! My exegesis of James 4:4-6 is now behind me (and still kicking my behind) and my attention now fully turns to finals. Four days - four exams. Thursday: NT Canon. Friday: Worship. Monday: Hebrews-Revelation. Tuesday: Hebrew. Wednesday: beer and sleep. :-) If you think about it, pray for me. This season is always hectic. Pray that I'll be a good Christian, a good husband (poor Meg has to put up with me during all of this), and a good student.

And for some closing fun facts, here are the stats for my paper:
Pages: 18 (space-and-a-half), including bibliography
Words: 4, 897
Footnotes: 72
Words including footnotes: 7,833

Can you believe it? I almost wrote another paper just in my footnotes! Eh, it's all over now. I think I'll have a Guinness tonight - it always gets me ready for whatever comes my way.

Locked in...

2008-05-10T07:27:00.004-04:00

I am not one to do many movie reviews, but last night Meg and I watched "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and it was terrific. The movie is about a man (Jean Dominique Bauby) who suffers from a stroke in his 40s and is left with what is called "locked in syndrome". Basically he is left with complete paralysis of all the voluntary muscles in his body but is completely aware, awake, and able to think normally. Like the name of the syndrome suggests, he is completely trapped in his own body. The only exception to his paralysis is the ability to blink his left eye.

The movie is based on a true story and documents his thoughts, etc. as he deals with life in this condition. Eventually a therapist comes to work with him and develops a way that he can communicate with other people. As you can see from the picture, she organizes the alphabet based on frequency of use of the letters. She would start listing them off and he would blink when she got to the letter he wanted. This process would repeat until he would spell words and eventually entire sentences. The remarkable part is that he writes an entire book based on this mode of communication. It is this book (Le scaphandre et le papillon) that the movie is based on.

The story is very inspiring. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be trapped in my own body. Seeing what this man went through and how he turned it into an opportunity to express his emotions and his imagination was sometimes saddening and always humbling.

If you get a chance, this is one you should definitely see.

Listening is hard work...

2008-05-08T21:54:00.004-04:00

So, this afternoon I told someone I was suffering from exhaustion and they thought I said I was "installing an exhaust fan". It was funny and it got me thinking...

Listening is hard work. All semester long, I have sat in my preaching clinic once a week and listened to eight of my fellow students give their sermons. It has been really great to see how everyone is growing and improving in their ability to preach. Usually we only hear two people per class and it usually goes about 2 hours with all of the feedback, etc. Well today - the last day of class - there were six funeral sermons scheduled. I had to do one of those, but I have to say it was hard work listening to the other five. It's not that they weren't good or encouraging, its just that it takes a lot of effort for me to listen well. Three and half hours later I was exhausted.

To be honest, I am not all that good of a listener in general. I feel like I have to work twice as hard at doing that than most anything else. I am a multitasker by nature and that doesn't stop with my mind. I have to work really hard to focus on what the other person is saying or I will start thinking about something altogether different. I know I need to get better, but how does one really, truly work on their listening ability anyway? I think I have improved a little over the years (and hopefully Meg will back me up on this) but I really feel like this is an area I need to get a lot better in.

So much to learn, so little time...

Goodbye to an old and faithful friend......

2008-05-05T14:22:00.010-04:00

I'm sure that we all have that one thing that our significant other hates in our wardrobe. You all know what I am talking about. That piece of clothing that you've had forever and when you put it on it just makes you feel better. As a matter of fact, in your opinion it probably goes with everything and your spouse would simply like to burn it...

Well, my beloved piece of clothing is my wonderfully worn gray jersey jacket... I think that I have had it since I was 12 or 13. As a matter of fact, my mother and I both bought one...you know gray just goes with everything and you never know when you may want to layer... Anyway, this jacket has seen me through high school, college and even 5 years of marriage. But alas, my husband hates it... really I know hate is a strong word,but he does. Yes, it is about 2 sizes too big (makes it great to wear over sweaters and sweatshirts), has holes in it, and is not as vibrant as it used to be, but hey, it still works. And why get rid of something that is loved so much. Sure it isn't what it used to be and yes I do have other jackets, many other jackets, but it is always my fall back. Just because I made Dan get rid of ALL of his "camping shirts" when we married isn't a reason for him to pick on my one little or slightly stretched out gray jacket. But alas, marriage is full of compromise and I do love Dan more than that soft, comforting jacket...his hugs are WAY better. So today will be the last of the old jacket...

While shopping this weekend I spotted a new gray jacket... it was actually my size and looked nice with what I was wearing...it has no hood, but hey nothing is perfect! Dan had one condition for the purchase, however: the old one must leave the house. You see, he has bought other jackets, but I always go back to my faithful gray jacket...so, the old is out and the new is in.

I wore the new one today while getting groceries.. I had a few mixed feelings about it. It isn't as comfortable and sort of tight in the arms... (it actually stops at my wrists). But it did look better with the outfit... I sort of looked athletic instead of homeless. Change is good... but it will be hard to say good bye. Maybe it will fit in my box of old purses..that way I won't wear it, but will know where it is :-) (Dan says it definitely won't fit in the box...)

So, we're putting up a poll. Please vote and help us decide whether I should be able to keep the jacket (for sentimental reasons, of course) or not.

Happy May randomness...

2008-05-01T11:42:00.004-04:00

Because life is moving very fast right now, and I don't have a lot of time to formulate consistent (or meaningful) thoughts, I present to you a stream of randomness in honor of the beginning of the month of May:

* Has anyone seen the newest cover of Time magazine? I was walking by it in the RTS library today and I nearly shrieked like a little girl. There is a head and it is half-Hillary and half-Obama. *shudder*

* My blogging drought this week caused me to come one shy of my goal for April...we only managed 29 posts in 30 days. I wanted us to average one a day but I will just take .9666666667 per day and round up to one. Because I can.

* Last night was the Smokeout. Ahhh, the sweetness of beer and cigars. And might I add that I drank Vanilla Stout from Breckenridge Brewery. That and a Fuente cigar made all the troubles float away.

* Paula was drunk Tuesday night during American Idol. The songs stunk. And if I were Neil Diamond I would have slapped Castro across the back of the head. I now officially hate this show. I am sad to see Brooke leave but the whole thing was just too big for her.

* Hebrews to Revelation outlines - done. New Testament Canon paper - proofread/edit and it's done. James 4:4-6 Exegesis paper - almost there. All of my reading - done. Funeral sermon for preaching clinic - it's coming along. Worship essay due Tuesday - what essay? Crap!

* The Caption (the other blog I work on that you must check out) is off to a good start. I want to thank Noah for joining in the fun and posting pictures. For all of you who actually post a caption - thanks. For those who read and don't post a caption - come on! Do it! You know you want to!

* I am leading worship at Uptown Church for the first time this Sunday. I am looking forward to serving in this way.

* I like Doritos.

Happy May, everyone!

Spinning wheel...

2008-04-28T18:17:00.003-04:00

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.

Another weekend...

2008-04-25T12:38:00.007-04:00

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!

When morning gilds the skies...

2008-04-24T07:02:00.004-04:00

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!

Caption this...

2008-04-22T22:40:00.006-04:00

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..."

The (micro)evolution of my beer preference...

2008-04-22T09:24:00.019-04:00

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...

Awkward signatures...

2008-04-21T20:35:00.005-04:00

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?

Ocean refreshment...

2008-04-21T11:47:00.008-04:00

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....

Admitting our biases...

2008-04-19T23:27:00.005-04:00

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.

My sanctuary for the day...

2008-04-19T10:12:00.004-04:00

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...

Ear candy...

2008-04-17T22:32:00.005-04:00

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)

The weekend ahead...

2008-04-17T22:10:00.005-04:00

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!

Little sweet, little spicy, little loud........

2008-04-16T22:55:00.009-04:00

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.

Good times...

2008-04-15T23:24:00.004-04:00

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...

Baby steps...

2008-04-15T08:16:00.005-04:00

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.

Whiplash...

2008-04-13T20:54:00.003-04:00

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 don't want to work...

2008-04-11T15:28:00.005-04:00

...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!

What?!?!

2008-04-10T20:11:00.003-04:00

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?

Wrecked 'em?

2008-04-10T19:41:00.003-04:00

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...

If only...

2008-04-09T18:20:00.005-04:00

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

Happy feet...

2008-04-09T15:23:00.003-04:00

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...

Car surgery...

2008-04-08T15:22:00.004-04:00

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...

Visual aberrations and childhood memories...

2008-04-08T09:24:00.017-04:00

So it's not every day that you see low flying planes in a metropolitan city spraying chemicals, but that is exactly what is happening in Charlotte this week. Apparently there is a cankerworm infestation and the planes are spraying a chemical that the little worms will eat and subsequently die from instead of feasting on our trees. As you can imagine, this has caused some concern amongst local citizens and yesterday there were over a hundred phone calls to 911 because of it.

Most of you know that I grew up in Illinois. Well, growing up 20 miles east of St. Louis we did have our share of farmland, but it was rare to see crop dusters flying around spraying fields. But, for a season (5 years old to 10 years old), I lived in southeastern Missouri and behind our house was nothing but farmland. One year it would be full of cotton and the next it would be watermelon. I sure had a lot of fun running around those fields when I was young.

In those days, I did see my fair share of crop dusters and can remember seeing the planes flying towards our house and running for cover thinking it was going to crash into us. Those pilots probably had a ball watching us kids scurrying around as if the Russians were attacking us. Man those were good times.

So today I reminisce about my youth as these yellow planes buzz overhead in Charlotte. Ah, to be young again! Here's a picture of my brother and I in front of that field I enjoyed so much as a kid:

Just another manic monday...

2008-04-07T20:43:00.004-04:00

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!

It was the tie...

2008-04-06T08:25:00.003-04:00

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.

A date in review......

2008-04-05T13:20:00.013-04:00

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 :-)

Randomness...

2008-04-04T14:43:00.010-04:00

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!

Always taking, hardly ever giving...

2008-04-03T20:23:00.007-04:00

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."

The call...

2008-04-02T19:34:00.005-04:00

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.

Running them into the ground...

2008-04-01T14:47:00.004-04:00

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.

Watch out below...

2008-03-31T21:48:00.005-04:00

It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's a giant asteroid hurling toward earth to destroy sinful cities! According to a story on FoxNews, " a clay tablet that has baffled scientists for 150 years has been identified as a witness' account of the asteroid suspected of being behind the destruction of Sodom and Gomorah."

This is actually a pretty cool story. Whatever you make of it, it is a good reminder that the entire universe is at the command of the Lord!

Happy butts make for happy people...

2008-03-29T12:44:00.010-04:00

I guess Saturdays really are made for adventure. Our mission: go and pick up our new cushion inserts for our couch. Now this isn't just any couch. This is the first new couch that I had ever owned. It's a La-z-boy and it's about 7 years old. Needless to say, the cushions were getting a little flat and our butts weren't as happy as we would like them to be. Given that the couch is still in excellent condition we just ordered new inserts for those flat, lifeless, and tired cushions. Thanks Uncle Sam!

Well, the mission is accomplished. No one lost their life or their patience, and even Gracie enjoys the end result (look up there, she loves it!). The whole time we worked on this endeavor, Megan kept reminding me how much it was just like putting on pantie hose - the seams had to be perfectly straight. Now its been several years since I had that problem...wait...never mind. Below are some pictures from our mission. Now we're going to go sit on it for awhile!

I know that there are weird bubbles on this pic, but looking past that, isn't it amazing the difference a new cushion makes!!!!

Highway to the comfort zone...

2008-03-29T10:17:00.005-04:00

This may come as a surprise to those of you who know me...I'm one of those weird extroverted introverts, but going to last night's community dinner was a bit of a stretch for me or at the very least out of my comfort zone. I enjoy meeting new people, but only a few at a time and even on the first meeting I'm a little quiet. I need to assess the group before I step out there and show my true colors. Of course, let me say that once I do get to know you, it is very hard to shut me up!! So for some, they would probably never really want to open the dam to my thoughts. The rush of water can be very overwhelming.

Last night's community dinner was a very good time. The ladies that were grouped with me had a hodge podge of backgrounds and were at different life stages. That is always fun. Not to mention that it was a group of about 8. Eight is a good number. Not too overwhelming... So in all, I got to know them a little bit better, and I think they got to know me. The dam was breeched, but not yet spewing forth. One of the neatest God things is that when I got the list of ladies attending I knew none of the names and once I got out our church's picture directory I didn't recognize anyone's face either (a couple weren't pictured). So needless to say...here I step out thinking 3 hours with a group of people I don't know at all. Oh, to stay home with my husband and cat and watch basketball. Then when I get there, the two other ladies already there I had previously met and one that I knew, but wasn't on the previous list.. Yea!!! God definitely knows what I can bare. It was a delicious meal and lots of fun. I will look forward to next quarter's mealtime.

~Megan

Study habits...

2008-03-28T20:17:00.005-04:00

Even Gracie likes Newcastle!

So, it was an absolutely beautiful day here in Charlotte: sunny and in the high 70s. I got to enjoy a little bit of it but unfortunately that was while I was pacing around the back parking lot at RTS stuffing my brain with knowledge for my Hebrews-Revelation midterm. Man am I glad that is finally over with!

So, I have really strange study habits. For this particular exam, I had about 60 pages of notes (typed) covering the books of Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, and some of 2 Peter. What I did in the past couple of weeks was: 1) read those notes through 3 times; 2) Write out my own shorter outlines with key ideas based on those notes (~12 pages - writing helps the memory); 3) from those shorter outlines I then condense each section even more into short lists of key words; 4) then I pace around the RTS parking lot (or wherever) and memorize those short lists of key words. When it comes to the exam, I pretty much have everything memorized and can pull together those short lists into whatever the exam requires - short answers or long essays. I know some of my classmates must think I am crazy but that is how I study. My short term memory isn't as great as some (must be my old age) so this is the best system for me. What's even more fun is that I have a friend (yo, Matt!) who studies similar to me and we make up all kinds of silly phrases to help us remember those short lists of key words. For example while trying to remember the evidence against a known Pseudonymous work being accepted into the canon we memorize the phrase, "Ben Affleck Pees Sideways". What in the world is that, you ask? Each of the first letters stands for something: B=the book's own claim; A=authorship was a central concern to the early church; P=Paul himself cautioned against Pseudonymity (2 Thess 2.2); S=Serapion condemned the Gospel of Peter. Yeah, it doesn't work for everybody. I realize that...

So here I sit tonight, chillin' with the cat, drinking Newcastle, and watching basketball while Meg is at a women's community dinner. I am exhausted and look forward to sleeping in tomorrow. That will be a wonderful thing...

Some funny book titles I found...

2008-03-26T22:39:00.010-04:00

Sometimes I search for random stuff in google and I am amazed at what I find. (Warning: this should always be done with 'safe search' on!) Well tonight I searched for funny book titles and here are some that I found:

Sometimes I just need a good laugh. Anybody else seen any other ones lately?

Finally, a poem worth reading...

2008-03-25T18:52:00.002-04:00

So, I am not much of a fan of poetry. But I came across this one recently and I was surprisingly pleased. In fact, if all poetry could be this profound, engaging, and inspiring, then I might become a bigger fan. I am definitely lighting the pipe tonight!

Smoking Spiritualized by Ralph Erskine

Was this small plant for thee cut down?
So was the plant of great renown;
Which mercy sends
For nobler ends.
Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

Doth juice medicinal proceed
From such a naughty foreign weed?
Then what's the pow'r
Of Jesse's flow'r?
Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

The promise, like the pipe, inlays,
And by the mouth of faith conveys
What virtue flows
From Sharon's rose.
Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

In vain th' unlighted pipe you blow;
Your pains in inward means are so,
'Till heav'nly fire
Thy heart inspire.
Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

The smoke, like burning incense tow'rs
So should a praying heart of yours,
With ardent cries,
Surmount the skies.
Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

I am so nerdy...

2008-03-24T11:26:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Dan's world of seminary nerdiness! To the left is a picture of a mid-second century (~150 AD) manuscript of the gospel of John (1:1-14) that I just finished translating for my New Testament Canon class. For those of you not familiar, the language is Greek and this is a fragment that was copied by a scribe.

For those of you who have studied New Testament Greek, you'll notice that it is written in scriptio continua which means that there are no spaces between words and that all of the text is in capital letters. Needless to say this makes it a little more difficult that reading from a regular Greek New Testament.

However, it was fun doing it...and it is a lot of fun being such a nerd!

He is risen indeed!

2008-03-23T12:54:00.008-04:00

Happy Resurrection Sunday everyone! Dan and I are very excited to have his parents visiting with us! We had a good service at church this morning and we're getting ready to feast on some turkey! We hope you all are filled with joy as you celebrate what Jesus accomplished for our great salvation! Here are some pics from this weekend:

Look at those trees! Aren't they beautiful! I love Spring! :-)

These are the pretty flowers that Dan bought me on Saturday!

Here is a picture of us after church. Dan and his dad surprised his mom and I with corsages!

Lights out...

2008-03-21T10:10:00.003-04:00

The look on Saluki forward Matt Shaw's face shown to the left at senior night last month pretty much sums up how all SIU fans felt during this year's basketball season. In fact, as I watched the Salukis play a zone defense for the first time in at least five years last night against Arizona State last night, I wanted to cry too.

Our run of six straight NCAA tourney appearances came to a halt. We lost three times on our home floor (to Indiana, Butler, and Illinois State - Meg and I were there for the Butler game, ouch). ESPN College Game Day came to SIU and, although we beat Creighton, we played one of the most boring games in the history of basketball. Matt Shaw and Randal Falker were supposed to be the senior leaders of this preseason nationally ranked team and they struggled immensely at embracing that role. I could go on and on, but it just hurts too much.

Well, the beauty of being a sports fan is that there is always next year. I am proud of the way the team this year overcame adversity, but we must do better. We have a top-25 recruiting class coming in and our younger players got some good experience this year. Let's hope we can turn things around and return to the form that so many of us have come to expect.

Nothing to sniff at...

2008-03-20T19:07:00.002-04:00

I took the annual drive to Walgreens today to pick up my Allegra prescription. Oh joy! Don't get me wrong, I love springtime and I am glad to see everything coming alive. But I can't say that I enjoy waking up unable to breathe.

Speaking of spring, Meg and I took a look at the garden this afternoon and let me tell you, it needs help. The problem is that it gets so bloomin' hot here in the summer that we can't keep anything alive! So we're torn. Do we spend money on flowers that we know will look good for a couple of months and then wither away and die? Or do we just enjoy the jasmine, the rose bush, and the azalea plant that survived from last year? Maybe I can talk Meg into some silk plants...

My next move...

2008-03-19T22:02:00.002-04:00

It has been a good week so far. I miss Megan -- this is the fourth night in row that she has worked. What that means is that I haven't seen her a whole lot so I am looking forward to the next several days.

Several things are going on right now...

* I am studying for a midterm for my Hebrews to Revelation class. Ugh...
* I am doing some Greek translation from a photograph of a 2nd century New Testament manuscript for my Canon class.
* I am working on a sermon I am preaching at our home church on April 13.
* I am co-teaching a Sunday school class on the Reformation at Uptown church and I am discussing Calvin and Zwingli this week so those notes need to get finished up.
*Then there is that pesky Hebrew grammar and vocab to go over. BTW, I think I am starting to really like Hebrew and that is kind of scary.
*We're getting the place ready for my parents' visit this weekend. We are really excited to see them!

So, life continues to be a juggling act, but God gives us the grace to get through. Plus he gives us really amazing gifts like the NCAA tournament which starts tomorrow. Now if only I can turn away from the TV long enough to get some of these things done...

A New Addict

2008-03-19T14:50:00.002-04:00

I am officially addicted to facebook. It has sucked away over one hour of my day today.

Will you be my friend?