why I will not be posting for one week:

I will be here while all my friends in Michigan will be removing snow from their driveways and scraping ice from their vehicles. You gotta love it...

law of diminishing returns

eat turkey... become satisfied.

want more satisfaction... eat more turkey... become generally uncomfortable.

wait an hour... want satisfaction... eat more turkey... become completely miserable.


**don't even waste time on the pie**

a gallery of my recent life...

who would win in a fight?

King Kong vs. Aslan

it's coming

Thursday... dinner at Grandma's
Friday... dinner at Mom and Dad's
Saturday... leftovers
Sunday... leftovers

...you can see where this is headed...

Forget Christmas... Thanksgiving gives the gift that keeps on giving! Yum.

slowly going the way of the buffalo

It's true... soon you'll be mine.
When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew...

people know me

This squirrelly looking fellow on the left is David Crowder. I first heard of him when I was a freshman at Cornerstone University. I am proud of this because at this particular point in time, most of the world had not heard of him. He was a worship leader in Waco, Texas (if that sounds familiar it's because of this) and was little known for his song-writing and performing abilities. That year he and his band of merry men came to my humble college campus and put on a show for a couple hundred students (most who were there only because they got a chapel credit for it). I remember thinking: "if he wasn't such a funny looking little man, he may be what record labels are looking for." Little did I know.... The funny thing is that I found the church that he led worship at on-line and e-mailed him to tell him how much I appreciated his music. He e-mailed me back saying thanks. I didn't really think it was that big of a deal back then...

Now almost 8 years later, this funny looking little man sells out shows, is at the forefront of Christian music and has written many of the songs we sing in our churches today.

Tonight he put on a performance worth noting... and he emailed me once... YES!

The two gentlemen at the top are Shane Barnard and Shane Everett, or better known as Shane and Shane. They joined Crowder in this magical evening of music. These fine fellows visited Cornerstone and performed there all 4 years that I attended, and again, while they were hardly known. With these guys I had the opportunity to be an engineer for a demo they cut while they were on campus in our college recording studio... I still have those tracks if any of you want to hear them sometime.

Tonight they rocked... And I recorded them one time... YES!

So, now that I'm pretty much a staple in the music industry because of those two instances, I have a long list of people I'd like to thank.... 'eh-hem'...

First: David Crowder. Second: Shane and Shane....

(I later find out that these guys don't have any idea who I am and have me arrested for getting past their security gaurds. "Hey, I thought we were tight! Don't you remember? I'm that one guy!")

Seriously, one of the best shows I've been to in a long time.

there's no telling

How many times must something be done in order for it to become habitual?
How long must you go without it before the habit is broken?
Things that I do each day without thinking: such a blessing....
Things that I do each day without thinking: such a curse....
They mold you and make you.
They instill and instruct.
They define and destroy.
They are so difficult to form.
They are so difficult to break.
Through them I'm formed.
Through them I'm broken.
With them I feel deliverance.
With them I feel bondage.
They're where I find my joy.
I need to take them hostage.

from Virginia

Here is the latest email I received from Virginia....


Hello to everyone,

Wow, what a week! It's been a full week of adventure to say the least. It all began last Tuesday, Nov. 2, when my roommate Matilda got a phone call from a friend of ours who told us to stay inside the house and close our blinds. The unrest was beginning to happen in the city. The political situation here is not good. The party that is the head of government was not who the people voted for (they skewed the votes of the people). Because of the dishonesty of the government and the unfair outcome, the people are angry.

Tuesday was when they decided to show their anger. After Matilda came into my room to close the blinds, we began to heargun shotss. That was the beginning of a day full of gunshots, grenades, people screaming, dogs barking, and me and Matilda sitting by the closed blinds, peering through the cracks, trying to hear what we could. I know standing by the window while gunshots are going off isn't the smartest thing, but my curiosity got the best of me. What a scary feeling though.

To save you from all the details, we spent a couple of days inside our house. The embassy advised us to stay inside and prepare to be in there for a couple of days (good thing we had enough bread and water to last us a few days). Friends of ours called us to see how we were because they heard we were in one of the most dangerous spots in the city where most of the unrest was going on. Eventually a couple of days later, while the unrest and violence was still going on in the city, our friend came to pick us up and we stayed at his house for the week. We finally came back home on Monday. It's good to be back home.

During the whole week, people went on strike, so none of the taxis or shops were open, they did this for two reasons: one- to show the government their disapproval, and two- if they did open their shops or drive their taxis people who were rioting in the streets would throw rocks through the windows of their shops or cars, or burn the cars. It was a crazy week to say the least. We have been told that more than 40 people have died, hundreds injured, and 10,000 people have been taken to prison.

The situation has died down now, but many people are expecting spontaneous rioting and unrest, so we will see. It's not fun being stuck in the house for days and knowing people are dying just around the corner. There are many other areas in Ethiopia that are fighting, so please keep this country and the people in your prayers.

On a lighter note, last night I was reading and God began to lay heavily on my heart that I should start a Bible Study. I don't know if it will be me actually leading the group or if a Christian couple that I know would, but I do think it is something that God is leading me to start, so please be praying about that, for wisdom, guidance and for people to be open to coming when I invite them. I'm so excited to see lives changed!!!! I will give you more updates on my life once it resumes back to normal. I would love to hear from each one of you and know how you are doing, so don't hesitate to write.

With love,

Virginia

I love my sister

Believe it or not this is a good hair day for both of us.

nick's pie

So, my brother works at Russ'. Yes, the land of home-made, Dutch goodness. He came home from work tonight and as he came through the door he seemed to be gaurding something wih his life (see fig. A). He could barely hold back his excitement about this fine delicacy as he placed it on the counter. It was a pumpkin pie. I asked him if I could have a piece. He said I'd know the answer to that question once I saw the note he was about to attatch to the box that held the pie. He strategically placed the threatening notice on the box, and as he did so, he non-chalantly said: "You can have a piece if ya want." He must really like me a lot, or really want to kill me... I can't figure out which.

it's all about me, isn't it?

10 YEARS AGO I WAS:
-16 - learning the art of driving a '92 Grand Am
- Dating Rachel Holtzhouse, surely we would marry
- Collecting every Michael Jordan card I could get my hands on
- Not doing homework
- Learning how to play the guitar

5 YEARS AGO I WAS:
- 21 - a senior at Cornerstone University
- taking 27 credit hours in one semester
- Dating Emily Hoppe, surely we would marry
- getting 3 flat tires over the span of one month (thanks Lumina)
- creating the smooth sounds of Eric Grey

1 YEAR AGO I WAS:
- 25 - Living on my own
- Hoping someday to marry
- Not an uncle
- Managing Secondhand
- Wishing I was a rock star

YESTERDAY I:
- Slept in
- Kissed both of my nephews and told them I loved them
- Bought a camera
- Watched Death to Smoochy
- Paid bills (gag)

5 SNACKS I ENJOY:
- Left-overs in Rob's Fridge
- Soft Batch Cookies
- Salsa Verde Doritos
- Buffalo anything
- Turkish Delights

5 SONGS I KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO:
- Hootie and the Blowfish - pretty much anything on their first 3 albums
- Tom Waits- I hope that I don't fall in love with you
- Coldplay - fix you
- Mae - we're so far away
- Beck- loser

5 THINGS I WOULD DO WITH 100 MILLION DOLLARS:
- Give money for planting churches
- Pay off my debt
- Tour the world
- Buy the Detroit Lions and make them a super bowl team
- Buy a goat

5 PLACES I WOULD RUN AWAY TO:
- Colorado
- Front row seats to this
- Europe
- California
- Grandma's

5 THINGS I WOULD NEVER WEAR:
- A Karate Gee
- Man pri's
- Turtle necks
- Mock-turtle necks
- Danny Peas' class ring

5 FAVORITE TV SHOWS:
- Everybody Loves Raymond
- The Office (thanks Ryan)
- According to Jim
- Lost
- Sportscenter

5 BAD HABITS:
- Biting my nails
- Not making my bed
- Blogging
- Fidgeting when I'm nervous
- Eating

5 BIGGEST JOYS:
- Walking with God
- Lauging
- Knowing that I can physically dominate someone
- Isaac
- Will

5 FICTIONAL CHARACTERS I WOULD DATE:
- Lois Lane
- Mary Ann, not Ginger
- Denise Huxtable
- The Little Mermaid (human form preferable)
- Daisy Duke (T.V. version)

thoughts on worship: part one

Many people have different views and definitions of worship. I believe that the biggest mistake people make is thinking that worship is only associated with music. While ‘worship music’ is an emotional response in worship, it does not define it wholly. Worship is a lifestyle. It is a constant and consistent way of life knowing fully that our words, actions and thoughts would not only reflect Christ, but glorify Him as well. When we can grasp this concept and understand its full potential, we can experience God on a more personal level. One man in the Bible epitomized this truth, and that was Enoch. In Genesis chapter 5 we simply read that ‘Enoch walked with God’ (verse 24). He didn’t just pray to God, or talk to God, He walked with Him! This shows me exactly where I want to be and what I want to help others to understand about worship. Worship is not simply an experience. I worship while I am at work, on the phone with my friends, what I watch on television, how I treat my mother, my future wife, kids, etc. It is what I say. It is what occupies my mind and thoughts. It is my actions. Everything I do can be used to glorify God. This done with a pure heart is authentic worship.

I believe that scripture is at the foundation of living this authentic life. The scriptures teach us and mold our hearts to help fully understand our role in the church, our families, in our vocations, and in our lives. Scripture should be a vital part of a worship service in directing people’s hearts toward God and relevant teachings.

I have also learned that worship is not how good you are at something. Everyone has been gifted by God in different areas. In the body of Christ there are arms, feet, hands, toes and so on. As leaders in the church we need to help people discover what role they can serve in and what they can continue to function as. They should not be discouraged if they come to realize they are not a ‘hand’. We should help show them that they are an ‘arm’ and without the arm, the hand is useless. If within the church there is a fully-functioning ‘body’ of believers, sold on authentic worship, there is no telling what sort of radical revolution God may have in store!