Why they always gotta mess with me?

Last Tuesday while I (Heidi) was hard at work training someone in on the espresso bar, some guy snuck into the back room and stole my credit card and some cash from my purse. He went into my locker, into my purse and into my wallet and then put it all back as it was, minus the goodies. Then he snuck back out and tried to steal our tip jar, which we caught. But after that he spent a good minute trying to explain to me that he had done nothing wrong. Ugh. Why do these crazies always seem to show up in my life? Fortunately Starbucks reimbursed me for my loss and I cancelled my credit card. Crazy. Just another Tuesday.

Movie review: The Second Chance

When I (Tim) heard that the multi-talented Steve Taylor was making a movie, I got excited. He was an innovative musician for many years and one of the more creative people in the world of Christian media. His debut as a feature film director did not disappoint. It is a gritty, realistic portrayal of urban ministry and complacent mega-churches. So gritty, that I am sure some Christian audiences will be offended by it. (There is a moving scene that deals with people who have an attitude like that.) The acting by Michael W. Smith was passable, but jeff obafemi carr was outstanding. I expect to see more of him. Steve did a nice job in the director’s chair, as well as one of the writers. It is so nice to see Christians portrayed as flawed people seeking God’s will and trying to do the right thing. This is a powerful film that deserves our attention. I hope it does well in the box office and that Steve makes more movies.

Sweet scenes: the basketball clinic “Oooo! Larry Bird!”
The staff meeting
Pastor Jake’s speech at the Rock

Turd in the punchbowl: A few subplots needed fleshing out more and the acting was a bit weak in a couple places

What made her different

Before I met Heidi, I went on a lot of first dates. Not many second dates, though. In fact, I was rapidly losing hope that going on dates would result in finding a wife. There were plenty of good Christian women in my life, but nothing ever worked out. I told people that all the women I had gone out with were missing one essential element. That, of course, was her liking me back. I realize now that I was wrong about that. The missing element was her giving me a chance. (Rent the movie Hitch for an in-depth study of this concept.) The thing that made Heidi different was that she did not just write me off right away for one reason or another. She let me hang around long enough to win her over. I am grateful for that.

Since today is Valentines Day, I wish to declare on this blog how much I love my Sweet Baboo and how fortunate I feel to be married to her. Life is indeed good.

Letter to the Editor

Below is a letter to the editor that I (Heidi) sent to Christianity Today Magazine. We subscribe, but I'm not a big fan of this usually watered down publication. This is, of course, only my humble opinion. Let me just say this is a very mild responce in comparision to my initial reaction to reading the report from Luis Palau. I needed about a week and a half to simmer down enough to write it! If any of you have read my entries, you know I have a special burden on my heart for the persecuted church. I'm a stickler for fact when it comes to what Christian brothers and sisters are facing around the world for their faith. I'm not usually one to complain, or seek to make my piece heard in situations like this, but I could not stay silent. So for what it's worth, read on:

"I was shocked when I read the report of Luis Palau’s visit to China in the February issue of CT. I don’t question the validity of Palau’s experience at the registered church he visited, but I’m concerned that his comments may serve as further justification for the majority of the Western church to remain inactive in response to the persecution facing the body of Christ in China. Palau’s experience is in direct contrast to that of thousands of believers there who are counting the cost daily of living for Christ. I hope we can take this opportunity to remember our family in China (Hebrews 13:3), and educate ourselves; that we might bear witness to their testimonies of faithfulness. Please pray for the Christians in China; they pray for you!"

A rock star's heart for Africa

Normally, when a rock star speaks out on an issue, I roll my eyes and make a snide comment. Not so with Bono. In my humble opinion, the U2 frontman, despite his rock star status, has earned the right to speak. This speech was at the National Prayer Meeting and he was sharing his heart for Africa. My heart for Africa has increased greatly since Heidi and I committed to moving to Senegal for full time ministry. Bono said some great things and I would encourage you to follow the link and read the transcript of his speech. I would love to hear your thoughts on what he had to say.

Here is the link: http://www.data.org/archives/000774.php

Talking about the weather

Minnesota is a place of weather extremes. It can be miserably cold here in the winter and miserably hot in the summer. The one nice thing about the weather is that you always have something to talk about. No matter where you are, you can always start a conversation with, “sure is cold, huh?” That, and “the Vikings sure did choke something fierce on Sunday, huh?” I have no idea how people in places like Florida strike up conversation. I guess there is always, “the Jags, Dolphins, or Bucs sure did choke something fierce on Sunday, huh?” But how do you start a conversation when it is not football season? The nice thing about growing up in Colorado was that the weather changes incredibly fast so you were guaranteed something to talk about. Of course, there is always, “the Broncos sure did put a beat down on the Raiders, huh?” I guess God gave us weather so we have something to talk about. And football.