Gretchen taught everyone a new hobby

the slackline

Some pictures from our camping trip.

Some of the guys. Looking good fellas!
Nice job kids, just keep on paddling. These people were NOT from our group.

Some "seasoned" canoeists.

Noonie! The trip mascot, aka Nudie or my personal fave, Butchy.
Hanging out by the fire pit.

A weekend at the Wilderness

Our weekend at the Wilderness Fellowship with friends from church was great. The weather was fantastic, the surroundings were beautiful, and the people were a blast. Some of my (Tim) personal highlights included the intense Bocce Ball game that ended in the woods, going running while Nick rode along on my bike, sitting by the fire and disclosing information about ourselves, swimming and diving off the old pontoon, and Sunday morning worship by the lake. While Matt, Nick, and I were swimming, we reverted back to being 12 year old boys by jumping over each other into the water, pushing each other off the pontoon, and doing Cannonballs. It was cool to see a group of people that did not really know each other come together in God’s creation. I felt like I had made a connection with everyone there and now can count them among my friends.

The people that came were Heidi and I, Matt and Sierra Hegstrom, Michael and Emily Sparling, Gretchen Chamberlain, Angela (Gretchen’s friend), Nick Culp (who just moved to MN and attended BCF once), Matthew Carlquist, Tiffany, and Marlyse. What a fun group of people.

Heidi and I are excited to take a more active role with the young adults at our church. We will have a kick-off after church on September 10. Tell your friends! The group is for both married and single people in their 20s and 30s.

Random thoughts from Tim

 The last 2 times I have played disc golf have been the worst rounds I have played in years. On Tuesday, Eric Unger and I played Kaposia Park and I hit every tree I possibly could and missed most of my putts. At least I found a disc on one of my many trips into the woods and it throws really nice. Somehow I have to get my game back.
 I am excited for the camping trip with the young adult group from church. There is a great group of people coming and I know we are going to have fun.
 My marathon training has been going fairly well. The unusually hot temperatures have been messing up my runs. Last weekend I started a 13 mile run at 5 am and it was already 86 degrees. I do not run well in heat and my training is suffering a little, but I am confident that I’ll be ready on October 1.
 We have not blogged about Africa prep in a while, but it is coming along just fine. There is so much to do and we are feeling a little overwhelmed, but we know that it will be worth it once we are there. Kim and Paul McVety have been fantastic in helping us with the process.
 I love Heidi.

trip West

OK, plane tickets are purchased. We will be in Colorado from September 16th - 30th so all you westerners, mark your calendars cuz we wanna see you!

A FREE Saturday!!

So I get to work and look at my schedule and I'm not scheduled for Saturday! Score! I am ALWAYS sceduled for Saturday. Not that it's a huge deal, I don't really mind, but it sure is nice not to have to work it. So anyway, with our FREE weekend (since a free Saturday basically frees up an entire weekend) we are looking for something vacation-y to do. We won't be able to take a vacation this year so it would be fun to squeeze in a little trip when we can. We were actually hoping to go to New York City and see some freinds, but flights are too much dinero. We don't want to drive very far....which narrows things, but does anyone have any stellar ideas?? We were thinking Duluth for the weekend? Please share your thoughts with us! If we are going to miss a Sunday of church we want to make it worth it's while!

Oh, the pain!

It was time for the July disc golf adventure. Dan, Brian, Robbie, Michael, Grant, and I found ourselves at Acorn Park on Saturday morning. With so many of us, we needed to split into 2 groups. Grant, Brian, and I played together, with some great shots, some bad shots, and a lost disc. At the end of that round, Dan was way out ahead, as usual. Grant and Michael did well for not having played much, Brian did not play as well as usual, and Robbie was 2 strokes ahead of me. Brian headed home and the rest of us hit up Disc Golf Outfitters. When Robbie, Michael, and Grant finished buying their discs, we headed to White Bear Lake for round 2.

The second round of the day provided some drama. Dan continued his dominating play, Grant and Michael continued to learn the game, and Robbie and I had a neck and neck race to the end. When we reached the final hole, he was one stroke ahead of me. My drive was nearly perfect and left me with a long, but makeable, birdie putt. Robbie’s approach shot hit a bush, leaving me with a golden opportunity. My putt barely missed, leaving me with an easy putt to tie Robbie. I tossed my putter, it hit the chains, and bounced back out. It was a horrible sight to see my disc laying on the grass while Robbie danced in victory. Oh, the pain!

Please let me know if you want to join us for the next disc golf adventure in August. The date is still to be determined.

missionary stories

Last week we spent an evening with some M:MM friends and a couple who are home on their first furlough. They are a young couple from Chicago, about our age, who just finished their first term working with the Mandinka people in the southern part of Senegal. It was great to share a meal with them, get to know them a little bit and ask lots and lots of questions. They had their first baby over there in the hospital in Dakar (capital of Senegal) and Eden said the experience was great - as great as giving birth can be anyway! That was encouraging for me to hear. Pregnancy and childbirth seem scary enough to me without throwing in the added stress of a foreign setting. But she said she wouldn't have changed a thing about it.

I don't know what Tim and I expected, but the more M:MM missionaries we meet, the more impressed we are with this agency. Everyone is so normal and down to earth, easy to talk with and very cool. Though I think our hearts are still hoping for a placement with the northern Senegalese team, working with the Wolof people, we are excited to get to know the southern team as well. Everyone is just so cool, we want to work with all of them!!

It was also encouraging to hear conversation about the work in Senegal. It's easy to get bogged down with all the training we are in the midst of and to lose sight of what we're training for. Casting the vision is important. We want to be intentional about starting to think according to the African style of life.

It was a great evening with great food and great friends. We love M:MM!

Movie Review: Pirates of the Carribean: Dean Man's Chest

Three years ago I was surprised by the first Pirates of the Caribbean film. It was amazing, especially since it was based on a theme park ride. The sequel came with anticipation. Heidi and I saw the movie with Kent and Sally at the only theater in Fergus Falls. Unfortunately, an eight foot man sat in front of me, so I needed to move around to see the whole screen. Aside from that, I enjoyed the movie. There were some new characters, clever lines, great sight gags, and an undead monkey. Since the movie is a second in a trilogy, there were some open story lines and a cliffhanger ending, which sometimes feels a little unsatisfying. This movie will enter my DVD collection, which is about the highest recommendation I can give a film.

Sweet scenes: Jack Sparrow’s entrance
Jack’s payment to the fortune teller
The fight on the island at the end
Any scene with the 2 pirates from the first movie

Great line: Tia Dalma: I require payment.
Jack Sparrow: Look.
[shoots the monkey]
Jack Sparrow: An undead monkey! Top that!
Tia Dalma: The payment is fair...

Turd in the punchbowl: Having to wait almost a year for part 3

Heading up north

Tim and I are not really the cabin-every-weekend type but we sure love it when people invite us to their cabins every now and then. We were going to go camping with Tim's sister and fam this weekend but since the forcast calls for blazing hot weather we are going up to Fergus Falls to chill at Kent's folks cabin for the weekend. They actually live there now so it's more of a real home (with A/C for the men) on a lake. We're pumped to go!

As Tim blogged already, the BBQ was great, a lovely mix of new friends and old friends. Very fun times and we got to break in our new grill, which is pretty sweet.

Here's a little shout-out for Amberly who just returned for a "summer furlough" from her ministry in Osaka, Japan. She's been there 2 years and is going back for another. Can't WAIT to see you sister!! Lot's to catch up on.

For any of you out near the CO area, we have to be in Colorado Springs from September 17-25 for orientation to Navigators (MMM is merging with Navs) and a support raising training. If anyone would care to meet us for a little vaca that would be stellar! We are planning to take about 2 weeks off of work plus weekends to be out there, so mark your calendars. Hoping to do a little camping in the mountains either before or after. This announcement is especially for the Rectors, Irbys, Herders, and possibly the Manarys. We miss you guys!!

Tim's thoughts on a July day

 The Ghetto BBQ was great. People that did not all know each other mixed well, the weather was perfect, and we enjoyed some tasty food. We will likely do another one before the snow flies. Matt Carlquist gets special recognition for bringing a fancy salad with homemade dressing.
 We rented two movies from the RedBox in the past week. The first, Firewall, starring Harrison Ford, was a rip-off of The Fugitive and a complete waste of time. The script was lame and Ford is getting too old for these kinds of movies. The second, Glory Road, was kind of like Remember the Titans, only with college basketball. It is an interesting story, told in a family friendly way. Both Heidi and I would recommend it. If you rent it, be sure to watch the bonus documentaries. They are short and include interviews with the actual players and coaches.
 Heidi and I met up with her family for a cookout at Lake Nokomis on Sunday afternoon. Her parents found a quiet spot with some picnic tables and we had an enjoyable time. We finished the afternoon by walking around the lake. It was a beautiful day, too.
 I applied for a job at Habitat for Humanity that would be totally sweet. I would appreciate y’all to be in prayer about this.
 Heidi and I love our church. Bethel Christian Fellowship is a unique church and not so much seeker-sensitive, and we are blessed by it every Sunday.
 Heidi is the best. I totally love her. She is the cutest of all time.

ghetto barbeque

Got plans next Saturday night, the 8th? Well if not, we would love to have you at our very first ghetto barbeque! We scored a charcoal grill/wood burning stove at Patrick's benefit last weekend, as well as a nifty Magic Bullet (as seen on TV), so we're having a little BBQ. If we can find some wood to burn it may even morph into a bonfire at some point in the evening as well. We are going to set up in our cement driveway, aka the "patio." BYOM (bring your own meat) and something to share. And bring chairs if you have them, we only have 3 I think. No need to RSVP. Hope to see you there! Let's say 7pm or so!

Looking for a place to live?

Some dear friends of ours are looking to rent out their Maple Grove townhouse. If you are interested, email me and I will send you the flier. (I couldn't figure out how to post it....) :)


Hello Minnesota friends! David and I still have our townhouse up there - and we are once again looking for renters. I've attached a flier with some of the details. It's a great place in Maple Grove off Bass Lake Road about 2-3 miles west of 494. For the right tenants the rent could be negotiable and pets are definitely okay with a deposit. Please feel free to forward to anyone who might be interested.

If you are ever in Chicago, let me know. I would love to see you!!

-Kris M.

my "little" bro

me and Dan

little smooch for my lil' brother before he heads off to law school, what a smartie!
doesn't he look happy?

Father's Day with a GREAT Father!

We played mini-golf with my family for father's day and Tim whooped us all.
Sadly I lost both rounds, big surprise! it was great fun though!

Fun with fam

Tim's sister Amy was here to visit for a few days.

Tim and his sisters havin' fun.

Here's a picture from our camping trip!
Tim making me breakfast.

A Call to Prayer

I (Heidi) would like to encourage you to take a moment and pray for someone. Maybe you already have someone on your heart and you know they need prayer. If no one comes to mind, ask God to bring someone to mind for you. Either way, I encourage you to intercede on the behalf of another. While it's possible that you may never know how things pan out in the circumstance you're praying for, you can be sure that God hears your prayer and that it's powerful. When we pray, we affect the heavenlies. When we pray in the name of Jesus, darkness has to flee. The enemy is pushed back and strongholds are broken. I was praying for a friend last night that God brought to my mind and it was good; something was happening. Maybe not in the physical realm, but definately in the spiritual realm. In that last three years, many of my prayer have been self-focused due to my circumstance, but last night I was reminded of the importance of pressing into the Holy Spirit on behalf of another. I know there are intercessors pressing in on my behalf. I know this b/c if they weren't, I wouldn't have the strength to keep going every day. I am thankful that God reminded me once again to lift up my brothers and sisters.

Patti M. and Jes S. - I don't think you read this blog, but if you do, know that I am praying for you! God desires for you to be healed!!

Benefit for Patrick

In the weekend paper there was an article written about our friend Patrick, who fell off a roof last October. The full article will be available on the Web for a limited time at http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/living/14839453.htm

Please check it out and please continue to pray for the Showers family. There is a benefit at Woodland Hills this Friday night (article gives information) and we'd love to see you there!

Tim's thoughts on redemption

Redemption is a powerful concept. The idea that something that is bad or evil or something that has been lost could be redeemed blows my mind. Obviously the greatest story of redemption of all time is Jesus’ death and resurrection. Nothing can compete with the fact of a world that is saved through His redemptive act. However, I do believe that God gives us everyday examples of redemption as a reminder of what He did. The medium of film can communicate redemption in a unique way. Here are some of the films that stand out to me as redemptive: (and reasons why)
- The Shawshank Redemption – an incredible movie, heck, redemption is even in the title
- Saving Private Ryan – they risked (and gave) their lives for someone they did not know
- Napoleon Dynamite – the school dork commits a self-less (and funny) act for a friend
- The Mighty – his best friend shows an awkward kid his potential
- Schindler’s List – a selfish man saves thousands in the Holocaust
I got to thinking about this after watching Jarhead, a film with no redemptive value. It is not that I think that all films need a happy ending, but I do not like films that are needlessly hopeless.

Please leave a comment on your favorite redemptive films.

An epic disc golf adventure

On Saturday, there was an epic disc golf tournament. Brian Schrader, Jer Melander, Eric Unger, Robbie Cape, and myself (Tim) arrived at the Lakewood Hills (I think that is the name) disc golf course ready to play. We started slow, with a little too much time spent looking for our discs in the tremendous overgrowth. After a couple lost discs, we made it out to the more open holes and Robbie jumped to a commanding lead. Jer made a long approach shot on hole 4 and Robbie’s approach game was unstoppable. After 9 holes we headed into the woods with me bringing up the rear having had some terrible drives. As we started throwing through the trees, everyone’s score came a little closer together. Brian and I started to catch up and everyone else started having a little trouble. On the last hole (#11) in the woods, I threw a perfect long line drive that gave me a birdie and kept me in the game. When we reached hole #18 (it is a 14 hole course, so we played the last 4 twice) Eric and I were leading Robbie and Brian by one stroke. My drive went wide right and it took me 4 shots to finish. Eric’s drive was perfect, but he missed two putts to finish with a 4. Brian and Robbie made par, so we all finished with 14 (with a Jer right behind). It was tense.

The day was not over, though. After some Wendy’s burgers, Brian left and the rest of us headed to Acorn Park. Keeping our previous scores, we continued playing. Eric must have had his Mojo stolen when he missed the last putt at the previous course, because his play never reached the level he enjoyed earlier in the day. Robbie and I kept a tight race, but I prevailed in the end by 1 stroke, finishing with a 9 at that course.

It was an amazing day of disc golf. Let me know if you want in on the next tourney.

A camping weekend

Heidi and I enjoyed our first solo camping trip this weekend. We went to St. Croix State Park, north of the Twin Cities and next to the WI border. The weather was awesome and we enjoyed hiking along the river, biking on the paved trails, and sitting by the fire. Both mornings I got up and went running on the trails through the woods. (I was really glad I did not encounter a bear. This city kid isn’t used to stuff like that.) We got to relax, eat good food, and sleep without the sounds of the city. I can’t wait until we get to go again. I am so glad that my sweet wife loves camping, and I am also glad that we camp so well together. I sure do love my wife.

Movie Review: X-Men 3: The Last Stand

Anyone who knows me (Tim) knows that I am a big dork and that I love comic books and superheroes and stuff like that. The X-Men have held a special place in my heart since Jr. High. They are the fringe heroes who often are shunned by the society they risk their lives to protect. I am always nervous when Hollywood gets their hands on something I like, since too often they mess it up. I liked the first two X-Men movies, but felt they were a little slow moving. My fears that the third movie would be bad were unfounded. I loved it. The pacing was great and I loved the special effects. The new characters were well done, especially Beast and the Juggernaut. I recommend this movie. (Heidi liked it, too.)

Sweet scenes: Kitty Pryde vs. the Juggernaut
Wolverine vs. the Sentinel
The final battle

Great line: Pyro: (to Juggernaut) Nice helmet.
Juggernaut: It keeps my face pretty.

Turd in the punchbowl: There was no fight between Colossus and the Juggernaut (I know, I am a dork.)

Keep your hands where I can see 'em

Last night as I came home from church I pulled into the alley and a cop car was blocking the way into our driveway. Not really what I expected to see. I quickly realized that nothing was wrong concerning Tim or our tenants, but apparently the two suspects had pulled into our driveway with the cops hot on their trail. Tim was out working in the yard and actually had to duck under the outdoor stairs b/c the police had their guns pulled! The suspects were between Tim and the police right in our yard! Crazy. Nothing "exciting" was going on by the time I got home, so I went inside. Another day in the Phillips neighborhood I guess!

world of opportunities!

I found out yesturday that in a couple weeks I have a Saturday morning off and I didn't even need to request it. Not having to get up at 4am to make coffee on a Saturday morning is like Christmas! So I think we will maybe go camping since it's like a "free Saturday." Hooray!

Roni had her baby, Nolan Jacob and he's super cute! Long and lean like his parents. Yay - I'm an auntie!!

Museum Exhibit Review: Body Worlds

Body Worlds is cool. If you have not heard of it, Body Worlds is an exhibit that travels around the world and recently came to the Science Museum of Minnesota. Heidi and I went with our friend Tammy last Friday night. I was not sure what to expect. Seeing real dead bodies up close has never interested me, but the exhibit was extremely interesting. (I did resist the urge to shout out “I see dead people!” when we entered the exhibit.) The most amazing part for me was witnessing the brilliance of God’s creation. Seeing how complex the human body is and how one missing part could cause the entire thing to cease functioning was awesome. After seeing this exhibit, there is no way you could believe that life happened by mere chance. It is far too complex and wonderful. I recommend taking in the exhibit. It will be in St. Paul until September.

I do have to mention this, however. The entire body is shown. Even parts usually covered by underwear. Children under the age of about 13 probably are not ready for something like this.

Body Worlds

If anyone wants to join us to see the new Science Museum exhibit, Body Worlds, we are going this Friday! I can't wait!!

Just another night

Last night as we were falling asleep around 11pm, we heard shouting from the street and about 7 or 8 gunshots go off very close by. Tim ran to the window in time to see a dark sedan drive away and a few people run off on foot. I called 911 and reported it and in about 10 minutes there were cop cars and we could see them looking around with flashlights on the corner. We heard some shouting and then they jumped back in the car, drove a little ways down and camped out there a while. Eventually an ambulance came. Someone was definately hurt. The whole thing was a little crazy.

update

Let me just say that I (Heidi) am very thankful that our bodies forget what pain feels like. Someday this pain will be nothing but a vague memory and a reminder of God's goodness!

It has been ages since I've blogged and I wanted the world to know that I am still alive. We have been so busy with finishing up with our Perspectives class and I haven't had time to do things like clean or shave my legs, let alone blog! But here I am, taking a break from cleaning the house to say hello.

Some news: my brother got engaged a few weeks ago and we are so excited for them! Ellen will be a great addition to the family! We are having a little engagement party for them tomorrow night. Also, Tim and I were trying to plan a trip to Las Vegas (weird I know) but no one wanted to come with us, so we decided to wait and maybe try to go somewhere else next year. After all the talk about vacationing with another couple, or two, we opted to wait until it would work out better. The more the merrier! So if anyone has any good ideas, let us know. And last but not least, my good friend Roni is bursting with child and due any day now and I am THRILLED to be aunt Heidi once again. Yay baby Sheck! I would post pics of my cute prego friend, but unfortunately that could take me all afternoon and I don't have that kind of time! Maybe once the kiddo is born I can.

That's all, have a great day.

Oh, I almost forgot, if you could keep me in your prayers I would love you for it, it's been a rough week. Thanks!

You forget what it felt like.

The human body is amazing. It forgets pain. Try to remember exactly what something painful felt like. You can’t. You can remember that something hurt, but you cannot remember the exact pain. That explains how women agree to give birth again. They forget exactly how it felt. While no where near as painful as giving birth (or so I’ve heard), running a marathon is painful. Still, I keep doing it. I (Tim) signed up for the 2006 Twin Cities Marathon. I forgot about the pain and just remembered the good parts of my last four marathons. This time I roped Eric Unger in to be my training partner. It should be fun, or at the very least, interesting.

Movie review: Doom

I (Tim) rented Doom for $1 at the McDonald’s Redbox on Saturday night. When you rent a movie based on a video game, you do not expect Shakespeare. However, I did expect it to be better than it was. Doom is dumb and boring. Most of the movie was spent having underdeveloped characters (Marines) wandering around in the dark with a blond woman giving pseudo-scientific answers to why everyone is turning into an evil monster. The audience of this movie wanted to see one thing: monsters being blown apart by big guns. There was one sequence where they showed the first person shooter perspective and that was super cool. Unfortunately, it was three minutes long and was about the only cool part of the movie. Otherwise, there was hardly any action in this action movie. Do not bother with Doom.

Sweet scene: First person shooter perspective

Turd in the punchbowl: The rest of the movie

Tim's thoughts on a beautiful April day.

These are my thoughts today.
• The new Plumb album, “Chaotic Resolve” is amazing. Out of the 4 Plumb albums, this is easily the best. It has the rock of the first album with the real life lyrics for which Plumb is known. This is as good as anything on mainstream radio, and if there is any fairness in the entertainment industry, this album should receive awards and airplay. Do yourself a favor and pick up this album.
• Heidi and I watched two movies recently. Both were terrible, but for different reasons. The first, a Sixth Sense rip-off called Stay was well acted and directed with style, but made absolutely no sense. We watched it with Chris and Zong and when the movie ended, we all said, “what the heck?” It was not even like Memento where everyone would talk about it afterwards, we just agreed “that was dumb” and moved on. The other movie that Heidi and I saw at the cheap seats was The Family Stone. If this movie was supposed to be a comedy, then it was not funny. If it was supposed to be a drama, it was not dramatic. It succeeded in being a chick flick, in that all the males cried the whole movie and everyone that was single at the start was dating someone at the end. Please do not waste your time with either film. (Heidi does share my opinion of both movies.)
• I forget to put on the blog that the HR position that I really wanted went to someone else. It bums be out, but life goes on. Work has been more interesting lately, so that is good.
• Yesterday Heidi and I enjoyed the good weather by running on the Greenway. We did not stay together the whole time, but it worked out well. Running with Heidi is the most fun way to go running. I sure do love my wife.

Dog People

The past few days Heidi and I have been watching Sully, her brother's dog. He is a nice dog and it has been fun to walk him and have him around the house. The only problem we have encountered so far is sleeping. We stayed a couple nights at Heidi's parent's house with Sully and he insisted on sleeping on the bed with us. Mostly at or on my feet. That would not be a problem, except that he is a big dog. Big enough to hog a section of the bed and keep us from a decent night's sleep for several nights in a row. Aside from that, he is a big dog trapped in our upstairs apartment, and he kind of reminds me of the dirty polar bears at Como Park. I feel bad for a big, strong animal reduced to freaking out at the squirrels he can see through the windows. All in all, this has been a good experience to help us realize that, at least for now, we are not dog people.

Birthday party!

Hey everybody, we are having a little, spur-of-the-moment birthday party for ourselves this Friday at 7pm. Would love to see you if you can make it - everyone is welcome! Call for directions :)

Spring

Today is officially the first day of Spring. And my birthday. (Heidi's) Happy Spring and happy birthday to me :)

winter blues

Ugh, Tim and I are both sick. Full-fledged colds, yuck. I even went out and bought a thermometer. Too bad we don't believe in calling in sick. I don't work today, but Tim is at the office. This time of year is the worst, it's cold, grey, snowy, and everyone is sick with something. And it's tax season!

I am ready for spring. Technically, the first day of spring is Monday, my birthday. Tim's bday is next Friday. Who thinks we should have a party?????

Snow Day!

Living in Minnesota with the brutal winter normally have, you would think there would be the occasional snow day. We have not had one in years. Today we finally got one. At least I (Tim) did. I woke to about 8 inches of wet snow covering my car and everything else. Heidi had gone to work a couple hours earlier. So I called the office several times and there was no message about the office being closed. After cleaning off my car, I ventured onto the extra slow freeway and somehow made it to the office without incident. Upon entering, the first person I saw informed me that the office was indeed closed. (Information that would have been helpful earlier.) I headed back out to my car and made my way carefully to Starbucks to see my wonderful, beautiful wife. When I walked in she had just started her half hour break. We hung out during her break, then I settled in with a coffee and did my perspectives homework. On the way home I swung by the McDonald's Redbox to return Walk the Line and pick up a couple more movies. Heidi came home and is taking a nap now. I already watched The Longest Yard and tonight we'll watch The Island. We plan to hit the Y for a little exercise as well. What a great day. There are real benefits to living in the great white north.

reflecting on the week

We had a quick (and yummy) dinner with some Youthworks friends tonight (thanks Kari and roomates!) and now Tim is at Park Avenue to hear auther Ron Sider speak. So I am taking a few moments before I dig into some homework to reflect on the week.

This has been an extremely rough week for me. Lots of homework, some family stuff and a few commitments in the midst of some severe headaches. At some point this week, I realized that I have been living each day in survival mode. Just trying to get through the day, the week, the month, etc. When I get up in the morning, my first thought is ok, I just need to get to work and make it through my shift, then I can close my eyes and rub my temples.

Well, as I began to think about this pattern of "functioning," I could see it for what it really is, a way that I was working in my own strength and giving up my joy b/c of the trial of my circumstance.

I'm not very good at asking for help, but I need some help right now. Please pray for me. Pray that God would strengthen me and give me what I need to "show up" for my life right now. To get out of bed in the morning and go to work. And to praise Him for His goodness to me. This week has been a heady (no pun intended) reminder that I am still in a battle. I know who wins, but I could use some reinforcements right about now.

Too small?

So I'm checking out at Super Target this afternoon and the checker, in her thick Indian accent (always funny), comments on the good deal I found in a sweater for $3.75. I respond with "yea, it was such a good deal that I didn't even try it on!" She says, "what size did you get?" I answer "a small." She says "oh?" and she looks me over and says, "you might need a medium."

What?! I don't believe I asked her for her oppinion on that matter! Well, miss checker-lady, it's fits just fine, thank you very little!

So next time you're at Target be careful what you converse about with the checker b/c they just may subtely call you fat! Or at least fatter that you think you are!

Tim's thoughts for today

• My interview for the HR position went well. I feel good about my chances. Thanks for praying.
• I watched The Second Chance again last night with my Guy’s Group. My hopes for this film to be a sleeper hit like Napoleon Dynamite and propel the director, Steve Taylor, to stardom will probably not be realized. However, it is still a darn good movie and I cannot wait for Steve to make another one. If you have not seen it yet, I would encourage you to check it out.
• Three of my favorite Broncos players gut cut from the team yesterday. Mike Anderson, the former Marine and 27 year old rookie of the year was one of my all time favorite Broncos. Trevor Price, the defensive lineman who mauled the Chiefs on Monday Night Football and was a popular player. Last, Jeb Putzier, the tight end who caught passes in the middle of the field and got hit more than anyone else. I’ll miss them.
• The class that Heidi and I are taking, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, sure is good. There is a lot of homework each week, but I am learning a ton and Heidi and I have had some great conversations from the reading. I would encourage you to check it out.
• I love my wife. She is the greatest.

I need a craft fix

Ugh! We have been so busy lately. I hate being busy. I like down time and I (Heidi) haven't had any time to do anything even remotely crafty in ages. I need a fix! So the next time any of you has a craft party, invite me and maybe, just maybe I can go. But probably not. At least send me photos of your own craft projects and I can live vicariously through that. If any of you know my sweet and wonderful old roomate, Am, you know that even if I didn't have time to be crafty, I could live vicariously through her amazing mad skills in that dept. She's even better than jailbird Martha Stewart!

A sweet opportunity

I (Tim) have an interview on Thursday, March 2, for a transfer to a position with Human Resources at my present employer. This would be a great career move and allow me to use my gifts more. I am excited for this and want it bad. If y'all could be in prayer for me, my interview is at 1 pm cst. Thanks.

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.

Time for a blog about something other than football!

I'm not sure where all my time goes these days, but things have seemed incredibly busy lately. I'm still adjusting to my new 5am schedule at Starbucks and I usually end up sleeping an extra 3 or 4 hours on my day off sleeping in order to have the strength to make it through the week. (prayer point: please pray that God would continue to provide me with adequate energy. I am so thankful that His power is made perfect in my weakness!) We're also taking a class called Perspectives which requires a lot of additional time. While this class is a part of our training for M:MM there is still a lot that needs to be done, or at least started!

Life gets so busy and it's easy for me to get overwhelmed, especially when I am tired and not feeling well. I have been meditating on parts of scripture where Jesus calls us to cast our cares upon him and take up his burden, while laying our own at his feet. In the midst of the crazy lives that we have built for ourselves, God wants us to set ourselves to seek Him, to dedicate time each day and focus on nothing but Him. I pray that today, we would all be able to enter into this.

Tim's thoughts on the much loved Broncos

Only one team can win the Super Bowl. That means that 31 teams do not win it. Only 4 teams play in the conference championship games. That means that 28 teams watch from home. A true fan of an NFL team is only truly happy when his/her team wins the big game. Nothing else is good enough. I need to remind myself that the Broncos had one heck of a great season and that I should not think about the awful game at the end. For most of the season, the much loved Broncos had everything go their way. Opposing defenses dropped interceptions, fumbles rolled into Broncos player’s hands, Broncos defenders were in the right place to make a pick, and running lanes opened at the right time for most of the season. During the AFC Championship game, none of those things happened. Everything went wrong for the Broncos on that day. Our defense left receivers open all over the field, our offense never found a rhythm, and Plummer had his worse game of the year. Sometimes you just cannot put your finger on why things happen in football. Maybe this was payback for the Patriots having their worst playoff loss in 5 years in Denver the week before. Oh well. After all, it is just a game. (Did I really just say that?)

How about those Broncos?

With hardly anyone noticing, the much loved Denver Broncos are playing at home in the AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. With my Elway jersey on and several friends with me, I cheered my much loved Broncos to victory against the defending NFL champions last Saturday night. It was a game where the Patriots made many mistakes and the much loved Broncos made few. Now all the much loved Broncos must do is win the game on Sunday to reach the Super Bowl. I must thank the Steelers for an entertaining game against the Colts last Sunday and also ensuring another home game for the much loved Broncos. I had almost forgotten how much fun it is to have the much loved Broncos win in the postseason. Almost, but not quite.

Go Broncos!

pass the tissue

Ok, in between various projects this morning (I have been very productive today!), I finished Safely Home and I was all tears. Funny thing was I was crying at a really happy part.....what a great book. Seriously. Read it.

Safely Home

I am near of the end of a book that is rocking my world and my worldview. It's Safely Home by Randy Alcorn. While it's a novel, I would consider it a work of historical fiction, very relevant to these times. Alcorn did a lot of research before writing. Without giving anything away, it's about two friends, one American, one Chinese, college roomates from about 20 years ago. They are reunited and have some big decisions to make. It takes a close look at the persecuted church, international relations with China and how the two are related. It is phenomenal. I read a lot, but this is one of the best, most challenging books I have read in a while, except for the Bible! I'm not going to get on my soapbox about how the American church is in a deep slumber regarding the present day persecuted church, I don't have time for that tonight, but I want to strongly encourage you to check this book out. Well worth your time and a very quick read!

my real review

I feel that I must clarify on the review that Tim said I gave this film, Serenity. (His review below.) While it could be considered a form of entertainment, I would never watch it again. First of all, the cast all had weird southern-redneck accents and apparently none of them knew how to put together an acceptable sentence for the English language. It was quite annoying to have to listen to them butcher their words for two hours. Seriously, it was ridiculous. Maybe some would consider the creatioon of cowboy space-guys a success, I found it a little strange. So watch at your own risk! You've been warned!!

DVD review: Serenity

The movie, Serenity, is a unique science fiction film in many ways. First, it was a cancelled TV show that never even made it to the second half of its first season, yet somehow became a feature film with the same cast from the TV show. Second, there are no aliens, an old west feel, and traces of Chinese culture. The cast works well together, the pace of the film is well done, and the special effects were pretty nifty. The Reavers, who are one of the groups of bad guys the Serenity crew must face, were extra scary because the director wisely decided to never quite show them. (If you watch an M. Night Shyamalan film, you know that what is not shown is far scarier than what is shown.) The film’s climax did remind me a little bit of the Doom video game, but that is not a bad thing. There is even a Christian character that the crew stops by to visit for advice and respite and he is done pretty well. While not being theologically correct, Shepherd Book is a deep character who strives to do the right thing, and for Hollywood, that is a step in the right direction. I only saw one episode of the show on TV, and you do not need to have seen it for the movie to make sense. Overall, if you like sci-fi, action type movies, there are worse ways to spend two hours. As Heidi said afterward, “that was an entertaining bit of fluff.”

Sweet scenes: The space battle - “I am a leaf on the wind.”
The Doom inspired fight scene at the end.
The chase scene on the hovercraft.

Turd in the punchbowl: the movie has a disordered view of sexuality that is so prevalent in Hollywood these days

Great line: “Shepherd Book always told me, if you can’t do something smart, then do something right.” - Jayne

A brief rant by Tim

I realize that criticizing the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is a little like fishing for carp with a shotgun, but I have to rant for a moment. They have a show in its 2nd season called “Exalt Him”, which is their Christian version of American Idol. (Probably without snarky judges.) The winner of the contest gets a contract as a Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) artist. As Christians, why do we settle for the Christian version of something instead of creating something new and exciting? Does the world need a new CCM star or another Left Behind movie or cheesy Christian romance novel? Christians end up looking like a bunch of idiots. I hope no non-Christians ever watch TBN. It is just so embarrassing. Am I being too harsh?

Why can’t the Church be on the cutting edge of creativity? I get my hopes up when musicians like Project 86 and Sixpence None the Richer hit the scene and put out something truly creative. Why can’t this be the norm and not the exception? I am holding out hope for a film coming out next month called “The Second Chance”, which is directed by Steve Taylor and stars Michael W. Smith. If Steve Taylor has proven anything since his first album in 1983, it is that he is not willing to settle for mediocrity. My hopes are high.

I would love to hear your thoughts on my rant.

Fantasy Football 2005 review

This was my (Tim’s) best season of fantasy football. I played in four leagues this year, none of them for money. Just pride, baby!

In the YouthWorks! league, I finished the regular season in 3rd place. In the first round of the playoffs, I beat Jeremy Monteith by less than one point to advance to the championship. Then Jim Rogers destroyed me by almost 100 points. I ended up in 2nd place.

In the experimental league with my college buddies and some former co-workers, I finished the regular season in 1st place. In the first round of the playoffs I got knocked off by the 4th place guy, who won the whole thing. I ended up in 3rd place.

My longest running league is a 2 player keeper league with the same guys from the experimental league. I usually finish dead last in this one, so I was excited to finish the regular season in 2nd place. I lost 2 straight in the playoffs and finished in 4th place. This was the league I cared the most about, so I was a little disappointed. At least I am not the #1 pick any more.

My last league was with Matty D and a bunch of people I don’t know. I destroyed the league in the regular season and rolled into the playoffs feeling pretty good in first place. Then I got beat by a girl and finished 3rd. Pride comes before a fall.

I also want to take an opportunity to point out that the much loved Denver Broncos have a first round bye, a home game, and a tie for the 2nd best record in the NFL. All you Broncos haters (yes, Zach Thompson, I am looking at you) can live in bitter jealousy.

gross

the pool at the YWCA was temporarily closed due to a fecal incident. gross. even more gross was that the sign for this annoucement was laminated.

Friends are friends forever. . .

After Thanksgiving, Heidi and I were riding back to MN with my sister, Sally, and her husband, Kent, and their 2 attractive children. Our conversation turned to the impact that certain friends have had on our lives. Since then, I have been thinking about how my life is so much better because of several people’s presence in it. Two of them are people I have not seen in years. Drew Marcus moved to CA when I was 13, but he was a great friend. Marc Maez and I were friends from 7th grade through high school and his fearlessness led me leave our small private school to attend Aurora Central High School and try activities that I would have never tried without his encouragement. He helped me build my confidence by just who he is. Sadly, we lost contact a few years ago. Jess Rector is the most fiercely loyal friend I have ever known. He is the kind of guy who would take a bullet for you without a thought. His wife, Kristi, is my oldest friend and Heidi and I love visiting the Rectors in Loveland, CO. Duane Trantham is the funniest person I have ever known. If you need a laugh or a coconut, Duane will hook you up. He is the subject of the funniest pictures in our wedding. Last, but most importantly, is Chris Heng. The guy is more like a brother than a friend. He and I became friends when we were 7 years old and are still friends to this day. The contributions that he and his wife, Zong, made to Heidi and my wedding were incredible. (He also introduced me to her.) I am so blessed to have Chris for a friend.

For the sake of this entry, I am only mentioning friends from my childhood. My college and post-college friends will have to be the subject of another blog entry.

I am truly blessed and grateful for the wonderful people that the Lord put in my life.

Movie review: King Kong

King Kong is a wild ride. I (Tim) liked it a whole lot. Peter Jackson made an interesting, pulse-pounding movie that does not let up once you reach the island. The 1930’s setting was far more interesting than if it was set in 2005. The actors did a great job, despite spending much of the filming in front of a blue screen. Kong looked amazing and actually seemed like a real ape, not a man in a rubber mask. The movie had little swearing and no artsy sex scenes (like Titanic – gag!). In fact, the interactions with Ann and Jack have a more innocent quality to them, unlike most modern movies. It was also refreshing to see a brave man who did not strut around and a heroine who did not take her clothes off. All in all, I would recommend this film.

Sweet scenes: The Running of the Brontosaurs
Kong vs 3 T-Rexes (big mouths, little arms)
Kong vs. bi-planes

Turd in the punchbowl: There was way too much taking the Lord’s name in vain in this film. It drives me crazy when people do that.

Recapping the week

I (Heidi) was sitting in my psuedo-living room this afternoon thinking, journaling, and praying and it hit me that God really blessed us this week. We had a really REALLY rough night Sunday evening and not much sleep was had. Come to think of it, the entire weekend was really heavy for us emotionally and spiritually because of some incredibly disheartening news we received. But anyway, it's always hard to go into a new week with things weighing you down like that. I even called in sick on Monday because of the aftermath of the prior evening's pain. Thus began our week. As the week progressed though, God blessed us. Looking back on the week I can see answered prayers and much provision. We were also blessed with opportunities to fellowship with old friends and connect with new friends.

God cares about the little things, for instance the UPS package that you really need to come early. (Because we all know UPS is certainly never early - at least not in my experience!) God cares about us and our lives and He knows every detail. I know we read that all the time, assuming you read your Bible :) and we hear it in church from time to time, but sometimes, it's just really, really nice to see it. To see God intervene in a small way just to show that He hears us and He cares.

The older we get, the more hardship we see and experience, and the harder life seems to get. But the closer we draw to Jesus, the less we focus on the hardship b/c we can't turn our eyes away from Him. In the last week a dear friend of mine lost a friend to a bus accident in Nigeria (love you Nicole!!!!) and some dear friends of ours recently found out one of their beautiful adopted sons has HIV. This is some really hard, heady stuff to deal with. It's not fair and I don't understand it. But I know in my heart of hearts, that God is a good God and He desires GOOD things for us. I praise Him for the struggle that I am in b/c it has drawn me nearer to the thrown than I ever could have come without the trial. Has it been a long time? Yes. Too long? It sure feels that way. But I praise Him for the trial and I count it joy.

I know I am rambling on and on, but I wanted to share my heart with you for just a moment. This week I have been blessed by reminding myself that God knows. He knows. He knows everything and I am thankful for that. Know that He knows. And be blessed.

Movie review: Narnia

Heidi and I went to see the new Narnia film with great expectation. We were not disappointed. While there were certain points when the special effects were less than perfect, it was still a great film. The acting was top notch and the story was adapted from the book fairly well. Every book ever turned into a movie has the problem that it never looks as good as it does in your mind, but Disney did a good job. I am particularly glad they did not turn it into a musical and remove all mothers from the story. (What does Disney have against mothers, anyway?) Also, my fears of the Christian allegory being removed or watered down were unrealized.

Heidi and I both give this film a high recommendation. It is well worth your time and money.

“He is not a tame lion, but He is good.” – my favorite line from the movie (and book)

MIT's

We are officially Missionaries-in-Training. That's right, M:MM accepted us!

We found out last week that we were accepted (without any stipulations, I might add) to be overseas missionaries with Mission: Moving Mountains. We're really excited, but it's all a little overwhelming at this point.

So now we begin the lengthy training process: LOTS of reading, about 21 books I think, forming a relationship with an M:MM mentor, working on our IDP's (individual development plan), and learning how to be good missionaries. It's really like a dream, I don't think it's sunk in yet for either of us. Even though we kind if knew it was coming, it's quite surreal. From here on out, it's strategy, stragegy, strategy.

We won't know our placement for a few months yet, but as we get more information, we will post it.

Concert Review: Project 86 and P.O.D.

Last night I (Tim) wandered downtown to join Matty D and the infamous Cape brothers at Club 3 Degrees for a rock concert. And rock it did. The opening act was a local band called Silverline. I expected them to stink, but was pleasantly surprised. They played a short, tight set and I enjoyed them. Next up was Project 86. Wow. They are amazing. Andrew Schwab’s vocals were outstanding and the band was energetic. They tore through some classics, like “Stein’s Theme”, “Play On”, “The Spy Hunter”, and some new songs, like “Sincerely Icabod” and “Something We Can’t Be”. After only 45 minutes they left the stage while the crowd lamented the end of their set. Soon enough the chords of “Tribal” resounded through the Club and Sonny’s long ‘locks were flying everywhere. They played “Southtown”, “Satellite”, “Youth of the Nation”, and quite a few new songs before they ended their set with “Alive”. Sonny communicated a real sense of humility and gratitude to be performing and clearly enjoys what he does. They only played an hour, but they were great. I am glad I got to go. It was a great show.

Narnia

Heidi and I are getting excited for the Chronicles of Narnia, which will be in theaters December 9. We are inviting people to see it with us. So, if you are available on December 10 at around 7 pm, we are going to the Wynnsong Theater in Mounds View. Please let us know if you plan to join us so we can get you a ticket. It will almost certainly sell out beforehand. Please let us know by Wednesday of that week. We look forward to a great film and some fun fellowship.

Check out this 9 minute trailer for the film!
http://www.tv4.se/player/categories.aspx?progId=32353&itemId=%20&treeId= 30141&displayTreeId=

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is a great Holiday. You get a four day weekend, lots of meat, and football. The Broncos pulled out a nail-biter against the Cowboys to keep one of the best records in football. Heidi and I spend the weekend in Indiana with my two sisters and their families. It is always hard to spend a Holiday away from your own family and with someone else's but Heidi was a real trooper about it. In exchange, we'll spend Christmas with her family, which I know I will enjoy.

Also, our last interview for Mission: Moving Mountains happened last night, so we should hear soon if they are going to accept us.

A few things I am thankful for this year:
-My sweet wife
-A family that loves me
-A job that allows me to pay the bills
-A healthy body (still filled with turkey from last week)
-A home that my amazing wife and I have made together
-A Broncos win on Thanksgiving Day
-There are many others but that will do for now.

I love Heidi more than football.

My first declaration of my feelings for Heidi came unexpectedly when I told her that I loved her more than football. I still do. However, anyone that knows me knows how much I love to watch the Denver Broncos. I admit that it is a little unhealthy that I actually have trouble sleeping after they lose a game. (Did anyone else see the loss against the Giants? I had my worst night of sleep in a long time.) I just wanted to take this opportunity to point out that my much loved Broncos have quietly (thanks to the Colts) earned the 2nd best record (8-2) in the NFL. With 6 games to go, things are looking good. While everyone is eating Turkey Thursday, be sure to think of me at my sister's house in Indiana wearing my Elway jersey and cheering like a fool. Heidi will be rolling her eyes and wondering what she did to deserve her fate. I told her at the beginning of our relationship that she did not have to like football, she just had to let me like it. It seems to be working out okay.

Happy Thanksgiving and Go Broncos!!!

Happy Turkey Day!

We are headed to the far end of Indiana this week for Thanksgiving to spend the holiday with Tim's sisters. We're driving out there with Kent, Sally and the boys. Well, Kent and Tim will be driving while the rest of us sleep seeing as we're not leaving until about 6pm and it takes 9 hours on a good day to get there.

It's a little bittersweet for me since this is the first time in years that my mom's birthday is actually on Thanksgiving Day and she's sad that we can't be there. And, the day after is the best shopping day of the year and there are no malls where Amy lives in Warsaw, IN. What?! No malls?! What?! I am more sad that mom and I can't bond over the sale racks and crazy long lines. But marriage is all about compromise, right? It'll be good.

Hope you have a great T-Day!

Blessings

Interview update

Well, we made it through the long day of questions and treated ourselves to frosties on the way home. Tim got "worked over" a little more than I did, but overall the interviews went really well for both of us and we feel good about them. We will hear back from M:MM in about 10 days with their decision. Then we'll have a week or so to make our own decision.

This week we are dog/house sitting in Otsego, MN for some family friends and their crazy little dogs. Three little Lasa Opsas (sp??) named Baby Bear, Sissy Girl, and Mr. Muffin Man. Tim hasn't quite warmed up to calling them by their proper names yet though. So far, there have been two BAs (bowel accidents) and it's only been about 16 hours. Hopefully this isn't a sign for what's to come.

Oh, our friend have stacks of great dvds and a monster TV, so if anyone wants to come and visit this week, give us a call!!

M:MM Interviews

We have our interviews with M:MM tomorrow aaaalllll day. Please pray for God's peace to fill our spirits as we are drilled with questions. :) And for our hearts to be prepared for what lies ahead, either way. Thanks!

weekend update

Even though it's Tuesday, this is my weekend update. I have noticed on many blogs that people always say what they did over the weekend, even if it was boring.

Friday we scored a free meal at Noodles and Co. on the U of MN campus b/c a good friend of mine from high school manages it. A couple times now we have gone to the U to dine at the lovely Village Wok, but stop in next door at Noodles to see if Andie is working and to say hi and she ends up buying us dinner. Can't turn that down. It was a lovely evening and we were able to chat with her for over 2 hours!

Saturday was a blur of crafts and fancy dinners. Tim was working but I had a little craft session with some girlies from college. I didn't get much crafting done but it was fun. Then we went to a fancy dinner for a ministry we're a part of. Great food and we got to dress up!

Sunday was a blur of church and movies. Sunday afternoons are always good for chilling out, running to Home Depot and catching a movie before rushing back to church for membership classes. All in all a nice, but WAY too short weekend.

How was your weekend?

You Are Italian Food

Comforting yet overwhelming. People love you, but sometimes you're just too much.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Hm, I think I would rather be Mexican food, spicy yet dependable. Oh well.

do you want whipped cream on that?

I almost forgot how fun it is to work in a coffee shop. Especially if that coffee shop is a Starbucks. I know they are a big corporation/huge chain and that all the bleeding heart liberals who work for Americorp and always ride their bikes hate them b/c they're killing the little-man-independent shops, but dang, they know how to make a good cup of strong jo! And they offer great benies. There is nothing like the smell of a latte right when the fresh steamed milk hits the carmelly espresso.....sigh. It's so great! I have only been working three days, but I love it already. Today I was able to work the bar, aka make the drinks and it was really fun. I remember a lot more than I thought from a few years back.

Coffe shop girl

That's me! I used to work at Starbucks a few years ago and as of next Tuesday, I am once again a "Cute Little Starbucks Girl." (That's a song title from a band Tim likes.) I'm excited about it; it's a fun job. It's also the new Starbucks on Grand Avenue right next to where Amanda works. I'm following her! We can be neighbors. This isn't quite the door marked 'how to advacne your career,' but this is the door that the Lord opened and therefore, I'm pumped. So, Nicole, now we both work in coffee shops. Only mine is a chain and I'm pretty sure yours is independent. Although, do they even have chains in Cananda? :P Just kidding!!! If only we worked together - how fun!

Well, since it's now time to rejoin the working world, I'd better live it up this weekend!!!

Worst movie ever!!!

I (Tim) feel that it is my duty to warn people about "The New World". A while back I saw a trailer for an upcoming movie (it opens Christmas Day, 2005) about John Smith and Pocahantas. It stars and Colin Farrell and some girl and a bunch of other people. The director is the same guy who made "the Thin Red Line". If you have not seen that film, than you should thank God right now. It is without question the worst film ever made. It is worse than A.I., Waterworld, Two Brothers, F.I.S.T., and Night of the Panzer. This movie will tear your soul from your body. If "The New World" is anything like "The Thin Red Line", it will be three plus hours long, waste the talent of good actors, make absolutely no sense, and be a statement about how awful the United States is. Consider yourself warned.

I would love to hear your comments about your own personal worst movie ever.

you smell like heaven.....

So I'm pushing my cart out of SuperTarget (best store EVER) and as I get to my car and start to load my bags, the "cart-boy" comes over and tells me I smell like heaven. What?! For one thing, I was downwind. For another thing, I am at least 10 years older than him. I had to suppress a heartfelt gaufaw (sp?) and instead I thanked him and got in my car and laughed the whole way home.

Not bad for not having had a shower for 3 days!!

new job

Many of you have been asking about how Tim's new job is going. It's going well. He's been training for the past week and a half. Training, as we all know, can be long and, well, a bit boring, but he's excited to get to the meat of the job. You know how much he likes meat.

Good reminder

I was reading through my blog on suffering from last week and it was a good reminder that there are good days even in the midst of trial. Days when it's easier to see the bigger picture of suffering and it's effect on spiritual maturity. The past few days have fallen into the "bad day" category and have really drained me physically. When you're in pain, sometimes all you can think about is that pain. But it's true that there are good days and God gives you grace to deal. And the joy of the Lord is our strength when we're willing to let it be our strength. I think that's the hard part. Letting the joy of the Lord overshadow the pain/trial/burden/etc. God is always bigger than our circumstances, especially when we feel particularly smaller.

Thanks for reading.

The older we get

The older I get, the more people I know who are suffering. In small ways as well as in big ways. I just got an email from a young woman I know who is experiencing some pretty serious health concerns given that she's also pregnant. And this weekend one of Tim's close friends fell from a roof and fractured his spine. He has a wife and three little girls, 4, 2 and 3 weeks. Life is hard. And it often involves lots of suffering. If not for you, then for someone dear to you. Life is so fragile. Yet, it's this fragile, precious life that Christ calls us to willingly lay down for the Kingdom. Sometimes that doesn't sounds very appealing to me. And at other times, there is nothing I would rather do for the Savior that laid His life down for me while I was yet a sinner. There's another side to suffering and that is that it has the ability to purify. That's why James can say count it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, b/c we know that that testing of our faith develops perseverance and perseverance works in us to create character that we might be mature and complete not lacking in anything. I can tell you that there is nothing quite like experiencing this joy that James speaks of when you're in the midst of trial. No matter how dark life can seem, and it can sure seem dark at times, there is a way for us to rejoice in all things. Yay!

Update on Patrick: he had a 6 hour surgery yesturday that went amazingly well and we are hopeful and full of faith for a full recovery. Please keep he and Lynette and family in your prayers.

Do you know your student number?

I remember mine! I went to the U of MN this morning to get a transcript and what do you know, I still remember my student number.

Concert review: Petra Farewell Tour

I (Tim), being a long time Petra fan, felt the pull to Club 3 Degrees on Friday, September 30, 2005 to see them on their last tour. By the way, Club 3 Degrees is a sweet venue. If you live in the Twin Cities, you need to check it out. Petra took the stage after three forgettable opening acts and rocked the mostly over 35 years old crowd. After all these years, they still know how to rock. They played a few songs off their most recent album, but mostly focused on the old stuff. I was thrilled to hear such classics as "This Means War", "It is Finished", "Minefield", "Dance", "The Coloring Song", and "Road to Zion". While it is true that John and Bob are pretty dorky, I admire their hearts for ministry and love for the Lord. Christian music in 2005 does not hold a candle to bands like Petra, Whiteheart, Mastedon, Bride, and Whitecross in their prime. Those guys had it right. Wow. I feel old. Anyway, it was a great concert.

Orientation

We have our orientation with Mission: Moving Mountains this weekend and we are psyched! It's a really small group, only 6 candidates, including us! There will be staff and current field missionaries there as well and we are excited to hear from them. We are trying to schedule our formal interviews for later this month or early next....the pieces are actually coming together!

Here's another "wedding" photo just b/c it's fun! 

prayer request

Please keep our downstairs tenants in your prayers. They're a sweet Somali family, mom and 6 kids. On Monday night, a man broke in through an unlatched window and pulled one of the girls, Nadira, into a bedroom. He had her in there for a few minutes before Fozia (mom) awoke to Nadira's screaming. He heard her coming down the hall and ran away. No one was harmed and nothing was taken, but they are pretty shaken up. We're a little shaken as well. Shaken, but not fearful b/c we know who our Protector is - God.

God provides!!

Tim hasn't had a chance to blog about this, so I will b/c we want you to share in the good news with us. He was offered the job that he wanted!!!! Yay! We are so blessed and grateful to the Lord. It's quite overwhelming. We prayed for God's provision and we expected it, yet when it came, it was still overwhelming. God is so good to us! This offer came at just the right time. God's timing is always perfect. They called on Monday afternoon and he's already there right now. He's the Recruitment Coordinator for the National Marrow Donor Program in NE Mpls.

When God closes the doors AND windows, He opens the rooftop. I just hope it's not raining.

I think that's the longest title of all time.

I heard back from the job I REALLY wanted and it's gone. As in they aren't hiring anyone for budget reasons. That's the 2nd job I interviewed for to dissappear in that way in a week. So sad. Today has been kind of a bummer b/c of that. I must say, I am struggling to remain optimistic and full of faith. Back to square one. I even felt good about that one! If anyone has words of encouragement to share, now would be a good time.

10 Year College Reunion

Last Saturday was my 10 year college reunion. It all seems a little surreal. I don't feel old enough to have been out of college for 10 years. Anyway, I dragged poor Heidi to the event. She was pretty bored, I think, but survived okay. I had a great time. There is something about being around people that know you well. I also enjoyed showing off my beautiful wife.

The last 10 years have been great. I wonder what the next ten years hold.

Ugh

I needed a break from working on my application for Mission: Moving Mountains. It's so long!! I don't even know what me views on Eschatology are. Frankly I think there are better uses of my time that worrying about that. :) Clearly, I cannot write that. Guess I'll have to make something up. Just kidding!!

Ok....back to work.

What?!

This morning I stepped outside to see what the weather was like only to find a man taking a little "shower" in the water spicket in the side of the house.

word verification

sorry do this to you guys, but we added this in order to to nix the random computer-generated comments. so i you leave a comment, please type in the word verification. it's easy. that way we'll know you're a human and not a computer! thanks! we love your comments!!

Jobs

Tim and I are both waiting to hear back from jobs that we are really interested in. We really want these jobs, so please keep us in your prayers. We are still applying various places and I have another interview coming up, but our hearts are set on 2 jobs in particular. The end of October (aka the end of paychecks) will come soon and we are eager for the Lord's provision. While we are enjoying the time together, being able to volunteer and see family, it's hard to be in such a restricted state of limbo.

It's official

The photos that Amanda took on Saturday turned out great! (You can see her in the background on the pic I posted) I strongly recommend to all you wives out there to put on your wedding dresses again, if you haven't already done so. Great fun!

The Wonderful World of Aldi

Aldi, a discount grocery store that is sweeping the nation has recently moved into S. Mpls. It is a cultural experience to go there - always full of surprises, but we love it. I now buy most of our food there. You never know what to expect and you need to be prepared with your quarter (to rent a cart) and they only take cash. Produce is usually a little sketchy, but it's the best deal in town for ground turkey and tortillas. Sadly, since they don't carry black beans I am still forced to visit other food suppliers.

Last week and on our way out we noticed the an asian women who had been in line in front of us leaving on her bike. Not an unusual occurrence to see folks biking their groceries home, since we do, after all, live in liberal, environment friendly South Mpls. However, her husband was operating the bike, a small bike at that, the groceries were hanging precariously on both handle bars and she was indeed sitting "side-saddle" on the bar between the seat and handle bars. Her husband was carefully pedaling his oversized load home on the sidewalk. Swerving a bit I might add. I tell you what, living in the city, you just never know what to expect. We felt like we were in Thailand again!! It was crazy. You gotta love Aldi! (They even have .25 cherry pies...yum, yum, yum)

We took some outdoor wedding pictures today! It was really fun. And this way Amanda can start her wedding portfolio!! 

bike adventures with Angela

Today Angela and I went on another exciting bike adventure. We always have fun on our adventures, but this was especially fun. We looped around on the greenway and ended up near downtown right next to my old office! Turns out that her friend now works with Matt so we dropped by to visit. Matt was there and it was great to see the old office again - not too much has changed. Almost three great years there. Ah, the memories....

it suits you, but not me

i wore the new suit my mom bought me even though it's certainly not my style. i will just never be comfortable in a suit. thanks for the insight though, Am. you're always the voice of reason. first interview went well, but short. next one tomorrow and then i have another next Monday. groovey. still waiting to hear from Teen Challenge.

what to wear?!

I (Heidi) have two interviews this week - yay! One with Bethel (again) for a part time job that I am really excited about and one with a Technology firm that Mike G. hooked me up with. Thanks Mike! Obviously, that position is for a receptionist, not a techy. Can you imagine?! Not exactly a career move, but hey, an interview is always a start. And I should hear back from MN Teen Challenge at the end of the week as well.

Interviews

Both of our interviews went really well and we are excited about the prospects! My interview was at MN Teen Challenge and his was at the National Marrow Donor Program. This is a good, but challenging time for us. Job searching is always a little stressful, especially when it seems to drag on. Tim is in better spirits than I have been lately, so I would appreciate any prayers you can spare!! Satan knocks at the door with a spirit of discouragement, but I am trying to stay firm. Blessings to you all.

A Batman Moment

A couple weeks ago I (Tim) was running along the Midtown Greenway, as I often do, and I had a Batman moment. I think that many people have these, but call them something else. My sister, Sally, calls it a "Mama bear" moment. Anyway, as I was running I saw a man cruising the Greenway who I have seen several times before. He was in a motorized wheelchair and I believe he has cerebral palsy. Most likely he has a fine mind stuck in an uncooperative body. He struck me as being very vulnerable to anyone that wanted to take advantage of him. In the moment of that realization, I felt like Batman. I decided that while I am near him on the Greenway, nobody was going to mess with him. I would be his unknown protector. Of course, I could not just follow him around forever, so I had to let him go when I reached the street that would take me home. I took a final look up and down the Greenway to make sure that nobody suspisious was lurking about and headed home.

Have any of you had a moment like that? Let me know what you think.

Also, the movie, Batman Begins, is excellent. If you have not seen it, you should check it out. Leave the kids at home, though.

jobs, jobs, and no jobs

Tim has a second and I have a first interview on Tuesday. We both are really interested in these jobs! Please pray that God would continue to write His story through our lives.