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!