It is shameful to admit, but I have an addiction. I am not sure how to handle it, but I have been without my fix for the last four days and I am really starting to feel the effects. I am having a withdrawal (of sorts), and I am not sure how much longer I can go without another taste...
My addiction is the Food Network. I simply cannot get enough. People taking everyday ingredients (or the weirdest stuff on the planet I wouldn't even imagine putting into my mouth) and making the most incredible looking meals. I make steak, salad and potatoes; they make garlic and horseradish encrusted NY Strip Steak topped with sauteed mushrooms, a bleu cheese topped salad of fresh greens and potatoes al gratin that simply would make a Stoic weep with delight.
The resident Wizards of the Order of the Golden Spatula include such culinary greats as Bobby Flay, Emeril Legasse, Rachel Ray, and (my personal favorite) Giada de Laurentiis (who is a total hottie). It is amazing what they can do with immense creativity and so little effort. I am envious!
By the way, if anyone DOES have a great idea for what I can cook Megan tomorrow night, please let me know...
Friday, June 20, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Message from the land of Toto, Dorothy, and the Wizard
I have now become a Jayhawk. It is official. Although I guess I am not totally a Jayhawk because I definitely went to bat for the Memphis Tigers tonight against those who wore the National Champions shirt. Sigh... Free throws will kill you.
Today was difficult, having my family leave me. It has set in that I am in a new phase of my life. I am living in a place where I have no set length of stay and no set time before I leave. This phase is completely foreign and new to me, and I am not sure how to handle it. I am applying for a new license, changing my insurance, etc. It's insane how much work you have to go to in order to simply live in a new place!
I am also missing Megan like crazy. She is busy with Wildcat Warm Up (WWU), an extended program at K-State. Yes, I am dating a rival in the Big Twelve. I also get harassed for this ALL OF THE TIME! But she is so amazing. I cannot wait to see her again this weekend. We plan to spend time eating dinner, watching movies, and packing her apartment. I just got done UNPACKING, and she starts with the packing. At least we can use the same boxes. Megan is about to leave for five weeks in Japan. For the last six months we have been apart, and I am excited to be able to be around her for longer periods of time now. Plus, it won't cost us $300 to see each other from now on! Whoo hoo! But first we have to endure five weeks of being an ocean apart. This is gonna be INCREDIBLY tough, but I am sure we will get through it with flying colors. She is one amazing woman!
Hope you guys are having a wonderful day... God bless you!
Today was difficult, having my family leave me. It has set in that I am in a new phase of my life. I am living in a place where I have no set length of stay and no set time before I leave. This phase is completely foreign and new to me, and I am not sure how to handle it. I am applying for a new license, changing my insurance, etc. It's insane how much work you have to go to in order to simply live in a new place!
I am also missing Megan like crazy. She is busy with Wildcat Warm Up (WWU), an extended program at K-State. Yes, I am dating a rival in the Big Twelve. I also get harassed for this ALL OF THE TIME! But she is so amazing. I cannot wait to see her again this weekend. We plan to spend time eating dinner, watching movies, and packing her apartment. I just got done UNPACKING, and she starts with the packing. At least we can use the same boxes. Megan is about to leave for five weeks in Japan. For the last six months we have been apart, and I am excited to be able to be around her for longer periods of time now. Plus, it won't cost us $300 to see each other from now on! Whoo hoo! But first we have to endure five weeks of being an ocean apart. This is gonna be INCREDIBLY tough, but I am sure we will get through it with flying colors. She is one amazing woman!
Hope you guys are having a wonderful day... God bless you!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Truths from Packing
As many of you know, I am in the midst of moving from my home in Memphis to Kansas. Aside from college (and various missions experiences overseas), I have lived in Memphis for the last almost 26 years. Throughout that period of time I have accumulated quite a wealth of stuff. Some might even say a plethora. ("Jefe, would you say that I have a plethora of piñatas?")
I want to share a list of life lessons learned in the midst of all of this packing:
1. I own entirely too many books. Seriously, it is insane. Twelve boxes and counting. Now, I know that isn't much for some of you, but when you have to carry each 50 lb box by hand 100 yards from truck to office, it adds up! But I'm not getting rid of any in the near future...
2. I still have clothes from high school. When am I ever going to wear my high school letter jacket again? Or my Ridgeway band t-shirt?
3. I am a sentimental pack-rat. At least at first. By the time it comes to packing, I pick it all up, look through it, think "Why in the WORLD did I EVER save THAT?!?!?" then chunk it in the nearest trashcan, where I store all of my "precious" memories. When in doubt, throw it away! Seriously, you won't ever need it again.
4. I still own entirely too many books...
5. Everything gets heavier the longer you own it. Seriously, my TV didn't weigh this much the last time I carried it. I am seriously thinking about buying a flat-screen tv. (Random aside: How, in the midst of an economic recession, do our screens keep getting thinner and made out of liquified material from the earth's core? Is this REALLY a necessity?)
6. I own four bottles of Tylenol strategic placed around my office, and I have dipped into every one in the course of the last week.
7. It is entirely too difficult to go through 800,000 change of address forms when you move. You have to change your insurance, your bank, your taxes, your voter registration, your credit card info, your driver's license, your dog's middle name, and a whole host of other information simply to be able to change your place of residence. Someone ought to form a company to handle these logistics when you move. It seriously takes the manpower of the entire US Army Quartermaster Corp to simply inform everyone that you are moving. And... you inevitably forget one thing (usually whichever one will be the BIGGEST pain), and thus wind up owing the credit card company late fees simply because you needed to live somewhere else. Sigh.
8. People get INCREDIBLY sentimental when you move. For someone who hates goodbyes, this might be the hardest part of the whole process. So, for all of you reading this, when I got embarassed at all of the nice things you say to let me know you will miss me, let me say this to you: "Thank you! That means a lot. I will miss being here, and I will miss you too. God bless you!"
9. I still own a lot of books. And I keep finding more and more dishes from college. I forgot I even owned one of those!
10. It is hard to think about setting up a new apartment. I just feel like I was getting comfortable in the new place!
And, seriously, am I ever gonne be able to "Wave the Wheat"? No offense, but it is a goofy looking cheer. But, here goes nothing... "ROCK... CHALK... JAY...HAWK! Go KU!"
I want to share a list of life lessons learned in the midst of all of this packing:
1. I own entirely too many books. Seriously, it is insane. Twelve boxes and counting. Now, I know that isn't much for some of you, but when you have to carry each 50 lb box by hand 100 yards from truck to office, it adds up! But I'm not getting rid of any in the near future...
2. I still have clothes from high school. When am I ever going to wear my high school letter jacket again? Or my Ridgeway band t-shirt?
3. I am a sentimental pack-rat. At least at first. By the time it comes to packing, I pick it all up, look through it, think "Why in the WORLD did I EVER save THAT?!?!?" then chunk it in the nearest trashcan, where I store all of my "precious" memories. When in doubt, throw it away! Seriously, you won't ever need it again.
4. I still own entirely too many books...
5. Everything gets heavier the longer you own it. Seriously, my TV didn't weigh this much the last time I carried it. I am seriously thinking about buying a flat-screen tv. (Random aside: How, in the midst of an economic recession, do our screens keep getting thinner and made out of liquified material from the earth's core? Is this REALLY a necessity?)
6. I own four bottles of Tylenol strategic placed around my office, and I have dipped into every one in the course of the last week.
7. It is entirely too difficult to go through 800,000 change of address forms when you move. You have to change your insurance, your bank, your taxes, your voter registration, your credit card info, your driver's license, your dog's middle name, and a whole host of other information simply to be able to change your place of residence. Someone ought to form a company to handle these logistics when you move. It seriously takes the manpower of the entire US Army Quartermaster Corp to simply inform everyone that you are moving. And... you inevitably forget one thing (usually whichever one will be the BIGGEST pain), and thus wind up owing the credit card company late fees simply because you needed to live somewhere else. Sigh.
8. People get INCREDIBLY sentimental when you move. For someone who hates goodbyes, this might be the hardest part of the whole process. So, for all of you reading this, when I got embarassed at all of the nice things you say to let me know you will miss me, let me say this to you: "Thank you! That means a lot. I will miss being here, and I will miss you too. God bless you!"
9. I still own a lot of books. And I keep finding more and more dishes from college. I forgot I even owned one of those!
10. It is hard to think about setting up a new apartment. I just feel like I was getting comfortable in the new place!
And, seriously, am I ever gonne be able to "Wave the Wheat"? No offense, but it is a goofy looking cheer. But, here goes nothing... "ROCK... CHALK... JAY...HAWK! Go KU!"
Friday, June 6, 2008
Solomon -- From Wisdom to Folly
When Solomon begins his rule, it tells us that he is loved by God (3:3). Solomon loves God and desires to build his Temple. He loves God and wants to serve him. Because of his devotion, God gives him the greatest gift imaginable: anything in the world. God offers him anything his heart desires. Solomon asks for wisdom, showing he is wiser than he thought he was to begin with!
Solomon rules in wisdom throughout his years. Yet from the very beginning we see him also acting in folly. He chooses to marry the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh, establishing a political alliance with the strongest nation in the ANE. He breaks God's regulations from Deuteronomy 17, where God tells the kings how to behave. (Indeed, he breaks every single one!)
Towards the end of Solomon's reign he chooses to follow the gods of his wives rather than YHWH, the living God. He builds temples to these gods and worships in them. He raises the taxes of the people to an impossible point and forces them into conscripted labor in his service. He eats better than ANY subject could ever hope to, feasting on meat when most of his subjects had to subsist on bread and vegetables. Solomon's actions anger the LORD, especially because God had specifically appeared to Solomon in person!
Solomon's reign began in wisdom and ended in folly.
What does this mean for us as followers of God?
Solomon rules in wisdom throughout his years. Yet from the very beginning we see him also acting in folly. He chooses to marry the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh, establishing a political alliance with the strongest nation in the ANE. He breaks God's regulations from Deuteronomy 17, where God tells the kings how to behave. (Indeed, he breaks every single one!)
Towards the end of Solomon's reign he chooses to follow the gods of his wives rather than YHWH, the living God. He builds temples to these gods and worships in them. He raises the taxes of the people to an impossible point and forces them into conscripted labor in his service. He eats better than ANY subject could ever hope to, feasting on meat when most of his subjects had to subsist on bread and vegetables. Solomon's actions anger the LORD, especially because God had specifically appeared to Solomon in person!
Solomon's reign began in wisdom and ended in folly.
What does this mean for us as followers of God?
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Who's Really On Trial Here?
I recently preached two sermons out of Job entitled: "Where Is God When It Hurts?" I focused on two aspects of God found throughout the text: The Transcendence of God and the Immanence of God. But something related (but still new) recently hit me:
Throughout Job we find that God reigns. God is seated on his throne, exalted, surrounded by the heavenly host, when the transcendence of God is challenged the the satan interloper. The satan argues that Job only serves God because of the blessings that Job has received; remove them, and Job will lose faith. Suddenly, the transcendence of God is challenged. God is the King, and he gives good gifts to his children. But, will his children rebel if the "gifts" are no longer available? God's reign is challenged: is he a king simply because he buys people off, or do people follow him because he alone is God.
The book of Job presents an account of the attack on Job and his faith. However, their is a deeper accusation at work: the satan is attacking GOD and accusing him of not being the true King! Job's faith is not the only thing at stake: God's reputation is on the line. Thus, the hope of heaven rests on Job's response. Although God is still God in the midst of the challenge, his reputation is in jeopardy if Job falls away in the midst of the heat...
Throughout Job we find that God reigns. God is seated on his throne, exalted, surrounded by the heavenly host, when the transcendence of God is challenged the the satan interloper. The satan argues that Job only serves God because of the blessings that Job has received; remove them, and Job will lose faith. Suddenly, the transcendence of God is challenged. God is the King, and he gives good gifts to his children. But, will his children rebel if the "gifts" are no longer available? God's reign is challenged: is he a king simply because he buys people off, or do people follow him because he alone is God.
The book of Job presents an account of the attack on Job and his faith. However, their is a deeper accusation at work: the satan is attacking GOD and accusing him of not being the true King! Job's faith is not the only thing at stake: God's reputation is on the line. Thus, the hope of heaven rests on Job's response. Although God is still God in the midst of the challenge, his reputation is in jeopardy if Job falls away in the midst of the heat...
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
The Problem with Publishing
If you want to put your thoughts into writing for others to read and interact with, you must be willing to take your knocks. As I first tried the publication game a year ago, I was politely told to try again when I had initials behind my name.
Ok, now I have a set of initials: MDiv. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. Now I can send things out with my personal info and look impressive because I have the credentials. Now we can get down to business.
But, one more small problem: some editors are very helpful, but most are just a level above high school employees at local fast food establishments. They do just enough to get you to come back, but juuuuuuuuuust barely... Also, each one wants you to jump through their hoops. Do it in OUR format, in the way that WE like it, in this RANDOM format that no one on the planet will ever use but we like to be our own individuals because we do and that's that.
Also, publishers now say "the more initials the better." I am thinking of adding more initials to my name: I am thinking about adding Daniel McGraw, BS, MDiv, DDR, and WWII. But, I am open to suggestions...
The publication game is much like dating in junior high: most often the people who are chosen are the least worthy.
Ok, now I have a set of initials: MDiv. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. Now I can send things out with my personal info and look impressive because I have the credentials. Now we can get down to business.
But, one more small problem: some editors are very helpful, but most are just a level above high school employees at local fast food establishments. They do just enough to get you to come back, but juuuuuuuuuust barely... Also, each one wants you to jump through their hoops. Do it in OUR format, in the way that WE like it, in this RANDOM format that no one on the planet will ever use but we like to be our own individuals because we do and that's that.
Also, publishers now say "the more initials the better." I am thinking of adding more initials to my name: I am thinking about adding Daniel McGraw, BS, MDiv, DDR, and WWII. But, I am open to suggestions...
The publication game is much like dating in junior high: most often the people who are chosen are the least worthy.
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