I am embarrassed to admit that I was addicted to a computer game called Burger Island for about a week. It started as a free download for 60 minutes of play but after that, my son and I were hooked. We coughed up the $20 and bought the full download. Well, I coughed it up. He just encouraged/begged me to buy it.
I am stuck on the milkshake level (39) but have learned lots of things along the way. For instance, when your burger is burning, throw it in the trash can quickly! Also, when it's time to blend your shake, you need to grab the blender, not the whipped cream. And, if you want to add some pizazz to a burger, make it a Hawaiian burger. That's what we did for our friend Allyson, as we celebrated with her on the purchase of her first home!
Here's the recipe:
1. Take one cooked burger and put it on the bottom half of a nice roll.
2. Put a thin layer of mayo on the top part of the roll.
3. On top of the burger, place one large pineapple ring, then some barbecue sauce, then some lettuce.
4. Put it all together and there you have it....a Hawaiian burger!
Enjoy!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
hot spot highlighted
If you're looking for a nice place to have breakfast and you're tired of the same old, same old, you should try Miss Shirley's Place. The first thing you'll notice about the place is how many people love it. We went on a Saturday morning with some friends, arrived around 10:30, and while we did not have to wait for a table, there was a good crowd present. The atmosphere is nice: bright colors on the walls with tasteful decorations and they even serve my favorite coffee, Seattle's Best.
If you enjoy carbs, this will be a most delightful meal for you and you will struggle deciding between the cinnamon Danish pancakes with cream cheese icing and the variety of specialty waffles. However, if you are a low-carb eater like me, the breakfast is no less delightful as there is a wide assortment of omelets and eggs, of course accompanied by applewood bacon. Or, if you are like Eric Price, you can just eat on both sides of the fence and order pancakes and eggs!
Check it out - you won't be disappointed.
If you enjoy carbs, this will be a most delightful meal for you and you will struggle deciding between the cinnamon Danish pancakes with cream cheese icing and the variety of specialty waffles. However, if you are a low-carb eater like me, the breakfast is no less delightful as there is a wide assortment of omelets and eggs, of course accompanied by applewood bacon. Or, if you are like Eric Price, you can just eat on both sides of the fence and order pancakes and eggs!
Check it out - you won't be disappointed.
perfect timing
For many of us, June 16th was a long awaited day as we saw Shelley Steeves marry Don Marston. As you can see below, Shelley was a beautiful bride! I was thinking of how many years I have prayed for Shelley, asking the Lord to bring a godly man into her life that she would marry. Sitting under that tent in Shell's backyard, watching her walk down the aisle towards her groom was a display of God's faithfulness in answering so many prayers.
Romans 5:6-8 says, "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Christ died for us weak, ungodly, sinful people at the right time. His timing was perfect for our greatest need: payment for our sin. This should increase our trust in Him as we prayerfully wait for marriage, children, a different job, a place to live, whatever. It should encourage us and build our faith as we remind ourselves that "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) I don't know what the "all things" will be in my life. Chances are they are not the exact things I want or think I need, but He is good and sovereign and I'd be crazy not to wait for His "all things" than settle for mine!
Romans 5:6-8 says, "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Christ died for us weak, ungodly, sinful people at the right time. His timing was perfect for our greatest need: payment for our sin. This should increase our trust in Him as we prayerfully wait for marriage, children, a different job, a place to live, whatever. It should encourage us and build our faith as we remind ourselves that "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) I don't know what the "all things" will be in my life. Chances are they are not the exact things I want or think I need, but He is good and sovereign and I'd be crazy not to wait for His "all things" than settle for mine!
Monday, June 18, 2007
idolatry finds me wherever i go
Well I'm back. At least for today. This one's for you Ames!
Matt was gracious enough to give me a few hours this morning to get out for an extended time with the Lord. After enjoying a quiet breakfast while reading a chapter from "Relationships: A Mess Worth Making", I headed over to the library in hopes of finding my favorite spot by the back windows. I made it through the chaos of kids signing up for the summer reading program and thankfully my nook was empty - waiting just for me! I began with a simple prayer asking God to speak to me through His Word, I opened my journal, took the cap off my precise V5 pilot pen (extra fine in case you were wondering), and flipped to Deuteronomy 23 to continue where I left off. Verse one, here we go.....
"No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD."
I wasn't expecting this to be the first thing I read on my special time alone. Still happy for the blog entry Amy? :) I didn't understand the verse, I was suddenly extra thankful that I was a woman, and I felt a bit sorry for men who may have had some terrible accident and were therefore not allowed to enter the assembly of the LORD.
This is just one example of why reading something in context and using good commentaries is so vital when it comes to understanding portions of Scripture. After doing a little research, this verse, according to John MacArthur, refers to eunuchs who willfully mutilated (literal in Hebrew, by crushing) themselves and therefore violated God's creation of man. This was associated with idolatrous practices and was done by pagan parents to their children.
Idolatry always seems to find me. Even amidst a random verse like this, once studied out, idolatry is staring me straight in the eyes. This should not surprise me because idolatry is the most frequently discussed and most seriously condemned sin in the Bible. I wouldn't have seen it in this verse on my own, but there it was.
C.J. Mahaney defines idolatry as a substitute for God that one loves, worships, and serves in the place of God. An idol is a false functional god. It may come from an over-attachment to something that is good; it could be a sinful craving for one of God's gifts more than God Himself. God warns the people of Israel over and over again to "take care, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them..." Dt.11:16 We are warned to "take care" because our hearts are so easily deceived when it comes to idolatry. Idolatry often disguises itself as something else; it likes to hide and stay in the dark. It makes grand promises of satisfaction but it never delivers. It deceives you and then it devestates you. How do you know if you are being deceived by idolatry? At Na, C.J. suggested that we can identify idolatry:
a. through Holy Scripture (Heb.4:12)
b. through the Holy Spirit (Psalm 139:23-24)
c. through the Church. We need to invite the "eyes" of others because we are often blinded by our own sin and our way is right in our own eyes.
I am learning that this must be a daily practice. We can't assume because we prayed about it once and asked a few people and got some feedback and even repented, that we're safe from it's presence. Through the glorious gospel the power of idolatry has been broken in our lives, but the presence of sin remains; therefore, loving something or someone more than God will be a daily temptation for us. By the grace of God, once it is found, we can mortify it with the truth of God's word. As a result we will grow in both godliness and gratefulness to God for His rich mercy towards us.
Matt was gracious enough to give me a few hours this morning to get out for an extended time with the Lord. After enjoying a quiet breakfast while reading a chapter from "Relationships: A Mess Worth Making", I headed over to the library in hopes of finding my favorite spot by the back windows. I made it through the chaos of kids signing up for the summer reading program and thankfully my nook was empty - waiting just for me! I began with a simple prayer asking God to speak to me through His Word, I opened my journal, took the cap off my precise V5 pilot pen (extra fine in case you were wondering), and flipped to Deuteronomy 23 to continue where I left off. Verse one, here we go.....
"No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD."
I wasn't expecting this to be the first thing I read on my special time alone. Still happy for the blog entry Amy? :) I didn't understand the verse, I was suddenly extra thankful that I was a woman, and I felt a bit sorry for men who may have had some terrible accident and were therefore not allowed to enter the assembly of the LORD.
This is just one example of why reading something in context and using good commentaries is so vital when it comes to understanding portions of Scripture. After doing a little research, this verse, according to John MacArthur, refers to eunuchs who willfully mutilated (literal in Hebrew, by crushing) themselves and therefore violated God's creation of man. This was associated with idolatrous practices and was done by pagan parents to their children.
Idolatry always seems to find me. Even amidst a random verse like this, once studied out, idolatry is staring me straight in the eyes. This should not surprise me because idolatry is the most frequently discussed and most seriously condemned sin in the Bible. I wouldn't have seen it in this verse on my own, but there it was.
C.J. Mahaney defines idolatry as a substitute for God that one loves, worships, and serves in the place of God. An idol is a false functional god. It may come from an over-attachment to something that is good; it could be a sinful craving for one of God's gifts more than God Himself. God warns the people of Israel over and over again to "take care, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them..." Dt.11:16 We are warned to "take care" because our hearts are so easily deceived when it comes to idolatry. Idolatry often disguises itself as something else; it likes to hide and stay in the dark. It makes grand promises of satisfaction but it never delivers. It deceives you and then it devestates you. How do you know if you are being deceived by idolatry? At Na, C.J. suggested that we can identify idolatry:
a. through Holy Scripture (Heb.4:12)
b. through the Holy Spirit (Psalm 139:23-24)
c. through the Church. We need to invite the "eyes" of others because we are often blinded by our own sin and our way is right in our own eyes.
I am learning that this must be a daily practice. We can't assume because we prayed about it once and asked a few people and got some feedback and even repented, that we're safe from it's presence. Through the glorious gospel the power of idolatry has been broken in our lives, but the presence of sin remains; therefore, loving something or someone more than God will be a daily temptation for us. By the grace of God, once it is found, we can mortify it with the truth of God's word. As a result we will grow in both godliness and gratefulness to God for His rich mercy towards us.
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