got it goin' on

Everyone's favorite joint is now serving lunch buffet. Kacie and I went to Pizza Joint today and enjoyed the $6.50 spread, which includes about 6 choices of pizza, salad, garlic bread, and drink.

Talking about making the best even better!! Check it out!

rock and roll band

I hated to hear that Boston's lead singer, Brad Delp, was found dead in his home yesterday. Boston is one of my ALL TIME favorite bands. Their music reminds me of swimming in my pool in the '70s and being reunited with their music while in college in the '80s. The front page of the band's website declares, "We've just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll."

They are more than just another band out of Boston, they are my guitar heroes!

Speaking of guitar heroes, check out Playstation's Guitar Hero version of Boston's "More than a Feeling" (expert version, obviously!)

shot through the heart

So I was driving Allison to school this morning when I heard on the radio that Bon Jovi was in Nashville recording a (gasp!) country-inspired album. Look out Keith and Kenny!

I got to thinking of old Bon Jovi songs that could go country and this is what I came up with. My apologies to Jon and Richie and to my 80's friends who are still infatuated with them:

New Title....Old Title

She's Gittin' Outta Here......Runaway

That Stuff's Nasty!.....Bad Medicine

Love is a Four Letter Word......You Give Love a Bad Name

Talkin' to God and Hopin' He's Not Takin' a Break.....Livin' on a Prayer

I ain't goin' nowhar.....I'll Be There for You

Y'all come back now, ya hear?.....Have a Nice Day

Rottin' in Hell.....Living in Sin

Wanted Dead or Alive......Wanted Dead or Alive (Kacie says it's already country)

seasons change

We have been enjoying some spring-like weather lately, sending us all outdoors to enjoy some sunshine. The change in seasons reminds me of how creative our God is. And since we serve a creative God and we reflect his image, we should be creative as well. Church services are no exception. We are very intentional at TrueNorth Church to plan services that have different creative elements that engage people in real and relevant ways.

Because anything else would be just plain boring. And God isn't boring!

scary storm

A serious rain storm came through our area last night. It was the tree-bending, wind-whistling, electricity-killing kind. We ended up with an eighteen year old and a five year old in our bed. I have to admit that I was feeding off their fears because it was just downright scary. I wanted to go get in my daddy's bed too.

So I did.

At times like that, when you know there is absolutely nothing you can do to change a situation, you go to the One who can. All I could do to protect our kids was pray like crazy. It gave me comfort and peace.

Then the electricity came back on.

the case of the disappearing spoons

One of the most perplexing questions in a home can be “Where is my other sock?” You probably have asked yourself that question and have a pile of lonely socks to prove it.

It is safe to say that the question that runs a close race is “Where do all the spoons go?” That has been the issue around our home these last couple of weeks. All of a sudden, our family of five is fighting over four spoons. The last person in the kitchen each morning ends up with a big honkin’ serving spoon. That ruins a good bowl of Lucky Charms!

So, where are the spoons going? Is someone throwing them away with their empty yogurt container? Is there a hidden surveillance camera in my kitchen, being monitored by spoon thieves? Perhaps the spoons teleport themselves to a faraway spoon planet. It is a mystery that would baffle even the experts on CSI.

I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond this weekend to get me some more spoons. I found the open stock container where you can buy individual pieces without buying a full set. And do you know how many spoons they had? None. The bin was empty! Plenty of knives and forks. But no spoons. Apparently this is a bigger phenomenon than I thought. Either the spoons in the stores are disappearing as well or there are other folks like me who are replacing their wayward spoons.

Maybe the case of the disappearing spoons will never be solved. I just know I need more of them and I need them quick! My cereal is getting soggy!

i give up

Today marks the beginning of the Lent season, meaning we are on a 40 day countdown to Easter, not counting Sundays. I don’t know much about the rituals surrounding Lent except that it is easy to identify the season when the cloth doo hickies in church are changed to purple. I also know that Catholics get ashes put on their forehead on the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday. This must be a pretty important symbol because I tried to wipe the ashes off my chemistry professor’s forehead in college and she almost had a heart attack.

Sorry, my bad. I thought it was dirt.

In addition to the color purple and ashes, I understand that certain religions practice the discipline of fasting. In today’s culture this is commonly translated as “giving up something of significant value” for the 40 day period, not counting Sundays.

So I asked myself what I could give up for Lent to show God that I can prepare my heart through sacrifice.

Not that I have to, but I want to.

I have decided that I will give up drinking coffee for 40 days, not counting Sundays (I will celebrate during Journey Team). And it will actually be 39 days, because I had my last cup this morning.

Giving up coffee may not seem like a sacrifice, but every time I think about my morning coffee in my favorite faded out Dunkin Donuts cup, I will instead turn my focus toward God and the huge sacrifice he made for me.