She can't win for losing...
| Martha Stewart, who built a billion-dollar media empire based on her holiday and home decorating tips, was unable to lead her team to victory in a prison decoration contest. Stewart and a team of fellow inmates at a federal prison camp in Alderson, W.Va., crafted paper cranes to be hung from the ceiling. They lost out to a competing team that built a nativity scene showing "pictures of snow-covered hills, sleds and clouds on the wall." (AP 12/31/04)
Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Thursday, December 30, 2004
A Year of Faith
| check out this year in review, a look at the impact of faith and conservatives on the world around us.
|
posted by Anonymous
You Could be Famous
| Here you can match your personality with an actor or actress. I found that I was most like Meg Ryan, even though I wanted it to be Mary Tyler Moore :( I guess Meg's okay.
Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Low Fly Zone
| Rick hasn't blogged about this yet, and so I am going to steal his thunder.
Tuesday evening about dusk we were driving down the highway, and out of no where, WHACK! It scared me to death! I wasn't looking and the noise was so loud that I thought we had hit a deer. I just knew that moments later we would barrell into the woods and meet our death. Not exactly. After the trauma of the immediate shock had passed, we realized that it was just a bird. But the poor little guy did leave some feathers and other yuck on our windshield. From what I surmised, I don't think he lived to tell his other bird friends about his run in with a Jeep Wrangler. That one did him in. I felt bad about being spooked over a little feathered friend when we found out last night that a couple we know hit 3 galloping horses head on the night before Christmas Eve. Thankfully, everyone was okay (except their truck, and the horses). Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
The Lion, the Witch and Religious Liberties...
| what do you think about this article?
do we vote to uphold their rights or deny? |
posted by Anonymous
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Devestation in Asia
|
posted by Anonymous
Serving the Saved (since 1692)
| This site, obviously is just a spoof, but is hilarious(ly sad). You can get a WWJD thong, pay 239 bucks for the plan of salvation (but you do get a free flip phone), find out if you will see your grandpa naked after the rapture (pre-tribbers of course), read baby Jesus comics and find out whether or not you have demons in your colon.
Christie |
posted by Anonymous
WARNING!
| If you are easily offended or overly sympathetic, DO NOT CLICK THIS LINK!
otherwise, enjoy... |
posted by Anonymous
Monday, December 27, 2004
Getting back, starting over
| We are finally home, and hopefully, through with anymore whirlwind trips for quite a while. Our place of abode speaks to the frenzy we have been in the last few months. We get back from one trip, with no time to really even prepare for our next. A path of destruction has definitely followed and our house is a mess. We hope to begin getting back to normal, having clean clothes, clean sheets - I might even cook dinner. Scary. Rick's office at work has also been under renovation, and so it is a complete disaster. All his things are stuck in hallways, closets - all over the place. Today will be his first opportunity to start getting everything back in order. Hopefully, it will be a quick process.
We are really looking forward to the new year and the blessings and opportunities it will bring. We have been without a pastor since last December, and a few weeks back our church called a new pastor who will begin on January 16th. We are extremely excited about him and look forward to the prospect of having a young, energetic pastor who preaches the Word. For Rick, the work load has been very heavy, and I know he awaits some new found balance in that area, I sure do. Hope you guys had a great Christmas, we did. Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Friday, December 24, 2004
For unto you is born this day...
| a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)
Merry Christmas. |
posted by Anonymous
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
The many faces of the Nativity
| Maybe it's just me, but nativity scenes often send me reeling. I mean, I'm glad people put them out and that, to some degree, the real meaning of Christmas is made known. But, really can a couple hunks of glowing plastic even begin to convey the incarnation of the Godhead in bodily form? I think not, but keep on trying. And also, Jesus is always so clean, and neat and solemn. Huh? The scene has definitely been sanitized for our western eyes. What brings the issue up is this. Oh, tell me it isn't real. Jesus, appearing as a Veggie Tale character. Is that baby supposed to be a carrot or a sweet potato, who knows? Maybe this helps relate Christ's birth to kids, but I think they could relate just as well to humans as they could to vegetables, don't you think? And anyway, kids take things so literal, this could scar a child for life. Their theology will be wacked for years and years to come. Unfortunately, this is not the only occurence such as this. Remember the wax nativity at Madame Tussaud's museum this year? And here, you can find out about different nativity interpretations across the world - even one were Jesus is depicted as a cowboy, complete with Jeans (probably Wranglers) and a western shirt. I just hope he is wearing a belt buckle in that one, if not that would be a major redneck fashion faux pas.
Christie |
posted by Anonymous
The weather outside was frightful...
| Cold now has an entirely new meaning to me. Having lived in the deep south all of my life, I considered weather in the 20's to be extreme. However, while we were in West Virginia, I sincerely longed for 20 degree weather. It would have been a welcome delight. But temperatures in the single digits and below were my lot instead. One evening, the cold, combined with the wind chill sent the temperature plummeting to -35. Yes, negative. I always thought that I loved cold weather, but maybe, just maybe, I've changed my mind.
Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Friday, December 17, 2004
Why me?
| Yup, 12am we leave for West Virginia. I really like to ski, even though I'm not a major dare devil, I love the weather and the snow and the entire experience. Snowshoe has more difficult slopes than I've ever navigated before, and I was even looking forward to the challenge that would bring - however, I had made a decision to stay far, far away from any black slopes. The thrill would not be worth the impending spill, trust me. Unfortunately, I am about as sick as I have ever been - and even though I am going, I'm afraid a whole lot of skiing might be out of the picture. I started feeling poorly Tuesday or Wednesday - and now I have a horrible sinus infection. I just started antibiotics this afternoon, and so hopefully before the end of the trip I might start feeling like myself again. It is now after 5pm - neither Rick or I has packed a thing and the only more horrible scenario I can imagine that would be worse than feeling as wretched as I do, is getting to share the experience this evening with 3o teenagers, on a bus, for 14 hours. Dear Jesus, help me.
Catch up with you guys sometime next week. Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Hi ho, hi ho...
..it's off to snowshoe we go. i hope great slopes, no broken bones hi ho, hi ho... we were all set for a nice mild ski trip, but old man winter has settled in and the snow is blowing... the high for monday is currently posted as 11 degrees with 25 mph winds - maybe we won't freeze to death. |
posted by Anonymous
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Check Yes or No...
| Is our blog showing up correctly in your browser?
or are there problems with it? |
posted by Anonymous
Happy Anniversary...
| to my husband.
Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Up and running...
| now i'm off to the gym.
|
posted by Anonymous
AAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!
| well, everything was going great until we had this little virus attack our blog.
I believe it's name was HTML! I tried to take Mike's advice and remove the hit map, which I did successfully. But I'm still wondering how I deleted the bottom half of the HTML coding for our entire site???? Haloscan disappeared so I'll have to go back and fix it soon. Until then, sorry. |
posted by Anonymous
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Technical Difficulties
| Sorry guys, we'll have everything straightened out soon!
|
posted by Anonymous
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
On the Road Again
| We leave on Friday for Snowshoe, WV to enjoy 3 days of skiing. The conditions are going to be better than expected, so we plan on seeing plenty of fresh powder. We've never been to this resort before, but it is supposed to house the best slopes south of New York. Contained within it is our lodging, restaurants, shopping, indoor - heated waterpark and other ammenities that are an added benefit. The trails open at 9am, and don't close until 9pm - so we will be able to get tons of skiing in. Of course, we are taking a bus load of youth with us, and although we will enjoy ourselves, it is still a daunting task that we take seriously. The instances that could occur are ever lingering in our minds. We pray that our 7th graders will somehow find a couple ounces of common sense before we head off in a few days, but somehow, I'm afraid that's not going to happen. Nevertheless, it's Snowshoe or bust.
Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Monday, December 13, 2004
Just Shut Up...
| and read this article.
Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Friday, December 10, 2004
Jesus and FoxNews
| If any of you have not seen the Christmas greetings that are being broadcasted on FoxNews, sit down and watch until you do! I've seen two - one quoted John 3:16 - and another said "For unto you is born this day...a Savior" (Luke 2:11). These are actually from FoxNews - it is their holiday message to their viewers. Whoa! I can't figure out if it is just a political move, but whatever the motive, I think it's awesome that the real meaning of Christmas is being recognized by a national news station. With all of the bruhaha surrounding the holiday season and the actual celebration of Christmas being prohibited in way too many arenas, this statement is definitely a big one and will not go unnoticed. It may only prove in the mind of some that Christianty is just another wing of the Republican party (it is, right?), but it is still good to see the Word being transmitted in such an unusual place.
Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Think about it...
| Lover
By Derek Webb Like a man comes to an altar I came into this town With the world upon my shoulders and promises passed down And I went into the water and my Father, He was pleased I built it and I’ll tear it down so you will be set free But I found thieves and salesmen living in my Father’s house I know how they got in here and I know how to get ‘em out I’m turning this place over from floor to balcony And then just like these doves and sheep, you will be set free I’ve always been a lover from before I drew a breath Some things I loved easy and some I loved to death Because love’s no politician, it listens carefully Of those who come I can’t lose one, so you will be set free But go on and take my picture, go on and make me up Ill still be your defender, you’ll be my missing son And I’ll send out an army just to bring you back to me Because regardless of your brother’s lies you will be set free I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine So you bring all your history and I’ll bring the bread and wine And we’ll have us a party, where all the drinks are on Me Then as surely as the rising sun you will be set free Christie |
posted by Anonymous
why we do, what we do!
| Last night was great!
I've been feeling a little down about my youth ministry here latley. Kinda just feeling like I've been spread so thin - having to handle education and youth and being without a pastor for the past year - that my youth ministry has taken a hit - no, make that serveral hits... but last night was awesome! I've been teaching a series on "This is what we believe" covering some of our basic doctrines and last night we arrived at communion. micah - you and John Piper would be proud - I worked Romans 9 into the lesson! anyway, i taught about communion and baptist's views of communion, etc, etc... and then we took communion. at the end of the night, a guy who's been coming to our church for about a year asked me if he could talk to me in a Sunday School room... so of course I said yes. after we talked for a little while about some things he's been dealing with - he realized that he was not a believer, but wanted to become a follower of Christ! We have one more in the kingdom, and I'm excited. Be praying for Matthew - he's got a lot to deal with in the upcoming weeks, there's going to be many challenges and struggles, but I pray Christ will prevail. |
posted by Anonymous
'Tis the Season to be Busy....
| ...Fa, ra, ra, ra, ra, Ra, ra, ra, ra, ra...
does anyone else have the problem of Christmas Parties? for some reason, every Sunday School class in our church has to have a Christmas Party, and then they think the staff should be there. Now, don't get me wrong, they are all tons of fun, and we appreciate the respect and appreciation shown to us at the parties, but we've already been to three Christmas parties - missed one b/c we were double booked, we have one on Friday, another on Saturday, and then at least four more next week - luckily, we'll be on the ski trip for some of those. does, "free evening" mean anything to anyone? |
posted by Anonymous
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
The time is now!
| We joined the gym yesterday. Although we've always tried to be health conscious, sometimes exercise gets scheduled out of our lives - but we decided to put it back in. The place we joined is open 24 hours, and although it doesn't have a huge quantity of machines, it is still pretty nice. I'm mainly focusing on cardio, but of course Rick is going to add weights to that. We thought we would just wait until the first of the year, but it was one of those things that we knew we had to do now - or someone would find us both, in a ditch, covered in twinkie wrappers. Not a pretty sight.
Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Monday, December 06, 2004
A really cool church...
posted by Anonymous
Friday, December 03, 2004
My wish list...
| After several recent posts and comments concerning the Christian sub-culture, I decided that I would let you guys see a few of my favorite Christian t-shirts that I hope to get for Christmas...
Oh, Deer! - Just shoot me. The Real Thing - I thought Jesus drank Coke? Stick Fight - In this corner... Trading Spaces - Jesus does interior design. Paradise - Easy living being a Christian. Bad Boys - Jesus would have looked good in a uniform, wouldn't he? If I can only get these, and one of those stylish Bible covers, my Christian life will be complete. Christie |
posted by Anonymous
A Relevant 60 Minutes
| Wedenesday December 8th Cameron Strang, from Relevant Magazine, will be appearing on 60 Minutes! He is going to be discussing the emergence of Christians in mainstream entertainment. The documentary will feature interviews from Third Day, POD, Kanye West, and others. Here is a sneak peak of the report.
Christie |
posted by Anonymous
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Jesus, decals and bumper stickers...
| A post over at My Drivetrain of Thought got me thinking about the whole "Jesus T-shirt phenomenon".
actually, i've been thinking about it for some time thanks to the Relevant Magazine article entitled Holy Shirt which posed the question, "c'mon, i mean has anybody ever really gotten saved because they read 'Jesus Christ' in the coca-cola font?" i just have to wonder if all the hype is really making a difference? because my fear is that instead of making a difference it is causing Christians to become isolationists who stop thinking for themselves. All Star United pretty much summed it up with their song La La Land The question isn’t whether it’s true The question's – “Is it working for you?” Marshmallow skies, And custardy pies And nothing’s too hared to do They’re five happy verses or so They told me all I needed to know Ignore all the rest, Trials and tests And threats to my comfort zone Well I’ve got no time to find out what’s real I stick with what I happen to feel It feels grand, When you’re livin’ in a la la land You can name a blessing yourself Stake a claim on power and wealth And strong healthy teeth, A spot at the beach And romance that’s really swell All the saints and martyrs alike Well they would have called a national strike Demanding less pain, More personal gain If only they’d known their rights Well I take it very personally Yeah, I’ve got to know what’s in it for me Ain’t it grand, When you’re livin’ in a la la land I’ve got my prayer cloth collection in my Jesus jar I’ve got the Holy Ghost ridin’ in the back of my car Sometimes He gives a little tickle I go “hardee har har” Ain’t it grand, when you’re livin’ in a la la land My Jesus decal does quite a trick Right above my dashboard I stick it A good luck charm It keeps me from harm And saves me from speeding tickets We had someone call us up the other day a few minutes before our Monday night visitation was to begin - these people had never really shown any interest in visitation before, so it was somewhat strange that they called... and then they asked, "do you have a visit we could make real quick? because our daughter has to make a visit to get her AWANA points and we were just hoping you could give us a visit we could run out and do real quick so she could get her points." it's not a check list people, it's about relationship... it's not about earning points, it's about leading people to Christ... |
posted by Anonymous
we're making headlines...
| well maybe not us individually...but bloggers in general.
According to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary (which, by the way, is my dictionary of choice) the word "blog" was the most looked up word of the year. others joining "blog" in the top 10 are: 2. incumbent 3. electoral 4. insurgent 5. hurricane 6. cicada 7. peloton : noun (1951) : the main body of riders in a bicycle race (thanks to lance i'm sure) 8. partisan 9. sovereignty 10. defenestration (this is my new favorite Youth Ministry word - as in: The angry youth pastor was forced to defenstrate the teenagers and their secular cd's from the moving bus.) looks like people are watching the news - and then trying to figure out what they just heard. |
posted by Anonymous
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
The Holy Grail
| If you haven't seen this article - YOU MUST!
It seems a 5th Grade teacher in California has violated the Separation of Church and State Laws by showing his class an unnerving "religious document" designed to "push his religious beliefs on student." The document - historical in nature, does mention the word God, but has not previously been viewed as a religious document... we commonly refer to it as The Declaration of Independence. Yes, that's right, you heard it here first - the Declaration of Independence has been banned from the 5th Grade class of Mr. Steven Williams on the grounds that he is a Christian and is using this document to spread his religious beliefs. All in favor of banning the ACLU from reading the "First Amendment" on the grounds that they are using it as a tool to propogate their religious beliefs and force them on the rest of America please say, "I!" |
posted by Anonymous
Flashback
| So, what do you guys think about all of the 80's stuff that is once again en vogue? Atari, ROOS, skateboarding, Care Bears , etc... I think somebody was pretty smart and realized that the kids that first loved these things, are now having kids of their own. And whether some little girl likes it or not, she's getting a Cabbage Patch doll, Strawberry Shortcake , and Rainbow Brite because her mom used to play with them. Oh yeah, and My Little Pony, too.
Christie |
posted by Anonymous