Chick-fil-A rules

We're big fans of Chick-fil-A. We love their food, and their cow-centric marketing campaigned is genius.

Yesterday, I was going to get Anastasia dinner there. On Tuesday nights, this particular location was offering a FREE Kid's Meal with the purchase of an adult meal. (It just happened to be Tuesday.) Well, of course I got me and Philip dinner, too.

Later, I was pondering on how often Chick-fil-A gives away their food - like Cow Day where you can show up dressed as a cow and get free chicken or this deal yesterday where we got a free Kid's Meal.

So, I went to their site just a moment ago to get an image to post here, and what do you know...they giving away FREE breakfast sandwhiches Sept 6-10! All you have to do is go to their website and make a reservation. They have had this promotion before and we took advantage of it then.

Yet another great marketing tool brought to you by Chick-fil-A.

Ice Ceam

No, I didn't leave out the "r" in cream. That's the way Anastasia says ice cream, so it's spelled correctly.

Tonight was Anastasia's first minor league baseball game. The Mississippi Braves were playing...well...I think it was Birmingham. I sat down all of 5 mins, but Anastasia had a blast. Our friend, Sandi, and Adeline and their friend showed us a great time! They knew the ropes. Anastasia jumped in the bouncy thing, ate a hot dog (after she had pulled it out of the bun), looked wide-eyedly around the store, walked around the entirety of the walk-way and played on the "Berg" (the grassy hill underneath the scoreboard).

We were going to get some ice cream at the park, but Philip and I decided Anastasia was quickly approaching melt down. So we promised her ice cream on the way home. On the walk out to the car and until we pulled into Baskin Robbins, Anastasia was talking about 'ice ceam.' Our favorite was , "I wanna eat ice ceam in my mouf [mouth]."

She handled the soft serve pretty well. I had braced myself for more ice cream on her than in her mouth. But the true test will be when I'm buckling her in her carseat again in several hours here...will the straps bear witness to the late night ice cream goodness?...i think it will be an affirmative.

Books are to be read according to their worth

I recently started reading God and Football: Faith and Fanaticism in the SEC by Chad Gibbs. It addresses a topic I have often thought about since I became a (Christian) believer in 1998. I had long before been a believer in Mississippi State.

Since being converted, when I have the occasion to go to a Miss. State football game - rather, one we win decidedly - there is a sense of excitement and joy and community and blissfulness that is rarely matched. However, I know that sensation may seem like sadness compared to what believers will experience in glory. What I do get sad about in those victorious Bulldog moments is the likelihood that many people will not share the thrill of rejoicing with me when Jesus returns.

But getting to the title of this blog entry: Gibbs writes about a subject worthy of focus. His introduction is enough to make any SEC loving Christian wince in knowing laughter. Namely, that SEC football is much more attractive than loving Jesus. He describes this with a light-hearted and serious combination that makes it easier to swallow, but true nonetheless.

However, I find myself not being able to read large portions of his book at a time. When I told Philip that tonight, with shame in my heart because his writing style is not lofty or hard to read, he replied, "Books are to read according to their worth."

In essence, Philip was saying that even though Gibbs may have a worthy subject, his tone and attitude can be abrasive as well as humorous, sometimes at the expense of the church. In humor, he takes shots at specific denominations (50, 61, 72/3). Although he is attempting to get a laugh out of his audience, he does it at the expense of the church. He is undercutting the very God he is attempting to seek. Gibbs emphasizes the unity of the fans at the games he visits but fails to promote the same among God's children.

So while I appreciate his quest to find a balance between loving his Auburn Tigers and the Almighty God, there could be more thought put into the ink he spills about Jesus' bride, the church. I look forward to finishing the book...but at much slower a pace than I had anticipated.

A Modern Confession

Father, we confess that we are satiated and bored;
Creation has bored us.
Work has bored us.
Family has bored us.
Friends have bored us.
Our homes have bored us.
Television has bored us.
Redemption has bored us.
Truth has bored us.
You have bored us.
No generation in history has ever had so much to entertain it.
We are jaded and cynical.
We think the world is our servant, so we are not thankful when things go well for us, and we are not patient when they do not.
We believe every desire should be satisfied, so we are not delighted when they are, and we are not humbled when they are not.
We laugh, but do not know joy.
We are captivated , but we are never really awed.
We celebrate, but we do not worship.
We live, but not for you.
Have mercy on us, and forgive us.
Amaze us with grace - blood stained, incarnate, Messianic grace - the Glory of God in Christ.

Though you may not find the entirety of this confession to be true, at the very least a portion has been true of anyone residing in America.

This is a prayer that was printed in a Covenant Theological Seminary chapel service on February 23, 2007. The prayer was written by Rev. Michael Kelly, Green Lake PCA, Seattle, WA.

To be, rather than to seem

To our eternal blessing, Jesus was rather than seemed.

During this week between Palm Sunday and Easter, Jesus would have been participating in Passover. Now, in the 21st century, Palm Sunday gets plenty of attention. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are also well known and observed. And of course and rightly so, Easter is the pinnacle of the week and celebrated by the Christian community.

However, in Matthew 11, there is a passage that doesn't get much attention. Over a year ago, Brian Habig taught on Matthew 11:11-25. The title of the sermon is "Becoming What He Prayed For" on March 21, 2010. Click here, find it and listen to it. Whether you love Jesus or are indifferent to him, listen to it.

To summarize the text: On Palm Sunday, Jesus goes to the temple and looks around. Then he leaves the city. The next day, he curses a fig tree and then goes to the temple and drives out the people doing business there. Jesus and his disciples again left the city, the fig tree had withered up, and Jesus teaches his disciples about trust, prayer, and forgiveness.

Sadly, the church is not always what she seems. Praise God, Jesus was content to be rather than to seem.

Homemade Toothpaste!

We have been going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. In an effort to make my "Wal-Mart/Target" envelope money go further, I've been researching what I can make myself for cheaper than I can get at the store. Not only did I find out that toothpaste is much cheaper to make, but it's actually safer! Apparently, fluoride isn't a great ingredient to brush our teeth with!

This morning I made my own toothpaste! This video calls for oil of peppermint. If you're using peppermint extract, you're going to need a whole lot more than a drop...otherwise it tastes terrible!! I'm excited about my newfound Dave-Ramsey-approving, safe-teeth-cleaning, Zach-Galifianakis-endorsed (not really), toothpaste.

Who's Listening?

Public speaking is a beast. If you do it on any kind of regular basis, it can be provide thrilling highs and disappointing lows.

As a member of the Rankin County Chamber of Commerce, I am on the Elder Services Committee. First Fridays for Seniors is a monthly event designed to educate and inform the aging population and their caregivers about services available to them in Rankin County, Mississippi.

Today, I had the opportunity to educate the attendees of First Fridays about Reliv! I used my notes from a talk I did last year. During the talk, I was admittedly nervous, and had thought after I was done that there would be little interest. I could tell there was at least one or two who were tracking with me and giving me feedback via their body language.

After the talk, I was encouraged that those who evidenced curiosity approached me with feedback. But I was pleasantly surprised that some who seemed to be looking right through me also wanted more information. It was very exciting to have caught the attention of those that seemed to only be feigning interest.

Organization and preparation are key to public speaking. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be. The more organized you are, the clearer you will be. Mix these 2 ingredients together and you never know who might be listening!