Bizarre

Just like a monkey which happens to look like George Burns, the following post is bizarre. All of the following points are true. Some of them are serious, and the others...well, happy Friday!

• Erin and I are watching Anna this weekend.
• Bella is lucky crayons are non-toxic.
• My busy couple of weeks has passed (for now).
• I'm currently listening to Tom Jones.
• My cousin Jason and his fiance are now going to the same church as Erin and me.
• A 12 x 24 poster that we are currently designing for STEM will have paper dolls on it.
• The amount of registered witches has doubled every year for the past 4 years in the Twin Cities.
• Bella is scared of Sesame Street's Elmo.
• I am currently designing wedding invitations (my 5th overall).
• In the midst of all of my work, I'm designing a website for my dad and me. (berntbruce.com)

And last but not least...

• Every time we are about to feed Bella, she runs around Grandma Horkey's old vaccum cleaner. Every time!

Have a great weekend, be sure to watch and support Major League Soccer, and help control the pet population by having your pets spayed or neutered.

—b




Friday, March 31st, 2006/Matthew chapter 26

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. —Matthew 26:36 and 37

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
It's not so much the verses that apply as the history behind them. Throughout Christ's 33 years on earth, there are stories of Peter...well how do I put this...being Peter. He says whatever he's thinking and usually puts his foot in his mouth because of it. (He's my kind of guy. I can easily relate to him.)

Here, Jesus told his disciples to wait while he went to pray, but choose Peter, James, and John to come with Him. An understatement would be to call this an honor. This shows how much Jesus loved Peter despite his past and near future. (Peter was shortly going to deny knowing Jesus 3 times.)

In my humble opion, I think 1 reason Christ loved Peter was he was always up front and "real" with Him. Peter wanted to sit at the right hand of God. He wanted to walk on water with Jesus. He wanted to be more glofied by having Jesus wash all of him and not just his feet. And when Peter denied knowing Jesus, afterwards, he "wept bitterly". He didn't just shrug the incident off.

Peter loved Jesus. So for all of the stupid stuff I say and do, at the end of my earthly life, I want people to say, "Yea, he did a lot of dumb things, but Bernt loved Jesus."

Ran Out of Time...

Matthew chapters 22-23

"God Saw That."

With today's lesson focused on servant hood, I'll leave you with a true story (loosely based) that one of the authors of Mission Maker was involved in.

Down in the slums of India was an old, wiry, homeless man with his prized possession being that of an aging donkey and a rickety cart. He was amidst a 20 foot hill of garbage, looking for the days meal as well as some treasure. Atop of the mound of filth he noticed a shiny can. (Garbage for you and me, but to him, this was treasure.)

Now comes the dilemma. If the grandpa of a homeless man leaves his donkey and cart at the bottom of the hill, he risks them being stolen. He also doesn't know if his wire-haired friend is able to scale the mountain of stink. His potential treasure, he decides, is worth the effort of pulling his faithful companion up with him.

This skinny grandpa and his donkey attempting to climb the garbage hill catches the attention of a short-term missionary. At first the missionary found the site amusing. But as he watched the old man struggle up the hill, he knew should help. He didn't want to help. After all, why should he climb the garbage mountain and risk injury. He couldn't talk to the man since he wasn't comfortable with the language. Besides it was really hot out and he had already put in a hard day's work. The missionary continued his argument with God but ultimately lost. Fine.

The young missionary carefully and tentatively started to scale the filth and got behind the donkey. "This is fun." he thought sarcastically. "Scaling a mountain of smelly garbage, stepping in who-knows-what, pushing a donkey's butt up an hill."

As the missionary pushed with great effort he looked up and realized the old man didn't even know he was back there. "That's just great," the young American thought. But he persisted as they were almost to the top. Stumbling, sometimes knee deep in waste, the grandpa and his donkey reached their goal: a dented shiny tin can.

The old man let out a cry of victory and relief when he reached his latest prized possession. Seeing what was the point of American's unnecessary exercise, he frustratingly thought, "That was it! That's what this whole event was for? A tin can not even worthy of recycling?"

Coming back down and very discouraged he thought he learned his lesson. He was tired, his clothes now looking and smelling like the garbage heap, and the old man never even knew he had helped. "Waste of time," the American grumbled.

Upon passing a small shack of a home near the heap, a man, whom the missionary thought was a drunk sleeping, looked up at him and quietly stated, "God saw that."

The moral of the story:
When we do "nice" things, why are we doing them? To feel good? To be noticed and thanked? Or maybe because God is watching and our true "thank you" or "good job" comes from Him.

—b


Tuesday, March 28th, 2006/Matthew chapters 20 and 21

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." —Matthew 20:25-28

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
Again, Christ contradicts the worldly logic and He also leads by example. As for being a servant, can you imagine if Bill Gates took some time out of his day to help out in one of his mass-producing Microsoft factories? And I'm not talking about P.R. either.

Even though we don't have a status of "Bill Gates", we can still humble ourselves by helping the UPS guy carry up some boxes if he has several to deliver at work, or be patient and let someone merge in ahead of you in rush-hour traffic, or maybe even watch what your wife wants to watch with her no matter how stupid her T.V. shows are. (Just kidding honey, I love you.)

The point is, there are numerous of ways we can serve one another.

AudioBlogging

Welcome to audio post#1.

As another option of typing these posts in (like I'm doing write now), I can also phone 'em in. Neat huh? So I'll probably phone one in (at least try to) on Saturday and Sunday consisting of my "Scaling the Word" section.

Anyway, anytime you see the little button below, you'll know I just phoned one in. Go ahead and click the "Play this audio post" button and see if it works.

—b

What Happened!?!

I still want the throw-up!

Didn't anybody watch and cheer for the Golden Rodents!?! I gave you all an assignment to watch and cheer for them! This is what happens when I put you in charge! (Sorry, I just needed to vent.) :)

The last time I remember feeling this sick about a game is when the Atlanta Falcons beat the 15-1 Minnesota Vikings to go to the Super Bowl. The only thing I'm thankful for is that I wasn't able to watch the game.

I'm going to stop talking about the game since it makes things worse, instead I'll give you a quick recap of our weekend in Wisconsin.

On Saturday, Kevin, De, Erin, Danae and her friend "Jimmer", and I piled in the Dodge Caravan and headed to UW-Milwaukee. Danae and Jimmer's spring break was over and to be honest, I think they were both ready to be back at college. I don't remember much about the drive there (or back for that matter) since I spent the majority of time snoring in the back seat. (Believe me, Erin woke me up several times because I was snoring.)

We dropped off Danae's cargo and Jimmer at the dorms and proceeded to head to the mall. If I didn't know any better, I would have guessed it was the day after Thanksgiving. The mall and parking lot was packed! According to Danae, that's the norm for the mall. We each spent some money at the food court. Where else can you have American, Italian, Cajun, and Japanese food all within 50 feet of one another? Got to love food courts.

From the mall we headed to the local "Pick-n-Save" for dormroom groceries. Now, I don't do well in grocery stores since I soon lose interest and all-but throw a temper tantrum so we can leave. Luckily I was able to entertain myself with some green wire ties and a cheese coupon. (I made a really cool flag.)

We unloaded the groceries and Danae and headed for home. Again, the 3+ hour trip went really fast since I slept the way home. (Now I know why Erin loves to sleep whenever we take a road trip.)

Sunday we (Erin) had a 5 minute presentation in the youth Sunday school and after second service we spent almost 3 hours meeting with our Trinidad team. I thought Session 2 went better than Session 1 a month before. There was more interaction and I think it's becoming more real to people that we are actually going to Trinidad.

Approximately 4:30 we headed back to Minnesota. Both girls (Erin and Bella) slept the majority of the way while I festered upon the result of Friday's hockey game.

So here we are, Monday morning. I hope everyone else had a good and relaxing weekend. And here's to next year.

—b


Monday, March 27th, 2006/Matthew chapters 10 and 11

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often should my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." —Matthew 18:21-22

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
God leads by example. He will always forgive us as long as we repent. We must do the same for those who sin against us (and ultimately against God). I have trouble forgiving someone once let alone 70 x 7. Again, this proves how much we need the Lord's forgiveness and how high His standards are. He demands perfection, even if the Gophers don't. ;)

Dream(er) Come True

Watching a movie with just my wife and dog, could life get any better than this?

Last night was the first weeknight that Erin and I have been at home all night since...honestly, I can't remember. Erin made supper (very yummy I might add) and afterwards we put in the movie "Dreamer". It was very relaxing and just what we needed.

It could have been a little better if I wasn't working on freelance projects at the same time and my health was 100%. (I now know why mom's always say wear a hat and gloves when going outside.)

Anyway, Erin and I are headed to Wisconsin immediately following work. We are leading another meeting concerning the trip to Trinidad. The Gophers play tonight, so if you remember, please root for them and have a relaxing weekend!

—b


Friday, March 24th, 2006/Matthew chapters 10 and 11

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
"Beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and sourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles." —Matthew 10:17-18

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
This is happening more and more in everyday life.

• the Ten Commandments removed from public places
• Christmas decorations cannot be put up when other "religions" are allowed to
• teachers cannot wear a cross necklace
• "One Nation Under God" is unconstitutional
  

Not to mention a man is being tried for death because he converted from Islam to Christianity. His own family turned him in. Was this not foretold in the Bible 2000 years ago!

But we must not worry, fear, or give up hope!
"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved." —Matthew 10:21-22

You Are Here

---> YOU ARE HERE <---

Just a quick update as to an addition to the blog. I took out the daily cartoon and chatroom buttons and added a guest map. You can place your little peg guy (or girl) where you live. Yea I realize most of them will all be in Minnesota and the surrounding states but I thought it would be fun to see if anyone else would post here.

The button is located right above the 7 Dwarfs poll and has a little globe icon on it. Enjoy.


—b

Relaxing Amongst Chaos

ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN News are all listed as "Favorites" on my remote control.

One way I can relax amongst the "Tabasco sauce", is following the world of sports. Right now there is a lot happening, so here's a quick rundown of what's going on:

COLLEGE (NCAA)
Of cource there is March Madness. You can't turn on the TV without being kept up-to-date. This year, it is "Madness". No BIG10 teams are left and peoples brackets are in total chaos. (Mine included.)

The overlooked Frozen Four is going on right now. And both the men and lady Gophers have been invited to the tourney. The ladies are currently in the semi-finals against #2 ranked New Hampshire and that battle will be decided on Friday at our very own Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. The #2 ranked Gopher men will begin round 1 against Holy Cross also on Friday.

PROFESSIONAL
Because Major League Soccer is always overlooked, (yes, there is professional soccer here in the U.S.) I will start with them first. The "First Kick" happens on April 1st. And no joking goes along with soccer fans. They are some of the best fans of any pro sport.

Also having an opening day will be Major League Baseball. Opening night is April 2nd but the Minnesota Twinkies don't play until the 4th. And for you Brewers fans (Kevin), their first game is on the 3rd against the Padres.


The NFL Draft will be taking place on April 29th and 30th. This will finally end the debate of who is going to get Reggie Bush, Vince Young, and Matt Leinart.



The NBA season is coming to a close and KG and the T-Wolves have been out of playoff contention since pretty much day 1.


After the NHL took a year off, this year has been exciting with the relaxed rules allowing for more pucks in the net. Unfortuately our Wild will most likely not be going to the playoffs but it's still a victory in that I have been able to enjoy several games this year at home.

WORLD
Japan defeated Cuba to win the first ever World Baseball Classic. A lot of people wondered how much of a success the inagural competition would be, and it seemed to turn out fairly well.


Last but certainly not least we have the 2006 World Cup. Germany is hosting this year's worldwide football (soccer to us Americans) tournament. The United States is actually ranked fairly high but don't have any respect from the rest of the world. (And rightfully so I might add.)

—b


Thursday, March 23rd, 2006/Matthew chapter 9

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, "Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven." —Matthew 9:2

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
I take prayer for granted. Here 4 guys and their friend, who is a paralytic, rip open someones roof (see Mark and Luke for more details) just to talk with Jesus. All I have to do to talk with my heavenly Father is pray. And when I do pray, I don't take it as seriously as these guys did. Good for them. Bad for me.

Variety is the Tabasco of Life

VARIETY.
Definitely the (Tabasco) spice of life.

Tabasco sauce is yummy. Plain and simple. It tastes great while providing the everyday meal (burgers, broccoli, mashed potatoes, even mac and cheese) with a little kick. The only problem with Tabasco is sometimes you pay for it later on. Your lips might sting a little, or your tummy starts doing flips on it's trampoline; otherwise know as your kidney's.

Variety in the workplace is the same way. It provides that little extra kick to get you through the day. Unfortunately, like Tabasco sauce, you can suffer some draw backs due to your "spice". ie. you don't know how long a certain project will take.

For example, in completing the big freelance project of the year (the 2006 edition of the CityView Report), I knew it would take about 50 hours to complete. Or say a 1/6 page ad for Mission Maker magazine. About 1 hour. No biggie. But, throw in a STEM display that has to reflect a Christian Hunter's Expo, a 4-color marketing poster, and a mass (20,000 +) email, and you have some major Tabasco in your life. (The gallon kind.)

Erin, like it or not, has also been dealing with a variety of projects. Besides her everyday work she has been given the tasks of organizing and delegating jobs for STEM's annual Short-Term Mission Leaders Conference, working on STEM's golf fundraiser, and helping out with Mission Maker sales.

Anyway, to say the least, Erin and I have kept our selves extremely busy. Not only with work, but home as well. Between freelance, Bible study, Awana, and preparing for our trip to Trinidad, I think Bella is starting to feel rejected.

So here's to a little Tabasco in everyone's life and hoping we all remain standing in the end.

—b


Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006/Matthew chapters 6-8

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, "Lord if you are willing, You can make me clean." Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. —Matthew 8:2 and 3

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
The leper has set a great example for us. First he was humble before the Lord. Second, he knew to ask of Jesus' will, and third, he knew Jesus could make him "clean". I like how the leper said "You can" and not "can You". He truly had faith set on Christ.

So often I put Jesus in a box, make decisions for Him, or I pray half-heartedly not truly believing. I need to have faith like this leper.

Busy! Busy! Busy!

I'll hopefully be back up on a regular schedule by Monday. Have a great weekend!

—b

Practicing What I Preach

Here I am, practicing what I preach.

(Stupid Accountability)

When posting a portion of my daily devotional, I risk coming off as preachy. Unfortunately, people can read what I write and interpret is as something completely different than what I had intended. Also, when I am writing, I want people to know that I don't always do what I know I should do. I know what I should do, I type what I should do, but when it comes to doing what I should do, I struggle in doing the do. Make sense? :)

One thing we are commanded to do is take up our cross on a daily basis. In laymens terms, we are to do what Christ says even if we would rather do something else. Well, right now I'm taking up my cross.

Wednesday night is "Bernt" night. I get to sit at home, pop in a boy movie, take a nap, pig-out and basically do whatever I want. (Taking into consideration the house must be clean by the time Erin comes back.) Anyway, the last thing I want to do on "Bernt" night is drive 45+ minutes to Roseville, sit in a church waiting for Erin, then drive her back. Well, here I am.

I am trying to love my wife as Christ loved the church. And one big way that I can show my wife how much I love her is by becoming her driver. I am "washing her feet". And unfortunately I can't hold it against her. That would defeat the whole purpose and this would all be for not. After all, Jesus didn't say, "You should do this for me because I washed your feet."

Sure, I would rather be at home, watching Batman defeat the Joker's goons while eating Oreos and having Bella scarffing up the crumbs. But I'm trying to be more Christ like and put my wife before myself. And to be honest, I appreciate my wife more for making the trip every Wednesday and having a positive impact on kids' lives.

So, this post is supposed to be an encourager as well as an accountability report. How can I expect others to be more like Christ when I'm not. It just doesn't work. I'm going to try harder. I'm going to fail, but since my wife knows what I'm trying to do, she'll remind me. ;)

—b

Revelation chapters 9-13

Wednesday, March 15th, 2006/Revelation chapters 9-13
(I'm somehow behind on the blog by one day so I'll skip ahead to where I am now.)

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
"And they [Christians] overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death." —Revelation 12:11

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
We have the power to defeat sin [Satan], and we will defeat him, because of what Christ did for us on the cross. Jesus promises it will not be easy. In fact, it may even cost us our life. But we must love Christ more than our life and Jesus will redeem us.

This goes deeper than just phyisically dying for Christ. We must, in a sense, die for Him and His cause on a daily basis. We must live our lives as though they are not ours because, well, our lives are not our own.

(Easier said than done, I know.)

—b

Revelation chapters 1-3

Tuesday, March 14th, 2006/Revelation chapters 1-3

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His Throne. —Revelation 3:21

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
Throughout the first 3 chapters of Revelation, Christ continually mentions we must overcome obstacles. And when we overcome them, he rewards us. Unfortunatley for our "gotta have it now, drive-thru" society we don't see them until we are in heaven.

But, as Christ always led by example, we must follow His lead and overcome whatever obstacles (sin) are keeping us from having a personal relationship with Him.

—b

TWO-POST SPECIAL EDITION

For post number 2 of the day, I'm going to bring some special attention to some prayer requests in no particular order

• UNCLE PAUL: Knee surgery #8. Pray for a quick recovery time also there will be no knee surgery #9.
  

• J-BONE (JOSH JOHNSON): He will be a light in darkness while at spring break in Mexico. Also, he will be protected from any temptations he will face.
  

• EMILY EIDSMOE: Fulfilling graduation requirements while studying in Leeds, England. Also, that God would grant her wisdom and peace.

• GRANDMA JOHNSON: She would continue to transition well into a nursing home as well as recover from her 3 recent surgeries.

• OUR PARENTS (EIDSMOE & JOHNSON): In dealing with their ailing parents and everything that goes with that responsibility.

• ERIN & MYSELF: In having to make a possibly huge decision.

If anyone has anything else they would like to be prayed for, please type it up in the little prayer request message board or comment in this section. Know that Erin and I lift these requests up to our heavenly Father almost on a daily basis.

—b

"In Like a Lion..."

"...Out Like a Lamb."
Well, is this what happens during the transition?

If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, then I have 4,000 plus comin' at ya.

All I can say is: Keep the snow comin'!

—b

I'm going to blame the dog on this one. ;) She didn't wake me up 'til 6:32 am so I owe the Lord some time tonight.

Life's Uncertainties

2:32 am yesterday morning, I woke up to Erin having difficulty breathing.
Now, let me clarify...it's not as bad as it sounds. Too be completely honest, I am still confused as to what happened. But I will tell you what I know.

First off, Erin is fine. (Well, she married a goof for a husband, but other than that, she is fine.) ;) Anyway, Erin's crying woke me up early yesterday morning. It was more of a "I'm dying because I can't take deep breaths but I don't want you to take me to a hospital" cry. Basically, she was freaking out. And I mean that in the nicest, most sympathetic way possible.

In between the crying and panicking, she was able to convey she had a pain immediately below her sternum. She could breath, all be it ever so shallow. Because of her pain while breathing, she started to cry, which in turn, made it even more difficult to breath. (Kind a fun chain of events.)

Anyway, after coming to my senses and realizing that me being Spider-Man was just a dream, I tried to first settle her down and reassure her that she was going to be ok. She turned down my offer to bring her to the hospital. I then offered to perform a homemade trachiatomy (I have no idea how to spell that word) by using only a spoon and a hollow pen (MacGuyver would be proud). I received the infamous "look of 'I'm going to kill you if I survive this' look" and quickly realized that trying to bring some humor to the situation was not a good idea.

Time was moving as slowly as this post is. I hate the feeling of helplessness. What was I supposed to do? So, I did the only thing I could do...stay with her and try and help her anyway I could.

Stumbling out of the bedroom and into the guest bathroom, she got a close look at the inside of our American Standard toilet and shared with me what she had eaten that day. (She later told me she choose that bathroom because it was cleaner than the one connected to our room. Number 1,883,916 on the list of what I find confusing about women.) After a few flushes turned into what seemed a few hours, and debating if we should sleep on the linoleum floor, I helped her into bed.

Hitting the play button on the DVD remote, Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" graced us with it's Victorian age clothing and British accents. I made sure to stay awake until Erin fell asleep. Luckily that didn't take very long. (Although I never got to see what happened between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Oh how I do hope that one such as the ever so mysterious Mr. Darcy comes to terms with his undeniable infatuation with the lovely miss Elizabeth.)

It must have been a little after 4:00 am by the time I fell asleep. I had called STEM around 3:00 am to let them know why I was going to be late the next work day. I ended up being 1:30 pm late the next work day. Everyone at STEM was genuinely concerned for Erin which is such a benefit to working here.

Having said that, I will end my novel of a post here by stating the obvious...You never know what's going to happen any time of the day so our hearts must always be ready to spend eternity with our heavenly father.

—b


Friday, March 10th, 2006/1 John

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
They [false teachers] went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. —1 John 2:19

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
In my young Christian opinion, I believe this passage answers the question of interpretation of 2 Peter 2:20-22. Summing it up, we can't fall away from the faith if we never truly had it to begin with.

HTML Fun

What happened to yesterday's post?
I don't know.

I was out of the office pretty much for the entire day yesterday. But when I did try and publish my "Touch 'Em All Kirby Puckett!" post, I got an error message. Hmmm. Ok.

This morning, Bella woke up at 3:32 am instead her usual 5:00 am. So I took her out and went back to bed assuming she would wake up in about an hour and a half. Well, it turned out to be two and half hours instead. Since I didn't have time to do my Bible study, I ended up praying for a certain situation that some of you know about.

Sorry, I don't have a small devotion today.

Be back tomorrow.

—b

Touch 'Em All Kirby Puckett!

To fellow Minnesotan's, the phrase "Touch 'em all Kirby Puckett!" is the equivelant as "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" is to the rest of America.

Even if you aren't a sports fan, you have heard of Kirby Puckett. He is as synonomous with Minnesota as the Mall of America, cold weather, and the Mary Tyler Moore show. He comes with the territory.

Growing up watching the Twins peak in the late 80's and early 90's, we knew we always had a shot because we had number 34. Everyone liked him. I think that's why my favorite Twin was third baseman Gary Gaetti, and my brother Leif's was catcher Tim Laudner. Just for the simple fact that Kirby Puckett was everybody's favorite Twin.

Now that I'm a little bit older, and I'm not as starstruck with sports heros (except maybe Barry Sanders) I can really appreciate Kirby's talent. Watching highlights of this short, stockey, little guy leap tall baseball fences in a single bound is still amazing. He made it look so easy.

Back to reality...after glaucoma ended his career early and now that a stroke ended his life early, we should remember him as what he was, a superman on the field. Yet just like everyone else, the "world" was his kryptonite.

I'll end here by answering the famous exclamation "Touch 'em all Kirby Puckett!" by saying, "He did. And, thank you."

—b

Monday, March 7th, 2006/1 Peter chapters 3-5

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
Be of sober spirity, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowels around tlike a raring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, —1 Peter 5:8-9a

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
Satan is our true enemy, not other people. Like a lion, he will pick off those who are weaker and stray from the path. So we must continue to walk with the Lord on a daily basis as well as be in Christian fellowship so that we may encourage one another. The stronger we are in Christ, the harder it is for satan to pick us off.

What is Blokus, Gophers, and Gay Cowboys

Our weekend, Jeopardy style.

CATEGORY: Friday Night
Answer: Because our townhome is so far south, when friends come to visit, they often think they will end up in this corn-field covered state.
Question: What is Iowa.

Answer: This award winning, "Tetris" style board game was introduced to us by friends Cliff and Michelle.
Question: What is Blokus.

Answer: This song contained on the Beatles "Rubber Soul" album is often sung to Michelle by by the elderly men while she is helping them with their phyisical therapy.
Question: What is Michelle.

CATEGORY: Saturday Night
Answer: The nicknames of Erin's brother and friends: Josh, Jim, and Jacob, whom we took out to Joe Sensor's.
Question: What is J-Bone, JimBo, and Snake.

Answer: This "pocket" rodent is the mascot of the hockey and basketball games we watched while at the sports bar.
Question: What is a Gopher.

Answer: This remake of the 1968 movie staring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda we watched late Saturday night.
Question: What is Yours, Mine, and Ours.

CATEGORY: Sunday
Answer: This book has sparked controversy in the church as a whole and because of the soon-to-be-released Ron Howard movie, our church has started offering Sunday school classes on how to deal with questions concerning the best-selling fiction book.
Question: What is The DaVinci Code

Answer: This "baker's" restaraunt, which not too long ago wouldn't seat us, is where my parents treated Erin and I to a brunch.
Question: What is Baker's Square.

Answer: This "gay cowboy" movie was thought to be a shoe-in for the "Best Picture" oscar but was upset by "Crash". (Thank you Lord.)
Question: What is Brokeback Mountain.

Final Jeopardy
Answer: This loved aunt was just given this blogs address by my mom over the weekend and is often thought of when I watch Batman. (Hint: Even though her name is the same as his sidekicks, she is no sidekick.)
Question: Who is aunt Robin.

—b

Monday, March 6th, 2006/1 Peter chapters 1 and 2

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
Like new born babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. —1 Peter 2:2

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
We are to long for the word...Sometimes, I don't want to read scripture. Like a newborn, I become or can be fussy. But the more I read, and as I am consistant in it, the more I want it, and the more I live it.

Hebrews chapters 11-13

Friday March 3rd, 2006/Hebrews chapters 11–13

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. And without faith, it is impooible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. —Hebrews 11:1 and 6

(That last part seems to be redundant but that's how it's written.)

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
Faith. The stumbling block for those who don't believe in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Faith. The stumbling block for those who do believe in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Christians have cleared the first and toughest hurdle, either by tripping and falling over it or performing an Olymipic worthy high jump to clear it. Now all we have to have is...well...faith.

—b

Hebrews chapters 9 & 10

Wednesday March 2nd, 2006/Hebrews chapters 9 and 10

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgement...It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. —Hebrews 10:26–27a and 31

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
We enjoy thinking about how much our heavenly Father loves us. But what isn't so fun is thinking about His just punishments.

Now I don't know what it means when it says "there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins" but I'm hoping it's referring to us not asking forgiveness and doing what we want because we know (at least we think we know) we are saved. In any case, I don't want to find out the hard way.

—b

Hebrews chapters 6–8

Wednesday March 1st, 2006/Hebrews chapters 6–8

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
For God is not unjust as to forget your work and the love which you have shown towards His name in, having ministered and in still ministering to the saints [fellow believers in Christ]. —Hebrews 6:10

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
Those who belong to Christ (Christians) get the best of both worlds. First, when we repent and ask for forgiveness of our sins, they are forgotten (Hebrews 8:12), and even though good works don't get us into heaven, God promises to remember them when we do them in His name.

So by the time we get to heaven, we are truly perfect. Our sins our counted against us no more and if that wasn't a big enough Christmas bonus, our heavenly Father remembers what we did when we glorified Him. I don't know about you, but I think we are getting the better end of the deal.

—b