BEing Designed by Christ: August 2006

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Enjoy the Freshness...

...Celebrate the Difference

On Monday and Wednesday of this week, I did freelance work for Chef Tri Dey Mayer of Lemon Grass Kitchen. (For those of you who have been reading this blog for a while now, you may remember this post.)

Tri Dey is the lovely wife of the "CityView Report guy." She will be graduating from the culinary arts here really soon and has already been catering for a few years now. Anyway, she has wanted an updated logo. Pictured above is the result of our work together.

It's not that her last one was bad, (pictured on the left) but it's always fun to come up with something...well...fresh.
Eventually (probably sometime in December or January) she will have a website and will be making millions and millions of dollars and she'll be taking me with her. ;) Well, I don't know about the millions of dollars but I'm excited to see a website of her yumminess.

—b

ON A SIDE NOTE: I apologize for the inconsistancy of my posting. My goal is to post one a day, even if it is just the results of my quiet time, but recently I have been as John Mayer put it, "blogged out". Hopefully I'll get back on track soon. Thanks everyone for coming back. It's always fun to see the hit counter go up and comments on posts.

Thursday, August 24th 2006/Psalm chapters 96-101

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.
—Psalm 101:3

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
Some great principles are crammed into this verse.

I won't tempt myself with situations that may cause me to sin
Hate the work (not the people) of those who revolt against God. (Note it said "hate" not "tolerate".)
Because that same work 0f #2 may tempt me and lead me to sin, I will stay away knowing it could "fasten its grip on me;" Hense #1

BE IN PRAYER FOR:
WITCHCRAFT IN THE TWIN CITIES
There are an estimated 20,000 witches of all types who live in our metro area who meet in 179 different witch covens/groups. Many witches are drawn to the Twin Cities area because of the many lakes and rivers, which have spiritual significance to them.
• Church of the Earth (Brothers of the Earth), Minneapolis

Monday, August 21, 2006

Our New Car!

Meet PHRED

The end of last week saw some interesting vehicle developements. Behold the end results...

Last Thursday I posted problems with our Jeep, Betty. She had some major oil leakage. After taking her to our regular mechanic (Master Automotive), we were told we had some spendy work that needed to be done. YEA! (No fault of Jiffy Lube...I guess.) Anyway, by the end of Thursday we had a few hundred less dollars in our pocket and a Jeep with ductape holding back the oil. (I'm assuming they put a new part on but who knows.)

With a sigh of relief that our car problems were over, we continued life as normal for the rest of the day.

The next morning was Bella's last day of womanhood. We finally got her spayed. Thankfully Erin had prepared for that expense, so no big deal. On our way out of the vet's office, we were greeted to Betty making a mess in the parking lot.

Hmmm...what did we just pay for again? Begin round two at Master Automotive.

I dropped Erin off at work and headed immediately over to Master. When I parked I noticed that Betty was still leaking. (I was relieved only because I had a fear of telling what had happend and then they weren't able to find anything.)

"It's probably just water", is what I was told after describing the leak to them. "After fixing the oil leak, we scrubbed down the engine." So I showed them were it was leaking. "Ah ha! See! Look, it's leaking!" (I didn't say that but I was thinking it.) Mr. Mechanic leaned down, dipped his finger in Betty's waste and declared, "Yep, it's water."

"Huh?" (Thank you Lord for this lesson in humility.)

"But it isn't because I scrubbed it down. Your water pump is leaking."

"D'oh!" (Thank you Lord for reminding me that we need you to provide everything.)

By the end of Friday, we our Jeep back and were Master Automotive's "Most Valuable Customer's of the Week." (I'm thinking of hanging the plaque in my cube.)

So how did we end up with PHRED?

Well, that same mechanic had a classic VW Beetle he was looking to part with. We have been looking for a car so my ears perked up. He told us it was the perfect vehicle and unlike all other cars, the classic Bug's actually increase in value instead of decreasing! Cool huh! He said it was worth about $42,000 but he would sell it for $17,000. By the end of 2007, he expects the value to rise to $48,000!

So without needing to look up the price on Kelly's Blue Book, we took it. It only has 212,000 miles on it and the only thing that needs to be replaced was the head gasket. It would take only $500 more dollars to fix it. So we are still in good shape.

...ok, so I'm lying to you right now. I may be a moron when it comes to cars but I'm not that stupid. ;) (I can only imagine Erin's dad quickly getting us on the phone asking if we can get our money back. Sorry Kevin.)

All of our other car fun is true though. Unfortunately. But luckily we still have our wits about us.

—b

Monday, August 21st 2006/Psalm chapters 81-87

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
"But My people did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not obey Me.
So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk in their own devices.
Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!"
—Psalm 81:11-13

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
Obviously the Lord is speaking of Israel, but the same principle applies to us. The Lord is not going to make us do His will. It is in our own best interests but He isn't going to force us to do anything. Having said that, if we continue to disobey Him, He will not stand in our way and we will find out the hard way why we are not to disobey Him.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Jiffy Lube vs. Jeep

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Yesterday morning I got an oil change. (Exciting huh?) Well, that's what I thought until after work when Erin noticed the Jeep peeing oil all over the garage. Were not not talking a little either.

After putting a couple of buckets to catch what was left, I called Jiffy Lube and told them what had happened and asked them if they noticed anything concerning leaking oil when I brought it in. "Nothing major."

Hmmm...

So I drove it back and had them take a look at it. It was two younger guys and they determined that it was leaking oil. (They honestly told me that. I thought it was kind of funny.) Anyway they topped it off and told me they couldn't do anything more for me.

So after a quick trip to Target to pick up some cat litter to soak up Jeep urine, I headed for freelance (which I was already running an hour and 15 minutes late). When I got there, guess what, yep, Betty (my Jeep's name) couldn't hold her bladder any longer.

With freelance being cancelled, I pulled back into the driveway and popped the hood. This time I noticed the oil cap was missing. With it being 8:15, I figured I'd get Jiffy Lube's answering machine. Nope, they were still there. Two minutes later I pulled in there garage and they gave me a new oil cap. But that's all they gave me. I asked more questions as to what could have happened, and they started talking to me in "car code". I gathered they didn't know.

So here we are. 9:14 and I'm about to head over to Master Automotive for them to take a look at Betty's irritable bowl syndrome. Hopefully it will be a quick, cheap fix. We'll see. In any case, the Lord will provide whatever funds or help needed to get through this speed bump.

...to be continued.

(Isn't it funny how "God's Message for Me Today" really is God's message for me today?)

—b

Thursday, August 17th 2006/Psalm chapters 65-68

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
Bless our God, O peoples,
And sound His praise abroad,
Who keeps us in life
And does not allow our feet to slip.
For You have tried us, O God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins.
You made men ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water,
Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.
—Psalm 65:8-12

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
God is going to test us. No so He knows how much we love Him, but so we know how much we love Him. This passage compares our trials to refining metal. The Lord will continually refine us through hardships so that more and more of our impurities may be removed. In the end, the Lord will lead us through and we will be much stronger (faith wise) having gone through our refining process.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Psalm chapters 56-64

Wednesday, August 16th 2006/Psalm chapters 56-64

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may pay my vows day by day.
—Psalm 60:8

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
"...pay my vows day by day."—The vow to praise.

How many times do we praise the Lord after He has answered a prayer? Do we even think about thatnking Him? Far too often I am guilty of not thanking my heavenly Father for an answered prayer.

Monday, August 14, 2006

An Anna-bug Weekend

Weekend Theme: Anna and Bugs!

It has been a long time since Anna had been over. It's not for a lack of wanting to see her but for a lack of opportunity. We definitely missed her.

Friday we picked her up from daycare and, of course, one of the first questions is "Where's Bella?" And we used our default answer, "In her kennel sleeping." Like clockwork. It's kinda fun knowing some things haven't changed.

That night Anna and Bella were inseperable. From going on walks, to playing with Bella's toys, and even Bella sleeping next to her young babysitter. Bella did really well with all of Anna's love.

Saturday (after playing with Bella in the park) we headed out to the movie "Ant Bully." It was one of those that I really didn't want to see. I'm usually attracted the Pixar-type movies but this one didn't appeal to me. Maybe that's why I ended up liking it so much. I was really suprised. A great cast of actors/voices, story, funny, and, a lot of action. What impressed me even more was that it was done using Texas Instruments: DLP technology. Wow. I think the famous THX has met it's match.

Following the end of the movie, it was time to say goodbye. We all had a lot of fun. Even Bella.

Sunday, Erin and I picked up J-Bone for some food and shopping and, of course, one of the first questions is "Where's Bella?" (No he didn't really say that, I was just trying to keep you on your toes.) But he did want to go to Best Buy.

So after the boys found their DVD's (I picked up the classic "Ladybugs") our tummies were making funny noices so we ended up at Champ's sports bar and grill for some fine dining.

Up next came car shopping. Erin has been looking at cars for a while now. After a bunch of research and recommendations, the top 3 choices are ones that I would have never guessed: Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla, and the Honda Civic. All foreign cars. That is a stretch for me. But if I'm going to listen to the reports, that's what we got. Anyway, we are still in the beginning stages, but I'd like to think we are getting closer to finding the right car for us.

That night, we kept it low key as I was needing some rest and Erin watched some TV and did some cleaning. I think those are my favorite nights.

—b

Monday, August 14th 2006/Psalm chapters 46-50

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
"For every beast of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills."
I know every bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is Mine.
If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the world is Mine, and all it contains."
—Psalm 50:10–12

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
It's God's. Everything we have. Everything we work for. It's God's. Out life, well, that's God's too. We have to remember that we are just passing through our life here on earth. And instead of trying to accumulate stuff while we're here, we should store up treasures that will actually last — those in heaven.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

MySpace Me

professional, arn't i.

Yestday was spent setting up STEM's other designers new iMac. As you can probably guess, it came with a web-cam built in. I had some with it's different filters. (By the way, the photos are on my MySpace page.)

Anyway, this weekend Erin and I are watching Anna. (Or should I say Anna is watching Bella.) Bella is very good with Anna. I think half the time Bella is being awkwardly carried around.

Well, I'm going to have to end it hear since Anna is demanding my attention right now.

—b

Saturday, August 12th 2006/Psalm chapters 36-41

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
For my iniquities are gone over my head;
As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
My wounds grow foul and fester
Because of my folly.
—Psalm 38:4 and 5

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
It is far too easy to end up way over our head in trouble. It always starts out as a "small" sin but we keep feeding it and before we know it, we can't get out of the hole we dug for ourselves. Pslam 38 is all about that. The last two verses of 38 consists of the psalmnist desperately crying out for help from the Lord.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Mission Maker Teaser

SIDE A
[chant] We have Spirit yes we do!
We have Spirit how 'bout you!

SIDE B
[chant] We have Spirit yes we do!
We have Spirit how 'bout you!

BOTH SIDES
[chant] We have more!
We have more!
We have more!

So which Country has the most Christians? It's gotta be the United States right? Nope. It's Africa. 48,260 new Christians everyday! Everyday! That's 18,000 more people than my hometown of Moorhead that are going to go to heaven. Everyday! In fact, North America is 5th.

Hmmm...not so Christian now are we?

Anyway, that is just a glimpse of the info that the lead article this year will contain. What the graphic designers (me and Dena) challenge is, is to display the info so that people will actually want to read it. I am one of those people who sees a page with graphs, charts, and numbers and I will turn it not giving it the time of day.

So how do you make statistics interesting?

Well, if you ask Barry Bonds, Floyd Landis, or Hulk Hogan, use steroids. But since we don't have access to the magazine version of the drug, we have to use our creativity. Hopefully God will give us some amazingly effective ideas and concepts. Only time will tell how it turns out. I'm interested in what the feedback will be.

Anyway, I'm currently engrossed in Mission Maker and hopefully it won't turn into a tremendous burden. My biggest challege is not design and art direction, but rather giving it up to God. I always want to do it my self and when that happens, it will never reach it's full potential.

—b

Thursday, August 10th 2006/Psalm chapters 26-31

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones,
And give thanks to His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
—Psalm 30:4 and 5

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
We all have our "good days" and "bad days" and sometimes those days (good and bad) can stretch into weeks or even longer. If you happen to be on a "bad day" stretch, just remember each new morning brings a renewed hope. A hope that God has heard our cries and will lift whatever burden may have been upon us. So persevere through those "bad days" knowing you have justified hope in the Lord.

BE IN PRAYER FOR:
WITCHCRAFT IN THE TWIN CITIES
There are an estimated 20,000 witches of all types who live in our metro area who meet in 179 different witch covens/groups. Many witches are drawn to the Twin Cities area because of the many lakes and rivers, which have spiritual significance to them.
• Celestial Order of the Temple of Olympus, Minneapolis

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Spuddogs—Season 4

SPUDDOGS4

With the NFL season nearly upon us, it's time to start gearing up for the annual Eidsmoe/Johnson rivalry.

Each year, the Eidsmoe's and Johnson's compete in a free-for-all to see who can correctly "predict" the outcome of the most NFL regular season games. It has been really fun even for those who aren't interested in football. Just participating in something together has been a great conversation piece and a good way to get bragging rights (or lose them).

The winner receives a traveling trophy call the JETT (Johnson Eidsmoe Traveling Trophy). It's a miniature football helmet on a plaque with their name engraved. They also autograph the helmet along with the year they won. (I'd show you a picture but I haven't won it yet.) :(

The first three winners have been Kevin, Leif, and Bruce. Our list of competitors include Kevin, De, Josh, Bruce, Deb, Leif, Cyri, Erin, and myself. This year I'm hoping to wrangle Emily and Danae into the group since they are holding us back and we can't really have fun until they join...But I'm not going to result to peer pressure. ;)

Anyway it's fun to know that every year people are looking forward to it. So even if our respective teams (Vikings and Packers) have a down season, we can still control our own destiny and have no one to blame but ourselves if we lose.

—b

Here is the answer to the last regular post. I've heard some of you have found all 21. Good. Next time I'll make it harder for all of you smarty-pants'!

P.S. Happy Birthday Dad!

Tuesday, August 8th 2006/Psalm chapters 11-18

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.
—Psalm 14:3

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Paul echos this point in Romans 3:23. The psalmist even goes on to say in Psalm 16:2, "I have no good besides You." We must put all of our hope and faith in God. People will always let us down because no one is perfect. Husbands, wives, friends, and family. God is good, we are not.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Urban Mpls. Day 5

(Sorry, it's scrambled.)