Ultimate K-9 Unit

Who ya gonna call? Drug Busters!

Good luck hiding your drugs from these two. Last night I got a great idea for law enforcement; train and employ pregnant women to smell for illegal drugs! I need to copyright this idea.

After getting home from freelance with John Mayer last night, Erin said she smelled ethnic food and coffee. What! Why? Then I stopped and thought about it. John's wife Tri Dey is a professional chef and even though she wasn't cooking last night, some of the delicious smells probably stuck with me. And the coffee part was me refilling a Tupperwere container with coffee before going up to bed.

Yep, I got a winner of an idea. Police need to train pregnant women to smell out illicit drugs. With them and the K9's, the world would be a better place.

—b

PS. Yes I am joking. ;)




As some of you have noticed, I have added a poll to the column on the right hand side of the blog. The first question was concerning the gender of our baby. It seems the majority of you think it will be a boy. We should find out at our next dr. appointment on the 22nd.

Anyway back to the poll, everytime I change the question, I'll put up this handy dandy banner so you can check it out. This one is concerning which "trilogy" movie are you most excited about seeing.


Wednesday, February 28th, 2007/2 Kings chapters 5 & 6

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
Early in the morning a servant of the Holy Man got up and went out. Surprise! Horses and chariots surrounding the city! The young man exclaimed, "Oh, master! What shall we do?"

He said, "Don't worry about it—there are more on our side than on their side."

Then Elisha prayed, "O God, open his eyes and let him see."

The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha!

—2 Kings 6:15–17 (The Message)

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
To quote Blossom's own Joey Lawrence, "WHOA!"

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• In 1995, the Phillips Neighborhood of South Minneapolis is dubbed "Baby Beruit" because of 24 hour a day gun fire, gangs, arson, high drug crime rate, and prostitution. (It has since improved it's reputation significantly.)

Future With STEM, Pt. 3

STEM Employee's...?
You betcha!

9:00 am, Roger, John, Erin, and I sat down and discussed the negotiated terms of our employment at STEM. As the title indicates, we will be staying at STEM.

It wasn't an easy decision though. It all came down to faith in God. (Some of you may be thinking, "Oh great, here he goes again with this God thing.") God really was the deciding factor in staying because STEM won't be able to pay us what we need so we consciously need to rely on God's provision.

Here are the details:

• I will be staying at STEM with a pay increase. (Although it wasn't as much as we had asked for.)

• Erin's last day of employment will be July 31st.

• We will have to support raise to make ends meet. (We currently raise support but we will have to increase our amount.)

• My responsibilities will remain the same. (My role has evolved from soley Graphic Desinger to Art Director/IT)
  

As I said in a previous post, both Erin and I main priorities were for her to be a stay-at-home mom and not to rely on raising support. Well, the Lord had other plans. He really convicted me to put my money where my mouth is. If I proclaim to give my whole life to Him, how can I say I won't trust the money part to Him?

It's funny, in my near daily prayer life, I kept asking Him for our faith to increase. Now He gives me the opportunity and I don't want to take it?


[sigh]


Well, here comes everything God. My wife, child, career, and the all mighty buck. It's all in your hands. Please be gentle. ;)

—b


Tuesday, February 27th, 2007/2 Kings chapters 3 & 4

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, "Drive and go forward; do not slow down the pace for me unless I tell you." —2 Kings 4:24

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
This one verse describes the story of "The Shunammite Woman" (2 Kings 4:8-37)

This touching short story is all about a mother's incredible faith. She was barren and God gave her a son. Her son died and she sought God (through Elisha) and her son was resurrected.

I was really convicted by the strength of her faith. She didn't curse God when her son died. Instead she did what we all should do when hard times come, seek God. I also loved how she sought God. As the highlighted verse suggests, she did not slow down, she did not pass go, she did not collect $200. She went directly to the Lord!

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• In 1835, the first Twin Cities church was established at Fort Snelling

Online Purity

Please Note:
Usually I try to keep this blog as "G" rated as possible, but the subject matter in this post is not.




Innocent Beginnings?

Sin begins innocent enough doesn't it? Case in point, I was going to recap our weekend by telling you how I'm no long welcome at Gopher hockey games due to the fact that I'm bad "luck". Or how much I love the snow and Bella hates it. Or how Mom and Dad Johnson and little sister Danae couldn't be with us this weekend due to the wonderful snow. But instead, I thought I tackle a horrible subject; pornography.

This morning, in my pursuit of looking for a picture from the Gopher/Husky hockey game, I was inendated with ads/pictures which embarassed me. I kept looking behind my shoulder just incase anyone coming up behind me I could explain why I had the picture above on my screen. (Yes I realize the irony of it since I am now posting that same picture.)

I am well aware of my own temptation and weakness concerning this particular sin. And at the same time, far too many people (guys and girls, saved and not saved), are slaves to this filth. This morning it really made me angry and upset knowing that all I was looking for was a simple Minnesota Gopher hockey picture and I kept finding this garbage! (I did eventually find one by the way.)

If you or someone you know is struggling with this, please don't let it consume you/them. First off, confess it to Christ. Never underestimate the power of prayer! Also, share the burden with a trusting friend, spouse, pastor, sibling etc. Let them help you with it.

After doing a very brief Google search of "online purity", these are just some sites that came up in no particular order.

• Pure Online: 30 Days to Purity
  
• Absolute Ministries: "treat young women as sisters with absolute purity" -Tim. 5:1&2
  
• Partners for Purity: Because sexual sin hurts
  
• Shelly Lubben: Transformed
  
• XXX Church: #1 Christian Porn Site
  
• Safe Families: Keeping children safe online
  
• Every Man's Battle: Sexual integrity programs
  

I can't endorse any one of these since I haven't done any research on them but at a brief glance they seem to have their hearts in the right place. Remember the best way to deal with this is constant, truely repentant prayer and the help of a loved one. It is a problem that no one wants or espesially wants to admit.

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
—Proverbs 28:13

On a much lighter and happier note,
HAPPY 52nd BIRTHDAY KEVIN!

—b

Monday, February 26th, 2007/1 Kings chapters 20-22 & 2 Kings 1 & 2

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver them into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'" —1 Kings 20:13

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
The Lord will show His glory to us. Even those aren't His followers as king Ahab was not. The decision is up to us whether or not we will give Him credit and turn to Him or not.

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• Emergent/Gen-X/Post modern churches are being started at a rate of 5 per year.

1 Kings chapters 15 & 16

Thursday, February 22nd, 2007/1 Kings chapters 15 & 16

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
He walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God —1 Kings 15:3a

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
Throughout chapters 15 and 16, sons not only repeated the sins of their fathers, but often exceeded their fathers' wickedness. What a high calling it is to be a parent. To live wholly devoted to God to set an example for our children. On a side note, there is always hope in the Lord for a child to not follow the sins of the their father. Case in point the verse I quoted. Keep reading chapter 15:3–14.

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• Zero Emergent/Gen-X/Post modern churches existed before 1990

Big Picture

Depth Perception

A lot of times I wish I could see things in the "big picture". For example, the truck above skidded off the road and now he has hospital bills to pay, increased car insurance, and possible life-long nagging injury's.

That's typically how we see life, what's right in front of our face. But God sees the "big picture".


Yep, the driver was that close to going over the cliff; that close to death. I need to remember that there are events that take place in my life that I'll probably never realize how God uses them.

—b


Wednesday, February 21st, 2007/1 Kings chapters 12-14

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again he made priests of the high places from among all the people; any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places. This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth. —1 Kings 13:33 & 34

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
Those in leadership, whether it's a parent, role at work, a church elder, a teacher, etc., have been given that role by God. When a leader knowingly continues to mislead those they are reponsible for, I believe God will punish them harsher than those following.

(NOTE: That doesn't exclude those of us who are followers from the responsibility of being accountable for our own actions.)

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• There are 133 Hispanic churches in the Twin Cities

Dependance on God

"Please sir, I want some more."

Having to come to a decision on whether or not to stay at STEM sure has made me thankful to what the Lord has provided.

Friday night was scheduled to be a night of driving to Moorhead to visit my folks. But when Weaver Lake Rd. approached, only 45 minutes into our trip, and we realized we had car problems, we knew the Lord had something different in mind. (I only wish I had gotten His email letting me know before hand.) ;)

Long story short, we had to replace our power steering pump and my parents and sister ended up driving down here instead. But what I really took out of the experience was our dependance on God. He was there. He provided.

In tying car troubles back to God, will he provide for us if we stay at STEM? Will we be fine since we would have to continue rasing support? Will we have enough money when we have to get a new vehicle? What if we want to have a second kid, will God allow us to have enough to support two children?

The answer: Yes.!?

Yes, period. Yes, excamation point! Yes, always questioning? "Oh yea of little faith." (To which I sometimes want to respond, "Oh shut up!") Yes the Lord will provide. Yes the Lord will ALWAYS provide. Yes, the Lord will even provide despite my doubt.

Are we called to stay at STEM? I'm still waiting for God's email. But I know that He will provide if He says "yes". I also know that He will provide if He says "no".

Harry Dunne has been found!

Has anybody ever wondered what happened to Dumb and Dumber's Harry Dunne? (Even if you haven't, play along) Well, today I found him. He is now a "Senior Technician" for Laser Quipt, an office printer supplier. We haven't been able to print to our color printer since late last week so I called this morning and Harry err...I mean "Darin", showed up.

It is uncanny how much "Darin" looks and sounds like Harry. His body style, voice, age, and even haircut are the exact same! I guess him and Lloyd were never able to get their worm farm store (I Got Worms) off the ground.

—b


Tuesday, February 20th, 2007/1 Kings chapters 9–11

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. —1 Kings 10:24

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
Solomon's reputation of being blessed by God spread to "all the earth". So when Solomon, who was blessed by God, eventually stopped devoting himself to the Lord fully by serving other gods, what does that say to non-Christians about the Lord? The Lord's name/reputation is also affected by our actions. Granted whatever we do doesn't change who the Lord is but if we claim to be followers of Christ and yet still live in sin, are we setting a good example of what a follower of Christ is?

NOTE: I hope I said that right. I want to make sure my intention is correctly conveyed even if my wording doesn't reflect it. And as always, trust your pastor when it comes to theology, not me. And finally, yes we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, so we need to continually repent and ask God's forgiveness. But we can't serve two masters, sin and God.

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• 1949, KTIS radio begins

Riding Bikes

I never realized riding a bike could be so difficult. Enjoy your weekend!

—b

Mr(s). YUK

EWWW!!!
"The average office desktop has 400 times more bacteria than the average office toilet seat"

On the way to work this morning, Erin and I heard this report on KTIS. Below is an excerpt the article you can find here.

Your office desk harbors far more bacteria than your workplace restroom, and if you're a woman, chances are your workspace has more germs than your male co-workers', a new research report shows.

Women have three to four times the number of bacteria in, on and around their desks, phones, computers, keyboards, drawers and personal items as men do, the study by University of Arizona professor Charles Gerba showed. The $40,000 study was commissioned by the Clorox Co.

"I thought for sure men would be germier," Gerba said. "But women have more interactions with small children and keep food in their desks. The other problem is makeup."

Don't get Gerba wrong: Women's desks typically looked cleaner. But the knickknacks are more abundant, and cosmetics and hand lotions make prime germ-transfer agents, Gerba said. Makeup cases also make for fine germ homes, along with phones, purses and desk drawers.

Food in desk drawers also harbors lots of microorganisms, and it is more abundant among female office workers. Gerba found 75 percent of women had munchies in their desks.

The average office desktop has 400 times more bacteria than the average office toilet seat, Gerba said.

Disgusting. Although I think my favorite part was that women's spaces were 3 to 4 times more infested with bacteria than guys. Way to go guys! It looks like the girls get the Mr. YUK sticker on this one. ;)

—b


Thursday, February 15th, 2007/1 Kings chapters 1–3

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
"So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil." —1 Kings 3:9a

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
Although Solomon is now king and could probably take whatever earthly possession he wanted, he humbled himself before the Lord in asking for understanding and discernment. Instead of asking for riches or honor, he asked for traits that would benefit his people. Solomon not thinking of himself with his request pleased God, and God ended up giving him riches and honor besides wisdom.

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• In 2002, The Brookings Institute names the Twin Cities as one of the top 10 "Gateway Cities" in America for immigrants/refugees

I Choo, Choo, Chooose You!

Valentines 2007

We love, because He first loved us. —1 John 4:19

A more humorous approach thanks to the folks at Veer.com

And how can we have a Valentines Day without Ralph Wiggum.

—b

Wednesday, February 14th, 2007/1 Kings chapters ???

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
Must buy more coffee!

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• 60% of all new churches in the U.S. die within theri first five years.

If They Mated

Artist's Rendition

NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" has a popular segment called "If They Mated". They take two celebrities and put their features together to see if the two movie stars had a kid, what he/she would look like. Well, I'm kinda curious as to what our firstborn might look like. Below are the results. All I can say is "sorry everyone, I really feel bad for the kid."

—b

PS. If you have nightmares, blame J-Bone, it was his idea. ;)



Tuesday, February 13th, 2007/2 Samuel chapters 23 & 24

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
However, the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing " So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.—2 Samuel 24:24

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
David has the right motive when he offers his burnt offerings to God. It isn't the act of offering that is acceptable to God but the fact that we would vountarily and joyfully want to give what we have back to Him.

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• The vast majority of all types of churches are small in size (100 or less).

Future With STEM, Pt. 2.9

STEM Employee's...?

The decision is now in our court.

Late this morning, Roger and John (our COO) called Erin and I into Roger's office. They had a counter proposal.

That was fast. We weren't expecting anything 'til the end of the month.

Excluding details, here is the jist:

• Our proposal was both Erin and I would work on flexible schedules so that we wouldn't have to hire a babysitter, I would get a pay increase, and we wouldn't have to raise support.

• STEM's proposal is Erin wouldn't work at all, I would get a pay increase, and we would have to raise the rest with support.

Make sense?

Obviously Erin and I have to carefully discuss STEM's offer and we told them we would let them know by the end of the month.




Saturday night, our Pastor and his wife and child visited us for supper. As most of you know, Chris and Aletha were in our wedding and Erin and I met at a Bible Study which Chris lead. It was a lot of fun having them and their 6 month old Jane hang out with us. I think Bella thought they had brought Jane for her to play with because she wouldn't leave Jane alone.

It's cool to think of how our lives have changed in such a short time. From being single, to married and now preparing for a child of our own. Time definitely doesn't stop.

—b

Dear Fiends,

Thanks for all your prayers for me. I made it through all the floods in Jakarta and arrived at the airport on time and came back to MN on Friday afternoon. I’m very happy to finally be back from my trip. Please keep praying for the situation in Jarkarta. It is still very bad with many homeless, sick, dead, and food and water shortages. I look forward to seeing you all soon. Thanks be to the Lord for my safety.

Tri Dey Mayer

Monday, February 12th, 2007/2 Samuel chapters 21 & 22

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
He said, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;"—2 Samuel 22:2

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
When I read the notes on my Study Bible concerning this passage, it brought the obvious to my attention:

He [David] had often taken refuge among the rocks of the wilderness (1 Samuel 23:25; 24:2), but he realized that true security was found only in the Lord.

I guess I never really thought about what it meant when the authors of the Bible referred to God as their "rock". I shed new light on it for me.

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• The 1940s has the largest portion of megachurches, showing that it takes considerable time to grow a church to this size.

Dog Shock Collar

Ever wonder wonder what it would feel like to have a dog shock collar on? No? Neither did I. ;)



Enjoy your weekend!

—b

PS. There are several factors Roger and company have to nail down before giving us a counter proposal. Roger is gone next week on vacation so I guess we'll have to wait...

2nd Trimester

14 Weeks and Counting...

Every week, both Erin and I receive an automated email from BabyCenter.com. It gives us an update on how Isaac/Tegan is progressing. It's fun to see him/her growing. 6 months to the day the baby is due!




Last night the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team took on arch-rivals Mexico. We weren't able to watch since we had Bible study last night but the final score was not dissapointing. 2-0 U.S. Way to go guys! Now, if the United States could just get some good soccer coverage...


—b


STEM JOB UPDATE:
This morning I asked our COO about when Erin and I could expect and answer and he said Roger will be coming in tomorrow and they will be meeting about our future with STEM. So hopefully I'll be able to post a "yay" or "nay" tomorrow.



Thursday, February 8th, 2007/2 Samuel chapters 13-15

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
"As for me, where could I get rid of my reproach? And as for you, you will be like one of the fools in Israel."—2 Samuel 13:13a

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
"Stop and think." My parents told me that so many times and yet did I listen? Of course not. Sin has consequences. Before we act on impulse or start to wander down a path which we know leads to sinning against our heavenly Father, stop and think.

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• Many older "white" congregations, started prior to the 1950s, have recently ransitioned to become African American, Asian, Hispanic, or multi-cultural churches as their neighborhood compositions have radically changed.

Future With STEM, Pt. 2.5

STEM Employee's...(waiting)...?

Today was going to be a day of answers.

1. How is the baby doing?
2. Will I be able to complete Mr. Stewart's illustrations?
3. Will Erin and I still have jobs at STEM?

Here are the answers:

1. Yes. We had a baby doctor appointment this morning and every thing is proceeding normally. Thank you Lord!
2. No. As Emily commented on yesterday's post, I just don't have enough time to give John the quality and time he deserves. He was very gracious and we will see what happens when he returns from Africa.
   
3. Maybe. (See response below)
   

Last Friday Erin and I gave STEM a modified work proposal. We were told we would have an answer to our future employment by next Wednesday. Well, it's next Wednesday and STEM still doesn't know.

Hmmm...frustrating.

So, I'm going to keep looking for a new job 'til STEM gives us an answer one way or the other. Roger won't be in the office the rest of this week so the earliest we will have our answer will be Monday. But I'm not counting on it. The comforting thing is God knows the answer even if STEM doesn't.

The saga continues...


—b

Wednesday, February 7th, 2007/2 Samuel chapters 11 & 12

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
"'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'"—2 Samuel 12:12

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
The Lord will expose our sin. The sin we commit in private will come to light. David tried to cover his affair with Bathsheba, but the main "person" he hurt was God. God cannot be fooled. So even if we think we have gotten away with a sin and even continue to get away with it, the only person we are fooling is ourselves.

Copyright 2007, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

SPIRITUAL TWIN CITIES NOTEABLES
• There are more than twice as many Muslims than Jews or Buddhists combined.