Fun Noteables!

On Sunday, Naener's roomate and ocassional reader of the blog Lauren, turned 20! Happy Birthday Lauren!

A couple from our former small group FINALLY got a dog. It was a topic that was mentioned since day one of the group. Hooray! Needless to say, Nate and Cara are enjoying the cuteness of Sophie.

My freelance friend Dr. John A. Mayer now has his CityView Reports up on Amazon.com! It's cool to see something that I helped him work on up there. Congrats John!


And finally...

A New Poll!

Out all of the readers of this blog, only 6 of you eat Lucky Charms. And those of you who do, 4 out of the 6 don't save your marshmellows til last. (I'm telling you, your missing out!) For my next poll, I ask "How's it going today?"


—b

"Slap Shot" of Conviction

This past weekend was a relaxing one.
(Those are my favorite kinds.)

This past weekend was also a convicting one.
(Those are good ones and yet hard ones.)

Saturday morning I met with a committee from church on setting up our first all-church retreat. With only about 60 church attendees, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. I was delegated to my (spiritual) gift as graphic designer. Suprise, suprise!

Our theme for the retreat, which will be held in October, is "Make a Joyful Noise". Now it's not about singing even though that's what first came to mind. In this case, "Noise" refers to: growing closer to Christ, loving others as we love ourselves, sharing God's love through word and deed. Basically, it's what it means to truly follow Christ.

My job as the graphic designer is to create a logo that represents that entire last paragraph. Intimidating huh? Well, actually I spent some time on it yesterday and I think I have a simple logo solution. After I refine it and get proper approval, I'll unveil it to you first. That's just one of the many benefits, you, as a reader of BEing Designed by Christ, receive. ;)

That afternoon was chores. Erin took a break from her "Eeoyre Endeavor" to scrub some floors and do a little house cleaning while Bella and I took advantage the warm temperatures to sand a bookcase in preparation for painting. (On a side note, if anybody wants to meet your neighbors and potentially have a great tool for ministry, purchase a small dog. Bella attracts everyone.)

Sunday morning it was my turn in the rotation to run PowerPoint. I always enjoy running it at church. Let's face it, no matter how good of a speaker you have for a pastor, sometimes your eyelids feel like a couple of 45 pound weights. Running PowerPoint is an excellent way to pay attention. (For a second side note: Pastor Chis and Mike, those last two sentences weren't meant for you.) :)

So you might be wondering what's up with the Slap Shot reference?

Before I recomitted my life to Christ in 2000, I lived with 3 other single guys who all loved hockey and Slap Shot could have been our token movie. I loved it. There are so many classic lines and scenes that you can't help but quote and remember them after the movie finishes.

Present day arrives and Christ is my life. Now all of those "naughty" parts of the movie I once thought were hilarious and quoteable, I'm embarrassed at. When I watched the movie on Saturday and Erin walked in and was wondering what I was watching due to it's content, I had to tell her what I just told you. "I forgot how vulgar this was."

Now I'm not telling you that watching Slap Shot or movies like it is a sin. I'm not brushed up on my theology enough to go into that. But what Christ convicted me of was, was this the best use of time? Time that God has given me? In this particular case, my answer has to be "no".

As a movie lover, I own many more Slap Shot type movies, some worse. Can I honestly call some of the trash on TV "trash" when I go out and pay for worse? Ouch. I have a few movies which we own but don't watch due to their content. What my next step should and will be is to get rid of those movies. (That's gonna be extremely difficult for me.) Thankfully God is patient and continually working in my life. He's not done yet and to quote the title of blog, I'm "Being Desinged by Christ!"

—b



Monday, April 30th, 2007/Psalm chapters 79–87

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like chaff before the wind. Like fire that burns the forest And like a flame that sets the mountains on fire, So pursue them with Your tempest And terrify them with Your storm. Fill their faces with dishonor, That they may seek Your name, O LORD. —Psalm 83:13-16

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
When we are hurt by others, we want justice. Why? For our sake? For God's sake? For both? The thing I love about the Bible is that it's all about God. It's for His glory, and this passage is no different. We want justice (and rightfully so) but it's ultimately for God's glory in that those who wronged us would be disciplined by God and seek Him because of it.

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

PROFILES OF IMMIGRANT GROUPS IN THE TWIN CITIES

13. Cambodian — Pop. 10,000

• Have been coming to the Twin Cities since the 1970s.
• 64% of all Cambodian families have obtained home ownership in the Twin Cities
• The average Cambodian household size is 4.5 people.
• Religion: Majority are Buddhist and some are Christian.

Recruiting Team Members

With our prayer letter being sent out last week, Erin and I have officially begun our support raising effort. With our decision for me to stay at STEM and Erin becoming a full-time mom, we need to increase the number of people who are on our financial support team.

Our team consists of people who believe in what Erin and I do concerning spreading the gospel of Christ through short-term missions. In my specific case, designing materials and assisting other missionaries through those materials.

Having to depend on others (and ultimately God) for our income is both scary and exciting. We have been doing it since I first took the job at STEM and God has NEVER made us go hungry. It's fun to thank Him for what he hasn't even given us yet.

"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." —Matthew 6:30-32

Erin and I would love to talk with you about the ministry God has called us to. Even if you aren't necessarily interested in financially supporting us, we would still love to share what God has done. It's fun to share with others what God has done in our life.

Our goal is to raise $1,500 more per month. Besides covering for the loss of Erin's income, this would cover the cost of having a newborn in the home, internet, a second vehicle, and since we have to provide our own health insurance, it would help out with hospital fees.

You can read more in the prayer letter if you'd like. (Click the corresponding image to see it larger.) As an extra incentive to reading it, our son's name and how we came up with the name is in there. How tricky am I. ;)

If you'd like us to send you a copy and/or be on our mailing list, email Erin at eeidsmoe@stemintl.org and she'll add your name. In addition to receiving our prayer letter, you'll also get 3 issues of our Commissioned magazine and 1 Mission Maker magazine a year, FREE!

Have a relaxing weekend!

—b


Friday, April 27th, 2007/Psalm chapters 60–67

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
O God, You have rejected us You have broken us; You have been angry; O, restore us. —Psalm 60:1

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
I never like to think of God as rejecting us, braking us, or being angry with us. But when we are being disciplined by God, we need to turn toward Him and not away from Him. My favorite name of God is heavenly Father. When He disciplines us, it's because He loves us and because it's for our own good much like our earthly father would. The only way we can be "restored", is through God's grace. Our good works won't do.

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

PROFILES OF IMMIGRANT GROUPS IN THE TWIN CITIES

12. Sudanese — Pop. 12,500

• Arrived to the Twin Cities in the 1990s.
• Most are in their 20s and 30s.
• Religion: Muslim and Christian.

KARE 11 Sextuplets

Well, it was inevitable and (hopefully) welcomed. Brianna and Ryan's sextuplets were televised. Last night, I got home from Bible study just in time to catch the 10:00 news. Erin heard the Morrison's would be featured so as soon as Lost was over, she switched to channel 11 and sure enough, the Morrison's were the feature story.

I was wondering how the news would cover the story since God was sure to come up. "Politically Correct" is the phrase that came to mind after watching it. I would love to see all of the raw footage to see what was left on the cutting room floor. (You can read and watch the story here.)

Unfortunately the lasting impression I (and Erin) got from it was the lady anchors comment after the story was done. She was suprised to hear that a younger 20-something year old couple would take infertility drugs. Erin summed it up well when she said, "What did she think, that once Brianna reached the age of 30, she would no longer be infertile?"

The lady anchors well meaning comment struck a nerve with both of us. Having gone through infertility, even if it was only for two years, has left a lasting impression on us. There is no way to describe to those who haven't gone through it, how much it hurts when we hear about mother's killing their babies when we desperately want one.

If you would like to know more of the personal side of the story, check out Noemi's blog link on the right hand side. She is very close with the young couple and has taken their pictures (which were featured on the news cast) and has even started up an "M-Team" ("M" standing for Morrison) to help out the young couple with anything humanly possible.

Needless to say, Ryan and Brianna have been on our nightly prayer list since we first heard of their pregnancy. God will be glorified by these six babies and we are excited to see and hear what He does.

—b




Thursday, April 26th, 2007/Psalm chapters 53–59

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
As for me, I shall call upon God, And the LORD will save me. —Psalm 55:16

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
This is such a basic principle, I almost just read right over it. Of course we are going to call upon God for help, but when we do, do we have the confidence in Him expecting God to save us? This simple sentence is convicting me to continue to grow in Christ so that I can pray expexting.

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

PROFILES OF IMMIGRANT GROUPS IN THE TWIN CITIES

11. Laotian — Pop. 15,000

• Arrived as refugees beginning in the late 1970s.
• 64% of Laotian families own their own home in the Twin Cities.
• The average Laotian household size is 4.8 people.
• Religion: Majority are Buddhist, some Christian and Mormon.

STMLC Walk-Thru

Hello! Welcome to STEM's Short-Term Mission Leader Conference. To my right is Arika and I'm Erin. I'll be taking you through the next three days at the conference. After you complete your registration with us, you'll receive a nametag and our conference notebook. From here I'll take you to the exhibitors room where we can meet those who helped STEM sponsor the conference as well as get some coffee and snacks.


In the tan shirt on our left is Ramon Flores and the gal in the center in the brown shirt is Katie LePage. Both of them work in the Team Operations department recruiting and assisting our short-term mission teams. The weird lady on our right...well...her name is Noemi Hedrick. She takes pictures and is a lot of fun. If you ever read our blog, there is a link to her site/blog on there.

Well, it looks as if it's about time for STEM's team leader training to begin. Let's head over the chapel, I hear Bernt is involved in a skit. Let me just apologize before hand for what he may do.


[whispering] This has been a fun skit. It's a good way to portray what not to do when problems arise on the mission field. And what may be even better is Bernt hasn't embarrassed me at all.

Uh oh, he has another line...and someone stole a team members wallet...great, what's he gonna do?


[Bernt yelling "HULK SMASH!"] (Sigh...never mind.)


That was a good but brief break, now lets go to Roger's, he's the guy on the far left, workshop. He founded STEM in 1980 and since STEM has sent out close to 600 teams.

Next most of the STEM staff will be up front answering questions so if you just want to sit and relax, after it's done I'll come and sit next to you.


"This year, with a record number of teams going out, one of my biggest jobs has been preparing the team budgets. It seems to be non-stop and very time consuming and thankfully the other secretary Sharon has helped me out by taking on the book orders."

Thanks for saving me a seat. Next we're going to have some praise and worship.


Isn't it great worshipping with all these people. Even though we have never met any of them before, singing praise to God is the ultimate way to bring people from all different walks of life together.


Wow, Tim Dearborn is a really good speaker. He sure has convicted me on loving those whom we minister to while on the field. It's also a good thing he's engaging cause I'm exhausted and ready for bed.

Oh and did you hear my husband got lost while picking up Tim from the airport? Yea, why he was asked to pick him up I'll never know. Anyway, Bernt got to the airport right on time and everything was going flawless til the ride back to the conference. See Bernt can't multi-task at all. In fact unless I'm watching where he's driving, I never know where he might drive us to. Well, sure enough, he was talking with Tim and ended up heading home with him. Yea, good job Bernt. So he apologized to Tim and let him know why he was turning around. That's my husband for ya.

I'll see see you at 9:00 tomorrow morning for our first large group session of the day.


Hey, good morning! Let's head up to Orphanos' founder Wayne Sneed's workshop this morning. He'll be the guy sitting on the table. He has been in missions as long as Roger and has a great "Missions 101" class.


...Yea, I enjoyed Wayne's workshop too. Hey, do you mind hanging out for a little bit before the next workshop begins? I have to help out at the bookstore.

Thanks for waiting for me. I saw you talking with some people, that's good. I hear Dr. Lo's workshop is filling up fast, let head up their before it becomes standing room only.


Oops. Oh well. At least theirs room on the floor to sit. I can't believe how popular some of these workshops have been.



Jose's, Ramon's, and Wayne's cross-cultural skit is hilarious! They have the entire place cracking up!


[Singing] "Holy is the Lord God Almighty...the earth is filled with His glory!"


[Whispering] Isn't Lisa Espineli Chinn great. She is so humble and yet so powerful. There is no way I would have ever guessed just by looking at her how strong and insightful she is.

After she's done speaking, we are invited to a STEM friends and family only ice cream party where you can talk with Tim and Lisa if you'd like.


Great moustache Rachel! I don't know how you have so much energy. We are going home and straight to bed.

Morning...[Yawn] Whew...I'm beat. I hope your doing better than I am. If you'd like to come with me to the exhibitors room and grab some coffee while I talk with Tim Cave at AFC Travel, your more than welcome to.


Haha...very nice Tim. I'll come talk with you when you aren't so busy. (It's a good thing some people have energy in the morning.)

It's the last large group session of the day, I hope Tim Dearborn is upbeat and energetic 'cause this conference has been jam packed and I don't know how people will be able to sit through another 45 minute speech.


WOW!!! A standing ovation for both Tim and Lisa. In the four years that Bernt and I have been invloved with the conference, no speaker, let alone two of them, have received a "standing O". I'm sure glad some of their speeches were recorded and are available for download on STEM's homepage. I'm gonna have to download them and listen again.

Well, it's been great hanging out with you these past few days. I hope to see you again next year. I might be here next year but since Bernt and I will have a son, it might be touch and go. Besides, having my son around will be a great way to duck out a little early and catch some sleep.

Have a great trip home!

—b on behalf of e

Wednesday, April 25th, 2007/Psalm chapters 50–52

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. —Psalm 51:16 & 17

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
A common misconception is God is pleased by works alone. But what God desires is a sacrifice of thanksgiving, a thankful heart. He doesn't want us to just go through the motions of going to church, giving money, or devoting our time, He wants us to lay down ourselves as sacrifices so that He may use us.

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

PROFILES OF IMMIGRANT GROUPS IN THE TWIN CITIES

10. Korean — Pop. 15,500

• Arrived since the 1960s. 25% of Koreans in the Twin Cities arrived in the 1990s.
• 39% of Twin Cities Koreans are college graduates.
• The median age of a Korean person living in the Twin Cities is 19 years old.
• Religion: Buddhist, Catholic, and Christian.



Michelle Wie

STMLC Teaser

This is a blurry me charging and yelling "Hulk Smash!" at the conference. Honestly.

Intrigued? Tune in Wednesday to find out more. Erin and I will be getting a "comp" day for the work we put in so Tuesday is the day. Who knows, I might find a internet cafe somewhere and post ya on my day off.

Also, I tried an audio blog but it has been so long since I used it the number must have changed. Sorry. I honestly tried.

—b

STMLC 2007

Turtles & Stegosaurasususus's

Last night I had a play date with some Turtles and a Friendly Stegosaurus. Now before you call your local Arkham Asylum, let me explain.

Ever since I first saw the movie preview for TMNT, I knew it was going to be one that I just had to see on the big screen. I also knew that Erin would not want to see it. Doh! Anyway, while reading a friend's blog, aka the Friendly Stegosaurus (which is also in my links on the right), I found out that he also wanted to see it and his wife had the same feelings toward seeing it as Erin did. Our solution...NERDS UNITE!

The latest showing, since it supposedly a kids movie, was 5:20. I knew I could make it there in plenty of time (or so I thought) and the Friendly Stegosaurus works relatively close to the theater so last night it was a "go"! Long story short, I arrived right at 5:20, (sorry again Stego), so I tried to make amends by purchasing and sharing pop and popcorn.

The movie was good and a definite future purchase. Even though the past few had come out in the early 90s, this one picked up where the last one left off. But even if you hadn't seen any of the previous ones, this one still made sense.

One of the reasons/excuses for me being late was our preparation for STMLC. It is busy, busy, busy around here. In fact, just me taking the time to blog ya is a luxury. So like I said on Monday's post, don't expect a post til next week. Although I think I may try audio blogging. If you aren't familiar with it, come back and I promise to try and post one for you.

—b

PS. The Wild will not go down without a fight. If I were the superstitious type, I'd say their winning had a direct corrolation on whether or not I was watching. What little bit I watched last night, our boys were down 1-0. But when I woke up this morning they won 1-4!


Wednesday, April 18th, 2007/Psalm chapters 23–31

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. —Psalm 23:3b

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
God help us and shows us the way we should go for our sake right? Yes and no. Yes we greatly benefit from obeying Him and following His ways but it's not for our glory but for His! Our motivation for following God should not be because we think He'll make our lives easy. In fact following Him can be one of the thoughest things we do. We follow Him because He first loved us and He is the only One who gives life on earth purpose. We are here to glorify God!

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

PROFILES OF IMMIGRANT GROUPS IN THE TWIN CITIES

9. Russian — Pop. 21,000

• Two waves of immigration: Older immigrants came in the first half of the 1900s and newer immigrants began arriving in the late 1980s.
• Highly educated with 95% having a high school diploma and 55% being college graduates.
• 93% are over 40 years old.
• Religion: 56% are Jewish, many Orthodox, and some are Christian, Atheist, and Agnostic.

Pre-STMLC

With STEM's annual Short-Term Mission Leaders Conference starting this Thursday, I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to devote to updating the blog this week. Sorry. But I will definitely be posting pics and a recap early next week.

Along with the Conference being a focus, Erin and I are putting the finishing touches on the BEing Designed Prayerletter! If you'd like to receive one, shoot Erin an email at eeidsmoe@stemintl.org and she'll add your name to our mailing list.

—b

I Will Do Anything For Love...

...But I Won't Do That!

According to an article released yesterday, don't listen to "rock" music while driving.

LONDON (Reuters) - Want to stay safe on the roads? Then avoid listening to Guns N Roses, Meat Loaf and Bruce Springsteen behind the wheel.

The trio are among the artists featured on a top 10 of tracks that get people's blood pumping and in the mood to drive aggressively.

You can read the whole article here. It's kind of funny to see who the article defines as "rock" music. Oh well, I guess I'll stick to Sandi Patti and the Gaither's! Rock on Steve Green!

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to route for the Wild tonight at 9:30 and see them even the series!

—b


Will you please pray for Erin's health as she has had a severe cold the past 3 days. It's been hard since we can't get any meds due to her pregnancy and we don't know if it's worth a trip to the doctor since our health insurance probably won't cover the visit.

Thanks everyone.


Friday, April 13th, 2007/Job chapters 36–42

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
"But the godless in heart lay up anger; They do not cry for help when He binds them." —Job 36:13

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
When tough times come, do we turn away from God or do we turn to Him? We must remember that every event in life can be used for God's glory. I realize that is a dangerous statement knowing some of the horrible circumstances that some people must face. But at the same time, God is good! Even though we don't always understand why things happen, God is control and we must always look to Him.

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

PROFILES OF IMMIGRANT GROUPS IN THE TWIN CITIES

8. Chinese — Pop. 21,250

• 1876: First recorded Chinese living in the Twin Cities.
• Highly educated with 54% being college graduates.
• The University of Minnesota has the highest Chinese student population in the U.S.
• Religion: Buddhist, Confucianism, Catholic, Christian, Atheist, Agnostic, Jehovah Witness, and other Chinese cult groups.