Revenge of the Ref!

The following clip is from the LSU vs South Carolina game this past Saturday. Now typically it's the referee who is the one who gets hit. Behold the referee's revenge!



Could it be the ref has had enough badgering and decided to take matters in his own hands? Or did LSU dress one of their own players in a referee's outfit? For all we know, there could be a poor college referee tied up and gagged in a locker somewhere. Has anyone heard a "Zebra Alert" being issued recently? (If you got that last reference, I'm impressed.)

Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday!

—b

Congrats Danae & Scott!

Last night Erin got a call from her sister Danae. Nothing out of the ordinary, but when I heard a "What! Bernt, you talk to your sister-in-law!", I was pretty sure what was coming up next. Naener told me the news, her long time boyfriend Scott had just proposed to her. (She said "yes" by the way.) ;)

I think we knew it was coming but it still hit us like a punch from Derrek Boogaard. They have been friends if not dating for a couple of years now so it really shouldn't have hit that hard. I think, for Erin, is her sister has grown up. It doesn't seem real that her sister could be engaged. It makes Erin feel old. Although I should feel ancient by that standard since Danae was born the same year the Minnesota Twins won their first World Series, 1987. (That's the only reason I can remember her birthyear.)

Anyway, congratulations you two! Once we get over the initial shock, it'll seem more real.


For you Riddler's out there...

A man was found murdered on Sunday morning. His wife immediately called the police. The police questioned the wife and staff and got these alibis:

• >The Wife said she was sleeping.
• >The Cook was cooking breakfast.
• >The Gardener was picking vegetables.
• >The Maid was getting the mail.
• >The Butler was cleaning the closet.

The police instantly arrested the murderer. Who did it and how did they know?

Click on the comments to see the answer.

—b

A Class Divided

One day in 1968, Jane Elliott, a teacher in a small, all-white Iowa town, divided her third grade class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups and gave them a daring lesson in discrimination. This is the story of that lesson, its lasting impact on the children, and its enduring power thirty years later.

I had heard and read about this about a year ago. Some people think it's a great idea while others don't agree with how it's carried out. I can't say I'm all for what Jane did but it sure is interesting. If you have the time (about 30 minutes total) this is an interesting watch.

Below is a lower quality YouTube version and the other other four links. But you can view the higher quality, updated version by visiting the official Frontline site by clicking here.

Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5

What did you think when you watched this? Had you heard of this earlier?

Enjoy your Tuesday night!

—b

The Christian Radio Test

This morning I took our Buick (Josey) to get her oil changed. Every time I bring a vehicle into get looked at, I always like to perform the "Christian Radio Test".

Whether I happen to be listening to the local Christian radio station (KTIS) or not, I always make sure to have the KTIS playing (on a low volume) when I leave the car. Parts of me thinks it might have a positive effect on whom ever turns the car on next, another part of me likes to plug Christian radio (even if they don't necessarily play my taste), but for the most part, I like to see if when I get back in the car, what's playing on the radio.

I would think because the mechanic isn't in the vehicle for very long, they'd leave it be. I have the same mentality when it comes to my seat/steering wheel settings. For the most part, they aren't in the interior of the vehicle to do any work, it's all under the hood. So why should any settings be changed by the time I get back in.

I have been doing this unofficial test for a few years now, and 99.99% of the time, the radio is either turned off, or has been switched to another station. The only exception has been when that particular service station was playing KTIS in the background of their garage.

This morning was no different. By the time I got back in, the Twin Cities classic rock station was playing. I can't say I blame them...but why change the station of someone elses car?

Am I wrong in thinking that's odd? I purposely turn the volume down low enough so that it can still be heard but shouldn't be a distraction. My seat/steering wheel settings have never changed, why the radio? The only thing I can think of concerning the radio being turned off is that it may be a company policy. But actually turning the radio to a different station?

I'm tempted to start leaving the station on a classic rock or something "safe" to see what the results are.

Enjoy your weekend...no matter what you're listening to! ;)

—b

Can You Find the Difference?

(Click to enlarge)

This morning has been one of mass emails. It all started last night as Dana (STEM's editor) emailed me wondering if the cover image on the website was the final version (it has since been changed). My answer was in the affirmative sense but her take on it was a negative one.

Ummm...what?

There was a major error in version #1 that had completely slipped by us all. Can you find it? So this morning, emails and phone calls were flying left and right in what could accurately be described as a "STOP THE PRESSES" situation. We were able to get the problem fixed in time (with an obvious cost) but the crisis has been adverted.

One great aspect of working at STEM is it's strong Godly atmosphere and it all starts with our CEO, Roger. Throughout the entire process he was thanking God for the error to not only come to light, but for it to be revealed in time. No pointing of fingers, tempers flaring, or obscenities streaming. It turned out to be one more way to glorify God!

—b

P.S. If you still can't find the mistake (a spelling error), look at the comments section. Of course after it was pointed out to us, we were all humbled for how obvious it was.

My Cubicle - 2008

A little over a year ago, I posted a blurry 30 second clip of my cubicle. I've gotten a few requests to see my current working conditions so I thought I'd better take the time to do it while I still work at STEM. So with a better camera, I was able to increase the length (2:41) and add audio. Impressive. Most impressive.

Enjoy!

—b

Enjoying Life

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy not getting "owned" by life?

This past weekend we were able to enjoy Grandma and Grandpa Johnson making the trek from Wisconsin. We got to enjoy a Gopher football victory, super-saturating ourselves at the Old Country Buffet, Sunday morning church, and just visiting with one another.

"Enjoy". What a great word.

I'm not going to say much in this post except with the busyness of life recently, I can't say I've really enjoyed going through the past month. Looking back on working constantly, health issues, and an overflowing calendar of events, God has really blessed us in making us appreciate the everyday joys of one another. The fact that I get to be home and actually focus on my wife and son is a huge blessing! Before this past month, I don't know how obvious that would have been to me.

It's not that God has given me a new job (yet), or more wealth, or even more "stuff". All of which we are told we need to enjoy life. He just made it obvious how much I enjoy what He's given me.

Thank you Father for the tough times. And thank you for showing me what I truly have. A life that, because of You, I can enjoy.

—b

...The Dawn Is Coming.

In preparing for this post (obviously my first in far too long), this quote from Harvey Dent from the movie The Dark Knight came to mind. It has been a tough couple of months for the Eidsmoe family and we are now just starting to see the dawn.

Job:
STEM as you know it, is STEM no more. Yes there still is a STEM Int'l, and there will be for at least four more years, but the short-term missions aspect is now under Bethany College of Missions (BCOM). Our main office here is located on the campus of BCOM and have had a loose partnership with them for several years. Recently Roger (STEM's CEO) saw it in STEM's best interest to have the missions side be aquired with BCOM. The current agreement is BCOM would continue STEM's short-term missions through 2012 at which point the division would be evaluated.

This is a great change for STEM Int'l and ultimately for God's glory. By having Bethany aquire the missions side of things, we can reach more people and more places. The STEM staff who worked in Team Operations are still there as well. It's an exciting time to see what God does with the division.

As for the rest of us?

Well, normally this blog suffers anyway this time of year due to Mission Maker Magazine. That was a big part of my absence as it was a tough issue to get out. With Dana (our Editor) now in Tulsa and Arika (our Saleswoman) also not here anymore, several others had to really step up and fill their roles. One of the people who really shined was the other designer, Dena (bigD). This magazine is about 90% her design. And no, I'm not trying to exagerate or be humble, she really did an excellent job.

In the past it had been me who took the lead in flowing articles and getting the layout completed but each year since she's been here (2005) her role has increased. This year I did what she had set up in the past, the GodSpace article. And even then, she gave me a great head start and help finish it. So a BIG thank you goes out to bigD.

Now, back to my original question, what does STEM's transistion mean for the rest us?

All I can answer is, "good question". Without the missions side of things here, we don't have volume of work we once did. We have a book layout in the works but other than that...who knows. As of November 1st, I'll be down to 3 days a week. I'm hoping to fill the time with freelance working with City Vision. There had been some talk of moving the office closer to downtown Minneapolis as well as talk of even staying on campus. Again...who knows.

I'd love to stay with STEM but it doesn't look like a valid option in order to keep food on the table. God has something in mind for me but I'm still waiting for his email. :)

Family:
Since my last post Brevin has:

• –Had his first birthday (July 2oth)
• –Attempted to say his first words - "Uh-oh" and "Cookie". Although when he says cookie it comes out as "Coo-Caa". We've also sworn he's said Bella only it comes out as "Ba-ba".
  
• –Discovered a heroin-like craving for anything Sesame Street
• –Found a love for the Vikings over the Packers despite their horrible season start. (Just checking to see if you are still paying attention.)
  
• –Discovered high-fives and raises his arms when you say "Steve Holt!" (Fans of Arrested Development will get that one.)
• –Cut his top two teeth
• –Started walking

Updates on Erin:

• –She has also started walking. ;)
• –Is pregnant with a girl. We have decided to name her Elodia Grace and will call her Ellie. Ellie is due January 8th, which is the same day her namesake, Great grandma Johnson. For those of you curious about the connection, grandma Joyce Elodia Johnson was the same grandma which recently past away.
• –Erin has started babysitting two little girls (2 year old Hannah and 9 month old Emma) to help make ends meet.
• –Her opinion of Brett Favre has severely been depleted after becoming "Brett the Jet". (For those of you who know her, that's huge!)
• –Because of Brevin's heart condition, Erin had a level two ultra sound to check out Ellie from head to toe. Thankfully everything looks normal and we are continuing to pray it stays that way.
  
• –Currently Erin is struggling with an inflamation of the eye called "Eyeritis". Basically it has made her right eye unusable. At it's worst, the white of her eye was almost completely red, it was constantly watering, any light was painful, it caused the area around her eye to swell, she could not keep it open to see, it caused her to have a constant headache, and well...it just plain hurt. After doing everything we could to avoid her taking any type of steriods which we were concerned might hurt Ellie (including Erin getting an injection into her eye), we had to resort to the 'roids. Thankfully we got a few confirmations from a couple doctors saying there won't be any side effects concerning Ellie, but we'd still like Erin to be off the meds. She has since gotten a lot better and has a follow up appointment on Tuesday.
• –Next up, jury duty. Hopefully she can get out of it but who knows. I'm trying to convice her to dress up like Chewbacca and maybe that'll scare them away. :)
  

Life:

• –We continue to be involved with church almost to a point of being too involved with church. ;) Hiawatha Church will be our home for a long time and despite gas prices, is worth the 35 minute commute a couple times a week. We recently had our second annual retreat at Camp Shaminau where I was honored to head up the small groups. It was fun diving into what it meant to be "Living Stones".
• –Betty the Jeep has since died (although I don't think it will take much to get her running again) and has been sitting in our garage for a while now. While it is a pain to only have one working vehicle, taking off the insurance has been a (in a small way) financial blessing.
• –We've taken a vacation with Erin's folks in driving down to Milwaukee and back through the Mackinaw Bridge.
  
• –Grandma and Grandpa Eidsmoe took us to a preseason Vikings game with great seats!
  
• –Two weeks ago, both Erin and I got the flu and it was the worst I'd had it in a long time. It was one of those where you could literally time when you were going to "get sick". It sarted every fifteen minutes of bowing to the porcelin thrown and eventually made it to every hour before it stopped. What made it worse was the next day having to wait in an eye doctors office for four hours before being helped. (See Erin's Eyeritis for that one.)

Is that everything?

Bottom line, like everyone reading this, we've been busy. There were times (especially at the end of September when we wondered when it would all end. But we trusted in God to get us through. I'm not trying to be self righteous either so please hear my heart. Going through the sickness and the ongoing financial questions has proven to me (and hopefully Erin) how much we've grown in our relationship with God since we were first married five years ago.

We are still in the midst of some hardships but only because of God, can we see the dawn.

—b

P.S.

If you'd like to see some pictures of Brevin's birthday party, the Brewer game, Michigan pictures, and other random goodness, click here.

Thanks again for reading!