traveling light

New Year, New Blog

2007-01-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

With 2007 just beginning, it seemed a fitting time to start a new blog. From now on I'll be posting here: www.nmwally.wordpress.com . Hope to see you there!

(I also still have my MySpace Music page up)

Wake-Up Call

2006-12-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

I'm listening to a thought provoking sermon that every Christian should probably listen to. It's a good wake-up call. Go to this site and click where it says "Click HERE and listen for free".

Any thoughts? Post em here.

So I have a problem...

2006-11-30T15:36:00.000-08:00

So I'm having some accent issues. Lately I've caught myself saying "Oh YAH" quite often (stressing the "YAH"), and yesterday I even caught myself using the term "switcheroo". Then I took this quiz, which confirmed my fears:

What American accent do you have? Your Result: North Central "North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.
The West
The Midland
Boston
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

I know I've always had it...it's just that I think up until now I've been in denial. It's not exactly the most exotic accent in the world.

Uff da!

What Team Are You On?

2006-11-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems I live in a house divided...no, not religiously or politically. Worse. Televisionically (pretend that's a word). It seems that while I am rooting for Pam to end up with Jim, my husband prefers Karen's character. . That's right - Karen. The threat. The plot device. He says that she's "more likeable" and more "morally sound" than Pam (something about Pam not only living with her fiance but flirting with someone else). Can you imagine?! (Oh wait, he may have a point there...). Still - how can you not root for Pam?! I mean, she moved out, right?! So it is time: the war is on. Tonight the Stamford and Scranton forces clash and the drama begins. Only time will tell what the season will have in store for us as the writers continue to string us along...

Horrible

2006-11-15T16:46:00.000-08:00

So sad

Don't Waste It

2006-11-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

So I'm in the middle of reading John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life, and it is phenomenal. I have found myself both challenged and convicted to better use my life to honor and glorify Christ.

From the back of the book:

"Most people slip by in life without a passion for God, spending their lives on trivial diversions, living for comfort and pleasure, and perhaps trying to avoid sin. This book will warn you not to get caught up in a life that counts for nothing. It will challenge you to live and die boasting in the cross of Christ and making the glory of God your singular passion."

How easy it is for me to waste time on trivial diversions. I say this carefully, because I want to avoid slipping into the legalistic practice of avoiding anything that isn't "about God", analyzing to death whether or not each and every thought is "spiritual enough". I believe there is a time to relax...a time to watch TV...a time to laugh at the silly and mundane. My interest in those kinds of things, in and of themselves, are not what troubles me about myself. What troubles me is how easy it is for me to focus on the trivial and, in the process, forget God. I want to view ALL of life - the meaty and the meaningless - through His "lens". Make sense?

Anyway, if you read nothing else in this book, I encourage you to read chapter 7...Piper's thoughts on wartime/peacetime and the avoidance ethic are particularly challenging.

Good stuff!

Happy Fall!

2006-10-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots I took of the house last week. I've had fun decorating for fall (although God can take credit for the trees and the backyard. He always does such a great job with that :))...

Do you like my festive fall display? Actually, I swiped this idea from my mom, so it's not really "my" idea. Yes, I bought a bale of hay specifically for this purpose. And no, it's not the best idea to use the backseat of your Honda Accord to transport a bale of hay.
It takes up more space than you think it will. Nevertheless...so fun! And festive!

A close-up shot

Couldn't resist this bouquet of flowers from Sam's Club. Pretty colors!

Our backyard, complete with a giant pile of leaves, consisting of merely a fraction of the leaves found in our yard, which Mark so diligently took care of! He deserves a pat on the back.

(btw, can you see why I call our backyard "Narnia"? :))

A shot of our backyard through our living room window. :)

3 Question Personality Quiz

2006-10-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

Your Personality Is

Idealist (NF)

You are a passionate, caring, and unique person.
You are good at expressing yourself and sharing your ideals.

You are the most compassionate of all types and connect with others easily.
Your heart tends to rule you. You can't make decisions without considering feelings.

You seek out other empathetic people to befriend.
Truth and authenticity matters in your friendships.

In love, you give everything you have to relationships. You fall in love easily.

At work, you crave personal expression and meaning in your career.

With others, you communicate well. You can spend all night talking with someone.

As far as your looks go, you've likely taken the time to develop your own personal style.

On weekends, you like to be with others. Charity work is also a favorite pastime of yours.

The Three Question Personality Test

Long Time, No Blog

2006-10-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a long time since I've blogged - that Brad Pitt picture has been sitting on this site for a month now, I see. Oops. Sorry about that. I'm sure that by now the few who did frequent my blog have given up on it...but I'll type anyway... :)

It's been a busy month, so I'll touch on some of the highlights...

1). Settling into the new place. What fun! We continue to love this cozy new home of ours, and are enjoying the process of settling in and making it our own. It's been fun unpacking and furnishing/decorating. There are still a couple of rooms that just don't seem to ever get unpacked (more time in the day would be nice :)), and a bit more housework to do than we're used to - but it's all good. Somehow, even housework is more fun to do!
The only thing that is truly daunting to us right now is the yard. We have no experience in taking care of a yard, so this task is an adjustment for both of us. So far Mark has done a stellar job in his job of keeping the lawn mowed, which is wonderful. I, however, am dealing with some personal insecurities on how to approach a couple of necessary tasks, like weeding (knowing exactly what are weeds and what are not - learned that one the hard way!) and taking care of unsightly mushrooms. We've also been doing a ton of raking. Holy buckets, is our yard covered with leaves! It's a fun job though. :)

2). Partying with Piper. We were among the 3000+ who partied with Piper and a number of other speakers last weekend at the Desiring God conference. It was a wonderful, Christ-exalting time of teaching. We heard from David Wells, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, D.A. Carson, and Piper. (We, unfortunately had to miss the Voddie Bauchum talk, which we've heard was incredible...I'm excited to hear it all online - what I've heard was very good). We both learned a ton and gained a lot of clarity on the desperate need to preserve the exultation of Christ in both the church and in our own lives. I left with a renewed sense of passion for this purpose, and felt at least somewhat better equipped to share it with others, particularly as it relates to the emerging church.
In addition to this last weekend's party with Piper, I guess you could say we've been partying with Piper every weekend, as we've been attending Bethlehem Baptist's new South campus. While the service itself is not exactly what we're used to (or what we are naturally drawn to), the Biblical teaching is so rich and the focus on Christ is so great that we have really been blessed by it. On top of that, I have felt refreshed by the sense of humility and authenticity (buzzword) that has been so evident from the front. Even though we joke about "party with Piper", what truly shines through those messages into my heart is not Piper...it's Christ, and that's such a great thing...a hunger-satisfying thing!

Well, it's late; I will close. I just had to do something to get that Brad Pitt pic off the top of my blog!

:)

Wow

2006-10-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

What Muppet are you?

You are Rizzo the Rat.You have few friends, but are loyal to those you do have. Maybe if you didn't smell like sewage you would have more.SPECIES:Rodentia Digesta Lotta Grub HOMETOWN:Brooklyn, USA FAVORITE MOVIE:"Rat On A Hot Tin Roof" FAVORITE SONG:"The Pest Is Yet To Come" FAVORITE FOOD:You got it, I'll eat it. HOBBIES:See "Favorite Food". QUOTE:"When do we eat?"
Take this quiz!

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Ummm...

2006-09-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

...Is this supposed to be a threat of some sort?

Officially Suburbanites!!!

2006-09-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a busy few days, but we are all moved into our brand new house! Moving day was last Friday, and in spite of some slight emotional trauma due to a delay with the moving company working with our home's former owners, it went really well. We were blessed with TONS of help (if you were there, thanks!) and had a great time moving in and showing everyone the place. It was great to have the long weekend to be able to unpack. I decided to start off by zeroing in on the kitchen (the key room in the house!), and had a great time getting that all set up. I was pleased to actually have room to put everything, for a change! I'm also excited about my nifty "pantry cabinets" - ask me about that sometime (I'm such a nerd). And yes, I also alphabetized my spices...! Mark has had a great time setting up his office, his workbench in the garage, and he grilled for the first time on Monday night! :)

Seriously, we LOVE this house. It's amazing how much it already feels like our home. It feels like it was custom built for us! Even the walls/carpeting in pretty much every room match our furniture/decor, which is actually a little creepy! We love it, though. I recently heard that Luther once said "I prayed for silver, but God gave me gold"...this is definitely one of those moments for us. We are very grateful!

Anyway, it is late so I must go. But before I do...I want to wish my dad a happy birthday (though I guess by now it's after midnight, so it's a bit belated...). I thank God for such a humble, kind, fun, godly dad! He's had a difficult few days and has been taking some heat for a bold and courageous move he made a little while back. It has been such a blessing and valuable lesson to watch the way he has been handling it all. Anyone who spent time talking with him and truly listened would not be able to dispute his humility and desire to honor/build the Kingdom through it all. Here's to you, Dad! :)

Mars Hill

2006-08-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

Well, we are back from Seattle, where we travelled with Mark's family to attend his cousin Laura's wedding. We really enjoyed the trip...what a cool city. Aside from spending some good time with Mark's family, we were able to visit a number of sites: the market (a fun place featuring tons of street musicians, food, amazing smells and color), the space needle, a boat tour of the harbor (where we saw Bill Gates house and the house from Sleepless in Seattle), and last but not least, on Sunday night a bunch of us hopped in a van and attended a church service at the now infamous Mars Hill Church. Here is a picture of what it looks like on the outside (yes, I'm a dork, I took pictures).

At the moment, I think I'm too tired to type out anything too extensive :), so I'll just share some thoughts and observations in bullet-point form, in case anyone is curious about what a service at Mars Hill is really like...

The Location. The main building is located in a district in Seattle called Ballard, which I would describe as a slightly more funky, colorful, and probably more spiritually oppressive version of Uptown in Minneapolis. On one hand, the buildings are all really cool and artsy; on the other hand, there is a statue of Lenin down the street and on our way out of the church, a homeless man on the street shook his fist at us and yelled "You Nazi churches are all the same". You get the picture. Another note about the building is that it is one story and the exterior is painted entirely black.

The Atmosphere. The best way I could think of describing the inside of the building is that it is like a giant Starbucks. Seriously. Here is a picture of the lobby to give you an idea:

(Also, if you play "Where's Waldo" with this picture you can find Mark's cousin Tim on the right hand side. I just noticed that. :)). Anyway, as you can see, the interior of the building has a very warm, funky ambience. The "sanctuary" is a refurbished warehouse that seats somewhere between 600-800 (main floor only - there are no balconies or anything), and is also very Starbucky. The walls are painted black, and hanging from the ceiling are larger versions of the same lights you see in the picture of the lobby. There were candles lit on the tables that contained the elements for communion (bread dipped into actual wine), and a large, iron cross hung as the backdrop to the stage.

The Music. The music last night was led by a band called "Red Letter". Apparently, the Mars Hill "house band" leads worship sometimes, but there are a few other bands that come in from time to time to do it. The style of the music was sort of heavy and grungy - and not very polished, to be honest -- more than a few painful notes! The first two songs were originals (with scripture-laced lyrics), and the last 3 were rocked out versions of hymns/traditional songs, including a version of "Lamb of God" by Twila Paris that was something else. Apparently, these are the only types of songs they do - originals and hymns. Another interesting thing about the music was that no one clapped in between songs - NO ONE. At first I felt bad because I thought the band just wasn't getting a good response - then I realized that it seemed to be intentional. I thought about it for a minute, and liked it. Think about it - no clapping = no phoney/emotional hype.
The Message. As Mark and I have visited churches over the past few months, we've developed this curse - the curse is called "Whenever we visit a church, the main pastor is almost always gone or on sabbatical that weekend", so we were a little worried that Mark Driscoll wouldn't be the one speaking last night. He was, and it was a good message. They are currently on week 29 of a series on 1 Corinthians, and are going through the spiritual gifts. He preached for a LONG time, but it went fast (the service ran 1:40!). I haven't always been a fan of his style or in agreement with all of his approach, but went away last night very impressed with his knowledge of the Bible. This guy doesn't mince words, and he packed as many as he could into his message. One thing that a number of people commented on was that he really didn't move around much as he spoke. His voice is very dynamic - but as he's speaking, he basically stands there in one place and stares straight ahead. Some figured that this was because he was being videotaped; others theorized that he was so "in the zone" - concentrating on what he was saying - that he didn't really engage the crowd. Personally, this didn't bother me one bit.
The Resources. Each attender last night received a small "program" called "The Loop". Rather than a bulletin listing the order of the service, however, it contained a rough outline of the sermon, complete with scripture references. Also available in the lobby were a number of different booklets (not pamphlets, BOOKLETS) explaining the churches stance on a number of different Biblical issues. Finally, there was a bookstore in the lobby, full of books by people like Piper, Tozer, Calvin, and the like.

All in all, I was very encouraged by our visit to Mars Hill. It was so encouraging to see a church that has found a way to engage the culture without compromising Biblical truth. If you ever happen to be in the area, it's definitely worth a visit.

And that's my report. Any questions? :)

Something GOOD That Came Out of the Mickey Mouse Club...

2006-08-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Does anyone remember the Disney channel back in the early-mid 90's - back when it was still a pay channel? I was a faithful fan of the weekday afternoon lineup, particularly the 4-5:00 time-slots - at 4:00 it was Kids Incorporated, followed by the "New Mickey Mouse Club" at 4:30. As we all know, several infamous "talents" emerged from the new "MMC" (as those close to the show called it) and found successful, and surprisingly lasting careers as pop-stars - Britney, Justin, Christina, even N'Sync's JC. (Well, maybe "lasting" is a bit of a strong word for some of their careers...)

However, there was one lesser known cast member from that show whose talent I much, much, MUCH prefer. No, I'm not talking about The Party. :) Some of you may remember who I'm talking about as fellow MMC star Keri Russell's ("Felicity's") former boyfriend and co-star of the short lived TV drama "Malibu Shores". That's right, folks: Tony Lucca. If you have not heard his music, it is well worth checking out, and I'm actually completely serious! He's a singer/songwriter/guitarist with sort of a folk-meets-blues sound, and boy can he sing. He's based in LA and, as an independent artist, doesn't do a whole lot of touring, but he made a rare appearance in the Twin Cities at the Varsity Theater on Sunday night (a very cool little venue, by the way!). Mark has liked his music for a long time now, so we went to check out the show, and it was well worth it! He is excellent live. So I've been listening to (and liking) lots of his stuff ever since, and we also just got his brand new CD, which is fantastic as well. Great sound. He also stayed on stage and played in the band for the artist playing after him on Sunday, Joe Firstman (also known as Carson Daly's band leader). Unfortunately, while that band was PHENOMENAL and Joe Firstman's got a great voice, he's a sleaze, as reflected in his lyrics and stage demeanor. So we took off. :) HOWEVER - it was lots of fun to finally see Tony Lucca live! Good stuff.

So, yes Virginia, something good can come out of the Mickey Mouse Club after all!

Say it ain't so, Billy...

2006-08-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

I was saddened tonight to read this excerpt of an article about Billy Graham from the latest Newsweek magazine :

"A unifying theme of Graham's new thinking is humility. He is sure and certain of his faith in Jesus as the way to salvation. When asked whether he believes heaven will be closed to good Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or secular people, though, Graham says: "Those are decisions only the Lord will make. It would be foolish for me to speculate on who will be there and who won't ... I don't want to speculate about all that. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the whole world, and I think he loves everybody regardless of what label they have." Such an ecumenical spirit may upset some Christian hard-liners, but in Graham's view, only God knows who is going to be saved: "As an evangelist for more than six decades, Mr. Graham has faithfully proclaimed the Bible's Gospel message that Jesus is the only way to Heaven," says Graham spokesman A. Larry Ross. "However, salvation is the work of Almighty God, and only he knows what is in each human heart."

("Pilgrim's Progress", Newsweek, August 14 issue)

Some Pics of the New Place...

2006-08-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

Good Article

2006-08-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

I really like this webzine...here's a great article from their latest issue:
You Made Me Sin

Buying a House!

2006-07-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

We are buying a house!!! More details on it later, but we are terribly excited. It is in west Bloomington and is in many ways our dream house! We are amazed at God's goodness in how he pretty much brought it to us and opened all the doors necessary for it to be ours. Another story for another blog post...Yay! We're set to close labor day weekend. :)

Tony Jones on Absolute Truth

2006-07-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

The following is taken from this interview from Relevant Magazine. Does it make anyone else a little dizzy?
________

RM: So let’s go through some of the main criticisms of Emergent. The first is
absolute truth, which many people claim that you don’t believe in. Is there any truth to that claim—no pun intended?

TJ: Emergent surely has people in it who strongly believe that there is absolute truth. I’m on the record as laying out a pretty complex understanding of why I think putting the qualifier absolute in front of truth is a modernistic fallacy. Truth is not qualified by adjectives like absolute. So for me personally, talking about absolute truth is a nonsensical way to talk, and surely Christian theologians shouldn’t talk in that way. It isn’t helpful, because it doesn’t make sense. But that’s a book, not a paragraph in a magazine article. The short answer is, “No, Emergent has no statement on absolute truth, and there are people in Emergent who strongly hold to absolute truth.” But, personally, I think it’s a mistake.

The problem is, do you know how that last statement is going to look in an article in RELEVANT? “Oh, I told you. They don’t believe in absolute truth. There’s the national coordinator saying he doesn’t believe in absolute truth.” I’ve read two dozen books on the topic, and I’m trying to get a Ph.D. on this very topic. It’s such a complex philosophical, epistemological question, which is exactly why a guy like Brian [McLaren] would try to deal with it in a pseudo-fictional narrative in the New Kind of Christian trilogy. These questions don’t lend themselves to being answered in articles in magazines. Magazines cannot do justice to that kind of philosophical conversation. That leaves you in a very precarious situation. Certain media lend themselves to certain forms of conversation. I learned pretty quickly that blogs are not the medium to lay out my theological framework.

It’s so complex. I’d direct you to Jeffrey Stout at Princeton, who’s a brilliant pragmatic philosopher. He makes a compelling case that moral principles can be transcendent while at the same time culturally routed. If you really digest his argument, you can see that it makes moral principles stronger than trying to argue that they’re somehow absolute and timeless.

It’s so easy to caricaturize people if they don’t take the time to really digest it, talk about it and think about it. They can disagree with me, but I’d rather have them disagree with me because they’ve taken time to understand the argument than that they’re looking at a caricature of me.

Buy some lemonade.

2006-07-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

This is an open advertisement on behalf of all of those kids, standing on the curb behind their little stands and hawking beverages (often for an outrageous price): stop and buy some! It will make a kid's day. :)

Please pray...

2006-06-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

Another post on the topic of things we don't understand...some of you may have read Mark's xanga about John Bush, the dad of some of the kids he teaches who is unfortunately in quite a battle with cancer right now. It was first discovered in the lungs, and has also been found in the liver, bones, and now a few small lesions have been discovered in his brain. :( Please, please keep this family in your prayers...John, his wife Nancy, and their children Maggie, Jack and Henry. They are facing this struggle with courage and optimism (he is a very gifted and funny cartoonist, and apparently is still holding tightly to his sense of humor through it all), but it's obviously a very sad and difficult situation...and things just don't seem to be going very well right now. :(

Tanja

2006-06-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

Tonight I chatted online for a little while with an old friend named Tanja. I first met Tanja as a camper at Covenant Pines, then got to work with her (and her whole family, actually) for a summer there back in 2001. She has quite a story. Essentially, almost as long as I've known her, she has suffered from a number of health issues (to read about them go here - it was written a few years back, but gives somewhat of a basic outline of her health struggles). When we worked at camp together, she wasn't in the greatest of health...but she was able to work as an office assistant, play guitar in chapel, and do what she could around camp. She was always very frank about her illness and it's effect on her, but faced it with humor, selflessness, and a never-ending desire to praise God...so much so that you'd sort of forget she was really sick! Unfortunately we sort of lost touch over the last couple years...I don't know why, but I just assumed she was getting better...then I saw her online tonight so we chatted. Sad to say her health has not been that great...she has been in the hospital over 20 times the past year, has had 2 surgeries, has undergone some chemo, has tried new meds, and not much is working...her disease is just progressing, and these days she spends much of her time in a wheelchair. :( So what is she doing with her time? She's working part time leading a children's ministry at a church, and going to school part time to minister to people in hospitals. Her attitude is astonishing to me. Even when we were chatting, she didn't mention her health until I asked her about it. And then she went right on to ask me about my life!

Life can be so difficult to understand sometimes, can't it. Illnesses...tragedies...pain. Sometimes I admit I just don't get it. I am so humbled, blessed and inspired when I see someone deal with their circumstances with the courage to persevere through them all for the glory of God instead of choosing bitterness. Who do you know who's done that?

The Great North

2006-06-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I love northern Minnesota in the summertime! I'd forgotten just how much until this weekend. Mark and I just returned from 5 fantastic days "up North" - 1 day at my old stomping grounds at Covenant Pines in McGregor (where I had a gig on Thursday night), followed by 4 days in Grand Marais. We stayed at a little lodge right on Devil Track lake (on the Gunflint Trail, just a few miles north of Grand Marais), and had a great time. Some of the highlights included:

- Getting to spend a summer afternoon at Covenant Pines - seeing friends there, going to chapel, playing a gig at a Sr. High coffeehouse, and seeing a beautiful camp sunset

- Driving up the Gunflint Trail (we went about 30 miles up)
- Hiking to the "Devil's Kettle" (a really cool and mysterious waterfall)

- Driving up to Grand Portage (near the border), visiting the Grand Portage National monument and learning a little about the Voyaguers
-Hiking up to the "Moose Viewing site" only to not see any moose (we're thinking this may have to do with the people who left their car alarm going off in the lot, as well as the people sitting on the lookout point talking loudly and throwing their beer cans over the edge of the lookout...)
-Eating at the "Angry Trout" restaurant (very similar to a Sanibel-type restaurant)
-Looking for agates
-Eating at the historic Nanibojou lodge
-sitting outside, reading :)
-kayaking on Devil Track lake
-hiking up to a BEAUTIFUL "vista" called Honeymoon Bluff
-and finally (but best of all)...

...celebrating one year of marriage to the greatest guy God could have blessed me with! :)

Another Alex P. Keaton in the making?

2006-06-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

This is one of the funniest, cutest, and slightly more disturbing new stories I've read in awhile. :)

Slice of Cynicism

2006-06-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with this site: sliceoflaodicea.com

While I appreciate their willingness to stand for truth, the site is laced with so much cynicism, sarcasm and negativity that I have difficulty wading through it all. They don't seem to like anything. And it seems that almost anyone who asks a question or expresses a disagreement on ANYTHING gets questioned on whether or not they really know God. It's a shame, really, because content-wise, so much of it is on track!

Anyone else have any thoughts?

State Fair!

2006-06-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

I just found out I'll be playing at the infamous Crossroads Chapel at the great Minnesota get-together on Monday, Aug 28 from 5-6:15 pm. I'm kind of excited/nervous! Should be fun! :)

Check this out...

2006-06-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.desiringgod.org/media/video/national2006_fullpromo_high.mov

This trailer gave me the chills. :) I'm hoping to go to this - looks to be a fantastic conference!

Thought for the day

2006-06-07T05:41:00.001-07:00

"I'm an early bird and a night owl. So...I'm wise, and I have worms." --Michael Scott

Informative AND Colorful

2006-06-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

Concerned Dreamer

Hope this means it's gonna be a good day...

2006-06-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

For some inexplicable reason, this morning I have the theme song from "Punky Brewster" stuck in my head. Seriously, get that one in your head and it won't get out. Oh well! Happy Monday! :)

And the Funniest Customer Inquiry Ever Is...(drumroll)...

2006-05-31T21:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon I was sitting at the front counter of the bookstore, when a very frazzled-looking lady walked through the door, straight up to my desk and said:

"Do you have a yellow pages here? Or do you know off-hand where I could buy a leotard?"

More on the contrast between us and God - taking sin seriously.

2006-05-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

I've been reading this book after hearing great things about it from my sister-in-law and a friend at work, not to mention watching it consistently sell at the store. I actually started it a few months ago, but got sidetracked by other issues that needed attending at the time (church stuff)...however now that much have that has settled, I was reminded of this book and have picked it up again. I'm glad I did! From what I've read and know of it so far, it really is an excellent book on pure, simple truth. The author lists hundreds of lies that women commonly believe - about God, sin, marriage, child-bearing/rearing, etc. etc. etc. - and dispels them with the Truth of God's word - not with psychobabble or feel-good talk - but the Truth. It's not always pretty, and her thoughts are not always going to be popular - but that's what I like about it. She doesn't pull any punches. So...I read from it tonight, and found some interesting thoughts that I thought tied in really well with my post from a few days ago on standing in awe of God. This is from the chapter entitled with the lie "My Sin Isn't Really That Bad", which she goes on to dispel. See if this isn't convicting:

"Those of us who have grown up in good homes or in the church and have learned how to "act right" are particularly susceptible to this deception. Some of us would never think of being a prostitute or having an abortion or living a homosexual lifestyle. We wouldn't consider using profanity or embezzling money from our employer or divorcing our mate.

"Compared to others who commit these kinds of "serious" sins, it's easy for us to feel that we aren't so bad. Our sins of wasting time, self-protection, talking too much, eating or drinking too much, a sharp tongue, a critical spirit, overspending, fear, worry, selfish motives or complaining don't seem all that major. We may not even consider them to be sins at all—preferring to think of them as weaknesses, struggles or personality traits...

"If only we could see that every single sin is a big deal, that every sin is an act of rebellion and cosmic treason, that every time we choose our way instead of God's way we are revolting against the God and King of the Universe..."

Doesn't reading this kind of reminder make grace seem all the more beautiful?! :)

This will warm your heart...

2006-05-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Taylor's first Audition
Soul PATROL!

SOUL PATROL!!!

2006-05-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

So Taylor HIcks is the new American Idol! Woo-hoo! America definitely got it right (well, aside from that whole "voting Chris Daughtry off" thing...) but anyway, the best part was after he had been declared winner, when Seacrest asked him if he had any words for the audience, and he just screamed "SOOOOULLLL PATRRRROOOOLLL!!!!". :)

Other than that, it was a very entertaining finale (with the exception of Prince's surprise appearance at the end, which briefly pulled the show to a slimy and dirty place). Carrie Underwood proved that she deserved to win last year, Daughtry sounded way better than Live's lead singer, Meatloaf was weird (did anyone else think McPhee looked scared of him?), and Clay Aiken now looks like a Beatle.

Thus ends another season of American Idol.

Now what will I do? :/

Stand in Awe

2006-05-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a quote for the day, from this book I'm reading called "Deepening Your Conversation with God" by Ben Patterson:

"No character in the Bible found anything approaching a face-to-face encounter with God anything less than shattering. We must learn to act and think as people who are amazed that our proximity to holy things has not left us vaporized."

"Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
As a dream comes where there are many cares,
so the speech of a fool when there are many words...
Therefore stand in awe of God."
Ecclesiastes 5:1-3, 7

The Ups and Downs of Life. And Let's Dish.

2006-05-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a tumultuous week. Chris Daughtry was voted off American Idol (a travesty!), 2 major characters perished on "Lost", and Terry lost both challenges on Survivor (which surprisingly ended with a cliffhanger - argh). But the good news is that Jim finally confessed his love for Pam, and they kissed, so all's right with the world (and "The Office").

What is that you say? Life doesn't revolve around TV? Oh yeah...:)

I'm not blogging about anything deep today. But I do have a good culinary tip. Two words: "Let's Dish". Have you heard of this place? I went there last week with my cousin Shannon and her mom, Sue (actually, Sue is my cousin...but I'll explain my confusing family tree in another blog...). It is pretty much the best invention ever! Basically, you go there and prepare a bunch of delicious meals, which you bring home and freeze. You can choose to make either 8 meals or 12 meals, and you have the option of splitting them with one other person. Each meal serves 6. 8 meals cost us $125, which sounds like a lot, but really isn't when you think about the fact that it's made the two of us 24 delicious meals (though sometimes I admit they're so good we've cheated and eaten too much for one meal :)). So far we've enjoyed Margherita Pizza, Cashew Chicken, Chicken Crustini, and Parmesan Chicken Pasta. Yummmm. So...a tip to all of you out there. It's a good deal, especially if you're cooking for one or two!

Alright, that is my post for today. Maybe I'll go for some depth another time. :) Tomorrow we're off to see my seester Katie gradulate! WOO-HOO!!! :)

Noooo!!!

2006-05-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

Well that pretty much ruined my night! He did not deserve to go home tonight. Oh well.
The good news is he gets to go home to his wife & kids, and now his band got some press. At the very least I'm sure they'll get a record deal on a Christian label or something. So...maybe it's all for the better...?
Still - bummer!!!

Long Time, No Blog

2006-05-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, as you can see, it's been awhile since I've blogged -- 2 weeks, to be exact. In light of this gap, here are some random things I have learned or done over the last fortnight (that's 2 weeks, in Jane Austen language :)):

1). Mark and I took a lovely mini-trip up North a couple weekends ago. We stayed in Two Harbors, hiked around Gooseberry falls, ate at Betty's Pies, visited the Split Rock lighthouse, and stopped by Canal Park in Duluth. All in all, a nice little getaway!

2). Mark & I have a new favorite show (thanks to Katie & friends): The Office. Simply hilarious! Oh my goodness. I am hooked. I cannot wait until next week's season finale...and until season 2 comes out on DVD! I can already tell that quotes from this show have found a permanent place in my vernacular. :)

3). OK, time to admit something, once and for all. I am so (well, semi) ashamed of this, but I must confess: I am really into Survivor this season. Why? Well, mainly because of this Survivor, named Terry. The man is a MACHINE, let me tell you. Long story short, he is the last one standing from his original tribe (before the two tribes merged to form the one he's in now). He has watched all of his other original tribemates get picked off one by one (they went into the merge outnumbered), and now he is next in line to go. His only hope has been to win every single immunity challenge - which he has done for the past 4+ weeks! Unheard of! He just simply refuses to lose. He is focused on winning $1,000,000, won't lost sight of it, and now he's in the final three. I feel sort of embarrassed saying this, but I'm actually pulling some spiritual lessons from it (running in such a way as to win the prize, etc.). He's fun to watch! Oh, and he plays without back-biting or lying...AND on top of it all, I think he could actually "survive" - like, make fire and find his own food; that sort of thing. Fancy that! It's always sort of bothered me that Survivor has focused on people living together on a desert island to survive "socially".

4). American Idol is bad for business. For the past two weeks the credit cards have gone down at my store at approximately 8:00 pm, due to the high phone traffic as a result of America Idol voting! We have been told to expect this every Tuesday night until the season concludes. Isn't that hilarious? Especially since Tuesday nights are my night to work? :)

5). Speaking of American Idol, so far it's going exactly as I'd hoped (muahahahahah!)...and I'm pretty stoked that my prediction about Katharine McPhee (from a January blog) has come true. I must admit she did a stellar job on "Black Horse and CHerry Tree" the other night. I am liking her more than I did...however, I am still pulling for Chris and Elliot!

6). From the mundane to the sublime...I feel God tugging on my heart alot on the issue of prayer. I have recently listened to some great Piper sermons on the issue, and have felt quite convicted about the state of my prayer life. I fully recognize that prayer has not been the priority that it should be in my life - I just don't depend on it as I should. Piper said something that really convicted me: if you love God, you will pray! The old song comes to mind "What a priviledge to carry everything to God in prayer"! Such a basic necessity...yet in our busy world, so easy to set aside.

7). Music stuff has been humbling but good. I had 2 gigs this weekend. Long story short, I went through a little crisis moment of "why do I sing, anyway?", but am feeling more hopeful and excited about it all today. Last Tuesday I had the afternoon off, most of which was spent at the park - where I completed 3 new songs, which (after a particularly long "songwriting drought) I was thrilled about. I am now officially really focusing on recording. I've decided that what I need to do is just look at my calendar and block out time to do it, or it will simply NEVER move from "intention" to "reality". I'm excited about this challenge! Soli Deo Gloria!

Well...that's all for now! :) Enjoy your weekend, everyone.

Excellent Article

2006-04-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled across this article...it's lengthy, but worth at least skimming over. Here's the first few paragraphs - see if they pique your interest as they did mine!

"Redefining the Church"
by Bob DeWaay, pastor of Twin City Fellowship

“He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything” (Colossians 1:18)

Several months ago a friend of mine, who puts on seminars, publicly pointed out the errors of several well known teachers who promote mystical practices. Shortly thereafter he invited me to attend a meeting with some leaders of his church to clarify his relationship with the church and determine whether his ministry was welcome there. This discussion made some important issues clear for me.

The leadership told him that his teaching did not comply with their practices. They do not practice correcting false teachers. In the course of the conversation, the leaders cited the basic mission of that church. It was a good mission and had to do with bringing people to Christ; but it did not include correcting error or false teachers. Thus my friend’s seminar is not compatible with their purposes.

As a result of the meeting I found myself pondering that situation in light of the many emails I have received from people around the country. These people often are unwelcome in churches in which they had been members for many years. What seems so strange is that the unwelcome members were not accused of sin or heresy; they were accused of not supporting the church’s mission or program. In some cases the mission and program had recently been changed and the long standing members had resisted the change. Ultimately most of these people left willingly, but with sadness of heart. Some who decided to stay and fight were eventually removed from fellowship.

What has happened that evangelical churches are willing to lose solid Christian members who have not fallen into sin or heresy? In this article I will propose that evangelical churches have changed the way they view themselves and their organizations; and that this change has lead to practices and emphases that build large visible churches, but neglect and abuse Christ’s “little flock” (Luke 12:32) -- the true body of Christ.....

FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE, GO HERE: http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue85.htm

Halfway Through...

2006-04-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm about halfway through this book. It's not what you would call an "easy read" by any stretch - D.A. Carson is a true theologian, and this book has a real scholarly feel to it (which is thus far my only complaint about the book - not too "layman" friendly at all) There's just a lot of meat to it, and a lot of big, abstract theological words and concepts addressed. I think it'll probably take me at least another full read-through to really get it to sink in...honestly, right now if someone were to ask me about it, I feel like I could only explain the book in "broad brushstrokes". That being said, I feel like I AM gleaning some good information from it and maybe excercising the ol' brain cells a bit. It's basically an exhaustive analysis and critique of the emerging church, as well as an explanation of what "postmodernism" is (and how it is different from "premodernism" and "modernism", which are also explained.

In other (related) news, today I finally had the chance to listen to the much talked about debate-errr, "conversation" :) between Doug Pagitt (Solomon's Porch) and Bob Dewaay (Twin City Fellowship) that took place last January. Honestly, I found the first half (where they each took turns speaking individually) rather un-inspiring. However, the second half, which was quite literally a conversation between the two of them, was both fascinating and revealing. The contrasts were so visible. It left me with no doubt in my mind which viewpoint I agreed with, and no doubt in my mind that the opposing viewpoint was even more off-base than I'd originally thought. I was also struck by the great "pride in the name of humility" that was SO evident by one of the participants. At times it was a difficult debate to listen to, since one person was obviously very well spoken and the other was not, however as the conversation continued those differences seemed to fade. Anyway, very interesting! I think I'll need to give this another listen before sharing more thoughts on it, just as I'll have to give that book another read...(could you tell reading and listening comprehension were my worst subjects in elementary school? :))

Strong & Brave

2006-04-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile at my store I have the chance to have a conversation with a customer that is a little deeper than your typical clerk/customer interaction - one cool thing about working at a Christian-owned bookstore is that sometimes people just come in the store looking for a "refuge", or just needing to pray or talk with somebody.

This morning I had the chance to talk to a "regular" customer named Kevin. Kevin is forty-something years old, and is in a wheelchair. He is also one of the most outgoing people I have ever seen...in fact, he's so outgoing that it's made some of the staffers uncomfortable. He's never said anything inappropriate at all; he's just incredibly talkative and friendly, which sadly in our culture, we just aren't used to, I guess! He's been a customer for a year or two now, and every time he comes in he excitedly starts chatting about the inner city kids he works with at Hospitality House and how he gets to share Jesus with them. Then, without fail, he opens up his bag and pulls out his latest "tricks" and tools he uses to tell kids (and others) about Jesus...Bible verse cards, symbolic trinkets, etc. He'll go on and on about it all...in fact, he's so talkative that he tends to forget/ignore the line of people behind him at the check-out counter. :) I admit that for a long time I was in the "this guy is so talkative it makes me uncomfortable!" camp, so whenever he'd talk to me at the check out counter I tended to just smile and nod and hope that he would be on his way soon. The last couple times he's come into the store, though, I've sort of felt convicted about this. I started to wonder what his story was...as though God was sort of tapping me on the shoulder and saying "ahem, you could probably learn something from this guy's story!". So today he showed up in our music department, and (of course) immediately began talking my ear off. This time, however, I decided to engage in the conversation a little bit beyond just smiling and nodding. It ended up being a very interesting conversation. He started by telling me about a little card of verses he'd typed up and laminated and how he uses it to tell people about what Jesus has done in his life, and then he started telling me his story. Turns out he was in a skiing accident 7 years ago that left him a paraplegic. He was a chiropractor with 3 kids who were all under the age of 7 at the time. He also had a heart completely hardened to Christ...but his accident is what "broke" him, in more ways than one. He's now devoted his entire life to telling people about Christ in one way or another...one thing he said to me that stood out was "I've got nothing to lose". He also quoted this passage to me from Psalm 138 :

When I called out to you, you answered me.
You made me strong and brave.
4Lord, may all of the kings on earth praise you
when they hear about what you have promised.
5Lord, may they sing about what you have done,
because your glory is great.

What an inspiring little conversation that was. Here was a man who had every reason to be bitter or feel sorry for himself...but instead of self-pity, he radiated sheer joy. He told me that he experiences great pain and discomfort all the time - he wasn't in denial of the challenges of his plight - but he chooses every day to trust God and His purposes. Wow. What faith! I hope that encourages you as it does me...

More meaningless American Idol Thoughts...

2006-04-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

1). Did Ace get voted off because of musical inability, or because of the fact that he looked like the bad guy from Karate Kid III on Tuesday's performance?

2). I was just reading an article and realized that Chris Daughtry is a year younger than me. Wow, do I feel old.

3). I will hand it to Ben and all others with the "McPheever" that Katharine did a great job on her song the other night. She's in my top 4. :)

I will post something more enlightening later on, but for now this is all I got!

Franch...bread. Franch...dressing. And to drink...peru! (name that movie)

2006-04-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

You Belong in Paris

You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris.
You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying architecture and a crepe.

What European City Do You Belong In?

WWJD

2006-04-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

(Right now my husband is across the room furiously typing on his computer, and I have no doubt we're blogging about the same thing. But, no matter, you'll just get 2 Wallace perspectives for the price of one...er...something...). We just returned from Club3Degrees where (thanks to my NWB comp tickets) we saw Sanctus Real & the Afters. It was a rockin' show...the Afters were pretty good, and Sanctus Real was really good. We sat at a table up in the balcony, directly overlooking the massive sea of young people swarming in front of the stage. It was everything a rock show should be (well, except for the Gilbert Gottfried-meets-Richard Simmons MC, but that's another blog :))...there were flashy lights, loud guitars, kids jumping up and down, just rockin' out. There was a lot of other great stuff going on there too - positive lyrics, Compassion International promos, etc. As the charismatic frontman of Sanctus Real scurried around the stage and into the swarm of kids, belting out his songs with great passion, and as the lights flashed and the music blared and I looked at all the teens in the crowd, I thought "Man, I wish they had this when I was a teen!". When I was a teen, Christian music consisted of Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, the Newsboys, and maybe Dc Talk and Jars of Clay. Any other rock bands were either really obscure, really bad, or both. We didn't have Christian clubs, we didn't have nearly the variety of good Christian music that exists now. Now, don't get me wrong - people like ME liked Michael W., Dc Talk, etc....but, let's face it, to the rest of the world, it was a joke. Liking that kind of music went along with being a little...different. That's not the case anymore, which in many ways is really cool. On the other hand, another thought it me tonight: it doesn't take as much courage to call yourself a Christian these days. The "Christian" culture is finally, in many ways, cool. We've got the music, we've got the lights, we've got the show. Not that any of this is bad - it's not, and I praise God for the way He uses alot of that stuff in kids' lives. But saying "I'm a Christian" is no longer necessarily the kiss of death to your coolness status. No, it doesn't take courage to say you're a Christian - but it still does take courage to live it. That thought came to me as I was watching the show, and stayed with me as we exited the club onto the street...

If you've been reading Mark's blog, you know he just read this book called "Under the Overpass". I first heard about this book when all of these middle aged women started coming into my store asking for it because they'd heard about it on Focus on the Family. :) Usually this means it's something good, or at least interesting. It piqued my curiousity, so I picked it up, gave it a read, and was inspired. I won't give a full review of it or anything, but it's the story of 2 young guys who decide to live as homeless men for 5 months. It wasn't the guilt trip I half expected it to be; but It left me with the reminder that no matter where someone is at in their life, or what sin may have led them to where they are at now, they were created in the image of God, Jesus died for them, and the least we can do is be a reminder of that to anyone we encounter. So that's been a topic on our hearts the last couple days...just last night we were tossing around the idea of getting dollar Bibles and thinking of alternatives to cash that we could carry in case we run into anyone in need. Well, of course you can probably guess what happened the minute we got onto the street outside the club. There was a crowd of people, but through it all, a young guy wearing a t-shirt and baseball cap looked straight at us and asked if we had $4. (Um, can you say divine appointment?) Normally I'm sure the answer would have been a polite "sorry", but this time Mark stopped, shook his hand, asked his name (Ryan) and asked him what his story was. It was a short conversation, but I felt like I could see in Ryan's eyes that it meant something that someone would stop and talk to him. At least I hope it did. I have no idea if what Ryan told us was true, but the bottom line is that SOMETHING - sin, hurt, or both - led him to that very moment, where he was asking for money. We were together and in a setting where we could talk to him for a couple minutes, so we decided to do that. What a feeling of joy it was leaving that little encounter - only wishing we could have done more.

I'm not saying that everyone needs to stop and talk to every single person that asks them for money - obviously, for example, if I were by myself, as a woman, it may not be the best idea to stop to converse -- however, at the very least, when we run into situations like that, I find myself challenged to remind myself that Christ died for this person, that there are no chance encounters, and finally to ask myself "What is something I can I do in this situation?".

Anyway, that's just one example that hit home for us tonight of what it means to walk as Jesus did. Not just wearing the t-shirts or singing the right songs, but living it too. We got a little taste of that tonight, and were blessed by it. I'm challenged to think of other ways to really live for Him, and inspired by those all around the world and in our country, who are doing that, on many different levels. Feeding the poor...taking the gospel to unfriendly cultures...saving babies...smiling at the tired looking clerk in the grocery store...sitting next to the lonely kid in the lunchroom...

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children...and live a life of love, MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY, for the days are evil..." -Ephesians 4

Rock On

2006-04-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight we're going to a concert for some good ol' rock & roll. I'm excited! I've really liked The Afters for awhile now (even before they were signed, back when they were called "Blisse") but have never seen them live. I don't know Sanctus Real's music as much, but what I've heard I've liked. This should be fun. :)

From the larknews.com archives...

2006-04-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

FRIENDS NOT FRIENDS FOREVER, EVEN IF THE LORD'S THE LORD OF THEM, FORMER PALS SAY

SALEM, Mass. — Two former "best buddies" from Saratoga Nazarene Church say they learned the hard way that a lifetime is too long to live as friends, despite the claims of a popular Christian song.
Theresa and Dalia, both 13, became best friends the day they met in third grade. They soon realized they were the only serious Christians in the school, and both had major crushes on Michael W. Smith.
"We used to bounce on my bed using hairbrushes as microphones and singing 'Friends' to each other," says Theresa. "I'd sing Amy Grant's part and she'd sing Michael W. Smith's part. Then we'd laugh and roll around. We knew our friendship was forever, like the song said."
But at the end of eighth grade, things hit a rough patch. Dalia quit wearing her Amy Grant Hearts in Motion Concert Tour T-shirt to school on Fridays, as she and Theresa had done for years.
"That felt like betrayal," Theresa said. "I was totally alone."
Then both girls developed a crush on the same boy, Brad Loudermilk, the only decent-looking Christian in the school. Out of spite, Dalia switched her crush to a non-Christian guy, and the friendship with Theresa was effectively severed.
Theresa went home after school and ripped the Michael W. Smith poster from her wall, then crumpled onto her bed and sobbed.
"I guess friends will say never and the welcome does end," she said bitterly. •

Good Flick

2006-04-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, my taste in movies tends to be limited to the happy, lovey-dovey, feel-good types. Usually I am not a scary/suspense movie type person. However, this film - "Wait Until Dark" - is an exception. I first saw it in high school, and then Mark & I watched it last night. Good stuff! If you have not seen it, you should. Audrey Hepburn plays a blind woman who is terrorized by a group of con-men trying to locate a doll full of heroin that they believe is hidden somewhere in her apartment. Little do they know she is one smart cookie, and that it doesn't necessarily take eye-sight to outwit them! It will give you the shivers. Good stuff.

Lazy Saturday

2006-04-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't getting sick on a Saturday the worst thing ever? Especially such a beautiful day like today. It started yesterday with a slight sore throat, then I woke up with a full fledged burns-to-swallow sore throat and the aches. (It was bad enough that it woke me up in the middle of the night, so I decided to watch some TV to try to take my mind off the pain. All that was on was "Bosom Buddies", which I happily watched. Now that's sick.). Fun fun. So I've been doing a lot of laying around the house today, just chillin.
Anyway, last night I had the last minute opportunity to go see Sara Groves with my mom, aunt & cousin. It was a really nice concert. I was impressed with her down-to-earth style, both musically and as she spoke. I'd almost forgotten what a great songwriter she is; it sort of re-awakened me to her music. Good stuff. I was inspired. :)
Anyway, one point she made was that she sometimes feels like the Church today is "all dressed up, with nowhere to go". We've built beautiful buildings, a great "worship" revival, Bible studies, Bibles, devotionals, books, and all kinds of discipleship resources at our fingertips. That's all great - but what are we doing with it all? That resounded with me last night, as earlier in the day I started thinking about how I sometimes feel like I'm "hoarding" my faith. I think it's really easy to do that here! Case in point for me is the sheer number of Bibles in my possession. I have a LOT of Bibles. Seriously. I like to say that I really use them all, but the reality is that 99% spend 99% of the time on the shelf, collecting dust. I feel like one step for me is to be on the lookout for someone who may need a Bible, which leads me to the question: what am I doing to put myself in a position to reach out to someone? A number of years ago I did a Bible study called "Experiencing God", which, in a nutshell, says that to experience God, step one is to see where He's working, and step two is to meet Him there and let Him use you. So I guess that's my challenge to myself: to be ever-asking God that question: "Where are you working?".

Very interesting...

2006-04-08T12:05:00.000-07:00

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=258448

(sorry, my browser won't let me make that a direct link...you'll have to cut & paste :))

Check out "Air I Breathe"

Whoopsidaisy

2006-04-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

So for the last several days I thought I was a loser because no one was commenting on my blog. Then my dad informed that he tried commenting on my blog, but it wouldn't let him. It seems I had inadvertantly turned on "comment moderation". So...I've now turned it off. I may still be a loser, but at least you can comment on my blog now. :)

Trying to Cook with Nikki, V1: Poppy Seed Chicken

2006-04-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

OK, inspired by my mom's blog, I'm going to completely switch gears here topic-wise and share one of my all-time favorite recipes: Poppy Seed Chicken. This recipe came from my sister in law, Ranel, who was gracious enough to put together a replica of her personal cookbook as our wedding gift (one of the coolest wedding gifts EVER!). It was one of the first recipes I made for Mark, and has quickly become one of our favorites. I make it a lot. A LOT. If we ever have you over for dinner, chances are this is what we will have. :) The best part is it's QUICK, EASY and DELICIOUS. It's made up of ingredients that (for the most part) you'd probably have lying around the kitchen anyway-- nothing too gourmet or unusual. So, without further ado, here goes...:

POPPY SEED CHICKEN
Ingredients:
4 - boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10 oz. can - cream of chicken soup
8 oz. bowl - sour cream
2 TBS - Poppy seeds
1/2 cup- butter, melted
1 sleeve - Town House crackers, crushed

Instructions:
1) place chicken in the bottom of a casserole dish
2) mix soup and sour cream together, and then spread over chicken
3) mix poppy seeds, butter, and crackers together, and then spread over soup mixture

Put it in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes, and you're good to go!
Yummmm!

I think I'll go make some for dinner right now... :)

Structure for the Believers, or Believers for the Structure?

2006-03-31T20:47:00.000-08:00

Today I've been thinking more over the whole "church" issue, and in particular the question "what is the definition of a "'local church?'". What is the difference between a "local church" and a casual gathering of people who love Jesus, seek to worship and know Him more together, and spread the gospel to those around them? At what point does this become an "official" local church? Aren't they one and the same?

I guess I'm just throwing this all out there. Obviously as any small gathering as I've just described (which, yes, I would call a church) gets bigger, more "organization" is necessary. The Bible lays out what this structure is supposed to look like, and how each believer involved is called to contribute their gifts for the benefit of it. No one is greater or less; each person is on the same plane with God, using their gifts for the church. Beautiful. This "structure" is God-ordained, and for the benefit of the believers, to equip them to glorify Him.

I guess the heart of my question is this: could one of the problems with many churches today be the unspoken mindset that the believers are here for the "structure", not the "structure" for the benefit of the believers? Is the structure too much of the focus? Is the tail wagging the dog?

Could that be the reason for the disillusionment with church that Barna describes in "Revolution"

Does that make ANY sense? Sorry for any lack of clarity; it's late. :)

Would love to hear thoughts on this.

Welcome, Baby Emma Grace!

2006-03-31T11:22:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Mike & Diana K on the birth of their new baby girl! She just couldn't wait to get here! :)

Inspiration

2006-03-30T15:26:00.000-08:00

“Don’t wait for inspiration. Get to work.” I think that makes a lot of sense. One sketch often suggests something else, so one thing leads to another. Either you start refining it with variation, or it takes you in different directions. There are days when ideas don’t come—a condition that I do not fully understand. On those days I go to other resources. I look at type books. I have a wonderful encyclopedia of typefaces. I keep a morgue of things that I like, and I think it’s why graphic designers acquire a library, because occasionally you need something that’s a catalyst to spark an idea. But to be inspired—I don’t think in those terms. It’s just a problem that I’ve got to solve."
-Doyald Young

I just found this quote in Step Inside Design magazine, a graphic design mag. Doyald Young is a 79-year-old graphic designer, who's specialty is type-face design. There's nothing worse than sitting in front of a computer screen with no ideas and a looming deadline! This guy's been at it for years, and he still has those days.

Anyway, good, practical advice for anyone involved in creative arts!

Cool

2006-03-24T13:16:00.000-08:00

So it appears this guy (Chris Daughtry) is in a Christian rock band from NC...here is their website: http://www.absentelement.com
His pic has been taken down from the site (presumably for legal reasons with AI?) but if you listen to the songs, it's clearly his voice. Get me a copy!!!

Really, I'm not...

2006-03-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

I was just reading over my last few posts, and wanted to say that I'm really not as discontent and cynical as they make me appear. I promise I'll write something more uplifting soon. :)

Commissioned Sales and Me

2006-03-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a trip to Guitar Center, and I am stressed out. My husband can attest to this, as I returned home all flustered. That store just stresses me out...actually, the concept of "Commissioned Sales" stresses me out. I just wanted to go in there to buy some strings, maybe an inexpensive tuner, and some picks...something that should take no more than 2 minutes. However, at GC, you can't just pick out your own strings, picks and tuner. You have to have Bobby Joe (not his real name) suggest strings, picks and tuners to you, recommending what he likes best. I realize that Bobby Joe was just doing his job, but it sure is flustering (is that a word?) to someone like me. I enjoy looking at all the merchandise myself, picking out what *I* want after observing all my options, and purchasing the items on my *own* terms. In fact, when I get the feeling that someone is trying to sell me on something, it turns me off to buying it, whether or not it's a legitimately good deal. In fact, tonight I could have saved 3 dollars on purchasing 3 sets of strings instead of one, which actually would have made sense. But, no, I only bought 1 set, solely because I was annoyed that someone was trying to sell me on something. I guess it doesn't help that that store is loaded with testosterone and noise, and that the salesmen always talk to me like I just learned how to play guitar. Tonight Bobby Joe was showing me how a tuner works ("When the arrows are on this side, it means it's flat"). He was probably just being nice, but in my cynical little world, I perceived it as demeaning.

And now I'm home, feeling all guilty that I didn't help Bobby Joe's sales for the evening because I didn't buy 3 sets of strings even though it was a good deal. He's probably just trying to pay his way through college, and I had to be all crabby by saying "no" to 14 dollars more worth of product for no good reason. Now I'm feeling cynical AND guilty.

So...sorry, Bobby Joe and commissioned salesmen everywhere. I don't think I've helped your cause too much.

And maybe I need to be better friends with Musician's Friend.

Letters You'd Write If You Could...pt 1

2006-03-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

My friend Sarah, who has worked in retail/restaurants for many years, has begun posting "letters she wishes she could write to certain customers" on her blog. In that tradition, I would like to direct the following letter to a parent I saw at the store the other day. We've all run across parents who are just plain mean to their children in public, right? Such is this kind of parent:

Dear Mrs._________,

What a joy it was to see you and your 6 young children in the store the other day. I was especially blessed by the loud, incessent scolding of your children which you demonstrated for the entire, hour-long duration of your visit to the store. I can't imagine what example they would be following which would cause them to be so unruly. I also want to commend you for your skillful use of sarcasm and derision. As we all know, when aimed at children under 4, this kind of behavior is an effective way of conveying love and encouraging kindness. When your child asked who you were buying the tie-tack for, your response of "Who do you think would want a tie-tack in our family?!" was sheer genius. I am in awe.
If such behavior continues, I look forward to seeing what well-rounded, grounded, confident and kind children you will have in a few years.

Truly, you would have done Roseanne Barr proud.

Sincerely,

Nikki Wallace

---
This got me thinking about how a Christian is supposed to react when they see something like this (or much worse, which I've seen) happening in public...parents screaming at their kids (even deriding them using profanity)...or on a different level, seeing a customer being extremely rude to a store clerk (which I saw happen at Marshall Fields the other day). At what point are we supposed to step in and say something? What does love look like in that kind of situation? Thoughts?

Click Here

2006-03-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

That's where I'd like to be right now. Sigh.

Recording Fun

2006-03-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

This is my "digital studio", the Boss BR-532. I've had it for a couple years now, but kept hitting the wall with it, mainly because the instruction manual seems to have been written in gibberish. It's been frustrating, because I've wanted to record for so long, and I knew everything I needed to do that with was contained in this machine - but I just didn't fully know how. However, recently online I found (& ordered) an instructional DVD with step by step instructions/demonstrations on how to use it, and WOW is that helping! I'm finally starting to learn how to really put this thing to use at it's full potential! It can really do some neat things! I have much more to learn, but it's starting to seem less daunting now. I'm excited to continue learning and continue recording. Hopefully now that I'm starting to get the hang of it, the process will go a bit faster than it has been. :) I'm in the middle of one song & am looking forward to completing it & then finishing more. :)

Idol Thought for the Week...

2006-03-15T21:03:00.000-08:00

Now he's getting mouthy. He must be stopped!

Ringless

2006-03-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

So this last weekend Mark took me out for an early birthday celebration. It was lots of fun! One of his birthday gifts to me was to bring my rings in to be sodered together...up until now my wedding band & engagement ring have been separate, which I found not only to be a little irritating (as the rings would spin around), but I found out is not so great for the metal. SO...the good news is that my rings are being sodered! The bad news is...my left ring finger is ringless for a week, which I'm not used to at ALL! Not only does it feel weird, but I never realized how much I value the statement of that ring until it's gone! I find myself wanting to tell everyone "I'm married!", not for any particular reason...just because. On top of that, while we were at the jeweler's, Mark ended up leaving HIS ring there for a week, too, so they can touch it up (note to all future wedding band buyers: brushed gold wears & will turn shiny very quickly!). So...now when we go out, neither one of us has a ring on, and I just want to tell everyone "we're not dating! We're MARRIED!!!". :) It's funny how a wedding ring is so much more than just a piece of jewelry. It symbolizes and states so much, that to go without it just throws me off. I'm super excited to get it fixed...andI can't WAIT to get my ring back on Saturday!

On another note, Mark did get me one of these bracelets:

Isn't it pretty? He put 3 charms on it to tell our story...and of course there's plenty of room to add more as the years go on. I'm pretty psyched about it! :)

Not OK

2006-03-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

This is American Idol contestant Gedeon. He may spell his name wrong (pronounced Gideon), but boy can he sing. Tuesday night he sang a version of "When a Man Loves a Woman" that could have been the original.

This is American Idol contestant Kevin Covais. He's a cute little kid, with a nice voice for a 16 year old, but...not that great. Just close your eyes while you're listening to him & see if it sounds like radio material to you.

See, didn't think so.

Tonight Gedeon got voted off the show. However, Kevin is now in the top 12. Yet he does not realize he is being patronized!!! (please see my husband's most recent xanga & insert those thoughts here). It just BUGS me, not only to see someone with legit talent not be recognized for it...but to see this poor kid get lied to!!! He CAN'T SING!!!!

Good thing it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of life. :)

(Katie & Beth, I know you hate me now :))

Hilarious

2006-03-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

If you have not yet seen this, you must:

http://media.putfile.com/Tenacious-Kids

Beware of the shiny demon!

Heroes

2006-03-06T21:07:00.000-08:00

I'm not really what you'd call a sports nut, but the one sport I've ever followed is baseball, and there was no time that I followed it closer than when I was a kid in the late '80s, early '90s - the "good old days" of my favorite team, the Twins, when they were essentially defined by a certain guy named Kirby Puckett. Hearing of his death hit me in sort of an odd, personal way today. It's not that I'm one of those people who gets so overwhelmed by the death of celebrities that they fall apart and feel the need to light candles and leave memorabilia at certain landmarks...I think it's just that to me, and likely to any other kids my age growing up in Minnesota, "Kirbeeeeeee Pucket!" was a hometown hero we all felt a connection to. He was more than a really good baseball player...he was more like our older friend we all looked up to. I'm sure it had to do with his bright smile, his jovially chunky stature & his obvious enthusiasm...very kid-friendly. He sort of seemed like a kid himself, just havin' fun, playing a game he loved. And he didn't let us down! Unless you lived under a rock on October 26, 1991 (or in the case of my brother Tim, still in your mother's womb, a day away from being born, hehe :)), a moment that is imprinted in your brain is when his bat hit that ball in game 6...watching him circle the bases and pump his fists the second that ball went over the fence. I remember jumping up and down for joy! To a kid who loved the Twins, it was about the best thing that could ever happen.

And yet in spite of all the glory -- all the accolades and all the admiration -- when all was stripped away, our hero was just a human being like all of us. This became more apparent in his final years, as his once stellar reputation beccame tarnished by various accusations of misconduct. He had a soul that needed saving, and his days were numbered. Even heroes aren't immortal...well, all but One.

For me, this is a sad moment, and a sobering reminder to "make the most of every opportunity" (Ephesians 4)....

***
p.s. My only personal memory of Kirby is really obscure. My mom and I were in the parking lot of Southdale Square on Christmas Eve many years ago, and we could not find a spot to park, so we were just circling around in our car. Suddenly, my mom said "That's Kirby Puckett behind us!". I turned around and looked through the back window, and sure enough, Kirby Puckett was sitting behind the steering wheel of the white mini-van behind us! I can't remember if there was ever any interaction beyond that - I seem to remember him smiling and waving us on for some reason - but I thought it was pretty cool.

Techie Question

2006-03-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

OK, so I've found a non-"official" blog layout that I'd like to apply to this blog, but I'm not sure how. The layout I like is from blogger-templates.blogspot.com. I tried following the directions given on the site, but they seemed confusing and pc-geared. Can anyone offer any help? It would be appreciated! Thanks! :)

It's That Day of the Year...

2006-03-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

...when I see a person and think to myself "oh, that poor person has a large black smudge on her forehead, and she probably doesn't even realize it", but then just before I say something I remember "Oh yeah, it's Ash Wednesday".

:)

Astonishing Humility

2006-02-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

I've just begun reading the book of Luke, & a have been turning over a couple thoughts...

-"And they [Joseph & Mary] did not understand the saying he [Jesus] spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart" (Luke 3:50-51). What a unique parenting situation Joseph and Mary found themselves in. They were parenting the perfect child...literally, THE KID NEVER SINNED! For some reason, that truth doesn't seem so astonishing when you think of Jesus as an adult...but then picture a toddler NOT SINNING. A four year old who ALWAYS listened to and obeyed mom and dad, the FIRST TIME. Part of me thinks it must have been a piece of cake to parent him...the other part of me thinks it must have been the most bizarre, complex, humbling situation in the world! What would it be like to have a child who knew infinitely more than you ever could? Who knew every thought you were thinking, and every word you spoke before it was on your tongue? Who you didn't make, but who made YOU?

Then think about what it was like for Jesus...he understood infinitely more than his mom or dad - he made his mom & dad - he was LORD of his mom and dad - but the Bible says "he was submissive to them". He obeyed them, he respected them. How humiliating that must have been! Yet he did it for the joy set before him...for US...

Amazing!

Down to the Top 20...

2006-02-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

OK, here's the deal. I like American Idol. Now that the 5th season is well undwerway and down to the top 20, I'd like to update you all on my picks for the top 5.

(Drumroll, please....)

#1. Elliot Yamin - So far he is my top pick. This guy can SING.

#2. Taylor Hicks (aka "Gray Haired Guy") - This guy runs a very close second, in my book. He's got talent, qwirkiness, and an obvious passion for music. Time will tell how musically versatile he is...but I really do hope he goes far. He's just fun to watch.

#3. Chris Daughtry (a.k.a. "Bald Guy") - Close third. This year's rocker. He's got that gritty, soulful voice.

#4. Ace Young (a.k.a. "Pretty Boy") - This guy's just got the "it" factor down - the talent and the image. He's got a bit of a tendancy to give sultry looks to the camera like Constantine did, but at least he's not greasy and he can actually sing.

#5. Katharine McPhee - I don't know that I like her a ton, but out of all the girls, at this point she's the best of the bunch. I do see hope for Melissa McGhee or Paris Bennett, though. We'll see.

As you can see, I predict that this year one of the guys will win. They're just too good, and most of this year's girls are just...well, annoying (did anyone else see that "kitty pound" thing? What was THAT?). I could type some more of my opinions here, right now, but that would only really reveal that perhaps I am a little TOO into this show. So I will now end this post, and then I will go read a book or take a walk or something. :)

Pleasantly Surprised

2006-02-24T18:59:00.000-08:00

I just got back from seeing "The Second Chance" with my mom. For those who may not know, this is the new movie starring Michael W. Smith and directed by Steve Taylor. I'll admit that I went into the theater pretty skeptical...after all, it is: a) a movie starring Michael W. Smith ('nuff said), and b). a Christian movie - and let's face it, Christian movies don't exactly have the greatest track record (think "Left Behind"). However, I must say I was quite pleasantly surprised! It was actually rather well done. Not that it's an academy award winner. It's not. :) However, what it has is an edge to it that sets it apart from any Christian film I've seen, an interesting storyline, an spot-on portrayal of some aspects of the Christian subculture these days (a little painful to watch!), and even some humor. The acting wasn't too bad either! Even Michael W. Smith did alright.

I'd recommend that you all go see this little film. It's been open a week already, and right now it's playing at the Southdale Theater, as well as the Eden Prairie theater. It's not really one of those "evangelism tool" type films...it's definitely not aimed at non-Christians (Although, ironically, I wouldn't be embarrassed to show this movie to a non Christian, like I would with certain others!). It seems like something that the Church as a whole could benefit from seeing right now. It's worth checking out, at least! :)

I Think This Picture Captures Why My Husband Doesn't Think Figure Skating Should Be in the Olympics.

2006-02-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

Random, Pointless Notes...

2006-02-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

1). Last week I discovered a new restaurant that I really like: "Ole Store" (www.olestore.com). Too bad it's in Northfield! We went down there to celebrate my cousin-in-law Laura's birthday. From the outside, the restaurant looks like your typical, small town, run-down-schoolhouse-turned-restaurant cafe. But the inside is gorgeous! Super funky. Look at the pictures online. If I had a restaurant, that's how I'd decorate it. And the food was some of the best...I had the Asiago Chicken Fettucine. It was heavenly. Yummmmm.

2). Saturday night we went to see "Little Women" at the Orpheum. (It was Mark's Christmas present to me). We had incredible seats right above the orchestra pit, which was extra cool because when we got there we realized that someone we know was a musician in the pit! As for the show itself...the singing was very good. However, the guy who played the professor looked and sounded just like Will Ferrell doing the "Goulet" impression. We got the giggles in the middle of his song. Have you ever gotten the giggles in a snooty setting? At one point he even said "You always do...".

3). Yesterday we visited a church (which I shall leave nameless) featuring a choir of 100+ people (each wearing a different, brightly colored shirt), a horn section, and a worship leader wearing a suit/bright green tie and sporting a Crest-whitening kind of smile and telling everyone to sway along to the music. The sermon itself was pretty good, but the music portion of the service was so loud, big and cheesy/sacchariney that it overshadowed the rest, to the point where it was almost hard to focus on the sermon. I never thought I'd say that the music would turn me off to a church! Even music that doesn't sound that great is better than the most excellently done music in the world, if it's genuine. Does that make sense?

That is all. Happy Monday. :)

Where in the World Is Jennifer Knapp?

2006-02-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

Today I picked up the brand new "Jennifer Knapp" Live CD. She has created some of my all-time favorite music in the Christian genre. With her gritty sound and hard hitting, scripture driven lyrics, she made quite a splash in the Christian music scene when she first emerged 6 or 7 years ago, and had a part of changing the face of "Christian music" as we knew it at the time. Her music was powerful, her fans were many, she influenced countless future musicians, and she acheived a good measure of success in the music business.

Two or three years ago, though, something happened. Very suddenly, she disappeared from the scene. She hadn't even toured to support her third album (as I can recall, at least). At first I assumed she was on some sort of hiatus...but here it is, years later, and barely a word (let alone a note) has been uttered from her publically.

What's even more odd is that no one seems to want to admit it. Her record company has released two albums over the last year and a half: one greatest hits CD, (featuring no new music, save a few previously un-released demos) and now the live CD, comprised of recordings that her band leader, at that time an aspiring producer, happened to record at various show dates in 2001. The only word from JKnapp herself is a brief, dateless note included in the CD jacket of the greatest hits CD. The new Live CD has nothing. All of the notes in it (including the thank you's) were written solely by her band leader, with an cryptic, past-tense tone, as if she was a thing of the past.

What gets me is that the companies advertising these projects say things like "Finally, a long awaited release from Jennifer Knapp"! and "Jennifer Knapp is back with more music!", nevermind the fact that all of the recordings contained on those CDs are 3+ years old, and not a peep is to be heard from her. It's as if the companies think the general public is stupid or something...there is a proverbial giant elephant in the middle of the room, and everyone is ignoring it!

What gets me even more is that you try to google "Where is Jennifer Knapp", and you generally find one of two things: sites with people perpetuating extreme, baseless rumors about her whereabouts and lifestyle, or sites with people seemingly condemning anyone who even wonders where she is, accusing them of putting her on a pedestal, and exhorting them to mind their own business and stop the hate.

Now...I have no interest in starting rumors about her lifestyle, and I understand the value of not speculating. I get it. However...call me crazy, but I'm not seeing anything wrong with wondering where she is, and feeling rather short-changed that no one will say or even admit that she's off the scene. Actually, it kind of ticks me off. It seems so fake, like "let's just cover up the problem and pretend it's not here". I know I don't idolize her, and I really don't think I'm putting her on a pedestal...but she was one of my favorite artists, who's music I always looked forward to hearing. Is it wrong for me to wonder where she's at? I guess a big part of me believes that while people shouldn't put artists on pedestals, by being an artist you are PUTTING yourself on a pedestal, in a way. You are setting yourself up to be a role model.

Anyway, I don't really know what my point is. I'm just ranting and raising a question. It does seem like a tricky situation...after all, what are those in the industry who are close to her supposed to do or say? Anyway, I'm wondering what anyone else's thoughts are on this situation. What would be the right way to handle it?

(p.s. The Live CD is really good. Some of the cuts from her 2nd & especially 3rd CD are better than what ended up on the actual CDs themselves)

I admit it...I'm a Disney Park nerd

2006-02-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my brother introduced me to a fascinating podcast that has brought us both entertainment and enlightenment as we listen to it at work. "What could it be" you wonder? "A series of sermons? Profound thoughts from a great theologian; a Biblical scholar?". Well...no.

We've been listening to a Disneyworld fan podcast.

That's right. A podcast created by a very dedicated Disneyworld coneisseure named Ricky Something-or-other. (www.distantcreations.com/insidethemagic). Ricky lives in Orlando and holds an annual pass to the DisneyWorld parks. He uses his podcast to announce the latest happenings at the Disney Parks and to discuss various rumors of plans for the park with other Disney park fans. According to his website, he visits Disneyworld "almost every week".

Isn't that cool?! -ahem- err...I mean, how crazy is that?! :)

I should clarify that much of our time spent listening to this show is spent snickering in fascination at the obsession with Disney parks that these people have. Seriously, these are fans of Trekkie proportions. (Case in point: recently, "breaking news" on the show was that a fan had spotted steam once again emerging from the newspaper machine in the town-square scene on the Spaceship Earth ride). We laugh, but deep down, I think we both know that we're one of them...

The truth is, I think Disney parks are pretty darn cool. I've been to the Disney parks 10 times and haven't had enough. I love hearing about the renovations on Pirates of the Caribbean, I am sad about the closure of the Bear Country Jamboree, and I eagerly hope to someday ride the new Expedition Everest ride. That yetti looks pretty freaky. If I lived in Orlando, I'd probably have an annual pass (they're cheap) and I'd probably spend a fair amount of time in the parks. I'm not ashamed to say it.

So...am I a Disney nerd? Um, yes. Yes I am. I think though, that maybe we all have our own things that we're a little nerdy about. Some would call them quirks; some would call them guilty pleasures. It's something that makes us unique.

Of course, I could be wrong. I could just be a freak.

What are you nerdy about? What's YOUR "Disneyworld"? Come on, share...

...because if you don't, then I'll know that I'm wrong and I really am just a freak! :)

Viva La Revolution!

2006-02-01T21:58:00.000-08:00

We just got back from seeing "Les Miserables" at the Ordway. (Mark & I went for his birthday). What a stunning production! I loved it!!! Everything about it was done beautifully...the music, the visuals, the acting. And even though it's not a Christian story, per say (although the main character, Jean Valjean, had a very strong faith in God), there were many powerful Christian themes woven throughout the storyline...tons of little "analogies" that could be made in various scenes. Forgiveness, unconditional love, mercy...and revolution. Even though the story itself dealt with an attempted revolution in 19th century France, as they marched and sang about pressing on in spite of opposition, I couldn't help but think of the revolution that we as Christians are a part of every day. It was very moving! I love it when God uses unexpected things to remind me of the truths in His Word.

Anyway, I can't really do it justice by my description here, but I would highly recommend checking out this play. I'll close this blog with this line that was printed in the program. I'm not really sure what it's supposed to be about...(it's by Victor Hugo, so I'm assuming it's from the book Les Mis)...but read it and see if it doesn't remind you of the Hope we have in Christ:

'Will the future ever arrive?...Should we continue to look upwards? Is the light we can see in the sky one of those which will presently be extinguished? The ideal is terrifying to behold, lost as it is in the depths, small, isolated, a pin-point, brilliant but threatened on all sides by the dark forces that surround it; nevertheless, no more in danger than a star in the jaws of the clouds."
-Victor Hugo

Cocoa Nightmare

2006-01-31T22:04:00.000-08:00

So one tradition in Mark's family is that every year his mom has baked him a "Buttermilk Cake". This has been a tradition in their family, passed on through the years. They are extremely delicious cakes, and always something to look forward to. Now that I we are married, Mark's mom was gracious enough to pass the "Buttermilk cake" baton on to me. However, since we were in Iowa the day of Mark's birthday a couple weeks ago, I decided that we would wait until tomorrow night to have the cake. You see, my birthday present to Mark was tickets to go see the final US tour of "Les Mis" at the Ordway tomorrow night. (It's his favorite show...he's not a huge "musical" guy, but this is one he really likes). So, in a way, we will be completing his birthday celebration tomorrow night, so it makes sense to eat the cake then. This meant that after I got home from work tonight (around 9:30), I realized that I would need to bake his cake tonight. So I waited until he went to bed, then around 11 (yes, 11) I set out to make the cake. All was going well until I got to the part of the recipe that called for 7 TBS of powdered cocoa. I had purchased some Hershey's baking cocoa just for this purpose awhile back, so I got the container out, took the plastic lid off the top, and then realized it had one of those "vacuum seal" type things on it. I briefly considered peeling the seal off. "Nah, too tight", I thought. Then I thought about poking it with a pair of kitchen shears. "Nah, then I have to get those out. It's late; I don't have any time to waste.". So...what did I do? I pressed my thumbs into the seal, in an effort to "pop" it. And boy did it pop! In fact, it wasn't a pop, it was more like an cocoa explosion! Suddenly, there was cocoa EVERYWHERE! We're talking PILES...on the counter, on the stove, all over my recipe book, on the microwave, in the utensil container, on the salt, on the rug, and...on ME! The entire front of my shirt was covered with brown, and there were layers of cocoa on my sleeves! So...it's 11 pm, I'm halfway through the recipe, I'm covered in cocoa, and I've destroyed the kitchen! And I'm standing there laughing - by MYSELF!

I doubt that ever happens to Rachael Ray.

Stay tuned for my next column where I will describe my continual habit of letting the water in the bathroom sink overflow...

I'm quite the home-maker, let me tell you! :)

4 Things

2006-01-30T21:04:00.000-08:00

Four Jobs I’ve Had in My Life:
CIT/STM (High School work crew) coordinator at camp
Kitchen Aid at camp
Art Director
Supervisor at Christian bookstore

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over, and Have:
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Napoleon Dynamite
A Christmas Story
While You Were Sleeping

Four Places I Have Lived:
Minneapolis, MN
Edina, MN
McGregor, MN
Bloomington, MN

Four TV Shows I Love To Watch:
American Idol
Everybody Loves Raymond
Yes, Dear
Freaks & Geeks

Four Places I Have Been On Vacation:
Sanibel Island, FL
Anaheim, CA
Williamsburg, VA
Astoria, OR

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
xanga.com/wally1324
myspace.com/nikkiwallacemusic
mac.com
www.cdugan.blogspot.com

Four Favorite Foods:
Poppy Seed chicken
PF Chang's Crispy Honey Chicken
Sloppy Joes
Chocolate

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
Sanibel Island, FL
Disneyworld
Disneyland
On vacation, anywhere :)

Idol Prediction #1

2006-01-29T07:18:00.000-08:00

I would like to make my first American Idol prediction of the season. I would like to predict that a young singer by the name of Katherine McPhee (not to be confused with Nanny McPhee) will make it to the top 5.

Watch & see if I'm right... :)

Old Friends

2006-01-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

Early on in high school, this was the crew I spent a lot of time with...I went my separate ways from them in 11th grade (when I moved on to a different school), but ever since then that connection has still been there, though weak at times. Anyway, tonight was the first of what will hopefully will be rather frequent "Monday night game night" get togethers with them all. It was a lot of fun! These girls are some of the most loyal, sweet and funky chicks you will ever meet & I'm really looking forward to getting to spend more time having fun with them again. :)

It's Fun Being an Aunt

2006-01-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

This weekend we were in Ames, yet again (this time to celebrate a very late Christmas!), and I got to see my adorable nieces...here's a pic of me with 2 of them. I look creepy, but they're just plain cute. :)

Nikki's Music Picks Volume 1

2006-01-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be fun to every once in awhile use my blog to spotlight an artist that I've been listening to lately...

Today I'd like to spotlight a local band called "Cofield". I'm not very good at categorizing music, but if I had to describe them I'd say they are essentially an alt rock band with a cello. :) They first came to my attention a few summers ago when they came to play at a concert series going on at my store, not to mention the fact that the band consists of a number of random personal acquaintances/obscure connections to me (the cello player's family & my family are old friends...I had a college class with the old drummer...I used to work with the bass player's wife...that sort of thing). ANYWAY, they put out a CD within the last year or so that I finally decided to pick up last week...and it's been in my CD player ever since. I love it! Good, catchy, fun stuff that I would highly recommend. Give them a listen. You can visit their myspace page at: www.myspace.com/cofield .

Oh, an extra fun note is that as I was reading the liner notes, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my cousin Mindy lent her fluting skills to 2 of the tracks! Neat!

End of an Era

2006-01-18T06:09:00.000-08:00

Sad!

A Great Getaway...

2006-01-15T19:21:00.000-08:00

Mark & I just returned this afternoon from a nice, long weekend in Ames with our brother & sister-in-law & our adorable nieces...thanks to them all for their hospitality! It was just what we needed, and Mark was able to celebrate his 31st birthday yesterday with the biggest, most delicious frosted chocolate-chip-cookie we've ever seen! (yummm! :)).

Seriously, it was a great time. What could have been a very difficult weekend evolved into something really restful & rejuvinating. God continues to guide us through this time & I know He'll prove Himself faithful. :)

A New Chapter, A New Song

2006-01-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

"He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord."
-Psalm 40:3

This week I said goodbye to something that I have poured much of my heart into for the past several years. It was not something I wanted to say goodbye to, but was a part of a step of obedience that had to be taken. The initial realization of that "farewell" has been tough. Today I am feeling more hopeful, though. While the realization of that "goodbye" is very much there, the realization of the potential "hellos" that it opens up is dawning on me. Really, all that came to a close was an outlet. Now my job is to find a NEW outlet. That's a scary yet exhilerating thing. Isn't it funny how something so difficult can actually push you toward God in a whole new way, and challenge you to exercise spiritual "muscles" you haven't really used before? I am excited for the adventure that lies ahead, and looking forward to pursue new opportunities to express God's glory.

One thing that I am going to be pursuing more is my own music...performing and recording more proactively. This is a scary and humbling thing to think about, because as I look around the vast sea of extraordinarily gifted Christian musicians in the area, I certainly feel like I don't have a lot to offer! But I am excited to offer what little I can with the resources God has given me and the time that has now opened up in my schedule. Anyway. I have started a myspace page for my music...a little premature :), but if I ever perform anywhere or record anything, it will be listed there, if anyone is interested. It's at www.myspace.com/nikkiwallacemusic

What do you think...

2006-01-10T20:28:00.000-08:00

...the thought process is behind vacuuming, with a broken vacuum cleaner, at 10:30 on a weeknight, when you live on the 2nd floor of an apartment/condo building?

And not just tonight...but EVERY time you vacuum?

...I'm just wondering.

Roll Call

2006-01-09T17:38:00.000-08:00

I'm just wondering...does anyone read this fair blog of mine? If so, post a comment here and say hello. :)

Truth Sung by an American Idol

2006-01-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

I guess it’s gonna have to hurt
I guess i’m gonna have to cry
And let go of some things i’ve loved
To get on to the other side
I guess it’s gonna break me down
Like falling when you’re trying to fly
It’s sad, but moving on with the rest of your life
Starts with goodbye

I know there’s a blue horizon
Somewhere up ahead just waiting for me
But getting there means leaving things behind
Sometimes life’s so bittersweet

-from "Starts with Goodbye", sung by Carrie Underwood

Oftentimes following God means stepping from what is familiar into the unknown. It can be a painful process, but the bottom line is that we are each called to stand up for what we believe in, and follow God wherever He directs us. To be revolutionaries. It's the old "narrow road" analogy Jesus gave, and it's much easier to talk about than to walk down. We are grateful to have eachother on this journey, and above all, our God. He's our one constant.

Please Pray

2006-01-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

It's been an excruciatingly difficult day...we are hurting...please pray for continued peace.

Profound...

2006-01-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

"Every Christian, without exception, is called into the place where Jesus stood. To the extent we are called to leadership, we are called to ministry, even costly ministry. The greater the leadership, the greater is to be the ministry. The word "minister" is not a title of power, but a designation of servanthood. There is to be no Christian guru. We must reject this constantly and carefully. A minister, a man who is a leader in the church of God (and never more needed in a day like ours, when the battle is so great), MUST make plain to the men, women, boys and girls who come to the places of leadership that instead of lording their authority over others and allowing it to become an ego trip, they are to serve in humility.

Again, Jesus said 'be ye not called Rabbi; for one is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." (Matt. 23:8). This does not mean there is to be no order in the church. It does mean that the basic relationship between Christians is not that of elder and people, or pastor and people, but that of brothers and sisters in Christ. This denotes that there is one Father in the family and that his offspring are equal. There are different jobs to be done, different offices to be filled, but we as Christians are equal before one Master. We are not to seek a great title; we are to have the places together as brethren."

-from the book "No Little People" by Francis Schaeffer, pp 26 & 27.

John Piper goes hip-hop?

2006-01-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Good Things About Getting the Stomach Flu on Your First Married Christmas Eve

2005-12-25T17:17:00.000-08:00

10. You get to drink plenty of Sprite®
9. At any given point in the middle of the night when you're up feeling like you're on the verge of death, you can flip on TBS and watch the "Christmas Story" marathon for cheer.
8. You can put the whole "in sickness & in health" thing to the test (note: he passed :))
7. You have someone there to hold your hair back (sorry if that was graphic, and please refer to #8 :))
6. You get a lot of sympathy the next day (& food from your mom -- thanks mom!)
5. If you're extra and specially nice, you might share your illness with your new hubby, in which case you get to lounge around like beached whales watching TV together.
4. You get to brag about your previous 10-year puke record to unsuspecting family members
3. Santa still visits :)
2. It makes for a Christmas we'll always remember
1. It's still possible to have a nice Christmas with your family - a reminder that you really are blessed, and also of what the true meaning of Christmas is. :)

2005-12-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

Shopping, Creches & Stuff

2005-12-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

Today was the annual "Dugan Family Shopping Trip to the Mall of America". For years my family has had the tradition of taking one day off to all go Christmas shopping together, and for the past several years this has meant a day at the mall with lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. This year I had to work in the morning, and Mark had to work all day, so he couldn't join the crew, but I was able to join in for the afternoon...what a fun day! It's one of those traditions that I'm really starting to realize how much I enjoy it -- not that I didn't enjoy it before...but you know how sometimes you're doing something you've done a million times before, when it suddenly hits you: "man, this is really fun!"? It's like that. :). I didn't even buy much of anything today, but I feel all the more in the Christmas spirit.

On a different note, as Mark and I were decorating our home the other day with all kinds of stockings, ornaments and cute little snowmen, the thought hit: "something's missing". Then I realized it. Duh. We didn't have anything out representing the TRUE meaning of Christmas. So I dug out my tiny little nativity set and set that up. Here's what it looks like:

As you can see, it's pretty sad. Aside from being 1.5 inches tall, the figurines just look lost and frightened. No one knows where they belong, probably because there is no stable! So I've decided to try and find the perfect nativity set. (or at least a decent one! :)). Here are a few options I've thought of:

1. The More Traditional Style:

2. The WillowTree brand super-nativity (my personal favorite, though it costs a small fortune):

3. Or this piece, brimming with historical accuracy:

What would you pick?

Christmas time is Here!

2005-11-30T21:20:00.000-08:00

Our first tree! :)

How did it know?

2005-11-23T22:30:00.000-08:00

Pretty accurate...I don't remember having that look of seduction like the girl in the picture though! :)

Arty Kid

Whether you were a drama freak or an emo poet, you definitely were expressive and unique.

You're probably a little less weird these days - but even more talented!

Who Were You In High School?

Adventures in Retail 2.0

2005-11-23T06:25:00.000-08:00

So last night at the store I had an encounter with the MEANEST CUSTOMER EVER. She became upset when the clerk wouldn't accept her check without a phone number on it (not exactly a policy that we can budge on), so I got called to the front to explain to her the situation, that we'd be happy to accept some other method of payment without her phone number, etc. Well, before I even had a chance to speak, she just LAID into me about how that's a bunch of baloney and whatnot. I tried to remain cool & explain the situation, suggesting that if she had a complaint she could contact our corporate office and they would love to hear her complaint, etc, but she would have none of it. At one point I called her "ma'am", and she said "DON't call me ma'am, that's condescending". ?!?! (I was just trying to be polite! :O) . She then said we'd be losing her business and I said "Well, I'm very sorry to hear that", and then she said bitterly "No you're not" ?!?!! It was just a very bizarre situation...we were treating her as nicely and patiently as we could but she just needed to argue, I guess. Finally I tried just ending the scene by saying "I'm sorry to lose your business, this is not a policy I have any leeway with, so I guess we're just going to have to agree to disagree here". She started to slowly walk away without saying anything, just looking at me with condescension. So I just turned around and walked away; there was nothing else I could do. Then I went to the back room and cried (I'll admit it)!. I wonder how people can live like that...feeding off of the feeling of power, even in little situations like that (requiring a phone number on a check isn't exactly abnormal among stores...she obviously just wanted to fight). 3 thoughts hit me as I reflected on it. First of all, 1 John says if you don't love your brother, the love of the Father is not in you. Someone can't claim to be a Christian and treat others like that. Secondly, God will hold her accountable for every action, including last night (which was a relief to me until I realized he will hold ME accountable for all my actions...sobering! :)). Thirdly, if you are ever in a store and hear an employee getting ripped apart by a customer (or an employee ripping into a customer, for that matter) step in & say something! There were a few customers last night walking around within earshot of this lady cutting me to pieces, and NOBODY said anything. ANyway, those are my thoughts for today. Goodbye. :)

Adventures in Retail

2005-11-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

So tonight I worked at the bookstore...only 4 hours...it wasn't too bad. It was our first Saturday night of the season that we were open (holiday hours kicked in!), so most of the evening was pretty quiet since most people probably thought we were closed! So, after a busy day and a slow evening, closing time (9:00) was fast approaching, and as the supervisor for the night I was anticipating that the registers would be counted and that the 3 of us working would be well on our way home very soon. Typically we are all out of the store by 9:30 at the latest, but on slower nights like tonight we're usually able to start the closing process a bit earlier and get out of there by 9:15 or so. Well, at about 5 minutes to 9 this lady walked in carrying 4 shoeboxes, and plopped them in front of the counter. (Our store is collecting shoeboxes for the "Operation Christmas Child" outreach this weekend.). She explained to the clerk that "they weren't completely assembled yet"...which we soon realized translated "I haven't finished purchasing all of the items for the shoeboxes yet, so I'm going to try to finish putting them together here". (Keep in mind this is a Christian bookstore; not exactly Target!) She asked me if we had any coloring books. "It's already after 9", I thought to myself, "but I'm not about to turn a customer away, especially since she's trying to do something so nice. I'll just help her find what she needs and then I'm sure she'll be off. I don't want to rush closing the store, anyway.". So I helped her find some coloring books, and continued with my closing duties. A few minutes later she approached me again: "I'm SO sorry...but do you have any pencil sharpeners?". Graciously and cheerfully I searched with her for pencil sharpeners, but to no avail. She shrugged her shoulders and went back to her boxes. A few minutes later she approached me again: "I'm SO sorry...but do you have any markers?" We didn't have any markers, but I found her a nice little art set that contained markers. By this time it was 9:15. I was starting to get a little antsy, but "No big deal", I thought, "We're open a little later than normal, but we have a satisfied customer." So I continued with my closing duties in the back of the store. About 20 MINUTES later or so, I went back up front. The lady was STILL there...slowly WRAPPING HER BOX while poor Liz (the clerk) just stood there helplessly, not able to close her one remaining register. Note that I said the lady was wrapping her BOX - there were still 3 more boxes behind her to be wrapped! Liz and Amy had told her she didn't need to wrap them, but she insisted "they just looked so much nicer wrapped". It should also be noted that she wasn't just wrapping the box...she was slowly analyzing the contents of the box, asking Liz if she thought everything was alright. Well, at this point Amy, Liz & I had a choice. I'll admit that a big part of me wanted to say "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I have some very tired employees here who need to go home, so I'm going to need to ask you to assemble your boxes elsewhere"...it would have probably left her sad, and her boxes wouldn't have been done, but at least it would have sent us on our way. After looking at eachother, though, we silently and simultaneously decided that maybe a different approach would be better. More Christ like. "Can we help you wrap?" I managed to say. Her eyes lit up. "Thank you!", she exclaimed. So we clocked out, got down on our hands and knees, and got those boxes wrapped. It took a few minutes, as she still was unsure about the contents of the box...and she also needed to run out to her car to get the candy she'd forgotten to put in the boxes. But by 9:50 pm, those boxes were wrapped, we said goodnight to her, we locked the front door, and we had a good chuckle. We laughed because we knew that she had no concept of the fact that we'd stayed there solely for her...but our hearts were light because we knew we'd taken the right road. Funny how little choices like that, though temporarily a burden, can leave you feeling more satisfied than you probably would have felt had it not happened at all.

Who Knew?

2005-11-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause.

Batman, the Dark Knight

83%

Maximus

58%

Neo, the "One"

54%

The Amazing Spider-Man

54%

Indiana Jones

46%

William Wallace

46%

Captain Jack Sparrow

46%

Lara Croft

42%

El Zorro

42%

The Terminator

33%

James Bond, Agent 007

25%

Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com

Quote of the Day...

2005-11-18T14:12:00.000-08:00

"Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer." --John Bunyan

Revolution, Anyone?

2005-11-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

Has anyone read the book "Revolution" by George Barna? I will post more on it later, but just curious if anyone has read it and what their thoughts on it are...