Vacations 09

Change Conference
Taking 2 days off to attend the annual Change Without Compromise Conference at Northridge. Brad Powell does a great job of spelling out the need for change in the church. The worship is inspiring and the breakout sessions are great.

Miller Park
Every year we head off to explore a new major league ballpark. This year we’re heading up to Milwaukee to see Miller Park. After Wrigley Field, this is probably the stadium I’m looking forward to seeing the most so far.

Spirit Song Festival
Pulling the pop-up down to Cincinnati, Ohio for the annual Spirit Song Festival held at Kings Island. For the last few years their lineup has been just alright, and basically the same. This year they’re going for broke: Third Day, Switchfoot, Mercy Me, David Crowder, NewsBoys, KJ-52, Family Force 5, and more. Three days of concerts and coasters for only $75. Best deal around!

Fantasy Football Draft Party
I love our annual draft party. Tonia and Tanner pack up and head to her parents house and leave me the house for a full weekend of football, food, video games and cigars. We use an old fashion chalk board, and we even have a guy fly up from Dallas every year to attend. I think this years menu is going to be wings. They were a pretty big hit a few years ago. Pretty sure we’re also heading down to Cedar Point the day before as well. Great times.

Family Reunion
Loading up the Rendezvous again and heading down to Hamilton, Alabama for Tonia’s grandma’s family reunion. We went about 10 years ago and it was like going in a time machine. Good old fashion fun and plenty of fish fry’s!

Filed under: 2009, Vacation

I WIll Follow

I can’t believe I’d never seen this video before tonight.

Filed under: U2

Change

Life is not a color-within-the-lines project:
life is a work of art.
You have to keep mixing colors,
creating new blends,
and seeing things in fresh ways.
You must be willing
to get paint
all over you.
Life is about growth.
Growth demands change.
Change requires humility.
Sometimes you need to bring change;
Sometimes you need to be changed.

Erwin McManus, Wide Awake (p61-62)

Filed under: Change, Erwin McManus, Quotes

Recipe of the Day

Baked Penne w/ Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Each baking dish serves four; bake one tonight and freeze the other for a ready-made dinner later on. When ready to cook, bake it straight from the freezeer.

Ingredients
• 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each), halved horizontally
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups whole milk
• 10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan.

5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

To Freeze A Dish
1. Prepare through step 4; let cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze, up to 3 months.

2. Preheat oven to 400, and bake (still covered in foil) on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

(via)

Filed under: Food, Recipes

Jennifer’s Story

This is why I’m only drinking water for 40 days.

» 40 Days of Water
» twitter.com/bloodwater

Filed under: Life, Water

Mark by Ben

I really can’t count how many levels of awesome this story has, but I want to be the kind of father that produces a son like this.

Mark Gullett, the marketing director with the Tampa Bay Lighting, knew that he was in danger of being laid off. So his son, Ben, 14, came up with the idea of producing a YouTube video touting his dad’s employment credentials. When Mark was laid off on Thursday, Ben posted his video. (more…)

markbyben.com

Filed under: Love

Unleash 09

NewSpring Church in South Carolina held a one day conference for church leaders yesterday called Unleash. As part of a growing movement in churches to make resources more readily available, they also streamed it Live on their website.

But the best part for me was reading the synopsis compiled through a group of twitterers by Jason Curlee. The links below are the main notes of Jason (@jasoncurlee) and several of his twitter friends (@shaunking, @vinceparker, @moviepastor, @cadillaczak, & @susannereeder) from Perry Noble’s two main sessions:

» Morning Session

» Afternoon Session

Please take some time and read through them all.

**UPDATE**
Both sessions are now available onilne in video format, again for FREE.

Filed under: Church, Leadership

The Human Factor

I’ve never been so excited about a movie that I knew so little about. I read an article today about Matt Damon and Zimbabwee refugees, and at the bottom it said he was in South Africa making a film directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman as the country’s first black president, Nelson Mandela.

Hello.

Damon will play rugby star Francois Pienaar, who created, with Nelson Mandela, an event that gave whites and blacks in South Africa a common cause to rally around as the country was trying to heal from the wounds of apartheid.

Sports, Africa, Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Unity.

What more can you ask for in a movie?

Slated for release in December 2009.

Filed under: Movies

I’m An Uncle (again)

Carter Thomas Bortell
6lbs 15oz / 19.53″
March 2 @ 3:15pm

**UPDATE**

Filed under: Family

February Debrief

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

Psalm 40: 1-3

That pretty much sums up February 2009.

Going into February was a downer, coming out I’m feeling quite nice. Notable events include writing an important letter, sending a team to Africa to hand drill wells and Frankenmuth chicken!

Media-wise, the books slowed down a bit, but I’m happy with 3 in a month. I just started Team of Rivals and hope to finish that before the end of March. The majority of the movies I watched were average or below. Thankfully the last week of the month I had a great stretch of good movies.

Books Read:
Tribes
The Innocent Man
Left To Tell

Movies Watched:
Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist – 3/5
Space Buddies – 2/5
Patriot Games – 3/5
Hotel For Dogs – 4/5
Adaptation – 3/5
Miracle at St. Anna – 3/5
W. – 3/5
The Day After Tomorrow – 4/5
Commando – 2/5
Iron Eagle – 3/5
The 6th Day – 2/5
Body of Lies – 3/5
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – 2/5
Flash of Genius – 3/5
Swing Vote – 2/5
American Psycho – 1/5
How To Lose Friends and Alienate People – 3/5
Changeling – 4/5
Dirty Harry – 3/5
Lakeview Terrace – 4/5
Appaloosa – 4/5
Taken – 5/5

Previous Months:
January 2009

Filed under: 2009, Books, February, Movies