Catching Up

Has it been 4 days since I last posted?

So, what's been going on?

• Wednesday night I got to hang out with our Middle School Ministry for their Wednesday night program. I had a blast. I also got to draw the lucky winner of an iPod Touch.
• Denver and the Mile High made it through again. They are now in the final five! Could they be the "Next Great American Band?"
  
• Need a laugh - Macy and I got Elfed Friday night! I'm still laughing.
  
• Started working on Christmas shopping. Not laughing anymore. What will be the big, hot items this year that everybody wants?
  
• Mark & Miller are emceeing the Children's Night @ Christmas this Sunday night at McGregor. It should be a lot of fun. And always exciting with tons of children involved.
  
• I'm really enjoying my study for this week's lesson I'm teaching. The text is Isaiah 53. I'm calling it the Christmas Prequel.
• Macy made some awesome Crab Cakes tonight for dinner! Once again, the inspiration came from the Food Network. I love that channel.
• Still enjoying seeing Macy as an elf.
• Enjoyed dinner with my beautiful elf wife at PF Changs last night. We both love eating there. Saw several McGregor folks there.
• Still mad about the NFL Network and not being able to view the Cowboys and Packers game. Come on NFL, what's up with trying to broadcast games on your own network! Because of this, I spent 3 hours in front of my computer, squinting at a very small screen, just to see about half of the actual game NFL.com showed. At least Dallas won!!!
• Dallas is 11-1!
• Looking forward to a great weekend!
  

Denver Still Alive

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned in a post the show The Next Great American Band and that Denver and the Mile High Orchestra had made it to the last 8 bands. Well, DMHO is still on the show and they are now down to 6 bands! You gotta watch and you gotta vote this Friday night.

Check them out on the show...



Here's a video to get a little more feel for who DMHO is...

Eating at the Bear Rock

On occasion I like to pass on to you guys places I have found to eat that I really enjoy. This week I had the opportunity to eat twice at my friend Lou's new restaurant, the Bear Rock Cafe. Lou is the co-owner of this new franchise that is located on US41 just south of Six Mile Cypress in the Shops at Jamaica Bay.

My first impression in walking into the restaurant was extremely positive. It is well decorated and at the same time gives a very casual and comfortable feel. You place your order at a counter and the food is brought to your table. The menu has a lot of choices, but not so many you feel overwhelmed. Salads, soups, and sandwiched make up much of the menu. All prepared fresh, when you order.

Now to the most important part - the taste. Everything taste great at Bear Rock. I tried the Napa Valley Salad my first visit and it was best lunch salad I think I have ever had. Trip two I was with Macy and we tried some soups, and they were awesome. The Baked Potato Mountain Chowder was out of this world good. I had the Black Angus Melt with Steak Fries and it was delicious. Macy had the Mikonos Grilled Vegetable Salad and loved it. So much so she was calling a friend when we got in the car to tell her about Bear Rock and her salad!

I would encourage you yo give Bear Rock a try. Tell Lou I sent you.

Also, children eat free on Sundays!

Turkey Trot Update

Yesterday, Evan and I ran in the Turkey Trot 5K over in Cape Coral. What a great way to start off Thanksgiving Day! The race started at 7:30am and we were back home before 9:30am, and that includes a Starbucks stop on the way home.

I didn't get the time I wanted. My goals was 24 minutes or less and I ran 24:31. Oh well. It still felt good to run in another race. Out of 1049 entrants, I finished 248 overall and 19th place in my age division out of 54.

I think I'll take today off from running and from just about everything else.

Grateful

I'm going to have some fun and make my own list of things I am grateful for. If you don't care to know what I'm thankful for - then be grateful nobody is making you read this and go eat some more turkey. I am grateful for...

• My Espresso Machine - I don't get to Starbucks much anymore because of this machine. We use it (Saeco V'spresso) everyday and love it.
• Our new High School Pastor - Ben Fleming and his wife Maggie. God has blessed in such an awesome way in bringing Ben to the McGregor staff team. He will be starting December 9!
• Our incredible Education Staff Team. I get to serve alongside some of the most awesome men and women who have a passion for seeing the mission of McGregor fulfilled in their ministry areas. You guys rock! (Every position is filled now - another awesome blessing!)
  
• Friends. God has blessed me with so many awesome friends.
• A homemade double shot cappuccino. One of life's simple pleasures that I get to enjoy almost daily now since I have my own espresso machine.
  
• My health. I am so thankful for this and the ability to exercise. By the way, I'm running in a 5K race this (Thanksgiving) morning! This will give me the privilege of eating like a pig the rest of the day.
• Technology. I love gadgets and how they sometimes make my life easier. My DVR is probably at the top of my technology list along with my laptop.
• McGregor. I never want to take for granted what an incredible church I have the awesome privilege of serving and being a part of. It is such a joy to be around all the awesome people of McGregor. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of the McGregor family.
  
• Macy. I have the most incredible wife in the whole world. Every day with Macy is a joy and a true blessing. I am sooooo grateful for Macy and who she is!
• My relationship with Christ! The foundation of my life and the true source for all my joy and peace.
• Tons of other things...from the roof over my head to the air conditioning that keeps me cool. Thanks, thanks, thanks!
  

I wish each of you a very happy Thanksgiving.

Free Rice

filigree means:

1. self-evident truth
2. practical person
3. device
4. ornamentation

How good is your vocabulary? The above is a sample from the Free Rice website where you can test your vocabulary. And while you're wasting your time on the site, you can feel good about yourself because you're helping to feed the world. You gotta love the web!

Ornamentation is the answer to the above.

Motivation

What motivates you?

I had a great run this past Saturday, except I lost motivation near the end. The reason: I pressed the wrong button on my watch. Instead of hitting the lap button at the 2 mile mark, I hit the end stop button. So, when I glanced down at my watch at the 2 and a half mark, I saw the same time I had seen at the 2 mile mark. Now here's the really interesting part. At the 2 mile mark I was on a personal best pace. I ran the first mile in 7:30 and the second mile in 7:46. But knowing I would never know exactly what my 3 mile time would be, I begin to fade and ended up walking the last little bit.

I knew timing my runs motivated me some, but I did not realize how much. I begin to think of other things I do, and the motivation behind them. I sometime find my self more motivated by the externals - appearances and approvals. Then it hit me - this is exactly what Jesus was teaching about throughout the Sermon on the Mount. It's not about what's on the outside, it's a heart matter. Am I motivated to live in right relationship with God or am I more concerned about what others think about me? What is motivating you right now?

Thought: Success is being used by God for His glory.

Shawn, the Race Car Driver

This past Saturday night I drove up to Punta Gorda to watch Shawn Bergen race at the Charlotte Country Motor Speedway. He raced in the Faster Pastor race. This is a race that pits area pastors against each other. Let me say, this is a real auto race on a real race track. I also wish I could say that Shawn won his race. But, winning isn't everything. He had a blast and so did those from our church watching him. Thanks Shawn for putting it all on the line!