in between bites & sips ...

thanks for stopping by! here's where i put various thought, quotes or stories. most will be brief, some may be extended - but all will be somehow connected to my world. enjoy your stay!



Thursday, February 21, 2008

I kept my cool!

Sometimes, I lose my cool.

I've lost it when I've made a wrong turn. I've lost it when I've made foolish choices. I've lost it when I've been stressed. I've lost it when people have let me down.

But I didn't lose it today!

All the ingredients where assembled for me to have a complete meltdown: I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at work right now, I'm a little under-the-weather, I had an agenda of things to do & I lost my keys for the car while I was with the Young Adults at Panera.

Seems silly as I write it - but - that's the formula! In the past, I would yell at myself, call myself a bunch of names including 'idiot' 'stupid' & 'nincompoop', I'd criticize myself for the decisions that left me in the predicament, possibly stomp my feet or punch some things!

It hasn't been overnight, but I've come a long way in the past 15 years! Step by step - day by day, I've eventually gotten to the point where I went to the car, checked all my pockets, retraced my steps, asked for help - the whole time, never getting too upset, never getting too frantic, never calling myself any bad names or showing any unnecessary reaction other than what would be considered by anyone to be an appropriate reaction to a less-than-ideal situation.

The end of the story? The keys were in my pocket. Not my pants or my coat pocket - but - the pocket on my sweatshirt. I generally only wear that sweatshirt around the house, but, since I wasn't feeling the best, I liked the cuddly feeling of the bulky sweatshirt. Since I rarely wear the sweatshirt, I didn't think to check the pouch.

Thank you Jesus, for helping me get my temper under control!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Praying for Siberia

I love God's perfect timing!

I just finished praying for a church in Siberia. Apparently at 9PM EST, a missionary friend of mine in Siberia is meeting with Sergei, a regional Russian m@fi@-head. The missionary, Ilya Bantseev, has seen a vision where Sergei accepts Jesus as Savior and together they team up to spread the gospel throughout Novokuznetsk!

God's timing is amazing because I checked my email with 5 minutes to spare before their scheduled meeting time. In fact, as I write this, they are likely talking! First off, they will be talking about the leaky roof the church has and the need for a crane to be in the parking lot to fix that roof. No big deal - except that in order for the crane to fix the roof, not only does it need to be in the church's parking lot, it also has to be on the neighbor's parking lot. The neighbor? You guessed it - Sergei & the m@fi@.

It could be that Sergei will try to manipulate the church and use their predicament as leverage. He may even try to entrap the church in a negotiation that leads to trouble. But, I believe God is in this! Just as God had me log-on to my computer at the perfect time to be able to pray, God has set up their meeting at the perfect time for His will to be done.

Likely, you are reading this after their meeting is over - but - would you still do the Kingdom of God a favor? Please pray for Ilya & Janet Bantseev & the church in Novokuznetsk, Siberia, Russia that they are able to repair the roof to their church. But, more importantly, pray for Sergei! Either he is a newborn baby Christian, or he is someone who is wrestling with God at this very moment!

Monday, February 18, 2008

"I have a dream!"

were the words of Martin Luther King as he rallied the throngs in a speech that echoes to this day.

I have a dream too, and it's to see the Montreal Canadiens return to supremacy as the best team in the National Hockey League while simultaneously seeing the Toronto Maple Leafs flounder in the cellar of the standings.

Sure, sure, there are so many more wonderful and meaningful dreams I could have - like world peace or a cure for cancer or the eradication of violent crimes - but, I'm a simple man with a simple dream.

And slowly but surely, my dream is coming true! At this very moment, the Habs are 3rd best overall and the Maples are 3rd worst!!! How wonderful is this! So close to a dream come true!

Yet, I'm not truly content. Why is that? Is it because they are only in 3rd and not in first? Partly - but not really. The problem is ... I DON'T LIVE IN TORONTO ANYMORE!!!!

What a horrible year to live in Ohio! I have so much trash-talk to give, yet no one to receive! Where's Greg McLarty & Kevin Marchant? Where's David Moran? Where's Bonnie Palmer or Steve Olmstead? I've never missed these die-hard Maples fans more in my life!

So, I have an addendum to my dream ... not only do I want to see the Canadiens in 1st place and the Maple Leafs in last place - I also want all of these people to call me on that day and admit that the Habs are indeed not only Canada's team - but the marquee hockey franchise in the NHL, nay ... OF THE WORLD!!!!

Friday, February 1, 2008

It's too cold!

I don't think I can take it anymore! I used to be so brave in the face of frigid temperatures, but now when the thermometer hits 22F, I'M STAYING INSIDE!!!

I think Canadians get numbed into accepting sub-freezing temperatures, to the point where they simply don't care anymore and just deal with it. Now that I'm living in the US and wearing a spring jacket on every occasion, when it does get cold outside I can't take it anymore.

(of course, this may also have something to do with the fact I have remnants of a tan from last week in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and Miami, Florida)

All I know is that it's time to get my space-heater from home and set it up snugly under my feet while I'm sitting at my desk. It's time to call Rotelli's for a lunch-delivery because I'm never going to leave my precious little heater until the little bell rings that says it's time to go home for the evening (where I'll find a warm blanket and curl up with the family and watch movies and drink hot cocoa until bedtime).

Call me a wimp if you like, but - I'm about ready for summer!