You Know You Live in Wyoming When...

You're at a dinner with people and one of them starts a story by saying, "I knew this girl from back east, I think North Dakota or Minnesota..."

For those who live past the Mississippi, I really don't think most Wyomingans consider you part of the USA, or at least a part of the good portion. Sorry!

Memorize It?

I just finished reading this post by Seth Godin about finding information. His basic argument is that it is more important to be able to process information to make good decisions than to just have everything memorized. And, in many ways I agree with him. Having so much information at our fingertips lets us not memorize nearly as many things as we used to. I have kids in the youth group who have to get out their cell phone to figure out what their home phone number is. If it's in their pocket, why memorize it? But, there is (at least) one BIG exception to this new world of just look it up when you need it. The Bible. We must memorize it, and not because it isn't easy to find online, it is. BibleGateway.com is one of my best friends, but memorizing Scripture is vital to our life as Christians. The Psalmist puts it this way:

I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11

What are you memorizing?
What is being hidden in your heart?

Spaghetti Night

We had spaghetti for dinner last night and most of the family decided to eat it. One of us decided to wear it.



















Anybody want a kiss?

We're going to the 'ship!

Numbers that are exciting tonight:
6-4
4-0
21-1
In the entire series, the Rockies only trailed for two half innings! I literally, until maybe a week ago, thought the Rockies would never make it to a World Series. And now, COLORADO ROCKIES 2007 NL Pennant Winners! Go Rockies, make it 25-1!!!

Food Drive

This week for youth group we jumped into some cars and drove around different neighborhoods asking for food donations. I wanted to get students actively involved in doing something for someone else, and this seemed like a good idea. We have been talking about slowing down enough to see who God is, what he is doing, and who he has put around us. Tonight we did that by foregoing games and every other "normal" part of youth group to go love others. My group had a great time and I loved hearing students talk about enjoying serving people. One of my junior high boys asked me if we could go around once a month collecting food! In just an hour we collected about 280 pounds of food with 15 kids. Imagine the difference a church could make if everyone took an hour a week to serve their community!

The New Office

In the last few weeks new offices were completed in our church. My office will no longer be referred to as a "closet" in the blueprints! Very exciting happenings. A few weeks ago during Sunday school, a couple of high school girls told me how boring and white the new offices were, so I told one of them to go pick me out some paint and we would paint an accent wall. So today was the day of the painting. Much brighter than I would have picked on my own, but I like it and had a great time painting with Becca.

Bambi

My kids don't get to watch much tv, but the time they do get, they would love for it all to be spent watching Bambi. For whatever reason, they love that movie. When we go out and about in Lander and see a mounted deer head (which is almost anywhere you go, the local appliance store has multiple heads in it, and my senior pastor's office has a nice mount) Carsen always points at it and in barely contained enthusiasm proclaims "BAMBI" over and over until we leave. At which point he takes the time to wave and say "Bye Bambi." Thank you to miss Nancy for the movie, we might wear it out soon! Here are a couple pics of them zoning out and enjoying the greatest movie ever made in their 2 year old minds.

Romans Bible Study

My guys small group is going through Romans this fall for our study. This week we looked at the beginning of chapter 2 and had some great talking about what it means to be a verse 7 man rather than a verse 8 man.

7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

In the end we talked about how we start our days. Do we give them to Christ from the time we wake-up, or is he an afterthought sometime during English or history class. So we decided to start our days with prayer this week. To pray that we will be about God's glory, honor, and immortality, rather than our own, each day. Along those lines, here was the Celtic prayer for the 4th day of the month:

PRAYER OF ABANDONMENT TO GOD
Father, I abandon myself into Your hands. Do with me what You will, whatever You do, I will thank You, I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only Your will be done in me, as in all Your creatures, and I'll ask nothing else, my Lord.
Into Your hands I commend my spirit; I give it to You with all the love of my heart, for I love You, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into Your hands with a trust beyond all measure, because You are my Father.

I think I'll be praying that prayer each morning for a while for myself and for each of those guys.

Technology

Our projector broke last week. It is only two years old. The wiring inside that provides power shorted out. This is not the end of the world, the projector will be fixed in a few weeks and we will eventually get it back, and if not, we will buy a new one. But for tonight it's a bummer because I can't show video on the big screen for my lesson. Oh well, the students will have to live through what it was like to be in high school way back in the mid 90's.

ROCKTOBER!

Rockies: 9
Padres: 8
13 Innings

The Rockies finished the season 13-1 to finish an incredible run to the postseason. I remember the last time the Rockies were in the playoffs, 1995, when I still couldn't drive a car and the first baseman was some guy named Galarraga. Well, now I've had my share of tickets and the Rockies are playing in the LDS against the Phillies. Clutch hitting in the bottom of the 13th beating up the all-time major league saves leader, Trevor Hoffman. Jamey Carroll came through with the sacrifice fly to score Matt Holliday for the winning run. After lots of depressing years (I also cheer for the Royals), finally, a reason to watch postseason baseball.

Go Rockies! Beat the Phillies!