Mars Hill Church: Seattle, WA

Hey guys! Just wanted to share a favorite sermon podcast of mine- Mars Hill Church. The style is modern, but the theology is sound. Some consider it too old-fasioned, but I believe it's very Biblical. They are also currently ranked #3 on iTunes podcasts under Religion and Spirituality, so congratulations! :)
You can check them out there, or get their current sermon series at www.marshillchurch.org
... I would consider the current series for high school students and up (that means not you Emily!) but they also have all their old series up as well.

Crazy Busy

The Crew:
35 bags for one house! Wow!

Nicole and Jen

I have been rediculously busy recently, but now that things are calming down, I figure I should do a personal update for those of you that rely on this blog for those sorts of things.

-I "resigned" from my job, due to various causes that I cannot elaborate on here because of papers I signed.

-I figured out what university I am going to, got accepted, and am heading out to Nova Scotia to check it out in exactly two weeks. If anyone knows anything about me and universities in Nova Scotia, you can probably connect the dots... pop over an email if you'd like details.

-My friend Kim and I organized a leaf raking charity for our school. We raked leaves around the neighborhood for Operation Christmas Child, and raised over $250. (Pictures are above)

-I only have two real months of school left! Yay!

-My wonderful mommy finished her nursing exams! Now all she has is her practicum!

-I bought an external harddrive that was priced beautifully for the size. What this means for you: more pictures at a better quality!

-The quilt is scheduled to be finished within a month. Look out...

Step It Up, Dudes!

It's a sad, state of affairs out there...

http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=102408A

PhotoLife Contest

Hey guys! Hope all you Canucks had a happy Thanksgiving, and you Americans had a happy Columbus Day. Today was the [extended] deadline for Photolife's Image International contest, and above are the photos I entered. Hope everyone has a wonderful week! [Notice I took Hazel out of the photo with Paige. Oh lovely Photoshop]

Reflections on Me, Myself, and Bob

How many of you have heard of VeggieTales?

I'm guessing at least 90% of my readers have.

How many of you loved VeggieTales?

I'm guessing if you raised your hand the first time, you did then too.

I remember our first [and only] VeggieTales VHS. It was "Are You My Neighbor?" and my mom bought it second hand back in the garage sale days. My sister and I loved that movie. I can still hear Larry say, while he is stuck upside down in a hole, "Uh, I'm a cucumber!" While I glimpsed other episodes at friends' houses, the adventures of the Gourd brothers have stayed with me.

Me, Myself, and Bob is the autobiography of the creator and original producer of Big Idea and its most popular show, VeggieTales. It's a wonderfully written saga of the rise and fall of arguably the most successful series in Christian film producing.

I honestly don't know what I was expecting when I picked up this book. It was sitting on a shelf at the library, and it had Bob on it. That right there attracted my attention, because I had heard rumors of the Veggie platter sinking. I picked it up, looked at the cover (yes, I'm shallow when it comes to picking out random books), read the back, and got it. I started reading it last week and it's such an amazing story. Granted, when I was little and watched VeggieTales, I didn't appreciate all the work that went behind any sort of movie, but I didn't realize that at the time, the creation of a computer anamated character of that quality was rare. VeggieTales was among the first of its kind. The story only further enhanced my love for this adorable series.

Furthermore, it was created by a man with no university education (Bible college drop-out) on a self-taught basis. The first Veggie episode that aired was thirty minutes long and completely created by a team of about three guys. The voices were provided by those three and acquaintances. It was inspiring to see them overcome the struggles they encountered and the different ways God expanded their ministry.

As Phil Vascher walks his readers through his [rather familiar sounding ;) ] goals and beliefs on media, it is inspiring to see the motivation he had. Many of the facts he discusses are still true. Children spend more and more time in front of the TV. Disney is still responsible for Cinderella and Desperate Housewives. Large media companies are interested in making a profit and not positively impacting the youth of America/[Canada]. Phil's dream was to change that, and his dream is to still change that.

You know that question, "If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?" and people usually say George Washington or Mother Theresa. I think Phil Vischer would be one of the first invitations out.

I Haven't Fallen Off the Face of the Earth

I've just been reading like crazy. Anything and everything. Here are my current library check-outs (plus Vanity Fair). Fatal Misconception is a non-fiction on the shifts in social demographics after the introduction of contraception. Me, Myself, and Bob is the biography of the inventor of Veggie Tales. Classics for Pleasure is a series of essays on famous classics. I don't plan on reading it all- just the ones that interest me. I like to see what other people's opinions are on what I'm reading, and they usually have some excess background knowledge or insight that helps me develop my own opinions. Finally, the Redemption of Sarah Cain is the idea for a wonderful movie, Saving Sarah Cain. It's a novel about an aunt of orphaned Amish children, and how all their lives adjust once she gains custody. And it's by Beverly Lewis, which is generally a good thing. :) I also finished I Chronicles two nights ago, and so I'm working on II Chronicles. In small group we're reading Crazy Love.

I've also been taking some beautiful pictures of the fall. Calgary is so beautiful this time of year- especially when the temperature decides to stay up! Keep your fingers crossed, because we haven't had snow yet! Here's one of our window ornaments. I loved how the leaves in the background matched the wings, and the sky further exaggerated the blue.