One dollar tacos. Support education. Read about it at the blog of Pastor Kyle from SonRise Church.
Thursday
Yesterday was a pretty good Thursday, though kind of crazy (the Thursday before Easter always is).
The day started with breakfast at Denovo’s, which is where my small group meets. It was our second meeting, and was great (as was the creamed chipped beef over biscuits with Tabasco sauce–and they are masters at keeping the coffee flowing!). This is the kind of group where it’s good to keep a notebook handy, because they have a lot of good ideas. I’m really enjoying our time together and the book we’re studying, The Creative Call.
After a hectic day of trying to get everything ready for Easter, I went to our community Maundy Thursday service at Buckingham Presbyterian Church in Berlin. For two hours pastors from different churches shared brief sermonettes as we took Communion and sang. It was very refreshing!
Two-Dollar Catheterizations at McDonald’s
One of my brothers refers to McDonald’s as “McLaxatives” because of the unintended medicinal value of their food products. Now they have apparently decided to expand their healthcare services. At the McDonald’s near my house, they’re offering help–and comparatively inexpensive help–for those who are having difficulties ridding their bodies of liquid waste products. Here’s the proof:
I’ve heard of fast food, but that’s a little too fast. I think I’ll stick to the natural processes.
Top 10 Cool Things I Did Last Week
Here’s the official list of the Top 10 Cool Things I Did Last Week:
(10) Continued reading a book I borrowed from my dad. It’s called Gilead and is written by Marilynne Robinson.
(9) Went to La Tolteca in Salisbury for lunch with Carolyn and her family.
(8) Downloaded the Dropkick Murphys version of “Amazing Grace.”
(7) Ate a delicious dinner that my mother-in-law, Linda, made for us. Spaghetti with meatballs.
(6) Downloaded the Aaron Neville edition of “Amazing Grace.” A close honorable mention vying for this spot: Downloading an abridged audio version of Charles Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening devotions.
(5) Attended a Bible study about the book of Ruth, led by my father-in-law, Steve.
(4) Ate a pound’s worth of turkey burgers and about a half gallon of cheese dip. That’s what happens when Carolyn goes out of town for a conference.
(3) Downloaded the Twisted Sister version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” (Yeah, you read that right. Search iTunes if you don’t believe me.)
(2) Went on a field trip with Carolyn’s kindergarten class. We saw The Three Billy Goats Gruff at the local high school.
(1) Listened to our baby’s heartbeat. Carolyn had her first OB/GYN appointment on Thursday. Absolutely beyond words.
Caffeinated Art
Last night my brother-in-law Michael created a caffeinated masterpiece. He’s already a very talented latte maker, but last night he added some coconut depth that just took it to a whole new level. It was so delicious it made me emotional–for a minute I thought I might even cry. It was just beyond words; it was even beyond poetic expression. So smooth, rich, and foamy, with a flavor that was pleasing at first taste but quickly crescendoed into ecstasy. It was unbelievable. It was such an amazing creation that it caused a dilemma: to drink it meant that it would be no longer, but not drinking it was not even to be considered.
In the end I followed the advice of a beer billboard I saw: Sip. Savor. Repeat.
A portrait of the artist as a (barely) young man:
Hooper’s Feast
Last night Hooper’s Crab House on the bay in Ocean City held a fundraiser for the Training Station. Fundraiser, indeed–the place was packed! They are very generously giving every penny to the preschool. It was a ton of fun hanging out with everyone! And, of course, the food totally rocked.
Station 7…We’ll Meet Again Someday
Yesterday I went to lunch with Daryl & John at Station 7. It’s always great to hang out with those two! I’ve learned so much from them about so many things, and now that list has expanded to include fatherhood; more specifically, they’ve been coaching me on the intricacies of being a husband during pregnancy and delivery. There’s so much I’ve never heard of or even thought about before!
I got totally stuffed because Daryl talked me into getting nachos for an appetizer (it’s a huge serving I usually have for a whole meal) and a BBQ pulled pork sandwich. But I have to admit I was rather easily convinced!
I figured I might as well go out with a bang, anyway, as I won’t be eating out much for awhile. Carolyn and I have decided to try to live solely on my income for the next seven months so we can see how it will work after the baby is born. Meanwhile, we’ll deposit her paychecks into a special account that we can use for supplemental income during the baby’s first few months. Bottom line: very, very limited trips to Station 7! That’s alright though, ’cause I definitely went out in a blaze of glory.
Famous Dave’s
Yesterday Carolyn and I went to Famous Dave’s in Salisbury. She went to one in Annapolis with some of her teacher friends a few months ago, and has been a big fan ever since. We went there together several weeks back, at which point I also became a big fan.
So we’ve been waiting anxiously for the Famous Dave’s in Salisbury to open. It finally opened last Monday, and yesterday afternoon we went there for the first time. It was about 2:30 in the afternoon, and there was still a wait! The place has been packed all weekend.
Unfortunately my allergies were raging so it was difficult to just relax and enjoy the experience–but the food was so good that it was well worth it. This time Carolyn got a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with this apple-cinnamon stuff. I got a BBQ chicken sandwich with this macaroni and cheese that has corn and jalapenos mixed in with it. It was all so good! And they’ve got five or six different bottles of BBQ sauce on the table, so you can drown your food. My mouth is totally watering right now just thinking about it.
We got dessert to go because I wasn’t doing well. It doesn’t work that great to get a hot praline sundae to go, but it still rocked.
I can’t wait to go back!
Double Whammy
Don’t you just love those spoonfuls of Spaghettios where you get not one but two meatballs?!?
Pastors Meeting, Complete With Steak
Today I went to a meeting of Mennonite pastors at Sandy Hill Community Church in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Normally I don’t make these lunch meetings because they’re three hours away, but I found out about this one several weeks ahead of time so I made it a priority on the calendar.
It was good to see the other pastors, most of whom I hadn’t seen for quite a while. We had a good time of prayer, discussion, and sharing. The Sandy Hill pastors, Dale and Dave, set the bar very high for future hosts: they served us steak for lunch! I’ve never been to a pastors lunch meeting with filet mignon; Chick-Fil-A, perhaps, but never filet mignon. Quite impressive. The macaroni & cheese and baked beans were also very good. And they had the coffee freshly brewed and waiting for us when we arrived, which was especially nice after a long drive.
Eastern Pennsylvania is such beautiful country! Even though it’s a bit far to go there frequently, it’s great having plenty of excuses to indulge in the opportunity.
Surfing the Inner N8 