My First Year in Bi-Vocational Ministry

It's been a year since I started this crazy path of being a Bi-Vocational Pastor. I came to Albia June of last year. It was so exciting moving and being out in the "real world."After 4 years of Bible College, I was ready for a break from classes, grades, and the constant demands of a student. When I came in June, there were 7 people attending First Baptist Church. There were some issues in the church and a bleak outlook that I was well aware of coming in. But I was ready to step into the trenches and minister to people. One of the first things my girlfriend Christina and I wanted to do was get on Facebook, Google Maps, and anywhere else we could online. We also want to start a website, but we have both been super busy. We are both tech savvy so we thought that was a good idea.

The church was clear that this was a "part time" job and I would probably need to find additional employment. I say "part time" because being in the ministry requires a lot more hours and odd hours than a typical part time job. If I wanted to, I really could put in 40 hours a week into my "part time" Pastor job and some weeks I probably do. Anyway, I had worked at the Gladstone Hy-Vee when I was down in Kansas City at Bible College so I thought I could start out at the Hy-Vee in Albia and see what other jobs might be available. With a little complication, I started working part time at Hy-Vee the week after my first sermon at First Baptist. God provided a place I could get some hours to help supplement my income. It is a smaller store than the Gladstone Hy-Vee or the Mason City Fareway I worked at. After 10 years in the grocery business, I am enjoying the slower pace! The hours are flexible, I have a chance to meet the townspeople, and I can talk to church members if they need something. The people who work there are friendly and it feels like another family.

My typical week includes working during the day Monday, Wednesday - Fridays and occasionally a Saturday. I work on my sermon and prep music in the evenings and some of Tuesday as well. Occasionally I go out to visit people from the church or people who we think need a visit. On the weekends my girlfriend Christina will visit or I will go visit her or meet her somewhere like Des Moines. A couple of the church members have an extra bedroom so she is able to take advantage of that about 2 Sundays a month.

The church members seemed to really enjoy the sermons and they enjoy having contemporary worship music played on my guitar and having my girlfriend, Christina, sing when she visits. When I came, we still wanted hymns played on the piano and so I would play a few songs and our piano player/deacon's wife would play a few songs. In October the doctors discovered cancer had spread throughout her body and the week of Thanksgiving she passed away. I officiated my first funeral on the day after Thanksgiving.

In October, I was Ordained into the Gospel Ministry. That was a crazy weekend. The day before my ordination our piano player had lost control of her hand (we would find out later it was cancer) and she informed me she could not play for my service. It was looking like I would have to play guitar by myself that day, but fortunately most of the members of the praise team from my hometown were coming down so they grabbed their instruments and we all played together again. My preaching professor, Dr. Robert Matz, came up from Kansas City to give my Ordination Service Sermon and did a great job. I also had my girlfriend, my parents, my girlfriend's parents, many mentors, several of my pastors, some pastors in town, and many friends come to Albia for the service. It was an encouragement to feel so loved.

I have enjoyed writing sermons week after week. I took a couple vacations, had a missionary come preach, and had two of my younger friends come preach for me. I started with a 3-week series entitled "Not My Church" and looked at Jesus as the Shepherd of the Church (Mt 16:18), The Members are in it Together (Eph 4), and The Pastor is the Under-Shepherd of the Church (1 Tim 3). Then I did another 3-week series with God is Greater than the Future (Joshua & Acts and talking about the future of the church), God is Greater than My Plans (Sharing my story), and God is Greater than Dry Bones (Eze 37). Not My Church dug into the biblical roles and was a good series to start with. Then God is Greater basically was an encouragement to the church that God can do anything.

We then took 10 weeks to go through the book of Philippians. When we finished with that I pulled out a sermon I had done a few times because that was the Sunday after my ordination service. The sermon is about the biblical basis for friendship looking at the friendship of David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel. Then we started James until the Christmas season when I did a 3-week series called "Investigating Christmas" looking at the aspects of the Jewish Messiah and how Jesus fit that perfectly. After my Christmas vacation, I came back and preached on Romans 12 talking about how Christians should live. Then we finished up with James which in total took 9 weeks. Then I had a 7 week sermon series looking at 1 Corinthians 12-15 looking at spiritual gifts and then the resurrection which led into Easter. For Easter we did 2 weeks of "Investigating Easter" looking at the Easter events that show Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. We also did a short Good Friday Service which was a nice service. After Easter we did a 6-week series on the book of Ruth. This Summer, when I haven't been on vacation or out of the pulpit, we are going through the different aspects of a worship service and basically looking at why we do what we do.

Coming into a small church, I quickly realized how much they don't teach you at Bible College on the ministry and the practical side. Like when our air conditioner started leaking water into the sound booth at the end of Summer. They didn't teach air conditioner repair at Bible College. We ended getting a new A/C as there was no fixing the problem. I also found out how much junk mail and mail from Lifeway a church gets! I never knew! Bible College also never prepared me how to deal with people. I kind of knew, but as a Pastor now, I have to deal with things a bit more carefully now.

In May, we showed the movie War Room at the church and had some food, cotton candy, and popcorn. We had originally planned to do it outside, but it had been raining so we showed the movie inside. We partnered with my parents church in Mason City for some extra helpers and I think it went well. We plan to show the movie again and probably do the study with it and begin an evening study in the Fall.

This Summer we are doing VBS at the end of July. God blessed with a member who has done many VBS's and is super excited to do another one. We are also having a small team from another Southern Baptist Church in Green Bay to help us out with VBS and a few projects at the church. We are super excited for it!

When I came to Albia, we had 7 people, mostly older people, attending church. Through some visits and people finding us online, we now average about 20 children and adults. We have a regular children's Sunday School class we didn't have when I first came and we are in the initial steps of starting a small Youth Group. I am optimistic about what God has for us in Albia at First Baptist. If you get the chance, come visit us and see what we are up to!

Investigating Christmas: The Facts of the Birth of the Messiah

Misconceptions spread through art, plays, music, television, and unfortunately sometimes sermons. Biblical literacy is important because if we don't know the truth, then we risk being deceived and believing in something that is not Christianity.

The typical Christmas story we hear repeated is:

“It’s about 2000 years ago, the evening of December 25. Mary rides into Bethlehem on a donkey, urgently needing to deliver her baby. Although it’s an emergency, all the innkeepers turn them away. So they deliver baby Jesus in a stable. Then angels sing to the shepherds. Afterwards, they all join three kings with camels in worshiping the quiet, newborn.”

The problem is, this story may be almost entirely wrong. The events surrounding the birth have been retold so many times and in so many ways—in plays, poetry, books and movies—that most people have a distorted view of the true events. The only accurate record is found in the Holy Bible, God’s Word.

The following are a few scenes from that story that I think should be clarified.

1. The Road to Bethlehem - Luke 2:1-5

Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem for the census. They were in Nazareth at the time. As you can see these two towns are quite a distance apart. There are 2 possible paths that they could have taken. The Bible does not say which way they went, so we won’t know which one is the one they took. The first path would have been to take the major highway where they would cross the Jordan River, go around Samaria, but stay in Jewish territory. This would make their journey longer.

The second option would be the more direct option but, it would go through Samaria. Jews at that time did not like to go through Samaria, but they would sometimes. Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, said it was not uncommon for Jews to take this route when they were going to Jerusalem for Passover. Mary was very pregnant, so maybe a few less travel days was appealing, especially if other Jews were going that way.

Both paths had their challenges. Both would be busy with everyone returning to their hometowns. Misconception: Mary and Joseph traveled alone. Truth is they probably did not travel alone. Perhaps they were traveling with family? They at least traveling with other Jews.

Whichever path they took, Mary being pregnant and the traffic on the roads would have made the journey take several days, perhaps 10 or more days. That’s a lot of walking! Misconception: Mary riding a donkey. The popular scene of Mary and Joseph traveling is Joseph leading a donkey that the very pregnant Mary was riding. The Bible makes no mention of the transportation. This idea that Mary was riding comes from the extra-biblical writing in the gospel of James. This was written around 150 AD and Christians did not believe this writing to be inspired or even true. The writing says it is from James, the brother of Jesus and who wrote a book of the Bible, but it was from someone else using the pen name of James But the Jews enjoyed the stories from it. As Protestants, we take any of these type of documents with a grain of salt.

Perhaps Mary was riding a donkey, but there are other methods Mary could have been riding a camel, horse, or a cart drawn by horse or donkey. Some doubt the camel because that would be very hard for a pregnant lady to ride. We don’t know how they traveled.

2. The Inn - Luke 2:6-7

Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem and they go to the local motel, right? Perhaps not… Misconception: The innkeeper told them there was no room at the inn. There was no such conversation recorded. In fact, logic dictates that perhaps there was a different scene. If Joseph was from Bethlehem, then certainly he had family there. His parents probably would have had a house there. We don’t know any details because Luke 2:6-7 is all we get about Bethlehem. If they had gone to his parents house, they would have a guest room that would have slept about 6. But if Joseph had other siblings, then the house was most likely full. This word inn is translated as guest room in Mark 14:14 and Luke 22:11. Some translations don’t use inn at the end of Luke 2:7. The new NIV translates guest room, the NLT says no lodging was available, and the Holman standard says lodging place. Mary and Joseph probably weren’t turned away from a hotel and had to stay in a stable, Joseph’s family probably put them where they kept the animals because that’s where they had room.

Luke 2:6 says while they were there in Bethlehem… Misconception: Mary gave birth the night they arrived in Bethlehem. The Bible does not paint a picture of Mary and Joseph running around looking for a place to stay and then having Baby Jesus that night. They went to Joseph’s family and had to stay where the animals were kept.

3. The Manger - Luke 2:7

Luke 2:7 states that Jesus was placed in a manger. Misconception: The manger scene. We typically see that as part of a stable or a barn in our manger scenes, but this word manger just means feeding trough. They could have been in a barn or stable or it could have been in a cave in the side of a mountain or under the house. Baby Jesus may have been surrounded by animals or not? We don’t know what the manger scene looked like.

Speaking of the manger, Away in a Manger has something to say about this scene…

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.

Misconception: Baby Jesus did not cry. While this song is great, verse 2 paints a picture of a silent night. But a baby crying is not a sin. Jesus is fully God and fully man. While the Bible doesn’t say if Jesus cried or not, he probably cried like all babies. Sometimes we forget the humanity of Jesus and focus a lot of attention on the supernatural. This does not mean this song is bad, just doesn’t paint the full picture.

4. The Magi - Matthew 2:1-12

Misconception: There were three kings who visited the manger. First, let’s deal with the number of magi. As seen in the Bible, Matthew makes no mention of how many magi traveled to see Jesus. Tradition has made a one to one correlation from the number of gifts, 3, to the number of magi. Different traditions around the world have stories of the names of these magi and where they were from. The Western Church has a tradition that they were from Persia, India, and Babylon. The Eastern Church has a tradition that says there were 12 magi. But the biblical text and historical documents do not provide us the number.

Next, let us look at who these magi actually were. Contrary to the popular song, these were not kings that visited Jesus, they were magi, or translated into English, wise men. From the Bible we see that they interpreted signs and they must have know parts of the OT. And they had an interest in seeing the Baby Jesus.

Thirdly, as you all know I am sure, the three wise men never made it to the manger, in fact Mt 2:9 and 11 uses a term not for newborns, but young children. We also see in this passage that the family was in a house in Bethlehem. So we know for a fact the magi were never at the manger.

5. The Christmas Star - Matthew 2:2; 9-10

Another part of the Christmas story is the star of Bethlehem or the Christmas Star. Misconception: We know exactly what this star was. There are many different theories about what this star was, but we cannot know for sure exactly what it was… The Bible says they 'saw it in the east' and then when they were in Jerusalem that it 'went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was'

There are of course a variety of theories.

a.       Some think this object was a comet. However, no comets were reported around the same time as Jesus’ birth. Haley’s Comet did appear a few years before scholars think Jesus was born, but this is too early of a date.

b.      Another theory is that there was an alignment of planets. Kepler supported this view. There was an alignment of Jupiter and Saturn in 6 BC, however, planet alignments don’t produce the single light source that Scripture describes and they are not that uncommon. Also they move together across the sky.

c.       Like the previous theory, there are scientists who are looking at formations around the time of Jesus’ birth and there were several alignments of stars and planets with the possibility of being this bright star.

d.      Another theory is the star was a super nova, or a dying star. A super nova is an unstable star and explodes. When it does this it emits a bright light. There are no recorded super novas during this time.

The big issue with all of these explanations is it is hard to imagine any of these explanations leading to a house and then stopping exactly where Jesus was. Perhaps there is a better theory…

e.       Lastly, and I think the most plausible explanation, it was a supernatural event. Whether this the hand of God helping one of the other scientific explanations or a bright light created just for this night, I think it is easier to believe in a supernatural explanation, than some sketchy science. I won’t discredit science all the time, but I believe in a God that does supernatural things. I read a commentary once on Exodus and the author tried to scientifically explain all the miracles with science with the plagues and the parting of the red sea. I’d rather just take it at face value that God performed a miracle.

6. December 25

As you know, Christmas is on December 25. And you probably know that some don’t think Jesus was actually born on that day. The first suggestion of Jesus’ birth being on Dec 25 came around 200 AD. The first evidence of a Dec 25 celebration is in 354 AD in the Western Church. The Eastern Church celebrated the birth of Christ in connection with the Epiphany on January 6. The East would later adopt the Dec 25 date.

There are several theories as to why the Dec 25 date was chosen. Some say that this day was chosen to counter the pagan celebrations around this time. Others say it was chosen because it was 9 months after when the conception of the Baby Jesus is celebrated on March 25. This date came from the early church fathers in the mid to late 100s AD.

Some think we can’t know when exactly when Jesus was born. Some think that it could not have been December because it would have been too cold for the Shepherds to be out keeping watch over their flocks at night. Others say that’s true because there were shepherds that were out even in winter.

These theories are interesting, but in the end are unimportant. Except for a few segments of Christianity, Christmas is celebrated on Dec 25.Whether he was actually born on this date, we will not know. Scholars date the birth of Jesus around 6 - 4 BC, but even these dates are best guess.

If the date was so important, God would have told someone to write it in the Bible. What is important is what we do know. We know that Jesus came to this earth as a lowly baby born in a manger. We know that he came to this world to die for our sins. To save us. To be our Savior. That is what Christmas is really about.

Christmas Bible Readings

Here's the Christmas Bible Readings I put together. I would encourage you to join me for 24 days of reading the Bible. Here'e a few things that have helped me with my devotions:

• Structured Readings - I think having a structured Bible reading schedule improves your chances of actually reading the Bible. 
• Accountability - Ask your spouse, a family member, or a friend to join you and keep you accountable to 24 days of readings. 
• Mornings - I've found I'm much more motivated to read and do my devotionals if I do it right away in the mornings. 
• Make the Time - You just got to make the time for it. Can you wake up 30 minutes earlier to read the Bible. You probably could.
• Journal - Writing my thoughts down helps me to process the passage and then I can go back and look at what I thought about the passage.

Alright, enough talking... Here's the schedule.

Dec 1 - Genesis 1:1-2 In the Beginning
2 - John 1:1-18; 1 John 1:1-4 The Messiah Existed from the Beginning
3 - Genesis 3:1-24 The Need for a Savior
4 - Isaiah 42:1-9 The Messiah will bring Justice
5 - Psalm 8 The Messiah will be Made Lower than the Angels
6 - Luke 1:5-25 Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
7 - Psalm 2 The Messiah Declared God's Son
8 - Isaiah 7:10-17 Virgin Birth of Jesus Foretold in the OT
9 - Luke 1:26-38 Birth of Jesus Foretold to Mary
10 - Matthew 1:18-25 Birth of Jesus Foretold to Joseph
11 - Luke 1:39-45 Mary and Elizabeth Meeting
12 - Luke 1:46-56 Mary's Song
13 - Isaiah 11:1-10 The Messiah will be from the Line of Jesse
14 - Malachi 4:5-6 Elijah (John the Baptist) will be Sent
15 - Isaiah 40:1-5 John the Baptist will be a Voice in the Desert
16 - Luke 1:57-66 Birth of John the Baptist
17 - Luke 1:67-80 Prophecy of John the Baptist's Life
18 - Jeremiah 33:7-18 The Messiah will be from the Line of David
19 - Isaiah 9:1-7 The Messiah will come as a Child
20 - Luke 2:1-7 Birth of Jesus
21 - Psalm 98 The Messiah will bring Salvation to the Nations
22 - Luke 2:8-20 The Shepherds and the Angels
23 - Micah 5:1-6 Prophecy of Bethlehem
24 - Matthew 2:1-12 The Magi Visit
Continue with the story: Luke 2:21-40; Matthew 2:13-23

30 Things To Do in Mason City

Growing up in Mason City, Iowa I always thought "There's nothing to do in Mason City." While in the wintertime there are not a lot of options, Summer provides a lot of options for fun things to do. For those of you who live in Mason City, when's the last time you did the fun tourist things in Mason? Bet you didn't even know there were 30 things to do!

Recreation
1. East Park - There is so much to do here, it's crazy. There are walking/biking trails throughout the park that connect with the city-wide trail system. It has the best playground equipment for the kiddos. A super cool 9-hole disc golf course. Basketball courts. Tennis courts. Picnic tables. Plenty of favorite local fishing spots. Flower garden. Sunday Night Municipal Band Concerts. The Cannonball train. Plus there are a bunch of events that happen at the park. Concerts, civil war reenactments, BBQ Bash, and in the past they have shown movies in the park on Saturday nights in the summer. Keep an eye on media outlets for all the special events.
2. Other parks - Mason City enjoys other parks as well. Central Park has quite a bit of history with the war memorial, the Statue of Liberty, other statues, and a beautiful view of downtown. They just put in a statue of Frank Lloyd Wright, so you need to check that out too! Sometimes there are even concerts down there. Other parks have a lot of open space for some football, volleyball, or whatever you fancy.
3. Lime Creek Nature Center - Such a peaceful place on the outskirts of town. There is a lot to do out there! The hiking is my favorite! You can also picnic, bow hunt, and camp a night out there for a small fee.
4. Mini Golf and Driving Range at North Iowa Golf - Did you know we have one of the nicest and coolest outdoor mini golf places? It's pretty cheap fun! They also have a fun driving range. M-F 9a-7p, Sat: 9a-5p, and Sun: 12p-5p.
5. Golf Courses - If regular golf is your thing, then have you tried Highland Park or Pine Creek? I'm not sure how they rank, but they both seem like nice courses. If you have never gone, give it a try!
6. Aquatic Center - The new pool offers hours and hours of fun for you water loving people. I'm not a huge fan of water, but I've gone a few times. 
7. Big Blue - If you are not a fan of chlorine water, then try the popular swimming hole called "Big Blue." Nice place to swim and hang out.
8. Softball/Baseball Games - Summer means it's time for Softball and Baseball games. Dig around on the internet for some games, or just show up at one of the fields around town and I'm sure something will be going on. 
9. I-35 Speedway - Mason City is home to this 1/2 mile dirt track. This is a popular place on Sunday Nights, although I've never been to a race. Hot Laps begin at 6pm with the race following. $12 for Adults; $5 for ages 6-12; Free for under 6.
10. North Iowa Events Center - There always seems to be something going on over there. If it's not racing, then there is usually a horse show on the weekends. During their respective seasons there is hockey, ice skating, and roller derby. The county fair is July 9 - 13. The big Fireworks convention is back this summer, August 10 - 15! Check out all the fun things happening out there!
11. The YMCA - If you are a member, then you know all about this place. If not, you can get a $10 day pass for weightlifting, walking/running track, basketball, volleyball, racquetball, swimming and other typical YMCA stuff. M-F 5a-9p; Sat 7a-5p; Sun 1p-6p.
12. Bowling - Currently the only bowling place that is open is Mystic Lanes, but the Rose Bowl is set to re-open in the Fall so that will be an option again.
    
    Tours
13. Sculptures Walking Tour - Have you noticed the sculptures around downtown? Did you know you can do the walking tour of them? It's about a mile and a half loop that takes 30 minutes to an hour. You can get a free self-guided map here. 
14. Park Inn Hotel - Newly renovated, this hotel was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. And, they give tours! Thursday and Friday: 11:30a and 1:00p; Saturday: 11:30a; Sunday: 1:30p. Only $10!
15. Stockman House - Our very own Frank Lloyd Wright designed house. Typical FLW look, beautiful inside and out. Tours this summer are on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: 10a, 11a, 1p, 2p, and 3p and on Sundays 1p, 2p, and 3p. Groups are limited to 8 people each time. $10 for Adults, $5 for ages 12-17, and $3 for ages 6-11.
16. Prairie School Architectural Tour - Another self-guided tour is available in Mason City. This one is of all the cool looking Prairie School houses.You can purchase a $5 map at MacNider Museum, Music Man Square, The Visitors Information Center, and the Stockman House.
17. MacNider Art Museum - Really, when is the last time you took a stroll through here? They have a bunch of cool things! The puppets are my favorite! T & Th: 9a-8p; W, F, & Sat: 9a-5p. FREE.
18. Kinney Pioneer Museum - I know the last time I was out there was when we went in Elementary School... A bunch of cool things are out there for sure. I need to go again. Tuesday - Sunday: 1p-5p. $3 for adults, $1 for kids under 12.
    
    Shopping and Entertainment
19. Southbridge Mall - While there isn't as much to do there as there was 20 years ago, it still offers a few fun things. Pretzelmaker, Rieman Music, the trading card place, and the model train area are my favorites. M-F: 10a-9p, Sat: 10a-7p, and Sun: 12p-6p.
20. Cinema West - Lots of good movies come out this summer, and Cinema West is the happening place to go see them. Well, it's really the only place to go see them in Mason City... Tuesdays are the day to go if you can. $5 tickets and some cheap concession items all day on Tuesdays.
21. Stebens Children's Theater - Every show I have seen from them have been amazing! We have very talented kids in North Iowa. Check the internet for upcoming shows and times.
22. Mason City Community Theater - An amateur theater group that puts on excellent shows. I have never been disappointed! Check the internet for upcoming shows and times.
23. NIACC - Once in a while NIACC has something fun going on. No Performing Arts shows going on this summer, but keep an eye out for other things going on.
24. Cup of Coffee - Mason City has lots of places for you and a friend to grab some coffee. My favorite is Jitters in the mall. Great coffee and relaxing atmosphere. Other places include Coffee Cat, Borealis, Cabin Coffee, and Starbucks in Hy-Vee West. Starbucks in going to open a regular store soon, so that is exciting!
25. Birdsall's - My favorite place to grab ice cream is Birdsall's. So many memories have been made there. All the ice cream is good. It looks like they are open until 10:30p everyday this Summer.
26. The Cupcake Store - Another place I haven't been, but I've been told they are delicious! Tue.-Sat. 10a-4p, but looking at their Facebook page it varies.
27. Orange Leaf/Cherry Berry - I prefer Orange Leaf a little better, but both places are good to get some frozen yogurt! Orange Leaf: Sun-Thur 12p-10p; Fri-Sat 12p-11p.
28. Garage Sales - Every weekend you can drive the streets of Mason City finding fun little stuff. Most people advertise in the paper, but some just throw a couple signs out and attract business. Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings are the best time to look for them.
29. The Library - When is the last time you went to the Library? The renovations look awesome and there are a bunch of cool things to look at. Plus, there are quite a  few books and magazines to check out. And there is a fun little trail behind the library where I used to hang out occasionally. Monday - Thursday: 9a-8p; Friday - Saturday: 9a-5p.
30. Plenty of other shopping - There are lots of places to shop in Mason City. The west side has developed over the past few year and downtown has been making a comeback. You don't have to spend any money to have fun just window shopping.

So there it is! Hope you enjoy the fun things to do in Mason City, Iowa!

The Ostrich

A Story from MountainWings.com
==========

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him.

As he sits, the waitress comes over and asks for their orders.

 

The man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke,"

and turns to the ostrich, "What's yours?"

 

"I'll have the same," says the ostrich.

 

A short time later the waitress returns with the order.

"That will be $6.40 please," and the man reaches into his pocket

and pulls out the exact change for payment.

 

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says,

"I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke," and the ostrich says,

"I'll have the same."

 

Once again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.

 

This becomes a routine until late one evening, the two enter again.

 

"The usual?" asks the waitress.

"No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato

and salad," says the man, "same for me," says the ostrich.

 

A short time later the waitress comes with the order and says,

"That will be $12.62." Once again the man pulls exact change

out of his pocket and places it on the table.

 

The waitress can't hold back her curiosity any longer.

 

"Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the

exact change out of your pocket every time?"

 

"Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the

attic and I found an old lamp. When I rubbed it a Genie

appeared and offered me two wishes.

 

My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything,

I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of

money would always be there."

 

"That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would wish

for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich

as you want for as long as you live!"

 

"That's right.  Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce,

the exact money is always there," says the man.

 

The waitress asks, "One other thing, sir, what's with the ostrich?"

 

The man sighs, pauses, and answers,

 

"My second wish was for a tall chick with long legs

who agrees with everything I say."

Audio A Concert Review

The concert last night was awesome! Had some solid bands and they were all wonderful.

First up was Manic Drive. I forgot how much I like these guys. They played like 6 songs and I knew 5 of them. Great stuff. These guys have a lot of potential.

Next up was Seventh Day Slumber. They did a couple worship songs and a couple of their songs. Then the lead singer gave part of his testimony and shared a powerful story. It was good.

Group 1 Crew came out. Their bassist and guitarist came out wearing white plastic masks which was really weird. Blanca is 5 and a half months pregnant and was still dancing all over the stage. Her hair wasn’t as big as last time I saw her. Still a pretty big afro. I also forgot how hard it is to get a good pic of them. They don’t stop moving! Love these guys.

The Audio Adrenaline concert was really good. I feel like I must confess I am a fanboy of these guys. I own all of their full length albums. I saw them once before live on their last tour with Mercy Me and I have watched the Worldwide and Hawaii concert DVDs. I started listening to them back in 1998 or so and I was crushed when Mark was losing his voice. My favorite album is Underdog, no question. A close second would be Lift.

Here are the songs they played. I can’t remember the exact order, but this is close to the set list.

They had an intro video that played some clips of their old songs. One was Some Kind of Zombie and then I knew they wouldn’t play that in the set.

Clap Your Hands

Get Down

Mighty Good Leader

The Comeback King

Never Gonna Be as Big as Jesus

Big House

Ocean Floor

He Moves You Move

Hands and Feet

Supernatural

Fire Never Sleeps

Kings and Queens

A couple things about the song selection:
1. I was glad to see them start out with Clap Your Hands. Classic one to start with.
2. Yes they did end Big House like Mark did. It did not feel the same, but it was ok.
3. Ocean Floor without Tyler Burkum singing is NOT the same. This is one of my favorite songs and I couldn't really enjoy it. Kmax got too fancy with this one.
4. They did one dc Talk song, Supernatural. Kmax was able to pull it off pretty well. I was mildly disappointed they didn't do Jesus Freak, but I will forgive them this time.
5. After Supernatural I was waiting for them to do Existence, Be, or Return of The Singer, but no such luck. I guess it makes sense he would want to move on from that part of his life.
6. Overall a good blend of original songs and new songs off of the K&Q album. Sad there was no song from the Worldwide album. Leaving 99 is a great song I wanted to see. They also sadly didn’t do Underdog or King. But I guess they can’t do every song.

Random thoughts: How old is Will? He founded Audio A way back in the day in. He is a cool guy. I love Dave Ghazarian! He might be my new favorite guitarist. He has awesome hair and can play quite well. There were only a couple hiccups but they are forgivable for not being on the road that long. Overall I like Audio A 2.0 and I hope these guys continue to make great music. 

That's all I got. Thanks for reading!

Iowa Adventure 2013

As some of you may know, in the past I have taken some solo hiking/camping trips. I went to Wisconsin last Summer and went up to Northern Minnesota three Summers ago. The main purpose of these trips was to get away from it all for a while and really be able to connect with God and relax. This year I am planning to do a Eastern and South Central Iowa trip sometime in August. (Yes, I begin planning way in advance so I can get reservations in and save money on any hotel rooms I book.)

Here's the thing... I need some help. Because Iowa is so small, the travel guides I use have not done an Iowa book yet and there are only a few smaller guides out there. I have bought one guide and got a resource from the Iowa Tourism people, but it's not a lot of detailed information. What I am asking is for some recommendations on where to visit and what to see based on things you have heard and places you have been. Good recommendations on places to eat, hotels, attractions, and oddball sights to see is what I really need. I like to plan a balanced trip full of different things to do. Here are some things I look for when planning a trip:

• Some good trails to hike. The more remote, the better. Hiking a loop with places to camp along is one of the things I look for, but I like to do other types of trails as well. I love camping by a lake. 
• Small towns. I have found I enjoy exploring a small town much more than navigating my way through big cities. (No offence big cities.)
• Oddball tourist places. If you looked at my pictures for Wisconsin, you would see some odd places I went to. I visited the center of the northern western hemisphere and some place where this guy takes old metal and creates models with them. I am usually up for any oddball visit.
• Historical places and museums. These can be anything from an old school house to a old mining camp to whatever... If it has some history, a guided tour, and something that intrigues me, I'm in.
• Mom and pop restaurants. Also called hole in the wall restaurants. Local food is always better. I like to stay on the inexpensive side of things, but I will do one meal at a more fancier restaurant.
• Big city tourist places. I like doing the tourist things too, but it's not one of my main interests. I usually plan one or two days to visit a big city and hit up the main attractions I think are cool.

I have my main hiking plan already kind of set, unless someone recommends a really cool hike. I plan to do a longer hike at Yellow River State Forest and a couple shorter hikes at Backbone State Park and Ledges State Park. I want to go the the Effigy Mounds and I might camp at Pikes Peak one night. I also plan to go visit Winterset because I drive by the signs all the time going to and from Kansas City. I was to visit the John Wayne Birthplace and see whatever bridges are left in Madison County. Here's perhaps one route I'm looking at, but none of this has been set in stone. I would like to stay within this general area, but all suggestions are welcome. Visiting Davenport isn't for sure, I just figure that could be the big city I visit. Dubuque might also be the major city I visit. I have not decided yet.

So there you go! Help me plan my vacation, PLEASE. Leave a suggestion here, post it on my Facebook, send me a message, or whatever. Just no telepathy please. That usually gets mixed messages when I receive the signal. Ha!