2007.

so...we realized that we wrote this a long time ago, but never posted it so here it is!

2007 has come and gone. Wow. We have decided to reflect back on this year and all that God has done.

Favorites:
-fall retreat with kempton
-meeting new friends (you know who you are)
-katie moving in!
-senior high weekend at camp shetek
-junior high camp (for andrea)
-sailing on sarah's boat
-dominican republic and cameroon trips
-ellie becoming an official missionary
-andrea starting her new job at dg and quitting her old job at the state
-weddings (aaron and meg, joe and sarah, bryan and alicia, sterling and emily, mike and katie)
-new years eve service
-seeing nieces and nephews (for katie and andrea)
-hedstrom's adopting their children
-pete and jess getting engaged!
-winning bets with steph
-sarah's bed
-dg conference and cdg conference
-meeting cj mahaney and getting our picture taken with him!
-seeing friends who have moved away (you know who you are)
-seeing russ (brother) home for thanksgiving (for steph)

screwtape letters by c.s. lewis

I have been reading this book and sometimes Katie and I read together and discuss it. Each chapter of the book is a letter from a demon (Screwtape) to his nephew tempter (Wormwood). Screwtape gives advice on how to tempt the "patient." Reading it has made me think more about ways in which I am often tempted and made me think about the need to fight harder against sin. Here are a couple quotes from two different letters:

"You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape."

"Remember he is not, like you, a pure spirit. Never having been a human (oh, that abominable advantage of the Enemy's!) you don't realise how enslaved they are to the pressure of the ordinary. I once had a patient, a sound atheist, who used to read in the British Museum. One day, as he sat reading, I saw a train of thought in his mind beginning to go the wrong way. The Enemy, of course, was at his elbow in a moment. Before I knew where I was I saw my twenty years' work beginning to totter. If I had lost my head and begun to attempt a defence by argument, I should have been undone. But I was not such a fool. I struck instantly at the part of the man which I had best under my control, and suggested that it was just about time he had some lunch. The Enemy presumably made the counter-suggestion (you know how one can never quite overhear what He says to them?) that this was more important than lunch. At least I think that must have been His line, for when I said, 'Quite. In fact much too important to tackle at the end of a morning,' the patient brightened up considerably; and by the time I had added 'Much better come back after lunch and go into it with a fresh mind,' he was already halfway to the door. Once he was in the street the battle was won. I showed him a newsboy shouting the midday paper, and a No. 73 bus going past, and before he reached the bottom of the steps I had got into him an unalterable conviction that, whatever odd ideas might come into a man's head when he was shut up alone with his books, a healthy dose of 'real life' (by which he meant the bus and the newsboy) was enough to show him that all 'that sort of thing' just couldn't be true. He knew he'd had a narrow escape, and in later years was fond of talking about 'that inarticulate sense for actuality which is our ultimate safeguard against the aberrations of mere logic.' He is now safe in Our Father's house."

happy. birthday. ellie.

It's a day late but I wanted to wish Ellie a very happy 25th birthday!!! I am so grateful for Ellie and the wonderful friend she has been to me and to countless others. Here are a few of many things I love about Ellie...

- Will not give up easily.

- Sometimes knows what I'm thinking without me even saying a single thing.

- Is able to memorize other people's credit card numbers and passwords (I'm impressed but don't exactly like the fact that she knows my password).

- Very willing to listen and help me through little or big things going on in life.

- Does not hesitate to help out...even driving down to Rochester and staying awake all night last summer at the hospital.

- Is the one who will figure out how to fix something that I think is impossible (like my bed!)

- Speaks hard truth and asks good questions.

- She loves Jesus and has a heart for God to be glorified and for deaf people to know him.

- Willing to eat gross and crazy things just because she was dared to.

- Dominates at Dance Dance Revolution.

- Did not get angry when I jumped on her bed to wake her up and broke it.

- Taught me how to make granola and many other food items and is the go-to person when it comes to cooking/baking questions.

Happy Birthday Ellie. You are old now.

just for clarification

because a couple people wondered...that "hot runner" is our friend andy and his wife is the one who suggested that title.

:)

hot runner spotted.

bethlehem fighter verse for this week:

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

fun at the vitullo's

A couple weeks ago after the Bethlehem Christmas concert we went over to the Vitullo's house to hang out with them and say goodbye to Molly, Abraham and Orison (we miss you guys)! When we walked in they were playing a fun little game called the "water shot glass game"...or something like that. The point of the game is to drink all the water in the six glasses the fastest. Some were better at it than others...

bomb diggidy and larps.

Name the objects of these pictures:




For new years eve we went out to P.F. Changs for dinner/birthday. We had orange peel chicken, Mongolian beef, fried rice, and of course Chang's spicy chicken. Oh, we also had lettuce wraps. they were the best. (Katie said they were the bomb diggidy, but that we should say something more grown up, like "best"). Boring. Anyways, after dinner we hung out at home for a while and Greta came over. We had so much fun and we spoke to one another in wonderful accents. Sarah showed us some of her Christmas presents. One of them is an awesome snuggle wrap (it's a sleeping bag zip-up to wear). You should come see it and try it on. It's so soft and warm. She went to her cabin and said we could wear it while she is gone as long as we treat it with care. Her bed is also a free for all. Oh, and the housemates gave Andrea a super cool stove-top popcorn maker and a really cool wallet from fossil (with a cool bag). At 10:45pm we went to the communion service at Bethlehem. It was such a great church service. We sang so many great songs and heard testimonies and Pastor Sam Crabtree gave a wonderful message. It was a great way to spend new years. we were at church until around 12:30 then went home. A few of us decided to play a couple rounds of scattergories. It was going pretty well with no controversy. but then one of us got confused over one of the categories (it was late - around 2:30 am). Anyhow, the letter was "L" and the category was "musical instrument." Player number 1 said lyre, player number 2 said lute and we were a little confused when player number 3 confidently said "larp." She's not sure exactly what it is and neither are we. We asked if she meant harp, but she said that was not what she was thinking of. She said "It's a larp and a lyre!" We laughed for about 10 minutes straight.

p.s. We looked up Larp on Google and it's an acronym for "Live Action Role Playing." Clearly not a musical instrument. Needless to say, she didn't get a point for it.

p.p.s. Can you identify the pictures above without googling? Clue: One is a lyre, one is a lute and one is a larp...

Khaki shorts...in winter??

we were driving back to DG after lunch today and saw a man standing waiting for the light to change so he could cross the street. he was dressed in khaki cargo shorts (of course he had a shirt and shoes and socks on too)!! as we were also waiting for the same light to change, we couldn't help but notice how cold he was...he looked miserable. he had in his hand a Chipotle bag and a soft drink (presumably from Chipotle). we had a few theories as to why he would have ventured out into the outdoors attired thus (we gave him the benefit of the doubt in assuming there must have been a legitimate reason...not pure craziness).

Our theories were:

1.) he was a selfless, sacrificing boyfriend/fiance/husband who was running out to get Chipotle for a hungry girlfriend/fiance/wife and being so self-sacrificing didn't even think about postponing the errand in thinking of his own comfort.

2.) he was playing DDR (or participating in some other form of recreation) and so was warm/hot/sweaty when he left his abode...he didn't realize how cold it was outside until he had completed his errand and was again in the outdoors.

3.) he started off with khaki pants of the zip-off variety, but because he was holding Chipotle he was attacked by two ferocious Chihuahuas who, because they couldn't reach the Chipotle bag, grabbed his pants instead and proceeded to rip off the bottom portion of the pants.

"I mean, if you're going to wear shorts in winter at least wear cool ones...like basketball shorts!"

how many grapes can you fit in your mouth?

thoughts...

1. Imagine all the people in the world.
2. Then imagine how many people there have been from creation until now.
3. Each one is an unique individual. Everyone has a unique personality and physical appearance. That is billions upon billions of unique people displaying unique aspects of God's image.
4. Humans are just one small part of his creation.
5. What an amazing God.
6. When interacting with others and thinking how we might serve them, we should remember that each person, whether it's your roommate, co-worker, neighbor, waitress, tax-lady, mail-carrier, homeless man on the corner or politician, they are all created in the image of God.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him male and female he created them.

Colossians 1:15-20

Jesus is the exact image of the invisible God and makes it possible for us to see God's nature. (Heb. 1:3, 2 Cor. 4:4, Phil. 2:6, John 1:18, Ex. 33:20, I Tim. 1:17). Jesus is the firstborn of all creation and existed before anything or anybody else. Before there was an earth, men, ants or air, Jesus existed and he has always been (Ps. 89:27, Jn. 1:1). By Jesus ALL things were created. Everything in heaven was created by him. And everything on earth. He created all that is visible, whether Gerber daisies, fingernails or colors, he created it . And he created oxygen, music, wind, souls and everything else invisible. He created every throne, every dominion, every ruler and every authority. He created authority roles and every mother, father, governor, pastor or king who fills those roles (Rom. 13:1). All things were created through Jesus and all things were created for Jesus. Everything was created and exists to bring glory to Jesus. Whether marriage, people, music, animals, clothes, books, clouds or learning, Jesus is the purpose for all things. He is before all things and in him all things hold together. Jesus holds together rubber bands, fifteen story buildings, computer networks, tree bark on every tree in the jungles of Africa, or in the cities China or on the farms in Minnesota, Jesus is holding them together. Jesus holds marriages, families and relationships together. He holds together the billions of stars in the milky way galaxy (Ps. 147:4). And he holds together the entire solar system which is huge beyond our imagination. He holds together every toe, hair follicle, intestine, heart and blood cell. Just like our physical bodies wouldn't survive without Jesus, the church body would be dead and worthless without Christ as the head...and not only is Jesus The image of the invisible God, Firstborn of all creation, Creator of all things (visible, invisible, in heaven and on earth), The reason for everything that was created, Before all things, Holding all things together, Head of the body, the church, The beginning, The firstborn from the dead, Preeminent in everything...but he also made peace by the blood of his cross. AMAZING. Eph. 2:12-14...having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility"

He is amazing beyond words. He is beautiful beyond any part of nature or person we think is beautiful. He is far more precious than anything we hold dear. What we call valuable is not worth comparing to the value of Jesus (Phil. 3:7-8). He is greater than any person we deem great - whether it's because they preach great sermons, write theological books, love others really well, display humility, love Jesus, are musically talented, smart, on the mission field, persecuted or even died for Christ - no matter how great or humble they may seem, no one even comes close to comparing with Jesus.

colgate, crest, aquafresh=our friends

the topic of teeth and brushing them is quite common at 2520. one reason is that two of the girls living here are daughters of dentists. another reason the topic comes up frequently is because some of the girls living here have had many problems, including many cavity fillings, root canals, teeth pulled, braces (not only once but a second time). the many procedures are not due to lack of good oral hygeine. it is because of soft tooth enamel.

those are not the only reasons for the discussion of teeth. over the last couple years, there have been a few instances with some friends who do not take brushing as serisouly as we do. even though all three have been guys, i think they take hair brushing more seriously than teeth brushing. the three will remain nameless unless they choose to disclose their identity.

a couple years ago friend number 1 stated that he brushes his teeth only in the morning. i thought this was weird, but i thought it was good that he at least brushed his teeth in the morning before interacting with others.

but last week friend number 2 confessed to only brushing at night! first time i had ever heard of that. i thought the only time anyone ever went without brushing their teeth in the morning would be if they forgot or somehow lost their toothbrush. but even in the case of not having a toothbrush i thought one would scrub toothpaste on the teeth with fingers. he thought it was completely normal to only brush at night.

tonight friend number 3 said he also rarely brushes his teeth in the morning. he thinks eating breakfast gets rid of bad breath. he acted like it is completely normal to only brush once a day - only at night. (And he is married...both friends number 1 and 2 are unmarried. we thought maybe that was the reason for the lack of oral hygiene...). so that hypothesis has been disproven. maybe it's a gender thing?

for the last two years i've thought friend number one was the strange one and for the last week that friend number 2 was also, but now i've started wondering if we (2520) are the weird ones...

hence the poll.

awkward. to the max.

1. We have had more awkward moments than we have bargained for.
2. "The book, the book" experience with Joshua Harris. That was awkward.
3. Dancing in a four-some at a wedding last year.
4. Getting told that you are one of the two most awkward people they've met.
5. Grocery store hand-shake experience and getting "caught for stealing" right afterwards.
6. Taking an out-of-town guest to the Halal Market thinking it would suite her grocery needs. She tried to explain before going in that we should probably go somewhere else, but it seemed like the best option and closest to home.
7. Driving away from the gas station without paying.
8. Mistakenly bumping forehead into friend's chin while standing up to give him a hug.
9. Saran-wrapping own car to cover-up tracks. It was a decoy.
10. A prank gone wrong in someone's apartment. We focused so much on getting the key and getting in that we hadn't thought of a plan once we got in. Awkward when they came home and we were just sitting in the living room. This was a long time ago.
11. Eagerly stating "I've always wanted to go to China too!"--after a male friend had told of his desire to serve there long-term.
12. Deciding and announcing that she wanted to be a specific married woman's "understudy"! (not realizing what that word meant)
13. Saying "Me and my friends were out gang-banging last night..." Thinking that gang-banging meant "hanging out"!

Sarah wants to have an awkward scale to rank each others' awkwardness and awkward situations. Obviously she would never be on the top. As a matter of fact neither would Katie or Ellie.

Prayer

This morning I listened to one of Russell Moore's podcasts (CDT, I can't mention him without thinking of you, "HI!") on Hebrews 4:14-5:10 which starts out as:

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need..."

Amazing words. We can go before the God of the universe with confidence because of Jesus Christ. Dr. Moore said so many great things about this text and I'm not even going to try to summarize what he said, but one thing I was thinking about is prayer, specifically for missionaries. Through prayer we can be a part of what God is doing globally. So, this is just an encouragement to be confident before the Lord and pray boldly for missionaries and that the Lord would do amazing things through them for the kingdom's sake. And not only for missionaries, but humbly and boldly approach the throne of grace about everything.

p.s. Since the topic is prayer...If you think of it, please pray for Ellie (she is sick) and for my brother, Michael (he is having surgery next week because his appendix burst).

A "Random" post from Scotch Banyon

I was given permission to take hold of the 2520 blogspot reins and write on a topic of my choosing. I have decided that I will use this opportunity to write about an issue close to my heart. The shortage of new movies showcasing puppetry, and more specifically, puppetry of the muppet variety. While many of us can remember the '99 movie "Muppets From Space" starring the timeless Gonzo, it has been far too long since the Hollywood Machine has taken up the strings and produced another blockbusting muppet epic. Those fat cats out in S. Cali are just gorging themselves on their bowls of milk and fancy feast, paid in full by mind numbingly dull films about rock stars and real life drama starring actual human beings. Who wants to see a docudrama about the the Bay of Pigs fiasco when you can actually have a leading role played by an actual pig? Well a pig made out of felt and foam, but whatever. And hasn't the world seen enough rom coms with meg ryan and tom hanks? Give me Miss Piggy and her Kermie any day. And on that note, this has been the first and last post that I will ever be allowed to do. I apologize to everyone in advance.

- Scotch

a french beat boxer...wow

our attempt to be just as cool as he is:

do you have what it takes?

This is what happens when we innocently start playing a game of DDR and it turns competitive against the TV. Sarah was at work, Ellie was babysitting and Steph was with some friends, Andy and Sarah had just left and we were left at home and were home-worked out. There seemed to be only one logical choice: play DDR. The first video is a pre-video gone wrong. The second is taken during a 'B' round.

After seven rigorous rounds of the same song, we finally achieved our goal: A's for both of us! We now refer to each other as DDR Masters.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Jesus
The Cross
Roommates
Family
Warm Beds
Church and Bethlehem
Body of Christ
Youth Group
Friends
Pastors
Neighbors
Blog Readers, but mostly those who comment
Laughing
Good Haircuts
Chocolate Milk and Diet Coke (not Ellie!)
Bible
Super Target
DG and the Conferences
Sarah's Bed (and for Sarah of course)
Everyone's Unique Personality
Words spoken in Truth and Love
Good Cup of Coffee
Books, C.S. Lewis books
Strong Leadership
Provision for our needs
Chipotle
Sermons from C.J. Mahaney, JP, Mark Driscoll
Water Bottles and Straws
Good Marriages and Good Parenting
Crafts (clearly that was Katie Haas speaking)
Good Health
Basketball (Katie wants to make it clear she is not thankful for that)
DDR
Pictures
Heaven
Music, especially worship

The list could go on and on of the many blessings we have to be thankful for. Above all we are thankful to be chosen daughters of the KING! Thank you, Jesus.

show & tell

our vacuum cleaner has not been working very well and tonight i figured out why. i started vacuuming the stairs and after about seven or eight steps, the vacuum just shut off because of a clog. i opened up the front and saw a big clump of something that looked like a dead rat with fur. i started pulling and it just kept coming. it was not a dead animal, it was our hair. that is weird, but the weirdest part is that the hair segregated itself according to it's color. we've attached a picture, but it doesn't give the full effect. seriously, this is one of the nastiest (but coolest) things we've seen in a while.