7.27.2010
12.17.2009
Primal: A Quest For The Soul of Christianity
I spent an entire afternoon devouring Mark Batterson's new book, Primal. Mark's first two books were home runs, but this one was a GRAND SLAM!
Mark takes his readers through a journey to become great at the Great Commandment. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. How can we become great at loving God with our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength? In this book we can answer that question. Mark uses powerful illustrations and personal experiences to help us discover how to truly love God as found in the Great Commandment.
This book is a must read for everybody in my opinion. Read with an open heart and open mind and you will come away with a plethora of knowledge as well as love for God.
Order a copy for yourself or as a Christmas gift for somebody.
I appreciate WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers for providing me with a copy to review.
12.13.2009
Top 10 Moments at NCU (Part 2)
The memories at North Central continued...
6. Beating 4 West Carlson in intramural basketball was not enough for me. You see a bunch of guys on that floor are friends of mine so we are very competitive with each other. So during this year's intramural football season our teams played each other. It was one of the coldest days of the semester. There was an inch of snow on the ground that October Saturday and the wind chill was almost zero degrees. Neither team had played any defense during the game, in fact, both teams had scored every single time they had the ball. There was literally no defense played that game. And on the last play of the game it was all tied up. We called a time out to draw up a play in the huddle. We were about 4o yards from the end zone and needed to get the ball in the end zone to win. When the ball was snapped I faked the hand off to Jed McGuire and threw a pass to my roommate, Steve Svoboda. As soon as he caught the ball he tossed it to Jed who was running full speed toward the end zone. As soon as Jed caught the ball he made about 5 defenders miss his flags and scampered into the end zone to win the game. It was a miracle. The hook and ladder actually worked. We tasted victory once again.
7. It was December of 2007 when of the greatest weeks in North Central history took place. Ironically enough it was finals week. Typically finals week is not that great but that year it was.
The People: Zach Brose, Jed McGuire, Weston Bradshaw, Dustin Poole and me.
The Place: 2 East Phillipps - suite 212.
For some reason, that I still do not know to this day, we all thought it would be sweet (which it was) to pull all of our mattresses out of our respective rooms and into my suite. We lined the beds up in a row with a TV in front. Every single night for over a week we ordered pizza, watched the O.C. and slept in the suite. In just a matter of a week we turned what was once a stressful time of the semester to the best week of our lives. Class became completely optional and was a day to day decision whether or not we would go. With over a foot of snow of the ground outside there was not a lot of motivation to do anything but stay in bed, have food delivered to our beds, and watch an inappropriate amount of high school drama television shows. If I recall we watched 3 complete seasons of the O.C. in a matter of a week. Oh and I forgot to mention that by halfway through the week and a half long slumber party, we had added a few more guys without adding any more beds. In other words, we began to go 3 men for every 2 beds. You can imagine the smell of the suite at that point. The only thing I can remember is stuffing dryer sheets in the fan to help improve the aroma. Not only were memories made and relationships built, but that was the week Zach Brose decided to tell his sister about me.
8. Rock, paper, scissors is an American past time. But at NCU it much more than that. In 2008 my friends and I decided to have a weekend retreat at my apartment. And it was during that weekend that we came up with a new way to make decisions. If we wanted to watch a movie and couldn't make a decision we played rock, paper, scissors to decide. If we were not sure which restaurant we wanted to eat at then each person in the group would represent a different restaurant. Then we would have a round robin rock, paper, scissors tournament and eat at the restaurant represented by the winner. And it was on the first night of our weekend retreat we had the largest and most intense rock, paper, scissors tournament of all time. It was a double elimination tournament with over a dozen participants. The tournament was so rowdy security came to our apartment 3 times. I am pretty sure there was a moment where the Jock Jams CD was turned up all the way and I was on top of the kitchen table cheering on the underdog. For those of us who experienced this mayhem it will forever go down as the craziest half hour of our lives. And if you were not there then you can only try to imagine.
9. I have always believed in "going out with a bang." And that is what we did our senior year. This past September we decided to throw a Root Beer Kegger at our apartment. I had a vision of our apartment being filled with NCU students having a good time and drinking root beer. So I decided to order the 8 gallon keg. However, when I went to pick up the keg they mixed up the order and gave me the 16 gallon keg. Little did I know that was going to be necessary. Because by 10:00 that night we had 150 people in our apartment singing and dancing with to the beats with the small of 1919 root beer in the air. The party lasted about 4 hours until the resident director showed up after midnight and informed us they had received a half dozen noise complaint calls from our neighbors. They may have put an end to that party but we still have the memories of 150 college kids in our little apartment having the time of their lives. The Root Beer Kegger will go down as one of the greatest parties ever thrown at NCU.
10. The number one memory I will have of North Central University came on December 11, 2009. Not long after I walked across the stage to receive my diploma, decked out in my cap and gown, our president officially introduced us the class of 2009. Right then I looked around and saw my parents, Heather, Zach and their parents, and my best friend Brenden from high school. But that was not it. I then heard some enthusiastic cheering from the balcony. When I looked up I saw an image that will forever be in my head. I saw Ben Cline, Jaren Grenell, Dustin Poole, John Benson, and Kirk Graham. 5 of my best friends at NCU there for me cheering as I graduated from college. Those guys had been with me since day one at NCU and I will never forget the memories we made together in college. These top ten moments can really go in any order but the number one moment in my North Central career was seeing those 5 guys, who were involved in almost all of my top moments at NCU, in the balcony celebrating with me an important milestone in my life.
Thanks for all the memories!
6. Beating 4 West Carlson in intramural basketball was not enough for me. You see a bunch of guys on that floor are friends of mine so we are very competitive with each other. So during this year's intramural football season our teams played each other. It was one of the coldest days of the semester. There was an inch of snow on the ground that October Saturday and the wind chill was almost zero degrees. Neither team had played any defense during the game, in fact, both teams had scored every single time they had the ball. There was literally no defense played that game. And on the last play of the game it was all tied up. We called a time out to draw up a play in the huddle. We were about 4o yards from the end zone and needed to get the ball in the end zone to win. When the ball was snapped I faked the hand off to Jed McGuire and threw a pass to my roommate, Steve Svoboda. As soon as he caught the ball he tossed it to Jed who was running full speed toward the end zone. As soon as Jed caught the ball he made about 5 defenders miss his flags and scampered into the end zone to win the game. It was a miracle. The hook and ladder actually worked. We tasted victory once again.
7. It was December of 2007 when of the greatest weeks in North Central history took place. Ironically enough it was finals week. Typically finals week is not that great but that year it was.
The People: Zach Brose, Jed McGuire, Weston Bradshaw, Dustin Poole and me.
The Place: 2 East Phillipps - suite 212.
For some reason, that I still do not know to this day, we all thought it would be sweet (which it was) to pull all of our mattresses out of our respective rooms and into my suite. We lined the beds up in a row with a TV in front. Every single night for over a week we ordered pizza, watched the O.C. and slept in the suite. In just a matter of a week we turned what was once a stressful time of the semester to the best week of our lives. Class became completely optional and was a day to day decision whether or not we would go. With over a foot of snow of the ground outside there was not a lot of motivation to do anything but stay in bed, have food delivered to our beds, and watch an inappropriate amount of high school drama television shows. If I recall we watched 3 complete seasons of the O.C. in a matter of a week. Oh and I forgot to mention that by halfway through the week and a half long slumber party, we had added a few more guys without adding any more beds. In other words, we began to go 3 men for every 2 beds. You can imagine the smell of the suite at that point. The only thing I can remember is stuffing dryer sheets in the fan to help improve the aroma. Not only were memories made and relationships built, but that was the week Zach Brose decided to tell his sister about me.
8. Rock, paper, scissors is an American past time. But at NCU it much more than that. In 2008 my friends and I decided to have a weekend retreat at my apartment. And it was during that weekend that we came up with a new way to make decisions. If we wanted to watch a movie and couldn't make a decision we played rock, paper, scissors to decide. If we were not sure which restaurant we wanted to eat at then each person in the group would represent a different restaurant. Then we would have a round robin rock, paper, scissors tournament and eat at the restaurant represented by the winner. And it was on the first night of our weekend retreat we had the largest and most intense rock, paper, scissors tournament of all time. It was a double elimination tournament with over a dozen participants. The tournament was so rowdy security came to our apartment 3 times. I am pretty sure there was a moment where the Jock Jams CD was turned up all the way and I was on top of the kitchen table cheering on the underdog. For those of us who experienced this mayhem it will forever go down as the craziest half hour of our lives. And if you were not there then you can only try to imagine.
9. I have always believed in "going out with a bang." And that is what we did our senior year. This past September we decided to throw a Root Beer Kegger at our apartment. I had a vision of our apartment being filled with NCU students having a good time and drinking root beer. So I decided to order the 8 gallon keg. However, when I went to pick up the keg they mixed up the order and gave me the 16 gallon keg. Little did I know that was going to be necessary. Because by 10:00 that night we had 150 people in our apartment singing and dancing with to the beats with the small of 1919 root beer in the air. The party lasted about 4 hours until the resident director showed up after midnight and informed us they had received a half dozen noise complaint calls from our neighbors. They may have put an end to that party but we still have the memories of 150 college kids in our little apartment having the time of their lives. The Root Beer Kegger will go down as one of the greatest parties ever thrown at NCU.
10. The number one memory I will have of North Central University came on December 11, 2009. Not long after I walked across the stage to receive my diploma, decked out in my cap and gown, our president officially introduced us the class of 2009. Right then I looked around and saw my parents, Heather, Zach and their parents, and my best friend Brenden from high school. But that was not it. I then heard some enthusiastic cheering from the balcony. When I looked up I saw an image that will forever be in my head. I saw Ben Cline, Jaren Grenell, Dustin Poole, John Benson, and Kirk Graham. 5 of my best friends at NCU there for me cheering as I graduated from college. Those guys had been with me since day one at NCU and I will never forget the memories we made together in college. These top ten moments can really go in any order but the number one moment in my North Central career was seeing those 5 guys, who were involved in almost all of my top moments at NCU, in the balcony celebrating with me an important milestone in my life.
Thanks for all the memories!
Top 10 Moments at NCU (Part 1)
Arriving on the campus of North Central University in the fall of 2006 seems like just yesterday. I was quickly greeted and befriended by Steve Svoboda and Ben Cline, thus, quickly came the memories. In my 3.5 years there I lived with 3 different guys in 3 different rooms all providing different experiences I will never forget. While at NCU I met my fiance, future brother-in-law, and five of the best friends in the world. I learned what it means to live in the "Nation's Ice Box" and learned there is a difference between 5 degrees and -40 degrees. After graduating from NCU on December 11, I thought it would be appropriate to share with you all my top 10 moments at NCU.
1. Before I even stepped foot on campus I received a call from the housing director informing me of my soon-to-be roommate. He told me his name was Aguirre Reese. He pronounced it like "Ag-u-are." So for a few weeks I thought I was going to have a Hispanic roommate. So you can imagine the look on my face when I saw my 6'4" African-American roommate when I moved into my dorm room. His name was pronounced like "Uh-gwire."
2. It didn't take long for my fellow students to realize I had a unique sense of humor. During my first semester of my first year at NCU we had an unforgettable moment at Applebees. Without any warning I asked the entire table if they knew how to sell a duck to man hard of hearing. Nobody knew the answer so I told them. At the very tip top of my lungs and with everything I had in me, I yelled as loud as I could, "YOU WANNA BUY A DUCK!" Half of the 20 people left.
3. Not even honey is sweeter than the taste of victory. My floor, 2 East Phillipps, tasted victory when we beat 4 West Carlson in an intramural basketball instant classic. Even though we had the league MVP, Jaren Grenell, we found ourselves down by 17 in the second half. What happened in the last 15 of that game I really cannot remember. However, I do remember mounting a comeback and beating them in the final seconds. For an overly competitive person, I will never forget that feeling of victory on that frigid February night in 2008.
4. Many people have left there mark at NCU over the years. They have come and gone and people remember them for a long time. But no one will ever be remembered as much as Mike Mertz. Not even Raymond G. Carlson or John E. Phillipps will go down in history like Mertz. Because of Mertz, the phrase "Mertz is in town!" is understood by all who attend NCU. A tradition unlike any other was started in November of 2007. My friend from Iowa came to visit me every November. And the first time he came was legen...wait for it...dary! He stayed with us for 4 days and we went crazy. We skipped classes, we drank Red Bull and Mt. Dew like they were water, and we did not sleep. Everything began to seem unimportant or irrelevant because "Mertz was in town!" Mertz influenced an entire generation of Bible College students forever. That inaugural "Mertz Weekend" will go down as one of the greatest weekends of my life.
5. My college experience really took a turn for the better in the fall of 2007. When Dustin Poole, aka Grandpa, stepped foot on campus my life was turned upside down. It was love at first sight. We both love the Buckeyes more than anything and that runs deeper than blood. In October of 2007 Dustin and I made a memory that will last for a lifetime. I had 2 tickets for the Ohio State at Purdue game. So on Saturday at 7:30 we left for an 8 hour road trip to West Lafayette. We arrived to town just in time to get some dinner and get to the stadium for a 7:00 kick off. Immediately following the game (Buckeyes won) we got in the Camry and drove. The drive home seemed to last forever. We finished off our 12 pack of Red Bull and pulled into Minneapolis at 8:30 Sunday morning. Our trip to Purdue lasted 25 hours with no sleep. To this day, we refer to that as the worst best decision we ever made together.
1. Before I even stepped foot on campus I received a call from the housing director informing me of my soon-to-be roommate. He told me his name was Aguirre Reese. He pronounced it like "Ag-u-are." So for a few weeks I thought I was going to have a Hispanic roommate. So you can imagine the look on my face when I saw my 6'4" African-American roommate when I moved into my dorm room. His name was pronounced like "Uh-gwire."
2. It didn't take long for my fellow students to realize I had a unique sense of humor. During my first semester of my first year at NCU we had an unforgettable moment at Applebees. Without any warning I asked the entire table if they knew how to sell a duck to man hard of hearing. Nobody knew the answer so I told them. At the very tip top of my lungs and with everything I had in me, I yelled as loud as I could, "YOU WANNA BUY A DUCK!" Half of the 20 people left.
3. Not even honey is sweeter than the taste of victory. My floor, 2 East Phillipps, tasted victory when we beat 4 West Carlson in an intramural basketball instant classic. Even though we had the league MVP, Jaren Grenell, we found ourselves down by 17 in the second half. What happened in the last 15 of that game I really cannot remember. However, I do remember mounting a comeback and beating them in the final seconds. For an overly competitive person, I will never forget that feeling of victory on that frigid February night in 2008.
4. Many people have left there mark at NCU over the years. They have come and gone and people remember them for a long time. But no one will ever be remembered as much as Mike Mertz. Not even Raymond G. Carlson or John E. Phillipps will go down in history like Mertz. Because of Mertz, the phrase "Mertz is in town!" is understood by all who attend NCU. A tradition unlike any other was started in November of 2007. My friend from Iowa came to visit me every November. And the first time he came was legen...wait for it...dary! He stayed with us for 4 days and we went crazy. We skipped classes, we drank Red Bull and Mt. Dew like they were water, and we did not sleep. Everything began to seem unimportant or irrelevant because "Mertz was in town!" Mertz influenced an entire generation of Bible College students forever. That inaugural "Mertz Weekend" will go down as one of the greatest weekends of my life.
5. My college experience really took a turn for the better in the fall of 2007. When Dustin Poole, aka Grandpa, stepped foot on campus my life was turned upside down. It was love at first sight. We both love the Buckeyes more than anything and that runs deeper than blood. In October of 2007 Dustin and I made a memory that will last for a lifetime. I had 2 tickets for the Ohio State at Purdue game. So on Saturday at 7:30 we left for an 8 hour road trip to West Lafayette. We arrived to town just in time to get some dinner and get to the stadium for a 7:00 kick off. Immediately following the game (Buckeyes won) we got in the Camry and drove. The drive home seemed to last forever. We finished off our 12 pack of Red Bull and pulled into Minneapolis at 8:30 Sunday morning. Our trip to Purdue lasted 25 hours with no sleep. To this day, we refer to that as the worst best decision we ever made together.
4.27.2009
7 more Buckeyes now in the NFL
4 Buckeyes were drafted on the first day and three more on the second day. Malcom Jenkins was the first Buckeye to go and was taken by the New Orleans Saints at number 16 overall. Beanie Wells was picked up by Arizona Cardinals, which was a great pick for them because Beanie was the best running back in college and is now the best running back in the NFL. James Laurinaitis was taken by the Rams early in the second round. The Rams will enjoy an incredibly gifted linebacker but an even better person as well. Brian Robiskie is following his father's footsteps as an NFL wide receiver. Brian is a solid receiver who runs great routes, has great hands, and is a hard worker.
On the second day of the draft, three more Buckeyes were selected. Donald Washington to the Chiefs, Brian Hartline will join former Buckeye Ted Ginn Jr. in Miami, and Marcus Freeman will be an instant impact for the Chicago Bears defense.
12.09.2008
homemade hot chocolate in a winter wonderland
From Sunday at 10:00 AM to Monday night at midnight, we got hit with the largest snowfall of the year. It was an old fashioned blizzard. I could barely see anything driving home from church. This is the second year in a row that we have had a blizzard on this weekend. We are hoping to get about six more inches in the next couple of days. During the snowfall we hung up the Christmas lights, stockings, and tree in our apartment. It is looking very festive. Tonight I decided to make Heather and myself some hot chocolate. She enjoys Swiss Miss mix with water...basically water with a hint of chocolate flavoring. However, I like the true European style hot chocolate. I melted down chocolate chips, added milk and powdered sugar, and dropped a mini candy cane for a mint flavor. It was really thick, rich, and delicious. There is nothing like Jonathan's old fashioned hot chocolate, on a cold winter's night, up here in Minneapolis.
11.23.2008
pre-turkey day cleansing
On Sunday night Heather and I decided to do a little body cleansing before Thanksgiving. The diet will go for three days and consist of clementines, pineapple, spinach, pomegranate, juice, water, carrots, and grapefruit. The idea is to prepare ourselves for a big day of eating on Thursday. We are spending Thanksgiving in Milwaukee with her family. The last time I was not with my family for Thanksgiving was my junior year of high school when I spent Thanksgiving with the Mertz's while my family went to Washington D.C. to visit Amy and Jeremy. Heather, Zach, and I are leaving on Tuesday evening for Menomonee Falls, Heather's home, and will be there until Sunday. Have a happy Thanksgiving and if anyone reads this who will be seeing my family give them a hug for me.
Buckeyes beat Mich-again!
For the fifth straight time, the Buckeyes have beat the Michigan Wolverines. This time they did with style by winning 42-7 on Saturday. I love the Ohio State vs. Michigan game because it is such a great rivalry but it makes me sad because it is the last game of the year (until the bowl games) for the Buckeyes. Everyone on the team contributed to the win on Saturday. It was 14-7 at halftime but the Buckeyes scored 28 unanswered points in the second half.
It was a great morning overall because Heather came over before tip-off to make a Palmer favorite...fried dough. It is tradition to make fried dough before the Ohio State vs. Michigan game every year. Ohio State finished the year 10-2 and will wait to see which bowl game they will play in. Ohio State has won five in a row now and have won 6 of the last 7 games vs. Michigan. Go Bucks!
my first sermon
On Thursday I had the opportunity to preach for the first time. I preached in the student led chapel we have here at North Central. The topic for my first sermon...obedience. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul did not completely obey God. I taught on obeying God completely. It was such a great experience because and I had so much fun doing it too. God really used what I said to touch some of the students. I have a long way to go still but I was happy for my first time.
Because my sermon fell on the week of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game, I wore a scarlet and gray sweater vest in honor of Jim Tressel. I had been very nervous to preach for the first time but as I began to prepare God seemed to take away all my nerves. It was a great conformation that God's call on my life to pastor is the real deal. I am looking forward to preaching more in the future.
Because my sermon fell on the week of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game, I wore a scarlet and gray sweater vest in honor of Jim Tressel. I had been very nervous to preach for the first time but as I began to prepare God seemed to take away all my nerves. It was a great conformation that God's call on my life to pastor is the real deal. I am looking forward to preaching more in the future.
9.12.2008
collision in the coliseum
Tonight is the eve before Ohio State's biggest game of the year. Tomorrow night Ohio State will be playing University of Southern California in one of the most anticipated college football games of all time! Heather and I have been outfitted all day in our Buckeye garb and cannot wait for the game tomorrow night. In this picture, Heather is wearing her brand new Ohio State t-shirt she got yesterday.
Earlier this evening Heather made her famous cranberry chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and corn. It was sooo good. After that she began the first stage of a triple batch of Ohio State cut-out cookies. I am sure that the boys will devour them tomorrow night during the game. Then we went on a walk because it is perfect weather here in Minneapolis. Tonight was about 65 degrees; just great early fall weather. On our way back from the walk we called Amy and Jeremy and talked to them for a while.
Now, only 17 hours until the big game. Go Bucks!
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