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Qdoba is opening a new location in Mesa and to celebrate, they're giving out FREE BURRITOS tomorrow!

FREE BURRITO DAY!
Thursday, November 13
11am - 8pm

1855 S. Country Club Dr.
(Baseline and Country Club)
Mesa, AZ 85210
(480) 834.4593

In our small group we are in the book of Mark. Today I was reminded afresh of the importance of not only teaching sound doctrine, but also to encourage the heart, so that it will perservere under trials. I was reminded that I could love doctrine without a heart change. So, I must shepherd my heart, so that my actions reveal my changed heart.

Mark 4:13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but pendure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and tthe deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Mk 4:13-20). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Al Mohler spoke at Covenant Life Church this past week and I was blessed by the following excerpts from his sermon. Praise God that the redeemed people of God must always have our hearts set on the City of God because no government will ever be able to reach inside the human soul and bring about transformation or regeneration.

We are here on the Sunday after a national day of decision. And when I was asked to come and to preach to you on this day and to speak about the meaning of the election, we had no idea what would happen on Tuesday that would frame the background of our discussion today. In one sense it really mattered. In another sense it really didn’t.

We are living in one of those awkward moments when we are trying to decide what is really important, not only in terms of the present, not only in terms of our nation’s trajectory, but in terms of eternity.

We, as Christians, had to come together on a day like this in a service of worship to bring ourselves into the counsel of godly wisdom and to seek to unthink the thinking of the world. And this is so difficult because the seduction of worldly thinking surrounds us.

It is very easy for us to turn everything into a sociological calculus. We can explain these things on the basis of sociological patterns, voting demographics, and all the rest. It is very seductive for us to fall into some kind of amateur political science. We can map red and blue America. We can come up with the voting patterns. We can look precinct by precinct. It is very seductive to think we can psychologize this and determine why people made the choices they did in the voting booth. It was because they were afraid of this or afraid of that or they were hopeful of this or they had this need that was represented in this vote.

We could turn ourselves into therapists, psychologists, political scientists, sociologists, and we could pool all the wisdom that the secular world has to offer, and it would be an interesting conversation that in the end would tell us nothing about eternity.

So we are coming together this morning to think about what the election means. And in contrast, in order to do that faithfully, we are going to have to talk about what the election means and what the election doesn’t mean. We are going to have to talk about what is at stake and what wasn’t at stake. And we are going to have to try with godly wisdom, submitted to the authority of Scripture, to put all of this together.

In the Christian world, we face a perpetual temptation either to minimize the importance of the political question or to maximize it.…There is the temptation in both directions. We can trace the history of the church, and we can see at various times the church has been more tempted to go in one direction of unfaithfulness and at other times in that other direction of unfaithfulness. But our responsibility, perhaps most acutely on the Sunday after an election, is to get our hearts and minds together and submit them to the Word of God and ask: What should we make of all this?....

We are reminded that the political process is important, but it has its severe limitations. It is so important that I believe it is no exaggeration to say that by our political process we must contend for righteousness, uphold the dignity of law, uphold the administration of justice. And we do so as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that justice is God’s gift and command and expectation to his people, that when God removes a sense of justice from a civilization, what follows is God’s judgment and wrath poured out in sheer chaos and dissolution.

We should be thankful insofar as we recognize [that] our opportunity to vote in this society is a Christian obligation to bear witness, even through that vote, to what we consider to be most important. That means at times we as Christians have to vote against our economic interest for a higher interest. We have to vote against our personal interest for a more significant interest.

With an issue like human life and human dignity on the line, a vote that would lead to the further destruction of human life or a failure to vote in a way that would restrict the destruction of human life is a vote that makes a citizen complicit in the taking and destruction of human life. There is no innocence. There is no neutrality.

Augustine, the great Christian theologian of the fourth century, tried to help the church understand this even as the Roman Empire appeared to be crumbling and eventually was destroyed, was fallen, and was no more. Writing in his famous book The City of God, Augustine said we must remember that there are two cities: a City of God and a City of Man. The City of God is ruled by a heavenly sovereign. It is the eternal city. It will never pass away. And there is the City of Man. It is God’s creation. In this age it is administered by sinners and has only a hint, at its best, of the grandeur of the City of God. At its very best it only hints at justice. For at our very best, our justice is tainted by our own finitude and our own sinfulness and our own limited wisdom. But in the City of God, justice reigns supreme because a just God administers his justice directly.

The same thing is true as we pass through all the virtues and all of our understandings of how God would order a society. But Augustine wanted his church members to remember that the City of Man is still important, because God created the city and put his redeemed people in it to make a difference for eternity.

Each of these two cities, Augustine said, has a love. In the City of God, the only love is love of God. It is an undiluted, undistracted, unrefracted love of God. But in the City of Man, there are many loves. Most of them are loves for the wrong things. All of them, even at their very best, [are] tainted by human sinfulness. Augustine said that love of neighbor should, in the City of Man, compel us to political responsibility, political honesty, and even political action.

But even as the church, the redeemed people of God in the City of Man is busy at work at policy, at politics, at strategy, and at tactics. All these things that do matter. The redeemed people of God must always have our hearts set on the City of God.

The apostle Paul put it this way. He said, “But our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20, ESV). We are citizens, first and foremost, of a heavenly kingdom. But in this earth we are also, in this age, citizens of an earthly kingdom, and we must show the glory of God by being God’s people at work for good, at work for righteousness, at work for that which will preserve and protect and nurture. But most importantly, we must be in this age at work preaching the gospel, an issue that has no direct political allegiance, but does have political meaning, political extension, and political implications. We must understand that the main responsibility of the church in every age, whatever its government that is around us in our society—whether we be in the Roman Empire with Caesar sitting on the throne, or whether we be in some kingdom where there is some lesser king who considers himself a sovereign monarch, or whether or not we are in a representative democracy where we elect our own leaders, or if we are in any form of government imaginable to mankind. The one thing we must know is that this government, at its very best, is only an incompetent core of sinners doing, we hope, their very best.

Incompetent, not in a human comparison with each other, but incompetence in the theological perspective that there is no government that will solve the problem of human sinfulness. There is no government that will come up with the end-all solution to human poverty. There is no government that will reach into the hearts of men and turn those who plot murder into those who no longer have such plans. No government will ever be able to reach inside the human soul and bring about transformation or regeneration.

Government, according to Paul in Romans chapter 13, has very specific, defined responsibilities. The first is to maintain justice, to punish the evildoer, to maintain the rule and administration of law—that law to also correspond to God’s moral law. And in the New Testament, we have very clear indications of the Christian responsibility. We are to pray for our leaders. We are to pray and we are to respect the king. And by extension, that means in our situation the government we elect, and especially the president and others who have the most strategic and important constitutional responsibilities.

We need to pray for our president. We need to pray for all of those who are in elected office. We need to pray for all of those that are in appointed office. We need to pray for all of those who are in the part of the ongoing mechanisms of government. We need to pray because those are men and women making very real decisions that will have very real impact in the City of Man.

And we know from the perspective of the City of God, they are often brushing up against matters of eternity without knowing it.…

I am thankful that we can, on this Sunday after the election, as Christians, come together and seek some theological sanity, and do so in a way that will mobilize us and prepare us for the big job that lies ahead.

I am thankful that as we stand here today, we come in the name of the one true and living God who is the electing God and not the elected God. We are here in the name of a sovereign, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. His name is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We are here in the name of the triune God who reigns over all things. We are here in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ our Redeemer. We are here in the name of One who reigns over the affairs of nations, who looks down upon the affairs of men and sees grasshoppers, insects in debate, insects in decision, hopping bugs with the weighty affairs of state [Isaiah 40:22].

Scripture says that the Lord God shows his sovereignty in the rising and in the falling of nations, in the waxing and in the waning of empires. With biblical discernment, our task is to look to the affairs of the world and see the action of God, the judgment and the mercy of God outpoured as God’s sovereign and perfect will will dictate and as God’s humble people should observe.

We are people that know politics is important, but not ultimate. We know that politics has its place, an urgent and important place where, in the City of Man, decisions are made that can make the difference between life and death, injustice and justice, mercy and no mercy, commonweal or common disaster. But we also know that there is in this world at its very best only a hint of the kingdom that is to come, where God’s reign is supreme.

No government will ever be able to say, “Every tear has been wiped away.” No government will ever be able to say, “The blind have received sight and the deaf have received hearing and the lame now walk.”…That power is God’s alone.

 Ikea has pretty good breakfast so if you are in the area you might want to go check it out.

Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears is a well-designed books with easter eggs (surprises) on every page. Your child (and you) will have a fun time discovering new things in the pictures/popouts/foldouts/inserts. The book describes all the things that little mouse is afraid of (and your child might be afraid of as well) is such a way that will open up lines of communication so he/she can discuss them, but not in such a way as to make them more afraid. I read it to my nephew and we were able to talk about the stuff he is afraid of and how God is "in charge" and He takes care of him.  Overall, a very fun, well-made book by Emily Gravett. She has authored many children's books and if they are half as cute as this one I will be getting them for Elianna as she gets older.

 Today I discovered familyfun.com They have all kinds of great ideas that I can't wait to enjoy with Elianna. Fun food and crafts. Be sure to check out the Thanksgiving stuff. One of my favorite ideas was to make a cotton fabric table runner/cloth and have sharpies on the table. Everyone at the table writes what they are thankful for. What a fun idea. It would be fun to use it year after year.

Garlic, Chick-pea and Spinach Soup
(from Complete Vegetarian)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 pints or 5 cups vegetable stock (chicken broth)
12 oz. potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
15oz. can chick-peas (garbanzo beans), drained
12 oz. potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
¼ pint or 2/3 cup double cream (can substitute soy milk)
1 Tbsp. cornflour
2 Tbsp. light tahini (sesame seed paste)
7oz. spinach, shredded
cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the garlic and onion for 5 minutes, or until they are softened and golden brown. Stir in the cumin and coriander and cook for a further minute.
Pour in the stock and add the chopped potatoes to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chick-peas and simmer for a further 5 minutes, or until both the potatoes and chick-peas are just tender.
Blend together the cornflour, cream, tahini, and plenty of seasoning. Stir into the soup with the spinach. Bring to a boil, stirring, and simmer for a further 2 minutes. Season with cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Serve immediately, sprinkled with a little cayenne pepper.

Tips:

1. I use red potatoes, red onions,
2. Load on the spinach!
3. You can soy milk (instead of heavy cream)

We are hoping to be able to go down to Mexico soon to see my mom and for Eli to meet our friends down there. In order for her to go we had to get a passport. I thought the picture was super cute, so I had to post it!

Jacob and I want to teach Elianna Spanish so anytime I see anything bilingual I am interested in checking it out. Marco flamenco is is a cute book with great Super Colorful illustrations! Marco is a flamingo who watches geese and ducks fly south to get out of the snow. He doesn't know what snow is. He decides to fly north for the winter. He ends up loving the snow. The illustrations are amazing because they start out in tropical colors and get bluer as you approach colder weather. You almost feel as though you are really flying north.
This book is bilingual English/Spanish and the layout for the languages is done very well. It includes a vocabulary page at the end of the book. I read it and my only regret is that it is not translated word for word (or literally), but instead it is translated conceptually. This is fine if you just want language exposure (which I prefer for Elianna), or for someone who already knows both languages, but it is difficult if you are trying to learn or teach the language. All in all a fun book for language exposure for kids. Better than Maya and Miguel.
You can get this book here.

I stumbled across this site and thought it was a cool one to keep my eye on. Looks like some fun freebies and interesting reviews.

For a free 8x10 photo from Walgreens enter Coupon code FREEPIC valid for one use per customer only by November 8, 2008. Code must be entered at time of checkout to apply discount. Photo cart must include your 8x10 print at time of checkout to qualify. Last time I printed a photo at Walgreens it was printed and ready for me to pick up within 15 minutes.

From time to time you will see me post what I call freebies on this blog. Pretty much if you know me you know I am frugal (you can call me cheap) part of it is genetic (I have a large amount of Dutch blood), but truthfully I want to be wise with the resources God has given me responsibility over. Anyway, because of that I look for freebies and people send me freebies when they hear about them. For now I was thinking about the top 10 ways I like to save $.

1.    Freebies (can you think of a better way?)

One of my all-time favorites is Walgreens Easy Saver Rebate program. You can get about $20 of stuff a month for free (you just pay tax). It is a super easy rebate program and you can even fill it out online. 

2.    Coupons

Mostly from the Sunday paper (did you know Fry’s takes Fresh and Easy coupons?)

3.    Look at grocery adds and plan your list around sales.
4.    Cutting Hair

If all I did was cut Jake’s that would save us about $120/ year. Pretty good. The more family members we add the greater savings  Click here for a great link for cutting hair.

5.    Don’t pay for cable TV (need I say more?)
6.    Eat out less... yes, it’s convenient, but eating out is about 20 times more expensive than home cooking and as a bonus home-cooked is usually healthier
7.    Drink your Joe at home. Give up drinking over priced coffee at STARBUCKS and Coffee shops! It can save you a bundle!
8.    Go for time of day use on your electric bill and stick to it.
9.    Pay your credit card bill monthly
10.  Buy used cars and pay cash

Check out Jake's blog for a a free audibook by John Calvin: Of Prayer and the Christian Life.

Obama's leaky plumbing
Posted: October 27, 2008
1:00 am Eastern © 2008

Barack Obama discovers a leak under his sink, so he calls Joe the Plumber to come and fix it.
Joe drives to Obama's house, which is located in a very nice neighborhood and where it's clear that all the residents make more than $250,000 per year.
Joe arrives and takes his tools into the house. Joe is led to the room that contains the leaky pipe under a sink. Joe assesses the problem and tells Obama, who is standing near the door, that it's an easy repair that will take less than 10 minutes.
Obama asks Joe how much it will cost.
Joe immediately says, "$9,500."
"$9,500?" Obama asks, stunned. "But you said it's an easy repair!"
"Yes, but what I do is charge a lot more to my clients who make more than $250,000 per year so I can fix the plumbing of everybody who makes less than that for free," explains Joe. "It's always been my philosophy. As a matter of fact, I lobbied government to pass this philosophy as law, and it did pass earlier this year, so now all plumbers have to do business this way. It's known as 'Joe's Fair Plumbing Act of 2008.' Surprised you haven't heard of it, senator."
In spite of that, Obama tells Joe there's no way he's paying that much for a small plumbing repair, so Joe leaves.
Obama spends the next hour flipping through the phone book looking for another plumber, but he finds that all other plumbing businesses listed have gone out of business. Not wanting to pay Joe's price, Obama does nothing.
The leak under Obama's sink goes unrepaired for the next several days.
A week later the leak is so bad that Obama has had to put a bucket under the sink. The bucket fills up quickly and has to be emptied every hour, and there's a risk that the room will flood, so Obama calls Joe and pleads with him to return.
Joe goes back to Obama's house, looks at the leaky pipe, and says "Let's see – this will cost you about $21,000."
"A few days ago you told me it would cost $9,500!" Obama quickly fires back.
Joe explains the reason for the dramatic increase. "Well, because of the 'Joe's Fair Plumbing Act,' a lot of rich people are learning how to fix their own plumbing, so there are fewer of you paying for all the free plumbing I'm doing for the people who make less than $250,000. As a result, the rate I have to charge my wealthy paying customers rises every day.
"Not only that, but for some reason the demand for plumbing work from the group of people who get it for free has skyrocketed, and there's a long waiting list of those who need repairs. This has put a lot of my fellow plumbers out of business, and they're not being replaced – nobody is going into the plumbing business because they know they won't make any money. I'm hurting now too – all thanks to greedy rich people like you who won't pay their fair share."
Obama tries to straighten out the plumber: "Of course you're hurting, Joe! Don't you get it? If all the rich people learn how to fix their own plumbing and you refuse to charge the poorer people for your services, you'll be broke, and then what will you do?"
Joe immediately replies, "Run for president, apparently."

A friend of ours sent us a link to this article and I thought it was worthy of posting it is written by Robert George, a bio-ethicist and professor at Princeton and sits on the President's bio-ethics advisory committee. And like our friend noted he's also a man with two first names:) Anyway, just be responsible with the liberty God has given you at the polls tomorrow. Praise God that he is sovereign over our country.

Obama's Abortion Extremism
by Robert George
October 14, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama's views on life issues ranging from abortion to embryonic stem cell research mark him as not merely a pro-choice politician, but rather as the most extreme pro-abortion candidate to have ever run on a major party ticket.

Barack Obama is the most extreme pro-abortion candidate ever to seek the office of President of the United States. He is the most extreme pro-abortion member of the United States Senate. Indeed, he is the most extreme pro-abortion legislator ever to serve in either house of the United States Congress.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to Liberty Market the new urban market restaurant in Gilbert. I went with my mother-in-law, her mother-in-law, my future sister-in-law and Elianna. We had a fantastic time. Our friends Dave (Chef) and Kiersten Traina are partners with the Johnstons (owners of Joe's real bbq and Joe's farm grill). Welp! They did it again! Great food! Great Cost! Great Atmosphere. While I was there I found out our friend Travis Shelbourne (also a chef) works there to. Anyway, he encouraged us to try the wood-fired pizza. It was great! We tried the white pizza, cobb salad, sausage pizza, pumpkin apple bread, and coffee (They have a full-service expresso bar). There were no complaints at our table. In fact, Jacob's grandma mentioned she would take her co-workers there. Seriously. You have to try them out! Prices $7-$12. OH YEAH! They have coke products! I was impressed. Coke zero, Diet Coke, and Caffeine Free Diet Coke (important 'cause any caffeine I consume Eli gets:)). You can check out their website here: Liberty Market.

Hey all! I wanted to get the word out, in case someone knows someone interested. It's SOLD! We are selling our CR-V. 

Great car with fantastic gas mileage! Clean car, brand new tires from Costco,clean title, Non-smoker, and Accident-free.

Mileage: 96,500
Engine: 4-Cyl. 2.0 Liter
Transmission: Automatic
Drivetrain: 4WD

Air Conditioning, Power Door Locks, AM/FM Stereo and MP3/CD player with remote, Power Steering, Tilt Wheel, Dual Front Air Bags, Power Windows, Cruise Control, alarm system with fob, Privacy Glass and Newer tires.