My Spiritual Mt. Rushmore

As you may have noticed, this Good to Great in God's Eyes book is very action-oriented. I figure that, by taking the time to reflect on the topic of each chapter, I'm actively trying to apply these lessons to my life.

Chapter 3 encourages the reader to "Pursue Great People". Ingram begins this discussion by pointing out the spiritual truth that who we choose to follow will determine, to a large degree, who we will become. Therefore, if we want to become great Christians, we need to pursue great Christians. To emphasize this point, he shares stories about his "spiritual Mr. Rushmore" - aka the handful of people who have had the most beneficial and lasting impact on his life.

I thought that was a very intriguing concept, and - of course - decided I should make my own list. Here are the four spiritual leaders who have helped me get to where I am today:

SARAH HOBART

Although I grew up in First Presbyterian Church and participated in several activities and programs there, I didn't really start to invest in my faith and what it meant to be a part of the body of Christ until the second half of high school. Our youth pastor really wanted to begin getting everyone involved in small groups. Part of me thought that sounded fun, but the stronger, more fearful part of me at the time resisted the idea of hanging out with people I didn't know. Thankfully, my friends pushed and wheedled until I agreed to join a group with them.

Our leader was a young elementary school teacher named Sarah. She had curly red hair and a big smile and was super bubbly and friendly and immediately made us feel at home. Under her guidance, we all became very close friends and shared in all the triumphs and disappointments of our last couple years of school. She listened to our stories, laughed and prayed with us, and somehow managed to get us to stop talking long enough to focus on what we were studying in the Bible that week. She was the first person to really take me under her wing and show me what true Christian community looks like. Under her influence, I fell in love with church involvement - something that has definitely shaped the course of the rest of my life.

It's great because we have managed to stay in touch over the years. Believe it or not, she also married an Air Force pilot and so we have been able to share the whole AF spouse experience. She and her husband Keith just had a baby this past year and James and I enjoy following little Caleb's growth through all of the pictures and updates Sarah posts online. =^)

 

MARK EPPERSON

Of course, a huge force in my spiritual growth was our college minister Mark, who was the leader of Seekers at First Pres while I was there. The way he taught from the Word really helped to revolutionize the way I thought about faith and our roles in the Body. He challenged us to ask tough questions and really start to apply what the Bible says to our lives.

While that's all well and good, that's not the reason James and I (and several of our friends) love and look up to Mark. He went well beyond the required Sunday morning teaching and really invested in all of our lives individually. He opened his home to us and provided a safe place to come fellowship together and get equipped for our spiritual walks. For many of the students in Seekers, Mark's house was a home away from home, and that had everything to do with Mark's ministry. He was a mentor and a friend and a true, living example of what Christ taught about leading through service.

James and I agree that he was a big part of us getting together, and know that he helped us to grow together spiritually on our way to the altar. Although he was unable to officiate our wedding as we originally planned, we still found a way for him to be a part of our day, which meant the world to us. We definitely miss him, but know that - even now - he's only a call, text, or email away.

DAVE THORPE

Another person that James and I both have on our personal spiritual Mt. Rushmores is Dave Thorpe. He was the intern the year that I started going to Seekers. I don't know that I've ever met someone who is more friendly, fun, or passionate about building deep, spiritual connections with people.

I don't remember the first time I met him very well - though he remembers quite well and laughs a lot whenever I mention it. You see, I was a very new member of Seekers (having just graduated from high school), and although I didn't know him at all, I decided to approach Mark the Sunday before my surgery to tell him that I was going to be in the hospital. He promised to visit, but ended up not being able to because he got really busy preparing for the big mission trip Seekers took to India that summer. Instead, he sent the brand new intern - Dave - to come see me. You can imagine how awkward that must have been for him since we had never met before and I was only half conscious because of all of the medication I was on. However, he came in and introduced himself and talked to me for a good while. I have no idea what we talked about, but I know that even through the fog of that terrible time in my life, he left the impression of genuine kindness with me.

When I was finally strong enough to leave the house and go back to church, Dave took it upon himself to make sure I was as comfortable as possible so I'd make it through the hour long meeting. He also personally invited me to events and Bible studies, and is one of the reasons I got so involved in that group. He inspired me to really own my faith, and I continue to look to him (and his wife Claire) as an example of authentic Christian discipleship.

James and I have worked very hard to maintain our relationship with the Thorpes. Every time we visit the Springs, one of our top priorities is to find a way to spend quality time with them. They are the example we look to for our marriage, and look forward to a long relationship full of lots of laughs, deep discussions, and memorable prayers for our lives and for the world. Everything we leave their house, all we can say is "They are so awesome!" I hope that James and I can be like that for other young people in the future.

PATRICK LANGAN

Patrick was the staff worker that lead our Intervarsity chapter at SIU. He has got to be one of the busiest people I have ever met, being responsible not only for the well-being of his wife and three boys, but the spiritual development of 100 college students. However, he never stops because he is so passionate about spreading God's word to the campus.

I didn't really get to know him until the end of my first year in Carbondale when I applied to be a small group leader. One of Patrick's gifts is for recognizing leadership potential in students and for helping them to bring that to fruition. After our initial meeting in his office (aka the Starbucks in the Student Center,) he realized that I had the drive and the maturity to handle more than the entry-level position I was applying for, and so he went out on a limb and put me on the Executive Leadership Team as the person in charge of all of the small groups.

Patrick pretty much gave me free reign to what I wanted with the small groups. That was great because I had so many ideas and, with his encouragement, we were able to completely revolutionize the small group ministry - making the studies deeper, and incorporating worship and outreach projects which pushed the students to take their faith much more seriously. Patrick completely changed how I think about spiritual leadership, and showed me that it's not about what we can give to the church, but about what God can do through us if we are willing to step up and be challenged.

He also planted that desire to work in college ministry in my heart and continues to give me opportunities to make that happen. He paid my way out to Carbondale in October so I could speak at their fall retreat, has asked my opinions on other leadership decisions concerning certain students this year, and has even proposed that we work together to write an article this summer. If I hadn't gotten married and moved to Del Rio right after graduation, he would have made me a full-time IV Staff worker. Maybe that will happen someday, provided there is a college in a town where we'll be living for longer than a couple of years. Until then, he continues to challenge me to use the gifts that God has given me to further the Kingdom.

Clearly, I have been very blessed by the people God has put in my life (especially my wonderful husband.) I only pray that I might be used in a powerful enough way in someone else's life and make it onto their Spiritual Mr. Rushmore. =^)

Great Books

I read the second chapter of Chip Ingram's book, 'Good to Great in God's Eyes,' today and was pleased to find that this great Christian practice is one that I already very much value. "Read great books." This may sound rather self explanatory, but in discussing the many books which have impacted him over the years, Ingram was able to argue that reading quality Christian literature will get you better acquainted with God's Word, broaden your view of the world, sharpen your mind, inflame your heart, develop your skills, and heal your soul. Cool, huh?

I thought it was fascinating seeing how he could trace his spiritual development through the books he has read, and thought I would try to do the same. If you haven't read any of these books yet, I HIGHLY recommend them. =^)

THE PRAYER OF JABEZ FOR TEENS - Bruce Wilkinson

This little book was given to me by my grandparents on September 13, 2001. Note the date. That was a time of significant change for me...I was less than a month into my freshman year of high school and trying to figure out how I fit into such a big place. I had had a big falling out with friends at the end of eighth grade and was trying to pick up the pieces of broken relationships while forming new ones. It also happened to be 2 days after 9/11 when our entire world changed through an act of violence. It was in the midst of this overwhelming period where I was struggling to redefine who I was and where I was headed that I first read this famous little prayer. It helped inspire me to take my faith more seriously and to allow my relationship with Christ to influence my daily life. Wilkinson begins the book by asking the question: "Are you ready to do one thing today that could change your life from ordinary to extraordinary?" If you've never read 'The Prayer of Jabez' (for teens or the adult version) I would definitely encourage you to pick up a copy. It could change your life!!

IN HIS STEPS - Charles M. Sheldon
This book was given to me as a high school graduation gift by my youth paster, Jill. I'll admit I was a bit taken back at first because it looked like an outdated book written by an old guy in the 1800's. How could that possibly apply to me - a young, modern, ambitious girl? Oh how wrong I was! Turns out that 'In His Steps' is the book that inspired the WWJD movement. It's a fictional story written about a pastor who challenges the people in his church not to do anything for an entire year without first asking themselves what Jesus would do in their place. Each person who commits to do this faces serious consequences as they decide to make changes in their lives that their more "worldly" friends and neighbors strongly disapprove of. Families split apart, people loose their jobs and have to sometimes give up on their dreams in order to live as they believe God would want them to. But, at the end, you see how powerfully God can work through those who are willing to "lay down their lives, pick up their crosses, and follow in His steps."

I've read this book many times now, and it never fails to move me to action! I think it would be awesome to have a group of people read it and take the challenge seriously and see how God would work through them. All you have to do is keep asking yourself: "What would Jesus do?" (And no, you don't have to wear a tacky bracelet. ;^)

WHEN GOD WRITES YOUR LOVE STORY - Eric and Leslie Ludy
When I was a senior in high school I was in a serious relationship with a non-Christian guy. He was great and treated me very well and, for a while, I thought he was the one. However, after undergoing a major back surgery the summer after I graduated, and consequently having to wrestle with some of life's toughest questions, my faith had a serious growth spurt and I realized that I needed a man in my life who took God as seriously as I was beginning to. Thus, I went through a painful break up and began to search for my perfect partner.

This book by Eric and Leslie Ludy is an excellent book on Christian dating. They argue that by following the contemporary model for guy/girl relationships, you are settling for less than God has created us for. He loves us and has an amazing love story planned out for us if we will only trust Him to lead the way. As it says in the intro: "If you will trust Him enough to give Him the pen of your life, you are in for a journey that will forever spoil you for the ordinary. it's a journey on which you will discover perfect love and pure romance as it was TRULY intended to be."

I would recommend this book, or any other book by the Ludys, to those who are longing for love, or who are trying to figure out how to make your current relationship the best that it can be. They have books for girls, guys, and this one which speaks directly to both. They also have a handful of fabulous marriage books. 'The First 90 Days of Marriage' was very helpful for us as well!

COLD TANGERINES: CELEBRATING THE EXTRAORDINARY NATURE OF EVERYDAY LIFE - Shauna Niequist
This is probably one of my favorite non-fiction books ever. It was given to me by my mother-in-law as a graduation gift from college, and has been a big help to me as I have started out my new life as a married woman. It is very easy, when stepping out into the real world, to get discouraged or stressed out and forget to take note of the good things God is doing in our lives. In this book, Niequist tells short stories from her life that help to illustrate how God is working through her and slowly but steadily revealing His truths to her. It's such an encouraging book and I hope that all the ladies out there will read it and answer this call for celebration!!

CELEBRATION OF DISCIPLINE - Richard J. Foster
This final book is a must-read for all people who are serious about spiritual growth. I spent a lot of time reading and rereading it this summer as I prepared for my talk on spiritual disciplines and how they can help you thrive in college at the IV Fall Retreat in October. In his original book proposal, Foster said that "this book is for all those who are disillusioned with the superficialities of modern culture, including modern religious culture." He argues in this book that there is so much more we can get out of life than what the world or most contemporary churches have to offer. In order to truly live, we need to dive deeper into the spirit - and a great way to do that is by practicing some of these age-old disciplines. I was very convicted by the things I learned in these pages and am continuing to put them into practice in my life.

* * *

Well...those are just a few of the many books that I have read and loved. And, even though I already have a stack of new books that I want to read, I'm always open for new suggestions. If you've been deeply impacted by a book on faith, please share so I can build up my to-read list even more!!

Nutritious Thoughts

My grandmother recently sent me a book called "Good to Great in God's Eyes: Ten Practices Great Christians Have in Common" by Chip Ingram. I'm only 30 pages in, but already Ingram has all the wheels in my head turning. This book is right up my alley - not only because of it's practical life applications and earnest focus on Christian discipleship, but because it's written for those (like myself) who struggle with a strong desire for greatness.

In the introduction, Ingram talks about how he has wrestled with the question of whether or not it is wrong to want to be great, and whether ambition indicates a spiritual problem. The conclusion he drew came from Luke 22, where the disciples were arguing with one another over who was the greatest. Ingram points out that Jesus does not rebuke them for wanting to be great, but redefines what true greatness is. Instead of being what the world thinks is great, Jesus encourages them to pursue a life of service that will help build the Kingdom of God. Clearly, God wants us to seek SPIRITUAL greatness and pour everything we have into glorifying Him!

Now the question is - how do you do that? The book discusses 10 practices or disciplines that will help us on our quest for a remarkable faith. The first is to "Think Great Thoughts" (aka - focus on protecting your thought life.) I found the following two paragraphs to be particularly interesting:

* * *

"Think again about how deliberate we can be when it comes to our physical nutrition. Thirty years ago, if you pulled a can of vegetables off the shelf, it listed one ingredient: the vegetable itself. Today you'll find a breakdown of protein, carbohydrates, and fat, as well as how much fiber and vitamin content is in there. Fast food restaurants have charts telling us exactly what's in the food we're eating. Those labels and charts are there in large part because of popular demand. Many people today are extremely fastidious about counting calories and nutritional milligrams. We can be downright obsessed with our intake.

"It's amazing to me that our culture can be so smart and deliberate about physical nutrition and so mindless about the spiritual, intellectual, and emotional content of the ideas we consume. We're casual about what goes into our minds and then end up in therapy desperately trying to change what's in there. I'm convinced that if we took half the care to guard our minds that we do to guard our bodies, in about five years we would be amazed at the transformation that has taken place in our heart and relationships."

* * *

Wow. What a thought. I know I'm not that careful about what I eat. Sure, I've tried to cut back on my salt intake, and I try to remember to drink water instead of Coke, and I have started setting my vitamins out on the kitchen counter so I'll actually remember to take them. But do I REALLY try to filter what I put in my body? No. I rely on my fast metabolism to take care of all the sugar, fat and calories for me. But as bad as I am about taking care of my physical health, I do even less to protect my mental health from the junk the media produces. I do try to balance the hours I spend in front of the TV or my computer with some solid, Christian reading from time to time, but I'm sure that's not enough to achieve the levels of spiritual greatness I aspire to.

I know that my thought life profoundly affects my daily experience and so I need to be more conscientious about how I'm feeding my mind and soul. As James Allen says:

"You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you."

Culinary Lessons

I think it's great that, after being together for over 3 years, James and I are still able to teach each other new things. Tonight's lessons took place in the kitchen. James taught me how to separate eggs and whip egg whites into a thick, creamy mousse. (Impressive, eh??) I taught him how to gently "fold" elements into batter and how to properly scramble eggs. What were we making, you ask?

Well, recently I decided that waffles made according to the recipe on the back of the Bisquick box are far too dense and flavorless. It was to the point that I didn't want to make waffles anymore...which is a shame because James and I both love them. So, I googled "light, fluffy waffle recipes" and this was the first hit. It's super scrumptious and totally worth the effort, especially if you add the "optional" dash of vanilla extract!

Fluffy Waffles Recipe

This waffles recipe is a bit more involved than the basic recipe, but the fluffier result is worth it. It uses melted butter in addition to oil, and the waffles are made lighter by incorporating stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1¾ cups whole milk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 oz (½ stick) whole butter
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat your waffle iron to its hottest setting. Placing a cookie-sheet under it can help catch any batter drippage during cooking.


2. Pre-heat oven to 200°F.


3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.


4. Separate the eggs. Save the whites in a glass mixing bowl and the yolks in another.


5. Melt the butter over a low heat, then remove it and let it cool (but not solidify).


6. Beat the yolks thoroughly. Whisk in the milk, oil and melted butter.


7. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff. Then add the sugar and continue mixing until you get nice stiff peaks.


8. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix gently until combined. Don't overmix!


9. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter — and again, be careful not to overmix.


10. Spray both surfaces of your waffle iron with cooking spray.


11. Ladle ½ to ¾ cup (depending on your waffle iron) batter onto the iron and close it. It's not unusual for a bit of batter to seep out of the edges of the iron. If there's excessive leakage, use less batter for the next waffle.


12. Cook until the waffle iron's indicator light shows that cooking is complete, or until no more steam comes out. The finished waffle should be golden brown and crispy.


13. Lift the waffle out of the iron with a pair of tongs and either serve right away or transfer it to the oven to keep warm.

Makes 4-5 waffles. (James and I made a half batch of batter and, in our waffle iron, we still got 5 waffles out of it so take heed when measuring!)

Enjoy!!

Surprise trip to Colorado!!

It turns out that this past Saturday (May 9th) was the 30th anniversary of my dad being the principal trumpet in the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. My mom contacted me a couple weeks ago to let me know that she had decided to throw him a surprise reception after their concert that night, and thought it would be really fun if we could be there for it. Since James doesn't start training for another couple weeks, we figured that was something we could afford to do. So we packed up the new Subaru and headed north last Thursday evening.

Now, driving from Phoenix to Colorado Springs is no small trip, so we figured that we might as well really make a vacation of it. Thursday night we stayed in a beautiful little bed and breakfast in Flagstaff, AZ and went out for a nice dinner at a local bar and grill. Since James will be busy with work the weekend of our anniversary, we figured this trip would serve as a slightly early but much more enjoyable celebration.

The next morning we filled up on an excellent breakfast, and then headed out to see one of the wonders of the world - the Grand Canyon! We weren't able to stay long because we still had a long drive ahead of us, but even the hour we spent at two different over-looks was enough to impress upon us the magnitude of the place. This whole trip was a very eye-opening experience and we felt truly blessed to get to experience some of God's most beautiful artistry.

We also had a chance to stop at the 4 corners and took turns standing in 4 states at once! (Of course, that night we heard the news that the monument was off...but we still felt the significance of the day and won't let a technicality ruin the fun.)

That night we stayed in another B&B just north of Durango, CO. We've discovered that B&Bs are comparable in price to normal hotel rooms, but you get a lot more bang for your buck. However, all of the owners and other guests at the places we stayed were a little surprised to have such a young couple only stay for one night. I suppose that's a bit unusual, but it shouldn't be! Who would rather stay at a Holiday Inn when you can enjoy a quiet retreat with exceptional hospitality and really good food?

The next morning we took off from Durango and took the scenic route through the western Rockies up to Colorado Springs. The mountains up around Silverton and Ouray are truly stunning and James was very excited that I humored his desire to go that way. I get motion sick really easily and wasn't looking forward to all of the windy roads. Amazingly, the drive didn't bother me and we both enjoyed ourselves immensely.

We got into town around 5:00 but couldn't reveal ourselves to my parents until later that night after their concert was over, so we spent some time running errands around the city. We made a quick stop at The Cliff House (the Manitou hotel where we spent the first night of our honeymoon) so we could pick up a gift certificate for their restaurant. James, Nate and I decided that we would rather give my parents a memorable experience for mother and father's day than some little trinkets, so we all went in on that gift. Hopefully it will make for a great date! After that, we drove through the AF Academy and then headed down to Focus on the Family where we surprised our friend Amy with a brief visit. She indulged us with a behind the scenes tour, and even gave us a bunch of free stuff!! Finally, we grabbed some dinner at our beloved Noodles & Co. Their Wisconsin mac & cheese has never tasted better!

Finally, we received a text message from my mom saying that she and my dad were leaving the house, so we snuck up there and moved our stuff into the guest room while they were playing their concert. After freshening up and changing into some nicer clothes, we headed out to First United Methodist for the reception. My mom asked me to take some pictures of the decorations and of all of my dad's friends greeting him, so I got the camera out and went to work after we arrived. I think everything went really, really well. My dad didn't seem very surprised by the party, but was definitely shocked to see us there, which was fun. Everyone was very nice and I hope he felt all of the appreciation they showed. =^)

The rest of the weekend was spent with family and friends. Sunday morning we went to Seekers and surprised our good friends Dave and Claire Thorpe which was super fun. They invited us over to their house after church for a BBQ so we got to spend a few hours catching up. James and I have looked up to them as an example for our marriage and our walk of faith, and always leave their place saying "They are so awesome!!" We hope others feel the same about us.

Sunday night, we met up with my parents and headed back down to the church so we could watch Nate lead worship at the 5:30 service. He did a really good job! It's always interesting going home and seeing how much he has grown and changed since the last time I saw him. After church was over, we all went out to the Black Eyed Pea for dinner and presented our Mother/Father's day gift. It was all very informal but we enjoyed ourselves.

The next morning, we went over to the bakery that made our wedding cake to pick up our 1 year anniversary cake top. They had a special deal where, instead of keeping the top of our cake and freezing it for a year, they would just make us a new one for free on our anniversary. There was no way we were going to be able to do that on our actual anniversary, but they were very gracious and made it for us a few weeks early. So we got to continue the celebrations with lots of tasty chocolate cake!!

Finally, we spent Monday afternoon with Ren Cowan, who is a good friend of both of ours and was in our wedding. All we did was sit around in my parent's basement and talk and laugh, but it was a lot of fun. We didn't have a whole lot of time, but I feel like we saw most everyone we wanted to, which was great! Then Monday night was a laid back affair...dinner with the family and much laughter over stand up comedians on TV. Over all, we felt like it was a great vacation and reminisced a lot during the 13 hour drive back down to Phoenix on Tuesday. Not only did we get to surprise our family and friends, but we were able to really celebrate our 1 year anniversary, and we got to see some of the most beautiful and breathtaking scenery in the whole country!

A tour of our new home!

Alright, I finally got around to taking pictures of the inside of our house. Hope you enjoy this little tour...

The walkway up to our front door

I love our little flowering plants!

The view from the front door

Living room - complete with 2 new reclining loveseats!

We think it's unfortunate that the media nook

makes our TV look so small...

The tacky light fixture we replaced in the dining room

The dining room

One half of the very large, square kitchen

That door leads out to the backyard

The grass is starting to turn green now that we've been watering...

but now we have to get a lawn mower. =^/

The laundry room. That door leads to the garage.

The guest bath. James picked the curtains. =^)

The master bath.

Our bedroom looks pretty empty right now but we just ordered

a new sleigh bed and dresser so it should fill out soon.

Looking into our office. The 3rd bedroom is the same size but it's only

being used as storage right now so I didn't take a picture of it.

Salutations from my desk! Hope you all can come out and visit at some point and see the house in person! Maybe by then the mint green paint in the living room will be gone and we will have fixed up the backyard for better entertaining!

Observations about Phoenix

I feel like we've gotten to know the West Valley of Phoenix pretty well since arriving and have made some interesting observations about our new home:

1. It's much greener here than I anticipated. We are in the desert and so there are a lot of cacti around, but there are also a ton of parks and golf courses with sweeping green lawns. Big palm trees line the major roadways here in Goodyear, and there are flowers everywhere!
2. Quail are just about the funniest birds I've ever seen.
3. The people here must really love pizza because there are pizza places everywhere. Seriously. There must be 3 pizza parlors to every Starbucks out here (and that's saying a lot). =^O
4. There are a lot of churches here in the West Valley. However, almost all of them are pretty small and operate out of rented spaces like office buildings or schools. We have been attending one of the largest churches in the whole city, which has only 1,000 members and holds their services in a high school auditorium.
5. Even though it is very hot here, the locals don't let it stop them from having fun in the sun. Instead, they just erect sunshades over park benches, swimming pools and playgrounds.
6. Normal, everyday life here requires some bizarre inventions - like air conditioned dog houses.
7. There must be a big market for adult entertainment here because there are a lot of strip clubs. Luckily there are not any in our neighborhood...but driving in on highway 60 was a very eye-opening experience and we try our best to avoid that stretch of road. It's pretty outrageous.
8. The city planners out here have issues. Too many of the roads don't connect when they should, or change names at illogical times. A lot of these little subdivisions are very nice, but trying to find a house in one of them often feels like you're navigating a maze. I actually got really car sick the first time we went out house hunting because we had to make so many small turns and back track over and over before finding the correct stretch of a certain road. Thankfully the house we chose is easy to find!

One of the biggest things we have noticed since moving here is how severely Phoenix has been affected by the economy. The area we live in is pretty new and was still in development when the economy tanked, so there are several half-finished lots that have been abandoned because their funding ran out. There are several brand new shopping centers that are completely empty because no one can afford to open up shop right now. There are also a lot of restaurants and businesses that have gone under and are now for sale. The housing market is obviously suffering (at least, on the selling side). The people who own our house had apparently tried for a long time to sell it and finally settled for renting it out until the market improves. (Luckily they found such great tenants to take care of their property till then! ;^)

The pastor at the church we have been going to said something interesting last week in regards to the poor economy. He believes that most people are freaking out right now because their god is dying. However, as Christians, we should be using this as an opportunity to loosen our grip on worldly things and to start refocusing on what is really important and where our true security comes from. A good reminder for us youngsters as we've been acquiring a whole bunch of new things in preparation for our time here. Hopefully we can find ways to give back with our many blessings. =^)