North of the Ordinary

dmb in 3d.... count me in

2009-12-09T08:24:00.000-08:00

i can't wait to see this movie:

serving those who are serving

2009-12-08T08:33:00.001-08:00

today i am sending my third care package to my brother who is serving in the army and stationed in iraq. my chemistry teacher back in high school told me that i should send him many packages. she said it's not so much what's in the packages, but the fact that he is getting something from people who care that counts. i'm extremely proud of my brother Travis.

so what's in that package? i have included LOTS of beef jerky, crystal light, rolling stone magazine, and other knick knacks. i was wondering if you wanted to send him something? if you're up for helping out just shoot me an email and i can tell you the details.

remember sparkle?

2009-12-04T08:24:00.001-08:00

my day.......

today i find myself in charge of a whole 3rd grade class. i get to sub for a teacher who is having some health problems. i love helping people out and giving them a day off.

we played sparkle before their spelling test! (those rules are a little different in that link)

we played medic for gym.

we had morning snack time.

they are at computer time now. back to preparing for our math lesson......

2009-12-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

i feel like blogging again. it's been way too long.

Religion Saves Book Review Part 1

2009-07-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions by Mark Driscoll

Who is Mark Driscoll?

Mark Driscoll is a founding pastor and the lead preaching pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, one of the fastest-growing churches in America. He is president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network and leads the Resurgence Missional Theology Cooperative.

:: introduction :: or simply “how did this book come about”

how on earth was this book formulated? well, mark driscoll was preaching through the book of 1 corinthians in a sermon series called, “christians gone wild.” note to self: a catchy sermon title like that probably will get people in the door. mark driscoll noticed that in the letter to the corinthian church, paul answered a lot of their questions. but how often does the church answer the questions of people? questions they really want answers to. sadly, this doesn’t happen very often.

mars hills church’s answer to this problem was genius. they opened up a page on their website for people to ask questions, comment on questions, and vote for the answers they would like to see in the sermon series. “And in the end, 893 questions were asked, 5,524 comments were made, and 343,203 votes were cast.”

another genius thing at mars hill church was an experiment with live questions from people in the late Sunday evening service. those people were able to anonymously text message questions. having no time to prep, mark driscoll would answer those on the spot.

i like this introduction because it addresses the most important thing about religion. it doesn’t save you and it hasn’t saved anyone. the Gospel is radically different than religion.

question 9 :: birth control

this was probably the most awkward chapter of the book for me. however, i can see that someday it may be extremely helpful to me in the future when I might have the chance as a pastor to help a married couple with their questions about birth control. Driscoll breaks down birth control to different levels and why different Christians choose those different levels. whether it may be because they are being legalistic about it or they use their Christian liberty to choose an appropriate method for the couples situation. he gives sound biblical advice for forms of birth control to never use.

my least favorite part about this chapter would be the amount of detail he goes into when he gives the history of birth control. i’m not sure it was necessary but oh well. another unnecessary thing was the story of Andrea Yates. i absolutely cringe at how sick this woman is.

question 8 :: humor

I was driving down the interstate the other day and I saw a bumper sticker that said, “Come the rapture, Can I have your car?” Whether you’re a Christian or not, that’s funny. For some reason, I feel Christians should have funny bumper stickers too. However, I don’t feel like anyone is going to come to know Jesus Christ with a bumper sticker or a Jesus Fish on the back of a car though. We won’t end the debate between the Darwin Fish if we have more of our Jesus fish on our car. Okay but back to the topic..... humor.

There is no doubt that Mark Driscoll is funny. Here is how he describes his humor: “I’m on a mission to both put people in heaven and put the ‘fun’ back in ‘fundamentalism.’ I believe Christianity should be more fun than a trip to the dentist and that evangelicalism needs a better patron saint than Ned Flanders of The Simpsons fame.”

He boils down the question to is it biblical to be funny? Are there funny stories in the Bible?

The answer is yes to both questions but knowing that all Scripture is inspired by God and remembering to place the correct hermeneutical principles to what you are reading. God created humans with the ability to laugh and even said there is a time to laugh. so laugh it up.

question 7 :: predestination

as a college sophomore i could not understand if i chose God or God chose me. after a couple of years of wrestling with the topic with the Bible, Christian authors, and Christian friends, I have become a Calvinist. i think when we get to heaven someday we will laugh at why we made such a big deal out of this. However, as Christians, we need to know what God’s word has to say about it and be loving to those who do not share the same views about predestination.

when it comes to arminianism and calvinism, i feel like Driscoll has done an excellent job of explaining both views in a relevant way. then answering the common questions against calvinism such as “why should we evangelize if people are predestined?” or “does predestination make God unloving?”

question 6 :: grace

out of all the things in Christianity, mark driscoll struggles the most with grace. he describes it as too good to be true. the chapter starts out with his testimony. the fact that grace is the very thing that saved driscoll and everyone else who believes in Jesus. this is how driscoll defines grace, “grace is God the Father in love doing good for ill-deserving sinners through God the Son by God the Spirit.”

grace comes in different forms. even non-christians experience God’s grace through “common grace.” However, only God’s children are able to experience “saving grace.” the book then goes on to give 13 different experiences of grace.

this may be my least favorite chapter and it may be because

question 5 :: sexual sin

the specific question asked is “how should Christian men and women go about breaking free from the bondage of sexual sin?”

this chapter was shocking to me. especially the statistics. in this chapter, driscoll addresses the sexual sins of today including pornography, premarital sex, and prostitution. so how do Christians break free from the bondage of sexual sin? Driscoll gives 11 biblical ways to break free. This is another great chapter useful for everyone but especially pastors who counsel people about sexual sin.

Stay tuned later for a review of the rest of the book! Oh, and maybe you should buy it!

Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Religion-Saves-Nine-Other-Misconceptions/dp/1433506165/ref=sprightly-20

question 8

2009-07-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

:: humor ::

Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions by Mark Driscoll

I was driving down the interstate the other day and I saw a bumper sticker that said, “Come the rapture, Can I have your car?” Whether you’re a Christian or not, that’s funny. For some reason, I feel Christians should have funny bumper stickers too. However, I don’t feel like anyone is going to come to know Jesus Christ with a bumper sticker or a Jesus Fish on the back of a car though. We won’t end the debate between the Darwin Fish if we have more of our Jesus fish on our car. Okay but back to the topic..... humor.

There is no doubt that Mark Driscoll is funny. Here is how he describes his humor: “I’m on a mission to both put people in heaven and put the ‘fun’ back in ‘fundamentalism.’ I believe Christianity should be more fun than a trip to the dentist and that evangelicalism needs a better patron saint than Ned Flanders of The Simpsons fame.”

He boils down the question to is it biblical to be funny? Are there funny stories in the Bible?

The answer is yes to both questions but knowing that all Scripture is inspired by God and remembering to place the correct hermeneutical principles to what you are reading. God created humans with the ability to laugh and even said there is a time to laugh. There are even stories in the bible dealing with bathroom humor. So instead of giving you too much information about his book, I recommend this book and encourage you to find humor in the Bible when it’s appropriate.

a summer to remember

2009-07-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

gosh, i miss these guys. i will never forget summers at camp shetek and will hopefully be back next year with campers of my own.

question 9

2009-07-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

question 9 :: birth control

so i'm not married and i am blogging about birth control. great! sure it's a little weird but it's the first chapter of the book. a fairly long one too. but i feel it's my duty as a selected blogger to review the book.

what’s the misconception about birth control? what does God’s word have to say about it? uhhh... well for one, there is no point in the Bible where we find the words, contraception, birth control, or family planning. which means as sinful humans we’re confused and need to really search the the answers in the bible.

the book then gives a very brief but maybe to detailed history of birth control and then driscoll explains the five different levels to how to view birth control. i will briefly explain the five levels..... you’ll have to get the book to read it

level 1: no birth control

you ever see those families on a Sunday morning that need a 15 passenger van to get everyone to church? yeah.. they may or may not believe that they don’t need to use birth control and God will provide them with however many children He wants them to have. there is nothing wrong with this approach if a couple decides this. however, some Christians have gone over the top by saying that all forms or birth control are from the devil.

level 2 : natural birth control

it’s exactly what it sounds like. i could explain but i’d rather not. this is the Roman Catholic approach to birth control. Christians have the freedom to choose this method if they desire.

level 3 : non-abortive birth control

this is another bible approved form of birth control. these include the barrier methods as well as the permanent methods. if you’re unsure of what i’m talking about, you’re either not old enough or you didn’t take health class back in high school... wikipedia would be a good idea for you until you can buy the book.

level 4 : potentially abortive birth control

everyone knows what “the pill” is. it’s the most widely prescribed drug in the world..... whoa. it tricks the woman’s brain into believing she’s pregnant. i had no idea that there was such a debate about the pill. Christians are divided on whether it’s potentially abortive. this is all new information for me and maybe for you too. as Christians, we need to read up on this stuff and make sure we are honoring Jesus.

level 5 : abortive murder

what is abortive murder? abortion is taking a human life by killing a fertilized egg. we all start out the same, whether we’re in the womb or outside, we are human. sadly, some people (even Christians!) use abortion for birth control because of an unwanted pregnancy. they can’t bear the shame and guilt of it. but what about someone who is raped? hear what Pastor Mark has to say here.

“thankfully, Jesus can forgive any sin, even the sin of murder, as he did while hanging on the cross and asking God the Father to forgive those who murdered him.

again, i come back to the real point of this book. it’s not about religion. a set of rules or guidelines. it’s not about mark driscoll and his book. it all boils down to Jesus. whether you want to live a life pleasing to him.

i'm on tour

2009-07-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

.......a blog tour? it seems that i jumped the gun with my review of Religion Saves. it seems that my stop on the tour will be on July 20th. On that day, I will post my overall review.

To see the entire blog tour..... check out this link: Blog Tour

7/13

Andrew at Drew Ackermann

http://drewackermann.wordpress.com

Christa at Christa Allan

http://cballan.wordpress.com

Tammy at Grateful in GA

http://GratefulinGa.blogspot.com

Joe at Joe Snake

http://joesnake.neoblogs.org/

7/14

Sally at An Observation of Mercy

http://paraklesis.com/an_observation/

Linda at God, Grace and Giggles

http://www.lindamaebaldwin.com/blog/default.aspx

Clayton at Clayton Bell Online

http://www.claytonbellonline.com

Nicole at Gidget Goes Homes

http://gidgetgoeshome.com

7/15

Chris at Intersected

http://intersected.org

MaryBeth at Four Silly Sisters

http://www.foursillysistersreview.blogspot.com

Stephanie at The Blakes on a Mission

http://www.theblakesthailand.blogspot.com/

Nathan at Bliss the Family

http://blissthefamily.wordpress.com

7/16

Jennifer at Quiver Full Family

http://quiverfullfamily.com

Deborah at Comfort Joy

http://comfortjoydesigns.blogspot.com

Suzanne at Suzannesaphone

http://suzannesaphone.wordpress.com

Rachel at Grasping for Objectivity

www.graspingforobjectivity.com

7/17

Priscilla at My Little Corner of the Web

http://mylittlecorneroftheweb.blogspot.com

Janet at GA Home 2 Mom

http://gahome2mom.blogspot.com

Denise at Thus Far the Lord has Helped Me

www.nisefunpages.blogspot.com

Amy at Amy’s Random Thoughts

www.amychristopher.blogspot.com

7/18

Kristina at Loving Heart Mommy

http://www.lovingheartmommy.com

Brad at Never Separated, Yet Always Searching

http://bradcopeland.wordpress.com/

Amy at The 160 Acre Woods

http://the160acrewoods.com

Mindy at Ponderings of the Heart

http://philippians4verse8.blogspot.com:80/

7/20

Pam at Without Fear

http://withoutfear08.blogspot.com/

Margaret at The Cappuccino Life

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cappuccinosmom/profile/

Michelle at Chelled

http://www.chelled.blogspot.com

Bryant at North of the Ordinary

http://northoftheordinary.blogspot.com/

7/21

Scoti at Springs Writers

http://www.springswriters.blogspot.com

Jennifer at Jennifer’s Snapshot

http://www.jennifersnapshot.blogspot.com

Camille at There is a Season

www.thereisaseason.blogspot.com

Danica at The Journey of Writer Danica Favorite

http://www.danicafavorite.blogspot.com

7/22

Kayla at Kayla Finley

http://kaylafinley.com

AnnMarie at More Than Just A Mom

http://afriedrick.blogspot.com

Kelly at Love Well

http://www.lovewell.blogspot.com

Tricia at It's Real Life

http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com

7/23

Cassie at Cassie Graves

http://cassiegraves.wordpress.com

Jarrod at Jarrod Haggard

www.jarrodhaggard.blogspot.com

Mary at Daily into Devotion

http://RefreshMoments.com--Turning

Sarah at Reborn Butterfly

http://www.rebornbutterfly.wordpress.com

7/24

Melodee at Actual Unretouched Photo

http://www.unretouchedphoto.com

Heather at All Things Hendrick

http://www.allthingshendrick.blogspot.com

Jennifer at Rundpinne

http://www.rundpinne.blogspot.com

Laura at Lighthouse Academy

http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/

7/25

Marta at Marta's Meanderings

http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com

Ryan at The Redemption Blog

http://www.theredemptionblog.com

Michelle at Edgy Inspirational Author

http://www.michellesutton.net

Kaylea at My Scrappy Life

http://kaytebug2002.blogspot.com

7/27

Melissa at Breath of Life

http://breathoflifeministries.blogspot.com/

Heather at Life As We Know It

http://thelittlesprouts.blogspot.com/

Lori at Laurel's Reflections

http://laurelwreathsreflections.com

Scott at A Day First

http://www.adadfirst.com

7/28

Mark at Here I Blog

http://hereiblog.com

Amy at Sprightly-AmyAnne

http://sprightly-amyanne.blogspot.com

Mandy at Becoming

http://www.mandarin21.blogspot.com

Christy at Christy's Book Blog

http://christysbookblog.blogspot.com/

7/29

Erin at Connected to Christ

http://connected2christ.com/theblog/

John at Resolved

http://resolvedsgc.blogspot.com/

Shanna at The Beauty of Surrender

www.thebeautyofsurrender.blogspot.com

Kate at The Accidental Traveler

http://katemcdonald.wordpress.com

7/30

Christy at Critty Joy

http://cirttyjoy.wordpress.com

Danielle at Miss.Mouthy

http://missmouthy.com/

Kate at A Simple Walk

http://asimplewalk.blogspot.com/

Tammy at Ramblings by Tammy

http://ramblingsbytammy.blogspot.com

7/31

Kimberly at Team Nelson

http://www.teamnelson.wordpress.com

Mimi at Mimi’s Pixie Corner

http://tagsandotherformsofmischief.blogspot.com/

Vera at Luxury Reading

http://luxuryreading.com

Deena at A Peek at My Bookshelf

http://deenasbooks.blogspot.com

8/1

Sarah at Real Life

http://www.reallifeblog.net

Karla at Looking Towards Heaven

http://karlascrazylife.blogspot.com

Leo at Videoadoracao

http://www.videoadoracao.blogspot.com

Zack at The Rieslands

http://www.therieslands.com

8/3

Tara at Tara's View on Books

http://tarasviewonbooks.blogspot.com/

Amy at Reading Too Late

http://readingtoolate.net

Suzanne at There's No Place Like Home

http://clickingherheels.blogspot.com

Pamela at Aunt Pam's Closet

http://www.auntpamscloset.com

8/4

Jonathan at Jonathon Shrader

http://www.jonathanshradar.com/

Pat at Why Didn't You Warn Me

http://www.whydidntyouwarnme.com

Rachelle at Land of My Sojourn

http://www.landofmysojourn.net/blog

Christi at Christi's BlaBlahBlog

http://christis-blahblahblog.blogspot.com

8/5

Christa at Christa Sterken

www.christasterken.wordpress.com

Jennifer at A Spacious Place

http://jennifertiszai.blogspot.com/

Brooke at Brooke Turner Photography

http://www.brooketurnerphotography.com/blog

Jared at Gospel Driven Church

http://www.gospeldrivenchurch.com

Dave at Ordinary Commentary

http://www.ordinarycommentary.com

hiatus

2009-06-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

i like the word hiatus. go ahead and say it..... it's kind of fun. there will be a hiatus to the blog series of "religion saves and nine other misconceptions." the reason being, i will be headed to the Lake of the Ozarks with a group of my students for a conference. it's called the Warrior Leadership Summit. i am very excited about it. tomorrow at 6:30 pm i will board a charter bus and go through the night to hopefully wake up in time for registration. i've already been told by a few of my students that they aren't going to allow me to sleep. oh well. hopefully i can dive into the book and crank out a few blog entries. i am unsure if i will have internet. we'll see. until then, make sure you follow me on twitter. i will keep you posted there with photos and short comments about the trip.

in other news, it's a very sad day for music. michael jackson has died at age 50. there's no denying that he could dance and sing. and there's no denying that you can't even come close to his dance moves no matter how hard you try. my friends call me b-ditt and the song "beat it" kind of became my theme song at camp.

goodbye michael jackson

an introduction....

2009-06-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

it’s a three page introduction to the book but it’s worth it’s own blog. how on earth was this book formulated? well, mark driscoll was preaching through the book of 1 corinthians in a sermon series called, “christians gone wild.” note to self: a catchy sermon title like that probably will get people in the door. mark driscoll noticed that in the letter to the corinthian church, paul answered a lot of their questions. but how often does the church answer the questions of people? questions they really want answers to. sadly, this doesn’t happen very often.

A sample can be viewed here.

and here.

and so the blog series has begun.

9 “religious” questions and the answers. but before you read the upcoming blogs and are under 18 (i have no idea who reads this blog), get your parents’ permission. three of the chapters are about sex.... yes I said that word.

lastly, i leave you with a quote that i’m curious if you agree or disagree.

“Religious people are prone to go beyond the teaching of the Bible to argue for positions that are not clearly taught in Scripture. They are further prone to go beyond the biblical principles on these issues and seek to impose their method on others, as if they are alone are truly biblical. Religious people tend to have very strong and vocal opinions about the issues we will examine.”

for further reading about the difference between the gospel and religion... click here

it's here!

2009-06-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received Religion Saves and Nine other Misconceptions. This means I have homework and some serious blogging to do. Here is an excerpt from the letter I received from Crossway Books and Mike Anderson.

Dear Bryant,

You are one of the 80 chosen out of hundreds of bloggers who signed up to review Religion Saves. We chose you because we felt your blog is authentic, sincere, and you're likely to write a thoughtful response to Religion Saves.

----------------------------

I was shocked and delighted that I was chosen. I didn't think my blog would be chosen because of my lack of consistent blogging. Also, my blog doesn't have a consistent theme. However, they just must know my potential.

So here it comes. I have 10 blogs coming. The introduction and the nine misconceptions. So lastly, I'll leave you with a great quote.

"Religious people mistakenly think that they are saving people from such things as a fruitless life, sinful sex, bad relationships, unholy humor, wayward churches, evil birth control, and what they call 'strange fire.' However, religion never saved anyone, and religious answers to complex questions are simply misconceptions."

-Mark Driscoll

vbs

2009-06-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

this week is vacation bible school. it's a time where we pack the church full of kids from 3 years old to sixth grade and teach them all about Jesus. i am in charge of games. i start my day on the road of 7 am to pick up all of my great students who volunteered to work. it's honestly been great to get up that early. i love it.

i would love to hear your stories from vbs!

Religion Saves......not!

2009-06-09T10:40:00.001-07:00

I am sorry. I need to blog more. I have so many things I want to share. But this morning, I got another reason to blog. I was chosen to review the book, "Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions" by Mark Driscoll. Which means I get a free copy of it! Also, I get it before everyone else! I'm super pumped about this.

In the book, Driscoll writes about the fact that religion cannot save anyone. Doing good things, going to a Christian church, or being "spiritual" does not make you a Christian at all. I'm not even a fan of using the word, "saved" due to the movie and the negative reactions to the word. Then, Driscoll addresses the nine issues: birth control, humor, predestination, grace, sexual sin, faith and works, dating, the emerging church, and the regulative principle.

My goal for this week is to blog every weekday. If I don't blog, make sure you give me hard time.

and the winner is......

2009-05-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

.....me! i won a dish towel from housewifery. i can't wait to see if i get the dandelion or poppy towel. while, it is funny that i won something from housewifery, it's actually a lot of fun. this is the first thing that i have won online. it seems to be a new trend to get people to comment on blogs. because let's face it, comments rock. now, i'm thinking about giving away something. stay tuned and be ready to comment!

splat!

2009-05-09T18:47:00.001-07:00

for the first time in my life, i went paintballin'. can you even use that in verb form? well, i heard it as a verb today when i went with 26 students to wisconsin to superior paintball. i had a blast.

for my first day ever, i was able to hit two people right in the mask. there was something very satisfying about seeing green paint go all over their mask as they peeked their heads up from those bunkers. sure, i got other people in their torso but a headshot is ideal.

i found out there is a youth subculture of people who paintball. there were some kids who seemed to be there about every weekend and were really good (they got me a few times).

there was a game in which our team was assigned to storm what they called a castle. the other team was to stay and guard us off for 12 minutes. if we got to the castle and took it over, we won. if we didn't, they won.

i got to a bunker with four other junior high boys. i told them if we didn't storm the castle all at once, we had no chance of winning. as i told them this, i could see the fear in their eyes. they were probably in this bunker the whole time and didn't want to leave. i told them, i'm going to count to three and we're all going to go. there are going to be casualties but we must go. i counted to three, took off running only to find one other person with me.

i have no idea what it would be like to actually be in a war but paintball seemed to be the closest thing. especially as i saw the fear in the eyes in those junior high boys. i know i would never want to be in a war but am very thankful for the united states military who sacrifice so much for our freedom.

twin cities :: chicago :: detroit

2009-05-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

i just had a great weekend. it's amazing to jump on a plane, go up in the air and come down and in minutes, you're where you want to be. that's how it seemed when i took my flight detroit and back with a short connection in chicago. thank you northwest airlines (now part of delta) for being on time on all my flights.

i only fly about once in two years so i enjoy it but i know if i had to do it all the time i would hate it. especially if it was my job. but for the little i do it, i love it.

it was also the first time flying alone and not with a group of people or my family. i sat next to boring people who slept and didn't ask me ten million questions (i enjoy talking to strangers and people watching). and one flight there was a vacant seat next to me which was nice.

my reason for travel: my cousin's wedding. the wedding was great. the reception was fancy. i had the assigned job of praying for the reception dinner. i kept it short and simple; the way the couple wanted it.

i'd have to say the highlight of my weekend was spending time with all of my friends at northwestern college. i miss them so much and we were able to catch up. my friends are engaged, half-price appetizers never tasted so good and hugs were exchanged.

now it's back to work which is hard to do after a weekend of play.

daylight is coming.....

2009-04-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

i just got back from district blitz in duluth this weekend and a group called remedy drive led worship and played their music. i have to admit i didn't like them at first but they grew on me. they kind of sound like coldplay or keane. the lead singer really enjoyed jumping off of the piano live as well. hope you enjoy!

runnin' down a dream

2009-04-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

i've been running. the snow is off the ground... well mostly. for the past four days i have gone on a run. it's been great. each day i am running further (or farther? i never know) and longer. to track my progress i have been using a new iPhone app that i found called RunKeeper. It used the iPhones GPS to calculate how fast you are running as well as how far you ran. it can do all that while still playing your tunes. And the great thing is it's free. Well, the version that has ads. you can pay 9.99 for an ad free app with some more features. for the most part it is pretty accurate. my signal is not the best where i live so it was a little off during my walk today.

another free resource i have been using is called gyminee. you can track your nutrition, weight and your workouts. the program tells you how many calories you should eat and keeps track of it. set a goal and go. it's that's easy. again, this is free! of course, you can buy the pro with more features but it's unnecessary for me. if you have friends, they can send you motivational messages.

maundy thursday

2009-04-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

isaiah 53 from the message

Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?
The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.
He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.
Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.
Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

despite.....

2009-04-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

despite the bad wrap snail mail gets, I am fascinated by it. living a life full of instant emails and text messages, there is something about getting something that's physical and not electronic. something that is so good that you have to wait for it. maybe that's why i enjoy tracking my shipments online. especially when it's something i'm eagerly awaiting.

down by the bayou!

2009-04-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

this is a short little song by dmb. i just wanted to give you a little taste of my favorite band. i will have the honor to see them again this summer. they will even be with robert randolph. around 5:30 it gets really good, but i beg you, please watch the whole thing. it's great.

recently,

2009-04-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

i have thoroughly enjoyed splashing up water from my tires while driving. especially if it goes onto my windshield.

yesterday i realized,

2009-04-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

I can sometimes tell by the tone of Alex Trebeck's voice that it's a daily double before he announces it.

look!

2009-03-27T11:55:00.001-07:00

.... no wires!

I promised this picture so here it is. Welcome to our office.

michael scott's gift to us

2009-03-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

i am a huge fan of the office. today at church we got in a big shipment of paper. i mean, dwight totally sold us on buying in bulk with some extra cardstock. then, a little surprise was in the box. wireless headphones! for some reason, it occured to me that this was totally a michael scott idea to send the customers this. i can imagine him parading around the office wearing a pair of his own. and the motto on the box is great, "personal and portable listening pleasure." thank you dunder mifflin for great customer support and free gifts.

pictures will be posted later.

P.S.

2009-03-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

apple, forgot to tell you that i called you three different times. i didn't wait for more than five minutes and i was able to talk to someone in the united states that could speak english. thank you.

today is day one of not doing my work on a computer. this is brutal. why is it that we do EVERYTHING on a computer. i am currently using my iPhone for all computer needs.

thank you

2009-03-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

this is an open letter to apple:

dearest apple,

thank you so much for what you have done for me in the past. i bought my macbook two years ago and i have been very pleased. when i purchased this fine machine, i also bought the applecare to go with it. ensuring that if anything goes wrong, you would be there for me. and you have. a year ago when my motherboard was freaking out on me and was making black dots appeared on my screen, you replaced the whole motherboard for free. second, when my plastic on my keyboard started to crack in one spot, you replaced my whole keyboard top to my lappy at no charge again. today, i am looking to you for a new sound card. i currently have no sound coming out of my computer and it doesn't even recognize that i have a sound card (due to the voltage in the church's sound system). i know you'll pull through for me. i am about to leave to visit the great city of duluth to drop off my computer at an apple authorized store.

Bryant

2009-03-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

selah.......

neglect

2009-03-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

sorry to all my fans, but i have neglected north of the ordinary for awhile. my theory is that if i don't have anything interesting to blog about, i simply won't blog.

i have decided recently that i will say NoTo for short. why? because it looks cool.

i finally did it. after over a month of a poor tv signal when most of the time i had no tv..... i got direct tv. i always vowed never to be that person to need tv and know a few people who can live without it but seriously, when i am bored at my house alone, a nice episode of wheel of fortune during supper is nice. or a twins baseball game on a sunday afternoon. oh, and i am SO behind on the office, it's pathetic.

yesterday i had my direct tv installed by a guy named steve. this guy was interesting. for some reason, twice, he asked me if he could use my cell phone because his was in his truck. i couldn't refuse and let him use it as he waited on hold for about ten minutes. so my question for you is, "should have i refused his request to use my cell phone? or is it no big deal?"

yes!

2009-03-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

so i figured out to add my twitter updates as a widget on my page. you can follow me now. in other news, spring is coming. but secretly i like summer and fall better.

unexpected packages are the best!

2009-03-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

after getting three different student loan statements in the mail on thursday, the mailbox has been the deliverer of bills. until now. on friday, i checked the mailbox and nothing was in there. however, when i walked up to my house on the porch a nice brown box was waiting for me next to the door. this may be one of the best feelings in the world. getting unexpected packages. i took it inside and immediately took out my knife and cut through the clear packaging tape. i found a nice big bag of camp shetek granola in there along a note and a picture that is now on my refrigerator. this was a gift from Grant and Summer. one thing that people don't know about me is that i don't like cereal nor cereal with milk in it. makes me want to gag really. but not camp shetek granola. this stuff is great and i eat it without milk. anybody that has had it knows exactly what i am talking about. so this is my public thank you to grant and summer for being great friends. and thanks for the great granola!

for those about to rock....

2009-03-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

found this via summer and she found it via olivet and i had to post it....

all the elements of a true rock concert are found in this video.

lonely?

2009-03-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

get the iPod shuffle! why? because it talks to you! today, apple announced the new iPod shuffle. this tiny thing kind of looks like a lighter. it comes in two colors, silver and black and a capacity of 4GB. i have never been a fan of the shuffle but some people are. there is no screen to select a song or playlist so they made it "talk" to you. computer voices always crack me up.

to purchase this non-working lighter that talks to you and plays lady gaga click here

it's coming.....

2009-03-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

This guy makes it sound intense

i really don't want to blog about the weather because it could be boring after awhile but this is supposed to be big. here, we are supposed to get snowfall from 8 to 14 inches and then brutally cold temps and winds after that with wind chills from -15 to -25 degrees F. i have my own philosophy about these storms. when they are predicted to be really big, they usually aren't that bad. when they are going to be a mediocre storm, they sometimes misjudge them and they are the HUGE storms.

i will keep you updated to see how much snow we really get. any predictions? maybe i should give something away. post any ideas you have.

church music

2009-03-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

david crowder* band is in the studio again. which only means one thing, the webcams are up. to some, this is weird. when they were recording the album, "remedy" they had their webcams up for everyone to see. i would quick pull up their page occasionally to see if i would see ted nugent laying down some killer guitar or david crowder on the couch with his bright orange macbook. my roommate would tell me to stop spying on them. well, they brought it upon themselves. and as i write this, i see david crowder setting up a mic stand.

i am very excited about this new album. it seems like they may have already titled the album, "church music." they even have some vintage pictures of churches on this webcam page. as for now, let's just watch and wait.

spy on the band here

first.blog.ever

2009-03-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

this is my first blog ever. sure, i've written a few notes on facebook but i got into the blogging world recently. my friends blog and then ask when i am going to blog. for the longest time, i have viewed my twitter as my blog. but with only 140 characters, you can only say so much. oh and speaking of twitter, if anyone knows how to link my twitter to one of those "gadgets," your help would be appreciated.

back to MY blog. it took me over a month to come up with my title. a lot of thought was put into it but i chose, "north of the ordinary." why? it's a play on words of "out of the ordinary." you see, i view my life as anything but ordinary in the northland. here i've seen temps at -35 F and i hear of how beautiful the summers are at the lake. this is not ordinary to me being from southern iowa.

oh, and that thing at the bottom. apparently i could win vip tickets if i put that on here. i know it makes this page slow to load but vip tickets to dave matthews band would be worth it. i'll take it down after finding out that i didn't win their contest.