Resturant Review: Zombie Burger and Drink Lab

Zombie Burger and Drink Lab

Des Moines Iowa

I made my first stop at this we’ll just call it a very unique place which has a very interesting story. The guy that developed and owns the place owns many various restaurants in the Des Moines area one of which is considered to be the best restaurant in the city but he chooses to flip burgers at this his latest venture. I will say the decor is all Zombie in fact due to the proximity of Halloween the wait staff was in costume as well. If a person can get past the dead stuff it is a place you must try once. The uniqueness of the menu alone is worth the trip. I had a hamburger seen here that touts a burger patty, ham, French fries, coleslaw, and a fried egg. Not the best hamburger I’ve ever had, however it was good and by far the most unique.

Here is another one the bun was actually fried mac, and cheese along with a patty and some bacon.

They also serve hot dogs here is a deep fried, bacon wrapped hotdog with blue cheese, guacamole, and tomato.

Here we have a hamburger with Buffalo sauce and onion rings.

This is one of those destination places, you have to try once.

They have a very interesting shake menu as well. First time I have ever seen where you can order a non-alcoholic milkshake.

Price range: (everyday, a night out, a special occasion only) special occasion only

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere: 3

Service: 3.5

Food: 3

Value: 3

Overall 3

Who taught God?

Who taught God?

The answer is of course no one but how many people can clearly wrap

 their arms around the fact the God knows everything. Our human brains cannot

 really process the fact that there is something out there that never

needs advice.  After all how many of us try and give

God advice all of the time. If you really stop and think about it

God creates things out of nothing.  It’s not like he takes a list of ingredients

and mixes them together and comes up with a new creation, no our God is one who makes something out of nothing and to think we try and give Him advice.

 

Isaiah 40

¹⁴ Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right
or show him the path of justice?

What floats your boat

What's missing from this picture? It does not take a genius to figure out it's water. A ship depends on water to accomplish what it was made to do and that is float. A ship out of water is pointless. On the other hand a human needs the Lord to accomplish what it was made to do and a person without the Lord is like a ship out of water, pointless. Yet we as humans try and put our trust in all of the wrong things, the things that won't float our boat. Without the Lord you aren't going anywhere, at least anywhere you would want to go.


Isaiah 31
¹ What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help,
trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers
and depending on the strength of human armies
instead of looking to the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.

Resturant Review: Goldie's Ice Cream Shop Praire City Iowa

I had once heard of Goldie's in Prairie City and now that it made number 4 on the top 100 hundred places to eat in central Iowa I had to try it. They boast the best tenderloin in the state, this I had to see. Because in my opinion the best tenderloin in Iowa is at the Short Stop in New London. The food arrived & most everyone ordered the tenderloin with various sides and if you know our family we tend to share a lot of food. On the table we had cheese curd nuggets, onion rings and Goldie fries, they are beer battered steak fries. All three were excellent. the onion rings were the stringy kind, the best part was the lack of grease.  In case you were wondering it was a really good tenderloin, however not as good as The Short Stops I would have to say Goldies is second best.
                                   
                                         The Goldie fries and the onion rings

The inside of Goldies

Resturant Review: Bang Bang Mongolian Grill

For at least a couple of years now my oldest daughter has been after me to go Hu Hot and my answer was always the same I don't eat the E's, Chines, Japanese, Vietnamese. Teresa and I neither one like that type of food. Last night we were in Des Moines and Rachel was not with us so we thought we would try a place that she would no go. So Stacy made her pitch again to go to HuHot. It was not well received and Jared said that it would be very busy. I thought here is my way out and Jethro's here we come.
Stacy continued to explain the Mongolian grill concept and said if you wanted, you could just get a bowl of steak and have them cook it. However it was when she said that you could also throw some pineapple in is when the wheels started turning. I was in. We arrived at Bang Bang and told the waitress that we had never been to a place like this and she was gracious enough to take us on a tour.

My first trip I was very conservative got some steak, broccoli, pineapple and carrots. They cooked it up for me and it was not bad but bland. I was afraid to put any sauces or seasoning on it. The next trip  I went for salmon, tilapi, broccoli, pineapple, lemon juice, lime juice, sesame seed oil, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. I will have to admit it was very good.

Th place does not make any of my top lists but it was a good experience and I would eat there again.

As we were leaving Stacy said I was still E free because it was Mongolian.

Here is the concept




The West Des Moines location

Shhhhh I'm hiding

I am going to work my way back into the blog scene slowly as time allows. Taking the time off was not as beneficial as thought. Picking up where I left off in Isaiah.

Mankind is inherently evil, you may not believe it but it’s true. If you’re honest with yourself you don’t have to look very far to see it. Just watch the new or read the paper. And if you are really honest with yourself all you have to do is look in the mirror. Yes you may not be as bad as the people you saw on tv or read about in the paper but compared to God’s standard you are evil. The problem comes when a person thinks they can hide their evil ways from the LORD. Good luck with that, please don’t be like the Panda in today’s picture and convince yourself you are hidden behind a tree (the good things that you do.) The good things that you do will not hide the sin in your life. God sees the sin in your life before you even commit it. So don’t hide from it confess it and repent of it because face it God already knows.

Isaiah 29:15

What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their evil deeds in the dark!
“The Lord can’t see us,” they say.
“He doesn’t know what’s going on!”

Christans attacked by Christians

Just a quick blog fix today. For the past month and a half persecution has been fore front on my mind. I have experienced it, seen it happen to people I know and to people on the national stage. The funny thing is that most of it has been dished out by self professing Christians, funny what the truth will reveal. Those who are effective will be attacked for being effective.

Time out

I believe it is time to take a small break from a daily blog. There may be a blog from time to time whenever it feels right. Right now I will be concentrating on a sermon that needs to be completed by the 1st of November. I would guess that in three weeks I would return to a regular daily blog. Thanks to all of you you encourage me ever once and a while it is appreciated.

Where do you stop after church?

Isaiah 29:13

¹³ And so the Lord says,
“These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

  When you look at today’s picture you may laugh and say well I would never go to the adult book store, I’m a good person. That may be a very true statement, but when you read Isaiah 29:13 ask yourself where is your heart? Is your worship of Jesus real, or just something that you have been taught or memorized?  You can say whatever you want to say, but it is your heart and your actions that speak to God. Again you may never make a quick stop at an adult book store on the way home from church but how long does it take you before you commit your first sin? Can you even get out of the parking lot?  Where do you stop after church?  Was it the envy store, gossip corner, The bitterness boutique, Pride Mart, or lusts r us? God has a list of your purchases, even the ones you paid cash for.

Stupidity should be painful

God tells us over and over again what we need. The problem is we just don’t listen very well. He has provided a quite place of rest in this busy, busy world. The most common response to asking someone how they are has always been fine. But I have noticed over the last few years another response has been climbing the charts quickly and that is busy. One of the evil ones favorite weapons is busyness, busyness can do so much damage to a believer it’s not funny.  When we get busy Christ is usually one of the first things we drop to make time for all of the stuff we think we have to get done. Putting anything else in front of Jesus in not just a bad idea it’s stupid. And Stupidity should be painful.

 Isaiah 28

¹² God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen.

I would like to thank........

I cannot make very long into a Hollywood awards show without being so turned off that I turn it off. They win their award and start off by saying I would like to thank and then their list goes on and on. They sometimes even miraculously make a list appear of all the people they would like to thank. The problem is the biggest percentage of them (I would like to say all but I won’t) always leave the one person off the list that was responsible for their last breath let alone their performance and that is Jesus. It’s not just the Hollywood elite however it’s all of us who don’t thank Him enough. Make sure you thank Jesus today.

 Isaiah 26

12 Lord, you will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from you.

Stay on the path

God is the only one who can truly clear a path for you and he uses Jesus to clear that path. The only problem is at times we tend to want to stray from the path that has been made clear for us. If you stay on the path (with Jesus) you will never get lost. But if you stray from the path just remember it’s a jungle out there.

 Isaiah 26:7

⁷ But for those who are righteous,
the way is not steep and rough.
You are a God who does what is right,
and you smooth out the path ahead of them.

Reservations Please!

Anyone who knows me knows I am all about food, especially good food. After all my vacation this last summer was planned around but what else, food. Since I have gotten older my thoughts of food have switched from quantity to quality. I have had some great food over the last couple of years and hope to have more in the future. However it will all seem like limburger cheese (which is the worst thing I have ever eaten in my life) when compared to the banquet that awaits in Heaven. And this comes from a farm boy who should have kept his mouth shut when hog manure was flying through the air.  Looks at what Isaiah 25: 6-8 promises.

 ⁶ In Jerusalem,^[a] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will spread a wonderful feast
for all the people of the world.
It will be a delicious banquet
with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.
⁷ There he will remove the cloud of gloom,
the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.
⁸ He will swallow up death forever!^[b]
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.
He will remove forever all insults and mockery
against his land and people.
The Lord has spoken!

 A delicious banquet, no cloud of doom, no death, no tears, no insults and mockery of his people.

Say reservations please! and ask Christ into your life.

Still standing!

Living in Iowa tornados have always been a constant threat. I remember the different places we were always instructed to go in case there was a tornado outside storm cellars, old stone foundation basements, lining up in the hallways of the school. I was never sure what good that would do. There were always tornado drills in schools and the places I have worked. It was always about being ready, knowing what to do and most importantly where to seek shelter in the event of a tornado. Life storms should be no different; we should always be ready and know where to seek shelter. To prepare for life’s storms we need to work on our relationship with Jesus and know He is our shelter and refuge in the event of a storm. One time my office was actually inside a tornado shelter so in the event of a drill or the real thing I was already there and could just continue on with what I was doing without having to worry about getting to the right place. We should all take the same approach, find shelter in the Lord and stay there, then you will always be ready and when the storm hits be left standing. If you're always in the shelter you will never have to seek shelter.

 Isaiah 25

⁴ But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord,
a tower of refuge to the needy in distress.
You are a refuge from the storm
and a shelter from the heat.
For the oppressive acts of ruthless people
are like a storm beating against a wall,
⁵ or like the relentless heat of the desert.
But you silence the roar of foreign nations.
As the shade of a cloud cools relentless heat,
so the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled.

What about day 61?

We all look for guarantees and the reason we look for them is so something can be done when something goes wrong.  With something like a 60 day guarantee with my luck something goes bad on day 61. We have been guaranteed that Jesus will come again. Our current perception of a guarantee is not even close enough to understand the true meaning of this. In our day guarantees are meant as a sales tool, vows are expected to be broken, promises not kept, escape clauses in contracts, no wonder we doubt. However Jesus is coming back and He will be large and in charge. I decided that best way to say it was the He is coming back. Not that it was promised or guaranteed just that He is. Don’t know when just, He is. I just know this and believe this and can’t wait. In my own mind I hope it comes soon but I know he is waiting on others and I don’t want to hurry that up after all it could be someone I love very much. It could even be you.      

 Isaiah 9
⁶ For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor,^[d] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!

Physic or Physco?

This summer on our trip to LA I was surprised (why I don’t know) with the number of fortune tellers and physics I saw there. There were more signs of the occult than pizza places around here. Perhaps I should have been offended by these places of business we’ll call them but instead I just found it funny. I started telling the fortunes of my family. Like, I see a long trip in your future, because we had to fly home eventually. Or I sense that you will find yourself in front of a great feast soon. No brainer there because we ate every 3 hours. I mean why ask these people for guidance, what do they know? If you want to ask go to the source, God.  Going to a fortune teller or a physic for guidance would be like going to a politician for ethical advice. They just don’t know anything about it. God is sovereign and knows everything in advance so why not go to Him?  

Isaiah 8:19

¹⁹ Someone may say to you, “Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.” But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead?

What are you dragging?

Isaiah 5: 18-19

¹⁸ What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them
with ropes made of lies,
who drag wickedness behind them like a cart!
¹⁹ They even mock God and say,
“Hurry up and do something!
We want to see what you can do.
Let the Holy One of Israel carry out his plan,
for we want to know what it is.”.

Be careful what you are dragging around with you. It could be the fuel for your own fire. Just like the guy in this picture. In reading Isaiah 5: 18-19 those who drag wickedness behind them in a cart and mock God hopefully most all of us can separate ourselves from that. However it’s verse 18 that most of us should be aware of. What sorrow awaits those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies. Any time you justify something you do or don’t do as being okay or not that bad you just lied and from then on are just dragging it behind you. As it says there is sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them. The only way to lighten the load is to admit to your sins and repent of them. Then Jesus will take them from you forever and you don’t have to drag them around anymore.

Think this is fast?

We spend so much time as a society building human pride; so much work goes into it just like the construction of a building. We build it to last. A well built building takes time to tear down and the fastest way to tear down a building is to implode it. We’ve all seen the pictures of a building rigged with explosives that falls in a pile in a matter of seconds. That’s fast, but on judgment day human pride will be brought down even faster. Because in the end only the Lord will be left standing to be exalted, so why avoid the big boom and all the mess and start tearing your pride down now and exalt the Lord always?

Isaiah 11
¹¹ Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled. Only the Lord will be exalted on that day of judgment.