Who's there?

I was reading about God’s effectual call today. This is the fact that God through the Holy Spirit has to do something in your heart before you could ever choose Christ on your own. In thinking about this topic those crazy motion lights came to mind, you know the ones that are supposed to turn on when someone walks by or pulls in your drive way. If you have ever had one of these remember when you saw the light come on and jumped up and looked out and nothing was there? I’ve looked more than once. What came to mind with God’s effectual call was that like the motion light that cannot turn on by its self, it takes something to set it off. The bulb and the electricity are there but if something does not move it will not turn on. So it is with humans, if God has decided before time (as the Bible says) to make you His own the bulb and the electricity are already there it just takes something to set it off, that something is the Holy Spirit.  For some what sets it off is dramatic, like someone pulling into your driveway and for others you never see it, the light goes on but you’re not sure why. But in both cases, something had to turn on the light and either way dramatic or subtle it’s God that turns you on. So if you’re not on, ask God to do so and if He has turned you on make sure to let your light shine.  

1 Peter 2:9
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

I simply don't know

Over the last month or so through Small Group, Sunday school, and the Pastor’s sermons I have been diligently studying one of the most controversial topics among Christians, the topic of predestination and election. I have read everything I can find, I even bought three books on the subject. I wanted to be an expert on the subject so I could answer people’s objections and be able to teach them the truth. However I have learned something quite different from all of this. As I was reading a book on predestination by RC Sproul probably the leading expert on the topic alive today he said something that taught me far more than the subject I was reading about. He said when it gets right down to it when he is asked “Why does God only save some?” He says the only answer he can give is “I don’t know. I have no idea why God saves some but not all. But I do know if it pleases God to save some and not all there is nothing wrong with that.”  This blog is not about this topic it is the fact that all though we do need to study God’s word and we need to keep learning about Him sometimes it’s okay to say I simply don’t know. When you don’t know something that’s when the phrase “it’s not what you know it’s who you know “comes into play and you have to place your trust in someone or something else. We think we have to know everything so we don’t have to depend on anything other than ourselves. In short because we don’t trust anyone else, God knows this and wants us to trust in Him. So I don’t know everything about what’s in the Bible and I’m okay with that because my best friend (Jesus) does and he will let me know what I need to know when I need to know it because He loves me and that’s all I really need to know.   

That's not fair?

One phrase that has bugged me for some time is that’s not fair. How does anyone know what fair is? In the last month I have been witness to a lot of things that many would say is not fair from their own personal point of view.  However what we think is not fair could very well be part of God’s plan and who are we to question His plan; but many of us do. When we think we have it all figured out and it does not go our way we think or say that’s not fair. But what we are really doing is saying we are right and God is wrong and that my friend is a dangerous place to be. Job was asked this very same question by none other  than God when things did not go the way he thought they should in Job 40: 6-8

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: ⁷ “Brace yourself like a man,
    because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right?

Brace yourself like a man because I have some questions for you. (If I heard that my first reaction would be this can’t be good.) However when we think that something is not fair God probably looks at us like a spoiled little kid in a store who is whining because they did not get what they thought they needed when in reality the parent knows what’s best for  the child. God knows what’s best for you talk to him about it. 

Resturant Review: Skips

Skips
Des Moines Iowa

 With Skips it’s just best to get down to it. When we arrived at Skips we found that it was located in an old house which is different from most restaurants these days. The inside was dark yet the lighting at the table was very adequate which made for a nice combination, lots of dark grain wood which makes the place feel warm and comfortable. I will admit that at first the waitress made me nervous when asked what they were known for and she said everything I was quite skeptical and thought she either didn’t know or was lying. However in the end she ended up guiding those who asked to very good choices. She was attentive and my water glass never got below a half. When the salads arrived I got the feeling we were in for a good night. All of the dressings but the French we were told were made in house. (who would ever order French) The raspberry vinaigrette was one of the best I’ve had. They also brought bread to the table which was also extremely good and I am not much of a bread guy. When the food arrived I was extremely happy with the portion sizes but the moment of truth was how did it taste? At our table we had the following:

 Grilled Top Sirloin served on grilled sourdough and topped with onion rings

It was on the menu as a sandwich and served open faced. You could order this as a steak instead of a sandwich and be very happy, great taste and really a good value.

Lemon & Garlic Shrimp garlic and shrimp sautéed in a lemon butter with broccoli on linguini

Very large portion, loads of shrimp which along with the broccoli were cooked to perfection.

Jalapeno Cream a spicy cream sauce on linguini

All I can say it hot!

Chicken Alfredo breaded chicken tenders tossed in an Alfredo sauce and served with garlic toast on linguini

When the words breaded chicken tenders are used it makes me think of fast food. This was far from the case in fact my wife used seldom used pharse (this reminds me of your mom’s chicken) and trust me those words are almost never uttered.

Walleye pan-fried golden brown

This was my dish and in my humble opinion the best at the table. The tilapia looked sexier on the menu being coconut and pecan crusted served with a honey mustard glaze but the waitress without hesitation said go with the Walleye and boy was she right. It was by far the best piece of fish I’ve had where you could not feel the ocean breezes on your face. Large portion, nice crust and great flavor my daughter who is not real keen on fish tried it and liked it. It was served with a side of steamed broccoli which again was cooked perfectly.

Skips has easily earned a spot in my top 5 favorite places to eat anywhere in the state of Iowa. The only problem is I may never try anything else on the menu.  In the end the waitress may have very well been right it looks like everything on the menu is great. You have to try this place just don’t go the nights I want to so I don’t have to wait.

PS. I was a nice place so I did not get a pictue of all of the entrees.

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

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5
Atmosphere:  5
Service:         4
Food:            5
Value:           4
Overall          5

4000 Fleur Drive Des Moines, IA 50321
(515) 287-1820

http://skipsdesmoines.com

Resturant Review: Taqueria Sonora

Taqueria Sonora

West Des Moines

 For some strange reason I developed a craving for fish tacos and the funny thing was I had never had one. So Taqueria Sonora was recommended. When we arrived we could tell the place was busy and that the interior was not bad or nothing to write home about. The chips arrived with salsa and four other sauces and some pickled onions. I was brave enough to try them all and liked a couple of them. The most surprising aspect of the whole evening was that when the food arrived it was actually plated. (made to look nice) for you red necks. Usually Mexican food is a blob on a plate. The verdict on the food was 50/50 two people thought it was great and 2 thought it was kind of bland. The tacos al pastor and asada received high marks. The asada actually tasted like steak from a grill, the other dished left us flat. There were 5 of us and the reason I went 2 and 2 is that it would not be fair for me to judge the fish tacos since they were just okay to me and they could be the best fish tacos this side of the Rio Grande and I wouldn’t know it. So I will reserve judgment for now but my craving for fish tacos has been quenched.

 

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

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere:  2.5

Service:         3

Food:            3

Value:           3

Overall          3

Taqueria Sonora

800 First Street Suite A
West Des Moines, IA 50265

Got Balance?

Being a Christian is a funny thing. There are those who should do less and learn more about the Word of God so that the work they do will have a purpose besides making them look good. Then there are those who learn way too much and never do anything so what they learn is useless. Unfortunately there are those who have learned nothing and do nothing.  As with anything in the Christian life balance is key. Don’t forget to continue to learn about Jesus and don’t forget to put into practice what you have learned. That’s what God has called you to do.

Hit by a truck

How cruel and sadistic would it be for hundreds of people to stand around and watch a child get hit by a truck? It is unimaginable that anyone would do noththing to save a toddler from sure death. But when it comes to the inevitable death of those around us who don’t know Christ there are many Christians who will just sit back and watch them go to Hell and not lift a finger. So when it comes to saving a kid from a truck or a sinner from Hell there are not many who will set back and enjoy the show but there are three ways that most will react to both.

1.       Some try to just yell from a distance, that will not always work.

2.       Some think that surly someone else will do something.

3.       Some will risk everything and do something.

The next time you are put in a situation where you know someone needs to hear the Gospel message think about the sound of an air horn on a semi and that it’s headed strait for a child on the road  don't just ask yourself what am I going to do about it.

? Do something!

Hebrews 4:1

God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.

If you like controversy read this

Christians love to hold to the truth, they love to speak the truth, in a sense they are all about the truth. However there is one truth that many Christians will not talk about and it is the answer to the questions does God love everybody? I found it very interesting when on two different occasions I posted a poll on facebook that asked simply “Does God love everyone?” and not one person answered the question. Then there is the phrase the God hates the sin but loves the sinner. Do you believe that? In this case we have to define sinner and there are two kinds, the repentant sinner who loves God and trusts in Jesus Christ and the unrepentant sinner has nothing to do with either. Ask yourself what is the truth? Does God love everyone? Just keep in mind that if you answer yes that means if God does not love everyone that He hates some. In answering this question don’t just go by what you think is the right answer, or what you want to be the right answer, consult the Bible and not just one verse but the whole thing in context to find the truth. Also think about the implications of your answer if you miss the truth and by the way have fun.

Have you ever?

Have you ever?

Have you ever taken the Lord’s name in vain? Have you ever told a lie, even if it was just a little one? Have you ever stolen something, just once in your life? If you took even a paper clip home from work that is stealing. Have you ever looked at another human being with lust? Have you ever been jealous of someone or wanted what someone else had? Should I go on? The list of sin in the world is quite lengthy and if you are honest with yourself your percentage of sins committed to sins available is pretty high and I’m talking free throw percentage high and not batting average high. I read some words today that made me take notice when it said. Before a person can commit a sin they first must have the desire to perform the act. So for all of those sins you committed you first had the desire at that time to commit them. Scary stuff if you ask me. Then I also went on to read that once a person trusts in Christ they have the ability to sin and once again the ability not to sin. And once they arrive in Heaven they will then lose their ability to sin. Cant’ wait, I am tired of sinning but still can’t break the habit. It took a super natural work of Christ to even given me that ability not to sin and it will take arriving in Heaven to kick the habit all together.  

Make a choice already

For some reason in the last month I have paid more attention to those little political yard signs than ever. It all started when I learned something about a local candidate that bothered me. I am probably one of the few that actually does some research prior to voting so I thought I had better check out the opposition. Just prior to doing any research the person I was considering sign showed up in my neighbor’s yard. This troubled me greatly because my neighbor is full fledged Liberal  and those who think they know me would call me a Republican, when in truth I am a conservative by choice and a Republican by default. So when I saw the sign in their yard I thought to myself what am I going to do? Will this be the first time that I have ever voted for a Democrat? Now more than ever I had to do my research. When I did my research I found out that the sign in my neighbor’s yard was actually a Republican, still I thought it was weird that my neighbor had a Republican’s sign in the yard. After a week had passed the sign in the yard disappeared, I figured they realized the guy was a republican and removed the sign. Then came a bigger surprise, a sign from the other candidate still a Republican show up in the same yard and I thought to myself make up your mind already. Then after a week it too disappeared. So now my mind is fixed on these signs. The picture above is my favorite ,this guy actually had four signs in his yard, two for each candidate running for the office of Sherriff. Does he think by not choosing publically he won’t make whoever wins upset and avoid problems with the law?  When it comes time to vote he will have to choose one because you can’t have both. This is exactly what James 4:4 says

 ⁴ You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

Many people try to put both signs in their yards so to speak by the way they live their lives, they want to be friends both with the world and with God. The problem however is that unlike the race for Sherriff which we have no idea who will win, we know in the end God wins so why put both signs in your yard? God sees them both and when He wins, knowing you kept mowing around the sign for Satan it would like you never had the sign for Jesus at all. 

Resturant Review: Shorts Burger & Shine

Shorts Burgers and Shine

Iowa City Iowa

I do love a good burger and burgers are what Shorts is all about. The menu consists of 25 different burgers and 12 chicken sandwiches and that’s it. When you walk in the place it just screams old world charm, it’s kind of dark but it works. I am not a big fan of booths but the booths at Shorts are raised and very old, probably one of the most comfortable booths I can remember sitting in. I love the concept they have all of the beef is raised on one farm near Columbus Junction (near where I grew up) butchered in Riverside and delivered fresh to the restaurant. The buns are baked daily in town and when possible the veggies are bought at the farmers market. If you like beer their draft beers are all made in Iowa. Great concept and I’ll have to say it works. To start out Teresa had the raspberry iced tea and she said it was one of the best she has ever had. When the food arrived it was very pleasing to the eye.

Rachel had the Dundee it features sautéed mushrooms, bacon, garlic aioli, American cheese and a fried egg. Of course with Rachel there the mushrooms were left off. I didn’t get a taste because she had it gone so fast. Here is her Dundee.

Teresa had the Baxter it has blackened bacon, provolone and chipotle mayo. She liked hers as well but didn’t pick up the chipotle as much as she’d like.

Here is my burger the Germantown

It had kraut, Swiss, Thousand Island dressing on grilled marbled rye. All I can say is that it was darned good.

Now for the strange part of the experience, the fries. I'm a crispy fry guy and normally if I would get fries that are let’s say limp, I’d have a problem with that. At Shorts the fries are hand cut everyday and when served they are as limp as a dish rag, but somehow they make it work. The fries were actually very good. I can’t explain it and when I told the waitress she just looked at me like I was weird. That does not make her a bad waitress, just honest and the service was very good.

The problem with downtown Iowa City on a Friday night is of course parking so be prepared to walk. It was a beautiful evening and walking was a treat if you are into people watching because downtown Iowa City offers the best people watching in the state.

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

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere:  4

Service:         4

Food:            5

Value:           3

Overall          4.5

Short's Burger & ShineAddress: ‎

Not true?

Placement on map is approximate 18 South Clinton Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Get directions ‎ (319) 337-4678 shortsburgerandshine.com

Not an act but an attitude

When it comes to prayer I used to treat God like a piñata and would only take a whack at it when I wanted something. Then as I became we’ll say smarter I knew that prayer was a conversation with God and I knew that in that conversation I needed to thank him for who he was and then after that I’d still mainly ask for what I wanted only more carefully. Still my prayer life was not as it should be. It was not until I read a book on the sovereignty of God in which the question was asked if God is in control why ask for anything that I really started to figure this all out. What is prayer? Prayer is not so much an act as it is an attitude, an attitude of dependency, dependency upon God. Prayer is a confession of your weakness, and of helplessness. Prayer is the acknowledgment of our need and laying it out before God.  Prayer, real prayer is coming into the presence of God, with a sense of his majesty with the realization of our nothingness and unworthiness compared to Him. Pretty simple really.