Another call from Wisconsin

I've been intervieweing with a church in Chippewa Falls for a small groups pastor position. The church is a bit on the large side, about 110 people with 500 or the 800 adults in small groups.

Today was my third interview with them. Well, technically today wasn't an interview. I had questions about how they do their small groups. I was on the phone with the pastor who right now splits his time between administration and small groups. He asked for references also. I should know something definite by next week or so.

Still waiting on Walla Walla. They really are a 'hurry-up-and-wait' church.

Chippewa Falls could be good. With a church that large, I'm sure they pay a decent salary. And we can get a 4 bedroom 3-bath house with 250 sq feet for about 175 k. GOtta take that into consideration.

How we are to live in our Christian freedom

My friend Matt used to be fond of saying, "I'm free in Christ. I've read Galatians". Sometimes it seems as if Matt had an issue with libertinism in regards to Christian freedom. I've been doing some reading ab out in Galatians 5 the last couple of days.

Here is the full text of Galatians 5:13-15

"For you were called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh but through love serve one another. For the Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bit and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Sometimes Christians can look at grace and think that they can sin because will give them grace and forgive them. Paul completely does away with that idea here. We do not have a base from which we can sin freely and without consequence. It is not freedom for the flesh to do what it will, but rather it is freedom to love one another openly through our actions. In this, we fulfill God's ultimate law, that everything we do would show love to others in a way that is similar to how we love ourselves.

The consequences of using our freedom as a license to sin are found in 5:15. If we do not love one another, then we become little better than wild animals. We live only for self and therefore fight and claw against anyone in order to make our way to the top. Others are not there to be loved but rather to be used and then rejected as we focus only on the self.

Pork Milanese Part 2

Best to pass on the Pork Milanese. Making it was actually delayed until tonight. It can best be described as 'Eh'. Not a lot of flavor. When it was done cooking it looked a bit like a hash brown. However, Regan really devoured it. Fortunately for her there is one more in the fridge for her. But for me, it goes out of the cookbook.

Vantage Point

We had the rare opportunity to go to a movie last night. Christa's brother and sister-in-law were in town and we had 'date night'.

Of all the movies out right now, 'Vantage Point' was the only one which was going to work for our schedule. The reviews weren't all that great, but we liked it.

It tells the story of an attempted assasination of the president, told from and seen from many different perspectives. At different times in the movie, it stops and rewinds until just before the assasination. We see it from the president's perspective, an ordinary tourist's perspective, the Secret Service's perspective and a couple of others. It's kind of like 'Groundhog Day' in that respect.

But it changed about halfway through the movie. The rollbacks stopped and it became just another action movie...but a good one. I like Dennis Quaid as an actor and appreciate seeing good movies that he is in

Pork Milanese

Today is Christa's birthday.

Here is the main course I am making for her.

4 Pork cutlets
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Romano cheese
1 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup flour
2 beaten eggs


Mix the breadcrumbs in with the cheese, nutmeg and oregano. Dredge the cutlets in flour, then the egg and then the breadcrumbs. Heat some olive oil and cook the cutlets. Serve with lemon wedges.

15 minutes????

I got an email from the sedarch team leader of Jacob's Well church in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. I interviewed with them last week for about 45 minutes and it went really well.

Now Steve, the Executive Pastor, wants to talk to me for about 15 minutes. I am scratching my head trying ti figure out what he will want to talk about. I don't think it is to tell me that I am no longer a candidate...he could have done that on email and besides it wouldn't not take 15 minutes. It's too short of a time for another interview. I can't believe they would ask us to go out and candidate just based on a 45 minute interview. So what is left?

The only thing that I can think of is that he needs clarification on something we had talked about. our talk (I can't call it an interview) is set for 9 am Thursday

Ah, a holiday

President's Day is today. A good day to get off and spend time with Christa and the kids. CHrista is out walking with a friend right now, Caleb is watching Dora The Explorer of tv and REgan is on her nap.

Later today we're going to go to Walnut Creek and have lunch at Tomatina (good pizza place). We'll hang out there, go to Barnes and Noble and have a gentle family day.

I'm also going to clean out our pantry, go running and make shrimp crab ravioli for dinner.