meCHURCH

I think I found the perfect theme for our next Servants' Retreat (NOT). Watch this video called meCHURCH.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: you should finish what you're drinking before watching this. I wouldn't want you to get pop on your computer screen.

The Christmas Cookie or "That's where those 4 lbs. came from"

A tradition we have in our family every Christmas is decorating Christmas cookies. The girls have a great time and we generally trash the entire kitchen. I was voted messiest cook by my family. This year was especially fun because Daddy was home to help us. He is usually stuck at the Mall at Christmas time. What a blessing to have him home!

The Lion, the Witch, and the Turkish Delight

My wife and I wrestled with whether or not to take our kids to see Disney's latest release, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. We were worried that they might have nightmares after seeing some of the scary images. After checking it out at screenit.com, we decided to go ahead and take them. We thought that with the right preparation and discussion afterward, they would benefit from the overall experience. That did turn out to be the case with our kids. No nightmares and a good reference point for helping them understand the gospel.

I took a look around the web to see what Christians were saying about the whole thing. The majority of reviews were good. There was one site, however, that claimed that C.S. Lewis wrote the popular series to teach children how to worship pagan deities and eventually turn them to Satanism. Oookaaay!?

There was a really good review called The Success of C. S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia by Amber Cowart on a C.S. Lewis fan site that included a letter from Lewis to a young reader:

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the fifth book of the series, Aslan tells the children that although they must return to their own world, they can find him there also (Hooper 123). Aslan says, "There I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there" (Hooper 123). Some of Lewis' readers wonder what the significance of this statement is and begin to search for Aslan here on earth. Hila, an eleven year old girl from the United States asked Lewis what Aslan's name is in this world (Dorsett 31-32). His response was this:

As to Aslan's other name, well I want you to guess. Has there never been anyone in this world who (1.) Arrived at the same time as Father Christmas. (2.) Said he was the son of the great Emperor. (3.) gave himself up for someone else's fault to be jeered at and killed by wicked people. (4.) Came to life again. (5.) Is sometimes spoken of as a Lamb.... Don't you really know His name in this world. Think it over and let me know your answer! (Dorsett 32)

When Lewis' readers find Aslan in the real world, they will find out that his true name is Jesus Christ.

In the story, one of the brothers, Edmund, turns on the others in exchange for some "sweeties" as they call them. Specifically, he turns traitor for a sweet called Turkish delight. Oddly enough, the next day, one of my advertisers gave me a box of these same unusual candies for me and my family. I liked them, but Julie and the girls had an experience similar to this account I found while looking up the recipe for this exotic treat:

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Edmund Pevensie gobbled up several pounds of this treat in one sitting and clamored for more. The evil White Witch, Jadis, had magicked it up to win his fealty. As a child in Indiana, I hadn't realized that the confection actually existed. (Nor did I think that "wardrobes" existed anymore—surely, I reasoned, British people had closets by now.) I thought C.S. Lewis had invented it, knowing how much more vivid an imagined pleasure can be than a real one. But I loved to think about what it must taste like. I thought it would be crumbly and buttery and warm, like shortbread with walnuts, just out of the oven, with a rich, molten filling inside. "Each piece was sweet and light to the very center and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious," Lewis wrote.

And so, with anticipation, I took a bite of the Turkish Delight. And a second later, spat it into my hand. It tasted like soap rolled in plaster dust, or like a lump of Renuzit air freshener: The texture was both waxy and filling-looseningly chewy. This … this? ... was the sweetmeat that led Edmund to betray his siblings and doomed Aslan to death on a stone slab? Watching the movie last week, I cringed watching Edmund push piece after squidgy red piece into his drooling mouth, shuddering to think that children in theaters everywhere were bound to start yammering for the candy and that on Christmas morning or Hanukkah nights, their faces would crumple with disappointment as their teeth sank into the vile jelly they had thought they wanted.

Funny, isn't it? The girls have decided they would like to work the Narnia series into our bedtime reading schedule. I hope they like it more than they did the Turkish Delights.

A Different Christmas

This was an unusual Christmas for our family. It was my first
Christmas of not working in a retail environment for over 11 years.
My kids, the oldest being only eight, think it's cool that I don't
have to work extra hours around Christmas this year. In fact, things
are a little slower than normal this week. I had forgotten how nice
it is to have a Christmas Eve not worried about an emergency at the
store or working to get in that last sale before the returns start
coming in.

This Christmas also fell on a Sunday. It was different; taking a
break in our usual traditions to go to church. My wife and I were a
little thrown off by it, but the kids seemed to adapt quite well...
except for Emma right before church. I don't think I'll ever care to
blog about that! :-) The bottom line is, what better way to teach our
children that Christmas is not supposed to be the commercialized
materialism-fest that it has become than by stopping in the middle of
our usual Christmas morning traditions to go to Worship the Savior
whose birth we claim we are celebrating? It was a good change.

The Author of Salvation took on flesh …

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. But, through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.

It was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

We rejoice that in our Creator and Savior, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

– Genesis 1:1, 31; Romans 5:12; Hebrews 2:10, 14, 15; Ephesians 1:7

Pushy Sales People

Today is Thursday. Every Thursday I begin my day with a 7:00 a.m. Networking Group meeting in Dearborn. Woooo Hoooo! I love networking at dawn! Not really. But it's good for business, so I do it. Well, today I was invited to attend a competing networking group's meeting right after my normal meeting. I stopped in out of curiosity. They also have their meeting at the local coffee shop where I usually go to do email right after my meeting. I was going to be there anyway.

There were only five people there; they are trying to begin a new chapter here in Dearborn. Right away, and several times during the meeting, this group talked disparagingly about the group to which I already belong. My groups has 32 members. I received enough referrals in my first two visits to pay for five years of membership dues. They picked a bad strategy for trying to win me to their group.

I explained that I already belong to this other group and as a part of my membership agreement, I cannot belong to another group like it (the group works if you belong to because you all loyally refer business to one another). They just kept pushing. I'm a really easy going guy, but it kinda made me angry. I felt like I was getting Amway'ed. Some of you know what I mean by that. During my nine years at FranklinCovey , I frequently had Amway distributors try to recruit me, especially when they learned that I attended a large church. Bottom Line: I was reminded that graciously taking no for an answer is the way to go when I'm selling my business. I may not win the sale, but I maintain my reputation. In the long run, that has to be good for business.

Taco Town!!!

You'll be rolling on the floor when you see this one.

AiG

If you know me, you know that one of my favorite topics is creationism. I'm facinated with God's power and wisdom displayed in His creation. If you haven't been to the new Answers in Gensis website lately, you're missing out on a great resource. I don't care what your question about the Bible and science is, you'll find the answer there (fast and easy). Check it out for yourself and mark it in your browser. It's such a good tool to help you be ready to give an answer for the hope you have in Christ.

This is Hysterical!

I have been wasting time finding funny videos. Here's a great one.

Ah, The 80's

This like totally made me crack up!

You grew up in the 80's if

1. You’ve ever ended a sentence with the word “SIKE”
2. You watched the Pound Puppies.
3. You can sing the rap to the “Fresh Prince of Belair” and can do the
“Carlton”.
4. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
5 You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tried to start
a club of your own.
6. You owned those lil’ Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.
7. You know that “WOAH ” comes from Joey on Blossom
8. Two words: Hammer Pants
9. If you ever watched “Fraggle Rock”
10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars… and “spokey-dokes” or
playing cards on your spokes for that incredible sound effect
11. You can sing the entire theme song to “DuckTales ” (Woo ooh!)
12. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch
cartoons.
13. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
14. You saw the original “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ” on the big
screen…and still know the turtles names.
15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class
at school.
16. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your !
shirt in a knot on the side.
17. You played the game “MASH ” (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
18. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
19. L.A. Gear….need I say more?
20. You wanted to change your name to “JEM ” in Kindergarten.(She’s
truly outrageous.)
21. You remember reading “Tales of a fourth grade nothing” and all the
Ramona books.
22. You know the profound meaning of “WAX ON, WAX OFF”
23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
24. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us…head-to-toe)
25. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose
fell off and his cheeks shifted.
26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
27. You took lunch boxes to school… and traded Garbage Pail kids in
the schoolyard.
28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
29. You still get the urge to say “NOT ” after every sentence.
30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
31. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band.
32. You thought She-ra (Princess of Power!) and He-Man should hook up.
33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because y! o u
exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes. (and like 24 .. probably in
neon colors, too)
35. After you saw Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure you kept saying “I know you
are, but what am I?”
36. You remember “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”
37. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline
skates.
38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
39. You have ever played with a Skip-It
40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
41. You’ve gone through this nodding your head in agreement or shaking
your head in embarassed memories.
42. You remember Popples.
43. “Don’t worry, be happy”
44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top
Reeboks.
45. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do… getting
yelled at by “younger hip” members of the family)
46. You remember boom boxes. . and walking around with one on your
shoulder like you were all that.
47. You remember watching both “Gremlins ” movies.
48. You know what it meant to say “Care Bear Stare!!”
49. You remember watching “Rainbow Bright” and “My Little Pony Tales”
50. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
51. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
52. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool.. and don’t
even flinch when people refer to them as “NKOTB”.
53. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on “Saved
By The Bell,” The ORIGINAL class.
54. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
55. You just sang those words to yourself.
56. You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
57. Homemade Levi shorts.. (the shorter the better)
58. You remember when mullets were cool!
59. You had a mullet!
60. You still sing “We are the World”
61. You tight rolled your jeans.
62. You owned a bannana clip.
63. You remember “Where’s the Beef?”
64. You used to (and probably still do) say “What you talkin’ bout Willis?”
65. You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
66. You’re still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren’t you!!!

Bye-Bye Big Mac

My wife just finished watching Super Size Me. I don't think we're going to McDonald's ever again. I guess I'll live. I just hope she doesn't try to get me to go vegan! :-)

@!$%^#

I just finished reading "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. Yes, it was an Oprah book of the month. I don't usually read her recommended books because of the language and content. But this one was an autobiography so I thought I would give it go. The book made me think and Larry and I did have some interesting discussions. (Another post for another day) One thing it made me think about was language and how it is used. The book is full of crass words. You name it and it is in there. After a while my mind would just skip over the f-word like it was a place holder. It was used as a noun, adjective, verb, exclamation. You get the idea.

So what makes a bad word a bad word? Is it how we use the word in our culture? Is it the value we place on a word? When I taught Third grade one of my students asked if Indians (Native Americans) had swear words. I told him I didn't know, but most cultures do have what we would call swear words. One of the other kids piped up with his version of an Indian swear word. Something like shokypocky. It made me laugh at the time.

Our Pastor's kid had her own version of a bad word when she was a rebel toddler. She made up her own anger bad word. Whenever she was mad at her mom she would use it. Sounds funny and we might be tempted to laugh at our kid if they did that, but Pastor's wife was wise to see the motivation behind the language and didn't allow her to use her word.

Take the word suck. Many of us would consider "That sucks" to be crass and we wouldn't say it. But many high school kids today don't even know the connotation of that phrase. So is it still a bad word? Will it be crass in 20 years? Or will it be the same as "that stinks"?

My kids don't really know what bad words are. We have never pointed them out. (I am not talking about using God's name in vain here.) Yesterday afternoon while we were watching a movie on a cable channel one of the movie commentators slipped in the a-word. The girls didn't even notice. Larry and I were a bit surprised. It was 4 o clock in the afternoon. We didn't say anything about it. We just ignored it. Sometimes Claire, who listens carefully and picks up vocabulary easily, will ask what a bad word means. We tell her it is a crass way to say what you really mean.

I know what the Bible tells me about my language. It mirrors what is in my heart. And maybe I am not using socially unacceptable words, but when I get angry what comes out of my mouth? Is it acceptable to God?

Old Friends, New Memories

We had a great time visiting with Scott and Cheryl Donnelly this past Friday. It's been a long time since we've had a chance to sit and talk with them. We talked about old times, what's going on now and exchanged ministry stories and tips. Our kids loved having additional audience members for their nightly shows!

It was good to see you guys. I hope we can do it again sometime in the near future.

Decomposition

I read an interesting article that I thought was worth discussing. I apologize for the long post, but check this out and let us know what you think.

Let Us Decompose
by Mike Duran

G.K. Chesterton said, “Art is the signature of man.” Some believe men rose from monkeys. But let the record show, monkeys have no interest in sketching men. It is precisely our urge to sketch monkeys, which separates us from them. As the apologist wrote, if man was “an ordinary product of biological growth, like any other beast or bird, then it is all the more extraordinary that he was not in the least like any other beast or bird.” When ancient man first dipped his thumb into the blood of berries and scraped that red swath across cool granite, he distanced himself from elks and orangutans.

Human history is one of composition. Of course, we’ve come a long way from dancing reindeer and stick men on blackened cave walls. Today, the cave walls are digital and the stick men dance in cyberspace. But whether it’s Mozart or 50 Cent, Rembrandt or Warhol, Aesop or Spielberg, the urge to compose—to create new beings and worlds, new stories and songs—is unique to us. We write, paint, carve and mold; we sit hunched over parchments and tape recorders, laptops and canvas, searching for the right word, the right sound, the right image, yearning to rise above our earthly origins and distance ourselves from elks and orangutans.

Yet the creative spark reveals more about us than just our dissimilarity to animals. In a way, all composition is really decomposition. The word “decompose” simply means “to separate into components or basic elements.” It is to categorize, quantify, sort and stack; it is to break something down to its lowest common denominator.

In reality, we never really create anything: we reassemble existing parts, cut and paste objects and ideas from the known world, reshuffle the deck. Even abstracts are just extracts of the ordinary. I mean, when was the last time a new primary color was invented or a missing musical note discovered? Genuine originality, it’s been said, is rare. I’d venture to say, it’s extinct, dead with the first chisel strike or quill stroke. “There’s nothing new under the sun,” King Solomon said, without crediting his source. Maybe this is why plotlines follow the same basic patterns. Prime time TV is a constant karmic retread of new faces trapped in the same tired tales. Even Hollywood, the summit of artistic inclination, cannot rise above the remake. Musicians are judged by who they sound like (part Bob, Beck and Bruce), actors by who they look like (she’s got Jessica’s hair, Nicole’s eyes and Angelina’s lips) and books by how they read (think Harry Potter with a dash of Steele). Even fantasy worlds look like ours and superheroes like us—with a little tweaking. All our creations are re-creations, omelettes whipped up from yesterday’s leftovers.

For all our ingenuity and technical advances, no matter how many edits and remakes, we cannot rise above the Story Board. We are as fixed to its laws as Frodo is to Middle Earth. We stitch and sketch, dream up and hammer out, but we cannot transcend.

“In the beginning, God created ...” He composed. He assembled parts ex nihilo, “out of nothing.” He spread out the canvas and drew His thumb across the celestial swath. We live in that Composition, on that Canvas; we are the parts He assembled. Herein lies our glory and our deficiency.

We create because we are like Him, but we cannot create like Him.

Unlike God, we cannot make something from nothing. Everything we shape, form, order and arrange requires something else. Like a celluloid hero, the laws of the medium bind us. Poets need language and its laws, for without it their craft is made moot. Some musical forms may push the boundaries, but sour notes are not tolerable—even by the most sophisticated. Architecture can be innovative, as long as the foundation is solid. Characters can be fresh, as long as they are believable. Art must correspond to Reality—in fact, it cannot do anything but that.

If art is the signature of man, as Chesterton suggested, then man is the signature of God. And every film, song, poem or novel, no matter how tired or twisted, is an echo of His original act. So let us borrow, bleed and recast the old, tell the Tale a thousand times over. Let us crush the berries, raise the chisel and strike up the band, for tonight we decompose.

This Article is from RelevantMagazine.com.

The Alma Mater

My alma mater is 40 years old this year. They are having a special program and they asked some graduates to write testimonies of what the school has meant to them. I was one of the "lucky" ones asked. I wrote this sappy tribute.

Imagine my delight and surprise last week when my 5 year old came home from school singing "Hail to thee, O Inter-City!" at the top of her lungs. I had to suppress my giggles when she changes the second line to "Gold and pretty proudly stand." I can remember singing that song at Graduations and services. That one line made me think of all that Inter-City has meant in my family's life.

My parents were saved when I was in first grade attending a public school. They in their wisdom saw a need to send my brother and I to a school where we could learn the Word of God, not just is Bible class, but in all subjects. My teachers were examples of Godly men and women who understood the importance of service and sacrifice to further God's mission. I think of Mrs. Cindy Stratford, Mr .Don Bowman, Mrs. Carla Mungons and Miss Karen Flora and the influence they had on my future as a teacher and mother.

The greatest blessing I received from Inter-City was meeting my future husband there. His life was dramatically changed because of the ministry and time teachers spent with him.

After college I came back to Inter-City to teach for 4 1/2 years. My last class is graduating this year. And although they are almost grown men and women now, I still picture them as those little third graders in room 204. My daughter now attends Kindergarten at Inter-City and, Lord willing, one day all of my daughters will graduate and carry on the legacy.

I am so thankful that the Lord allowed me to attend Inter-City Baptist Schools . And as the school song says I have been truly "blessed by God beyond all measure."

Here's a couple of old pictures from our graduation. Be careful of your comments, I have lots of old pictures in my basement.

You Have The Right To Remain...Vocal!

We have the privilege of having a great mix of teens in our Youth Group. Some go to local public schools, some to a local Christian School. They each bring unique experiences and opportunities to our group.

More than a few times I've heard from the teens in our group that go to public schools about subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) instances of school officials instructing students to refrain from certain religious expressions. For example, a student was actually instructed that she is not allowed to bring a Bible to school. Hopefully the teaching giving these instructions was simply misinformed about the law in this area. I think that is probably the case in many instances. However, the reason is really not relevant. The bottom line is that students cannot rely on the school officials to protect their rights in this area.

The only way for you to know your free speech and expression of religion rights in your school is to check into it for yourself. You can find a helpful article here. Take a look and see if your rights are being infringed upon. Contrary to what you might be hearing from your school, you have the right to remain vocal!

Blessed Be Your Name

We learned a new song in church recently. It is based on what Job says after loosing everything he had. It says:

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me,
When the world’s all as it should be
Blessed be Your name,
And blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering,
Though there’s pain in the offering,
Blessed be Your name.

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise,
When the darkness closes in
Lord still I will say,
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your name,
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your glorious name.

I frequently think about my life and am overwhelmed with all that God has blessed me. I love my life. I'm actually tempted to be so taken with the gifts God has given me that I get distracted from the God that gave them.

That's why I admire Job's example. He lost it all. When it all was striped away, his love for and trust in the God that gave it all remained and was his anchor. It seems like every day I have to remind myself to loosen my grip on the blessings and cling more closely to the blesser. They might be gone in an instant, but He will always be there.

Definitely a East Coast Girl

My friend Scott of the Ramblin'Scotzman is on a cross country trip right now. (Insert Jealous look here) His trip inspired me to post a map of all the states I have been too. I've only crossed the Mississippi to visit my Brother. And I'm not sure if I can count Minnesota because I just had a layover there. Someday I would like to hit all 50. Maybe when the gas prices go down.

Happy Family

When our latest batch of videos from Blockbuster Online showed up Thursday, there was something for everyone. We all wanted to run to the mailbox to get our goodies.

For the children, the latest installment of Maya & Miguel. Mama was excited to get Martha's Classic Thanksgiving and for Daddy, the final installment in the Star Wars Saga...the just released Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!

Yes, it doesn't take much to get us excited.

The Evil Coffee Empire

I have a friend who frequently refers to Starbucks as "The Evil Coffee Empire" in his blog. I've never traced his use of that name back to find out exactly what he means by it and I have never asked him. I just think it's funny. I read two articles recently that made me think of him and that I thought were worth sharing. You can read them here and here.

So here's the question: Do you buy coffee from someone who openly supports such an unbiblical agenda or not? Frankly, I'm not big on boycotts and I think there are much more important things to be doing to support my biblical mission than finding companies to NOT do business with. I guess I tend to take the approach that says, "Stay out of my face and I'll stay out of yours." However, since Starbucks is getting loud about thier positions on some hot button issues, I'm wondering if it is not a stretch to voice my opinion back with my money. What do you think?

As I think about it, the more pressing question is "What posesses any of us to pay four bucks for a cup of coffee anyway?" :-)

Chowda Anyone?

This is what we ate for lunch today. I found a recipe for Corn Chowder on the web and changed it to my liking. All the bowls were empty and kisses were given all around. I'll definitely make this again.

Julie's Corn Chowda (You have to say it like a New Englander.)

1/2 pound bacon diced (I use lower sodium)
2 small onions finely chopped
1/2 butter or margarine
1/2 cup flour
4 cups potatoes peeled, boiled and cubed (I use Yukon Gold)
2 cups reserved potato water
4 cups milk (I use 1/2%)
1 lb. frozen corn
salt

Boil Potatoes for 15-20 minutes. While potatoes are boiling cook bacon in a large stock pot until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain. Cook onion in bacon grease and butter until translucent. Add flour and mix well. It will be pasty. Gradually add milk stirring continually. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until thick. Add potato water and corn. Heat through. Add potatoes. Season with salt according to your taste. I use about 1 1/2 teaspoons. Garnish with bacon.

Now I must go and clean those pots!

On Fire!

Every year I am amazed to watch our green tree turn this amazing bright red. When we moved to this house we were happy to have one of the few trees on the block in our front yard. I have always loved fall and was thrilled when fall came that first year and our tree turned brillant red. All the other trees in the neighborhood pale in comparison.

Trick or Treat

Ahh.. Halloween the time of year when Children dress up and parents eat too much candy.

Happy Birthday Emma!

Happy 8th Birthday Emma !
The name Emma means "all embraceable one" or "universal." Funny, but that just about describes my oldest daughter. She is good at everything she tries. She can sing, dance, rollerskate, draw, create, jump rope...You name it, Emma can do it. She is a very universal girl. She likes to paint her nails, yet with those same petite fingers she will pick up a worm or a large bug. She is strong and can throw a ball far, yet she is gentle and loves to take care of babies.

God has blessed her with many abilities. May she use those for His glory all her life. Happy Birthday to my little girl.

Sisters 3

Claire has been busy drawing a lot lately. Here's a few of her masterpieces. Do you see any thing the same in all three pictures?


>
.

I Losth My Tooth

Claire lost her first tooth a few days ago. Today while riding in the van she says "Mom, I think I should have gotten more than a dollar for my tooth. It took me six years to lose it!"

Grace in Action

Today is my sister-in-law Marie's birthday. My sister-in-law is an amazing woman. I always tell people that she could be on a talk show to tell her life story and bring the crowd to tears. Oprah would probably make her wildest dreams come true. Ty would give her a house. Amy Grant would give all three wishes. It's that kind of story.

She is amazing because she never quits. And because she has learned that God's way is best.

Marie was just sixteen years old when she became pregnant with her first child. When her step-father found out, he made her move out of the house to make her own way. She continued going to school, got a job and in the middle of her Senior year delivered her baby six weeks early. She finished her courses and graduated that June. The baby's father did what he could to help. He had previously been involved in gangs and his past eventually caught up with him. Two years after the baby was born he was shot and killed by a member of his own former gang. Marie had come to know the Lord as her Savior sometime before his death. She met another boy that had previous gang ties also. Most of the young men in Southwest Detroit have access to be in a gang if they choose. Being a new Christian she was doing her best. But she wasn't growing. She got pregnant again and had a little boy. She wanted to be loved and thought this boy would help her feel that way. Two years later she had another boy. Her boyfriend was sent to jail around then. She says it is because God wanted her away from her boyfriend because she knew her relationship was wrong. God worked in her life during that time and started attending a good bible believing church. She found fellowship there. She was growing. But she got pregnant again and had her fourth child, a sweet little girl. Before you judge her remember sin is sin. Some sins just have more obvious consequences. She kept going to church. She worked hard trying to build a business so she could take care of her kids. But it was hard with so many little ones. She went bankrupt and lost her house and van. Her boyfriend was then released from jail and he started hanging around again to see the kids. Eventually Marie got pregnant again with her fifth child. The week after she found out her boyfriend was shot and killed. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever seen anyone go through. She was strong for her children. She took one month off of school and then continued determined to finish to make a better life for her kids.

God has given her amazing grace and strength. She had changed so much in the last two years. She is involved in her church and could start a bus ministry herself is she had a bus!

Marie has taught me so much through her life and testimony. God is so great and loving and forgiving. No matter what we do He will always love us and will take are of all our needs.

She doesn't need Oprah or Ty to grant her wishes or fulfil her dreams. She has a God that wants us to have more than we can ever dream of if we would just ask.

Have a Happy Birthday Marie!

The Big One

Yesterday one of our daughters popped the big question. During dinner she asked how babies are made. Larry almost spit his food out. I left him to answer that one on his own.

When your kids are babies and toddlers you think that this has got to get easier. And physically it is not as demanding. They can dress themselves and tie their shoes (well, two out of the three) and even make their own lunch. But the mental part gets harder. Your consistency has to be seen in your daily living, not just in your discipline. They watch how you respond, what you say and what you do .You weigh your answers carefully because they remember exactly what you say and how you said it. Your attitude rubs off on them. It is very humbling to watch your daughter yell at her sister just like you did to her an hour ago.

I hear it doesn't get any better. We will have three teenage girls in our house in about 6 years. Mindblowing!

P.S. Right now my husband is watching Ghostbusters. We ran across it on TV and he wouldn't let me change it. There's something strange happening here! Who ya gonna call?

We Have A Winner!

We are in our fourth week as Coffee News publishers and we are really getting this thing down. We have a set routine each week. And we feel free to deviate from it whenever we need to. :-) Advertisers are starting to see the paper and calling us instead of us going out to find them. And the readership is growing. Every week we get more contest entry forms from readers; many of them from the same readers who send entries every week. Repeat readers are what we are after.

Today we had our first drawing. After helping me do my deliveries, Emma drew our first "Find the Coffee News Guy Contest" winner. It was none other than an eleven year old fan who picked up the issue in one of our advertisers - a hair salon. How fun! We get to give this little guy $25 and thank him for reading Coffee News. I love this job!!!

An Apple a Day

The day was too beautiful to stay indoors. We took advantage of the great weather and went apple picking. Susannah liked to climb in the trees. She must have eaten five apples while we were there. I shouldn't have to take her to the doctors for a good long while.

Grandma's House

My mom lived in the same house for over 50 years. My grandpa bought the house when it was brand new. It was a three bedroom bungalow in Wyandotte. He was a smart man and bought a double wide driveway (the only one in about the whole neighborhood). He talked the cement guy into pouring his extra cement into a patio in the backyard. My mom would tell me stories about how grandpa would take care of the house. My Dad and Grandpa built a family room edition on the back when I was about 2.

It was a special house.

I have fond memories of that house. I remember how the hallway floor boards squeaked when you walked on them. I remember laying on the living room floor reading books in the sunlight that streamed through the windows. I remember the woodsy smell of the attic. I remember sitting on the porch drinking ice tea watching my children play. I remember all the garage sales we had and the parties and dinners.

My Mom and Dad sold that house three years ago. I still miss going there. When they first moved I would drive by it and say to the girls, "There's Grandma and Papa's old house." I didn't want them to forget. But what I really didn't want them to forget was their Grandparents. They were such a big part of their lives and I knew that would change if they were far away. Once in awhile we will be driving through Wyandotte and one of the older girls will pipe up and say hey this is where Grandma used to live. They still remember.

I may miss the house, but I miss my parents more. Sometime I'll see an older gentleman riding his bike and I still check to see if it my Dad. And then I remember he's in Florida riding his bike there.

Mom and Dad have a new house now. We have new memories there. Different memories. Warm, sunny days and fun at the beach. Vacation memories.

Same Grandma and Papa, but in a different house.

Incredble Girl

Claire has always been good at drawing. She drew this picture today. Maybe she can get a job at Disney.

Five going on Sixteen

Five year old children do not know how to shave around mosquito bites.

Susy experimented with the razor tonight. I thought I wouldn't have to deal with this for a few more years.

Life Means So Much

Every day is a journal page
Every man holds a quill and ink
And there's plenty of room for writing in
All we do and believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessings
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or some random sketching

Teach us to count our days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much

Every day is a bank account
And time is our currency
So nobody's rich, nobody's poor
We get 24 hours each
So how are you gonna spend
Will you invest, or squander
Try to get ahead
Or help someone who's under

Teach us to count our days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much

Has anybody lived who knew the value of a life
And don't you think giving is all
What proves the worth of yours and mine

Teach us to count our days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much

Every day is a gift you've been given
Make the most of the time every minute you're living

Chris Rice

What are you putting in your account today?

I am becoming my Aunt Ruth

My mother has two sisters that are much older than her, my Aunt Shirley and my Aunt Ruth. Now, my family is of Ukrainian desent and my two Aunts both married Polish men. I can't even spell their last names without looking it up. My Aunt Ruth has always been a larger woman. She is your typical Polish Aunt in polyester pants, always trying to feed you something and has a million chachkies around the house. The last time I saw her she was sporting a pretty good beard and had hair growing in other facial regions.

Last night something was bothering me in my ear. My husband shines a flashlight in it and pulls out a 3/4 inch hair.

I might as well order the polyester pants to go with it.

Gunslingers Credited with Lions' Win

I just want to personally take credit for the Lion's win on Sunday. We all know their record. I recently joined a fantasy football league against my better judgement. Not because there's anything wrong with them. It's just that anyone who knows me, knows that I'm the wrong guy to be joining a fantasy football league. Anyway, it is only because they were playing against my quarterback, Brett Favre - whom I picked precisely because he was playing the lions early in the season, that the Lions came away with a decisive win. Just consider this quote from the Lion's website: "The Detroit defense put in a phenomenal performance, holding the Packers to their lowest point total while under the command of 14-year veteran quarterback Brett Favre. The defense finished the contest with three sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions." Need I say more? All I have to say to the Lions is "You can make the check out to Larry Castle." :-)

Impossibly Small Deal

My husband needed a new computer for his ministry work. We are huge Apple fans so we had to go directly to the store to buy a new laptop. It is always fun to go there and see all the workers in their matching shirts with the apple logo busy helping everyone. The girls love to sit on the rubber ball seats and play games. I check out the new stuff for a few minutes, make sure the girls are settled in and safe with their father and then go shopping. It's a good thing all around.

So the guy in the green apple shirt up sells my husband into buying a photo ipod. You get it for only $120 when you purchase a laptop. We are huge picture takers having three girls and all so he goes for it. Yeah! We got such a great deal.

Then today, as I open my browser which is set to the Apple website, I see this:



No wonder they were practically giving the things away with those smirks. They knew what was coming and they could hardly hold it in!

I'm Proud to be an American!

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

One Insane Youth Pastor

My Husband is Crazy. He is a also a Youth Pastor. Those two things seem to go hand in hand. He recently just quit his daily grind job to start his own business. I have never seen him so happy and excited (except for the day he married me). He has a lot of extra time now and a flexible schedule. This leaves time for our family and ministry.

We have taken advantage of this new found freedom by having our youth group kids over a lot. They like to hang out and watch movies or go golfing or bake cookies. So the other night after a church wide activity that ended before 11 p.m., we knew we had to do something. It was the end of the summer. We can't end a party that early. School starts this week. So they all crashed at our house. And they brought a Scary Movie. Now the last scary movie I watched was Nightmare on Elm Street part one. Yes, It has been THAT long. I am a Scaredy Cat. I watched most of The Ring Part two through a blanket or watched the reflection in my fireplace screen. After the screamfest ended I had to drive a couple of the girls home. This was at about 2:30 a.m. And I couldn't take my Husband with me. I must really love those teens.

Back to Crazy Larry. The teen boys weren't ready to end the party so they stayed and I hit the sack. The girls decided to call the boys and try to scare them. What they didn't know was the boys were still at our house with Crazy Larry. (And that cell Phones have caller ID) So the boys, directed by my Husband, go over to the girls house and Larry puts on a dark coat and a blanket over his head and stands outside the girl's window and calls them. He tells them what's going inside their house with a freaky voice. Things like "Look outside your window" and "Those are nice red chairs". The girls get a little scared, but who is really upset is the girl's mom. She wakes up and hears them talking to boys on the phone at 4:30 in the morning and can only assume the worst.

Imagine her surprise when she finds out it's the Youth Pastor.

It's Official!

Our youngest is officially a Kindergartener. She had a great day. She brought home her glue sticks because she couldn't find them in her backpack. She is also officially a blonde.

OOOH! That's Scary!

There are three kinds of people that watch a scary movie:

A. The Scaredy Cat. This person watches the movie under a blanket or behind a pillow. They don't watch the really scary scenes and they scream a lot.

B. The Aggrevator. This person is not scared of the movie and generally talks through the entire show driving the other movie watchers crazy.

C. The Fan. This person truly loves a scary movie and wants to watch it and be scared.

Can you guess which group I fall into?

Something better than Calgon

I just returned from shopping at Wal-mart with four children. You would think that would stressful, but the kids were great. I saw the Calgon and was tempted to buy it. (Larry always tells me not to get to preachy on this blog thing, but sometimes I like to preach at myself so here goes.) I have something stronger than Calgon to take me away. God has written a love letter to me that I can read anytime to take me away. Nothing soothes and calms like the Word of God. Nothing brings you back to reality faster. God is so much bigger and greater than we are. He can take away all the worries and stress if I let Him. He gives me the strength and grace to clean, cook, organize, plan and discipline. Now if I can just remember that I won 't need the Calgon.

I need some Calgon

Ever have a day or week where you feel like you can't keep up with anything? Or you can't do anything right? The Castle household has been in medium level chaos most of the summer. The kids have had a great time playing outside and have forgotten what a chore is. My oldest daughter told me she forgot how to clean. My husband quit his job to begin his own company. We no longer have a paycheck coming in. He assures me this in only temporary. I believe him, but it doesn't help with the waiting. All the neighborhood children are going back to school TOMORROW! I am home schooling the oldest two this year and still haven't decided what to do. I finally got to planning yesterday and my sister-in-law calls with a kid emergency. Today I am babysitting that emergency. We ran out of milk and juice and fruit. The kids have eaten peanut butter and jelly and mac and cheese. And to top it all off my husband got a wisdom tooth pulled yesterday. He was drugged up most of the day.

I don't think even Calgon can help at this point. Unless it would help get the bathtub clean.

Paint the town . . .

I wish I had thought to take a picture! I don't think you can imagine the redness of the kitchen when I came around the corner to find the little red girl crying as she stood on the red purgo floor in front of the open red refrigerator. I didn't have a mirror handy, but I'd wager that my face turned some shade of red too when I realized what happened.

I also have to say that I deserve the Most Insensitive Dad Award for making such a big deal out of how this wouldn't have happened if she had been paying attention when I said, "just get a glass and I'll help you."

Oh well. No use crying over . . . uugh! Bad analogy. I guess one bright spot is that it gave me a chance to demonstrate what it looks like to humble yourself, admit you were wrong, and ask for forgiveness. I'm always telling the girls to do that. Yesterday I got to model it.

The other bright spot is under the base board of the fridge. :-)

Physics lesson

A six year old child has the ability to spill a pitcher of red Kool-aid to cover every square inch of a refrigerator. This also includes the area under the refrigerator.

It takes three rolls of paper towels to soak up a pitcher of Kool-aid.

We will not be purchasing Kool-aid anymore.

Canada Eh!

My husband and I just returned from a business trip to Winnipeg Canada. Being so close to America there are a lot of similarities, but it is definitely a foreign country. We must have said 50 times "Only in Canada."
We saw these signs all over the city. At first we thought these were just polite warnings. Then later on that night when we heard sirens several times we weren't so sure. We took the signs advice just in case.
This shirt is an example of Canadian humor. Larry liked this one.
Canadian technology at its best.
And where else can you find a Strip and Rip connected to a Howard Johnson's?

Kids!

We took a trip today to a HUGE mall about an hour away. Larry hooked up the laptop so the kids could watch a video while we drove. This makes the time go by so much faster. At this HUGE mall there is a glorified Chuck E. Cheese type place called Jeepers!. They have video games and rides and even a small roller coaster. There is also a carousel at the mall and a play area in the food court. We probably make it to the HUGE mall 3 times a year. The girls love going. On the way home I was thinking while we were driving around trying to find the way home about when was the first time I went to a mall. I think I was in seventh grade. My best friend Monica and I spent 10 bucks at the County Seat on matching shirts. We didn't have play areas and roller coasters or video players in the car. We didn't even have air conditioning in one of our cars. Which brings me too my point. My kids are spoiled. I bought them a little something at the Hello Kitty store for a little treat. My oldest kid says "I didn't want that." (Whine and Cry sound effects should be added here. And then Loud Sigh sounds from Mom.) I expected her to thankful that her Mommy thought to get her a small treat. It hit me then that when kids get too many treats they don't appreciate a kind gesture. Nothing is special. It is the expected. It is the norm. It creates a desire for more. What else can I get. I am trying to teach them to be selfless and giving. I didn't realize my giving to them was doing the exact opposite.

An Ironic Evening

It was a beautiful evening last night. My family and I decided to spend it outdoors at Greenfield Village. (Or The Henry Ford as they would like you to call it.) They are having special Saturday nights in the summer where the Village is open until 9 instead of the usual 5 o' clock closing time. They are also having special concerts on the Village Green. You can bring chairs or blankets and sit and listen to a live performance. They have a different group every week. This weeks group was the North Star Gospel Chorale. They were very good. The kids had a great time listening to familiar songs like "What a Friend we have in Jesus" and "God is so Good". They also sang a few Negro Spirituals and Civil War songs. The kids learned a little bit about slavery and expressed shock when we explained it to them. Larry told them about the Underground Railroad and one of them piped up with "They took the Subway?"

After we were sitting there for a while it struck me as ironic that we were listening to music about freedom and equality.

Every one around me was middle or upper class white Americans.

Like you need another hole in your head...

My two girly girls got their ears pierced today. The boyish girl would have nothing to do with it. I told her she could get a pirate tattoo instead. She said no.

How much did you say that would be?

I was just trying to be good mother by taking my children to the library. Of course they checked out a few books, but the big thrill is the free video rental. They also just started stocking DVDs. So usually our trips to the library sound something like this.

"Mom, Can we get a movie?"
"Only one per person. And you have to get some books too."

We then get to the video section and the begging begins.

"Can I get this one and this one?"
"No."

We usually come away with about 26 books and 4 videos. One educational that Mom picks out.

I try to be careful about the due dates for I have been blacklisted by the library in the past.( Another embarrassing story for another day.) The due date on the book I am reading is July 26th. So I assumed wrongly that everything was due on the 26th. What I didn't realize is that videos are 3 DAY rental. Yes, my videos were 23 days overdue. At a dollar a day that's a lotta cash. I didn't realize they were late until I received a notice in the mail on the 26th telling me they were grossly overdue. Yikes! I could have bought that Mary Kate and Ashley Video for what I was going to owe!

So I take my three super cute kids with me to the library to beg for mercy from the library gods. I tell the girls to be good and smile a lot and if need be to start crying if the librarian makes us cough up the dough.

It worked like a charm. My 33 dollar charge was reduced to 6.

I was thinking about how much more we owe to God. He paid my entire debt. He shows us mercy every day. I was so grateful to the librarian for the small amount of mercy she showed me. How thankful am I to God? And do I show that mercy to others? To my children?

Captain Claire

Ahoy there!

She did it!

This week my baby girl learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. She woke up the next day and the first thing she did was run outside and ride her bike. She then ran back inside and excitedly let me know that she still knew how to ride a bike. Maybe she thought she was dreaming. We can go on family bike rides now that all three of the girls can ride. I have fond memories of my family going on bike rides around the streets in Wyandotte. We used to ride all the way down to Bishop Park and get ice cream at Stroh's and sit by the river and watch the boats. Great memories.
Now we just need bikes.

11 years today

The man still has it after all these years. My husband is a Tony Hawk wannabe. We met and had our first date in ninth grade. That was 17 or 18 years ago. He is still my best friend and the nicest person anyone has ever met. I must hear at least once a month or week that he does not have a mean bone in his body. That's mostly true. Happy Anniversary Honey!

We Got Wonked!

It seems like I have been visited by the poor-customer-service fairy quite a bit lately. And I should say that I consider myself a very forgiving patron. I’ve worked on the customer service side of retail for nearly 11 years, not counting the time I spent working for my dad’s business when I was young. I understand all the factors that can contribute to a less-than-stellar experience for a customer and that often those factors can be out of your control. Keep that in mind as you read the rest of this complaint.

We took our children to see the new movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last night. I realize that I evidence my inexperience with movie-going when I admit that I took my family to see a movie on a Friday night. I think the whole city was there it was so packed with people. Nevertheless, I plunked down my $35 for two adults and three children to watch the movie. About halfway through, just as they were entering the chocolate factory, the sound for the movie went silent. People started yelling, “Turn the sound back on!” After a minute the sound returned. Long story short: after four more outages in the next ten minutes, we got up and left.

We stopped at the ticket office to get a refund, which they granted- no questions asked. But as we drove off, children crying out of frustration and disappointment, I thought to myself that the movie theater missed a great opportunity to shine. Problems happen. There was probably nothing they could’ve done to prevent what happened. But it did. They refunded our money, what more could we ask? They couldn’t refund our time, could they? True enough. I think what bugged me the most is that they didn’t even acknowledge that our time had been wasted. No one said, “We’re sorry for the inconvenience” or “We’re so sorry for this bad experience you’ve had at our theater.” Really the words alone would’ve made an impression. Imagine if they had done something like give us a free snack voucher for our return visit to see the movie again. A simple gesture involving a free helping of over-priced popcorn would’ve really set them apart as a place that has good service. Imagine that, the bad experience becomes a chance to show off your good service!

Okay, sermon’s over. I just had to get that off my chest. I should also say that it gave us a chance to help our girls learn to deal with disappointment in light of God’s sovereignty. As we talked with them about that, one of the girls even said, “Yeah, maybe there was something in the movie that was bad and God didn’t want us to see it.” :-) We assured her that we looked up the movie ahead of time and wouldn’t have taken her to see it if there was anything bad in it, but at least she was getting that God has His own reason’s for what He allows and it involves His glory and our good.

So, that’s how we got Wonked. Maybe we’ll try again next week (not weekend) to see the movie with sound. We’ll probably even go to the same place to see it . . . which is, I guess, why the theater didn’t feel any compelling need to wow us with their service.

Humble Pie

Well, so much for my boycott of the lower huron metro park. Some of you have heard my story about getting denied golfing privileges at the Lower Huron Metro park's Par 3 course because my youngest daughter who is 4 years old (she turns 5 in early September) is too young to be allowed on the course. I was so disappointed and frustrated with the service we received that day from the annual pass purchase experience at the gate to the being punished for telling the truth at the course. So i decided I would not be going back. Well, today two guys from my youth group and my middle daughter and I are going to golf there. What can I say, the price is right and the course is short! I guess I have to admit that it wasn't a big enough deal to launch an all-out boycott of the metro park. I still don't think it was very nice though.

Community at Community

Well, tonight we resumed our Sunday night Community Groups after a four week break during the holidays and special meetings. It was really nice to gather together with our friends for fellowship, Bible study, discussion, and prayer after the long break.

There are so many things about worshipping and serving at Community that I love. But I was reminded tonight how much I value our group's time together on Sunday nights. I cannot imagine another way to develop the intimacy with my brothers and sisters in the Lord to the degree we have without these groups. It is just after 11:30 p.m. and the last few people just left. If you told me four years ago that I would go to a church where we would welcome 24 people (half of which are children) into our house each week who would stay 'til 11 p.m. or so and that when they left, we would be sad to see them go, I would have thought you were crazy! But here I sit, thinking about the great time we had tonight around God's Word and the joy we have as a result. Incidentally, that is what the lesson was about tonight - Nehemiah 8: Joy.

I think the community group is the missing link in many churches like ours. I'm thankful to have built into the structure of our church life a weekly opportunity to BE the body of Christ. It's part of the formula that puts the Community in Community Baptist Church!

Class of 1990 Reunion Picnic

It was really nice getting together yesterday with friends from highschool. We talked about old times and caught up with what's going on in each other's live today. We even cracked open some old yearbooks for a few minutes. Even though only a few classmates were able to make it, it was a good time. We're hoping to have another gathering in the fall. It will be nice to see everyone again.

At the tone the time will be...

Claire got a new watch from Target yesterday. We now have a talking clock in our house that announces the time every 4 minutes. Aren't we lucky.

Hard workers

Happy Birthday Jared Banks! It is our friend Jared's 5th birthday today. We are all going to the Build-a-Bear Factory to celebrate. The girls have been working hard all week to earn something to buy. I have been very impressed with their working ablities. They unload the dishwasher, sweep the floors, make their beds and set the table. I have just given them a few jobs every month. Next month I think I'll try for cleaning the bathroom. I think the key to my chore list success is to keep it simple. I'll keep adding jobs as they get older and pretty soon I can just sit and direct:) I don't see that happening any time soon.

Think Spring!

It snowed 2 inches today. So much for Spring. The girls are terribly confused. "I thought you said it was Spring Mommy?" was heard in the house several times today. My father had the nerve to call from Florida and complain that it was raining.

Gertrude is nice too.

My 4 year old daughter told me yesterday that Mabel is a very pretty name. My poor grandchildren.

Organization is the key!

Our family spent this last weekend organizing the girl's rooms. We removed the lower slats on the bunk beds and moved the double bed underneath the new "loft" bunk. The girls think it is great. (See the pictures on the homepage.) Then the real challange came. We had to move all the toys into Emma's old room and they were all over. The girls never want to clean up because it's too hard. They usually end up shoving stuff here and there. Not anymore! They now have labeled drawers for everything! They even have a drawer with their name on it in case they don't know where to put an item. So far it has worked great. They got a ton of toys out yesterday and cleaned it up themselves without the crying and gnashing of teeth. The main reason we arranged the rooms like this was to get a schoolroom. We now have a place to work and hang things up. Maybe this will inspire us to do school even more!

G5

We have a new computer! The second after we finished filing our tax returns my husband had to buy a new computer. He says it is for me. He tried to surprise me and have it delivered without my knowing, but I'm just too snoopy. So we now have a huge 20 inch monitor sitting on our desk. And I'm afraid I absolutely love it! It is 10 times faster than our old Imac. I can have more than one program open at a time and I can burn CD's and DVD's.

He has finally succeeded. I am a computer geek!