We had a great time yesterday. It was just an all-around good day for me (and for Andrea as well). We wound up opting to take the whole family out to eat last night instead of getting a sitter & Andrea & I going it alone. A & I got to spend some time together a couple of weeks ago & we had counted that as our unofficial anniversary celebration. We went to eat at Johnny Carino's (Rich & Cheryl we lied - it's not Johnny Carabba's). Had a good time. Kids behaved decently given that they rarely get to go out to a nice restaurant to eat.

Coming up with an eating location was no small task, though. One good thing about living in a small town was that there were very few choices. We were joking last night saying that had we still be in Coffeyville we would have probably said, "Well we ate at Tavern on the Plaza last year, looks like it's El Pueblito this year." Ha! Anyway, we wound up going to somewhere we have been before (when we celebrated my birthday 5-6 weeks ago). Great food!

Well, wouldn't you know it. The morning I send everyone an email saying that Bloglet wasn't working right this week I login & things are working! I guess I shouldn't complain. Anyhow, if you have signed up to receive email updates from this site (via the "Subscribe" link to the left) you should start receiving updates again on Saturday morning.

Had a great lunch today. Great because of the location (mmmm ... Spinach Artichoke Pasta from Zio's) & great because of the company. Jeremie introduced me to Brad Kilman, a friend of his. He said we had some common interests & stories & that we should get together for lunch - which we did today. I had a great time just getting to know him. Brad is one of the worship leaders at Bridgeway. He has been a part of the church since the early days when it was a small group called "The Group" (appropriately enough) meeting in someone's home on Saturday nights. It was in those early years, while Brad was still in college, that Charlie Hall asked him to begin helping lead worship. He continued to do so through the transformation into Edmond Christian Fellowship & eventually Bridgeway. As a member of the worship rotation he leads about once a month. He has also been leading worship for the youth community on Wednesday nights for about eight or nine months.

Great guy - share a lot of common interests & job similarities. He just released a new CD at the behest of some of his friends at Bridgeway. I grabbed a copy after lunch & have been listening to it this afternoon. It is fantastic! I love it because I think it really captures the spirit of worship that we feel at Bridgeway. Many of the songs are already familiar to me as we have sung them in the short time we have been here already. You can grab a copy at www.bradkilman.com. There's not much there right now (besides a link to buy the CD), but he plans to put more info on the web site in the near future. If you have an extra $15 and have been longing for some new music I'd highly recommend "Clouds Are Forming."

Today is our 9th anniversary & wanted to take a moment to say how wonderful and beautiful of a person I have been blessed to spend the last nine years with. I couldn't imagine my life without her, nor would I want to. I am continually humbled thinking about how blessed I feel knowing that God has brought us together. I can honestly say that I love Andrea more today than I ever have and that our marriage is better than ever. That makes me excited about what the future holds as we walk through this life together! I love you!

Okay - I'll keep this one short. I posted an offer I had heard about last week of a way to get a free iPod. This has been at the top of my wishlist for some time, so I thought I'd check into it (as I normally dismiss these kinds of things right off the bat). After spending about an hour researching it, everything appeared to be legit, so I jumped in & tried it out. I've completed my end of the offer (free AOL trial) & have two referrals out of 5 needed who have also completed theirs. Just three more people & I'll be done! I'm going to post pictures of the process in the next few days just to show people that this is legit.

Click here ("Free iPod") for the complete post from last week with instructions on how to get a free iPod.

Anyway, I read another article today that once again confirms the legitimacy of this offer. Surf over to http://www.gearlive.com/archives/2004/07/freeipodscom_is.html to check it out.

I'm typing this from the floor of our new office space. We just signed a new lease on a little bigger space in the same office complex where Multiply's office have been. It's a good thing they went ahead and gave us keys to the new office (even though we're not officially leasing the space until next week) as the doors to our wing were locked this morning when I got to work. I've been coming in a little early this week to try and get some writing done and this is the first time that I haven't been able to get to our offices. Luckily I've got access to this space and am parked on the floor for another hour or so until someone gets downstairs unlocked.

I'm forcing myself to write this, in a way. I have been overwhelmed with work (self-induced, of course) over the last week or so. Last weekend Andrea went to Grand Lake with some of her girlfriends and I was busy playing with the kids and doing some graphics work (www.avisualplanet.com) when I had the chance. I'm also right in the middle of a 5-week assignment with LifeWay to develop Student EXTRA! online Sunday School supplements for the month of August. If that wasn't enough to keep me busy (which it is) I also have another writing assignment due this week writing devotional material for LifeWay's student devo magazine ec. Once Friday is here & gone I'll finally breath a deep sigh of relief. Until then it seems like every free moment has been devoted to writing for work. I told Andrea last night I have been wanting to post some things here, but haven't felt like I could allow myself to write for pleasure until my work writing was done. Well, I finished a major chunk of work last night & I can't get into my office this morning so this seems to be as good a time as any!

Continue reading "Forced to Write" »

Okay, you can ask everyone who knows me pretty well - I almost never respond to emails that say that you can have "this great one-time deal", etc. - mostly because the majority are not true. Well, I couldn't pass this one up. Check out the following site to earn your way to your own free iPod! This has been at the top of my wishlist for quite awhile.

I've done the research & seems to be the real deal. I haven't read one negative posting about it & have read many of people who have received their iPods already. This is how it works ...

1. Click through this referral link: http://www.freeiPods.com/default.aspx?referer=7202140 to begin (this is my own account)

2. Sign-up for your own account (no purchase necessary) (don't use a Hotmail account - see UPDATE below)

UPDATE: There's been reports that signing up with a Hotmail account will not work correctly as HM will treat any emails from freeipods.com as junk email - meaning you won't be able to complete offers or verify your account. Yahoo offers free email accounts, though, that seem to work just fine. Sign-up for a free email account through them & use this when signing up.

3. Click on one of the fulfillment options ...

I chose the AOL option because you have I think about 50 days to 'try out' AOL before you begin being charged. You have to give credit card information (see UPDATE below) to sign-up for the AOL trial offer, but they do not charge anything until after the trial period is over. This is the same offer that new computer owners get (the little AOL icon pre-installed on their desktop) or if you were to use one of those million CDs you get in the mail. I felt comfortable signing-up for this one because I have signed up for 3-4 AOL trials in the past & had no problem cancelling before the trial cut-off date.

UPDATE: You don't need a credit card to sign-up for the AOL offer. When you get to the "Secure Your Free Trial Now" screen, scroll through the list of payment options & you can choose "Checking." Enter in the routing number & account number from one of your checks & click "Continue." That should do it. They won't charge you anything unless you fail to cancel the free trial before the 45 days are up.

4. Have 5 friends sign-up through your own referral link

These have to actually choose a fulfillment option (like signing up for the AOL free trial) before they are credited to your account.

5. Cancel your AOL trial (or other fulfillment option, if you chose a different one) after you get your iPod in the mail!

That's it ... seems worthy of a try on my part. Again, this seems to be a legit deal. I think they make up for the cost of the iPods from the tens of thousands of bonuses they get from signing people up for these offers. Give it a try!

Been reading more - actually saw screenshots of someone who got the iPod, so it is for sure legit.

I've got to watch myself sometimes. I think I can get so overwhelmed with feelings of urgency (and the extreme: feelings of apathy) that I neglect things in my life. I find myself this Tuesday morning in need of a check up once again - a reminder of what life is really all about and where my place is in the midst of it all. This blog is one indicator to me, among many others. One on front it is a communications tool, allowing us to keep those within our lives (both near & far) informed about where our life is at the present time. On another front it is a place for me to write - a habit that I want to pursue more and more in my life. And on yet another front it is a spiritual extension of my life.

Continue reading "Another Day …" »

I am married to an incredible woman! As I was driving to work this morning I was overwhelmed with a sense of thankfulness that I somehow wound up with such a person by my side. In the midst of the craziness, the unpredictability, the hardships, the loneliness, the longing-for-stability life that we lead right now I am just thankful that my constant is Andrea.

The boys are going to stay with their Papa & Mimi this weekend and we will have some extra time and attention to give to each other at same time. I think we are planning on going out tomorrow night to celebrate our anniversary early (9 years on the 29th). Not sure what the rest of the weekend will look like. All I know is that I am thankful for the time to get to spend with my wife and I'm completely looking forward to that time.

It's 6:23 am. This is a time that I usually either try to read a little and spend some time focusing on God before the day starts, or I gather things and collect my thoughts on what needs to happen throughout the day. This morning I felt like I needed to write this. Not sure why. I know many of you have been wondering what house church looks like. We haven't been able to answer that much as we, until last night, had not been a part of a house church.

Part of me wanted to write this post just to share a little of how church went last night & what it looks like from the inside. The other part of me woke up this morning with a heavy heart. Not heavy in the sense of sadness, but heavy with thoughts swirling around in my head. Have you ever woke up from a dream and it takes you awhile to realize that your dreamstate is no longer reality? It feels kind of like that, but the thoughts are lingering instead of going away. I dreamed that a huge storm system was coming into the metro area and we were rushing around trying to get our things together to head to Shawnee to escape the storm. Woke up in the midst of the storm and it has felt weird to not hear the rain outside since I have been awake. Not going to try and spiritualize it. If the feeling remains and the dream was supposed to show me something I'm sure God will open my eyes to that later. For now just know I am sitting here in a midly disoriented, just-woke-up, not sure what is going to come out as I type kind of state.

Continue reading "First House Church" »

I took an opportunity this morning to read some more of The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee. I almost like taking a few days in-between reading chapters to be able to process what I've read a little. Nee is such a powerful and practical writer & some of the things he says are so profound to me that they take time to fully wrap my brain around.

Read the chapter this morning on "Walking in the Spirit." I've been looking forward to reading this part of the book as this is a subject that I don't fully understand and arguably don't fully embrace as I should. I almost hesitate to post bits and pieces or summaries of what Nee writes, as I'm sure it loses much of its effectiveness in the process. To get the full effect I'd highly encourage you to read this book when you get a chance. Definitely full of great stuff. Here is what Nee had to say today:

Continue reading "Watchman Nee ‘Thought of the Day’" »

I just got hooked up with one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time ... Skype! Picture instant messaging a friend, but instead of having to type you actually talk back & forth over the Internet. I skyped a friend of mine in Springfield, MO, tonight & I swear it sounded like he was in the same room with me! Definitely better quality than a regular phone! And best of all ... it's free! You can skype anyone who has Skype installed on their computer & who is online. Not sure how the quality/performance would be over dial-up (Jeff & I both have broadband connections). But, hey - if it's free, who cares?!

I've added a "Skype Me" button on the left side of the screen. If you get it installed & want to try it out, go ahead & skype me when we're both online. All you have to do is click the button!

After a nice relaxing weekend things have begun to pick up around the Ediger household. I strained a muscle in my back on Friday & lived with pain for a few days. Started feeling better yesterday, but still recovering from the toll on my body over the weekend. We 'hung out' with the fam this weekend ... watched movies, swam in the pool, played with the kids, etc. It was nice to take a slower pace for a few days.

Josiah (& possibly Micah) begin swimming lessons this morning. They'll be going for about 45 minutes to the Aquatic Center in Edmond for two weeks. Josiah is really looking forward to it. Micah is not too sure what to think. Tonight is the last night this week that we don't have anything planned. I've got to make a lot of headway writing some curriculum for LifeWay, but other than that we don't have anything going on. Tomorrow night we will go to house church for the evening (6-9 or 10p). Thursday Andrea is taking me to Falls Creek for a night to experience it for the first time. She has been wanting to do this for years, but hasn't had the opportunity until now. Our friends Mark & Trish have their youth there this week, so we will hang out with them & attend the evening worship service together. Friday we are meeting my Dad & Cheryl in Tulsa to exchange the boys for the weekend. They will be spending some time on the Ediger farm & then meeting back up with us on Sunday afternoon.

Not much else beyond that happening with the Edigers this week. Just life as usual.

Speaking of The Bourne Identity, the new film with Matt Damon ... Andrea just saw on the news this morning that Damon & Producer Frank Marshall will be in OKC for a private screening of the film this next Sunday. Not that we are invited or could afford a ticket, but still pretty cool! From The Matt Damon Column website ...

Ads hit the Ediger home a little less than the normal household because we rarely watch TV live anymore. TiVo gives us the ability to fast-forward through the commercials & we only rarely stop to watch one. This is great when you have young children as our kids hardly ever say "I want __________, mom/dad" since they aren't bombarded by commercials left & right.

Well, I have to admit that today I was snared by two different Internet ads. I can hardly remember the last time I clicked through an Internet ad, let alone two of them on the same day, but it happened today. The ads were for a new TV show premiering Sunday night & a new movie hitting theatres in a couple of weeks. Did they work (the ads, that is)? You bet! I'm setting up the TiVo to record "The 4400" on USA this Sunday night & there's now a new movie on my 'To See' list - "The Bourne Supremacy" with Matt Damon. Oh well, I guess we can't escape the ads all the time!

Josiah lost his first tooth tonight! It seems like it has been wanting to come out for more than a month now - slowly getting looser & looser as his first adult tooth has been making its way in. Tonight we worked on it a little more & all of a sudden it was out! He was so excited as he has been looking forward to this day for awhile now! We put the tooth in a ziploc bag so that the tooth fairy wouldn't lose it & he quickly put it under his pillow awaiting his prize in the morning! Too much fun & a little relief for mom & dad as it came out with little effort or pain.

Micah learned how to jump on one foot today as well. Big news all around!

We had a time trying to get everyone some time on the video camera & a decent shot or two for the web site.

Micah was hopping all around the room! We finally got the shots we needed, though & both boys went happily to sleep (or at least to bed).

We just got back about an hour ago from our 4th of July trip to Independence. It was nice to see my Dad & Cheryl again & get to stay in their new house for the first time! We left Sunday morning & rolled up to the house around 2:00p or so. Spent the afternoon hanging out. The boys played throughout the house & outside (even though it was extremely hot) with their cousins. I helped my dad get his home theater system fully installed & mounted the speakers on the wall to finish things up.

Continue reading "Our 4th of July …" »

Took my work camera to Independence with me this weekend to try and get used to using it a little. I've been playing around with it for several days now & noticed it had a "Fireworks" setting on it that was supposed to help you take great shots of a fireworks display. Decided to try it out at our annual Ediger family festivities at my Dad's house. You can check out the results (at least the pictures that turned out halfway decent) in the gallery. I honestly have not been trying to have some deep & profound "thought of the every-other-day" thing going on here, so forgive me if a delve in a little deeper to some thoughts I had this morning (I promise I won't do this everyday) ...

Continue reading "Settling …" »

I just got through meeting with a Christian brother of mine. It's strange (maybe it shouldn't be), but everytime I get together with him I leave feeling better about myself. Do you know anyone like that? Someone that lifts your spirits, sets your shoulders straight, and re-energizes you spiritually? If you don't, you need to find someone that you can have that kind of relationship with. I have been feeling bad all day. The lack of sleep, beginning last weekend & lasting all the way through last night, has been wearing down on me. I literally drug myself out of bed this morning & had the hardest time waking up. I have been tired all day, my neck and head have been aching, my throat is scratchy, and the list goes on & on. Yet, I get together with a spiritual brother & I feel different. I think there is something to this ...

Continue reading "Spiritual Family" »

Been hearing a lot about "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore's newest pseudo-documentary - from news stories, commercials, tv shows, emails ... you name it. I honestly don't care either way about the film. I don't have anything against the film or Michael Moore personally. I do think as a filmmaker he does a great job of putting together films that support his opinion. But that's just it - it's his opinion.

Continue reading "All About Michael Moore" »