IFTAR 2011 AT DAILY GRIND BANGSAR!

today buka puasa kt DAILY GRIND again coz nk celebrate BIL nyer befday sama! so this time aku order burger yg kecik skit la drpda sblm ni nyer triple stacker burger tp still portion byk ye.. aku order Japanese Yodel Burger-->burger with juicy medium cook beef,mushroom,and sukun tempura plus ada side which is fries andn salad dressing with pesto sauce..mmg sedap and mengenyangkn. alhamdulillah makan and jalankan ngan hot lemon tea mmg boleh ngam2 je perut aku.

tp sblm bedal burger tu aku bedal nachos with cheese and chicken..TERBAIK dri DAILY GRIND!

this time this is my burger...nmpak je kecik tp masya'allah kenyang giler!

and this is the rest of the food that my family order....

 BIL having CHICKEN MARYLAND..

Nina eating  MEATLOAF

 the kids having A SET OF 3 MINI BURGER 

Ailin aka Yang like this SEAFOOD PIE

Eddie as usual he ordered his favourite SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

and mom trying FISH N CHIPS

overall todays buka puasa sgt puaskan hati....

and little bit picture ya...

 ashraf enjoying his fries..

 and the babies pun dh lupa diri gak...

 oooppsss..ashraf being a monster!!roaarrrr....

mama n ashraf posing over lak..

 the birthday cake.. RVC hokaiiiiiii!this time mmg fresh,moist and not too sweet...

BIL potong cake session...

semua khusyuk with henfon masing2 ye!oiittt adab skit dpn mkn tu...hahahaha

selepas selesai semua acara makan smpai kenyang ni..kaki pun dh berat and perut pun dh buncit!quite affordable gak la mkn kt sini sbb the food was fantastic and the portion tu yg buat kenyang and boleh sharing lagi..

so merapu pun dh x tau lgi stop sampai sini je la ye.. nnti2 smbung!

okthanksbabai..

assalamualaikum

Chapter 84.7: Olympics Fever

Lately, I've been extremely busy. Not just at work, but in my personal life, too. Important things have been back-burnered or tended to in dribs and drabs. I recently completed a piece that I'd only been able to write at random moments — not the way I like to write.

There have been some evenings after I've gotten one of the babies to sleep to find the other one not quite there yet, and I spend another 15-30 minutes trying to get her to sleep too.

And in the background, we've kept the Winter Olympics playing.

I've always enjoyed the winter games. There's something more accessible, more intimate than in the summer games. Indeed, now that there's no baseball in the summer games, I feel even more removed from them. I simply can't relate to men and women who can sprint faster than a stiff breeze. But I've skiied down a hill or two. I've sledded down hills. I've even fallen on my butt while trying to skate. The winter games seem more real to me.

After the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, I feared that something worse might happen and I thought I might avoid the entire games. But my wife tuned into the opening ceremonies, and we've had them running ever since.

I haven't regretted it. Too soon, the games will be over, and I'll be happy to welcome spring training and baseball. But for now, I am enjoying the games as they offer a small sense of greatness in an otherwise stressful winter.

I'm going for gold for the rest of 2010.

Chapter 70.1: Turkey Time!

Ah, Thanksgiving! One of those uniquely American holidays that we should all be thankful for. Not only does it allow most of us to enjoy a four-day weekend, it also focuses on two of my favorite things: family and food. (I'd add football too, because it sounds good with the other "f" sounds, but I'm really a baseball guy.)

This year, my wife and I have gotten a break. For the first time in a few years, we've not volunteered to host Thanksgiving. I'm really glad, too, because work for me was very busy, and with the new kitten, Oreo, we've had a lot more tasks taking up our time than usual.

But enough about me. It's time for us all to go over the river and through the woods to the in-laws' house. Watch some football, drink some beer, eat lots of food, and laugh into the night. Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone! And if you're waking up early to partake in the various Black Friday sales, drive carefully. There are other nutjobs on the road too. Man, what's the deal with all the 4 a.m. store openings this year? That's a different topic...

We Owe It To Our Children

Today I submitted a letter to the editor in the Grants Pass Daily Courier. It's an experiment. Since local citizens openly opine and moralize on their favorite issues, I figured, why not me? Let the conversation with the culture begin.

We Owe It To Our Children

Family restoration is one of the most urgent needs of our day. As the family goes, so goes the nation. The home is the foundation of faith and virtue, and when the family crumbles, the entire structure of society is at risk. Today divorce and dysfunction are so common as to appear normal. Is it any wonder that a nation of broken vows and broken homes has produced so many broken contracts and broken laws and broken lives.

But here’s a note of optimism. It’s never too late for parents to turn their hearts toward home. A spark of conscience may yet ignite the hearts of fathers, and prompt them to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to their families. Men and women may yet devote themselves to honoring their God and their country through faithfulness in marriage and a commitment to train up virtuous sons and daughters.

The prophet Malachi declared God’s promise to “turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest [He] come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction” (Malachi 4:6). Clearly, God is serious about families; and fathers in particular.

Parents, let your marriage and your family be your most important earthly project. Men and women, let your faith in Christ be the uniting focus of your home. Moms and dads, let your career path, your finances, your leisure, every choice you make be consistent with your commitments to lead and guide your children into the next generation. You owe it to your kids. You owe it to your country. You owe it to your God.

Pastor John Sleadd
Coram Deo Church

The Missional, Family-Integrated Church

John Sleadd, November 5, 2007

What does it mean to be a missional, family-integrated church? It means that families are equipped as a team to live a Great Commission lifestyle. As families study the Bible, worship, pray and serve together, they are molded into ambassadors for Christ. Their homes become places of ministry for the Gospel.

Family-integration is not an end, it is a means. It is a method by which we further God’s kingdom through discipleship. A family-integrated church strives to teach sound doctrine to all ages inclusively in order to fulfill the Great Commission. This is wonderfully suited for training new believers and the un-churched as well. The establishment of household embassies, led by disciple-making fathers, creates a missionary network able to minister to people all over a community.

Family-integration is more than establishing a like-minded community of believers. Pastor Mark Driscoll, in his book, Confessions of a Reformission Rev, writes: “Without a clear definition of what a missional church community is and does, tragically, community will become the mission of the church. Consequently, the goal of the people will be to hang out together in love, like the family they never had. While this is not evil, it is also not sufficient. If taken too far, this can lead to the heresy of participatory redemption, in which the goal is to have authentic friendships and a loving community instead of repentance and personal faith in Jesus Christ as the means of salvation.”

Evangelism is the short term work of proclaiming the Gospel to all who will hear. Discipleship is the long term training of those who come to faith by hearing that Gospel. The beauty of a family-integrated model of discipleship is that it carries the work of ministry to the next generation.

Coram Deo is committed to uniting church and home, with a missional purpose, for the benefit of both. We believe God has strategically placed men in the crucial discipling role of leading their families and raising their children in the fear and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). When men recognize the missionary potential resident in their homes, a fuse is lit that leads to a powder keg of ministry, against which the gates of hell cannot prevail.

Coram Deo Church is calling men into the Lord’s service in obedience to the Great Commission. Our goal is to equip ambassadors. May God stir the hearts of men into the glorious service of expanding His kingdom.

Chapter 53.5: A Child's Christmas As a Cat

With all the travel we'll have over the next couple of days, we decided to celebrate Christmas at home this morning. Though the cat usually wakes us up early, he seems to have started to understand Saturday means the humans stay in bed. So he wasn't as concerned as he often is, making sure that I get to my train on time. But he did seem curious about the presents under the tree -- some of which were for him.

I got out of bed around 9 or so and fed him and started some coffee, but his petulant mewing told me he wanted more. So I started to toss mice around. He loves this. It's his time to run and pounce and play. I enjoy it too -- as long as he's not gnawing on my heels. Seeing him zip from room to room, bounce the mice around like a basketball or swat at them like soccer balls makes me long for coaching sports.

Though he's a housecat, Riley loves the great outdoors -- the backyard is as far as we let him roam, and always on a leash. But during the winter (even as mild as this one has begun), he doesn't have the same number of visual stimuli as the spring or summer. Fewer birds, the squirrels are preoccupied, and the grass isn't as tasty as new spring shoots. Once the wife was up and I'd scrambled the eggs, it was time to open the presents -- including those for the cat. I got him a DVD of Swan Lake -- rather swans on a pond. There's birdsong and trilling insects in the background. It will entertain him while my wife works or if we're out for a couple hours -- as will the new mice we gave him and the stuffed cat that mews like it needs to be fed.

So Merry Cat Christmas, Riley. I hope you enjoyed it. Now if you could only learn how to clean your box by yourself.

Chapter 51.4: The Bird

Another turkey come and gone. It was a pleasant day, despite the weather. No turkey bowl, but lots of turkey and several bowls. Now people are leaving. And the holiday season has officially begun. Safe home.

Chapter 51: Turkey Week

The Christmas commercials have begun, the temperature's been in the 60s recently, and the house is undergoing its annual makeover. That's right, it's Thanksgiving time again!

This year isn't any more special than previous years, but it'll be crowded. And not everyone will be in our tiny home in our tiny town. But the basement's ready for bumper pool and beer. If the weather holds up, we'll have a Turkey Bowl ("sponsored" by Bass Ale). And we've eaten enough food from Shop-Rite to qualify for the free frozen turkey.

I'm sure it'll all work out fine, but I'm almost looking forward to getting back to work in a week.