big news!

Danny and I are having our weekly creative/brainstorming meeting at Wallhouse Coffee right now...and the big news is...

COFFEE REFILLS ARE NOW FREE!

Life is good.

uncovering the truth

I hear things from time to time that people are convinced is absolute truth (because they heard it from a "reliable" source). I like to check things out. Here are a few things I've heard recently that I thought I'd give you, my blog readers, the low-down on:

1. It's illegal to drive without shoes on. Not true. I've heard this literally dozens of times. A quick Google search is all you need to dispel this myth. Currently, according to my research, there are no U.S. states that require footwear while driving a car.

2. The average person eats eight spiders a year while sleeping. Not true. Experts tell us that spiders are smart enough to avoid a humid hole which is breathing. They are trying to get their food, they tend to go to the light at night, where insects gather, not to dark wet breathing places such as a mouth. You can all sleep more comfortably now.

3. It's impossible to eat a tablespoon of cinnamon. From what I have seen online (and from my kids experimenting with it themselves), this one seems to be TRUE. Try it for yourself sometime.

4. If you stare at the sun, you could go blind. How many times did you hear that one from your mother? Well, she was right. Direct sunlight can damage the retina--light-sensitive nerve endings in the back of the eye, causing impaired vision or blindness.

5. If you go swimming less than an hour after eating, you could get cramps and drown. Not true. Not once has a drowning death been attributed to "swimming with a full stomach."

6. Eating turkey will make you sleepy. This one is popular around Thanksgiving. It's said that because of the amino acid, tryptophan, you'll likely become very sleepy after a big Thanksgiving meal. It's not true. See, turkey also contains protein, which negates the effects of tryptophan, but we generally don't ingest enough at one sitting to feel it.

Just trying to keep you informed!

blogging from buffalo

I'm blogging from my hotel room in Buffalo right now. We just returned from my cousin's wedding and reception. We had a great time. First-class wedding. Tremendous reception. I ate too much (why do I do that?).

I've got a lot to blog about in the next few days. Here are a few "quick-hit" previews of coming posts:

• It only took us four hours to drive from our house to Buffalo. I honestly didn't know it was that close. We should come here more often.
• My cousin married a really nice guy that works for the Buffalo Bills. It's always great to see family (including my dad and my sister Allison who flew in from Kentucky).
• Speaking of the Bills...the team's QB (Trent Edwards) was in the wedding. Andrew (one of the world's great football freaks) was lovin' it. He got to meet Trent (who was very cool to Andrew). More on that, including pics, in a later post).
• My cousin, Karen, got married at this church: The Chapel at Crosspoint. VERY impressive. I'm hoping we can make it to church there this Sunday.
• We're also disappointed that we're going to miss church at NewPointe this week. Sunday's going to be an absolutely amazing day (including baptisms). I sure hope YOU don't miss it!
• We're going to take the kids to Niagara Falls while where here. I'm looking forward to seeing Andrew's reaction when he sees it (although I'm guessing he'll come home talking more about Trent Edwards than Niagara Falls).

Bed time...I'm out!

weekend miscellany

1. Took the fam to see Prince Caspian last night. The whole Bunn family agrees...five thumbs way up! The movie seemed to get better and better as it progressed. The battle sequences were ridiculously amazing. The special effects...some of the best I've ever seen in any movie. Bottom line: we highly recommend it. There are some "scary" moments in the film (we were wondering about how Andrew might handle them). No problems. Everyone slept well last night (no bad dreams). The theater was packed. We got there early so we could get decent seats (there's nothing worse than having to sit in the front and look straight up to see the movie). It's fun to watch movies when the theater is full. More energy. More excitement. Kinda like going to church at NewPointe.
2. Looks like the weather has walloped the Faster Pastor race again this weekend. I showed up at the speedway yesterday for some practice laps and was informed that the races has been rescheduled for August 9. Oh well...plenty of time to get ready for that one now.
3. Naomi's softball games were supposed to start this week. We had games scheduled for Monday and Friday. Both games were rained out (which is why we were able to go see Narnia last night). I'm coaching Naomi's team. We should be tough. We've got a team full of hitters. If our pitchers can throw strikes (big question mark--it's most of these kids' first year of kid-pitch), we should be okay.
4. We're heading to Buffalo, NY next weekend for my cousin's wedding. We're trying to do it "on the cheap." With gas prices as ridiculous as they are right now, we're re-thinking everything. We've saved some restaurant gift cards for the trip (we even cashed in our Speedy Rewards points for a $50 Applebee's card). So we'll be eating at Applebee's (probably twice). We also cut our nights at the hotel from four to three (another big savings). And really, it's all about the gas prices. It's probably going to cost about $250 just for the gas next weekend.

how do you handle...?

Not too long ago I was driving through New Philadelphia and as got off the interstate, this dude was standing at the red light:

His sign read: DOWN ON LUCK. ANYTHING WILL HELP. GOD BLESS.

Then, Friday night while I was in Vegas, a dude stopped me on the street to ask me if I could spare a few bucks.

What do you do when you encounter people asking for money? Do you ignore them? Avoid them? Give them money? Set stipulations? Buy them food?

What's the appropriate thing to do? What would Jesus do?

an update on "pat"

If you were here Sunday (or watching live online like my brother-in-law and my mom), then you know I brought a friend with me to church--a goldfish named Pat.

Many of you have asked questions about Pat since Sunday, so I thought I'd just give an update here on my blog.

I took Pat home with me after church on Sunday. That afternoon, my kids poured Pat into our fish pond in the back yard. We've added other fish like Pat to our pond from time to time...and they've always done well there.

As I walked by the pond on my way to work today, I noticed that the pond was unusually clear. The sun was shining, and the fish were are very clearly visible (even the black ones that are sometimes hard to see). I looked for Pat. No sign of him/her. I don't know if Pat was just hiding but...I'm worried.

Maybe the other fish didn't take much of a liking to Pat. Maybe it's like going to prison and all the other fish started chanting, "fresh fish, fresh fish..."

Anyway, I'll try to keep you updated on Pat. Is he hiding? Or was all that talk about heaven on Sunday mere foreshadowing for one Pat the Fish?

stuff to keep you in the know...

Exclusive information for the readers of my blog:

• I'm speaking in the big room this weekend. We're continuing the series on heaven. This week: What is heaven like? If you live too far to attend this Sunday, you can watch the services live by clicking here.


• The band is opening the services this Sunday with a great song from Los Lonely Boys. Make sure you're there in plenty of time to hear it.


• I love edamame. I think it's my new favorite vegetable.


• We've been studying the book of Malachi in Aqua over the past few weeks. Man, that dude didn't pull any punches. I recommend reading Malachi (last book in the OT, only four chapters). It'll rock ya.


• My office has been IKEA-ized. IKEA is awesome. A couple of months ago, Kevin started a whole urban renewal thing in his office. Now the rest of us are trying to keep up.


• Bubba Joe reappeared in KidStuf Sunday. He was up to his usual shenanigans. Here's a pic:

overused words and phrases

I'll nominate these:

Git 'r done. Tired.

I'm like... ("and he was like, wait, and I was like go ahead, and everyone was like, well okay then")

Think outside the box. It would give you more credibility to use a different expression, or a different way to describe what you are looking for. " In other words, thinking outside the box is now thinking inside said box. Thinking outside the Bunn, now that, of course, is a different story.

Phone tag. I can absolutely count on the other person referring to phone tag if each of us has had to leave at least one voicemail.

Bling. Ahhhhh!

Any others?

weekend reflections

What a great weekend at NewPointe. Married Life Live was off the hook...this mornings services were great...here are a few tidbits...

• The band was simply amazing at MLL Saturday night. Great opening number (Hot, hot, hot). Jody nailed the Cheap Trick tune...the Bee Gees, Faith Hill...it was all stellar.
• How funny was the "Don't Forget the Lyrics" segment of MLL? How 'bout the dude that tried the Lonestar song? UN-REAL! For those of you that couldn't tell (and not many could), the song was Amazed by Lonestar. Google it.
  
• Dave and Celeste were awesome.
  
• How 'bout the Mentos thing with the diet soda?
  
• The food was dy-no-mite! The chicken was outta this world...and how 'bout that cheesecake?
• It was our biggest MLL ever (over 700 people)...and some say it was the best one so far.
  
• Thanks to all our amazing MLL volunteers who make it happen.
  

• Dave D did a great job Sunday morning. Strong.
• The drama was brilliant. Great job guys!
• What did you all think of the Casting Crowns song Every Man? What a great song...and a great job by the band.

I can't wait till next weekend.

miscillany

Some random thoughts from this weekend:

• I won my fantasy football league. My team (The Sesame Seeds) may be the first team in the history of fantasy football to win a league without making a single roster move. Thank you Tom Brady.
• Took the fam to see National Treasure Book of Secrets today. We're big fans of the National Treasure franchise. The movie was fun. We all gave it a thumbs up. But the previews lasted, count 'em, 25 minutes. No, I'm not exaggerating. 25 minutes.
• Natalie is playing 7th grade basketball. Her team is undefeated so far (something like 10-0). They beat dreaded rival Strasburg this morning in a close one. One of the Strasburg fans got thrown out of the game by an official. What exactly do you have to do to get thrown out of a 7th grade girls basketball game?
• We ate at Shorty Bone'z in Dover tonight. Just for the record, the coney dogs are top notch.
• My injured ankle is getting better every day. The bruising is almost gone and I'm finally able to get around without crutches. Looks like I'm still a good month or so away from playing hoops again though.
• It's always nice to see the Steelers lose.

the upside to injury

Is there an upside? If there is, it's the fact that while I've been laid up, each day I've had at least a couple different friends stop by to check on me, bring me things, and wish me well. That's been the best part by far.

Here are some things I've learned while being immobile the last few days:

• There is NOTHING worth watching on TV during the day.
• There's really no comfortable "elevated leg" position.
• I'll never again take this for granted: being able to go the bathroom any time I want.
• If one fails to shower, one begins to stink.
• I'm not so good with crutches (never been on them before).
• Not being able to do what you want/need to do changes your perspective on things.
• I have a new found compassion for people who suffer from chronic pain.

For those interested, my ankle/foot worse today than any day so far. It's like my whole foot is bruised (black & blue), even my toes! The bruising goes up the inside of my leg almost to my knee. The pain is more bearable but it's still hard to get comfortable. Oh well, I guess that's enough pity-party for now.

just call me scrooge...

...because, believe it or not, I am not a fan of Christmas music. It just wears on me. Same songs, every year, over and over. So...with that thought in mind, I thought I'd go ahead and bring you my top seven least-favorite Christmas songs (in no particular order):

1. The Twelve Days of Christmas. Has a more annoying song ever been written?
2. Little Drummer Boy. Baruppapumpum this.
3. Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. Okay...maybe it was funny the first time I heard it (like when I was eight)...but enough already.
4. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. Ahhhhh!
5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Oh yeah, those are some strong lyrics right there (now bring us some figgy pudding?).
6. Deck the Halls. Don we now our gay apparel?
7. Santa Baby. Yeah, you can go ahead and just hurry back up the chimney with that one.

Bah humbug.

quick hits

Intelligence for your life (stuff worth checking out):

• Several people have asked me for my take on The Golden Compass movie. Cruise on over to Plugged In Online for an interesting article about it.
• Mike's been having some fun with Kevin and Bubba Joe. Check out this post (be prepared).
• Rob Wegner from Granger Community Church shares Ways to Mess Up Your Kid.
• My buddy Benjamin Payne sent me this link to a way you can help fight world hunger that's fun (and won't cost you anything).
• While perusing some old notes from the 2003 Leadership Summit, I came across this quote by Erwin McManus: Courage isn't the absence of fear, it's the absence of self. Chew on that one for a while.
• Click here to see one of my all-time favorite YouTube videos. If this doesn't make you laugh, check your pulse.

thankful

Happy Thanksgiving.

It was just our family at home today...all day. It's been a good day. Turkey, mashed potatoes, pecan pie, pumpkin pie...the works thanks to Jenny Bunn. She rocks. At dinner Naomi asked each of us to share something we're thankful for. I shared...and I'll share some more right here:

• My family. I can't get enough of 'em.
• Jesus. Unbelievable friend and leader.
• A sense of meaning and purpose in my life. As Dwight would say, I've experience success, now God has given me significance. Words can't describe how sweet that feels.
• Good health. I'm pushing 40 and I can still get up and down the basketball court pretty well (can still knock down the 3-ball, too).
• Friends. There's not many things better than sitting down and having a meaningful conversation with people you care about. I got to do that several times this week.

weekend rewind

Tidbits and factoids from this past weekend:

• Natalie played her first 7th grade basketball game. Her team won 36-2. They tell me that they all won't be that easy.
• She also went to her first middle school dance Friday night. Yikes.
• Naomi went with a friend to see High School Musical Live in Cleveland.
• THE BUCKEYES BEAT MICHIGAN Saturday!!!
• The services at NewPointe were awesome yesterday. How often do you see this in church?


• Bubba Joe made an appearance in KidStuf in "The Bubba Joe Kookin' Show."

• I got accosted by a 2nd grader who informed me that I misspelled the word "Cooking." And boy was she unhappy about it.
• Had a great small group meeting last night. I love the people in my group. It's fun to be a part of their spiritual growth.

back from ky

Thanks for your prayers. It was a good trip. Got to spend some time with my family. Celebrated my sister's 33rd birthday with her today. We also celebrated my grandfather's birthday...he turns 89 tomorrow. Here are a few more highlights:

• My brother-in-law gave a great message Friday night about worship. Strong.
• My uncle delivered a strong message last night about wells...it was...deep. :)
• Ate at a great Mexican joint for lunch yesterday. Pretty much had the entire Bunn side of the family take over the restaurant (view the pics here).
• Got to ride my brother Chris's crotch rocket Friday. Very cool.
• Got to pray with my dad at revival Friday night. Very cool also.
• Got to preach to a packed house today (Thanks, Dad, for the opportunity).
• Ate like an idiot all weekend.
• It took us 6.5 to get down there...exactly 5 hours to get back. How's that work?
• It's good to be home.

swiss festival random thoughts

It's Swiss Festival week in Sugarcreek. Here's my take:

• Naomi and two of her fourth-grade friends competed in the Sugarcreek Got Talent contest yesterday. They did a KidStuf song and dance routine...and brought home the 1st runner-up trophy. Very cool.
• Andrew must have ridden the giant fun slide 40 times yesterday. He slept like a rock last night after having climbed all those stairs all day long.
• I've been eating healthy at the Swiss Festival: had my veggies and fruit last night (albeit fried veggies and fruit in the form of an apple dumpling a-la-mode).
• I don't know which name I had to answer to more often this weekend: "John" or "Bubba Joe" (there were a lot of kids at the festival...and apparently a lot of them go to KidStuf).
• Jenny and Naomi just left to walk back down to the festival. Jenny promised to bring me some Lerch's donuts.
• Small town life is good. I love going to events like Swiss Fest and seeing lots of friends, watching their kids have fun, and just chillin' with my fam in a place where we feel welcomed and safe. Life is good.

my gourmet life

On our recent trip to Florida, the airline we flew served us the usual half-can of coke and a snack. The snack on this trip? Nothing less than GOURMET pretzels. Yep, not just any ole pretzels...these were gourmet pretzels. As I examined them and subsequently tasted them, I concluded that they tasted no different from regular ole pretzels that were not of the "gourmet" variety. So the question arose in my, what is it about these particular pretzels that makes them "gourmet?" The only thing I could come up with: they're small. Apparently small translates into gourmet.

I began thinking, if small = gourmet, there are probably a lot of things in my life that are gourmet (or I wish were gourmet). Here's a partial list of each:

Things about my life that are gourmet:

• I live in a gourmet town.
• I drive a gourmet vehicle.
• I lead a gourmet group that meets at my house on Sunday evenings.
• I have a gourmet son named Andrew.
• I have a gourmet wife.

Things that are not gourmet:

• The church I work at is not gourmet.
• I do not have gourmet appetite...consequently my belly is not gourmet.
• My golf scores are typically not gourmet.

What about you? What's gourmet or not-so-gourmet in your life? Can't come up with anything? Maybe you have a gourmet brain. ;)

final vacation thoughts

This is it. Today we head back to the Buckeye state. I plan to be at Aqua tonight (7:00 p.m. in the Warehouse...college/singles...I hope to see you there). Our trip has been nothing short of fantastic. Here are some final thoughts/observations:

• Natalie is very good at miniature golf. She tied my score last night.
• Ben & Jerry have a new rival for our favorite ice cream. It's called Blue Bell. We first discovered it a Carrabba's. They have it shipped in from Texas. Florida supermarkets have it in the frozen food section. The homemade vanilla is unbelievable.
• We're using an airport transportation service to get us to the airport today. Which brings up the question: What's an appropriate tip for the driver? I did some research. The answer: usually about 15% of the invoice plus about a dollar per bag if he helps with them.
• We found a great restaurant last night: Mel's Diner in Cape Coral. No, we didn't see Alice or Flo...and it's much nicer than you're everyday diner. We all give it a huge thumbs-up. And the whole family at for under $30. The kids meals were only $2 and they included drinks and ice cream sundaes. What a deal! And none of the kids were able to finish their entree (generous portions).
• We probably hit six thrift stores over the past two weeks. Sometimes when we're out and we see one, we'll go check it out. We found a great Goodwill store last night. Thrift stores are like huge, organized garage sales. Here are some of our vacation finds: I got two pairs of jeans for $6 each. I got a very nice Ralph Lauren button-down for $4. We found a sweet life vest for Andrew to use at the beach for $5. The kids got knock-off Crocs for $3 a pair. I got several CDs for $4 each including Nora Jones, Fleetwood Mac, and Relient K (brand new...still in wrapper). Natalie got an Ambercrombie corduroy jacket for $3. A boogie board for beach use for $2. GAP jeans for each of the girls for $6 each...just to name a few. If you don't shop thrift stores, I'd be interested in knowing why you don't. We don't always find great finds but it's worth it to us to check things out every once in a while.
• Andrew drove his first go-cart by himself last night. No crashes.
• We finished season three of 24 last night. Somehow we squeezed those in after the kids went to bed in the evenings. Season three was good but man, did it leave a lot of questions unanswered.

That's it for now. See you at Aqua...or Married Life Live...or church this Sunday.

yes, we're still on vacation...

...And we're having a great time. Yesterday we visited a very cool waterpark in Naples. It a fun day, and a nice break from the beach. A couple of the waterslides were the fastest and most intense I've ever been on. One of the slides spits you and your tube right out into the lazy river. Others didn't need tubes, they were long and extremely dark, making it impossible to know what was coming next. Andrew was very content just to hang around in the 'tadpole pool.' The whole family got in for about $45. Good deal. Good day.

Below are pictures of our dining experience at Famous Dave's. The platter you see on the table in front of the fam is called the All-American Feast. A slab of spareribs, a whole chicken, beef brisket, coleslaw, fries, beans, corn bread muffins and corn-on-the-cob. And no, we weren't able to finish it. We took some back to the condo and ate it for lunch the next day.


My mom spent the day with us. She lives about an hour away. We celebrated her birthday Famous Dave-style.

Here's a pic of our most recent sandcastle creation. Have I mentioned that we love the beach? Have I mentioned that we like to build sandcastles?

Yesterday Jenny was telling me how often times, people returning from vacation, say, "We had a great trip but it's good to be home and to get back into the routine." She said, "I don't think I'll be saying that. I've enjoying myself too much on this trip." I'd have to agree. But...you can't stay on vacation forever. I'll be back Tuesday...straight from the airport to Aqua. Then it's Married Life Live on Saturday and GroupLink the following Saturday. I'd love to stay here...but I'm totally stoked about what's happening when we get back.