Back to the Beginning....

For those of you who didn’t know, Jordan is taking masters classes through IWU's new Online Masters of Divinity program! So he will be working hard for the next 3 years while he is in Seminary!!! This created an opportunity to come back to Indiana Wesleyan for a week...back to the beginning of our lives together. As our friend Chris Mieksell puts it...where the magic happened. Jordan has classes from 8:30 am- 5:00pm! Talk about a rough schedule. My schedule is quite easy and quite relaxing though. :) I have gotten up with him, taken him to school, and then I go work out for 2 hours at the Rec. I have spent the rest of my days reading by the fire place at McConn Coffee Shop. This is where I spent countless hours studying and reading for my 4 years at IWU.

So nestled in my comfy fire side chair with a nice raspberry white mocha I found myself completing my first book of the week. The Five Love Languages written by Gary Chapmen. I was given this book as a gift from Jennifer Lee who was my prayer partner at The OAKS Camp! She is an incredible woman, mother, and wife!!! She gave me this book knowing the Lord would use it in my life as I am finding out how I can better love others and how I can be filled with love more!
So getting back to the beginning of things seems to be the theme for the last few days....the author talks about how there is this "falling in love experience" at the beginning of marriage and for most couples it dies out within 2 years. I am wondering if this is the reason Jordan and I have heard so many complaints about marriage. You probably know all the jokes if you have been married or are engaged...you might even say these kinds of things!
ex. "You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into."

"You have only ____ days of freedom left!" (If you’re engaged)

"The ball and chains joke" (I never really caught on to that one)

There are so many more jokes that we have heard that are so awful. Most people might take these lightly and brush them off and hope that they will never feel that way or that it is just normal for life to take that direction. The people who tell the jokes may often end with a...."I'm just playing with you" but to tell you the truth, I doubt they really are "just playing." But maybe these jokes are told because for so many married couples their love has seemed to "die down" and that crazy in-love obsession that they once had has turned into a constant struggle to get back to how they once felt about each other. I wonder if they even know how to try to mend things the right way...the unselfish way! "Love is not about you, its a choice to love. That choice may involve something you hate to do!"

Jordan and I have talked to one another about how we can never let our love for each other get to a point of disappointment and let that fire burn out. Here is the most important lesson I got out of this book...

"We can recognize the falling in-love experience for what it was--a temporary emotional high--and now pursue "real love" with our spouse. That kind of love is emotional in nature but not an obsession. It is a love that unites reason and emotion. It involves an act of the will and requires discipline, and it recognizes the need for personal growth."

To pursue this real love experience for the rest of my life, I have realized it will take effort! Thankfully I read this book now! I have not moved out of that "in-love" obsession yet and have in no way close to letting the fire burn out...but I am happy that I now understand why I see so many unhappy marriages and have gained tools for preventing destruction from happening. I truly believe that this book could revolutionize your marriage or prepare you for a marriage full of "real love". The 5 Love Languages is in my top 10 favorite books, I challange anyone who wants to know how to love better to read this book!!!!

KRG

Top 10 Junk Food Obsessions

I will be the second to tell you (my wife will be the first) that I am a sucker for junk food.  When it comes to junk food i am a simple man...  I like it sweet and sugary.  Christmas is one time of the year when I go absolutely nuts on an assortment of tasty treats, often leading to sleepless nights and tooth aches.  So in light of this candy eating season I have created my top ten list of junk food greatness...

10.  Skittles.  A safe choice for adults and children everywhere.  High in sugar and even higher in fruitiness, this timeless candy joins generations by helping everyone get a little taste of the rainbow.

9.  Reese's.  I have never eaten a Reese's and not had an overload of saliva in my mouth.  This mouth watering snack is perfect for that chocolate or peanut butter crave.  And seeing as how there is two in a pack, it is the perfect snack to share with a friend.

8.  Twizzlers.  The perfect name for the perfect snack.  Twizzlers is the type of candy that makes you say "just one more" then realize later that you destroyed an entire bag in 5 minutes.

7.  Almond Joy. This gift from God perfectly combines two of my favorite foods, coconuts and almonds.  Add in the delicious chocolate outer shell and this snack is sure to send your taste buds into orbit.

6.  Jolly Ranchers.  Whether its in sucker form, a jelly bean, a chewable, or regular hard candy it never lets me down.  A great snack to eat in class or church because of its ability to remain quiet makes this snack ideal for on the go circumstances.  Just throw a pack in your book bag or stuff a few in your pocket and you have mouth watering goodness all day long.

5.  Peanut butter cookies.  Anything with peanut butter is good, but these cookies take that peanut butter taste to a new level.  Perfect with a glass of milk and some conversation with family, this treat never disappoints.

4.  German Chocolate Cake.  I'm not a huge fan of chocolate cake but there is something about the icing that makes this cake great.  Add a glass of cold milk sit back and feel your stomach begin to grow.

3. Twix.  A cookie bar with both caramel and chocolate goodness.  This junk food is smooth and creamy as well as rich and chewy at the same time.

2.  Starbursts.  I usually hate the color pink, but not when it comes to starbursts.  With many different assortments of flavors to choose from there is a color for everyone.  Warning: Extremely Chewy!

And finally, the best junk food snack of all time...

1.  No Bake Cookies.  If God was hungry this is what he would breathe into existence.  With oats, peanut butter and cocoa this snack delivers every time.  Sit down with a gigantic glass of milk and enjoy an entire batch...don't worry, they are good for you too (ok I might have lied about that, but who cares, the taste is worth every pound.)

You may not agree with my list, but you have to agree with one thing...Junk food is good.
What is your favorite junk food?

JG

Dearly Loved

  Last night I was reminded of God's love and joy that comes from being in ministry. Especially youth ministry! We had our practice of the Christmas service, made some fun videos, worked on skits, and all that good stuff. Just being filled with Christams spirit puts a huge smile on my face! But what touched me last night happened on the car ride home. Jordan and I pieck up Dalton, Andrew, and Alischa for every chruch and youth event! They love coming to church and have come so far in their faith. Dalton had told me he wanted to sing "Dearly Loved" by Jimmy Needham in church sometime. Honestly I just laughed...it was a great thought but I had no clue he was serious, even liked his music and could even sing at all. So I told him he had to sing to me in the car so I could hear his voice. Jordan and I pray over this kids life, that God will set a spark in his heart. So to hear this boy without hesitation sing a song so beautiful and with words so true made my heart sing with Joy! The words say..."Dont you know that you are, dearly loved."

 As he sang, his brother and  sister began to sing as well. All 3 of them have wonderful voices and as they were singing I could not hold back the tears. I looked back and saw something in each of their faces. I saw 3 kids who have just begun their journey walking with Christ who now know that they are "Dearly Loved." We ask God for a spark but last night I saw a flame! My heart is filled with Joy! I pray that you watch people...if you have kids or hear anyone talk about God, soften your heart and be alert because knowing that a child knows our maker can be one of the sweetest blessings we can receive and you don't want to miss out on that!

Listen to this song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3IdRkylxaI


"Please lay down your arrows
For they're sure to pierce the skin
And water from a broken well
Will make you thirst again
When all things you've acquired
Are tested by the flames
And you can see them melting
Then will you call his name

It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved

To the slaughters you are being led
Being told that it's a party
That this God is in your head
And every single lie
Sounds just like the greatest truth
But the one truth you're not hearing
Is that he died for you

No greater joy
No greater peace
No greater love than this

It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved "

KG

"Conversations with God"

There is a book out that in recent weeks has been on the top of the New York Times bestseller list. It is there not because of its title which contains "God" in it, but probably because it is backed and pushed by Oprah. In this book there is a series of questions each followed by an answer that more often than not has nothing to do with Biblical truth. For example, one question asks about God's forgiveness of sin, to which the author replies that there is nothing to forgive because there is no such thing as absolute truth. Another question asks "Why am I a lesbian?" to which the author answers she was born that way (just as if she was born right handed or with brown eyes. The author also says she should go out and "celebrate" her differences. Another question is about a couple living together before marriage. The authors answer is that they have sinned against no one because they have done nothing wrong in living together before marriage.

Get the point yet? This book is a straight up attack from the devil. It teaches New Age spirituality and implies there is no sin and that recognizing God only comes from recognizing ourselves. It also teaches that the death of Christ has no meaning and that the Creator and creation come only from your wholeness, sanity, and limitless power. Did I mention it was a New York Times bestseller?

This book is even being sold in schools through the Scholastics Book Club. It is a book that on the outside may look good, but on the inside is filled with lies. This is an extremely dangerous book, both to our faith and to our world. It is the devil's way of getting sinners to justify their actions. Don't fall into this trap. There is only one way to truly obtain Life and that is through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." As Christians, we must be aware of these lies so we don't fall into the trap of the devil. It is sad to hear of books like this polluting the minds of our culture.

Let me know what you think...

JG

The Wild Adventure

Today has been the best day of our honeymoon by far. Since we are both avid outdoor lovers, we decided to take a nature hike in the wild of northern Michigan. So we parked our car and began on our way. As we were walking, no further than 100 feet from our car, this wild pheasant hopped across the trail right in front of us.

Karen being the quick thinker that she is picked up a small stone and flung it at the defenseless creature. It then flew away in a hurry into the clear blue sky.

Not knowing what we were in for during this hike, we nonchalantly continued on our way, until...Karen began screaming because she felt a long, warm, fuzzy thing going up her pants. "Stop it Jordan!" she exclaimed, before realizing it wasn't Jordan at all. She shook her leg and what came crawling out was simply amazing. It was this...

...a baby opossum, and it was scared so Jordan placed him in his coat and we set off to find his family. And we did, they were frantically searching for him only 100 yards away. They were so happy that we returned him to them, they jumped for joy, and Karen happened to have her camera ready...

...our good deed of the day was finished, so hand in hand we continued walking. Our walk was uninterfered for a while until Karen noticed some tracks. They were bigger than both our hands and we couldn't figure out what animal made them...

...but it didn't take long for us to stumble across the source of these tracks. It was a black bear, but not a normal black bear. This black bear was a friendly little bear. He even allowed us to take a picture with him...

We stopped for lunch on down the trail. I was eating a turkey and ham sandwich on wheat bread and Karen was enjoying a delicious tossed salad. Apparently someone else wanted some lunch too. One moment we were enjoying our food and the next we were staring straight into the jaws of death, and it looked like this...

...it was a mountain lion, and he was hungry! We were frozen in our tracks waiting for the beast to make a move. When luckily a distraction happened. Just in the distance there were two moose fighting in the thicket...

...The commotion scared away the mountain lion and we were once again safe. We decided it was getting a little dangerous out, so we turned around and returned to our car. This was definitely the best adventure we have been on yet. The end...

OK so its not true, we just took a tour in a museum with a bunch of fake wild animals. It was actually really entertaining. We learned a lot about animal calls and tracks. But the best part was spending the day as spouses. But that wasn't the only adventure of the day, check out these real pics we took at a place called Elk Park, which is a huge Elk viewing area in north Michigan. These ones are real, we promise...

JG and KG

yahtzee, deer, and bowling

Today has been a day of challenges. It has also been the day of losing. But not for me, for Karen. All day long we have been competing at everything. This morning we played like 2 hours of yahtzee, and we still haven't finished. The final deciding round is waiting for us when we get home. But we got tired of staying cooped up inside so we figured we would get out of the house and compete at something else. Karen decided she wanted to go bowling, which on a normal occasion would have been smart because she usually beats me. On the way to the bowling alley we saw about 5 deer eating apples. We pulled the car up to within about 15 feet of them and they didn't seem to care.
We admired the deer for about 2 minutes then continued on to the bowling alley. Karen was talking smack the whole way with the assurance in her mind that she was going to win. I even let her come up with the rules we were going to play by. She decided to make it best out of three events: highest overall score, most games won, and most strikes bowled. Going into the battle she was so stoked that she would dominate me in at least two of the three categories. However, it did not go the way she planned. Here is our score card. Notice the circles under my name.

So needless to say I came out victorious. Now we are heading back to the house so I can put my finishing touches on our game of yahtzee (which at this point I am ahead by 500 points so I am not too worried.) I would say this day of competitions goes to me, which I have to boast about because it doesn't happen often. Don't tell Karen I said that, it would go straight to her head).

JG

please God send snow. please

Remember how I said the only disappointing part of the honeymoon was the lack of snow? Well last night it snowed so now there is nothing to complain about. The first thing we did when we saw the snow was take pictures in it.
Our cottage is sweet. It is about 20 feet from the lake which makes for an incredible view in the morning. One of those views cut out of a magazine, where the water is motionless and the sun is creeping over the trees. Amazing.

Today has been a great day. Right now we are back in the coffee shop because it is the only place we know that has free wifi. We came into town today and walked down the strip of shops and stores but found nothing worthy enough to buy. Tonight we are going out to dinner then catching a flick at the movie theater. Not sure what movie though.

Today is our third full day of marriage, and it is better than the first and second. I can't imagine how awesome marriage is gonna be after a lifetime if it keeps getting better every day. What a gift. Time to go. I hope it snows more.

JG

honeymooning it up

At this moment I am sitting in "Brothers Coffee Shop" in Gaylord, Michigan with the most beautiful woman in the world, my wife. Ya it's definitely weird to call Karen my wife, but i still find the word continually coming out of my mouth. I can't believe we are finally married. Just over a year ago I met Karen, a few weeks later she became my best friend, a few months after that I fell in love with her, half a year later I asked her to marry me, and now here we are on our honeymoon. Marriage is a surreal feeling, one that can't be described with any amount of words. It must be experienced. I have only been married for one full day and I can already feel a difference in my life.

Our wedding was simply amazing. It was the most stunningly beautiful wedding I have ever been to (of course I am biased). You can see these pictures of Karen on our wedding day but you had to be there to truly witness how gorgeous she was. It's an interesting feeling being in a room with over 300 people and only being able to focus on one of them. I could not take my eyes off of her. Over the past few months I have had many images of her on our wedding day, but they all fell short of how magnificent she looked. Below is the happiest moment of my life, and judging by the look on Karen's face it was hers too.

So now we are on our honeymoon in northern Michigan. It's beautiful up here. We are staying in a cottage on a lake and the view is amazing from the living room. The only disappointment so far is the lack of snow on the ground. I thought that December in north Michigan always meant snow but i guess not. It is nice to just have a whole week off of doing nothing. So far our days have consisted only of games, sleep, and you know what ;)

I feel so close to Karen already, connected in a way that only a few days ago didn't exist. There is a mystifying power in marriage, one that can be felt immediately after the sacred union. It is no longer just Jordan, it is forever Karen and Jordan.

Our honeymoon is amazing, but part of me can't wait to get back to start our real lives with each other. Continue to pray for us as we start our family, the Gardners. Now its time for me to go, Karen wants to go get some cough medicine. We are heading back to the cottage for a nice dinner, some popcorn and a movie, a relaxing fire...and I can't tell you where it will go from there!!