Jordan Rippy

This is a hilarious video of my wife, Kristin, Wii boxing. Watch the whole thing.

As many of you know, I used to be extremely anti-coffee. Then Kristin started working at Starbucks. Ever since she started working there drinking a grande caramel frappuccino (double blended) has become part of my daily diet. Fellow Starbucker’s will know that the frappuccino’s are topped with a luscious homemade whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel. One of my favorite parts of drinking the beverage is when it gets toward the bottom and I begin to get some whip in the straw along with the frap. So the other day I came up with a new term slash way to drink fraps.

As you know, Starbucks has a language of it’s own. I believe I should be able to follow up my drink order with the term “layer it!” That means I want an extra layer of whip half way through. Not following me? I took the liberty of drawing a diagram. Also, I think I should mention that Kristin doesn’t think this is a good idea. What do you think?

Here’s the new and improved “Grande caramel frappuccino, double blended, layer it!”

Usually my weekend begins on Saturday night around 10pm. About that time we’ve wrapped up service, packed up, and the band is on their way to Chilli’s for some queso dip and bottomless chips. This weekend’s a bit different.

• Friday - 6pm-9pm Set-up and practice

• Saturday - 4:30pm Soundcheck / 7pm service

• Sunday Morning - 8am soundcheck at Greenway Church in Orlando / Two services at Greenway.

• Sunday Night - 5:30pm soundcheck at Access in Lakeland. 6:30pm service.

Last week Kristin and I watched High School Musical per the recommendation of a friend…then we watched High School Musical 2 on our own accord. I just thought you should know.

I’m always searching for ways to do everyday tasks in a more efficient manner. Thought I’d share my top 10 resources that I use or check regularly to increase productivity. Hope some of these are helpful.

1. Inbox Heaven - This is a must read post for anyone who uses e-mail on a daily basis. It’s especially useful if you’re juggling more than one e-mail address. I have two church addresses, a personal address, and a booking address and this system has greatly increased my e-mail functionality.
2. Happiness and the End of the Working Week - A great post about rewarding output rather than hours. This post explores the advantages of working from home and paying per idea. Very interesting stuff.
3. Mint - This is a free online personal finance system that works great. You can set up your budget and then track your expenditures. Mint will even send you a text message if you are cutting it close in any area of your budget.
4. Google Calendar - Fantastic. Use it.
5. Seth Godin - His blog is a great resource for management, productivity, and marketing information.
6. Lifehacker - This site can be fairly random, but it has some great tips for “getting things done”.
7. Put Things Off - This blog gives great practical insight into the world of productivity. They also hae a great “creativity should be free” section that lists free software for things like photo and video editing, word processing, and designing.
8. Structured Procrastination - Story of my life. On this site professor and author John Perry explores “life choices” that are generally seen as faults in a positive light.
9. 43 Folders - Named for the 43 folder “Tickler File” system outlined in the book Getting Things Done, this blog gives great insight into productivity and efficiency.
10. Zen Habits - A great site for productivity, finances, and family.

While Misty and Nick were here we hit up The Old Salty Dog. It’s a favorite among the locals. Old Salty Dog is right on the beach and serves BBQ, burgers, and hot dogs. Their special is The Salty Dog which is a 1/4 lb. hot dog that’s been beer-battered and deep fried. In other words, the geniuses at Old Salty Dog found a way to take a food already known for it’s unhealthy characteristics and make it even more unhealthy. Way to go guys! After taste-testing The Salty Dog I decided to go with something a little healthier…a 1/4 lb. original hot dog.

Many of you know that Kristin and I recently moved to a new condo here in Sarasota. You can check out pictures of the new place here. Anyway, our friends Misty and Nick came over for the weekend and as our first non-family guests they set a pretty important standard. They brought a house warming gift. These colored vases fit in great with the decor and they look great on our table. So, for all of you who are beating down the door to stay at our new place…Respect the standard.

Last night This morning Kristin and I went to see the 12:01am showing of The Dark Knight with our friend Chris. It was unbelievable. I wish every movie was that good. We got in the theater over an hour and a half early and there were already a lot of people. Lots of Joker faces and Batman T-shirts! When the credits started everyone cheered and then it got so quiet. I have never heard a movie theater so quiet in my life.

10:35pm - Waiting

I’ve been test driving it for a couple of weeks now, but I’m officially letting you know that I am on Twitter. So, if you actually care about what I am doing at this very second, go check it out.

Pastor Brian is out of town for a couple of weeks and I filled the preaching slot last Saturday night. I spoke out of Genesis 12 and 13 about Abram’s faith journey. It was a great night. I love mixing it up and doing something different. I was able to pray with tons of people and have some great conversations about God’s call on their lives.

The most memorable part of the night had to be a guy named Arthur. I saw him come in and sit in the back. He was in a wheelchair because he was missing a limb. At the end of the message he came forward and said he wanted to pray to rededicate his life to Christ. I asked him how long he felt like it had been since he had a relationship with Jesus. He said it had been 35 years. I asked him what happened 35 years ago that caused him to walk away. He lifted up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo that said “USAF”. I said, “The horrible things that you’ve seen in war caused you to question how their could be a God who would allow them.” He said, “I watched my wife and son get blown up in the Vietnam War.” Then he said that he knew God still had a plan for his life. We prayed. As he left he said, “I’ll see you next week.”

Pic’s from my friend’s iPhone