Buy My Home

This summer our family will be moving to Newport News, VA in order to plant a new church. So, we need to sell our home. There are a number of ways that you could help us in this process:

1) Buy my home. This would be great for two reasons. We would sell our home and you would get an great home in a great neighborhood. It's a win-win situation.

2) Tell other people about our home. Maybe you know a friend, family member, or co-worker who is looking for a great house in Anderson, SC.

3) Pray for our home to sell. We are confident that the Lord will make it possible for us to move to Newport News. Ask the Lord to bring the right buyers to us.

A Few Things I Love About the South

1. Sweet tea

2. "Ya'll"

3. Hospitality

4. Cheese Grits (Don't even think about putting sugar in these!)

5. Having total strangers smile and wave at me (especially while driving)

6. Hearing older Southern ladies talk.

7. Fried food (chicken, pickles, Oreo's, etc.)

Midnight Flight

Last Friday night Amy and I (along with others from Redeemer Church) ran in the Midnight Flight. We had a lot of fun running together. Thanks to Josh Hardy (www.joshuaworks.com) for taking these pictures for us.

Name Changes

As many of you know, for the last 2 1/2 years we (Redeemer Church) have been meeting for worship on Sunday's at a hotel on Clemson Blvd across from McDonald's. When we first began meeting for worship at the hotel it was called Ramada Inn. Later, it was renamed Knights Inn. Then, it became simply Inn. Currently, it is a Quality Inn. I wouldn't be surprised if I went to church tomorrow only to find it named something else.

Local vs. Chain

From time to time I like to highlight local businesses in Anderson. I do this in part simply because I enjoy the food or services that they offer, but I also do this in order to encourage others to support local owners and employees. Since my office is in the downtown area of Anderson, I have a lot of opportunities to visit many of the local downtown offerings.

When given the opportunity to choose between local and chain, I most often choose to go local. For example, although I do enjoy Dunkin' Donunts, I prefer the freshly roasted coffee, atmosphere, and service of eCity Java. (Props to my friend Daniel and the others that work there!)

When comparing local vs. chain stores, we often assume that the chain stores drain the life out of local businesses--and this assumption is undoubtably true from time to time. Yet, in his article "In defense of Starbucks," Jonathan Weber suggests that the presence of national chain businesses such as Starbucks, may actually be a good thing. Weber writes:

When a Starbucks opened across the street from our offices in downtown Missoula, Mont., a few years ago, a lot of people in this liberal college town were not too pleased. The national behemoth would squeeze the local coffee shops, critics said, and contribute to the homogenization of Missoula....

....As the founder and publisher of NewWest.Net, whose largest competitor is a multibillion-dollar national newspaper chain, I've always been more than sympathetic to this argument. As a company, and as individuals, we're all about supporting locally owned businesses and the eclectic downtown commercial culture that goes with them.

But earlier this month we learned the Starbucks would be closing; it couldn't compete with the excellent alternatives. And I don't see that as a good thing.

Continue reading the article here.

Rainy Weather

For some people rainy weather is depressing and undesireable. Yet, I really enjoy rainy weather. I love to watch the rain hit the ground and I love to hear the sound it makes on the roof of my house. As I watch and listen to the rain now, I am reminded of God's provision--the way that He refreshes the earth and makes all things grow and thrive.

Davis' Downtown Market

Recently, a local newspaper ran a story about supporting local businesses. Well, I certainly want to contribute to the growth of Anderson, so during my lunch break my family and I decided to stop by one of the newer businesses in downtown Anderson: Davis' Downtown Market. The market had a nice variety of offerings: tomatoes, bananas, cookbooks, sauces, ciders, dairy products, meats, baking supplies, snacks, drinks (in glass bottles!), and more. I imagine their offerings will continue to increase as the weather warms and fresh vegetables become more readily available.

Today, I purchased a few tomatoes, a couple of bottles of imitation flavoring (butter and vanilla), and a Dr. Pepper (in a glass bottle!). If you haven't taken an opportunity to visit Davis' Downtown Market, it is located on Main St. across from Bank of America. Support a local business, get to know some new people, and enjoy a few great products.

Strange Smells and Noises

I went into my office this morning in order to work on a sermon. Unfortunately, someone decided that today would be a good day to demolish the road beside my office building. Needless to say, the strange smells and loud noises that filled my office were not very conducive to prayer, study, and reflection.

Thai Spice: Breaking the Curse?

At the corner of Fant St. and Greenville St. there is a little restaurant called Thai Spice. For those who have lived in the Anderson area for a while, you'll probably remember that this building has been the home of numerous restaurants such as Church's Chicken, Pita House, and Phoenix Grill. (I can't recall if any others have come and gone.) When I first noticed that a new restaurant was coming I thought to myself, "That building is cursed. No business ever survives there." Needless to say, I was a bit skeptical when I first saw the sign for Thai Spice. I assumed that it would meet the same sad fate as all the previous restaurants.

A few months ago Amy and I made our first trip to Thai Spice. Although we had heard a number of people talk about how great the food was, we didn't venture to Thai Spice until we were given a $50 gift certificate. Honestly, I was a bit surprised when I walked inside. What had once been a fast food type of setting had now been transformed into something much nicer. New tile, fresh paint, and lovely paintings helped to change the atmosphere. Yet, we were not only impressed by the improved surroundings but also by the food and service. The spring rolls, Pad Thai, and the sauteed broccoli and chicken were all very delicious. The vegetables were fresh and the meats were tender. For drink, Amy had sweet tea and I enjoyed the Thai tea. This drink is a blend of a special tea and cream. It's very sweet and unusual. The tea reminded me of yerba mate.

Since our first night at Thai Spice, Amy and I have enjoyed eating there on numerous occasions. If you haven't been to Thai Spice, I'd encourage you to go for lunch or dinner. I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you don't know what to order I recommend the following: Spring rolls or Crab Ragoon for appetizer; Beef Salad or Pad Thai for the main course; and Thai tea if you don't mind trying something a little different. (They also have a few unique imported beers, plum wine, and the usual drink fare.)

I believe Thai Spice has been around for about a year and it seems to be fairing well in the "cursed building." Maybe Thai Spice has finally broken the curse.

Downtown Anderson

A lot of great changes are taken place in Anderson, particularly in the downtown area. Check out the new website for Downtown Anderson.

The Last Days of the $5 Book Store

The $5 Christian bookstore is closing after December 24, so I went in the other day to see if I could pick up a few more books. I purchased a number of books that looked interesting:

*Lying: An Augustinian Theology of Duplicity by Paul J. Griffiths
*Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments by Randy Alcorn
*Changing the World Through Kindness by Steve Sjogen
*Can Man Live Without God? by Ravi Zacharias

$5 Christian Book Store

The $5 Christian Book Store is back in Anderson until December 31st. Last year it was located in the Anderson Mall, but this year it is beside Mama Penn's. I went there a couple days ago and found a number of great books. They receive new shipments each week, so be sure to stop in often. Also, in addition to the $5 books, they also offer a 50% discount on Bibles and reference books such as commentaries, Bible dictionaries, etc.

Correction (10/14): It has come to my attention that this isn't the same store that was located in the mall. Sorry for the wrong information.

Four Years, Six Moves

In the four years that Amy and I have been married we have already moved five times, and we are preparing to move once again. (We should be packing/moving professionals by now!) Our lease is going to be up at our apartments at the end of this month, and we didn't want to sign up for another year-long lease. So, we are moving to a house here in Anderson. We are really excited because we will once again have a yard that we can use for playing and entertaining.

The house we're moving to has been unoccupied for the last two years, so we spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday cleaning the house and yard. Thankfully, our friends from Redeemer Church have helped us tremendously. Without their help we wouldn't have been able to get everything done. So, I want to extend a big "THANK YOU" to everyone who has assisted us in cleaning, painting, hanging shelves, cutting grass and all the other thing that have taken place. I'll try to post some before/after photographs of the house.

We're planning to move on Wednesday, so pray that we will be able to pack up everything over the next two days. I'll keep you updated.

Peppino's

Since moving to Anderson, our family has eaten at a lot of pizza places: Cici's, Frodo's, Famous, Family, Domino's, Wedgy's, Little Caesar's and Papa John's. Of all of these in Anderson, our favorite has been Famous Pizza with Family Pizza coming in at a close second. Of course, our favorite in the Upstate is Bertolo's Pizza, but after last night Bertolo's will have to share its crown with Peppino's Pizza. The pizza is handtossed and excellent. I enjoyed the pizza so much, I'm eating it for breakfast this morning.

UPDATE (3/13/08) - Strangely enough, this blog post is the number one entry on Google for people searching for Peppino's in Anderson. I assume that most people are looking for the phone number, so I wanted to help out by placing Peppino's phone number here: (864) 224-3650

And as a shameless plug, if you live in Anderson...be sure to come and worship with us at Redeemer Church!

Cheesy Chicken Lips

Last night on the news, a lady was talking about eating "chicken lips" at the Anderson Soiree'. So, when Amy and I went to the festival today we bought a couple. We loved them! So, what are cheesy chicken lips? They are fried egg rolls filled with chicken, Wisconsin cheese, cream cheese, and a cheese sauce. If you're ever in Anderson and you want to try some, give me a call and we'll stop by Rick Tanner's and order a couple of chicken lips. You won't be disappointed.

Missional Eating: Skins' Hotdogs

Ever since my dad introduced me to the wonderful world of Skins' Hotdogs when I was a boy, I've been hooked. So, it was with great pleasure that I was able to take Amy and Alora to eat at Skins' recently. As always, the overall eating experience was great.

For those of you who live in the Anderson area here are a few reasons why you should visit Skins' on a regular basis:

*Meeting Locals. I cannot think of another restaraunt in Anderson that is more well-known or loved by the locals of Anderson than Skins'. If you have a desire to take part missional eating (i.e. eating at local restraunts with the purpose of meeting people, engaging them with the gospel and enjoying good food!), then Skins' should be at the top of your list.

*Simplicity. If you're looking for hamburgers, french fries, or any other fast food besides hotdogs, then Skins is not the place to go (because they don't serve those things!). But if you want the best hotdogs in SC, Skins' should be on the agenda.

*Service. The service we recieved was friendly and fast. I think that we had our food in less than 5 minutes.

My recommendation: 3 hotdogs all-the-way (mustard, chili, and onions), a bag of Golden Flake Chips, a side of pickles, and a Coca-Cola in a glass bottle.

Missional Eating: An Introduction

In almost every town or city, there are certain local restaurants that very well known (and visited) by local patrons. We could call these the staple restaurants of the area. For example, when I was attending North Greenville College (which is now North Greenville University) in Tigerville, SC, the staple restaurant was the Thai and I. Every day at lunch and dinner, the small building was filled with local residents, students, professors, workers, etc. Granted, it was the only restaurant in Tigerville, but the point is that it was a very well known restaurant in the area. I believer that we should seek to find the staple restaurants in our local areas, so that we can meet and engage people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Since moving to Anderson (a.k.a. the Electric City) in order to help plant Redeemer Church, Amy and I have began to make it our practice to try to discover and visit local restaurants in Anderson in order to meet new people. Over the next few months, I hope to be able to blog about our experiences at these restaurants. Hopefully, we will kill two birds with one stone: filling Anderson the good news of Jesus and filling our stomachs with good food.