according to jeff

Faithful readers may recall that I enjoy the Sudoku puzzle game, and often play the Daily Sudoku. However…

Brace yourselves for a shocking announcement.

Sometimes I get stuck.

While Daily Sudoku will “hint” the next move, it doesn’t provide clues describing the “why” behind the next move. This is where Sudoku Solver comes in. Just enter the puzzle and step through the solving steps to find the next logical step that was missed. This solver is not just a solver, but a great learning tool.

My typical Friday includes lunch with my Laridian associates. Today’s choice was the new Cibo Fusion.

Cibo Fusion is positioning itself as a fine dining choice. Located in a former Denny’s building, the interior has been remodeled and spiffed up, erasing all connections to the former Denny’s. The water wall and color scheme provide a nice atmosphere.

My choice today was the Italian Sausage Sandwich — sausage, marinara sauce, and cheese on a bun. It came with my choice of soup, salad or steak fries. Since I’m making healthy choices, I chose the salad with a honey mustard dressing. The sandwich was exactly what you’d expect of an Italian Sausage Sandwich. It didn’t knock my socks off, but was entirely OK. The salad, though, was above average. It was crisp and fresh and just right.

The menu features many unusual pizza choices. One associate ordered the BLT Pizza (I think that’s what it was) and another ordered the Thai Chicken Pizza. These pizzas are identified as 10-inch single serving pizzas, but if these two associates are representative eaters, the pizzas are large enough to share — especially if you share an appetizer or plan on a dessert.

Since there was pizza to spare, I was invited to try a slice of the Thai Chicken Pizza. Since it would have been rude to decline the invitation, I accepted. While I would have expected a Thai Chicken pizza to have been spicy, this was a sweet pizza without any zip. I found the flavors to be very subtle — not overpowering at all. I quite enjoyed the one slice, but think I would have been bored by a whole pizza.

Items on the lunch menu are generally $10 and under, while items on the dinner menu are generally $20 and higher.

Some lessons are hard to learn. You’d think that I’d have learned them by now. I’m sure you know what I mean. For instance, take this lesson:

Man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. [James 1.20 NIV]

That seems pretty clear. Getting angry and ranting and raging doesn’t help me or anyone else live the way that God wants us to live. It doesn’t convince anyone that my opinion is right. It doesn’t engage anyone in thoughtful conversation. It doesn’t make it easier for the Spirit to work in the situation.

Yet, at times I find myself struggling with anger and an angry response to situations. Sometimes I overcome it, but sometimes it overcomes me. Before I know it, I’ve said something in anger. I’ve given some one an ugly look. Arg! Why do I do that? I know from both my faith and from my experience that anger isn’t the right response, but I still keep going down that road more often than I’d like. Like the Apostle Paul, I can write:

I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. [Romans 7:18-19 NIV]

Yes, some lessons are hard to learn.

The good news is that we have a helper who makes it possible for us to learn these lessons, even if they sometimes come slowly.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. [Romans 8:5 NIV]

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. [Romans 8:26 NIV]

It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. [Philippians 2:13 NIV]

And when we fail, we have this promise:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [1 John 1:9 NIV]

Yes, some lessons are hard to learn. But I’m thankful for the opportunity to keep learning and keep trying!

It’s a question of interest to many people: how can I know what God wants me to do? It’s of interest to children, youth and adults alike. We ask questions such as: What college should I attend? What should I study? Should I look for a different job? Should I buy this house? How should I handle this situation? What should I do tonight? Is God even interested?

Christians have traditionally recognized at least four ways that we are guided by God.

1. His Word — the Bible provides a wealth of guidance for how to navigate life. It contains both clear instruction (“thou shalt not commit adultery”) and general principles (“be kind and compassionate”).
2. His Spirit — God’s Spirit can guide us, through prayer and the other means listed here, to understand God’s plan.
3. His People — we can benefit from the advice and wisdom of other believers.
4. His Providence — God can use what are sometimes referred to as the circumstances of life to help us make the best decisions.

In the May 2007 issue of Focus on the Family magazine, Dr. James Dobson was asked the question, “If you can’t always trust what you feel, how can you know what is right?” His reply addressed this question of knowing God’s will. He identified and expanded upon the four guidelines above, and added a fifth — do nothing impulsively. Rather than quote the entire, brief article here, I’ll instead ask you to just click here to read it.

Even with these guidelines, though, we must admit that sometimes it is really hard to go from generalities (such as the instruction to be kind and compassionate) to specific actions and specific attitudes in specific situations. While we certainly need to ask the question — “What would God have me do in this situation?” — I wonder if the more general questions aren’t just as important. Perhaps when we find ourselves questioning God’s will, we should be asking:

1. How am I doing in my reading and study of the Word?
2. How’s my prayer life? Am I talking to God regularly and routinely about the issues of my life?
3. Am I willing to seek, hear, and receive advice from others?
4. Am I watching for God’s work around me?

And perhaps the biggest question of all — am I willing to follow God’s plan once I know it?

Yes, I know it’s not Friday — consider this a bonus!

My typical Monday includes lunch with my pastor. Today’s choice was La Salsita.

While returning home from softball practice this past Saturday, my family noted what appears to be a new restaurant, La Salsita, appearing in front of a small grocery located at 700 First Avenue NW. Since I’m a fan of all kinds of what we call “Mexican food”, I was hoping to try it soon. Today was the day.

La Salsita is a humble establishment, with a small dining area and a photocopied menu. After a brief perusal of the menu, it was clear that it offered some choices not found at our other Mexican restaurants in Cedar Rapids. Additionally, the atmosphere suggested that our order would be taken back into the home attached to the restaurant, and cooked from scratch by a mom or aunt that loves to cook. Whether that impression is true or not, I can’t say. However, the delivery of our salsa and meals only strengthened this impression.

We were served the customary basket of chips — which seemed to be Tostitos Bite Size Gold — and salsa. While the chips seemed off-the-shelf, the salsa definitely was not! The red salsa, which had a tint of orange, was bold and spicy. The green salsa was chunky and mild. This was definitely not the salsa typically served in Cedar Rapids!

I opted to try the Quesadilla Guanajuato — “grilled beef tips, a flour tortilla spread with fried beans, stuffed with cheese and served with guacamole.” It also featured lettuce, onions, tomatoes and lime. The guacamole was creamy and, surprisingly, spicy. The quesadilla itself was great, though I had difficulty deciding whether to eat it like a taco or with a fork. (I opted to try both methods.)

If you’d like to try something different, give La Salsita a try!

In 1999, this Major League Baseball player became the first to hit two grand slams in the same inning. Even more astounding, he hit the grand slams against the same pitcher.

1. Can you name the player?
2. Can you name the teams involved?
3. Can you name the opposing pitcher who gave up both grand slams?
4. Can you do it without using google?

We went last night to see Meet the Robinsons 3D at the Cedar Rapids Galaxy. It was shown in “Disney Digital 3D“, which required a special set of 3D glasses.

The whole 3D thing was pretty cool. Before the movie started, one of the robot characters from the movie instructed us to put on our glasses, at which time the robot did indeed take on a 3D effect. The glasses weren’t the old style red/blue glasses, but instead must use polarization (I suppose) to achieve the effect. Closing one eye results in seeing a flat image, removing the glasses results in seeing a blurry image, but wearing the glasses provided a cool 3D experience. I was at first concerned that it might be overdone and distracting — indeed, there were a few scenes where it took my eyes a moment to focus — however, the movie appearance quickly seemed natural.

Now that we’ve established that the 3D was cool, how was the actual show?

Animation, time travel, talking frogs and Disney provide the ingredients for a great movie (such as The Incredibles), a real bomb, or something in between. In the case of Meet the Robinsons, it worked. The story was entertaining and, yes, sweet. There was enough here for both young kids and their parents to enjoy. I must be getting more sentimental as I grow older, as I find stories such as this (and Monsters, Inc.) touching.

Since we saw the evening show, the experience was a bit costly: $50 including popcorn for a family of four. You might want to wait for the DVD — my guess is that the 3D version will be available on DVD, though you’ll need the extra glasses, of course. However, seeing it on the big screen was fun!

My typical Friday includes lunch with my Laridian associates. Today’s choice was Iowa City’s Jimmy Jack’s Rib Shack.

Located near the corner of First Avenue and Lower Muscatine (the “avenue” and “lower” are critical components of the address, I’m told), Jimmy Jack’s is a 40-minute trip away. However, it is well worth the extra effort. The menu offers various BBQ sandwiches, but the real draw for me is the BBQ ribs, described as “St. Louis style pork ribs, slow smoked to perfection.” Ribs are often rather scrawny things, with more bone than meat. Not so at Jimmy Jack’s, where the meat on the bone is more than ample.

My choice today was the Half Slab and Half Chicken Combo Dinner. You see, I was thinking ahead, and planned to share a bit with my family via left-overs. I enjoyed half of the half slab and half of the half chicken, and brought the rest home with me to enjoy or share later today or tomorrow.

The dinner included baked beans, cole slaw and a generous slice of corn bread. I sampled three sauces: the Four Alarm, the Cowboy, and the Carolina Mustard. All were excellent and enhanced the smoked meat.

Someday I’d like to try the Smoked Italian Sausage, described as “a spicy taste of Italy with provolone cheese and roasted red peppers.” However, I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist the ribs!

Faithful readers may recall that about a year ago, I identified five additional books that I wanted my son to read before he finished his high school career. I’ve found a new book that will make my list of books that I’ll want my daughter to read before she graduates: How To Ruin Your Life by 40.

Written by Steve Farrar (well known in Promise Keepers circles), this book is written for young people transitioning from life-at-home to life-on-their-own — that is, an 18- to 20-year old. The title is catchy — after all, who would want to ruin their life by 40? Mr. Farrar makes the good point, however, that we don’t set out to ruin our lives (the apostle Paul calls it “shipwrecked”), but that the choices that we each make today have consequences tomorrow.

Each chapter begins with a time bomb:

• If you want to ruin your life by forty, then ignore the law of cause and effect.
• If you want to ruin your life by forty, get off to a bad start.
• If you want to ruin your life by forty, never consider God’s purpose for your existence.
• If you want to ruin your life by forty, refuse to take responsibility for your choices.
• If you want to ruin your life by forty, neglect the gifts and strengths that God has put within you.
• If you want to ruin your life by forty, get sexually involved before marriage.
• If you want to ruin your life by forty, ignore God’s directions about marriage.
• If you want to ruin your life by forty, develop a mind-set that isn’t teachable.
• If you want to ruin your life by forty, hide your heart instead of guarding it.
• If you want to ruin your life by forty, refuse to take in your minimum daily requirement of wisdom.

While the time bombs are all stated as a negative, the corresponding chapter focuses on the positive. That is, this book isn’t just a bunch of “don’ts” but is a book of “do’s”. The writing style is both hip and accessible, assertive but not preachy, as Mr. Farrar offers sound advice for young people. It serves as a great review and reminder of the Christian principles that we have previously taught — and it never hurts to hear this same advice, given from another perspective, from another besides mom and dad!

For the past few years, I’ve given Silver Eagle coin as graduation gifts. However, I think that instead of Silver Eagles, I’ll be giving copies of this book this year!

It surprises me that “fewer than 9% of major leaguers last season were black, according to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports.” (Sporting News, 4/16/07, page 34)

It surprises me that two major league teams were reported not to have a single black player on their roster.

A friend recently sent me a link to an article titled Solving the Crisis in Homeschooling. It is written by Reb Bradley — I don’t know anything about him except what I read at his Web site. However, as a Christian, a homeschooling father, and a father with a student now in college and another quickly approaching college, I found this article timely, convicting, and encouraging. Here’s how it starts:

In the last couple of years, I have heard from multitudes of troubled homeschool parents around the country, a good many of whom were leaders. These parents have graduated their first batch of kids, only to discover that their children didn’t turn out the way they thought they would. Many of these children were model homeschoolers while growing up, but sometime after their 18th birthday they began to reveal that they didn’t hold to their parents’ values.

Some of these young people grew up and left home in defiance of their parents. Others got married against their parents’ wishes, and still others got involved with drugs, alcohol, and immorality. I have even heard of several exemplary young men who no longer even believe in God. My own adult children have gone through struggles I never guessed they would have faced.

Most of these parents remain stunned by their children’s choices, because they were fully confident their approach to parenting was going to prevent any such rebellion.

Click here to continue reading the in-depth article — 25 pages when printed. (My experience over the past few days is that the Web site with this article tends to come and go. If the link doesn’t work for you, try again in a day or two.)

My typical Friday includes lunch with my Laridian associates. Today’s choice was Chili’s.

Yes, I know that I’ve previously reviewed Chili’s, so technically this is a repeat. Here’s how it happened.

My Laridian friends have been very accommodating, trying to avoid repeat visits. Our plan today was to go to the Fajitas Factory, where I was planning to enjoy a giant plate of nachos. However, while discussing this choice via email, we learned that the Fajitas Factory had closed, and been replaced by something new. Not being sure what the new restaurant was, we never-the-less opted to give it a try. You see, we’re an adventuresome bunch.

The new restaurant is called “Ten Sixty” — a name (apparently) derived from the street number, 1060A. However, though we cracked the secret of its name, we’re still in the dark about all other aspects of this new restaurant. You see, it doesn’t open until 3:00.

Standing in the lot of Ten Sixty, stomachs growling, the pressure was on to choose a new restaurant. (You see, while we might be adventuresome, we are not necessarily decisive.) We came up with Chili’s. Only when on the way to Chili’s did I think of a better (and unreviewed) choice: the Taj Mahal. That will have to wait for another day.

With that somewhat rambling introduction behind us, I can now let you know that today I was tempted by both the Citris Fire Chicken and Shrimp Fajitas and also the Southwest Cedar Plank Tilapia. (I wasn’t the only one tempted by those choices, as two of my associates chose them.) However, I chose and enjoyed the Chicken Club Tacos. These soft-shell tacos included chicken, bacon, the customary lettuce, tomato, and cheese, and a ranch dressing. It was really a very tasty combination.

Our meal began with the Southwestern Egg Rolls — a must-have, in my opinion. The only problem with this appetizer is deciding whether to order one, or two!

I recently completed Safely Home, by Randy Alcorn. My wife, Lu, found it in our church’s under-utilized library. She read it, enjoyed it, and recommended it to me.

Safely Home is a novel about an American man more devoted to money than to God, and how his life is changed during an extended business trip to China. While in China, he encounters many injustices, including abuse of power and persecution of Christians. These injustices, and the believers’ responses to them, serve to help draw him into a living and vital relationship with God.

The real star of the story, however, is Li Quan, a Chinese Christian. Quan shows through his thoughts, his words, and his actions that his allegiance is to King Jesus. His lives with the perspective that there is more to this life than we see, and that, as a child of God, he has a high calling to serve God. It was a great reminder to live my life fully dedicated to God.

Mr. Alcorn presents an interesting picture of heaven, where angels are servants of God — treating Jesus with reverence and formality — while the Christians relate to Jesus as family members.

Safely Home is one of those rare novels that is both engrossing and inspiring!

My typical Friday includes lunch with my Laridian associates. Today’s choice was Zindrick’s Czech Restaurant, located in Cedar Rapids’ historic Czech Village.

Zindrick’s offers a no-frills dining room with traditional Czech food, including cabbage rolls, goulash, and Pierogis. The lunch choices are served with apple sauce, sauerkraut or sweet and sour cabbage slaw, and dumplings. (You can choose bread or potato dumplings, though I have trouble distinguishing them.)

Today, I chose the traditional cabbage roll — Al’s favorite, according to the menu. I’d describe the cabbage roll as a meat and rice loaf, wrapped in a cabbage leaf. It’s very good, but also very heavy. Perhaps it’s not the sort of meal to eat before an energetic afternoon. The dumplings were excellent, and the sweet and sour cabbage slaw — served hot, not cold — was also flavorful.

The background music was a bit odd… one might expect polka or classical music by Czech composers. Instead, we were treated to opera. I suppose it might have been Czech opera (is there such a thing?); however, it just didn’t seem to match the food.

Zindrick’s is just down the street from the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, one of the treasures in our area. If you haven’t yet been to this museum, you should make plans to attend. While there, stop by Sykora’s bakery or Zindrick’s for a taste of Czech food.

Observant readers have noted that there wasn’t a Friday Lunch post last week. This understandably has raised questions in some readers’ minds. The answer to your questions is simple: there wasn’t a Laridian lunch, and therefore there wasn’t a lunch article.

Within the past few years, Cedar Rapids has turned into a thriving community with baseball diversity.

• AM 1360 “The Fan” broadcasts the St. Louis Cardinals games.
• AM 800 KXIC broadcasts the Chicago Cubs games.
• AM 1600 KGYM broadcasts the Chicago White Sox games.
• AM 1450 KMRY broadcasts the Cedar Rapids Kernels games.

As a Cardinals fan, I’ll choose the Cardinals broadcast over the others. However, I must admit that I enjoy Pat Hughes and Ron Santo — the great broadcasting duo for the Cubs. It’s great to have so many choices.

Since we all know that a diverse community is a good community, this kind of diversity on the radio is most welcome. Now we just need local affliates for the Twins and the Royals!