What’s The Deal With Sliders?

What’s the deal with sliders? Have you noticed how many restaurants are putting “sliders” or miniature sandwiches on their menus? It seems that all of a sudden they are everywhere. Not that I’m complaining about them, I’m just seeing them all over the place. White Castle has always had them and down south Crystal has them as well. But now, even sit-down restaurants are serving them. Burger sliders, steak sliders, chicken sliders, tenderloin sliders, meatball sliders….it is an ever developing list of possibilities.

It occurred to me…..I need to try some sliders. I need to get out there and find some good ones! So, I did, and here is my opinion on the sliders I have sampled. Let me remind you that there is nothing scientific about this…I’m just ordering them when I have the chance. Here are some places where I have found some real winners. They are in no particular order and I will include a rating at the end of each one. You will see that my ratings system is based on thumbs. The more thumbs you see going up, the better the sliders.

One of my first ventures into sliders was at Ruby Tuesday. These were very good and you have the option of ordering them in ground beef or ground turkey. They are topped with a crispy onion (almost like an onion ring) and make for a really nice meal. They even have an option to combine these with the salad bar, which my wife really likes.

Next, I tried the sliders or mini-burgers at Cheeseburger In Paradise. These are decent and I will probably order them again. But, after some of the other places on this list, they would not be my favorite sliders.

My third experience happened in St. Louis, MO at a wonderful place called Culpepper’s. This place rocks! Excellent sliders with your choice of cheese and toppings. Obviously this is quite a drive from Indianapolis but if you are ever in the area, I would highly recommend this place. Also, tried the toasted ravioli. It will change your life!

Next came the Cheesecake Factory and their Southern Fried Chicken Sliders. These are very, very good. I have had them many times and each time they are crunchy and not greasy at all. They come with a sauce that is something like Thousand Island dressing. Excellent. These make a great meal!

Hands down, the very best sliders I have ever had are served at Harry & Izzy’s here in Indianapolis. They have taken the slider to an entirely new level. They serve 3 kinds of sliders, all on garlic rolls: steakburger, breaded pork tenderloin and filet mignon. That’s right…..filet mignon!!!!! This place is incredible. The steakburger will melt in your mouth. You may say, “How can a burger be that great?” Just try it. The pork tenderloin is amazing and comes topped with slaw. I have saved the absolute best for last….the Filet Mignon slider. This is quite an experience, especially if you are a steak lover. This thing is amazing and an absolute must! It’s $4 for a cooked-to-order mini filet served on a garlic roll. The first time I tried these I was begging for more!

Happy Sliding!

Worship Matters – 9.21.08

We had a great weekend. Kim and I were on the road this past weekend, leading a worship retreat at Shepherd Nazarene in Columbus, OH. We really enjoy leading these retreats. It gives us a chance to spend more time with people from the church. This church brought their whole team together for the retreat: choir, praise teams, band & tech. It was awesome to have them all together.

The retreat started on Friday night and ran all day Saturday. Then, Sunday morning was the celebration of all that we had learned and experienced through the weekend. Having this extra time really allows us to dig into some deeper issues facing the church at worship. Kim did a

KT Teaching In Columbus, OH

great deal of teaching on worship theology, which really made a huge impact. She absolutely knocked it out. She taught a lot about what the Bible has to say about worship, expression in worship and what it means to be a worship leader. We also did a session together on the practical issues that face church worship teams today.

The Sunday worship celebration was awesome. The Shepherd choir & band really did a fantastic job. We were able to do some of our music as well as teach the congregation some new worship songs. It was a very powerful experience and we are grateful for the Lord’s guidance and provision. HE is doing great things at Shepherd. They are blessed with tremendous leadership from Senior Pastor Sam Barber, Worship Leader Amy Fisher and Choir Director Jeff Linker.

We also got to meet some real characters over the weekend. Every church has to have people who keep things fun and interesting. This church has some great ones.

In all, it was an awesome weekend. God moved in a tremendous way and we are blessed and grateful. Our prayer is that what HE began in the hearts of the people will make for lasting transformation in the lives of the worship team. We also made some great new friendships and we look forward to seeing all that God is going to do in the life of this great church!

My Thoughts – 9.17.08

Here are some of my random thoughts on a warm fall day.

I think that most people should think, edit and even pray before they hit send on an email. Too many people get hurt by not talking face to face.

I think that today would be an absolutely perfect day to be lying on the beach. More specifically, Fort Myers Beach, FL with Kim by my side, preparing to go to the Bubble Room for dinner just after the sun sets.

I think that Qdoba is seriously over rated. I know I am probably in the minority but I really don’t share or understand the fascination.

I think that the sliders at Harry & Izzy’s are amazing. I will be blogging about those on Friday.

I think that really good friends are hard to find. I don’t mean people you talk with occasionally, I mean people you can really talk about messy stuff with.

I think that I am blessed with some of those kinds of friends and that makes me grateful.

I think that I am excited about fall and the weather changing. That means a trip to Brown County, IN with my wife and a great day at the park. It also means that my wife will rock her famous pumpkin bread and that makes me smile!

I think that I am seriously excited about heading to Evansville for the Fall Festival in October. Serious food for serious eaters!

I think that pickles are gross.

I think that Saturday Night Live has seen better days.

I think that I could easily spend an entire day watching videos on YouTube and laughing hilariously.

I think that ice cream is one of the greatest things ever!

Worship Matters – 9.14.08

We had a great day yesterday. We welcomed our new senior pastor to the church and did some really special things in worship. I was so grateful for the way that our team handled the day. They did an awesome job from start to finish. We had tons of energy in the house and there was a real sense of excitement as we worshipped.

It was a rallying point for our church. It’s been a tough year and it was great to celebrate together yesterday. There are many moments that stick out to me…the band nailing “Joyful, Joyful…” like never before, “We Will Remember”, “Hosanna” which totally rocked and Kim singing “I Am Not Ashamed.”

We also shared a song that has become a real favorite of our church called ”Thou, O Lord.” It’s an amazing song taken from Psalm 3. Musically it is very dynamic and calls for both nuance and power. Here is a portion of the lyric:

Many are they increased that troubled me, many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, ‘There is no help for him in God.’

But Thou, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head. Thou, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head.

Some of our team at work

One of my goals is for every single service to be just like yesterday. I’m working to build into our people the commitment that every weekend we have to give the same effort to our ministry. Yesterday was a great benchmark for that and I hope that we keep up that same sense of energy in the weeks to come.

Our band really smoked yesterday. I was so proud of them. They have come light years in the last several months. Most of them are working very hard and I am grateful for their leadership. I hope to see everyone raise their game and intensity over the coming weeks. We have started the journey…now, let’s pull together and make the rest of the trip! The sky is the limit but it will take all of us working hard.

Our choir was awesome yesterday. There were so many of them….the way they come out each week amazes me. I hope for them, too, that over the coming weeks they will keep up this level of ministry. It takes all of us to operate at or near 100% and I pray that the Lord will continue to develop that sense of urgency in them.

I leave you today with the audio of our choir singing “Thou, O Lord” on Sunday, September 14, 2008. Be Blessed!

[audio http://briantabor.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/03-track-03-1.mp3]

What Happened to the Marathon Candy bar?

Ever since I was a kid I have loved candy. Even today, Kim would tell you that I am a candy guy. I always loved it when my mom would give me 50 cents at the store to buy whatever I wanted. Every single time that happened, I headed for the candy aisle. I had my favorites back in the day…..things like Fun Dip, Watermelon gum that came in a really long skinny package, Jawbreakers, Lemonheads, Pez, Chiclets and Everlasting Gobstoppers were on my list of favorites. I would even do the occasional Boston Baked Beans candy. But the one that always put me over the top was the Marathon Bar. 

The Marathon Bar always stuck out to me. I love the combo of chocolate and caramel and that’s all there was to this piece of candy heaven. I think that I was drawn to the size. Marathons came in a bright red package that was a full 10 inches long and I thought that I was getting more for my money, even back then! I can remember walking up to the candy bars and seeing the size of the Marathon compared to the others and the decision was so clear. As a kid I figured this was at least twice the size of the other candy bars!

It was made of a braid of caramel that looked like a chain. The caramel was covered in chocolate and it was awesome. I did some research to see what happened and here is what I found out.

The Marathon bar was introduced in 1973 and was sold until it was discontinued in 1981. It was marketed as “the candy bar you can’t eat quickly” in commercials by some kind of a cowboy guy. There was also a bad guy in the commercials that always challenged him to eat it quickly but it couldn’t be done. The cowboy always won because he would take his  time and eat it really slowly. It’s so funny the things we remember from childhood!

Do any of you remember what I’m talking about?

Cadbury has come up with an imitation of the Marathon Bar called a Curly Wurly but they are only sold in the UK & Canada. That bums me out man.

What was your favorite candy as a kid or even today?

9/11 – Seven Years Later

As you know today marks the terrible anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, 2001. This certainly was a day that changed me and I’m sure it had a tremendous affect on you and your family as well.

I will never forget that day or where I was and what I was doing. I had just finished up 8 years of ministry at Church at the Crossing in Indianapolis where I had served as Worship Pastor. Kim and I had sensed the Lord calling us to launch Tabor Ministries and after more than a year of prayer, study & counsel we had resigned this position. Sunday, September 9, 2001 was our last day.

The toll of this decision physically and emotionally was such a weight for both Kim and me. We had done 3 morning services on the 9th and then a farewell concert and reception that evening. We were totally spent. On Tuesday the 11th, I was still asleep when Kim came running into our bedroom to wake me up and try to describe what was going on. At that time, only the first tower had been hit in New York. As we watched in horror we all came to quickly realize that our world would never be the same.

In addition to dealing with the events of that day we were also dealing with the decision we had just made to leave our position and launch a ministry where our income was completely faith based and unpredictable. We had several months of engagements schedule, beginning on Wednesday, September 12. What would happen? Would they still want us to come? Had we made the wrong decision? Had we not heard the Lord clearly?

We were confirmed in our direction over the next few weeks, as the Lord was faithful to provide. We also realized that our ministry of encouragement was needed now more than ever. This week we celebrate 7 years of ministry and we are grateful for all that the Lord has done in and through Tabor Ministries. To God be the glory!

I will never forget where I was and what I was doing that day. I also will never forget all the people who sacrificed their lives on that day and since that day. You will never be forgotten. I am also taking some time today to pray for those who are serving our country overseas in the military and other agencies. No matter what our political beliefs happen to be, these people are serving their country and deserve our respect and appreciation. I wish I had the words to fully express my gratitude to them for standing in harms way to protect the freedoms I enjoy.

Facebook Is Awesome

Over the last year I have become a firm believer in Facebook. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, Facebook is a social networking web-site, similar to MySpace. It allows you to essentially have your own web page where you can connect with friends who also have Facebook pages. It has quickly become one of the most effective ways of communication for me. You can upload your own pictures onto your page, write notes to friends, keep people updated on the things you enjoy, join groups of people who like the same things you like, track your world travels, share videos and about a million other things. It’s awesome.

Some of you may still be saying, “Ok, so I still don’t understand what it is!” Fair statement. It’s basically a page on the web that allows you to express yourself and share things quickly and easily with friends. It sort of combines email with photo sharing and many other things all into one place. Here’s how it works. (1) Click here and it will take you to the Facebook home page. (2) You need an email address and a password to get started. (3) Once you confirm your email address you are ready to go. You can easily upload a picture of yourself. This picture becomes your identity on Facebook. Whenever you write a note or connect with a friend, this picture will become your footprint.

Once you have your account you will see a

Here is an example of someone's Facebook profile

profile menu at the top of the page. Next to that is the word edit. Click on edit and start filling out your info, likes, hobbies, etc…. The site will lead you through the set-up process.

When your page is up and running, you can search for friends in the search window in the upper left corner. Simply type their name in there and scroll through the list. Once you find them, select Add Friend and they will be sent an alert that you are trying to connect with them. I have been able to connect with friends from high school and even start groups for Tabor Ministries as well as the Worship Department at our church. 

You can also make your own online photo albums, which can keep your friends up on your life. 

Another cool element to Facebook is that when you log on, it takes you to a kind of summary page that will keep you reminded of what all your Facebook friends are doing and when their birthdays are, which is a great reminder for me. I use that feature quite a bit.

If you don’t have a Facebook page I would highly encourage you to check it out. At first it will look overwhelming but stay the course. The site will lead you through the set-up process and you will have it up and running in no time.

Worship Matters – 9.7.08

Yesterday our morning services were all about surrendering. In our culture today, that is not a very popular subject. We want it all and the idea of giving up parts of our lives is certainly not comfortable for us. Believe me, I speak from experience.

God calls us to come to a place of surrender…..where we have completely given ourselves over to Him. It was a very powerful day. Some people really got it and there were many who didn’t but it was, in my opinion, one of our stronger thematic services. Pastor Doug really nailed it for us.

As I experienced the services for myself, I eventually came to a place where I was reminded that as I surrender to God, HE is able to do so much more in my life. As I get out of the way and truly place my life in HIS hands HE can use me to accomplish HIS purposes on earth. That is overwhelming and humbling at the same time.

In my life I have wanted to do many things. I have wanted to be a professional baseball player, a Broadway musical director, a restaurant owner, a landscape architect and many others. Those are truly things that I would have enjoyed doing with my life. But, God had other plans for me. It was and still is a conscience decision for me to surrender those parts of my heart to HIM as I daily give myself over for HIS purposes.

We used a song yesterday that has become a personal anthem for me. It came from the heart of Kirk Franklin and is entitled, “My Life Is In Your Hands.” The lyrics to this song have penetrated my heart in a way that has literally caused change in my life. Songs like that are very, very rare.

I would love to hear some stories of your personal surrender in the comments section, if you would be willing to share those with me.

I leave you with the lyrics to the song I mentioned earlier and I hope they will encourage you as you walk with Him today.

You don’t have to worry, and don’t you be afraid. Joy comes in the morning, troubles, they don’t last always. For there’s a Friend named Jesus who will wipe your tears away, and if your heart is broken, just lift your hands and say.

Oh, I know that I can make it, I know that I can stand. No matter what may come my way, my life is in Your hands. 

When your tests and trials, they seem to get you down and all your friends and loved ones are nowhere to be found. Remember there’s a Friend named Jesus who will wipe your tears away, and if your heart is broken, just lift your hands and say.

Oh, I know that I can make it, I know that I can stand. No matter what may come my way, my life is in Your hands. With Jesus I can take it, with Him I know I can stand. No matter what may come my way, my life is in Your hands.

Fantasy Football – The Team

As a follow-up to my last post…..We had our Fantasy Football draft last night. Great job by our new Commissioner, Aaron Baker, or “Bake” as I often call him. It was a fun night and should be an interesting season. My wife made some excellent picks in her first effort and I was really proud of her.

In our league, we pick 14 players and start 8 each week.

Now, on to my team. Here are the members of Anchormen 2 with those I am starting in Week 1 in bold:

QB’s:   Peyton Manning and David Gerrard
RB’s:   Marion Barber, Maurice Jones-Drew, Brandon Jacobs & Selvin Young
WR’s:  Reggie Wayne, Laveranues Coles, Roy Williams & Santonio Holmes
TE’s:   Donald Lee & Heath Miller
K:       Adam Vinatieri 
DEF:   Pittsburgh Steelers

I feel pretty good about my roster but have some questions at running back. What do you think? Which backs would you start?

Let me know what you think in the comment section.

Here’s to a great season!

Fantasy Football – Here We Go Again

Tuesday night will mark draft night for my 2nd season in Fantasy Football. Last year I really didn’t do very well and I hope to have a better team this year. My team name last year was the Anchormen…..so, this year, I decided to get really creative and chose  Anchormen 2.

 I’m hoping to pick in a good position this year. I picked in the middle of the round last year and quickly realized that was not prime picking location. I’m hoping for either early or late so that either I get first dibs at good players or I get picks close together.

For me, playing is really about the camaraderie of spending time with friends and trying to out-think them. Most often I have fallen into silly traps in the past….hopefully I can fix that this year.

Any thoughts on the draft? Quarterback first? Running Back? Best available player? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section.

Oh yeah, Kim is playing in the league this year. Should make for a fun and interesting season!

Let me hear your thoughts on the draft……