NWLC Day 3

This conference continues to amaze me. It continues to stretch us and challenge us in so many areas. I can also tell you that it is so hot in Austin in July. Wow….

Today, we heard some amazing worship bands. All of these happen to be some of my favorites: Lincoln Brewster (Majestic, Love The Lord, Amazed to name a few songs) was incredible! We also heard the worship team from Gateway Church (Revelation Song, New Doxology to name a few) and they rocked the house! We also had the chance to sit under the leadership and teaching of Don Moen of Integrity Music. Don is a friend of ours and has been a tremendous inspiration in the area of worship leadership.

We also attended songwriting classes taught by Tommy Walker (That’s Why We Praise Him, He Knows My Name, As We Worship You) and Chris Tomlin (Amazing Grace – My Chains Are Gone, How Great is Our God, Enough, Famous One, Made To Worship & Holy Is The Lord). It was truly an incredible experience to sit under the teaching of these two trailblazers in the area of worship! They have given the church some of our most precious songs and it was a great opportunity to get a glimpse into their writing process.

We also heard an incredible message from Gordon MacDonald about planning worship for multiple generations of people. It brought fresh insight for all of us!

We have also had many incredible meals while we have been here. Yesterday, we had lunch at Z’Tejas. It was awesome!!!!! This is an amazing chain in the Western United States serving a blend of Mexican and Southwest influenced food.

You cannot come to Texas and not sample some BBQ! So, tonight we ate at Rudy’s. This is a very unique dining experience. All Rudy’s restaurants are attached to gas stations. When you walk in you will see a long roped area that leads up to a counter where you order. Inside this roped line are iced coolers filled with drinks. When you get to the counter they want to know if you’ve ever been there before. If not, you are served a sampling of any of their BBQ so that you can make an educated choice! Tonight, Kim and I chose a sampling of Baby Back Ribs, Brisket and Smoked Sausage. All of this is served with a stack of white bread, sliced raw onions and pickles. There is a huge container of sauce as well! For sides we had creamed corn, potato salad and slaw. This place is awesome! Once you make your selections you eat at long picnic tables with everybody else. We sat next to some real Texas cowboys tonight….cowboy hats, boots and all!

If you ever make it down this way, we can highly recommend both of these great places!

Food And Fun – 6.20.08

One of the things that Kim and I love to do is enjoy a good meal. Over the years we have collected a list of our favorites and I thought I would take a minute to share some of those with you. Indianapolis is a great city with a growing list of great restaurants and we are making it our personal goal to try as many as we possibly can! So, here are a few that we really like, in no particular order.

1. Our favorite breakfast place in the city is Le Peep.   They serve an outstanding breakfast at many locations around the city. You can do normal breakfast food here but you can also experiment with a Panhandled Skillet Dish or omelette. For us, every trip to Le Peep must begin with a Gooey Bun!

2. When we are in the mood for a burger there is only 1 choice….Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream on the Monon in Carmel.   Bub’s is the home of the Big Ugly Burger (hence the name, Bub’s) which weighs in at a solid 1 pound after cooking. That’s right after cooking. Eat the whole thing and they will put your picture on the wall! If you don’t think your doctor would approve there are smaller choices for sure as well as chicken, dogs and a great mahi sandwich. They also offer both beef and elk selections for burgers. Waffle fries and a milkshake are also a must at Bub’s!

3. We also love great BBQ and have found a couple of places that we really enjoy. New last year to the downtown landscape is the Weber Grill Restaurant. This is always a great choice for a higher end BBQ meal.   All the food is cooked on charcoal Weber Grills and they do an excellent job. We also got a great suggestion from our friend Troy Hochstetler for  a great place in Fishers called Hawg Wild BBQ. This place is very special. This is great BBQ that we have really come to enjoy. Troy knocked it out of the park with this recommendation. Whatever you choose, make sure to finish it off with fried biscuits and apple butter. You will not be disappointed. 

4. We also love P.F. Chang’s. When we are in the mood for something different this place always comes through. Some other favorites in this style would be Stir Crazy and King Chef. All of these places have their specialties and we have come to love them all. 

5. Kim and I love ice cream. A few years ago we discovered Handel’s and the battle was over! This place is absolutely amazing. My personal favorite is “Spouse Like A House” which starts with vanilla malt ice cream, layered with a ribbon of peanut butter. Then they add chocolate covered mini-pretzels that are also stuffed with peanut butter. It is an amazing experience! 

6. For the purposes of this list I have saved our very, very favorite for last. Our hands down favorite restaurant in Indy has become Eddie Merlot’s. If you are looking for a fine dining experience look no further (steak, seafood, chicken).   Eddie’s is a place that we save for special occasions like our anniversary dinner. In a city that has it’s share of steak places and upper end restaurants, EM is in a league of its own. From start to finish you will have an unbelievable meal served by an absolute pro. My personal choice is the mouth-watering 16 oz. Bourbon Marinated Prime Rib Eye. The steak comes covered in crispy fried onion straws and when you add a side of sauteed mushrooms and Eddies Potatoes (diced Idaho potatoes baked in a rich sauce with cheddar cheese and jalapeno peppers) I promise that you will not be disappointed! You will pay top dollar to eat here but believe me, in my experience it is worth every penny.

7. Finally, my drink of choice. I have made it my personal quest to find the perfect drink and for my taste, I have landed on Stewart’s Diet Orange ‘N Cream. This stuff is amazing. It’s a great balance of orange with a hint of cream that will leave your taste buds begging for more.  I have sampled every version of this that I
 could get my hands on. Stewart’s is by far the best I have tried. I have to admit that I am totally addicted to this stuff and have even made a believer out of Kim. There is a non-diet version of this drink too; but, for some reason it just doesn’t “pop” as much for me. The diet version takes the cake. Give it a try and I hope you enjoy it! 

 

This is not a complete list of our favorites but I think you would be pleased with anything on this list. Happy eating this summer!