Category Archives: Life

Stay Hungry

Posted in Life, Relationships, Standards by

I doubt there is anything my family looks forward to more than our trips to Chicago. Every year at Thanksgiving, give or take a few instances, you can find the McMillian Clan eagerly wandering the streets of Michigan, Grand, State, 87th, 96th, Stoney Island, Cottage Grove – basically all over Chicago. This year was no different. We hit all the favorite spots (Harold’s, Captain Curt’s Shazaam, Garrett’s) and scouted out some new ones. My sister Rachel and I had been eyeing this restaurant, Eggsperience, for a while and decided to give it a try. There’s such an elegant art to breakfasting, and we felt Eggsperience would really up our respective levels of class. So, on Black Friday, while manic masses stormed the gates of excessive consumerism, we were out at a late breakfast with our father.

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What Do I Need Manners For?

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My all time favorite movie is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.  Hands down.  I grew up watching Jane Powell fall-in-love-at-first-sight with Howard Keel over, and over…and over.  You cannot persuade me away from its magnificence.  CinemaScope!  Technicolor!  Barn raisings!  Avalanches!  Dance sequences involving lumberjacks and axes!  This film has it all!

When I was younger, most of the romantic nuances between Millie and Adam (Powell and Keel) were lost on me.  I always liked a line Adam delivered though, as Millie was trying to civilize his six brothers, “What do I need manners for?  I already got me a wife!”  It was funny to me, as a child; and now I love it because of the semi-domesticity the two share in that moment: his obtuse male comment and her wife-ish rolling eyes.  I’m telling you: this movie is gold!

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The Court of Public Opinion

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Michael Jackson died over two years ago.  I’m not ashamed to say, I cried when I heard of his death.  I’m also not ashamed to say that I sobbed and sniffled while watching his funeral.  I might be ashamed to say that I burst into noisy tears when “Human Nature” came on my car radio a few months later.  The point is that MJ’s death affected me, along with millions of other fans; and, there was a general feeling that Conrad Murray was responsible for his early demise.

I tend to stay out of public opinion debates, but in the case of Dr. Murray I had – as a family friend said – “all this gusto come out” of me.  “Throw that man under the jail!”  I might have said that once, twice…forty-nine times.  What can I say?  I love hard.

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Fasting – Week Two

Posted in Discipline, Life, Prayer by

Remember that thing I said last week about “extra hours?”  I think I’m going to have to take that back.  This week grew wings and flew right past me!  But hey, who’s complaining?  I’m running down the home stretch now – only 6 more days to go!!! <<extended running man dance break>>  I am practically overflowing with joy, as I write this post!  Not because I will be reunited with my dear sweet friend, Sugar, soon, but because God has truly been blowing my mind lately.

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Think, Think, Think…

Posted in Discipline, Life by

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I am on a twenty-one day fast (closing out day eleven) and environmental distractions are at bare minimum.   I don’t watch TV; I don’t read anything except my Bible and some AW Tozer; I’m not spending my time in the kitchen trying out various recipes – I have more time on my hands than I ever thought possible.  What I have discovered, though, is how easily I can distract myself.

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Fasting – Day Nine

Posted in Discipline, Life, Prayer by

It’s not even 10:00, and I’m ready to go to sleep.  I’m thinking about cutting my daily posts down to weekly posts since my days have sort of settled into a routine.  Yeah, I think that’s the new plan…okay!  See you on Saturday!

Today’s Scripture:

The people who walked in darkness 
Have seen a great light; 
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, 
Upon them a light has shined. 

-Isaiah 9:2 (NKJV)