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Our closing is Monday!!

Many of you have emailed and asked why the Tavern blog has been made invite only. After the closing, when the Tavern is officially ours, I will open up the Tavern Blog and continue to update everyone on the happenings!

Until then I will post all I can here.

Please know that our lives will be very, very busy these next few months, so If I'm not emailing or posting as much, it is for that reason!

Yesterday Joe and I went to Boardman to do some Christmas shopping.
I'm trying to get as much done as I can now.

I talked to my Aunt Linda and David is still in ICU, but doing better. I pray that he continues to improve.

Brenda is still not feeling well, please keep her in your prayers.

Anne's cat died so please send a prayer her way too. I know how she feels, losing Sarah just a few months ago.

Lauren is doing really good without having her computer! I am so very proud of her! She is going to try to better her life, by conquering her addiction to the computer!
Go Lauren!
Ally tried out for the school play "The Music Man". I'm proud of her for trying out! Go Ally!

Nikki is much better. We truly thought she was going to die yesterday. If you didn't know..We took Nikki to a new vet Monday afternoon, and she gave her two sets of shots and a heartworm pill. The heartworm pill was too much for her, and Nikki got really sick. We read the heartworm pamplet that described what happens when a dog is over-medicated, and she had all the symptoms. She was very lethargic and had dhiarria and vomiting. It was scary.

I miss Kim! We need a girls night out my friend.

Speaking of girls night out..my mentoring group is meeting this Friday evening! I so look forward to brainstorming with these amazing women that I'm lucky enough to share ideas with!

I have been watching my diet more carefully and I am at 81 lbs lost! I would like to lose 10 lbs by Christmas!!!

Next week is a really busy week for us and it is our last week at The Neshannock Creek Inn Restaurant!! *That is so weird to think!*

I hope you have a beautiful day today! God is so good. I am so incredibly blessed. Lord thank you for your grace and mercy and love!
My friends..thank you for loving me and showing me grace and mercy too!
His Servant, Susan L. Hougelman

Whenever you get close to doing something really great for God...you know..you JUST KNOW..Satan is right around the corner ready to pounce! We've been under attack this week..big time! BUT GUESS WHAT???? GOD is SOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!! God is Good in good times and bad times! When the sun is shining or when a hurricane is knockin' God is ALWAYS GOOD!!! Jesus CHrist you are the ruler of my life, and I have layed it down for you. You never promised us that life would be easy but you did promise us that You'd be there with us! I love you Lord so very much! I praise your name ..I shout it from this little ole' blog..all over the internet! I love you LORD! I love you Lord! I love you Lord!


This next note is written to my enemies as well as my friends..because I love Jesus

I love you too : )
Amen

Please send some prayer our way..

Pray for my Uncle David who had a heart attack this past Friday. He is doing fine, but this will be very scary for him. Please pray for his wife Linda too.


Please pray for my friend Brenda who is feeling very sick and is on her second round of antibiotics and still feeling miserable.

Please pray for Joe's dad and the situation that his family is in.

Please pray for my family. Thanksgiving is a time for families to get together and my family has been torn apart. Please pray for healing.

Please pray for Lauren, who we are trying to help her get away from her addicting behavior.

Please pray for Joe and I and the girls. Our life is going to change very dramatically in two weeks. We need strength and guidance and wisdom that can only come from our Father in Heaven. Please pray that we continue to follow and obey Him and keep Him first in our lives!

Thank you. Susan

Beautiful!

I'm watching the latest video sermon from Newspring church. Clayton King is the teaching pastor and he delivered this week's message. It's from a series called "Beautiful". It's a series mainly for women.

He's talking about Mary and Martha.

The message talks about how we should be more like Mary and less like Martha.

Martha was the sister who served and prepared meals and was the hostess
while Mary sat at Jesus' feet and spent time with Him.
Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to come help do the dishes, but Jesus told Martha that Mary was right where she should be..with Jesus.

Our relationship with Jesus..should be our number one priority in life.

Clayton goes on to say this, :
Women want to be "loved unconditionally,understood patiently, and accepted completely,because of who she is, and not what she does."

I don't know about you..but that is the exact truth for me. That is what I pray for. Unconditional love, patience and acceptance for what I am, not for what I do.
If you want to view the sermon go to www.newspring.cc and click on the watch video. You will be so glad you did! IT's AWESOME!!!

"To create is to potentially embarrass oneself in front of others. It is about the courage to be oneself and to be seen as oneself. Putting ink to a page, or pressing one's fingers against clay, or typing a line of computer code, or blowing glass and realizing mistake. Or success. With everyone watching. But most importantly, you.

So it dawned upon me how important it is to be creative. Because it means you have within you infinite capacity to experiment. You are unafraid to go somewhere new because you are creating a new thought process about your own creativity. You know that if you stop and no longer challenge yourself, you cease to be creative. You become still, silent, and the bow no longer connect with the strings and music is not made. And you do not exist. You show you do not have the courage to exist.

Creativity is courage. The world needs more fearless people that can influence all disciplines to challenge their very existence. Creativity is reflection aimed not at yourself, but at the world around you."

- John Maeda

One of my customers wore a shirt with this saying on it yesterday. It made me chuckle.

"Don't be afraid of the space between your
dreams and reality. If you can dream it,
you can make it so."
- Belva Davis



It's Dave... *sigh* In case you didn't know..I have a crush on Dave. : )

You Matter to God!

God loves you.

Church Planting

Church planting has taught me how to start this business. The following two posts could be written about a church or a business or even just your life! These two Christian men are so intelligent! I have learned so much from them.

Mark Batterson on Purple cows

Purple Cows

At the Sticks Conference I talked about Trojan Horses, Purple Cows, and Broken Windows. Thought I'd share a few thoughts about purple cows.

One of my favorite marketing books is Purple Cow by Seth Godin. The book revolves around this metaphor: if you've seen one brown cow you've seen them all. But a purple cow, now that would catch your attention. One statement in the book has profound implications: "If you aren't remarkable you're invisible."

Every church needs to paint itself purple. I'm not talking about gimmicks. I'm not talking about being different for difference sake. I'm talking about making such a remarkable difference in our communities that we are unignorable.

I have a couple core convictions:

1) the good news ought to make the news. Brown churches sit on the sideline and invite the community to come to them. Purple churches are always going and compelling. They are making such a big difference that they become a highly visible part of their community. And people drive by the brown churches--the churches that are invisible--to go to the purple church.

2) The greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. I know that marketing is a dirty word in some church circles, but does it get anybody else riled up that Madison Avenue is far better at pedaling its worthless wares than the church is at preaching the good news? I have a problem with that. We need sanctified competitive streaks.

3) The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet. Too many churches look too much alike. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. Every church has a unique churchprint and ought to be a unique expression of the gospel in their kingdom niche.

So how do we paint ourselves purple? For starters, dare to be different. You might offend some Pharisees, but that isn't who you're trying to reach. Secondly, disrupt the routine. I think it starts with your personal routine. Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. You need to get out of your routine so you can have some purple thoughts.

As a leader, you need to cause confusion. Jesus didn't do orientations. He did disorientations. You need to find new ways of saying old things (see the Parables). You need to find new wineskins. You need to sing a new song. Neurological studies have found that familiarity stimulates the left-brain. Novelty stimulates the right-brain. We need some Spirit-inspired, right-brained ideas that capture the imagination of the church and the world

Tony Morgan's ten reason's why you're probably going to fail.

10 Reasons Why You’re Probably Going to Fail

It’s not your passion. If it doesn’t make your heart beat fast or cause your mind to race when you’re trying to sleep, you’re probably doing the wrong thing.

You don’t have a plan. You need a vision, and you need to identify specific steps to make that vision become reality. That includes a financial plan. (I happen to believe you need direction from God on this.)

You’re waiting for it to be perfect. Test-drive it. Beta-test that new idea. You’ll fall into the trap of inaction if you think it has to be absolutely right from day one.

You’re not willing to work hard. Everything worth pursuing in my life has involved discipline and perseverance.

It’ll outgrow you. Keep learning. Keep growing. But more importantly, build a team of people including leaders that can be who you’re not.

You’ve had success in the past. I’ve watched organizations hang on to a good idea for too long. Time passes. Momentum fades. It’s risky to let go of the past and jump on the next wave.

You’re unwilling to stop doing something else. Complexity is easy. Simplicity takes discipline. You can’t build a healthy marriage if you’re unwilling to give up dating other women. Who/what do you need to stop dating?

You won’t build a team of friends. Anyone can hire from a resume. You need to find people you want to share life with. In the long run, great relationships will get you out of bed in the morning.

You won’t have the tough conversations. When breakdown happens (and it always does), someone needs to put on their big-boy pants and initiate the difficult conversation that leads to relational healing.

You’re afraid of failure. When fear consumes you, it will cause you to do stupid things. You’ll let negativity distract you. You’ll embrace the known, and grow comfortable with mediocrity. The more often you fail, though, the more often you’ll find success.

Here’s the deal. I don’t think this list is just about personal failure. This is about organizational failure (your ministry, your church plant, etc.). This is about business failure (your start up, your turnaround effort, etc.). This is about relational failure (your marriage, your dating relationship, etc.). The same principles apply.

Do you Christmas shop online?

I heard God's voice this morning..

It used to happen to me a lot. I haven't heard it for a while. I heard Him this morning. When God gives me a vision, I usually get sick to my stomach. It's a feeling that is very strong and big. I get a "knowing". THe last vision I had was a vision of my neice Victoria, one day adopting a child from overseas. That was this summer. I saw a picture of it. The one this morning was very clear. When I began building a coffee house/youth room at my church God told me to build a team to make it happen. I had never been on a team before. It was a new experience. When I had the vision to start a new church plant, God told me to build a team to help make it happen. Being a part of that team was one of the best experiences of my life.
This morning, God told me to put together a team to help get the Tavern started.
I can't do it all myself. Not if I want it to be all that it can be. Also..this is going to be a community restaurant, not just our restaurant.
I'm going to begin praying that God puts people in front of me that desire to be part of an amazing team! Let them seek me out and I will know for sure it is God's will, not my own.
Lord send them.
"I can do ALL things through CHRIST who strengthens me." Phil 4:13

How to think like Leonardo DaVinci

Leonardo da Vinci was the ultimate multi-tasker: an accomplished scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer. If you want to be a Renaissance Man (or Renaissance Woman), you can learn a lot from how Leonardo da Vinci lived and thought. Based on studying the life and work of this famous polymath[1] anyone can emulate da Vinci with the following steps.

] StepsCuriosità. Curiosità is an "insatiably curious approach to life and unrelenting quest for continuous learning". Great minds have one characteristic in common: they continuously ask questions throughout their lives. Leonardo's endless quest for truth and beauty clearly demonstrates this. What makes great minds different is the quality of their questions. You can increase your ability to solve problems by increasing your ability to ask good questions. Like da Vinci, you should cultivate an open mind that allows you to broaden your universe and increase your ability to explore it. Here are some ways to apply Curiosità:


Keep a journal. Bring a journal wherever you go and use it often. Write your ideas and thoughts there. Try to write several statements a day that start with "I wonder why/how..."
Observe according to a theme. Choose a theme and observe things according to the theme for a day. For example, let's say you choose "communication". For the entire day, observe every type and instance of communication you come across. You can then record your observations in your journal.
Stream of consciousness exercise. Pick a question and write the thoughts and associations that occur to you as they are. Don't edit them. The important thing is to keep writing. This is also referred to as freewriting.

Dimostrazione. Dimostrazione is "a commitment to test knowledge through experience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from mistake". Wisdom comes from experience and the principle of Dimostrazione helps you get the most out of your experience. Here are some ways to apply Dimostrazione:


Check your beliefs. Do you hold any beliefs that you haven't verified through experience?
Three points of view. First, make a strong argument against your belief. Next, take a distant view of your belief (for example, as if you live in a different culture) and review it. Finally, find friends who can give you different perspectives.
Analyze the advertisements that affect you. Look at the advertisements in your favorite magazine and analyze the strategy and tactics they use. Find the advertisements that affect you most and find out why.
Find “anti-role models” to learn from. List the names of some people whose mistakes you want to avoid. Learn from them so that you won't encounter the same pitfalls.

Sensazione. Sensazione is "the continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as the means to enliven experience". According to da Vinci, we can best practice Dimostrazione through our senses, particularly sight. That's why one of Leonardo's mottoes is saper vedere (knowing how to see) upon which he built his work in arts and science. Here are some ways to apply Sensazione:a
Write detailed description of an experience. For instance, describe your experience of watching a sunrise in your journal.
Learn how to describe a smell.
Learn to draw.
Listen to different sounds around you. Learn to listen to different intensity of sounds from the softest (e.g. your breathing) to the loudest (e.g. traffic).
Live in the moment. Practice mindfulness.
Sfumato. Sfumato is "a willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty". An essential characteristic of da Vinci's genius is his ability to handle a sense of mystery. Here are two ways to apply Sfumato:


Befriend ambiguity. Find some situations in your past where you faced ambiguity (e.g. waiting to hear if your application for a job you wanted was successful). Describe how you felt.
Ask yourself questions that relate two opposites. For example, ask yourself how your happiest and saddest moments are related.
Practice the Socratic method. The goal with the Socratic method is to examine possibilities, and that is done by asking questions, not by giving answers. Socrates was known (and criticized) for asking questions to which he didn't have answers.[2] The key to using the Socratic method is to be humble. Don't assume that you or anyone knows anything for sure. Question every premise.

Arte/scienza. Arte/scienza is "the development of the balance between science and art, logic and imagination". This is thinking with the “whole brain”. Mind mapping is a powerful method that can help you combine logic and imagination in your work and life. The end result of mapping should be a web-like structure of words and ideas that are somehow related in the writer's mind.

Corporalità. Corporalità is "the cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise". Leonardo had amazing physical ability that complemented his genius in science and arts. Here are some ways to apply Corporalità:


Develop a program for physical fitness. Your program should include three things: flexibility exercises, strength training, and aerobic conditioning.
Develop body awareness. Study anatomy. Try yoga. Dance. Do some contact juggling. Whatever strengthens the connection between body and mind, go for it.
Cultivate ambidexterity. Leonardo could work with both his right and left hand and regularly switched between them. You can cultivate ambidexterity by using your nondominant hand for relatively simple tasks like brushing your teeth or eating your breakfast. Later you can use your nondominant hand for writing.
Connessione. Connessione is "a recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena". This, in other words, is systems thinking. One main source of Leonardo's creativity is his ability to form new patterns through connections and combinations of different elements. Here are some ways to apply Connessione
Find ways to link things that seem unrelated. For example, you can try to find connections between a bear and the World Wide Web, or geology and the Mona Lisa (real name "La Joconde").
Imagine dialogues. Imagine talking with a role model to gain new perspective and insight. Or you can imagine how some role models would discuss your problem.
Think about how things originate. Take an object and think about what elements are involved in its creation and how.

What dreams may come..

I had a dream two nights ago that I can't stop thinking about. Has that ever happened to you? You know it's a dream..just a dream but it causes you to think about things you don't want to think about.

I try to keep negativity out of my life. I push it away. I don't want it around me. But sometimes it creeps up..and catches hold of me, and I can't get away from it. I can't run and I can't hide. It's there and it's holding me captive. I've got to deal with it.
My sister always says to me, "Don't let anyone steal your joy!"

I was going to end this post with, "I need to deal with this. I don't know how, but I need to deal with this." I went online to look for something that went with "Don't let anyone steal your joy." And I found this article.
I don't know what BBC radio is..it seems to be some kind of radical site..but I really liked what this guy wrote. Basically he says, "When you feel a conflict, an anger, a sadness, a guilt, a remorse, a fear or any other negative emotion/energy..... meet it with unconditional love." Wow. Now that is radical!

Here is the full article. Take from it what you want.

Don't let anyone steal your joy!
That is a wonderfully enlightend statement made by a heartfelt man, Paul Berlin. He is a radio host for a national radio program.

I have listened to him for years and always remember hearing those words as his closing statement to the audience after each broadcast.

Remember, how we perceive these energies around us is of utmost importance to our future (reality). When we react to these perceptions in a negative way, we are learning a lesson..... otherwise, we would not react to them. The lesson is this. Don't allow your perceptions to manifest negative energy.

Energy is either Positive, Negative or Neutral. When you feel a conflict, an anger, a sadness, a guilt, a remorse, a fear or any other negative emotion/energy..... meet it with unconditional love. This means that you must not judge it, nor compare it to your past understandings, or even try to understand it (for this is applying your past "flawed thoughts" to the present, creating a new reality that is not in the Now, but to be a part of a future aspect in a lesson that will come back to you…. in order to teach you what you so desperately want to know - MANIFESTATION). This is how Karma works in our polarized dimension of duality.

Awareness to these situations is KEY. People ask me "How can you spread such fear?" Again, I must state that awareness is key. You cannot learn your lessons by avoiding them. You Ego, that unhealthy mind, must meet each and every lesson with love and forgiveness. How else can it save you from yourself? Here is your Salvation. Forgiveness IS that salvation from those perceptions you have continually reinforced.

I look at the NWO, our government, the murderous War in Iraq, the corruption and evil that pervades our world and I realize the importance of experiencing this journey. These things are our lessons brought to our awareness. Initially we must understand those lessons until that understanding is no longer necessary. It is our choice to take responsibility for those lessons and correct our errors. Most errors are errors in judgment. Judge not lest ye be judged.

This battlefield need not be in the mind. Although the perceptions may not change until enough of us have grown beyond the pettiness of this confusion, our mind should remain at peace. We must not react to this evil with negative energy. It will ONLY reinforce the lesson.

Thus, being aware of the lessons is key. Hiding behind innocence of ignorance will get us no where. See the World we have become, and look on it with love.... for everything is exactly as it should be... right here... right now.

Happiness IS a state of mind!

So don't let anyone (or anything) steal your Joy!

It's Sunday!

My favorite day of the week!! Watched Perry Noble's video sermon this morning! Then I started downloading recipes for our bakery and restaurant! I downloaded over 100 of them! I ran to wal-mart and bought some protective sheets and a notebook to create our Tavern Cookbook! WOOHOOO!

Now, I am in the middle of making dinner. Steak, Stuffed Baked Potatoes, Corn, bread, Salad, and I made a homemade peanut butter silk pie for dessert! YUMMMMMYYY!
Even though I can't eat very much.. I still get so excited over food! I guess that will never change. I love good food!


Ally and Joe are in the living room doing math homework together. Lauren is drawing on the computer.

Nikki is playing at my feet.

Life is good.

My Lauren Elizabeth

My Lauren Elizabeth is 15 years old.
She is my baby.
She will ALWAYS be my baby.
She has promised to never get to old to hug and kiss me and give me lots of love and affection! (So far she's kept her word!)
Lauren is very smart!
Lauren is very beautifuL!
Lauren is an AMAZING artist!
Lauren is very creative.
Lauren is very unselfish.
Things are not important to her.
She likes to laugh.
She LOVES the show House and likes C.S.I too.
She makes animations as well as drawings.
She is a GOOD girl!
She has a heart that loves the Lord.
She is not a leader, nor a follower. She dances to the beat of her own drum and truly doesn't seem to care if people get her or not. She is who she is!
I love that about her. She has her own sense of style and although it's different from mine, I've always respected her for that. I love that she feels comfortable in her own skin. That's a great way to describe Lauren. She feels comfortable in her own skin.
Lauren is confidant!
She get's a +'s on her speeches she gives! A+'s!!!!!! WOAH!
She is giving a 15 minute speech this week and isn't sweating whatsover over it!?!?!
That's Amazing to me!
She is Amazing!
She's my baby.
She's My Lauren Elizabeth.
I love you darling! I am so proud of you!



This is her heart. It's who she is.