Update On Life

Things have been going well, but not necessarily as planned. I had hoped to have a job lined up by now, but it has not proved to be that easy. So the job hunt continues. In the meantime I am finsihing up my internship with Pierced, which has been a great hands on experience that I wouldn't trade for anything else. Other than that I have been using my free time to get out into the great outdoors of Colorado. I have spent many days recently climbing, moutain biking, and just being outside. On Thursday Levi and I are going to attempt to rope in and climb Crestone Needle in preparation for Long's Peak. This will be challenging and hopefully an experience in which I learn lots about mountaineering.

I think reading 'Into the Thin Air' has inspired me try out mountaineering more. It even gives me hope that mountains like Everest are attainable. That does not mean that I would attempt such a feat, but it makes me wonder. I still havent finished the book. I know that the end of the book may change my outlook once again. It has at least helped me to admire even more those who try and accomplish such dreams.

Long's Peak is Going to Happen!!

I decided today that despite shoulder pains and problems that I am going to go ahead and climb Long's Peak. My friend Levi and I are planning on climbing it during the dates of September 7th-9th. We are going to leave from Colorado Springs early on the 7th and try to get their and hike up with all our gear to where the technical climbing starts by that evening. The next day we are going to climb through "Lamb's Slide Coular" and up "Kiener's Route" (the red one on the map) to the top. This section of the mountain will involve some rock climbing and some steep hiking through a glacier field. We then will hopefully find the rappel anchors and rap back down to the base of the climbs where we will spend the night of the 8th. On September 9th we will hike back down with our packs and drive back home. I can't wait! I have been wanting to do this trip for awhile. In the fall another buddy of mine is talking about doing s0me climbing in the Tetons and Levi wants to climb "Crestone Needle". We shall see.

The Poor Teach Better than the Rich....

During January 2003 I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Kisumu, Kenya. This was one of those trips where God really opened my eyes to a lot of things. I truely saw what it meant to be in poverty, to be homeless, to be hungry, and to have nothing.

I also realized that even though many of the street children and families that we worked with had nothing, they still were thankful and had hope. They still trusted God. They trusted that they would be provided for and their joy was overflowing.

I long to be like some of the people that I met in Kenya, to love God no matter what the circumstances, and to trust him the same in all seasons of my life. When things are going great, to not forget that He is the one blessing me, and when things are hard, to know that he will not push me past what I can bear.

Lord help me to trust you more. To not think selfishly about myself, but to rely on you. That when things get though that I can see you working in the midst of my circumstances, and when things are going well that I may be able to give you praise for the blessings in my life. Help me to not loose sight of you in my life and at all times to be thankful for what I have.

Fast Food for Christians

This is a picture of me climbing in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky. I am at Left Flank on a climb called "Fast Food for Christians," a 5.10a. I really miss the climbing in the Red. I hear of all these great new places that are being bolted down there and want to go back. I have decided to try to make it down there right before Thanksgiving, given that my shoulder heals.

Before I go I want to really think about the name of this climb pictured here, "Fast Food for Christians." I think too often Christians in America try to get their quick fix of Christianity, whether it be by attending church Sunday morning or listening to the radio on the way to work. I want to say that many Christians want a quick fix solution to their problems. They hope that in some way that the message they heard on Sunday or the book that they just got and are reading will make their problems go away. I think this is straight up absurd.

I know for myself that their are no easy fix solutions to some of the things that I have experienced in life. I or my family may be forgiven but the damage has still been done, and I will have to live in the consequences of what happened. If you try to bandage it, the bandaid will just cover it up till a later time when it will fall off and be exposed again. It takes time to work through the issues that we face in our day to day in our lives. Some issues may take a life time, while others may take months or even years. I hope to not sound harsh but the Christian life is not abour forgetting what has happened to us but pushing through and seeing how God can make use of you in the midst of your circumstances. It also shows a complete reliance and dependance on God.

My parents recently went through a divorce. There is are a ton of issues that I am dealing with as a result of this divorce. I know that I cannot put the divorce on the back burner, but I must work through this nasty and sucky life experience and see God's grace on the other side of it. This is not going to be quick and easy. It may take a lifetime for me to process it, but I must move through it. Ministry has no quick fixes. It is not fast paced like the rest of society. You cannot pay money and have an operation to remove some of the experiences that one has had. It is a slow work through thick mud. It is one where it takes time and patience. It takes solid friendships. It takes holistic healing. It takes something and someone bigger than ourselves to make it happen. It takes God.

Goals and Aspirations

Future Goals and aspirations. Some of these goals are life long dreams. Some will take a life time of work, and others will be accomplished within a short period of time. These dreams and goals not only tell a little bit about who I am, but also tell of the person I want to become.

I hope to be a solid 5.12 Climber.
I want to climb:

• Devil's Tower
• Long's Peak
• At Yosemite
• In Thailand
• In New Zealand
• In South Africa

I want to live an adventurous life. One where I look back and will be able to say that I was willing to try things.

I want to travel the world. I want to experience other cultures and not be ignorant to what is going on within the world. I want to see our global God in action.

I want a family some day. A loving wife with whom I can have fun but also learn from. Someone with whom I can have deep intelligent conversations with, but also still be able to have lots of laughs with. I would love kids. How many, who knows? But I would love to experience being a father, to not only love on them, to see them grow and experience life. I would also hope that through having children that I could have a better respect for my Heavenly Father.

I would like to learn more about God and his nature whether through books, creation, conversations, or through revelation. I want to know God more so that I can worship him better.

I want to be able to Surf.

I would love to live on the ocean, but also in the mountains.

I want to visit Israel.

I want to learn to play the guitar better.

I want to hike Mount Kilimanjaro.

I want to be able to speak French more fluently.

I want to write.

I want to skydive again.

I want to climb Denali.

I want to be able to speak in public about what God is teaching me, and not only speak, but to speak well, with passion, that is able to move and stir people's hearts.

These are just some of the things that I aspire to be or do.....

Thoughts on Prayer

I have recently been thinking about the idea of prayer. Last Sunday Kent Eilers, a pastor at my church, spoke about the idea of prayer. Here are some great insights into answering some of the bigger questions dealing with prayer.

Why should one pray? or even better, why should one pray with repetition?
* When we Pray are we like the kid asking our parents over and over again in the grocery store trying to get something we want.....

* Or are we like the person whose house is on fire and has to make a decision, whether to get help or let it burn down. Let's say you have an accountant and a fireman living across the street. Who are you going to go to? The accountant?..... no way..... you are going to run as fast as you can to the firefighter's house. When you get there are you going to knock once and if he doesn't answer, walk away..... Heck No!.... You are going to knock over and over again, louder and louder, till he answers the door..... Why? .... because he has the power to make a difference.

Too often I find myself praying as the child wanting something from thier parent and not enough like the person whose house is on fire.

Also how do we wait in response once we have prayed?

* Do we sit back in our chairs waiting relaxed while reading a magazine?.... or do we sit at the edge of our chiar, eager, and waiting in anticipation to hear from God?

I hope these ideas stir in you and challenge your thinking on prayer.

Books That I Am Currently Reading

Listed below are books that I am currently reading or are going to read in the near future. Please feel free to comment on these books or list others that you think I should read. Many thoughts that I will be pondering in the near future will have to do with these books. I look forward to what discussion these books will bring.

Currently Reading:
The Shrewd Christian by Neil Atkinson
Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
Velvit Elvis by Rob Bell
What's so Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Prayer and the Art of Volkswagon Maintenance by Donald Miller
The Five Smooth Stones of Pastoring by Eugene Peterson

Will Read Soon:
A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian Mclaren
The Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen
Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller
Jesus in the Margins: Finding God in the Places we Ignore by Rick McKinley
Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren F. Winner
How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity by Ronald J. Sider
The Present Age by Soren Kierkegaard
The Last Word and the Word After That by Brian Mclaren
Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli

Quote of the Day

What do you think about this quote?

"It is not a question of whether or not we sin but more a question of how we deal with our sin."