Blogging from the beach.

Well it's Sunday and we played hookie from church today. We've driven into Whiterock to the beach. We just walked down what is billed as 1001 steps to the beach. It is a long, winding staircase through the trees that ends up at some railroad tracks. After that we scaled down a sketchy path to a rocky beach. We're here now. I should get back to family time and the sun!

Nothing like a charismatic conference....

..and a sword! Good stuff. Heavy, and powerful. Strong words and strong word. More later...

Like father, like son.

After a long day of helping a buddy move, Noah and I then went to visit all of the clients in our group-homes. Now we're sitting down for some pizza. Naomi has been at a conference all weekend so we're bach'ing it and eating out more than we should. Tomorrow we're seriously contemplating skipping church and zipping off somewhere to enjoy this blazing ball of fire in the sky that has suddenly arrived. Well, better get ready for food to arrive!

Traffic post.

So I'm sitting in traffic. Nutzo traffic. Its a holiday weekend and everyone wants to get home. Thought I'd blog about it from my phone since I don't have anything better to do and I now have the technology! Have a great weekend everyone. Happy Canada day.

Feeling a little old today...

Just a quickie here,

Spent a few hours on a real live college campus today. We went to the "parent" portion of the Freshmen orientation at Illinois College (Not U of I - but I C - totally different head, ...totally). Us parents (yes I know my grammar is incorrect) were wandering around aimlessly from room to room feeling old, gray, fat and unattractive (except for me of course), wilst the Freshmen who were being orientated were busy trying to look cool.

Here's the thing though - I'm too young to have a kid in college!!!!!!!! Aren't I????? Guess not.

Oh, and here's the funny part - we took our son (Darian) to lunch afterwards and he hit me up for some $$ (half-jokingly of course) - ....I'd better get used to it.

We're freaking out a little bit (at least I am). He'll start school in about a month and a half. Some things will never be the same....

From my phone.

Just taking it up a notch in the tech/blogging category.

(Nice half-eaten carrot heh?)

Thoughts for Thursday.

The hot weather is coming. I can feel it.

Right now though, it is windy and overcast. I think I might actually miss this when we are sweltering from heat waves and sleeping on top of the covers. I'm so wishy washy.

I'm kind of busy at work these days. I will be celebrating one year at this job in a few days. Didn't I mention something about time flying yesterday?!? Weird. Maybe God is trying to communicate something with me. It reminds me how Francis Chan speaks in his book about how all we really are in this life are like extras in a movie with about 2/5ths of second in a scene. We're excited to be in the movie yet we can't start thinking the movie is about us. It's about God.

In other news...
I was doing some pruning of this out of control bush in our little back yard/area last night when I was reminded of something I had heard a long time ago. When the vine dresser is pruning, they prune the branch that produces the most fruit the furthest back... Then I remember a friend of mine talking about how if you don't the branches will start to grow lots of leaves and look full, yet produce less fruit and actually steal water from the other fruit bearing branches. Hmmm... That's reassuring.

So, I guess I should get back to important stuff. Pray for me if you have a second. I'm a bit flustered right now in my heart. I'm trying to be obedient and change some stuff yet am being pulled back into some internal battles of the mind. It's a hard thing for me. I tend to start getting excited about new things God is teaching and then over do it by trying to do to much to soon and take in more than I can handle. Then I usually burn out. I don't want to do that again. Thanks...

Staying between the lines.

Summer is here. I think... We have had like 4 consecutive days of sunshine in British Columbia over the last week. Should I get excited? Things are plugging along.

Tomorrow is my sons last day of kindergarten. Crazy. I was watching him color last night. He was doing such a good job staying between the lines. I have a distinct memory of being a kid and having this weird revelation while coloring that I too should stay in the lines. It would make the picture look nicer. I was in Sunday school at a church in the San Fernando valley. I remember we sang "Jesus loves me" that morning. Strange how we remember such stuff... Anyhow, as I was watching Noah color and write his name, I took a moment to create a new lasting memory. In about five minutes from now he'll be 17 and finishing his last year of high school (by God's grace.) Just like 5 minutes ago it seems like we were living with my in-laws having just returned from the hospital in Langley with this little person.

Life's a trip.

5 things I am grateful for today...

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalms 100:4-5

(In no particular order...)











1. The Daily Audio bible podcast. I can't recommend it enough. Listen to it in your car on the way to work.

2. Samson and the pirate monks. Sounds goofy, but it's changing my life. Seriously, I think I will buy a copy for all my friends. Not kidding. The best book on authenticity I've ever read. It's Ok to be authentic without needing a license to sin.

3. Crazy Love. Two books in a row that go into my top 5 of all time?!?! What favor from the Lord. I'm very thankful to for God is using Francis Chan to speak some deep things into my heart.

4. The fact that I own a car with better than average fuel economy.

5. That my wife loves God, and is excited to learn to hear his voice daily. And that she's listens to all my crazy musings.

My iBook is back.

Well well well, look who has a fully functioning keyboard and screen again. the wife and I were pondering getting something new because it looked like our Mac was done for. The good thing about Mac's is they are quite stable and reliable. The bad thing is that when you have to fix them it kills the pocket book. But lo and behold, I was checking out Craigslist when I came across a guy who fixes iBook's out of his house. And his house is only about two minutes from where I work. He did a ton of stuff and sold me a new chord for my computer for what it would cost just to have Apple crack open my computer. Not bad. And the best part is, I don't have to live in fear of my Mac breaking down and thinking it'll be impossible to fix if I can get repairs done without having to sell the boy.

Waiting for the riots to start...

So, there are levees breaking, bridges being washed out and the river is rising just north of us (in Iowa). There are large parts of towns literally under water right now. Just more evidence of a failed government. So, there should be riots, looting and gunfire.......right? Isn't that what we're supposed to do - cause, the government has failed us again. We need the right people in the whitehouse so they can fix everything for us....... cause they've failed us.....we need to elect people who CARE for a change or... we'll start rioting in the streets! Isn't that what they're doing right now in Burlington Iowa? The government isn't doing enough to keep the water from rising so they're taking to the streets aren't they? I guess not.

Blogging again on a Saturday morning for the third time.

So this morning it's little robots that Noah's watching. Up next is Aurthur, I like Aurthur. Still have a messed up computer. Also these Saturday morning posts will be ending anyway as we are turning off the internet and cable for the summer. That is going to be awesome. It is amazing how much time our family spends doing those two things. We'll have a good time doing other actual family stuff. Blogging will still occur from my job though. No worries there!

For today, I don't now what to do with myself. Both Naomi and Noah have plans and will be away from the house. Free time on a Saturday? No way... I'll probably just go to the gym, but maybe I could do something really creative like go for a walk. What an exciting life I lead. Anyway, gotta go, this computer is driving me nuts again. Think we'll go buy a new one today! ;)

I thought this would be cheezy...

But it kind of blew me away.

Witnessing To Westboro

Check out this interesting post in which Josh Buice describes a recent experience of witnessing to the people of Westboro Baptist Church (i.e. the "God Hates Fags" people).

Dream weaver.

So I've had a bunch of dreams lately about dying. Last nights involved Dave injecting me with something as he was my anesthesiologist as I was going into surgery. But he didn't sedate me enough I was awake as this asian guy operated on me. Then somehow the next day in my dream I was playing bass for P.O.D in a concert but didn't know any chords to their music.

Hehhhhh?!?!?

Where did that come from?

P.O.D?!?! What is this, 1997??

And a bass player?
(Ok, maybe occasionally at church when I'm needed to, and don't tell Steve, but I use a pick..)

A good kinda bling.

This is kind of cool. There is a ministry in Bangkok, Thailand that helps women get out of the sex trade by giving them a different job making jewelry. You can buy that jewlery here. This is definitely worth your money...

Returned from Bend.

So we are home. Don't have use of the letters that's sounds "eye" or "cay" or the number after "7" and before "9" on my keyboard. Or the arrow buttons. (i am cutting and pasting the letters "i" and "k" in)

Anyway, a while ago i blogged about this housing development in Bend, Oregon designed after the Shire from the Lord of the Rings. i'm serious. So while we were there they were showing us around the town when it occurred to me that if i visited Bend and didn't see the Shire i would be crushed. So we went. And were disappointed. it appears to be a flop. There was just one home built 1n the entire area and one that was half built while the rest of the project seems to be abandoned. Lots of weeds everywhere. And cats.

They did manage to build a little town square replica from the first movie. The one where Gandalf shows up and shoots off fireworks. So we shot some camera phone of the wife, Rachel and me dancing like goofballs. Any way here it is.



i also got this picture of me standing next to a little hobbit house that is actually a storage for some water hoses.
















Thanks Ben, Rachel, Titus and Mama and Papa for a great weekend!

Great Commercial

This post is sponsored by the letters "K,I,J" and the Number "8".

We are visiting our friends in Bend Oregon this weekend. And my computer is kind of toast. And this post is being written from a PC. Running Windows Vista.


Yep. On the trip "someone" was watching cartoons on my Mac in the back seat when "someone" accidentally poured water onto my computer. After running lots of recovery stuff on the computer and fixing a bunch of errors and issues it kind of works. Except the letters "K,I,J" and the Number "8". They just don't work. So I guess I'll have to do something about that back home in Canada.

Other than that, at least it's not raining here in Oregon. Unlike back home in BC where there is some natural law that it has to rain everyday of the year. But Bend is a nice city. Situated in the center of Oregon it's a sportsman paradise I'm told. I totally believe that too. I'm not a sportsman myself (i.e. hunting, fishing, canoeing...) but my friend that I am visiting is. He took me to some Costco sized sportsman superstore yesterday. I feel sorry for the deer, elk and trout of Oregon, because this store ensures their demise. There are enough guns and camo in that place to outfit half the national guard.

Anyway, we are super happy to be spending time with our beloved friends and encouraging each other in the things of the Lord. We're heading out in a bit to there church so I'm going to cut this short. Hopefully there is favor for my Mac when I try to get it fixed back home. If not, looks like I'll have to be creative and post with every thing without the letters "K,I,J" and the Number "8".

Oh yeah, Happy Pentecost everyone! Come Lord!

The un-named Levite and some weird bible stuff.

So... This morning to my dismay, I was not able to download my podcast for todays edition of the 1-year daily audio bible readings to listen to on the way to work. I started doing it the past few days and love it. But this mornings edition just wouldn't download. So I played some "bible roulette"and decided I would pick out something from last month to listen to. I saw that the May 3 & 4 editions were from John chapter 3. Nice I thought, nothing like some positive John 3:16 loving on the way to work. What I didn't clue into was the OT passages we're from Judges chapter 17-20. First it starts out with this guy Micah living in the hill country of Ephraim stealing silver from his mother, but feels bad and returns it to her. She is so thrilled he did this she consecrates the silver to the Lord, and then has a local silversmith fashion it into a graven image and household idols. ?!?!?!. Micah is so blessed he makes one of his sons a priest. Then the story talks about some restless young Levite guy from Bethlehem who leaves home and wonders until he bumps into Micah. Micah then has this confusing thing to say to young un-named Levite,

Judges 17:10-11 Then Micah said to him, "Live with me and be my father and priest, and I'll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food." So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man was to him like one of his sons.

So what is it? Is he your dad or your son??

Then the story continues with the people of Dan looking for a homeland, they find Micah's house, long story short, come back, steal the young un-named Levite and the household idols, and slaughter the peaceful people of Laish and settle in. Then it gets interesting. Fast forward a bit, it mentions a Levite living in the hill country of Ephraim again in chapter 19. It might or might not be our young un-named Levite friend of before. He has a concubine who gets fed up with him and goes home to her parents in Bethlehem. He misses her, takes off after her, her dad doesn't want him to go home, keeps throwing parties for two days to keep him there. Finally he leaves with his concubine to return home late in the afternoon. His servant wants to camp that night with the Jebusites but the Levite says "Oh no, we need to head onto Gibeah, they are fellow Israelites and stay there." So they do, only to have the towns leaders surround the house he is staying at and demand the Levite be sent out side so they could rape him. (Sodom and Gamorrah reprise anyone??) He and his host instead say "No, please take the hosts virgin daughters or the Levites concubine"
They end up throwing the Levite's concubine outside where it says she is raped all night until she dies. The Levite responds by chopping her into 12 pieces and sending her to the 12 tribes of Israel. Israel responds by going to civil war with Gibeah, and the tribe of Benjamin, where they almost lose roughly 100,000 men and almost the battle before wiping out the ENTIRE tribe of Benjamin including livestock and family, expect for 400 who escape to the rock of Rimmon.

All because the Levite left in the afternoon instead of the morning. The misery of sin. The wages of sin is death. The people in that time who had no king truly did what they saw was fit in there own eyes, Judges 21:25.

This story is just nuts. Nuts. Nuts. Crazy and difficult. It is no where within my realm of thinking to understand it. Not exactly preached from the pulpit like John 3:16.

I wonder why in God's sovereignty did he have me listen to this difficult and hard to understand passage? What is he trying to teach me through it? I am again reminded of Proverbs 16:25:

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

While we were still sinners Christ came and died for us.

While this mess was going on in Judges.
Sinners like these.
Sin like this.
He still came.

Amazing.

So often with our post-enlightenment morality and western hemisphere sensibilities we think we are immune from the savagery and barbaric ways of these biblical times. Yet, we still worship our household idols and do what is right in our own eyes. It will surely lead to death as well.

They look so happy.

Re: MIA

Soo,

Yes, I have been absent for awhile. Busier than usual at work - which is where I would check in from time to time. As for my evenings - my mom has been out from CA and I haven't spent much time in front of my monitor - probably a good thing if you ask me. I have needed to detoxify a bit. The exciting news is that she is moving out here permanently in a couple of weeks and finding her own place.

On the political front - I am just apathetic. Yes, the Ron Paul crowd needs to leave me alone for a change, but what can you do - you can't choose your family. (Just kidding Charles - if you are reading this.) It has been interesting to watch Hillary and Barak go at it. Any thoughts from the rest of you on this one?

On a lighter note, we have been occupied with graduation season. Hmmm.....I will post later about some thoughts on the subject.

Idols by Pete Gall.

"Idols are good for two things: making us feel important and making us feel loved. Importance and love are good things, but you know they've become idols when the evidence of importance or adoration is something that you try to control yourself. My job makes me feel important, and I work hard to prove how important it makes me. Ask my cab driver, or the friends and family who get to hear me drop names or brag in cocky, matter-of-fact tones. And when I feel important I feel as though it is right for others to love me. And when I feel I understand what makes people love me, then I feel a control over that love. "

From Pete Gall's book My Beautiful Idol