shameless plug for a friend...

My weekend in Anchorage was just an extension of what I talked about in my last post. More Sabbath. Rest for my soul. Renewal for my spirit. It was exactly what I needed when I needed it. The month ahead is going to be very busy at work so it was nice to get a vacation before going into it head-on. My days were very full in many ways. They were full of life. Full of love. Full of God. It had been a while since I'd had that level of intense fellowship. I now hope it carries me through the next 3-4 weeks. Blassi will be down this week for a few days to visit and Tom comes down in a couple weeks. Those visits will certainly help get me through. Some conversations that I had are worth posting about. But a little more detail on the weekend at a later time...

For now, I am going to shamelessly plug my friend Jeff's book. It's entitled So I Go ~ Following After the Jesus of Our Day, and it's available at Amazon as of May 15th. It's priced at $17.50 for the time being and I am sure will be well worth the every penny. He writes like I wish I could write - in smooth, poignant prose that curls around the threshold of the imagination. It's luminous! But see for yourself - go and get the book!

good medicine...

I have had two really awesome days in a row. They were both Sabbath-ish for me even though I had to work some. (Huh... Isn't that cool that even though I had to work, it was still like a Sabbath for me?) I found renewal both last night and today. Last night I went to Veronica's with my friend Lisa. We sat on the sun porch and I sipped my decaf, skinny, caramel iced mochas and she her soda, listened to some awesome live jazz (every Friday night 3 guys play some great jazz), and had some good conversation. The highlight was when they did the Pink Panther song. We closed the place down and then went to one of the areas where there's bluffs and sat watching the sunset and had more good conversation. I mentioned how when I look at things in nature (a sunset, the ocean, mountains, a sunset over the ocean AND the mountains, moose, an eagle soaring, etc...) I often think of it as actually seeing God. Each one of those things reveals something about God's incredible character. The sunset at almost 11pm last night, although it doesn't really get dark here this time of year. It makes for very long, beautiful, full days. I love it!

Today, Lisa, myself, and our two friends (the Cheryls) went down to Homer. Being a holiday weekend and the kickoff for summer and the tourist season, it was very busy. But I still loved it. We drove out to the end of the spit and ate at Boardwalk Fish & Chips where I had the best clam chowder of my life and the best fried clam strips ever. We watched the tourists and talked to some of them. We petted the German Shepherd named Taslina and talked to her owners. We watched the eagles. We dipped our toes in the frigid water. We talked and laughed together. I mentioned, for probably the 26th time, how much I love Homer and Lisa said, "Yeah, it's like one giant coffeehouse. And not the corporate Starbucks kind either, but the real kind, the honest kind." It was great. And we headed to Homer High School where you can sit in the cafeteria (or on the deck off the cafeteria) and look out and see where ocean meets mountain and they both reveal more about God. Anyway, we went there for a concert. Broken Walls was playing there. It's Native Christian rock and soooo cool. Jonathan Maracle (pronounced miracle), a Mohawk Indian, heads the group of 3 guys total. They are a cultural music group who invite us to be reconciled to one another and to God, to rise up and worship our God. I had heard their cds and loved them but they were so much better in person. And his heart for God is amazing. He prayed over us at the end that we would be the warriors we were meant to be and that God would send down his power and authority on us and it was tangible. The Holy Spirit was I mean. It was unbelievable. We sang together, songs like "Jesus is Good Medicine," "Rise Up, Mighty Warrior," "River of Life," and "The Spirit of the Wind." At the close of the concert, Jonathan commented that he had wanted the place to be full. And in my head I thought, Oh but it is full. This place if full of the Holy Spirit. And it was.

On the way back to Soldotna, we watched the sun set over the mountains again, down behind the ocean and counted moose and eagles. We only saw about 7 moose but probably a couple dozen eagles. And I was reminded of this verse: but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31, NIV)

And tomorrow... Lisa and I are heading to Anchorage until Monday to surprise our friends Tom and Doug that came down last weekend. And I am sure I will find even more renewal with them. God is so good...

blessings in the form of friends...

I apologize for the lack in posts recently. Spring has finally sprung here in Alaska and I am soaking it in. Today, it's actually hot out. Well... hot for Alaska, anyway.

Over the weekend, my friends Tom Mute and Doug Swanson came down from Anchorage for a couple days. We had a ton of fun staying up all night, playing Trivial Pursuit, going to Sal's at 3am, giving each other back rubs, eating together, and just hanging out. Sunday Tom and I grabbed some fruit smoothies and headed to the beach for a while and found a couple rocks to sit on and we just sat and talked, basking in God's beautiful creation. Tom is one of very few people here with whom I have been able to be relatively transparent. Maybe because he's transparent himself... I don't know. It doesn't matter. He's the older brother of a friend of mine, Ryan, who is a fellow ACCer. Doug is Tom's best friend. I met them both last fall on a mission trip in Koyuk and since then have really loved the times I have spent with them, what little they have been. But Tom's promised to visit a few times this summer and I am hoping to make a trip up to Anchorage next month for a weekend for my birthday, June 17th by the way, to see them and other friends that live in Anchorage.

Another couple friends will be coming down this coming Monday for 3 weeks for Native Language Institute that's held on campus. It will be so good to see both of them, Andrea and Ariana, the Solie sisters.

God continues to find new ways to stretch me and grow me. I have been dealing with a couple things in my life lately that I won't go into too much detail here but I just want to ask you to pray for me. If you want to know specifics in order to pray more efficiently then you can email me and I will give you the background.

Oh, I will be adding a "Daily Qoute" section to my blog's sidebar in the very near future. Keep your eyes pealed for that. I will try to update it at least every other day.

That's about all I got for now... I am working on a couple other pieces that I hope to have ready to post tomorrow along with a picture or two of the past weekend.

contentment...

A year ago I was a member of Corporate America Anonymous. I was getting paid VERY well to manage a premier consulting office in a trendy part of Kansas City. It was a cushy job. One in which I should have been quite comfortable. And I was. For a while. A while being about 2 months. And then it got boring. The challenge was gone and routine had settled in. I felt completely unfulfilled in my work. It was a job that a number of my friends would have enjoyed and jumped at the chance to do. In fact, when they heard I was leaving, 2 of my friends applied and interviewed for my position. Both got hired - one for mine and the other for another position. It was a job that my friends wanted and competed against others to get, a job that could take you places. And yet, I found it severely lacking. I wasn't developing the relationships that I wanted and was not using or stretching my God-given gifts to further the kingdom. So I left. I moved to Alaska to be a full-time Bible college student. I went from making $40K to making absolutely nil. But you know what? I am happy. I am truly happy. Content. Fulfilled. I currently do the cooking and cleaning here on campus, where I am living for the summer, and am happy doing it. Dad, if you're reading this, you will know how big a deal that is because, as you know, I have NEVER enjoyed cleaning anything. But now, things are very different. I sing and even dance as I scrub away. And that's something I thought would never be possible in my life.

a brief brief...

Babysitting went well last weekend. Thanks for your prayers. I actually had a blast but was completely exhausted by the time the parents came home. Friday afternoon was soccer and then that night I took them to a Cinco de Mayo party at the home of our IT director. We sat by the bonfire in the backyard by the lake, took a few swings at a pinata, ate some authentic Mexican food, and just had good fellowship. Saturday was soccer pretty much all day. Then that night I took them to the beach for a bonfire and we roasted hot dogs, ate s'mores, I introduced them to Wasabi potato chips and to my surprise they loved them. Sunday was Sunday School, church, homework, playing outside, Papa Murphy's pizza and movies. Monday they told me that I was the best babysitter they've ever had. They were eating the DQ ice cream I had just bought them when they said it so I guess I'll never know if it was the ice cream talking or if it was the truth. I saw them last night at an open house for one of ACC's staff member's birthdays. Their eyes lit up when they saw me and I was so touched. What an honor it is to have that effect on a child, let alone three! They all ran to me and gave me hugs. I loved it! Megan, who is 6 years old, invited me to her dance recital next week. I absolutely wouldn't miss it.

Will have more of an update shortly. I apologize for the brief nature of this post. I've got a date with 5 wonderful men who are waiting for me out in the parking lot. I just shared my testimony with them and now they feel like family.

need prayer...

I need prayer this weekend. Starting tonight I am babysitting 3 kids through Monday night, by myself. One of them is really cool and the girl I can handle pretty well. But the three of them together is going to be a handful to say the least. I suppose this will be great practice for when I have kids of my own, getting them ready for school, taking them to church, putting them to bed, etc... I am a little scared. Just pray for me. PLEASE!

Oh... And I think I broke my right big toe. I dropped a 15kg weight on it today. It's purty swollen. Black and blue. And red too. Yeah, it felt good.

and the award goes to...

So, Sunday was my graduation from the one-year program here at ACC. I got a Certificate of Biblical Studies. But that's not what this post is about. I also received a Certificate of Achievement from the school. It was the first time in the school's history that anyone has maintained a 4.0 all year. Yep! It's true, I was valedictorian. But this is the funny part, I went up on stage to receive my award and as I was walking off I tripped and face-planted right there on stage. In front of everyone. Lemme tell ya, it was a shining, graceful moment. One of which Amy would be proud.

I will post more later. But for now, I am exhausted. I worked from 9am to 8pm today. YAWN!