Some buddies and I decided to go backpacking in the San Isabel national forest in colorado last weekend. What a fantastic trip we had. We hiked three 14'ers in two days - Mt. Missouri, Mt. Belford, and Mt. Oxford. For those of you who do not know what a 14'er is, it is a mountaint whose peak is 14,000 feet or greater, and rises 300 feet above the next adjacent mountain. There are 53 I believe in colorado, the tallest of which is Mt Elbert at 14,433. The above links will give you some stats and pictures of those peaks if you are interested. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of my own at this time.
The weather was perfect, but us lowlanders where in for a harder time than we imagined. We were definetly huffing and puffing, a couple got pretty bad altitude sickness, but we made it with no injuries or no one tumbling off the mountain. I discovered trekking poles for the first time as I bought some before leaving. I've done a fair amount of hiking / backpacking, but I won't be doing any more without poles. They really are helpful and work great as a lightning rod on top of the peak. Hiking companions appreciate knowing they will be the second ones hit.
It had been a while since I have tackled anything this arduous, and I had forgotten how deceptive hiking can be. It is tempting to look across a valley, up over a ridge, up at a peak, etc and say to your self, oh that doesn't look that bad, only to find when you get up close that was the worse thing you could have done.
I'll post some pictures when I get them from the others as I did not take a camera.
6/24/2006
6/10/2006
an update of our not so interesting life...
another saturday morning update here. We have decided to embark on a bit of remodeling for our home. It will be a bit of a process, but I don't think we are in any hurry. We are going to redo the laundry room, downstairs bath, and kitchen (eventually). We got a new washer and dryer from Jenica's dad. He works at Frigidaire, and they delivered a top of the line test model for free, but we have to complete surveys on it for a year. Hmmmm...lets think about that for a while...ok, we'll take it! Now if only BMW did that.
Leyla is sure an interesting kid. She does not like change (to an extreme) we have discovered. She broke down crying when she saw the new washer and dryer, saying she just likes our old one. The other day the city came by and cut down our dying 80 year old maple tree, and that was pretty upsetting to Leyla as well. She also doesn't want us doing any remodelling. And on an unrelated note, the other day she called Chloe a "naughty greedy little pig" when they weren't getting along. And for one more Leylaism, the day before her birthday, when I took her out on a date and we were discussing her upcoming birthday, she squeezed her eyes tight and said with upmost longing, "oh I wish tomorrow were today!".
Last weekend I took Jenica on a weekend getaway to the "Amana Colonies", which is a historic german village in central Iowa. I didn't know much about it, but went ahead and booked a bed and breakfast and bought some tickets to the local theatre there. Well, no one clued me in the unwritten law that you had to be retired to be there. When we walked into the theatre, and saw that we were the only people there under 65, we felt a little intimidated. Not that we don't enjoy and respect the elderly, we just felt our of place. And not to mention that everything at the Amana's seemed subpar. The food wasn't that great, the bed and breakfast was relatively pitiful, and the play we saw had a story line about as interesting as "see spot run". We did a little wine tasting as well - I never new you could make "dandelion" wine. It was interesting, but it definitely curbed my urges to go out and eat dandelions.
We had fun just being together without kids. As I grow closer to my wife it is amazing how much joy there is in having a deep relationship with another person. Someone you love to just be with and commune with. The absolute best part of the weekend was the trip back - we took a backroads highway, windows down sunroof open music on holding hands blasting down the highway about as fast as we dared. Proof to the saying that any happily married couple knows: it doesn't matter what you do as long as it is together. In fact, I have decided when it comes to just being together less is indeed more. Simple times are often just as - or more - enjoyable as the busy planned out vacations.
Leyla is sure an interesting kid. She does not like change (to an extreme) we have discovered. She broke down crying when she saw the new washer and dryer, saying she just likes our old one. The other day the city came by and cut down our dying 80 year old maple tree, and that was pretty upsetting to Leyla as well. She also doesn't want us doing any remodelling. And on an unrelated note, the other day she called Chloe a "naughty greedy little pig" when they weren't getting along. And for one more Leylaism, the day before her birthday, when I took her out on a date and we were discussing her upcoming birthday, she squeezed her eyes tight and said with upmost longing, "oh I wish tomorrow were today!".
Last weekend I took Jenica on a weekend getaway to the "Amana Colonies", which is a historic german village in central Iowa. I didn't know much about it, but went ahead and booked a bed and breakfast and bought some tickets to the local theatre there. Well, no one clued me in the unwritten law that you had to be retired to be there. When we walked into the theatre, and saw that we were the only people there under 65, we felt a little intimidated. Not that we don't enjoy and respect the elderly, we just felt our of place. And not to mention that everything at the Amana's seemed subpar. The food wasn't that great, the bed and breakfast was relatively pitiful, and the play we saw had a story line about as interesting as "see spot run". We did a little wine tasting as well - I never new you could make "dandelion" wine. It was interesting, but it definitely curbed my urges to go out and eat dandelions.
We had fun just being together without kids. As I grow closer to my wife it is amazing how much joy there is in having a deep relationship with another person. Someone you love to just be with and commune with. The absolute best part of the weekend was the trip back - we took a backroads highway, windows down sunroof open music on holding hands blasting down the highway about as fast as we dared. Proof to the saying that any happily married couple knows: it doesn't matter what you do as long as it is together. In fact, I have decided when it comes to just being together less is indeed more. Simple times are often just as - or more - enjoyable as the busy planned out vacations.
5/03/2006
some devotional thoughts...
This year I started what is looking to be a two year "read the Bible in year" program with a friend from church, and recently read these verses which has caused me to think a bit.
1Sam 2:29 Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honour your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel? (NIV)
This is written to the priest Eli concerning his derelict sons in the time of Samuel, you can read the rest of the context if you are interested, I won't post it here.
Here is what caused me to think: this verse specifically links honoring God and the relative quality of the offering - and so God was dishonored by Eli and his sons not giving the best, but rather giving the remains in their offerings. Fast forward to 2006 and relate this concept to the new testament church. This may sound trivial, but I have rarely thought of giving in these terms of honoring God, or specifically that not giving the best to God is to dishonor Him, or at least honor self above Him! Yes I understand there is liberty and God loves a cheerful giver and so on, but when was the last time you or I looked at our online banking statements (or check book for you older people) and made sure the best part was going to God and not the remnants? And then thought if it is not the best, then we are dishonoring Him, or honoring our selves above him.
We can rationalize anything my dad used to say (and still does, if you were wondering) and I would add that the first step is in watering down the terminology. Consider the current debate in our nation concerning immigrants - they are now being called "undocummented" immigrants as opposed to "illegal". Like I said, the first step of rationalization is watering down the terminology. Words like sin are dificult to rationalize so they must be marginalized and made more palatable. My point here is that we don't realize how most Christians act with their finances is dishonoring to God, even though we usuall don't call it that way.
Notice the quality of the offering in the Bible is never absolute to all givers, but rather relative. The poor did not have to offer the same absolute as the rich, but relative - the best they had. Whatever state we are in, we ought not to dishonor him in our offerings.
1Sam 2:29 Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honour your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel? (NIV)
This is written to the priest Eli concerning his derelict sons in the time of Samuel, you can read the rest of the context if you are interested, I won't post it here.
Here is what caused me to think: this verse specifically links honoring God and the relative quality of the offering - and so God was dishonored by Eli and his sons not giving the best, but rather giving the remains in their offerings. Fast forward to 2006 and relate this concept to the new testament church. This may sound trivial, but I have rarely thought of giving in these terms of honoring God, or specifically that not giving the best to God is to dishonor Him, or at least honor self above Him! Yes I understand there is liberty and God loves a cheerful giver and so on, but when was the last time you or I looked at our online banking statements (or check book for you older people) and made sure the best part was going to God and not the remnants? And then thought if it is not the best, then we are dishonoring Him, or honoring our selves above him.
We can rationalize anything my dad used to say (and still does, if you were wondering) and I would add that the first step is in watering down the terminology. Consider the current debate in our nation concerning immigrants - they are now being called "undocummented" immigrants as opposed to "illegal". Like I said, the first step of rationalization is watering down the terminology. Words like sin are dificult to rationalize so they must be marginalized and made more palatable. My point here is that we don't realize how most Christians act with their finances is dishonoring to God, even though we usuall don't call it that way.
Notice the quality of the offering in the Bible is never absolute to all givers, but rather relative. The poor did not have to offer the same absolute as the rich, but relative - the best they had. Whatever state we are in, we ought not to dishonor him in our offerings.
4/29/2006
another saturday post
I have decided that getting up early on saturday mornings is becoming very enjoyable to me. The house is quiet, with everyone else sleeping, so it is one of the few opportunities I have to get several consecutive hours of Bible study, blogging, catching up on the news or NFL draft (why do a lot of people seem to be down on Vince Young's future now?), and drinking lots of coffee. Especially on days like today - it has been a light rain for about 12 hours now, and probably will for another 12. I love these kind of days, we never had them in Colorado. Although once the kids get up and at 'em it has a way of making them into caged animals. And not the tame kind.
Things are extremely busy these days at work. We always seem to be landing more work than we can support, which is supposed to be a good thing, but it seems to keep stress levels high. Anyway, what business isn't these days? However, in contemplating our existence lately I have become more and more aware of what counts in life and what doesn't. There is this innate difficulty in that we can reach out and see and touch what counts, but it is hard to legitimize them in terms of time and effort, and a good part of life is spent on things that don't. And so I have also become more enamored with the stories of the truly great and faithful both past and current.
Leyla's birthday is Tuesday, and she has been looking forward to this for a long time. Hmmm...still no good ideas on how to make it special. I will probably do a daddy daughter date at some point this week. She wants to get her ears pierced - Hmmm - I suppose thats fine, but geez, she is only 4.
I recently ordered another book from Amazon, "Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel", and it looks to be very good. I am amazed at the amount of scholarly writings on the gospel of John, and in my studies I am beginning to feel very inadequate. Obviously some of it you have to sift through as not all of it is good, but by and large it is very helpful. Think about this in relation to the birth of the internet - there is so much information available at the stroke of a few keys. Whatever the subject, there is a lot available. My friend Micah blogged about this a while ago so I won't here.
We had a friend, Melissa Ortez, stop by thursday night on her travels back west. She has spent the last couple of years ministering in the country of Jordan, and we had a fantastic time being encouraged by her in hearing of her work of the gospel there. We knew her from Colorado, and it has been fun to get her emails but finally to see the pictures and hear the stories first hand.
One last comment - I posted a link a while ago on an article regarding the german churches in the time of Hitler. Since I was sick this last weekend, I spent some time on the couch and in doing so watched a public television documentary on the subject of Auschwitz, which was a "death factory" for Jews at the hands of the Nazi's. Absolutely fascinating and horrible. However, in that documentary they backed up alot of what was in the article I posted. They did a special section on Dietrich Bonhoffer, which I thought was very good. They were very true to the message of his work and showing his love for Christ and his steadfast faith in persecution. What a time in the history of man.
Things are extremely busy these days at work. We always seem to be landing more work than we can support, which is supposed to be a good thing, but it seems to keep stress levels high. Anyway, what business isn't these days? However, in contemplating our existence lately I have become more and more aware of what counts in life and what doesn't. There is this innate difficulty in that we can reach out and see and touch what counts, but it is hard to legitimize them in terms of time and effort, and a good part of life is spent on things that don't. And so I have also become more enamored with the stories of the truly great and faithful both past and current.
Leyla's birthday is Tuesday, and she has been looking forward to this for a long time. Hmmm...still no good ideas on how to make it special. I will probably do a daddy daughter date at some point this week. She wants to get her ears pierced - Hmmm - I suppose thats fine, but geez, she is only 4.
I recently ordered another book from Amazon, "Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel", and it looks to be very good. I am amazed at the amount of scholarly writings on the gospel of John, and in my studies I am beginning to feel very inadequate. Obviously some of it you have to sift through as not all of it is good, but by and large it is very helpful. Think about this in relation to the birth of the internet - there is so much information available at the stroke of a few keys. Whatever the subject, there is a lot available. My friend Micah blogged about this a while ago so I won't here.
We had a friend, Melissa Ortez, stop by thursday night on her travels back west. She has spent the last couple of years ministering in the country of Jordan, and we had a fantastic time being encouraged by her in hearing of her work of the gospel there. We knew her from Colorado, and it has been fun to get her emails but finally to see the pictures and hear the stories first hand.
One last comment - I posted a link a while ago on an article regarding the german churches in the time of Hitler. Since I was sick this last weekend, I spent some time on the couch and in doing so watched a public television documentary on the subject of Auschwitz, which was a "death factory" for Jews at the hands of the Nazi's. Absolutely fascinating and horrible. However, in that documentary they backed up alot of what was in the article I posted. They did a special section on Dietrich Bonhoffer, which I thought was very good. They were very true to the message of his work and showing his love for Christ and his steadfast faith in persecution. What a time in the history of man.
4/22/2006
lazy saturday morning
We've been hit with our share of the nasties this week. Jenica and the kids all had some kind of stomach bug and I have developed a nasty cold /allergies thing. It seems as though several people in our church were sick as well, so I suppose as they say it is going around.
Wednesday night at church we bought some home made bread from a girl at church that makes it. The kids had it with them in the back seat, and when we got home they had devoured almost half of two loaves. Chloe had torn through the middle of the sack, so they ate out the middle of two loaves of bread. What is they say, "when the kids are quiet - beware"?
I had to fly out and back to Columbus, OH on thursday. On the way there I was able to fly on our clients plane, but on the way back it was too full so I got bumped at the last minute and had to take commercial. Which was fine except it took an additional 3 hours to get back to Des Moines. It connected in Milwaukee, and the flight from Milwaukee to Des Moines was something else. It was the smallest commercial plane I have ever seen, and of course I had the worst seat on it. When I was walking towards the stairs to get on the pilot turned and looked out - she looked pretty young, maybe a bit older than Leyla. The funniest thing though was when they turned on the cabin air, the air was coming out so hard it felt like someone was blowing compressed air in your face. I think maybe the air conditioning system is where the plane got its propulsion. Anyway, there was a man about 4 seats in front of me who had one of those bald spot comb over doos - and when the air came on, it was blasting on him such that his hair lid flapped with the wind. Reminded me of thoses exhaust caps on diesel equipment.
It looks like I am going to have to pull out the lawn mower for the first time this year. Not a pleasant thought. Since my neighbor's husband died last year right before Christmas, I will be mowing their yard too. Its fun to be able to help her, and fortunately our yards are pretty small so it is pretty easy. Her husband had a riding lawnmower which I can use, but in my mind the yards are too small to make it worth it.
Jenica and the girls are going to a baby shower today for the new Crim baby, so I suppose I will do something manly like go to Home Depot with Caden and look at riding lawnmowers.
Wednesday night at church we bought some home made bread from a girl at church that makes it. The kids had it with them in the back seat, and when we got home they had devoured almost half of two loaves. Chloe had torn through the middle of the sack, so they ate out the middle of two loaves of bread. What is they say, "when the kids are quiet - beware"?
I had to fly out and back to Columbus, OH on thursday. On the way there I was able to fly on our clients plane, but on the way back it was too full so I got bumped at the last minute and had to take commercial. Which was fine except it took an additional 3 hours to get back to Des Moines. It connected in Milwaukee, and the flight from Milwaukee to Des Moines was something else. It was the smallest commercial plane I have ever seen, and of course I had the worst seat on it. When I was walking towards the stairs to get on the pilot turned and looked out - she looked pretty young, maybe a bit older than Leyla. The funniest thing though was when they turned on the cabin air, the air was coming out so hard it felt like someone was blowing compressed air in your face. I think maybe the air conditioning system is where the plane got its propulsion. Anyway, there was a man about 4 seats in front of me who had one of those bald spot comb over doos - and when the air came on, it was blasting on him such that his hair lid flapped with the wind. Reminded me of thoses exhaust caps on diesel equipment.
It looks like I am going to have to pull out the lawn mower for the first time this year. Not a pleasant thought. Since my neighbor's husband died last year right before Christmas, I will be mowing their yard too. Its fun to be able to help her, and fortunately our yards are pretty small so it is pretty easy. Her husband had a riding lawnmower which I can use, but in my mind the yards are too small to make it worth it.
Jenica and the girls are going to a baby shower today for the new Crim baby, so I suppose I will do something manly like go to Home Depot with Caden and look at riding lawnmowers.
4/18/2006
Contemplating blogosphere
Think about this. Why is it that people seem to feel a greater degree of freedom regarding what they write/blog about than what they would say in person to or about people or their own views? Has anyone else noticed that?
It reminds me of when Jen and I went to Boston last fall, and rode the commuter train out to a neighboring town called Gloucester, and the way back include an hour long delay in the town of Salem, MA. Now, this also happened to be Halloween night. For those you who don't remember your US history like we didn't that evening, 10/31 in Salem, MA happens to be probably the biggest Halloween party on the planet. Regardless, I made this observation as we watched hordes of people on the train and at the train stop: people put on a costume, and they immediately lose a degree of shame. We observed that under costume people felt unnaturally free to act, say, and carry on in manners that aren't normal for uncostumed people. And for the most part, these people seemed sober as the evening was still young so they didn't appear to be under the influence so to speak.
I wonder if blogging is a costume to some that offers a false sense of shielding that gives a sense of freedom that otherwise does not exist in person to person conversation. People will write, for instance, anonymous letters to the editor and say things they would never say should their name be identified. Or a person may call a talk show and say things under a false name because they don't want their identity known. Some how these things seem to be related. Or consider for instance MySpace. I have visited a few spaces of Christian friends only to find myself very dissapointed, perhaps discouraged at the material they say and post. Although not anonymous, apparently behind the veil of false obscurity the true colors of many individuals comes out.
Behind this veil I think people are also more open with their thoughts than otherwise. Which is not necessarily all bad. In face to face conversation we humans are good at disguising what is really on our minds. It is interesting to observe what things are important to people by what blogg about.
So, why the freedom of pen that is not found in the spoken conversation?
It reminds me of when Jen and I went to Boston last fall, and rode the commuter train out to a neighboring town called Gloucester, and the way back include an hour long delay in the town of Salem, MA. Now, this also happened to be Halloween night. For those you who don't remember your US history like we didn't that evening, 10/31 in Salem, MA happens to be probably the biggest Halloween party on the planet. Regardless, I made this observation as we watched hordes of people on the train and at the train stop: people put on a costume, and they immediately lose a degree of shame. We observed that under costume people felt unnaturally free to act, say, and carry on in manners that aren't normal for uncostumed people. And for the most part, these people seemed sober as the evening was still young so they didn't appear to be under the influence so to speak.
I wonder if blogging is a costume to some that offers a false sense of shielding that gives a sense of freedom that otherwise does not exist in person to person conversation. People will write, for instance, anonymous letters to the editor and say things they would never say should their name be identified. Or a person may call a talk show and say things under a false name because they don't want their identity known. Some how these things seem to be related. Or consider for instance MySpace. I have visited a few spaces of Christian friends only to find myself very dissapointed, perhaps discouraged at the material they say and post. Although not anonymous, apparently behind the veil of false obscurity the true colors of many individuals comes out.
Behind this veil I think people are also more open with their thoughts than otherwise. Which is not necessarily all bad. In face to face conversation we humans are good at disguising what is really on our minds. It is interesting to observe what things are important to people by what blogg about.
So, why the freedom of pen that is not found in the spoken conversation?
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