men one day

We played king of the mountain out on the end
The world come chargin' up the hill, and we were [young boys] and men
Now there's so much that time, time and memory fade away
We got our own roads to ride and chances we gotta take
We stood side by side each one fightin' for the other
We said until we died we'd always be blood brothers

In the early evening light
And the miles we have come
And the battles won and lost
Are just so many roads traveled
So many rivers crossed
And I ask God for the strength
And faith in one another
Cause it's a good night for a ride
Cross this river to the other side
My blood brother
(from revised edition)

But the stars are burnin' bright like some mystery uncovered
I'll keep movin' through the dark with you in my heart
My blood brother

-Bruce Springsteen
www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/BloodBrothers.html

Christ on the mountain

Our knowledge of Christ is somewhat like climbing one of our Welsh mountains. When you are at the base you see but little: the mountain itself appears to be but half as high as it really is. Confined in a little valley, you discover scarcely anything but the rippling brooks as they descend into the stream at the foot of the mountain. Climb the first rising knoll, and the valley lengthens and widens beneath your feet. Go higher, and you see the country for four or five miles around, and you are delighted with the widening prospect. Mount still, and the scene enlarges; until at last, when you are on the summit, and look east, west, north, and south, you see almost all England lying before you. Yonder is a forest in some distant country, perhaps two hundred miles away, and here the sea, and there a shining river and the smoking chimneys of a manufacturing town, or the masts of the ships in a busy port. All these things please and delight you, and you say, "I could not have imagined that so much could be seen at this elevation."

Now, the Christian life is of the same order. When we first believe in Christ we see but little of Him. The higher we climb the more we discover of His beauties. But who has ever gained the summit? Who has known all the heights and depths of the love of Christ which passes knowledge? Paul, when grown old, sitting gray-haired, shivering in a dungeon in Rome, could say with greater emphasis than we can, "I know whom I have believed," for each experience had been like the climbing of a hill, each trial had been like ascending another summit, and his death seemed like gaining the top of the mountain, from which he could see the whole of the faithfulness and the love of Him to whom he had committed his soul.
Climb up, dear friend, into the high mountain.

-Charles Haddon Spurgeon

outdoor solace

i haven't worshipped in any greater or more beautiful cathedrals than those i've found in nature. my backyard is this kind of sanctuary for me - a small refuge..a place of peace & solace. i love it. thank you, Creator God. i'm very grateful.

so after many long, sweaty, sunburned & joyous hours of manual labor my yard is nearing completion. this particular project has been very long in coming and extremely satisfying as a process. i'm thankful for the good friends, family & neighbors who all pitched in with time and tools to help me get it done. about 5 months ago it began with a sketch on a scratch pad at my in-law's and today the idea has come to nearly full fruition. a bird bath will just about round it all out - and hopefully bring in more feathered friends.

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul."

- John Muir

firstborn

this is eli.
he’s 3½ now and he loves diggers, playing in the sandbox, bob the builder, taking walks – especially by the river, cuddling with the peanut, and everything john deere. the john deere part threw me for a while but I guess when both granddads grew up on a farm, who can blame him? we’ve all received a thorough education on the tractors, implements, earth moving machines and general farming & forestry equipment that john deere has to offer. I never could have guessed that my son would be instructing me on the finer points of the Fellerbuncher and Knuckle-boom loader. as I said, everything john deere.

good things come in small packages

-- 11:30pm -- 5 June 2007 --

You are coming soon. I’ve been waiting for you. We began tonight with prayer – a circle of friends around mommy. Many hands lifted you to God.
You are coming soon. I’ve been waiting. I don’t yet know you but I love you. You are coming soon. Big brother is excited.. Grandparents are excited.. Mommy is excited. You are coming and I’ve been waiting.
We love you little baby. We love you. You are coming soon.

-Papa


Curren entered the world at 11:46pm on Tuesday, June 5th. He weighed 6lbs. 6oz. He has remarkably large hands which he uses to scratch his face and he is already very accomplished at performing the startle-reflex. Did I mention that he’s super cute? Welcome little man.

blog 1.0

this is where it all goes down. or doesn't go down. i guess that depends on your perspective. either way, this is the blog i never expected to take shape. but an out-of-state move can sometimes change things like that.


what to expect:

-photos of our adventures here in the great northwest and beyond. these may, at times, be accompanied by a witty caption. most likely not as Betterhalf says i'm not witty. ok, she doesn't say that. but she doesn't laugh at me much anymore and that about sums it up for me.
-the random video or two. but not too many because as we all know, the cobbler's children don't have shoes.
-simple reflections on the good life God has given.

what not to expect:

-deep thoughts...unless penned by Jack Handy
-political rants
-soap boxing


...keep in touch and all that...