Sunrise on the mountains

Yahweh's cathedral has spoken once again - El Shaddai is God of the mountains. I love living here. Steve Heinrichs shot this looking north across Sparks Lake.

Central Oregon Lightning

A friend took this photo during an autumn storm here in Bend. The distant lightning is striking Smith Rock, a well known climbing spot.



Photo by Steve Heinrichs.

Sweet Family R&R

North Sister as seen from the meadow at Black Butte Ranch.

(photo by FS)

weary traveller

No, I believe that light will come;
The sun again will shine.
On every dark road out of Egypt
The sea will open just in time.

And if I sometimes lose my way,
Or feel I’m walking blind,
I now can say (though hell may scoff)
This road -- THIS road is mine!

-A Man of Faith

nothing

"God gives His gifts where He finds the vessel empty enough to receive them."
-Clive Staples Lewis


(photo by PS)






















I find the desires of my heart to beat with increasing strength against the confines of my empty chest and I am powerless to bring them about. I am in a prison of boredom and uselessness, having work stripped from me. I find things to labor on every day yet very few of them yield any fruit that brings sustenance. I continue to minister but even in that I am virtually empty. I know You are sustaining me, Father. There is no other. I have nothing else.

I am weary and tired and beaten down. Come quickly Lord Jesus. Save me.

rhema

"...you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."

"Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do."


Who am I that you should know my name and reach out to me in the midst of all these people?




(photo by PS)












You are Yahweh, the King of kings. You are Yeshua, the Lord of lords. And you are mighty to save.

Teleion

It is like you are stuck in the middle of the road, cars coming and going both directions, and all you want to do is get out of the road. All you want to do is make the pain go away. But God calls us to persevere, to hang in there, to lean into the pain, to sit in the middle of the road even though it feels like your life is being threatened every day. And then someday, as we lean into the pain, as we cry out to God, as we choose to persevere in our faith and lean into the pain, as we stay in the middle of the road, we realize that we are growing into spiritual maturity. And then again, one day, God calls us to leave the middle of the road and come to the other side, perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Justice

The church family we are part of, with World Relief, hosted a conference this past weekend. In a word it was excellent. It was so excellent that I couldn't possibly process all of the material so chose to "sit out" several of the sessions just so my brain wouldn't explode. There is so much injustice in the world, so much corruption, so much pain that I simply could not effectively assimilate all that was being presented.

I believe Yahweh is leading me to exercise justice in certain ways. I want to carry the cause of and defend the spiritually oppressed. I want to bring food, water, clothing, shelter and education to as many as I can in India. I want to declare the truth which sets us free in order to defeat lies which bind and take captive. I will follow my God and trust that as He does His work in this world He will allow me, even invite me, to join with Him.

a means to an end

The whole meaning of prayer is that we may know God. - Oswald Chambers

(photo by PS)















How much do I believe this? How much does my life demonstrate that I believe it to be true? The statement moves me. It convicts me. I agree with it completely but I don't think I always remember or embrace it's meaning. Most believers, including myself, often use prayer as a means to an end but not the end He intends. We want something so we ask. We need help so we pray. But where I want to fall is with those who pray for want of one thing - Yahweh himself. David heralded his own cry to know God in Psalm 27 when he said,

"One thing have I asked of YAHWEH, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of YAHWEH all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of YAHWEH and to inquire in his temple." (vs 4 - ESV).

This is my desire - to know the only true God, and Jesus the Messiah, whom He sent (Jn 17:3). We will know great peace and deep satisfaction as we seek God for God while not failing to make known our requests to Him with petition and thanksgiving (Phil 4:6).

family park 'n' rec

We spent part of our afternoon - after the epic donut run - at the "boat park". It seemed fitting that we be outside with not more than long sleeves during this unusual winter warm spell. I think it helped that they were also able blow off the sugar high. And if I may speak for my boys, they had a great time. Well, their expressions don't necessarily tell it that way but it's true. They did.

mmm donuts

Yep. Custardy, joy-filled, yummy goodness. So big and messy you have to eat 'em with a fork. I felt a bit sick afterward but it was worth every tasty bite. I love donuts. The End.

Waiting is difficult

A friend sent me a text last night and as I read it the Spirit spoke to me. I knew this was not an ordinary text without much behind it. I later confirmed that my friend was moved by God – while in the market no less – to communicate a message to me. The essence of the message was "remember Joseph who did not give up hope in the face of opposition and lack of fruition of his dreams. God is with you and making you more like himself as you wait on him."

Proverbs says that hope deferred makes the heart sick (13:12). I have been asking God and waiting on Him for fulfillment of some deep desires for years now and my heart has often felt sick during this wait. These past four years have been particularly hard but I know my God and he tells me that as I trust him with everything, literally delighting in him, he can then trust me with the desires in my heart (Psalm 37:3-7). In pondering the concept of ‘waiting’ found in that passage I discovered an excerpt from Dallas Willard’s book, The Divine Conspiracy, to be not only accurate but also as if he wrote it specifically for me.

“Prayer as kingdom praying is an arrangement explicitly instituted by God in order that we as individuals may count, and count for much, as we learn step by step how to govern, to reign with him in his kingdom. To enter and to learn this reign is what gives the individual life its intended significance. This high calling also explains why prayer frequently requires much effort, continuous effort, and on some matters possibly years and years of effort. Prayer is, above all, a means of forming character. It combines freedom and power with service and love. What God gets out of our lives – and, indeed, what we get out of our lives – is simply the person we become. It is God’s intention that we should grow into the kind of person he could empower to do what we want to do. Then we are ready to “reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 22:5).

And a major element in this training is experience in waiting for God to move, not leaping ahead and taking things into our own hands. Out of this waiting experience there comes a form of character that is priceless before God, a character that can be empowered to do as one chooses. This explains why James says that patience in trials will make us “fully functional” (teleion), “perfect” (1:4).”

I suppose my countenance should be like that of my baby boy here in this photo. I love when my kids look at me like this. May the King of all glory bless us as we wait on him with expectancy and delight.

(photo by PSchrock)

Cozy Christmas Cheer

At first I was a bit unwilling for the season to arrive. It felt like a lot of work wrestling the decorations out of their year-long slumber in the garage. Clouds of dust wafted into my face as I first hefted the boxes into the house and laid them carefully by the tree. The kids had great fun "helping" with the decorating but in reality that translated to breaking fragile glass balls into a million pieces on the rug, hanging all the decorations in a slender band around the bottom of the tree and making a tangled mess of the strands of twinkly lights. Decorating this year took about twice as long as other years but I'll wager that it was also twice the joy.

It took me another whole week to discover that I had energy to hang lights out front. I think I found inspiration by watching the neighbors dutifully adorn their own houses. One guy looked like the Michelin Man in his puffy snow suit but the cold did not deter him. Another neighbor was much more akin to the Brawny guy from the paper towel ads. In the end I got out there on a mild afternoon and made it happen. I wonder if the sight of me slapping my hands on my legs to warm them gave any of my neighbors a smile. No matter what I am glad because I feel warm and happy each time I sit back to bask in their holiday glow.

Winter Goodness

We woke up to 4 inches of snow this morning. It started snowing again after a yummy breakfast of pancakes. Saturday morning cartoons are playing now (a nostalgic thing for me) and soon we'll suit up and head out in search of the perfect hill for sledding. Beat that California.

testing

Does this thing still work?

cuddles

25 little known things about me

1. I like to bike and run but only on trails. If I can see my destination I don't enjoy the exercise.

2. I'll eat Thai food for any occasion, on any day of the year at any time. How about now? Anyone want to make a Thai run?

3. Swimming is one of my favorite ways to exercise and relieve stress but sometimes I get so bored that it's hard to commit.

4. I have eaten black monkey. Before cooking/eating we had to get our meat back to camp so I wore the little beast like a backpack with his arms tied around my neck.

5. I consider reading to be a stimulating activity. I also sometimes use it to help me fall asleep.

6. The heaviest I've ever been is 205 pounds. That was a dark time in my life.

7. I think truth is one of the most important terms and ideas of our day yet also the most over-looked, underrated and ill-defined.

8. I really miss surfing and days at the beach. The ocean is a wonderful thing. But thankfully, so are mountains and we have lots of those here.

9. My favorite publication is National Geographic. Even though I've been a member in the past I've never read through an entire magazine except when not at home and usually on the toilet at my in-laws' house.

10. I sometimes think people who work 4 day work weeks have it good. But then I think "I'd like to meet someone who works a 3 day work week. That would be even better."

11. I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I value communication in my relationships and talk with most of my friends a few times per week. But the same tech also keeps my phone ringing, my email popping and my brain fried so that I can't wait to turn my cell off when I get home.

12. I once hunted and shot a cayman. I wasn't prepared for the shotgun's recoil and almost fell backwards out of the canoe. People laughed at me. It was dark so nobody saw me blushing.

13. One of my favorite sports to play is softball. I enjoy the sense of team that is required to win and I love the Americana of baseball but with lots more action. But it's super embarrassing to strike out in softball.

14. Last year I really got into clove cigarettes. I kinda started to like them too much so I quit a month ago.

15. I burp more than I fart. Ask anyone I work with.

16. I am fiercely competitive to the point of wrecking other people's fun...especially in table games. Dutch Blitz anyone?

17. I sometimes imagine myself as a mixed martial arts hero, conquering evil with my amazing combination of physical prowess and humble wisdom. Then I shift my weight on the couch and try to beat the next level.

18. I think conservation is important. I believe people are responsible to wisely rule over the resources of the earth. I believe the earth is gradually getting warmer. I do not believe humans have anything to do with it.

19. I like to talk to God. I do this when I hike, drive, ride my bike or any other activity where I find myself alone. I often do it out loud and sometimes people look at me funny.

20. My wife is my best friend and we have a really good marriage. She makes just about everything in life better...including dinner. She's a good cook.

21. I am a curious person. I like to ask the questions "Why" and "How".

22. I have spent hundreds of hours in airplanes over the past several years. Most of that time has been spent with my knees touching the seat-back in front of me.

23. I have a sensitive spirit. I often cry during movies when I identify strongly with the characters and their emotions. Even silly movies make me cry - like "Armageddon" or "Cars".

24. I gauge my fitness level by how many chins I have at any given time. Right now it's just one so I'm in good shape.

25. I had poison oak on my honeymoon. It was everywhere. Everywhere.

Asia is good

http://blog.emote360.com

Tippilakatta & Belatejessu

Production Day 1

-Peter in the banana orchard

-Small boy from Belatejessu

-Widow from elderly home

-Relaxing with Suresh

Off to India

We are on our way to India to make a documentary film about an organization called Harvest India. We're running the project through our sister production company Emote360, which is an organization that exists to help other non-profits enhance themselves and their vision with the use of multimedia. It's really fun that we're finally getting a project off the ground with Emote in this way.

Please pray for safety & health while traveling and while on the ground in India. For more detailed information please visit this LINK which explains the purpose of the trip, the schedule, our funding needs and various ways you can help.

We do still need to raise a small amount of money to cover the total project costs. Any donations over $25 will receive the final DVD that we produce for Harvest India as a 'Thank You' gift for helping us. Visit our Donations Page to find out more information.