chocolate chip goodness

Shannon just baked these cookies.

I wish you could smell them.

They're like...AMAZING.

love letter

God, You are the author of my story. You designed my heart. Nothing I do or dream surprises You. Your love is wider than my life. Your hope runs deeper than my fears. You see the entirety of my existence, and You sing over me. Jesus, thanks for calling me Your shorty.

Haha, it’s stupid really. I spend all of this time worrying about how You’re going to play out the plan of my life. But it’s not about my story at all. It’s Yours. All of this is about You. I’m not the lead character. You are.

Fix my eyes on You, author. You’re the perfecter of our faith. You’re the protector of our hearts. You’re the King who gave up everything to love us. You’re the Rescuer who dropped into Earth to pick us up from our heartache.

When it seems like everyone else is in love, You’re the One who is loneliest. When it seems like no one cares, You’re the One weeping for us. When it seems like hope is hibernating for winter, You’re Wisdom crying out in the streets.

You. It’s all about You.

You’re the Lover of our souls. You’re the gatekeeper of our hearts. You’re the champion of the abused. You’re the leader of the listless, the hopeless, the reckless. You’re Prince Charming, riding a white horse through the clouds of fire. You’ve won eternity and proclaimed Your love as victory.

So why am I still close to crying?

You are the source of all Joy. You didn’t make my heart with any voids. You filled them all. You are always present. You are always crying out to be the only Lover of my life.

You’re the God of the rain. You’re the God of the lonely. You’re the God of the rejected. You’re the God of the exhausted. You’re my God.

can you plagiarize yourself?

I love looking over old journals, blog posts, letters to myself, etc. Some attitudes are annual, always hitting at the same time each year.

Looks like I was in a similar spot last October:
"What breaks my heart

• People who feel alone
• Injustice to children
• Physical abuse
• Wasted opportunities
• Abandoned relationships (especially between parents and children)
• Hearts hardened to the Gospel
• Idolatry in my own life
• Watching loved ones make poor choices

What irritates me:

• Flaky people
• Students who don't study
• Gas that costs more than $3.00 a gallon. Seriously?
• Dark and cloudy winters
• Internet going out
• Poor listeners
• Snooze button (and how often I use it)
• Poor communicators
• Ambiguity
• Guys who ask you out over text messages.

What excites me:

• Hiking (anywhere)
• Starting a new task
• Impossible challenges
• Potential in others
• Good musicians
• Seeing old friends after a long absence
• Being in love
• Sharing the story of my life and what God's done

What gives me hope:

• New believers being baptized
• Compassion projects
• Prophecies
• 50-year wedding anniversaries
• Students sharing the Gospel
• Seeing the mountains when the clouds break
• Parents invested in their children
• Reading the Bible
• Hot cocoa by the fire"

So, what's really changed? Well, gas is cheaper and the internet doesn't go out as much. Otherwise, I guess my character is pretty consistent.

filter

Shannon and I went on a few adventures this month. In the process, we created the "Life Filter". It's a ranking of priorities that allows us to filter our decisions of how to use our time and how to take risks.

1. Jesus
2. Adventure
3. Safety
4. Work

#3 and #4 are to be applied as necessary.

So far, the filter has preserved our lives and helped us deal with situations in a healthy way.

This morning, I used the filter to invite a climbing friend to church. Will he come? Well, that's beyond the scope of the filter.

Yesterday, we used the filter while lost on a hike on Gold Mountain. Pouring rain. Cold. A guy with two pitbulls that we kept running into (evidence that one or both of our hiking groups were taking circles). But, by elevating adventure over safety (and keen geographical sense) we ended the day in the nice warm car.

Try it out. See how well the filter works for you.

No, this is my place

The November issue of National Geographic Magazine came in the mail today.

There's a story about a boy named Logocho. He grew up in Southern Sudan. Then, the war happened.

The story explains his struggle to find his place, his purpose. He wasn't made to be a cattleman. He wasn't made to be a soldier.

Read it here: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/11/southern-sudan/teague-text . Logocho chose to alter the path of his life. He found his calling when he began reading a friend's Bible.

The entire testimony reads more like a book by Shane Claiborne of the Simple Way in Philadelphia than anything I've ever read in NGM before.

Logocho changed his name to Simon. Changed his purpose. Found his purpose.

The story ends with the reporter asking Simon why he never left Sudan to get a better life. Simon replied, "No, this is my place."

Beautiful reminder: God asks us to grow where we are planted.

Okay, Lord, here I am. Planted to bear peace in Kitsap county. Fix my eyes on You, train my heart to sing Your praises. Make my soul say, "No, this is my place."

boundaries

bound·a·ry

   [boun-duh-ree, -dree]  Show IPA

–noun, plural -ries.

1.

something that indicates bounds or limits; a limiting orbounding line.

2.

Also called frontier. Mathematics . the collection of allpoints of a given set having the property that everyneighborhood of each point contains points in the set and inthe complement of the set.

(Plagiarized from www.dictionary.com)

Currently working on setting mine. 

Only always redefining my life.

"Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the least deserving Christian there is, I was chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ." - Eph 3:18

autumn burn-out

It's too early to burn out.

The leaves haven't fallen off the trees yet. The weather's just bi-polar. Responsibilities are only beginning to pile up.

It's only October...

My heart needed some mountains. And some Nutella. And some adventure.

So, this weekend (and tonight too, actually) I filled up on adventure quota for the month. Here's a snapshot of our Saturday hiking crew. Well, the crew minus Mike who staged the whole shot:

We tried again with Megan taking the shot, since she wasn't as big on the jumping thing:

It's funny how a beautiful day outside can change my mood so much. This is what joy looks like, to me. Leaping on mountain summits. Gorgeous blue sky. Crazy friends. But even adventure can't stop the burn-out. In fact...adventure robs my sleep!

So, this week is about seeking deep joy. Burn-out resistant joy. The joy that comes from trusting Christ. From listening to the God who "moved into the neighborhood."

Shannon and I are starting each day with some sweet Bible-reading. 6am comes way too early. Always. There is never a good time for 6am. For anything. But for the Bible...well, maybe.

That's the plan...

Let's see how God shapes this week. His adventures don't always involve mountains. But He always comes back to grace. May I experience, show and share that grace this week. And joy! May this week be full of finding joy in even the busiest Octobers!