MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

"Action"..."Take Five"...

So, one of my goals for 2005 was to get more involved with my hobby...short film making. Church work and family life can be so overwhelming that there is no time for me to develop skills or have fun in other areas. So, I set out to expand at least this one fun area of my life. I took some great strides this year with this little hobby. Deep down inside there is a budding documentary film maker learking. I was able to make a number of fun short segments for our church (baptisms, land dedication, "man-on-the-street" videos, etc.).

I also took on a bigger project this Fall that took me about a month and a half to complete, one of my longest attempts yet. I made a documentary film, 58 minutes, of "The story of Cade and Dominique". I tried to tell it in third person, with personal interviews included. It was a good try and ended up being my anniversary present to Dominique for putting up with me the last ten years. The hardest part was trying to keep it a secret from Dom until the time of rendering and production. If nothing else we now have documented video history of how it all began for our kids to have in the future.

Last week I watched "The March of the Penguins". What a magnificant documentary and love story. It got me to thinking of new project ideas, maybe next on my plate will be "The Tantrums of a Ten Month Old" or "The Silly Saying of a Seven Year Old". Lucas and Spielberg had to start somewhere.

living in the moment

On Tuesday night I took our oldest two boys with me over to Prince of Wales Island to the town of Hollis. The father of a friend of mine passed away, so we went to the memorial service. It was a three hour ferry ride and I was a little nervous about taking the two boys, but am so glad I did. It was a celebration of a man's life that had an amazing impact on his four sons and their friends. I left feeling completely inspired. The legacy of being a good, strong, Godly father was so evident in his son's lives that it made me want to be that to my sons. I appreciated the fact that all of his sons could see the significant contrabution their dad had made in their lives. It was nice to see and hear younger men giving honor to and recognizing their fathers effort to encourage them and support them - all in different ways. The other thing I will take away from this trip is the power of living in the moment. Where ever I am and what ever I am doing to do it as best i can in that very moment. No more thinking about it or planning for it or dreaming about it, but to just do it in that very moment.

Sprouting with joy

Tonight was the night to try brussel sprouts for the first time.
What did we think of them?

Noah:
"chhhhaaak"
Which i think means "yuck" in 7 year old language, the expression on his face and hands around the neck said it all.

Brock:
"ummm good"
With an actual smile on his face (that's my boy).

Charlie:
"zzzzzzzzz"
She was asleep on the couch at the time, we'll ask her when she wakes up.

Simon:
"mmmmmmmm"
Not only did he eat them, but also is wearing them.

Dom:
"Much better than I remembered them."
I think that was because she was the one cooking them.

Cade:
"No comment"
I plead the fifth.

If you have not done it today, try something new! Even if it means testing out the sprout.

Timmmmberrrrrrrr!

Felt like Clark Wilhelm Griswold Jr. today - one of those challening days only the holidays offer. After breaking glass ornaments on our carpet, fighting with strings of lights that don't work (not sure they ever did), and having our Christmas tree fall over on little Charlie and flood our living room floor, I'm about done with Christmas already. I should have known, it being a Monday and all. My boys were the ones to hold us all together though; they were smiling though the whole debacle. After everything was said and done Noah had the insight (i mean guts) to ask me "Dad, where did all your holiday spirit go?" Classic, I couldn't help but smile, on the outside anyway, at that one. So, after many unpleasant words uttered under my breath and after pulling out plenty of pine needles and glass schards from my socks and hair we have successfully resurrected our tree, with ornaments, and strung the lights (new ones - again - from Wally's World). If you're wondering, don't worry, Charlie thought it was so cool the tree actually fell completely over and water was soaking her feet she didn't feel the need, or forgot, to cry.

Wet coffee in the promised land

I have always enjoyed reading the account of the Israelites crossing the Jordon River into the Promised Land after spending 40 years wandering in the wilderness. They finally made it after all that time, albeit without their leader Moses. It is always inspiring for me to think of the priests mustering up great faith to step into the water before they saw any sign of God interviening. Having faith in the midst of a promise so close, yet not knowing exactly what stepping in the water would bring... but doing it anyway because that's what men of faith are suppose to do.

I talked with a friend tonight about him having to take a great step of faith. I used this story like a good pastor should, with great enthusiasm and confidence. I was trying to be encouraging, I wonder if I was though. Would I be able to muster up the great faith needed to do the right thing if the shoe was on the other foot. If I was the one with the overwhelming obstacle in my path. I wondered after my encounter today what God was calling me into. What fear did I need to trust God with and what impossible situation do I need to get my feet wet in? My friend left with the right answers tonight, I just hope and pray they were the answers that God was interested in giving. Maybe it was more about being heard then hearing the pat answer, in that case maybe I should call my friend tomorrow and go out for coffee... because I want to be there to see my friend drying his feet off in his promised land.

Ten Years...then pain

Oh, billy, billy, billy. I made it to the first stage of heaven today (if there were stages). My wife and I had full body massages for our ten year anniversary present to ourselves. I am feeling like a jelly fish in a blender right now. Talk about getting worked over. I recomend to everyone. It hurts so good... isn't that a John Cougar Mellencamp song? Or should I say, John Mellencamp?

Giving Thanks

What I'm Thankful for:

12. Music
11. Q-tips
10. Oreos (double-stuffed)
9. Satellite TV
8. All underdogs (the little guy)
7. Friends
6. Our dishwasher
5. Pizza
4. Pillows (+ 600 count sheets)
3. My kids (every last one)
2. My beautiful wife
1. His Grace

This should give you all great insight into the make-up of my inner-person. Yes, for those of you figuring, our dishwasher does come before some of my friends. Actually, I consider our dishwaher one of my friends, I spend so much time talking with it. It knows more about me then most, so it all evens out. Hope every last one of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend.

A Better Man

Today is the day! Ten years ago today my beautiful wife and I got married. It happened at 6pm on a Saturday, at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Mountain Home, Idaho. As I told Dominique last night, these have been the best years of my life. I have been so blessed it is even hard to put it into words. I am a so-much better man because of her it isn't even funny. It hasn't all been easy; but boy has it been worth it. Happy Anniversary Beautiful!

Marriage Wisdom

Sunday was an amazing experience at the ol' church. Dominique and I preached together on the topic of marriage. It was a hoot. I love allowing for such diverse points of view. How much more diverse can you get than Dom and I; we're as different as they come (the Mars vs. Venus thing you know). We had alot of fun with it; lots of banter back and forth and great relationship humor. Our four marriage secrets were as follows: constant communication, always compromise, keep your commitments and center on Christ.

We built our talk around input from the congregation. A few weeks ago I asked for everyone's top marriage secrets; we had 322 years worth of collective wisdom that responded (13 couples = average of 25 years per couple). It could have been one of the funnest(iest) Sundays to date. I encourage all of you speakers out there to get input from those sages that are sitting in your midst. Real life examples and wisdom from those who've been there go so much further then any measly thing I can say. Dom and I had a blast; any time you want to check the temperature of your marriage/relationship, just try collaberating on a speech together sometime. Or any project for that matter.

If any of you would like to add your top three or four secrets concerning healthy relationships i would love to hear it.

Charlie's new sister

More big news from us. We were informed a few days ago that our little Charlie has a new little sister. Yes, a NEW little sister. You know what that means right? You don't? Well, we didn't either until Charlie introduced us to her new female sibling. She, is an actual he, and he use to be referred to as her little brother. Charlie now refers to Simon as her little sister. I remember growing up being referred to in the same terms at times. I think we have a picture somewhere of my older sister dressing me up like I was her little sister. What little brothers have to go through, I tell you what.

Soon to be frozen

Big day at the King household today. Our new feezer arrived! New appliances are always cause for celebration around here. There is just something about that new white - extremely heavy piece of metal that creates chills, no pun intended, down my spine. We finally gave in; with four kids now and lots of visitors we have been saving for the day when we could get a big boy - 21.4 cubic ft. Our little chest freezer just couldn't hack the amount of stuff and work any longer, nor could Dom, so now it has a big brother to carry the load.

Being Philosophically Cool (I mean warm)

Its been a pretty chilly week around these parts. We've had snow, hail, and very cold rain. My kids are loving it. I'm not sure when the cold weather became such a nusance for me (another sign of getting older I guess). I remember as a kid my favorite time of the year was late fall/early winter when sledding, skating and skiing were the top priority. In fact, just a few years ago as a youth pastor, the first snow fall had the whole youth group jumping off the docks for our annual polar bear plunge (what was I thinking). It feels as though winter is here and that means I'm looking forward to the hot turkey and warm eggnog. Which also means I'll be out on the snow packed hills warming hands, blowing noses, and teaching the art of packing a good snowball. Alright, the cold isn't all bad. If it weren't for the cold then we wouldn't appreciate the warmth right? Hmmmm... now I've gotten myself into a real pickle. Does this then mean I really like the cold because of the effects of getting out of the cold, which is all the things warmth brings. Can a person like the cold and warmth at the same time for different reasons? And if I like the cold for warm reasons do I even like the warmth at all? And what if a tree falls in the woods and there is nobody there to hear it? Obviously philosophy was not my major in college. All I know is eggnog is cool! (figuratively)

Working Under the Hood ... on my ego

Where does the time go? I spent some time working on my truck this afternoon. Being a novice with mechanical maintenance stuff I only work on my vehicles when it is absolutely necessary. And it was necessary today because my truck wouldn't start. Sometimes it has to be painfully obvious for me to get in gear with things such as car maintenance, i'm not sure why. Actually, my dad has a saying "people do what they know how to do". And since I don't know how to "do" car stuff, I don't. I have often wondered why this doesn't motivate me to learn more, but for some reason it doesn't; even when it bruises my ego to say "beats me".

So, in a very random conversation with a friend of mine I mentioned my vehicle plight. He asked the symptoms and diagnosed the problem in a split second. Within a few hours he was getting down to business on my engine (corroded battery posts) and I stood by while he did what he knows how to do, very skillfully I might add. I stood there thinking, "I should have known how to do this". But as my shame faded away I did what I know how to do, and that is listen, talk, ask questions, counsel... getting down to the heart of the matter with my friend. As he worked on my truck, I worked on him. Both took skill, gifting and lots of thought. He fixed my truck and I helped him think about life and his issues a little differently. It was such an enjoyable two hours I drove home wondering why I hadn't let my truck breakdown earlier. Then my ego spoke up... damn ego anyway.

Boo!

The wheels on the bus came off early this week. Dom was down for the count with the stomach flu. It has been a long time since she's been out of comission like that, needless to say we had a mini-crisis around here. Remember the article I was talking about last week about mom's not getting paid enough, well, I'm now writing my congressman, I've had enough of these unreasonable wages.

The kids and I managed to hold things together. Monday was the big day, Halloween without mom leading the pack. Thank goodness it wasn't raining. We went to the mall for a little bit to play games, then on to the main drag for house-to-house combat, I mean trick-or-treating. Noah did a fabulous job holding Charlie's hand and helping her navigate through all the ghosts, Harry Potter's and walking trash cans (ingenious). Charlie only took one spill walking up some cement stairs to a house, but being the tough girl she is she held on to that sacred candy bucket without dropping one piece (that's my girl). We had a fun time and will be eating candy till Easter.

Virtual Links

My awesome beautiful caring wife went above and beyond the call of duty last night. For the last ten years, literally, I have been wining about how bad my golf swing is getting because of our choice to live in a place where the term "slice" and "hook" refer to the ways in which someone baits fish, not the tragetory of one's ball flight. Every time I watch golfing on tv or read of my family enjoying the links, I get as blue a baby in cold bath water. So, yesterday my wife asks me out on a date. She knew I was pretty blue because of my good buddy at rustyhinges.com sinking his first hole-in-one. (you should all congratulate him, he won't know who you are but that's ok, something this cool and rare deserves celebration) I wasn't blue for him obviously, but for my own yearnings of striking a ball on the back nine that makes you enjoy life just a little bit more.

So, we head out on our date and Dominique surprises me by taking me to a fully functional computer simulated virtual golf game. There is a guy in our small town that has built a little club house of sorts where he has this simulated virtual set-up. We hit our balls, using real clubs, in to a big computerized screen that would then show your ball traveling through the air, or along the ground, on a real course. Dom and I played the first nine at Pebble Beach. Oh how great it was to make a full swing again, hitting a real ball. The last full swing I made was with my son's plastic clubs in our living room and that ended with everyone wrestling for the oversized plastic golf ball. I was amazed at the realness of the computerized graphics. I felt like Tiger Woods in his Madden 2005 Golf game. When you live on an island with all these fish, escaping to Pebble Beach was just pick me up I needed. Virtual golf is better than no golf right? See you at Pebble.

24 Hours of Yum

"Great fat grams Batman!" 24-hours a day? I'm officially sunk. I'm already waving my white flag. We, Dom-Noah-and myself, just finished supporting the new 24-hour McDonalds drive-thru in Ketchikan @ 10:45 pm. "I think this is going to be trouble Robin." I'll let you know if I awake tomorrow morning. If not, hang on to my McDonald's stock.

Passing it on

One for the video highlights. True story. So I'm sweeping our kitchen floor and I hear three of our four kids bickering over Nanorsaur 2, computer game I have yet to beat my oldest son at. With his fists clenched Noah heads my way to plead his case to dear ol' dad. Being the ever-loving father I am, as well as knowing I need my own time on Nanosaur 2, I hop on my soapbox about sharing and being kind and allowing little bro and sis have their turn. With his arms crossed, tapping his foot, Noah is non too pleased. Ok different tactic. I decide to appeal to his altruistic side. "Noah" I say, "there comes a time in every older brothers life when they need to see themselves as the wisdom hander-downer, the one who hands down the wisdom to their younger siblings." I launch into an inspiring, at least to me, blend of anecdotes and illustrations of the older leading, guiding, teaching and sharing their wisdom about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to the yearlings; as my brothers did to me concerning kissing girls in the back seat, hitting the right ski jumps, driving without a liscense, shooting free-throws, aiming bee-bee guns, and the proper way to get out of mowing the lawn.

This actually got Noah and I talking all about the role of being an older brother and what it means to have that responsibility, which was truly precise. Noah was not quite sure what to make of all this when his little sis walked in and said, "Dad, can you help me with Nonoso." With a big smile on my face I said, "no, but I know someone who can", looking squarely at Noah. Sissy then says in her cutest 2 year old voice, "Noah, can you help me with Nonoso"? Noah, still with arms crossed looks at me, looks at her, looks back at me, rolls his eyes and says "let me show what I know, it might help." Grabbing his sisters hand he marches her into the compter room and in a flurry of inspiring detailed lessons began his journey as the wise hander-downer.

Recovering from the web flu

I've been abit down and out the past week+; I came down with the stomach flu on Sunday night which had me doubled over praying like a madman. Illness always seems to get me on my knees, in more ways than one, more than anything else. I had had an emotional exhausting week before that so Sunday AM preaching was a bear. Emotionally drained and feeling a bit woozy never makes for inspiring speaking. I was glad to get though it. I've got a repreave this Sunday with our associate pastor taking the helm. Anyway, now that I'm at least able to sit up straight and think a coherent thought(some might differ on that point) I hope to let my little light shine in the greater webshere more. With recinding nominations and indictments looming it ought to be an interesting weekend.

Time for a raise

I read this great article about stay-at-home mothers the other day. The question the article asked was, how much would a mom who stays home make if all of her responsibilities transferred over into the corporate sector. From organizing transportation to teaching correct grammar, what would a comperable salary be for a mom who stays home?

Before I give you the incredible answer, I just finished being a say-at-home dad for one single day, today. Every Tuesday it is just me and the kids, while mom heads off to her various jobs. This particular Tuesday our little guy Simon has been under the weather. His first real illness, a slight fever and lots of... shall we say... used klennex, or Simon Slime, as we call it around these parts. Life, staying/working at home, gets a whole lot tougher when my primary job is holding, rocking, and wiping instead of the zillion other things that my list said I needed to get done. Needless to say, I have just today experienced that knawing tension, between my agenda and my children, even while being home all day. I am not quite sure which won more of my attention? But I do know which won more of my energy. Can my energy go one place while my attention goes another? Just the kind of parent I hoped I would never be, interesting revelation. (* note to self - attention and energy are essencial and powerful partners, don't waist their potential especially when relationships are in the balance.)

We survived today, I think super-Simon feels better, I know he did when mom came walking through the door. So, the answer to the question about a moms salary? $131,000.00 At first I thought this was too high. Not after today. In fact, to me it's obviously too low.

Holy Discontent

I was watching a DVD today of one of my favorite leaders/pastors Bill Hybels and he was talking about leading out of holy discontent. When something (of an injustice) so moves you that you can't help but take action. His examples were David fighting Goliath, Moses killing an Egyptian, and Popeye standing up for Olive Oil. These guys got so upset at the injustice they were watching that leading out and taking action overtook their lives. I am not sure if I have been moved by holy discontent, but I know that God wants leadership out of me. Leadership has always been a part of my life, from watching my Dad lead army soldiers, to leading my own little band of brothers as a tenderfoot scout. There is something that is so inspiring about watching someone lead well; it is really hard to explain. There is also something that moves in my spirit about seeing something led poorly. Maybe that is where my holy discontent happens. When I see leadership that can be done better. I am not sure yet though. But thinking of how holy discontent has impacted my life will be an intersting search.

The Midevil Pretzel

I found myself flat on my back counting ceiling tiles with a heat pack behind my neck today. I was highly anticipating my time with Dr. Davis, my (i mean Dom's) chiropractor. Really, I have been waiting three weeks to have him snap, crack, and get midevil on me. My traveling the past three weeks turned my spine into a pretzel. Actually, before we went to Chicago I had something slip in my neck which made it nearly impossible to look left. I say nearly impossible because when you have 4 kids looking to the left is mandatory every few minutes; I am not sure why but it is for some reason. Next time you are around four tottlers count how many times you look to the left, you'll be suprised. Anyway, Dr. D went the extra mile today and actually had me saying "ouch". Call me crazy but sometimes experiencing acute pain administered in midevil ways really does feel good.

Summer Fun

More great pictures from this summer. Dominique collecting crab dinner, the boys in their mohawks with a hint of blue, and me with the boys getting ready to take off in our friend's helicopter. Summers in Alaska are nothing short of amazing.

Grandpa's Magic

Sorry about my tardiness the last few weeks. Life has been pretty heck-tik/busy. We spent a week in the greater Chicago area with friends and family and then after arriving home for a few days I flew off to Portland for our annual district conference. In Chicago we saw the Blue Man Group. I now have a new appreciation for whole twinkies. Whether a twinie is whole or smushed I think I would still eat it. While in Chicago Grandma and Grandpa watched 3 of our 4. It was all good except for the fact that my clout for being king of kings (no disrespect intended to the big guy) has been tarnished. Grandpa is now king of the roost. First of all, the boys now view him as the master fisherman, which I'll agree is probably true; but secondly and more difficult to admit he has become the greatest airplane maker in the history of Noah and Brock's universe. Funny how my planes and Grandpa's planes are make exactly the same, yet his fly longer, straighter, and with perceived fire coming out of their jets. The magic of being Grandpa. The boys are still scratching their heads about grandpa's magic hat. Life is good, and the kids are better.

Barefooted Friends

We had a successful trip to Chicago. The conference we attended was inspiring and challenging. We heard from two amazing psychologists Dr. Larry Crabb and Dr. Dan Alender, both men at the top of their game challenged the socks off of all of us. We learned so much about the power of community. Living our lives together in a way that honors God... in a real, genuine, and authentic way. It doesn't come without work though. I found myself dreaming of authentic friendships that go beyond the surface of everyday life and delve into the core of what makes us us. Building friendships that are fun, exciting, genuine and challenging. I found myself hungering for soul friends, those that fight on your behalf when you can't, those that have faith when faith doesn't seem real anymore, friends that want to hang out just to hang out, friends that are for you and not neutral. Needless to say I came to appreciate the idea of community in a new way.

Grandma's Here!

Grandma made it here today, she flew in on the Mickey Mouse plane as Brock calls it, Alaska Airlines new Disney paint job. Boy, it sure is nice to have Grandma here. The kids were bouncing off the walls in love with Grandma. Grandma and Charlie made Crab Bri Dip, a Ketchikan special. Charlie is tasting it for good measure. Now we can't wait for Grandpa get here.

With Ice Please

Top ten cold pops on a hot day:

#10 Mountain Dew
#9 Diet Pepsi (for Dom)
#8 Mellow Yellow
#7 Classic Coke
#6 Ginger Ale
#5 Mug Rootbeer
#4 Dr. Pepper
#3 7-Up
#2 Cherry 7-Up
#1 Sprite

In Rememberance 9-11

I remember waking up to my phone ringing four years ago today. When I picked up the other line my friends voice said "Cade, turn on your tv." I flipped on my tv to Matt Lauer of the Today Show standing on top of the NBC building watching the second plane hit the towers. I stood infront of my tv set watching for at least an hour without sitting down. When things are really intense on tv I find myself standing for some reason; I even do this watching sports. I stood shaking my head saying over and over "no way, no way...". Last night I watched National Geographic's 9-11 Special, I began shaking my head again... saying "no way..." again.

I write all of this to allow myself to remember that my freedom comes at a cost. And to remember that life is precious and short. I will be remembering 9-11 by holding my kids tight and living like there is no tomorrow. I know tomorrow will come, but I owe it to those brave firefighters and policemen in NYC and those military personnel at the Pentagon, and those brave and heroic passengers, and those family members who lost loved ones on 9-11 ... I owe it to them to live life to its fullest and to remember.

First things first

Ok, so some days are just awesome. Today was one of those days. I don't mean to brag, but after a day like today it is hard not to smile till it hurts. We, myself and son Brock, started by going to a men's breakfast which was pretty cool; even though Brock is only four years old I loved sitting around the table with other men taking about what God is up to around the world and having him listen in. I hope to do this with all my boys as they get older, where God becomes a normal part of conversation. We then proceeded to go fishing where Brock caught his first Silver Salmon. While Brock was reeling in the big one my other son Noah scored his first goal playing soccer. Both boys had firsts at the same time at different places, doing different things. I just love watching my kids succeed at things they have never done before. Here is Brock's big catch along with the rest of the silvers our crew caught.

Alaskan Style

Since Fall is closing in fast I couldn't help but put one of my favorite pictures of the summer on the site. Only in Alaska can you go get a basket full of shimp/prawns like these. This is my buddy from South Carolina who came to visit us and help with our windows. We are getting ready to "pop heads"! For all of you in the lower 48 that means to de-head the shirmp. These shrimp are so large they are considered prawns... Alaskan Prawns! We are sitting on a dock in Dora Bay. The only way to get to Dora Bay is either by air or sea. We just got done swimming our way there; next time I won't wear my boots. Hope your summer was as fun.

Onion Flavored Legos

I am now officially old because...

1. I ordered red onions on my Subway sandwich three days ago. For some reason aquiring the taste of onions makes me feel old. All my life I have never liked onions, now... for some bizarre reason... onions are my friends. Friends I like to eat.

2. My oldest son lost his first tooth yesterday. He was trying to dislodge two legos that were stuck together... remember doing that when you were little? I do. In fact I still do it today, but don't tell my kids. When did my oldest son even get teeth, where was I when that happened?

3. I was seriously considering eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and 10:30 pm before I went to bed instead of eating a bowl of ice cream. I have memories of my dad doing that, at the time he did it I thought "peanut butter and jelly before bed? Yuck!" Now I think "Yum".

So, there you have it, I am not sure what it means when all my getting old stories are about me eating or chewing something. Go figure.

Inspiration 200ft up

I was able to take our staff on a pretty cool retreat two weeks ago. Instead of the old sit around the table and talk about vision and mission we decided to fly through the Tongass National Rainforest on zip lines to get inspired. These pictures now prove the age old proclamation of "...when monkeys fly!". A big thanks to my good friend Kris who was able to set this trip up for us, thanks fearless one. Needless to say I was the one freaking out the most. You know about me and heights. Anyway, it was a beautiful day to be so inspired. Good job troops for flying high together!

Pic #1 is of me halfway across the longest zip line.

Pic #2 is of Dom just leaving one platform headed to the next.

Katrina's Lessons

Amazing images on our tv screens. Half the reports make me mad the other half make my heart break. What is the lesson in all this? Here are some we talked about around our dinner table.

1. History truely does repeat itself.
2. Take mother nature serious.
3. Family and loved one's are #1.
4. America is the most generous nation in the world.
5. Crisis brings out the best...and worst.
6. You can't take it with you so don't try.
7. The greatest commandment, love your neighbor.
8. No matter how much you prepare, sometimes it's not enough.
9. Build above sea level.
10. The government can't do it all.
11. Anything else?

I am not sure what the order of these should be, but good lessons to learn none the less.

We Salute You

A big congratulations to my oldest brother for a job well done, he just got promoted to Lt. Colonel in the United States Army. We are proud of you and thankful for your dedication and hard work to keep us all safe and free. Your willingness to stand in the gap, sacrifice in the theater, and defend democracy is honorable and inspiring. Thanks for being someone we all look up to. Lead on...and we salute you.

Hurricane Relief

Hurricane Katrina has really hit New Orleans and Alabama hard. If you are interested in donating to the cause I put a link to the American Red Cross in my links section.

Sweet Angel

I am not sure what it is about having a daughter, but it's amazing and strange to me how down right cool it is. I think of the movie with Steve Martin who's daughter is getting married, I forget the name of the movie, but the one where he can't believe his daughter is old enough to get married. As he remembers her younger years he freaks out because he is not ready to let go. I feel the same way sometimes and have been freaking out already and little Charlie is only two and a half. What a beautiful sweet angel she is. So, you can probably tell I'm home alone; dad pines away again. The clan comes home for good tomorrow. Dom, Charlie and Simon flew in to spend the weekend with me then returned to play in the wilderness for one last hurrah. We are gearing up for September, which means back to a somewhat usual routine. I can't wait. For the first time in many years I can say, I'm ready for the fall... let the craziness begin.

Go Idaho

Big happenings out of the great state of Idaho. This is a picture of Air Force One sitting on the tarmack in Boise, Idaho. Last week our Commander and Chief flew in for a few days for R&R and some time with the military troops and families. For those of you who have forgotten, next to Alaska the only other state to live and breath in is Idaho. For those of you in the lower 48 sorry, but you know it's true, the two best red states = Alaska and Idaho. Go ahead and throw your tomatoes, it'll be no match against our potatoes and salmon. A big thanks to my brother for this pic of the president's luxury liner.

Rite of Passage

I'm not sure what it means when I walk into our local DMV and the ladies behind the counter remember who I am. I have become quite aquainted with the two state workers with the same first name, as their name tags indicate, over the last couple of years and months. I have never understood why DMV's don't just invest in couches and recliners for those of us who are fully prepared with official paperwork in hand, yet have to wait for the young ruffians who don't know what a title is. Now, before I really go off on this rant I must admit that I was once that young man fumbling with my papers and words.

But I think it is just one of those univeral experiences that all humans have, waiting at the DMV. It is almost a rite of passage kind of thing. If you go to the DMV and don't have to wait around then you havn't experienced what you were suppose to. Your shear will has not been tested as it must; and those wonderful character qualities we all love called patience, perseverence and determination do not get fully developed without the help of the DMV. Ah, the beauty of the local DMV.

In a very sick way I have come to enjoy my local DMV, especially when I finally have all the right paperwork... with all the right signatures... at just the right time of day; only then do I thank the good Lord above for my fully registered vehicle.

Leading and Breathing

Had a pretty good weekend...considering. My boss was in town this weekend to hangout with us and see how things are going, which seems to always be a bit nerve-racking. It was incredibly refreshing to be around those who have gone before me, both professionally and spiritually. I highly value input and advice from the generation of pastors and teachers that have blazed the trail. There is such wisdom in experience and wisdom in remaining faithful in the calling. You know I have heard just outragous heartbreaking statistics about pastors and spiritual leaders that don't finish well. To the ones that are I say "bravo my friends, may God continue to bless you". Just being in the presence of those that are still breaking trial is motivating and inspiring. And I was definitely encouraged this weekend.

On a similar note, I went to a conference this summer and one of the seminars I went to was about soul care. How do we, as leaders who are caring for the souls of others, take care of our own souls? The lady teaching had some great illustrations and analogies comparing long distance swimming to that of spiritual leadership. Being able to breath throughout the swim. She was encouraging us to think of ourselves as long distance swimmers (leaders) instead of those that swim the sprints. If I want to someday be that silver-haired, genuine, wise, pastor of pastors, developing long distance soul care will be a life sustaining endeavor that will be critical to my success and longevity.

All this to say, it was nice to spend this weekend with a couple who have endured and lead well, over the long haul. And who are still setting the pace for young punks like me. Lead on!

Back in the day

I have often been asked the question "what was your first memory". Two memories stand out as being pretty early. The first one, the good one, was watching my older brother blow out candles on a birthday cake that had been baked with money inside. My mom baked a cake full of dimes, quarters, and nickels as I remember, at least I think my mom was the one who baked it. I don't remember how old I was or how old my brother was turning at the time, but I do remember wondering how on earth I was going to chew up a quarter. The second memory, the more difficult one, was me breaking out of my pre-school class; do you remember back in the day when nurseries/pre-schools built baby cages along one wall of the room? Well I wasn't having any of that so I busted free and ran down the halls of the church/school yelling for mom. Everytime I walk in a nursery now I look for those cages. Yeah, you might consider that being an issue for me. But you know what? I also chew slowly when I eat cake just incase I come upon a little silver treasure. I wonder what my kids will say when they all get older as to their first memories, should be interesting. Here is Simon having fun in the sun. Hopefully, this will be his first memory.

About Simon, he is now able to rock up on his hands and knees, and scoot backwards. This is bitter sweet for me. Our last is finally getting mobile on his own. How wonderful "YAHOO", yet how sad "BOOHOO". I think I have crossed over into a new realm, being excited for his success, and at the same time knowing this will be my last time cheering a little one on to crawl, role over, and to do everythink else for the first time. Such is life I guess. Oh well, enough daddy droll. Crawl on my little guy.

Who's Will?

“The starting point of living by faith is recognizing that God has revealed so much of his will that we have plenty to live by without ever hearing another word. Some things you simply do not need to pray about. When God has spoken and commanded his people, praying sometimes becomes a way of resisting God’s will rather than a way of responding to it.”

- Erwin McManus in The Unstopple Force -

Sweet Dreams

In looking for the real thing, creation has a way of showing us true reality and at the same time helping us dream bigger and bolder dreams. My prayer for Noah and the inscription to this image should read...

"Young man, dream big!"

The Real Thing

"In my evangelistic conversations and in my visits to a variety of churches, I am becoming more and more sure that, both for our current church attenders and for the unchurched we wish to reach, one question is increasingly paamount: Can your church help me experience God and experience personal transformation? By this question, they're telling us they don't just want to learn about.

They want transformation. They want to learn Christ."

- Brian McLaren -

Four!

The inspiration for even attempting this blog comes from an old and dear friend, Jeff. He and his awesome family are livin' large at rustyhinges.com. Props to you Jeff, thanks for the thought provoking insights. Oh yeah, left arm straight, head down, and power through.

Fly Back Home Little Birdy

It doesn't take very long before being away from all those little noses, fingers, ears, cheeks, and feet wears on a guy. I have figured it out, it takes about 1.5 hours before I am ready to have all my little rascals back in my hair. Just long enough to watch the first half of Monday night football; after that the silence and calm are just too much. I pine away for quiet, then when it is all around me, it isn't what I hoped. I then begin pulling out pictures like this to see that little nose and ear again. This is Charlie chillin' with her Lay's on the beach this summer. One of my favorites. I just found out the crew will be back Friday, thank goodness. This home alone thing is for the birds.

Because He Can

You know, living in Alaska ain't so bad sometimes. My buddy Glen took these pictures this summer here in Southeast Alaska. There are times I firmly believe that this really is God's country... then it rains... and rains some more... and then I remember that God likes rain too, at least I hope He does.

If it weren't for the rain then we wouldn't enjoy such beautiful pictures as these that Glen took, because these scenes would be all too normal, run-of-the-mill, been-there-done-that kinds of views. What I realized though is that God doesn't do normal and isn't run-of-the-mill. I need to remind myself of that. God is in the abnormal business. He does things the way things shouldn't be done (or at least the way we think), just for kicks, just to prove that He can... and to show us how big He really is. First the rain, then the awe. What a cool God.

Tool Man

We have been hard at work this summer remodeling all kinds of things. We were finally able to put in new windows in our living room, ones that keep us dry and warm (what a concept huh?) Our little buddy Brock was there every step of the way. He's got the nack; he's our little tool man. He helped RJ and I with most of the heavy lifting...my feeling is since I am over 30 I need to let the younger guys take care of the heavy stuff right? Right. Even though he is only 4, he is a good little worker. His favor tool? The HAMMER!

Pockets

Dominique and the kids took off for another Great Alaskan Adventure yesterday after church. I get to stay home and start shortening the honey-do list. It was quite an uneasy feeling to watch my entire family fly away in a helicopter as I stood there with my hands in my pockets. An amazing feeling of love and worry all mixed into one. I guess I know that I am alive now. I mean I know that I am alive and all; it's just when your kids wave good-bye, even if it is just for a few days you really understand what they mean to you.

Facing the Music.

You see, now I am in big trouble. I have stayed up late to work on this blog so I will have to face my kids early tomorrow morning.

The Test Run

Without getting too philosophical yet, this is just the beginning of something fun.