I can't even begin to describe what this trip has done for Nicole and I. Of course it has been fun (you should check facebook, Nik has put up a lot of cool pictures), but that's not really what I'm talking about.
Time to rest. Time to think. Time for a long breakfast. Time to hike. Time to reflect. Time to pray. Time to feel in awe (well, that's all the time). Time to sleep in. Time to be in the moment. Time to forget deadlines. Time to appreciate everything. Time to be cleansed. Time to be refreshed. Time to take walks. Time to truly live out making God the dominating focus of my life.
I don't know why people don't do this more - take trips and get away. But I'm not talking about 1 week; like a real trip, 2 weeks minimum. The perspective you get on life...how can it not be worth it? I can already hear the excuses out there - "Well I can't b/c of this and that." I'm sure there are some valid ones out there (always an exception) but the truth is you can't afford not to!
Fresh ideas about career. Fresh ideas about living. Fresh ideas about life. Renewed centered-ness. Excited about life.
Hi there, it's been a while...I know, I know, don't hate. Just be glad there's an update! (wow, that actually rhymed, cool).
There's this book I've been reading with a friend about the life of Rich Mullins. Just another man I guess...I wasn't even sold on reading the book even after I bought it but then came the "hook" in the foreword by Brennan Manning - "His (Rich's) vivid awareness of his own brokenness made it existentially impossible to sit in judgment on the sins of others."
For someone who has struggled in the past with casting judgment on others (i.e., me), this was definitely intriguing to say the least. I want to feel that; I want to live like that. I want to know what it's like to see others the way God sees them, absent from my own lenses of discrimination, however subconscious it may be.
What I learned today about God's love - His "Reckless, Raging Fury":
"God loves us with an INTENSE love...He pursues us...It's not God loves you if you're good, it's not God loves you if He's having a good day. It's God loves you desperately, passionately--and it's a hard thing to get ahold of...But I think it's time to get past the twentieth-century and get into the way things really are." I've met people who see Christianity as a place where "weak" people go. Damn right. I'm glad to not be living the lie of a perfect life anymore. That is so exhausting. Being authentic is a much better way to go. But there's still something terribly wrong when I find more "real" people outside of the church than inside. Interesting. God's love is "intense," not this lame, girly, frilly, fickle thing that comes and goes and only resides in 'nice' people.
"Love is our deepest reason for existence." "The failure to find this love comprises our deepest pain and drives us (often subconsciously) into activities that we think will help us find it." We live for love, true. I have chased many a "sexy carrot" in my life, that's for sure - http://www.donaldmillerwords.com/images/DonRabbit.pdf I love that story about Don Rabbit. It reminds me of all the chapters in my life where I think achieving these great things will somehow validate me. Only to find that I choke on it and end up broken and then later, grateful for the experience...
"Continual failure becomes the devil's playground, for in them he whispers things like 'See, you are a sham, a fake, a sinner, and God knows it. You are deluding yourself if you think he really loves you.' If we pay heed to these voices of condemnation, our confidence in God's love is easily destroyed." See this is why it's easy for intellectuals or others outside the faith to dismiss the gospel - because we lack in living BOLDLY for God. Why wouldn't they think we are "weaker?" We doubt too much and wallow in flimsy faith, hardly making a ripple for Christ in the people we work with or our neighbors, etc. We constantly settle for this stupid Americanized version of being a comfortable Christian, and it's crap. There's more depth out there people. Yes, and it may come with more pain. Oh wait, here's an idea: Rejoice in your pain maybe?! Or you can just complain about it to others and join in with the rest of people in thinking life is about getting to that cozy spot...what a sham.
"...So don't get so hung up about how important you are in the Kingdom of God or how important you are to the growth of the church. It seems that God is always saying, 'I'm not worried so much about how you're doing as much as I'm glad about who you are.' The Scripture also says don't get too hung up in your failures, your weaknesses, or your addictions - it doesn't make you separate from God because he still loves you." I can rest in this. I may have to read it 1000 times but eventually I will accept this Love that has been freely offered to me. This idea of being loved despite my behavior, or being accepted regardless of my weaknesses - that's something to ponder.
Today, the love of God became deeper and "bigger" to me. And yet I love how the gospel is still so simple at the same time.
I think there's so much more beauty to be experienced in truly coming to terms with God's love. Let us pursue it with more vigor!
I'm really proud of my brother, Michael. He has shined so far this season with his Hendrix basketball team.
It's really cool to see how patience and hard work finally pay off. Never once did I hear a negative attitude from him when he was getting 10 minutes a game over the last two seasons. Well, the time has come and Michael has made his mark!
His confidence and leadership abilities are emerging and at the point when that happened in high school, his performance was through the roof. Why would it be any different in college?
Way to go Mike. Good luck for the rest of the year and congrats on the game last night. I do believe the article said you have "ice in your veins"!!
Okay, okay, I know...it's been too long since I last posted.
Thank you to my fellow bloggers who kept nudging me to get this post out! Once I get back into the swing of this blogging thing, I'm not worried about another hiatus. Basically, what happened was I got married and was busy. Enough said!
Additionally, I promise to never post because "I'm supposed to" or because "I need to update people on what I'm doing." The reason I post is because I love to live life openly and love to share with others. Now let's get going...
THE WEDDING
What a glorious day this was! I don't even know where to begin and even if I got started, I'm not sure I would know where to end...
It was an amazing day. Most of all we wanted God to be glorified and we wanted to share with our friends and family who we put our trust in. I think I underestimated how special this day was going to be.
A lot of people told me that it was going to go by so fast that I wouldn't remember anything. Couldn't be further from the truth. I remember everything, especially when I caught first glimpse of my bride walking towards me. I remember everything about the reception too. The whole week leading up to the wedding was at a slow pace and I feel like I got to drink it all in as it came. Never rushed but feeling calm and pressing into the Lord through it all. I was able to enjoy all of the little moments with Nikki and all conversations with friends, etc.
What a special day. Thanks to everyone who came and supported us, we really appreciate it!
Nikki and I had a blast on our honeymoon. When we first got there we went down to the beach and Nikki would walk close to the water and when the waves would crash in she would scream and run away from them....so funny
look at how pretty she is
sunset pic from the first night in cabo
it was awesome to have a vacation after the wedding, we really needed it
ready for a day of doing nothing!
here we are before dinner one night
we ate breakfast looking out in to the ocean every day
Okay, so if you really know Nik & I you would know that we can't just sit on the beach all week and chill. So we did it our style, and had a BLAST.
First Adventure = a hike 1hr outside of Los Cabos in Santiago, Mexico
We were fortunate to get Marcos, our tour guide, all to ourselves because nobody else signed up for the hike that day. He said that the 3.5mile hike usually takes people three hours to complete, mainly do to the elevation change and rocky terrain. Nikki and I told him we wanted a workout and asked if we could pick up the tempo a little bit... so we finished in 1 hour. Hard core, I know. jk. But we had a great time. Here are some pics from along the way...
So, after the hike in the middle of the Baja desert, we come upon a natural oasis waterfall-fed spring. It was a beautiful picture. It felt SO GOOD to jump in after an intense hike.
After swimming for a bit, I decided to jump off the ledge at the top of the waterfall, a 35-foot jump. This was crazy, but fun. Check out the video of my jump at the bottom of this posting.
Other activities we did:
a kayak/snorkel trip to Lover's and Divorce Beach where we saw Neptune's Finger and the Pacific Window (i LOVED the snorkeling part, it was awesome...water was chilly though) - sorry no pictures from this b/c we didn't have a waterproof camera
a pamper day where we got facials and massages and then went to ruth's chris steakhouse for dinner, which has to be the most delicious meal i've EVER had!
While in Cabo San Lucas for the kayak/snorkel trip, we went to eat at The Office. It was a pretty fun atmosphere
I couldn't have asked for a better honeymoon :)
TEAM CHALLENGE 1/2 MARATHON IN NAPA VALLEY About a week after we got back from Los Cabos, off we went to San Francisco. Nikki raised over $3600 for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America and trained for a half marathon in the process. I coached the group so I was lucky enough to go as well.
Here are two pictures Nikki took from the bus...Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz
vines everywhere!
Here we are at the pasta party the night before the race
Nikki had a great race and PR'd with a 1:51!!
Here she is the day before the race...we walked down to the Santa Rosa Rec Center for a swim and I saw these purple flowers and had to take her picture
NEW ADDITION TO THE FAMILY - MISS HEIDI
So here's the story... I've been thinking about getting a cat for about a year now. My sister Caitlin works at an animal hospital and this past weekend I just casually asked her to keep her eye out for any homeless kitties that might come across her workplace. Well, she called me two days later and told me about a 6wk old calico kitty that had been thrown out of a car window.
So, pretty much without hesitation I went and picked her up right then and there! She's been great so far. We love her :)
Here are some pictures of Heidi:
this one is my FAVORITE! she likes to hang out in her little box...little weird, don't ya think? haha
I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished... I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it. -George Muller of Bristol
Sometimes I fixate on "what my role is" or "how i can be of service." When it's really not about that at all. Those questions are answered in time; I'd be better off pursuing God Himself and his scripture rather than "my purpose."
