Yes, I'm still here!

After a bit of a blog vacation, I'm back at it...at least for tonight. Here is my latest rant.......

We all pay it. We don't have much choice. Yup, Colorado Registration Fee's. Trucks, trailers, skid loaders, even large mowers are required to have a Colorado License Plate.

So get this. This year all registrations have increased in cost...to the tune of almost 150%. Here is an example of a small flatbed trailer I own:

2006- $16.91
2007- $18.91
2008- $18.91
2009- $42.41

Figure 9 different items that require a license plate and you do the math. A 150% increase in one year? No thanks Governor Bill Riter. Oh, and we get to look forward to increases each year thru 2012...

Afternoon Pictures

"The promise of the rainbow is found not in cloudless skies, but in the midst of the storm."

Softball

Here is an amazing picture my dad got from softball on Saturday. And yes I made the catch! Great picture dad!

Cannon Beach

I had the opportunity to go to the beach outside of Portland this past weekend. Here are a couple of pictures!

Barr trailhead

Sad news for those of us who hike here on occasion...

THE GAZETTE

The Manitou Springs City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the final version of an ordinance that will allow fees for parking at the Barr trailhead.

Parking in the small dirt lot at the end of Hydro Street, which serves both Barr Trail and the Manitou Incline, has always been free.

Fines were set at the Tuesday meeting -- $15 for overtime parkers and $25 for unpermitted parkers -- but the fee will be set at a later Council meeting, after the city's parking authority makes recommendations.

"There's been everything from $1 to $10 bandied around, but nothing official," City Planner Michelle Anthony said.

Deputy City Administrator Mike Leslie said the city hopes to have the new fee structure in place by Memorial Day, May 25.

88 million

88 million votes? Seriously? 88 million people voted for the next American Idol and its not even the final yet?

WOW.

I flipped on the TV tonight (which is a rarity in my world) and saw the last half of Idol. What is so appealing about that show? Watching it for 30 minutes I pondered why everyone is so "into" idol. I sometimes turn on the radio in the morning and it seems like every station is talking about the latest idol buzz.

Do we as Christians buy into the Idol mantra? Do we cling to a little not-so-respectable sin such as Idol gossip? Does it become an idol in our lives?

We so often try to find things in life to fulfill us, when nothing and no one can ever fill us, except for Christ. American "Idols" come and go. Fame is fleeting. But Christ is everlasting. As hard as we try, none but Christ can satisfy.

Who is your idol?

Personality Test

Extroverted (E) 74.07% Introverted (I) 25.93%
Sensing (S) 69.23% Intuitive (N) 30.77%
Thinking (T) 57.14% Feeling (F) 42.86%
Judging (J) 58.82% Perceiving (P) 41.18%

ESTJ - "Administrator". Much in touch with the external environment. Very responsible. Pillar of strength. 8.7% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

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Quoteable

"Living to glorify God means doing everything...
for Him,
His way,
to point to His greatness
and reflect His goodness."

Salesman of the year

Here we go again...

Although an extremely dry first couple of months in 2009, winter has finally showed up here in April. Gotta love springtime in the Rockies!

Tough Love vs. Spanking - Good Argument

Most of America 's populace think it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of 'those moments.'

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk.

Some say it's the vibration from the car, others say it's the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, iPod, etc.

Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,
Your Friend





I think this will work with grandchildren, nieces, and nephews as well.

Samson and the ladies

Samson had a problem. He liked the ladies. In fact, we see him struggle with this throughout his life. In Judges chapter 14 we read about Samson's first marriage which didn't last but a week. Samson's relationship with this young Philistine woman was characterized by selfishness. Verse three reads: "But Samson said to his father, go get her for me. She's the right one for me." Later we read: "then he (Samson) went down and talked with the woman and he liked her."

"She's the right one for me." Did you catch it? You see, Samson was asking the wrong question. To him it was all about him. Will she please me? Will she fulfill all my needs? Do I like her? Is she the right one for me?

Instead of boisterously stating "she's the one for me" Samson should have been humbly pondering: "Am I the right one for her." Samson didn't have a proper understanding of marriage, hence why his marriages always ended in chaos.

Marriage is not about finding the right one, but being the right one.

Before saying "I do" will you ask the right question?

Here In Your Presence

Take a look at this song called Here In Your Presence written by Jon Egan:

Found in Your hands, fullness of joy
Every fear suddenly wiped away here in Your presence
All of my gains now fade away
Every crown no longer on display, here inYour presence
Heaven in trembling in awe of Your wonders
the kings and their kingdom arestanding amazed

Chorus:
Here in Your presence, we are undone
Here in Your presence, Heaven and Earth become one
Here in Your presence, all things are new
Here in Your presence, everything bows before You

Bridge:
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchlessin every way
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchlessin every way
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchlessin every way
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchlessin every way


What do you think of the lyrics? I really love this song. Most of the lyrics are right-on and something about the music really invades my innermost being.

One line that has stood out to me lately is "Heaven is trembling in awe of your wonders." Do you think heaven is trembling?

Its going, going, gone...

Well the latest spring snow storm is over. Pretty disappointing storm. Came and went quickly leaving lots of ice and little actual snow accumulation. Roads in the morning (Thursday) will be icy until the sun starts warming things up. By tomorrow night this storm will be nothing but a distant memory =)

In other weather news, the storm for Saturday is tracking further to the north than originally predicted so don't expect any huge blizzard for Saturday. Areas in north/northeastern El Paso County will still get some wind and snow but the majority of C/S will miss out on the bulk of the storm. I like trying my hand at this whole meteorology thing because I probably get it right as much as the actual meteroligists.

Here is a picture from last weeks' blizzard:

Let it Snow

Free food!

http://www.krdo.com/Global/link.asp?L=377921

Creation

A friend of mine sent this to me. It is a foal less than 5 minutes after birth. Ah, the glory of God's creation is incredible.

Quality Video Animation

If only he had a stronger message/conclusions at the end...

Deal of the Day

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Enter the promo code: ONEDAY

Select the store nearest you to pickup the prints.

What are you delighting in?

Intersections to appraoch with a little extra caution

The City of Colorado Springs has released annual statistics about the city's worst intersections for traffic accidents, and it appears that accident numbers have continued to decrease for the third year.

The city ranks the most accident-prone intersections based on traffic volume, the number of accidents and accident severity. The higher the score, the worse the intersection.

Last year's top 10 top accident-prone intersections were:

1.) Briargate Parkway and Powers Boulevard

2.) Palmer Park Boulevard and Space Center Drive

3.) Rangewood and Vickers drives

4.) Nevada Avenue and Southgate Road

5.) Lake Avenue and Venetucci Boulevard

6.) N. Powers Boulevard and Research Parkway

7.) Barnes Road and Powers Boulevard

8.) N. Carefree Circle and Tutt Boulevard

9.) Fountain and Union boulevards

10.) Airport Road and Academy Boulevard

Source: CSBJ Daily

Sunday Quotes

"The world is run by tired men and women"

"If you hear any strange squeaks from my voice, it is something like reverse puberty"

Biblical history from a five-year old: "Pharaoh stoned Jesus and then hung him on the cross"

Reflections...

The mood inside the car was as dark as it was outside.The tone was silent, the atmosphere stoic. She stared aimlessly out the passenger window looking positively disinterested. He was focused on his driving; one hand firmly on the wheel, the other in his lap. The conversation had long since ended; it was apparent they were tired of one anther's company.

As the green Suburban sped into the night, I couldn't help but wonder about the couple inside. Apparently on their way home after a Valentines night together, they both looked disinterested in the entire evening. Possibly, they were no longer finding meaning and fulfillment in their marriage.

While one could speculate on the possible reasons for their lack of interest in each other, one truth is clear. Whether we are married or single we will never find our meaning simply in marriage. We must find our meaning and purpose in Christ alone. None other can satisfy. The world tries a myriad of ways to find meaning in life (including, but not limited to marriage,) but we as Christians know our meaning in life must start on the foundation of relationship with our Lord.

God at Work in Mexico-5

Upon leaving the Pima’s we traversed back to Rio Chico for the night before driving back to Ciudad Juárez and El Paso the next day. It was an incredible blessing for me to be able to go on this trip. My picture of Mexico and the ministry down there will be forever changed.

The vision, heart, and ministry of Pastor Tomas is truly amazing. He works tirelessly spreading the gospel and training pastors.

Now at this point you might be thinking “well this is all fine and good, but what does it mean for me?” Let me encourage you in two ways:

1. If you have never been on the Mexico trip, join the team going down this coming June. It will change your life.
2. Maybe you can’t go. Pastor Tomas’s church in Warez supports all of these above mentioned ministries to the Indians. These ministries require constant funding and these funds are changing lives and generations. When you write a check you aren’t just sending money to some organization, these are REAL people with REAL needs, and REAL lives. This fact struck me anew. I had no idea of the ministries that are happening in the mountains of Mexico. So give and give generously. The Mexicans put us to shame when it comes to giving. Did you know they give 25-30 percent of their income? Wow. Pray about what God would have you give.
   

By sharing this brief overview of what God is doing in Mexico I pray you now have a better idea of the ministry that happens day after day, week after week, and month after month.

Go. Give. Pray. God is doing great things in the Copper Canyon.

All I Can Say Is "Wow"

Quoteables

"You can use an eraser
on the drafting table,
Or a sledgehammer
at the construction site."
-Frank Lloyd Wright

God at Work in Mexico-4

The second half of our trip focused on the Pima Indians. The Pima Indians have been hostile in the past towards Christians and currently there are no known Pima Christians. So after a brief chat and prayer time on Thursday morning we headed to a remote Pima village. While in the town Madera, for lunch, we noticed a brake line leaking on one of the trucks. Praise the Lord we were in the largest town for miles so we could fix it before heading into very remote country. Because of this delay we didn’t get to the Pima village until late that night.

Awaking the next morning to an overcast and rainy sky we ventured out into the village. The Pimas are a tribe who are virtually unreached and even though there are no Pima Christians, Pastor Tomas is building a church in the middle of the village. How cool is that? The foundation of the church is done, so Kika (pictured in front of the church foundation below) and I took some measurements for the materials needed for the plumbing in the bathrooms. “Plumbing” in Mexico is a bit different than plumbing in the United States. But this church will be considered “nice” because it will have running water and flushable toilets.

Pastor Tomas' vision is to build a relationship with the Pima, reach out and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We were able to help build this relationship with them through the Operation Christmas Child program. We took shoeboxes for all the kids. It was like a mad Christmas giveaway. The kids were quite excited and grateful for that one shoebox; understandably so because of the extreme poverty of the Pima. It seemed like most of the village turned out for the shoe boxes. What we think of as a small deal, was like a holiday to this village. Watching the kids receive and open the boxes is a memory I won’t soon forget--because relationships are being formed.

Seeing the hand of God at work is amazing...

God at Work in Mexico-3

During our time with the Tarahumara we got to spend some time with the kids playing soccer, Uno, and teaching them how to play jump rope. They were excited to have fun with us; someone new to play with. Although I don’t speak hardly any Spanish, a smile and a high-five transcends all cultures.

After dinner and dishes, Pastor Tomas lead a devotional with us, the staff, and the kids. It was an awesome time of Spanish singing lead by one of the boys and hearing the Pastor’s heart. One of the amazing observations from the evening was the attentiveness of the children. They were swift to obey and followed instructions carefully. When Pastor Tomas spoke, they listened.

Our team spent the night on the floor of the school building before departing early the next morning. If there is one thing I learned last week it is that the three other guys on our team snore…loudly :-) We made it out of the canyon by 1pm and after waiting around for awhile jumped in the trucks and headed back to Rio Chico. That night we all got showers and I have never slept so good on a lumpy mattress.

God at Work in Mexico-2

After our five-hour hike, we made it to the Tarahumara boarding school that Pastor Tomas founded in 2000. It is amazing to see what God has done there in the last 8 years. Around 40 kids stay at the school Monday through Friday; being fed spiritually and physically as well as learning general school subjects. The effort to get to the school makes one thankful for a square meal. It was incredibly touching to watch these 40 kids eat a good meal, something that many of them don’t get at their homes. The effort and work Pastor Tomas and his church in Mexico have put into this ministry is something I won’t soon forget. It costs around $3500 per month to feed the kids plus the salary of the three cooks/housekeepers, and the salary of the Pastor who is ministering there. The cost however, is irrelevant when you think of the ministry happening. How big of a difference will these 40 kids make in the next 40 years, to an Indian tribe that is virtually unreached?

I believe God is raising up a new generation in the Tarahumara tribe. Praise be to Him for all He has accomplished through Pastor Tomas, Brenda, and others. It takes a vast effort each and every week to keep the school running. It took us three days of driving and a day of hiking just to get there. The fact that they have a blossoming ministry to the Tarahumara is a testament to the hand of God.

God at Work in Mexico-1

Last week I had the opportunity to go on a Mexico mission’s trip with a small team from my church. It was an incredible time seeing God at work with the Tarahumara and Pima Indians. The trip was strenuous in many ways but was worth every mile and every step. Our trip gained the nickname, a roadtrip through Mexico, as we drove many miles. In 9 days we spent about 64 hours in the car driving throughout the countryside and mountains of Mexico. Our trip began on a beautiful Sunday morning attending Pastor Joshua’s Mexican church in El Paso, before we crossed the border, stopped by the Bible Institute and headed for Rio Chico. Pastor Tomas and Brenda joined us in El Paso before we crossed the border. After sleeping at Rio Chico, loading up the trucks, and praying for a good week; we headed for the rim of Copper Canyon. As we drove through various small Mexican towns we stopped for groceries, hay, supplies, and fuel. Hence, Monday turned into a long day of driving before we finally arrived at Antonio’s casa, our base camp, for hiking into the canyon. Tuesday we awoke to clouds and light rain, but were thankful for the cool hiking weather.

The hike into copper canyon was the steepest hike I’ve ever done. In five hours we dropped 3200 feet to the river, crossed the river, and hiked 1200 feet back up the other side of the canyon. Copper Canyon, in comparison to the Grand Canyon, is in every sense a larger canyon and having no well-established trails. The intense sheer drops along with the amazing flora and fauna is breathtaking. Streams and waterfalls dot the landscape. Even though it is rugged, the canyon is beautiful far beyond what words can describe. The creation of our God is a stunning sight.

To be continued...

A look back...and forward

Stop.

Look.

Listen.

Ponder.


Do you ever take time to reflect on what you have learned from your past experiences and think about how it will impact your life in the future? Do you ever take time to cast a vision for your future? Or do you go through life aimlessly going about your day with little thought for the future?

Often this time of year we hear about New Year resolutions and how we are going to change our lives, but how many of us truly keep those more than a couple of weeks? Maybe your most recent resolutions are already fading into a distant memory.

I believe the start of a new year is a great time to take a day or two and truly ponder your future. Cast a vision, set some specific achievable goals, and then put a plan into place to actually do it.

One year ago I did some of this vision casting in my own life. Looking back on the recently concluded year, I see some wonderful change and accomplishments in my life. In February I committed to running a marathon in October. After many months of training I was able complete the Chicago marathon by the grace of God. At the beginning of 2008 the Holy Spirit re-kindled a flame within me to help start a college and career ministry at our church. After much prayer and several meetings/discussions with like-minded young adults, ignite was born. And to this day I give praise to the Lord for how he has blessed this ministry...far beyond what I ever imagined.

I share with you these examples for two reasons. One, to bring glory to God through what HE has accomplished thru me the last 12 months. Two, to encourage you to set some specific goals and a plan for achieving them in your life for 2009.

The last couple of weeks I have been pondering this question for my life in 2009. What would the Lord have me focus my time and energy on? Among other things I have come up with three goals for the upcoming year:

1. Learn how to play the guitar
2. Read through the Bible
3. Go on a missions trip
   

How will you redeem your time in 09?

Think about it.

Slow Fade

I heard this song(Slow Fade by Casting Crowns) on the radio as I drove home tonight. Listen to the words. Is the message of the song correct? Is it a "slow fade?"

Drive 65

COLORADO SPRINGS - Sunday morning, CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) officially began raising the speed limit on I-25 through the city from 55 to 65 MPH. The change became effective at 8 a.m.

The first speed limit sign to be replaced was northbound just before the Cimarron Street exit. A crew of workers needed only a few minutes to make the switch. Workers planned to replace all 22 speed limit signs along the city stretch of the Interstate by the end of the day.


For someone who drives many miles, this story makes me a happy citizen! Anyone up for a round of the hallelujah chorus?

2009

Happy New Year!

Busy, busy, busy. That has been the story over the past several weeks. In the upcoming months I hope to continue to post some things that have been mulling in my mind. Simply haven't had too much time to write blog posts recently. Among other things our church moved into a new building which meant many hours installing/learning new A/V equipment. There is still much to do but so far things have been smooth. Praise the Lord!

Three blog topics I hope to cover this month are:

• A look back...and forward
• Casting a vision
• Plugging in

Stay tuned...