For His Name's Sake

The "Resume" Matters

2012-01-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

How many of you have gone job-hunting before? If you have, you know that most employers are looking for certain baseline requirements — a degree, several years of experience in the field, etc. They will likely advertise a number of “secondary” qualifications too, things like, “ability to work well in a fast-paced environment,” or “able to manage multiple projects at once.”

Companies can’t afford to be naive about who they decide to hire. They have goals and they need the right people to help them achieve those goals. You probably won’t even get an interview unless you meet their minimum requirements. And I think that’s perfectly fair (though regrettable sometimes for folks with fledgling resumes!).

Marriage has “baseline” requirements too. Considered Biblically, marriage is definitely not a “freestyle,” “whatever-suits-you” kind of institution.

With the re-emergence of the practice of courtship in some circles, we have seen, simultaneously, a renewed interest in what the Bible states as requirements for those considering marriage. This is good news! But what that entails may not excite many young men today. Some guys would have preferred things to stay the way they were in their parents' generation.

I think it’s fair to say that all of us, at one time or another, find ourselves wishing that things were a bit “easier” and simpler. Is the resume really that important? Can I almost qualify and still be OK?

When these questions begin to confront you, remind yourself of what we’re talking about; this is marriage, the foundational institution of all society and the closest human relationship in existence. Would you expect something of this magnitude to be easy or have a low barrier-to-entry?

You know the answer. God makes it very clear in Scripture that you must possess certain qualities and abilities to enter marriage. Don’t just acknowledge this fact — embrace it! You have a challenging road ahead, but it’s not impossible with God’s help.

Are you lost, bewildered and without a map? Turn to Titus 1 and read the requirements that Paul lays down for elders (and every Christian man). Read the psalmist’s exhortation to young men in Psalm 119. Consider the portrait of the Proverbs 31 husband (yes, you read that right).

You might also ask yourself the following questions regarding your future family:

What am I doing right now to prepare myself to be my family’s provider?
I must protect them someday. Am I protecting myself right now?
I must be the priest of my home. Do I know the Word? How is my relationship with God today?
I must be the family prophet. Can I instruct, disciple, and discipline? How am I preparing myself for those duties?

Don't think that I'm speaking from a pedestal here. I'm right there beside you guys and I need to hear this as much as you do — probably more.

The Factuality of Scripture: Part 1

2012-01-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

I recently received a comment from a gentleman named Phineas on my post It Really Happened, which I found interesting and which provided the spark for this series of posts. The factuality of Scripture is an important topic and one that, I fear, Christians consider far too seldom.Here's an excerpt from my post:

We tend to be shortsighted toward the future and toward the past, living in the moment, allowing our sense of identity and place to slip away unchecked. Let’s take some time to consider where we fall in God’s redemptive history. Consider the reality of what He did through Christ’s incarnation — what that event meant for the human race. I must admit that, oftentimes, I take Scripture as a strictly theological resource (it certainly is that!) and forget that it is also intensely historical.

These things actually happened in time and space. Christ was born of Mary, lived a perfect life, suffered, died, and rose again that I might be reconciled with God; what a glorious reality!

In order to give you some additional context for this discussion, here is Phineas' comment:

Do you really expect anyone to take your blog seriously? Okay, except for the band of fundamentalists, who'll likely agree with your every word and take it, pardon the expression, 'as gospel.'

You cite theology as a personal interest. Perhaps so. But that is certainly not what you're doing here. No discerning theologian — and I have known plenty — would ever unequivocally state the contents of the Bible as fact, historic or otherwise. Any reasonable theologian, and even many believers, are wise enough to understand and accept the undercurrents of belief. To wit, belief and fact, and indeed reality, are not synonymous.

I'm not writing to be critical of your belief system. I'm suggesting that you temper your language to reflect actual facts, where they occur. Believe it or not, it will make you a stronger advocate. And it will show wisdom. People respect that, even when they may disagree.

A couple years ago, a friend asked me what time of day Jesus was crucified. After some initial embarrassment that I didn't already know, I did a little research. I answered thusly:

"According to Bible,..."

That's quite a bit different than simply saying: "3 pm. That's a fact."

As hard as it may be to do, you have got to rid yourself of the notion that the Bible 'proves' itself. That is not, by any measure, among the methods we use to constitute proof.

If His indeed is the glory, He won't mind you having enough doubt to make journey to him an authentic one.

Best of luck in that journey.

Come back soon as I begin to deal with his arguments and take a closer look at the factuality of God's Word. We'll be taking a look at the following topics (though not necessarily in this order):

Whose Word is it?
What is theology?
What is belief?
What is fact?
What is reality?
Does the Bible prove itself?
What is proof? How can we prove things?
Faith and doubt

Quotes from Martin Lloyd-Jones

2012-01-01T21:40:00.000-08:00

We recently began a sermon series at church on the Sermon on the Mount, so I've decided to dig into Lloyd-Jones' Studies in the Sermon on the Mount to compliment that study. Even in the first 20 pages, I've found a number of excellent quotes. Here are a few which I think are good to ponder as we embark on this new year:

...Merely to read the Bible is not enough in and of itself. It is possible for us to read the Bible in such a mechanical manner that we derive no benefit from doing so... It is a good thing to read the Bible daily, but it can be quite profitless if we merely do so for the sake of being able to say we read the Bible daily.

The Sermon on the Mount is nothing but a great and grand and perfect elaboration of what our Lord called His 'new commandment.'

The Lord Jesus Christ died to enable us to live the Sermon on the Mount... He made this possible for me.

I am never tired of saying that what the Church needs to do is not to organize evangelistic campaigns to attract outside people, but to begin herself to live the Christian life. If she did that, men and women would be crowding into our buildings. They would say, 'What is the secret of this?'

Tomorrow Never Comes

2011-12-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

If I were to pick a motto (and I would have several), one candidate would probably be "tomorrow never comes."

Why would I say that? Isn't that kind of depressing?

Well, the idea isn't exactly original to me. A sentence in J.C. Ryle's excellent little book, Thoughts for Young Men, keeps coming back to me over the years, where he expresses this idea very well:

Tomorrow is the devil's day, but today is God's. Satan does not care how spiritual your intentions are, or how holy your resolutions, if only they are determined to be done tomorrow... When death comes, it will be vain to talk of tomorrow, you must go at once. (J.C. Ryle,Thoughts for Young Men, chapter 1)

Tomorrow never comes. Live your life today as though it were your last, and if it isn't, thank God for another day and then live it the same. Love those around you as though it were your last few hours with them. Forgive — there's no longer time for bitterness. Rejoice — Christ has gained the victory and there is nothing left to fear. Share the love of Christ with those around you — they too are fragile.

This is not a spirit of fear, but of confidence and hope!

For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. (Philippians 1:19-26 ESV)

On the Incarnation

2011-12-25T09:26:00.000-08:00

Jonathan posted this excerpt from Athanasius' On the Incarnation this morning, and I wanted to share it with you all.

"For this purpose, then, the incorporeal and incorruptible and immaterial Word of God entered our world. In one sense, indeed, He was not far from it before, for no part of creation had ever been without Him Who, while ever abiding in union with the Father, yet fills all things that are. But now He entered the world in a new way, stooping to our level in His love and Self-revealing to us... He saw that corruption held us all the closer, because it was the penalty for the Transgression; He saw, too, how unthinkable it would be for the law to be repealed before it was fulfilled...He saw how the surpassing wickedness of men was mounting up against them; He saw also their universal liability to death. All this He saw and, pitying our race, moved with compassion for our limitation, unable to endure that death should have the mastery...He took to Himself a body, a human body even as our own...
He, the Mighty One, the Artificer of all, Himself prepared this body in the virgin as a temple for Himself, and took it for His very own, as the instrument through which He was known and in which He dwelt. Thus, taking a body like our own, because all our bodies were liable to the corruption of death, He surrendered His body to death in place of all, and offered it to the Father. This He did out of sheer love for us, so that in His death all might die, and the law of death thereby be abolished...This He did that He might turn again to incorruption men who had turned back to corruption, and make them alive through death by the appropriation of His body and by the grace of His resurrection. Thus He would make death to disappear from them as utterly as straw from fire." (emphasis added)

Amendment

2011-12-24T22:25:00.001-08:00

I sometimes like to read over my previous posts to check for errors, and, in my recent perusal, I discovered some things that needed clarifying in the post I wrote a few days ago, entitled "Skipping Church to Celebrate... Jesus' Birth?"; please allow me to clarify.

When churches decide that their celebration of Christmas can, and even ought, to preclude normally scheduled Sunday worship, it's clear that they have their priorities skewed.

First, here's what I'm not saying. I don't mean to argue that churches ought to disregard Christmas in order to observe regular Sunday worship.

The way I see it, the conjunction of Christmas and Sunday worship is a wonderful thing! What better time and place to commemorate the birth of Christ?What I failed to say in my post was that, when I referred to peoples' celebration of Christmas, I was referring to the "traditional," "material" things. I was talking about people who would rather stay home and open gifts than allow their festivities to be interrupted by church.

If what we are really celebrating is Christ's incarnation, then why the reluctance (for some) to go to church? The two overlap (i.e. Christmas and worshipping God) – they're not mutually exclusive!

It Really Happened

2011-12-24T00:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the reality of something takes time to “hit home” with me. The reality and significance of another sibling getting married, for instance… We live in such a fast-paced fleeting society that the significance of things often fails to “stick.”

That’s not necessarily a problem. But it certainly can be!

We tend to be shortsighted toward the future and toward the past, living in the moment, allowing our sense of identity and place to slip away unchecked. Let’s take some time to consider where we fall in God’s redemptive history. Consider the reality of what He did through Christ’s incarnation – what that event meant for the human race. I must admit that, oftentimes, I take Scripture as a strictly theological resource (it certainly is that!) and forget that it is also intensely historical.

These things actually happened in time and space. Christ was born of Mary, lived a perfect life, suffered, died, and rose again that I might be reconciled with God; what a glorious reality!

Try not to get caught up in trite symbolism this Christmas. Celebrate Christ and what He did for us!

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7 ESV)

Skipping Church to Celebrate... Jesus' Birth?

2011-12-20T22:25:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I enjoy Christmastime. The whole season. It's kind of hard not to, especially when your family has observed Christmas your entire life.This year, many churches and church-goers will be faced with a choice — something which, not too many years ago, would have been moot to most Christians. How will churches deal with the fact that Christmas falls on a Sunday this year?

I can't decide whether to laugh or cry.

But some churches aren't treating this lightly. This is serious business for them. After all, they have to consider how best to use their staff and volunteer resources, as Cally Parkinson, a spokeswoman for Willow Creek Community Church, said back in 2005 when faced with this "dilemma."

"If our target and our mission is to reach the unchurched, basically the people who don't go to church, how likely is it that they'll be going to church on Christmas morning?" she said. (quoted from USA Today)

Huh? Come again?These types of arguments are sad, but also sadly predictable. When churches decide that their celebration of Christmas can, and even ought, to preclude normally scheduled Sunday worship, it's clear that they have their priorities skewed. Not to mention the insinuation (in the above) quote, that the church's "target and mission" is reach the unchurched... What about ministering to the believers who attend?

It's not just a problem with churches though. The blame rests equally on the churchgoers who decide to forego Sunday worship in order to celebrate... Jesus' birth? I sense a glaring disconnect here.

Thinking about this prompted me to ask myself some questions:

1) What exactly am I celebrating here? Am I truly celebrating Christ and what He has done? Or has "the season" become an idol?

2) Do my actions line up? Am I more eager to give or to receive? What did Christ model for me?

3) How can I spread the light of the Gospel this time of year? Is it not a golden opportunity for us to share what Christ has done?

4) How often will I think about or give thanks for Christ's incarnation throughout the rest of the year? Is it possible that I've allowed the Christmas season to become the only time I consider Christ's birth?

White River Canyon & the Beginning of "Adventure Season"

2011-12-19T12:02:00.000-08:00

It should come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog that I’d be excited with the onset of winter and the outdoor opportunities it brings. The weekend before last, we kicked off “Adventure Season” with a nice 5-mile snowshoe hike at the base of Mt. Hood (down in OR).

We decided to hit White River Canyon and make it a church-wide invitation, so folks who hadn’t been snowshoeing before could get the experience. We were blessed with fabulous weather, low-risk avalanche conditions and great group of 13 intrepid adventurers, young and old(er).I would describe this hike as leisurely. There was one significant climb near the end, but once we reached the top we were treated to an area that was chock-full of great sledding slopes and excellent views of Mt. Hood.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the hike (click through for captions and more details).

I Will Prepare... Eventually

2011-12-18T15:04:00.000-08:00

Guys, I know most — if not all — of you would like to be husbands and fathers some day. It’s a high calling for sure — something that you cannot afford to take lightly. Have you spent some time asking yourself, “what’s it going to take?” Have you considered what Scripture has to say about it?

The Bible is definitely not silent on this issue. There are a number of passages addressing what God requires of husbands (and potential husbands); if we would devote some quality time to studying these, we would find them immensely helpful as we prepare.

Sadly, too many otherwise promising young men decide to squander their time being goofy. “Eventually,” they reason, “I’ll shape up and develop the character I need to become a godly husband.” And they get noticed! Just not for the right reasons.

Guys, don’t kid yourselves. You won’t magically become a godly man when the time is right. Moreover, you can’t expect marriage to “solve your problems.” If you’re character is lacking, marriage will simplify amplify that fact! Think about it. Let’s say you enter marriage with a lack of self-sacrifice. You’re selfishly pursuing the things you like without regard for others. Do you honestly think that placing yourself in a position that demands a high level of self-sacrifice will automatically fix your problems in that area?

Don’t be naive here! Who you are today in relation to your family and friends is largely who you will be in relation to your wife and children. Am I saying that marriage won’t shape and change you? No — of course it will. But remember, the Bible has standards which, if you fail to meet them when entering into marriage, will be no less challenging to meet once you’re married. Either way, you have your orders. God has told you what He expects. Will you prepare now or will you push it off?

Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. (Titus 2:6-8 ESV)

Build Your House on the Rock

2011-12-18T00:22:00.000-08:00

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:46-49)

Often we are told that the difference between the two men represented in this parable is that “one heard,” and the other “didn’t hear.” But no, they both heard the same thing! The difference is that the first man heard Christ’s words and did them whereas the second man heard His words and did not do them.

You see, the difference between life and death is often not what you know, but what you do with what you know.

He Turns the Hearts of Kings

2011-10-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. (Proverbs 21:1 ESV)

Artaxerxes

God is sovereign and does what He pleases. It’s abundantly clear throughout Scripture that no earthly power can thwart or withstand His will. Consider Ezra’s testimony concerning Artaxerxes, after the king made a decree strongly supporting the rebuilding of the temple and the establishment of God’s law (and the law of the king – see Ez. 7:26) in Israel:

Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me. (Ezra 7:27-28 ESV)

Cyrus

Earlier in the book of Ezra (and in 2 Chronicles), we read a similar narrative about Cyrus, king of Persia:

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (Ezra 1:1-2 ESV)

Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar made a similar declaration after his humiliation described in Daniel 4:

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:34-35 ESV)

God is Able

As the One who grants authority and power to men, God is fully capable of ‘turning the hearts of kings.’ This holds true even in the midst of political tumult and national apostasy.

A Little Encouragement this Monday

2011-10-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

The LORD is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
(Psalm 28:8-9 ESV)

The Cascade Challenge

2011-10-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Be First recipients Greg Stafford, Will Fain, Cole Iverson and Rex Shepard — the Cascade Challenge Team — undertook a 1,000-mile multi-sport expedition to bike, hike, climb and ski over 14 mountains in the Cascades...

This looks extreme. And awesome. Read the story »

Prayer for a Hurting Land

2011-09-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

"Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress." (Nehemiah 9:32-37 ESV, emphasis added)

Making Void the Word of God

2011-09-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. (Matt. 15:3-6)

Blind Guides

The Pharisees and scribes were influential men in Israel. People looked to them to interpret and explain the Law of God — to lead them in righteousness. And yet, throughout the Gospels we find example after example of them being unfaithful in that duty. “Blind guides,” Christ called them (Matt. 15:14). They were well-deserving of His rebuke: “why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (vs. 3)

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matt. 15:6-9)

The Commandments of Men vs. the Commandments of God

No man has the right to declare something as truth which God has not already declared to be truth (or, which is out of accord with His nature, since He is Truth itself). Let our appeal be to Scripture and Scripture alone — this is our standard!

Now, God has appointed preaching as one of the means by which we may come to understand His Word (see Romans 10:14), and there are many preachers who faithfully proclaim the truth, strengthening the church, and are worthy of honor (1 Tim. 5:17). Our brothers in Christ may (and should!) also come alongside us to encourage us, but we can’t ride on their coat-tails either. (Remember, we are not called to ‘be holy as your brother is holy’)

As the Reformers maintained, no man or earthly institution may stand between men and God’s Word. When the day is over, it is our responsibility to seek God through prayer and His Word, and by His grace, to apply what we learn to our lives.

Taking Every Thought Captive

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5)

Nothing falls outside the realm of Christ’s Lordship. No thought is too far-flung, no action too personal, no word too casual, no emotion too uncontrollable. “He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.” (Ps. 104:7)

How About Us?

Is God’s Word truly our standard for all of life? If we respond, “yes,” then are we truly willing to live our “yes”? Or did we say it because we know it’s the right thing to say?

Do we know what God hates, and do we, in turn, hate it? Or do we excuse it?

Do we truly love God, and, by consequence, love what He loves? Are we willing to unashamedly endorse what is true, right and beautiful, because God said it is? Or is that too embarrassing for us?

When it comes to what we "like," are we willing to hold it up to the light of God’s Revelation and to reject it if it doesn’t stand? Or would we rather ‘break the commandment of God for the sake of our preferences?’Some food for thought…

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! (Ps. 139:23-4)

What We Say and How We Live

2011-09-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46)

Here, Jesus poses a sobering question to His disciples and the surrounding multitude. ‘Why do you profess one thing and live another?’ In the parallel passage in Matthew, we read:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

We must learn that our acceptance into heaven is not a matter of us knowing the Lord, but is solely dependent on Him knowing us (see Matt. 7: 23). Furthermore, we can’t simply profess our faith in Christ — we must “do what He tells us” and live out that faith, lest we deceive ourselves.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. (James 1:22-26)

Guys, it might be easy enough to impress people with a superficial profession of faith in Christ, but remember, one day you will be called to give an account before God and He won’t be deceived! You may be able to convince your friends that you are living a life of devotion to Christ, but are you really? Be honest. Do you say “Lord, Lord” but completely ignore what He tells you? True faith is never exercised in a vacuum; It bears fruit in the lives of those who possess it, and is characterized by obedience to God’s commands.

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27)

Lest we drift into legalism, remember that faith is impossible for those to whom it has not been given by God. This isn’t something we can conjure up ourselves. Only God can grant saving faith, and only He can draw us to Himself and preserve us from our own hypocrisy, giving us the grace to continue in obedience before Him.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

Our Benefactor & Our Judge

2011-09-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.

~Psalm 123

As Calvinists we are known for our stance on God’s sovereignty, namely, that He sovereignly predestines the salvation of His elect, sovereignly allows the reprobate to remain in their sin, sovereignly exercises His irresistible grace to call His elect to Himself, and sovereignly governs and protects His saints (the church).

This doctrine, however, does not do away with our responsibility to obey. It’s all too easy to assent to the truth of God’s sovereignty and then live our lives in such a way that we deny it.

What many modern Christians need to understand (and some pastors need to start preaching) is that Jesus is not your “buddy.” He is your Lord and master! And as such, He is both our benefactor and our judge and is worthy of our love – and fear.Consider how the psalmist describes our position before the Lord:

...as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us.

May we look to Him as humble servants, with fear and love, and may He grant us mercy to walk rightly before Him.

How?

2011-09-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Guys, if you're like me you have probably asked yourself questions like, "what should I be doing with my life?," "where should I go from here?," "what has God been teaching me these past few years and what direction does He want me to head?"

Though the practical "what, when," and "where" questions are important, I would suggest that we spend some time asking ourselves, "how," and "why." Scripture is often quite clear on what we should do to obey God - and we can grasp that - but when it comes down to actually doing it, we stare at our toes and scratch our heads.

Praise God that He has given us more than the "what," and has provided us with instruction on just "how" to obey Him!

But, as we all know, this will require work and study. The answers aren't always spelled out the way we wish they were. Sometimes we have to dig deep to understand how God wants us to live, and other times the practical applications are ripe for the picking.

Consider Psalm 119, specifically verses 9-16. This is a very well-known passage in which the author directs his comments primarily to young men (though everyone can find application here).

How can a young man keep his way pure?By guarding it according to your word.With my whole heart I seek you;let me not wander from your commandments!I have stored up your word in my heart,that I might not sin against you.Blessed are you, O Lord;teach me your statutes!With my lips I declareall the rules of your mouth.In the way of your testimonies I delightas much as in all riches.I will meditate on your preceptsand fix my eyes on your ways.I will delight in your statutes;I will not forget your word.

Here are 6 principles (you might even call them "action steps") which I draw from this passage:

1. Guard (verse 9)

How can we keep our way pure? Verse 9 tells us that we must guard it "according to thy word." But it is impossible to set up boundaries on something — to guard it — without first establishing a standard and God tells us that our standard must be His Word. In order to adhere to a standard, you first must know it, so it is critical that we study the Word that we might not wander away from His commandments.

2. Seek (verse 10)

Verse 10 makes it clear that our pursuit of God must not be a half-hearted attempt, but instead must be with our "whole heart." As David says in Psalm 63:1, "earnestly I seek you;my soul thirsts for you." This is no easy thing, but God will not be content with partial dedication or halfhearted obedience.

3. Store up (verse 11)

Hiding God's Word in our hearts is something we ought to do as a preventative measure against sin. The devil is rendered inept by God's truth so his best tactic is to make sure we are forgetful and weak in the Word when temptation comes.

4. Declare (verse 13)

The author not only affirms God's testimonies in his heart but openly speaks them with His lips. Let us be quick to proclaim the truth and, more importantly, the Source of that truth.

5. Delight (verse 14)

While some men try to find fulfillment and satisfaction in earthly riches, the author declares that he delights in "Your testimonies... as much as in all riches." Do we truly delight in God's testimonies? To the point where people see it clearly in our lives?

6. Meditate (verse 15)

The author not only hides the Word in his heart, but he meditates on it — he spends quality time considering what God would have him learn from His Word. This discipline is woefully lacking in the lived of many Christians today. We may read our Bibles but do we ever stop and think (hard!) about how it applies to us?

Of Trout and Bicycles - Diamond Lake 2011

2011-08-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

Though I would love to be more thorough in writing about our recent family vacation to Diamond Lake, I'm really busy with work for the next few weeks. The following summary should suffice for now, and, as I have time, I'll continue to update the photo gallery with new images and captions. Enjoy!

Diamond Lake is a 3,000 acre alpine lake nestled in the mountains of Umpqua National Forest in southern Oregon (elevation 5,100'). Over the years, it has become our traditional family camping destination, and for good reason! The campground provides ready access to the lake for trout fishing, a series of bike paths and adjoining roads for cycling, mountains for climbing, a little store stocked with candy, areas for swimming, kayaking, canoeing, and more. I vaguely remember the last two times we've gone there but this trip is sure to stand out in my memory as one of the best yet. Here are some of the highlights.

We arrived on Monday afternoon in the middle of a brief thunderstorm, but the weather soon cleared up and for the rest of the week it was absolutely perfect. After nearly half a dozen tents were set up and other campsite prep work was done, we had dinner and went out on the lake to fish for a few hours. This was our first time fishing here since 2007 so we weren't sure what to expect. That evening we pulled in 7 nice fish and over the next few days came to realize that this would be one of the most productive fishing trips we've ever had.

Joshua looking quizzical. This little guy had a blast!

Zach in his element

Tuesday really stands out in my memory. I spent the morning on my road bike scouting for the Mt. Bailey trailhead; you'll remember from my last post that Mt. Bailey is one of two mountains standing on either side of Diamond Lake, the other being Mt. Thielsen. The signs indicated that it was just a short 1.5 mile hike/ride to the lower trailhead from the road so I returned the campground confident that it would take a mere 15-20 minutes to get there. When the fishermen returned with their catch (21 trout, I think), Daniel, Mike and I got ready to go climb Bailey that afternoon. I had all my typical climbing gear (minus the ice axe and crampons) in a fairly heavy daypack, along with my camera. It weighed about 25 pounds altogether. I was also wearing my climbing pants, which, incidentally, are not well-suited for cycling - but it was supposed to only take us 20 minutes to get there so I didn't care.

To make a long story short, we went 13.3 miles on gravel roads, halfway around the mountain (it seemed) and never encountered the expected trailhead. I don't know how we missed the lower trailhead, but after concluding that we must have missed it we continued on to look for the upper trailhead. The route involved a lot more climbing than I preferred and we were probably riding for 1.5 hours before we decided to call it a day and abandon the attempt. Since we weren't on a reality TV show and couldn't be airlifted off the premises we had to make the difficult climb back over the hills we had previously descended. Ironically, on the way down, we found the mangled remains of a sign pointing us toward a road that connected with the Mt. Bailey trail. It was too late in the afternoon to consider climbing.

It was disappointing to admit failure, but I later learned that the Mt. Bailey trail had not been maintained this year and was in pretty rough shape. Regardless, I know that if we could have found the trailhead we could have made the climb. Bailey is a relatively mild mountain compared to many others in the Cascades. Oh well, we still pulled off almost 27 miles of mountain biking so that's got to count for something!

Mt. Thielsen, directly across the Lake from Mt. Bailey

On Wednesday I decided to get a one day fishing license and got out in the boat for both the morning and evening trips. I enjoyed a rousing fight with a nice big trout and managed to pull in 4 total between both trips. Mike and I also rented a canoe and attempted to fish two lines out of it that afternoon. If you've every tried this you'll understand just how difficult it is to manage an un-anchored craft in light waves and attempt to manage your line. In the event that we had gotten a bite I don't know if we would have managed to get the fish in the boat (though we had a net). We gave up on that idea and instead gave some of the kids boat rides for the rest of the hour.

Evening on the lake

Thursday was epic. Dad, Daniel and I rode from the campground out to Crater Lake and around the rim. I'll write more about it later when I pull my photos off my iPhone, but for now let me say it was the longest, hardest ride I've ever done - 65 miles with about 5,000 feet of climbing and some crazy descents.

Mt. Scott, the highest point on the rim of Crater Lake (we rode past it) viewed from Diamond Lake

Friday morning I had planned to climb Mt. Thielsen (on the east side of Diamond Lake), but was too exhausted from the ride around Crater to consider more climbing. It was a bummer because Thielsen has been on my hit list for a while now, but I'm 100% sure we'll be going back one of these years so there will be more opportunities to climb it.

Diamond Lake 2011

2011-08-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

This coming week our family is once again making the trek out to our traditional camping location in central Oregon - Diamond Lake. While we're there, I'll be enjoying some time out in the boat trout fishing, in the saddle cycling around Diamond and probably around the rim of Crater Lake, as well as climbing the two mountains pictured below. See you all next weekend!

Mt. Thielsen, elevation 9,184 ft (I won't be making the final 80' technical climb up to the summit)

Mt. Bailey, elevation 8,375 ft

Beware of Those Who Promise Freedom

2011-08-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. (2 Peter 2:18-19)

2 Peter 2 is a chapter entirely dedicated to the discussion of false prophets and teachers. Among vivid descriptions like "waterless springs and mists driven by a storm (vs 17)," Peter emphasizes that these types of men "entice unsteady souls... (vs 14), those who are barely escaping from those who live in error." (vs 18). "They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption." (vs 19)

Remember, true freedom - from temptation, addiction, bitterness, etc. - is only found in Christ.

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:34-36)

Characteristics of Godly Living

2011-07-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8)

The believer must add knowledge to his virtue, increasing acquaintance with the whole truth and will of God. We must add temperance to knowledge; moderation about worldly things; and add to temperance, patience, or cheerful submission to the will of God. Tribulation worketh patience, whereby we bear all calamities and crosses with silence and submission. To patience we must add godliness: this includes the holy affections and dispositions found in the true worshipper of God; with tender affection to all fellow Christians, who are children of the same Father, servants of the same Master, members of the same family, travelers to the same country, heirs of the same inheritance. - Matthew Henry's Commentary

Climbing Mt. Adams - Day 2

2011-07-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

We woke up bright and early the next morning at 4:00am. I can’t say that I was particularly glad to wake up that early, but that night’s sleep wasn’t what you might call restful; I’m still struggling to get used to this foam sleeping mat I bought. Pulling on some warmer layers, I crawled outside and was greeted by a beautiful starry sky and hints of the sunrise on the horizon. Jonathan took a little longer to stir himself, and I used that opportunity to capture a few photos of the tent with the lantern inside (the truth is, I’ve been wanting to get this shot for a long time!). We both kind of wished we had decided to use the rain-fly since it would have provided some extra insulation to compensate for our warm-weather sleeping bags.

The town of Hood River to the south, and Mt. Hood

I quickly fired up my little MSR Reactor stove and began boiling some water to make coffee and oatmeal (yes, the dreaded instant oatmeal was back). The coffee needed more sugar and quite a bit more cream, but I forgave it for its inadequacies because it was so stinkin’ good at that time in the morning! The oatmeal? Not so much... But you have to get your calories somehow.

It was a gorgeous sunrise!

Neither of us wanted to haul any more gear than necessary up to the summit so we stowed what we weren’t going to need inside the tent, locked it, and by about 5:45am we had begun the final part of the climb. I think my pack weighed about 20lbs at this point — perhaps a bit less.

The snow was significantly more icy than it had been the previous evening, making it ideal for crampons. I felt really good at first and kept up a pretty good pace — which would have been better were it not for the rocky moraines which kept forcing us to remove our gear to cross them — but I could feel my energy flagging by the time the sun came out in force. We still had a long way to climb, so I attempted to fuel up on a Clif bar and some other snacks, but my appetite was largely gone due to the elevation. Candy still sounded good though!

The false summit (Piker's Peak) as viewed from Lunch Counter

The sun began softening the snow, but it remained pretty firm until about 8:30am

The climb up to Piker's Peak - that was a steep slope!

The climb up to Piker’s Peak was brutal. From Lunch Counter (9,000’) it’s another 2,700 feet to reach the top of Piker’s Peak, and that’s the false summit! The altitude was causing shortness of breath and overall sluggishness, which became rather frustrating. It was a struggle to find a balance between breathing normally and going too slow, and pushing too hard for the oxygen I had available. It was a good feeling when the climbers at the top of Piker’s Peak began to look larger than those just starting the ascent down below.

Looking back down over Lunch Counter from the top of Piker's Peak

"We got this thing!"

Finally I reached the top and was treated to a fine view of the real summit. We had to cross a saddle to reach the final 750 foot ascent to the summit, and that forced us to lose about 250 feet of hard-earned elevation gain. This didn’t thrill me but I wasn’t about to become another example of why the false summit is called Piker’s Peak — a “piker” is one who turns back. I don’t remember exactly when I began climbing the headwall up to the summit, but it must have taken me at least an hour. The slope was at least as steep as that up to the false summit and I was running out of energy. Attempts to refuel with a Snickers bar, Clif bar, Clif bloks and candy were helpful, but didn’t seem to give me enough momentum.

At long last I reached the summit, arriving at 11:20am after 5.5 hours of hard climbing. It felt good!

Climbing buddies

My pompous mountaineer pose

There was Rainier to the north, Baker barely visible on the northern horizon, Glacier Peak to the northeast, the North Cascades, St. Helens to the east, Goat Rocks, Hood to the South, then Jefferson, the Three Sisters, and finally, Broken Top. And we had just accomplished our highest climb yet!

Mt. Rainier to the north

It was an incredible day to be standing on top of Adams! I thumped down in the snow to snack on some jerky and another Snickers bar while waiting for Jonathan to finish the climb (he was dealing with some really painful blisters). We hung out for a while, shot some photos and portraits, then packed up and prepared for the descent.

If you click through on this image and view the largest size, you may be able to spot Mt. Baker to the right of Rainier.

Jonathan was on skis and I was planning on glissading on my little homemade roll-up sled. The idea was to capture some footage of each of us making our descent, both with our borrowed helmet-cam and DSLRs, so Jonathan began his ski run first while I captured some video, then I began my glissade while he filmed from below. You remember what I said about my glissades on Mt. Hood? Well, these slopes were a whole new adventure! I used my GPS app to clock my max speed on each run. The first time around, I reached 23.8mph — that was fast! However I was convinced that I could top 30mph on the way down from Piker’s Peak, and I actually managed to hit 32.9mph! It was crazy, and certainly one of the highlights of the trip!

We reached camp around 1:00pm and got everything packed up. I was not thrilled to hoist my loaded pack again! It was a beast, but we didn’t have that far to go and it was mostly downhill.

Once we reached the lower slopes of the mountain, Jonathan had a distinct advantage over me with his skis. I must admit that I was a bit envious of his ability to cruise around on the snow (though the sun-cups made it pretty difficult at points) while I just had to trudge along on foot. I caught up with him while he was taking a break and he said that his blisters were killing him and he wanted to get back on dry trail so he could switch his ski boots out for flip-flops (the only alternative footwear he had brought); we planned on meeting at the car. Off he went and I kept slogging.

Finally I found a guy who told me that the trailhead was only “10 minutes away.” 10 minutes, my foot! That gentleman owes a personal apology to my feet... I didn’t have any blisters but I was sure footsore, and didn’t care to be boots any longer than I had to.

At least 30 minutes later I finally reached the trailhead, having taken every little detour to stay on the snow as long as possible. The car was parked another 1/4 mile away, but when I reached it Jonathan was nowhere in sight. There weren’t any signs of him having been there at all — strange, because he was well ahead of me. I thought he must be waiting for me somewhere so I stashed my gear and ran (if you could call it that) back to the trailhead where I met some climbers who told me he was a good mile up the trail. I kept on running and had one guy ask, “you gonna run all the way to the summit?!” Yeah, right...

I met Jonathan a little while later. He was in a lot of pain from his blisters and had to take a very slow pace. It was weird that we had missed each other on the trail, but then I realized that, whereas I was trying to stay on the snow, he had been trying to get off of it onto dry trail. We must have taken slightly different routes.

All ended well and we were soon descending the crowded gravel road back to Trout Lake, where we picked up some PowerAde and a few legendary Jolly Rancher sticks. Highway 14 was a parking lot around Washougal so we re-routed through some backroads and made it to Jonathan’s place around 9:00pm. I hung out for a bit, had some supper, and made it home myself around 10:30pm.

In the aftermath of these climbs you usually experience some side-effects like sunburn and soreness, but those little inconveniences quickly fade away and all that remains is an incredible sense of accomplishment and gratitude. God didn’t have to give us mountains like Adams, or Hood, or St. Helens, but He chose to do so, partially because they magnify His name, and also so we can enjoy them. For some people, their main take-away from mountaineering is a sense of personal accomplishment and satisfaction, but for me it has more to do with an increased satisfaction in God and His Creation.

O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? (Deuteronomy 3:24)

Climbing Mt. Adams - Day 1

2011-07-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

I’m burnt. Climbing glaciated mountains on bluebird days without wearing adequate sunscreen will do that to you. But the experience of climbing Mt. Adams for the first time completely eclipsed the side effects. Jonathan and I have climbed St. Helens and Hood, but last Saturday morning, we had the privilege of standing on Adams’ summit at 12,281 feet — the highest we’ve ever climbed.

Living in the Cascades, we have Mt. St. Helens virtually in our backyard. Mt. Hood is visible from all over town, especially as you near the Columbia river, and Mt. Rainier may be seen almost any time you reach a few thousand feet in elevation with a view to the north. Mt. Adams, on the other hand, is comparatively shy and likes to hide behind Silver Star and the neighboring hills so we don’t see it very often. In fact, full views of the mountain were hard to come by even in Trout Lake, the “gateway” town right at the base of the mountain!

The climb was Jonathan's idea, and he managed most of the planning. Last weekend, as predicted, the weather was beautiful and by about 1:30pm on Friday we were cruising down Highway 14 toward the Hwy 141 cutoff which would lead us up north to the trailhead. We reached the town of Trout Lake by about 3:30pm, bought our permits and a few gallons of gas, then headed up Mt. Adams Rec. Rd. toward Cold Springs Campground — the starting point for the south climb route. Unfortunately, I missed a critical turn which set us back by about 20 minutes. The road up to the campground was pretty bumpy and required a great deal of care and not much speed, but we finally made it. We had to park about 1/4 of a mile from the trailhead since the campground had begun to fill up fast.

After changing into our climbing clothes and gulping down a few last blueberries (picked fresh that morning), we donned our 38lb+ packs and hit the trail around 6:00pm. The first half mile was virtually snow-free, but soon we began hitting light patches of snow, and it wasn’t long before the snowpack was sufficient to strap on skis and crampons.

Jonathan taking a quick breather

The climbing that evening was fairly uneventful. The snow was pretty soft but still decent for climbing. We could see both Piker’s Peak (the false summit) and the true summit for much of the climb, but eventually we were only able to see Piker’s Peak looming above us at 11,700 feet.

Destination in sight!

At about 8:30pm we decided to call it a day. I was wiped out and starving, and Jonathan was in similar shape. We found a sweet campsite on a moraine at about 8,100 feet, set up camp, cooked supper and enjoyed a beautiful sunset with great views of Mt. Hood to the south and St. Helens silhouetted to the east. For me, supper consisted of my very own "Bland Potato Casserole" with plenty of cayenne pepper and salt, and a mug of tea. You have no idea how good such a basic meal can taste when you've been climbing for a few hours!

I love Mt. Hood from this angle! That's Mt. Jefferson peaking out on the left.

St. Helens to the west

This was our first time actually camping on a mountain and it went surprisingly well. We were bracing ourselves for the possibility of a lot of wind, but that evening was completely calm, and though I got a bit chilled in my 35 degree bag it wasn’t awfully cold and I was able to catch a few hours of sleep — at least, I think I slept. It’s hard to know for sure when you wake up the next morning at 4:00am!

Just for kicks, here’s my journal entry for that evening (yes, we were tired):

Forgot bone-saw [inside joke], but haven't needed it just yet so we're OK. Tired but satisfied; had a good supper. No big-foot sightings so we're kind of on edge. The fact that we don't see them doesn't rule out the possibility of them seeing us. They like coffee so we're keeping it in the tent tonight where they wouldn't dare take it.

To be continued...

Does God Want Us to Be Happy?

2011-07-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Does God want us to be happy?

It’s a common enough question, but one which has caused many to reach the wrong conclusions. Some teach that true happiness can be derived from things — possessions, money, etc. — and therefore our pursuit of happiness should really be a pursuit of more stuff. This is commonly known as the “prosperity gospel,” and is really no gospel at all. It is a delusional attempt to justify greed, and to excuse misplaced priorities. Some even go so far as to treat God as a kind of “cosmic investment”; the more I give to Him, the more He blesses me.

There are also those who argue that God does not want us to be wealthy, but Scripture offers no support for such a position.

I’ve been thinking about the difference between joy and happiness lately. Can someone be unhappy, yet joyful? Take me as an example. I’m not particularly happy working all by myself (don’t get me wrong — I like working for myself, but not by myself). It’s hard for me to be a graphic designer in a solitary, “non-collaborative” environment.

If I believe that God wants me to be happy, whatever the cost, what should I do? Should I go work for someone else? Should I abandon the challenges of pulling a one-man job and move into something I like better? Is my relative unhappiness really an issue at all?

What if, instead of believing in an artificial “happiness” construct, I embrace what Scripture teaches about joy?

Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name! (Psalm 97:11-12)

Only the upright can experience true, lasting joy; the wicked may find some semblance of “joy,” but it will only last a moment. If my walk with the Lord is lacking, I won't be joyful.

Do you not know this from of old,
since man was placed on earth,
that the exulting of the wicked is short,
and the joy of the godless but for a moment? (Job 20:4-5)

It is God who puts joy in our hearts (Ps. 4:7), and we are told that, in His presence, there is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). I think Webster’s 1828 dictionary offers some helpful comments on the meaning of the word “joy” - “the passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good.” (emphasis added) Notice how even the expectation of good may excite joy? Think of heaven.

For the Christian, true joy is found in God alone, not earthly possessions. It springs from hope in His promises, regardless of our immediate circumstances. We are told to “rejoice in all things,” or “in the midst of” all things. You won’t find me overjoyed when a loved one passes away, but Lord willing, you will still find me joyful. Our joy is founded in something far greater than our temporal lives and the troubles we encounter!

I think Scripture is clear - God wants us to be joyful, not just happy.

Zion National Park - Fond Memories

2011-07-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've been reliving some of the awesome memories from our 2,800 mile road trip in February as I go back and edit / re-edit photos from the trip. I don't think I ever finished publishing my best photos so here are a few for your enjoyment, as well as an excerpt from my "adventure journal."

Our goal was to reach Zion National Park by noon, but we got a later start than we had hoped. We took AZ-64 east out to Hwy 89, where we headed north, then west after passing Page, AZ. Scenic Highway 9 led us into the park. We were immediately in awe - this place is spectacular! Both Jonathan and I were constantly snapping photos through our open windows, while winding down the twisty roads into the valley. I don’t think too many of mine turned out but you never know!

At the park fee station we asked the ranger about conditions on Angel’s Landing Trail and he said it would probably be fine since they haven’t had much precipitation lately. He was mostly right.

After entering the park we went straight for the trailhead and headed out at about 3:30pm. Angel’s Landing is a 5 mile round-trip hike, so I figured we had enough time to make it there and back before sundown. The first 3/4 mile were fairly easy, then it got really steep for another 1/4-1/2 mile and then leveled out for a while. The last part of our hike was probably the most fun because it involved skirting sheer cliffs on both sides while gripping a chain anchored into the rock. Truly adventurous. We passed on the last 1/4 mile because the trail got too icy and would have been too risky.

Zion Canyon and the Virgin River, viewed from near the top of Angel's Landing

The Great White Throne, viewed from near the top of Angel's Landing

Zion Canyon at sunset, viewed from near the top of Angel's Landing (the rock prominence to the left).

Zion Canyon and the Virgin River at dusk

Starry night sky in Zion National Park

Marketing Can Be Deceptive

2011-07-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

One Standard

2011-07-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

“For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.” (Numbers 15:15-16)

In our egalitarian culture we are constantly hammered with the need for equality. Men and women must be equal in every sense possible, the distinctions between rich and poor must at all costs be erased, “equal opportunity” must be required of employers, and the list goes on.

But is this kind of “equality” desirable? More importantly, is it Biblical?

Here we must tread dangerous ground — dangerous because our culture is so blindly insistent on their version of “equality,” and we have been conditioned to think about these issues using their standard.

Right now I’m not going to address the specific implications of this subject — i.e. marriage, wealth, employment, etc. — but rather, will deal with the overarching Biblical principles, without which application is impossible.

Egalitarian Equality vs. Christian Equality

“You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.” (Num. 15:15a-16)

The egalitarian idea of quality is “sameness” and equality of outcome. Under this model, if women are to achieve true equality with men, they must be allowed and encouraged to do all the things men do. They must go to war, be able to vote, run for office, and pursue an independent income or they can never be truly equal!*

The important thing here is to recognize that sameness of outcome requires differences in the standards. When women are unable to perform at the same level as men (in the military, for instance), the standard must be adapted. In many cases, legal intervention is the agent used to ensure “equality.”

The Biblical concept of equality, however, emphasizes justice and equity. “You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord.” (Num. 15:15a) In the Biblical system, there is only one standard, dictated by God. Since men and women are created differently, the standard will affect them differently, resulting in (*gasp*) different outcomes.

When Biblical justice and equity reign, this is true equality.

In Closing

A just balance and scales are the Lord's;
all the weights in the bag are his work. (Prov. 16:11)

Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and false scales are not good. (Prov. 20:23)

You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. (Exodus 23:2-3, emphasis added)

You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. (Ex. 23:6)

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are joint heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)

____________________
*Remember, I’m dealing with the principle, not the applications. It may be legitimate for a woman to hold a job outside the home, but it should not be a “given” like our culture believes.

I owe the majority of these thoughts to Doug Wilson’s excellent sermon series on marriage, available from CanonPress.

Is the Lord's Hand Shortened?

2011-07-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

But Moses said, “The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord's hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.” (Numbers 11:21-23)

May we never be guilty of doubting God’s absolute power. In our finitude, we sometimes make the mistake of assuming that God is like us — limited — when, in fact, “It is He who made us, and we are His...”

Moses knew this; earlier, in Deuteronomy 3:24, he says:

O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? (Deut. 3:24)

Whatever our circumstance, however desperate our need, the Lord’s hand is not shortened and He is able to work mightily on our behalf!

Backpacking Eagle Creek: Day 3

2011-07-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning I woke up comparatively refreshed. Snoring tent-mates were still an issue, but since the disturbance could be adequately regulated by a nudge or a swift kick, I managed alright.

Once again I had coffee and oatmeal for breakfast, and this time was able to heat water using my little alcohol stove. It’s pretty cool to be able to boil water over a pop-can stove, even though it could be rather finicky. This morning was quite a bit warmer than the previous so I didn’t find myself wishing I had brought warmer clothes (for some reason I decided to just pack shorts instead of lightweight pants).

We had about 11 miles to hike before we reached our original starting point, the Eagle Creek trailhead. As we set out, I think most of us were experiencing aches and pains of some sort. My right boot was crimping a bit as I leaned forward, causing numbness on the top of my foot; thankfully that wore off as the day progressed! For me, the last day brings the most mental challenges. Knowing that our mission was nearly accomplished and that we were headed back to the land of ice-cream and french fries made me resent those mile marker signs. “What do you mean it’s still another mile and a half?!”

Wild Snapdragons

Jonathan's Gorillapod setup for photographing waterfalls vertically. These things are neat!

Tiger Lilies, I believe

This was probably the least eventful day out of the three. We followed the Herman Creek Trail north, intersected with the Pacific Crest Trail which took us west toward the Bridge of the Gods, and eventually joined Gorge Trail 400 at Cascade Locks, which borders I-84. Along the way we got some great views of Table Mountain across the river - a hike I’ve been really wanting to try - and also found a Spotted Owl along the trail! My “birder’s eye” really paid off this time!

Spotted Owls are Federally endangered (and listed as "threatened" in OR and CA) and have caused a great deal of controversy over the past few years, especially concerning the logging industry up here in the Pacific Northwest.

Jonathan putting away his water filter

I found a very cooperative frog. Now I'm in trouble because I didn't tell anyone I found a frog - as though it's a big deal? He was pretty cool though.

I can’t quite remember when we reached the cars. What stands out most in my mind was seeing a sign that read 1.5 miles when we thought we only had half a mile left, and traveling most of that distance on asphalt (painful when you’re footsore!). Oh, and Jonathan sprinting ahead at the last minute, yelling wildly. I didn’t chase him, since I know I could beat him any day - why prove what I already know? ;)

It was with great relief that we all hoisted our packs into the cars, got a group photo, and headed off to Cascade Locks for some ice-cream. Sometimes, when you’re out on the trail or pushing for the summit, you can get caught up in the exertion, the soreness, the shortness of breath, and forget what it feels like to reach the finish line. The sense of accomplishment is really something else! It amazes me how fast I can “flip the switch,” forget about the difficulties and immediately want to hoist a pack again and get out there in the wild again. It’s almost like McDonalds - you forget just how bad you felt after your last experience eating there, and it’s all you can do to resist the urge to walk through those doors again.

So why bother?

My two driving motivations are: 1) To experience a side of God’s creation that comparatively few people get to experience, and 2) To challenge myself physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Scripture makes a connection between physical discipline and spiritual discipline, comparing our spiritual walk to “running a race,” and noting that we must run “with endurance.” We need to be careful not to equate the two in a literal sense (i.e. “John is overweight, so he must not be very spiritual”), but I think there is definitely a connection. Discipline and self control in one area of life usually flow over into other areas. Conversely, laziness and a lack of self-control cannot be easily confined to just one thing – they soon begin to define us.

I need to keep challenging myself, even when it hurts.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us… ~Hebrews 12:1

Can you say "bad hair day"?

The Gang. Fun times guys!

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Backpacking Eagle Creek: Day 2

2011-07-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

I awoke to the sound of chainsaws and thought, “what are they doing running those things so early in the morning?” Oh wait, that’s Zach snoring. No offense to the guilty, but next time I’m bringing earplugs.

12 hours of sleep made a big difference, but not as big a difference as 12 hours of restful sleep would have… I’m still getting used to my closed-cell foam sleeping pad, and the fact that our tent was situated on a slight slope didn’t help either. The cool thing about my sleeping pad is that it folds up into 6” segments (kind of like a paper fan), so you can double it over to add head support, or if you need additional back support. I was also missing a pillow - a stuff sack with my coat inside just wasn’t cutting it!

Wahtum Lake in the morning

Breakfast improved my spirits, even though it consisted primarily of instant oatmeal. I found that I was one of the few people on our trip who was able to tolerate the stuff, but I can heartily agree with the others with the fact that instant oatmeal is not good for the world. Starbucks Via, on the other hand, is very good for the world.

Our campsite, all tidied up. "Leave no trace" as they say...

We broke down camp and were back on the trail by about 9:30am. Our destination for day 2 depended on a few factors: how far we wanted to hike on the 3rd day, and how navigable the snow conditions were at a higher-elevation junction we needed to reach.

Fun-meters were skyrocketing!

The coats ended up staying on until we got through the snow.

When we reached the junction, several feet of snow blanketed the ground, completely obscuring the trail, so we had to rely on the “blazes” (double notches cut into the bark of trees at intervals along the trail), and GPS (Jonathan’s iPhone) to navigate and correct our route. Oftentimes we had to fan out and search or even retrace our steps for indications of where the trail should be. Fun times!

Consulting the map

I shot this photo before we reached the bulk of the snowpack. It got to the point where all you could see was snow and trees - no trail.

After about a mile, we again reached open trail and descended down to Mud Lake. Despite its name this little lake was quite scenic, so we dropped our packs, grabbed our snacks and enjoyed the sunshine.

Mud Lake. It seems to get its name from its color, not because it has a high mud content (it doesn't appear to). I thought it was beautiful.

Continuing along the trail, we encountered at least 2 campsites, one of which - Noble Camp - was situated in a grove of massive cedars. It would have been a great place to set up camp but none of us wanted a 14+ mile hike on the next day, so we pressed onward until we reached Casey Creek junction. Here we found an excellent campsite and decided to call it a day. We had hiked just over 9 miles from Wahtum Lake.

We crossed innumerable small streams the second day

Getting water was much trickier this time, and involved scrambling down a very steep ravine with no obvious trail, filling up, and climbing out again. We figured that we only wanted to do this once, so we brought as many of our “receptacles” as possible, and retrieved enough water for use in camp as well as for hiking the next day (knowing that we would need to stop again the next day to fill up).

Supper was excellent. I finally managed to get my little “penny alcohol stove” running - the previous night I had to give up since it wouldn’t prime - and cooked an awesome (spicy!) meal of rice, beef, and veggies. If you’re looking for an ultralight, warm-weather, cheap stove, look no further than the famous penny alcohol stove. With only 2 soda cans, some heavy-gauge wire, some aluminum foil, and minimal tools you can make a stove that will work quite nicely (provided you figure out how to prime it). It burns denatured alcohol, found cheaply at your local department store - probably in the paint section, marketed as a paint thinner. Here are the instructions I followed.

The "penny stove" in action. There are six holes drilled around the rim of the stove cup, channelling the vaporized fuel into six distinct jets. The way it works is the fuel in the top primes the stove by boiling the fuel in the "canister," causing it to vaporize and travel through the 6 holes, at which point it ignites. Pretty nifty!

One of my homemade dehydrated meals - it was actually really good!

After supper, there wasn’t a lot to do around camp besides crack jokes, stare blankly into the fire, and take photos. Not that we didn’t have fun, but it would have been great to have some stories that surpassed my retelling of the “shaggy dog” story. I don’t know… Wodehouse or something. We’ll give it some thought for next time.

Happy feet :)

Yes, I was actually there!

Rather an idyllic scene, don't you think? It reminds me of those paintings of a medieval shepherd boy reclining in the shade, playing a flute, while watching his flock... :)

Backpacking Eagle Creek: Day 1

2011-07-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

Ever since our last (and first) backpacking trip back in July of 2007 (the one where I looked like a dweeb), we have had the itch to get back out there and rough it in the wilderness for a few days. Back in 2007, Jonathan and Chelsea were busy making final preparations for their wedding, so this year was their first introduction to backpacking. We did a warm-up trip a few weeks ago on nearby Bells Mountain Trail (which I have not yet posted a trip report for - bad me), and everything seemed to be shaping up well for our trip.

There were two obstacles, however. The first was caused by this year’s late snowmelt, severely limiting our route options. We were originally considering a route near Mt. Rainier, or out in the Goat Rocks wilderness near Mt. Adams, or something up in Olympic National Park, but those areas are still under substantial snowpack, and since we weren’t too keen on packing out the necessary gear to deal with those conditions, we opted for a lower-elevation hike out in the Eagle Creek wilderness in the Columbia Gorge.

Our route for day 1 - Eagle Creek trailhead to Wahtum Lake (borrowed from Jonathan)

I have to admit, I was a bit bummed to miss out on the mountains and high-alpine scenery, but Eagle Creek has a reputation for being an incredibly scenic hike, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed!

The second “bummer” was Christopher injuring his ankle on the Fourth of July and consequently being unable to join us on this trip. We’re praying he’ll heal up quick, and are confident he will be joining us on our [myriad] future excursions!

There was a third “almost-bummer” too. The night before we began, I realized that I didn’t have a Northwest Forest Pass, which would be a requirement for us to park at the trailhead area! ~~Panicked,~~ Cool as a cucumber, I called around and found a little general store that opened at 5:00am and sold the passes. Then Jonathan figured out that my America the Beautiful National Parks pass would work just fine. I wish they would make things a little bit clearer sometimes, don’t you?

Day 1 - Thursday

Contrary to popular report, I did not “sleep in.” Hitting the alarm and giving myself an extra 20 minutes of sleep was a perfectly intentional act! I guess it did result in us running a bit late though... :)

We were up around 5:00am on Thursday morning, with the intention of getting to Jonathan and Chelsea’s place by 6:00. But I was busy pulling together last minute details and finishing my packing, so after eating a hurried breakfast and making a much-needed cup of coffee, we hit the road a bit behind schedule. It turns out that J and C pulled the sleepy-head card too, so it all worked out.

I weighed my pack at about 33lbs. (I think), without my camera, which added another 3lbs. or so. Ouch! How do people manage to pack only 20lbs. for a 10-day trip?! Oh well, my Black Diamond Quantum pack is pretty comfy, and is no problem for my muscular frame (don’t laugh!).

We arrived at the trailhead around 7:30am, and decided to park near the fish hatchery/campground area so our cars would be under the watchful eye of the camp host, and would be less likely to be targeted by thieves. I left a gold coin on the dash just to test the security... just kidding. ;)

Most people just hike the Eagle Creek Trail 7 miles in, returning the way they came. We continued past 7 1/2 Mile Camp and took the Wahtum Lake trail cutoff to begin our loop.

But I know you’re not here to read this stuff. You just want to look at photos, so here they are with captions.

DON’T READ THE CAPTIONS!!!! There, now you’ll actually read them…

Looking down on Eagle Creek

Forested hills along the route. This photo is so "Gorge-ous." :)

Mike's "fun-meter" was still soaring at this point.

The cliffs along Eagle Creek Canyon. I wouldn't want to be there on a busy weekend with traffic going both directions! (Notice the metal cable strung along the rock).

Metlako Falls. We almost didn't go see this waterfall because the sign
read "1.5" miles. We thought that meant it was 1.5 miles to the overlook,
but in reality it was just around the corner! The sign was referring to our
total distance traveled so far.

Zach's fun-meter was up there too

Daniel, sporting his new birthday present - a new backpack. Some of you know that I'm a sucker for internal frame packs, but this thing is nice, and is especially handy when you need to strap things to the exterior of the pack.

Lower Punchbowl Falls

Upper Punchbowl Falls - as picturesque as I had imagined. One note if you ever visit this waterfall: go back along the trail to Lower Punchbowl Falls, and avoid the innocent-looking "shortcut" trail from the upper falls. It's miserably steep.

Moss and lichen on a talus slope

This slope next to the creek looked positively ancient!

A sign indicating that we're about to enter an area affected by forest
fires back in 1902. It's fascinating to see the forest change before your
eyes as you hike along the trail. Elevation and natural disasters
really shape the character and variety of the trees and undergrowth.

One of the numerous creek crossings we encountered.

Wild Snapdragons. One bit my finger, but thankfully I know First Aid. ;)

Trees, lots of trees

The tunnel behind Tunnel Falls, blasted back in the early 1900's.

130 feet of water cascading down just inches away from the other tunnel opening.

See the two tunnel openings? Pretty cool.

New firs growing up amid the older trees. I love the contrast!

Fun-meter readings began to plummet, resulting in various reactions. Mike was beginning to lose it. We all were, kinda'. :)

Wahtum Lake, oh the sonnets penned for thee! The lake at last!
Some of us (who will remain unnamed) really began composing
sonnets and odes to the lake... We were happy to drop our
packs after about 14 miles and 5,300 feet of climbing.

My Marmot Titan 2-person tent, pack, and miscellaneous gear and food.
It amazes me how you can literally live out of a backpack for several
days, no problem.

We seized the first available campsite, and it worked out nicely. We were very close to the lake and were able to scrounge enough twigs to build a modest fire to ward off the evening chills.

Thus concluded day one of our expedition! We travelled 14 miles, gained 5,300' in elevation, and were on the trail for most of the day, but once I made some supper and tea, I suddenly became a very "happy camper." In my next post I'll run through some of my gear (including my ultralight, homemade alcohol stove), and give you a summary of day two.

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Thinking Wrongly of God

2011-06-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

During yesterday’s service, as we were reading through the public confession, one little phrase really stood out to me. I can’t remember the exact wording but it went something like, “forgive us for thinking of You wrongly when we suffer.” Isn’t that our tendency?

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. (Job 1:1)

How did Job respond to the calamity that God allowed to fall on him and his family? “‘The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” (Job 1:21-22)

In chapter 2, Job rebuked his wife when she told him to “curse God and die,” and said to her, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10) In other words, “we have been given grace, but are not therefore exempt from God’s just punishment for our sins.”

Matthew Henry offers some helpful thoughts on this passage:

Job humbled himself under the mighty hand of God, and brought his mind to his condition... Satan still endeavors to draw men from God, as he did our first parents, by suggesting hard thoughts of Him, than which nothing is more false. But Job resisted and overcame the temptation.

Lest anyone think that Job was simply being stoic, Job 2:13 says, “no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.”

Now, of course, as the rest of the book unfolds, we find Job’s faith wavering at times. He is rebuked by God and shown his proper place (“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.” Job 38:4).

The instructions to be learned from the patience of Job, and from his trials, are as useful now, and as much needed as ever. We live under the same Providence, we have the same chastening Father, and there is the same need for correction unto righteousness. The fortitude and patience of Job, though not small, gave way in his severe troubles; but his faith was fixed upon the coming of his Redeemer, and this gave him steadfastness and constancy, though every other dependence, particularly the pride and boast of a self-righteous spirit, was tried and consumed. (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Job)

When we go through trials, our focus must be on what we know to be true about God, not what Satan tempts us to assume about Him. This requires grace, faith, perseverance, and knowledge about who God is. If we don’t study His Word and learn about His character and promises, what comfort can we expect to have in our trials?

Leave Your Simple Ways and Live

2011-06-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. (Prov. 22:3)

The contrast between wisdom and foolishness, prudence and simplicity is emphasized over and over in the book of Proverbs. In the very first chapter, Solomon declares his purpose for writing: “To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.” (Prov. 1:4)

What can we learn from this particular verse in Proverbs 22?

Prudence & Simplicity

A “simple” man is a man who lacks wisdom (Ps. 19:7), sense (Prov. 9:4), is gullible (Prov. 14:15) and displays little foresight (Prov. 22:3). He careless, naive and self-occupied, rendering himself weak against temptation, oblivious to spiritual danger, and prone to all sorts of foolish imaginations. Webster’s 1828 dictionary describes the simple man as “unsuspecting.”

The prudent man, on the other hand, possesses wisdom, understanding, and discretion (Prov. 8:12). He is responsible (Prov. 10:5), restrained (Prov. 10:19), long-suffering (Prov. 12:16), and careful (Prov. 14:15). Seeking to “work out [his] salvation with fear and trembling,” he surrenders his thinking to Christ, that he may recognize evil in all its subtleties, realize its peril, and flee while there is yet time. The Hebrew word that is here translated as “prudent could also be translated “beware,” implying constant awareness and caution.

I think it’s helpful to clarify the difference between “wisdom” and “prudence.” Webster’s 1828 dictionary offers a good definition:

Prudence differs from wisdom in this, that prudence implies more caution and reserve than wisdom, or is exercised more in foreseeing and avoiding evil, than in devising and executing that which is good. It is sometimes mere caution or circumspection.

Some Application

How can we avoid the “danger” mentioned in this verse? The obvious thing to do is to “leave our simple ways” and pursue prudence, but what does that look like?

First of all, we must seek the Lord for wisdom and prudence.

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. (Prov. 2:6-8)

We must love God’s Law.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. (Ps. 19:7)

We must recognize the craftiness of sin, and be vigilant against it.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1)

We must not invite temptation or make ourselves available to the lust of the flesh. There are some places we simply should not go (movies we should not watch, music we should not listen to, etc.).

I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness. (Prov. 7:7-9)

We must make no allowances for sin in our personal lives, and must strive to be “spiritually-minded.”

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Rom. 8:6)

Realizing the danger that lies ahead, we must hide ourselves or flee altogether, in order to preserve our purity.

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (2 Tim. 2:22)

Combs and Toothpicks

Remember, we’re not just talking about the difference between the man who sees the freight train coming and responds by jumping on the track, as opposed to the man who keeps his distance because he “sees the danger.” Sin is rarely as obvious as a freight train hurtling down the track at 140mph — but it is far more dangerous.

The battle against sin is never easy (nor did God promise that it would be). You may need to pull out your microscope and do some serious thinking and praying, but remember, you are not alone.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26)

Should We Sneer At Cow-Creamers? - The Bible on Bargaining

2011-06-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

“Bad, bad,” says the buyer, but when he goes away, then he boasts. (Proverbs 20:14)

At first glance this verse appears to be simply a statement of fact: this is the way bargaining works. But is there more to it than that? Proverbs is filled with factual statements, but in every instance the fact is accompanied by a moral - something that sheds new light on the things we regularly encounter in life.

Those of us who pinch pennies and enjoy purchasing things for the best possible price can probably identify with the tactics used by the buyer in this verse. As Dave Ramsey advises, don’t let your emotional attachment to the item become obvious to the seller; once they know you’ve “bought,” they have the upper hand, so your best bet is to maintain your distance (emotionally) and in no way communicate that you really, really want what they’re selling. You might even go so far as to “sneer at the cow-creamer,” to quote Wodehouse.

Another scenario: Susie has no idea what her piano is really worth. She put it up for sale with the motivation of finding a good home for the instrument and making a few bucks off the sale to help with her move. Are you obligated to tell her that the piano is really worth x and that her price is absurdly low? Or can you simply pay what she’s asking and leave in a good mood?

Matthew Henry made this comment about Proverbs 20:14:

Men use arts to get a good bargain, and to buy cheap; whereas a man ought to be ashamed of a fraud and a lie.

Frugality

The Bible commends frugality many times over, but it also cautions us against some common pitfalls for those who pursue frugality with the wrong motivations.

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have... (Hebrews 13:5a)

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. (1 Timothy 6:10a)

As we saw in the example of Ananias and Sapphira, “the love of money” doesn’t always manifest itself in coveting what we don’t have, but also in selfishly hoarding what we do have. Be careful that you aren’t pursuing frugality out of an unbiblical love of money.

What We Can Learn From the World

On the other hand, there are some things which we can learn from the world about how to manage money and be shrewd with our resources. In Luke 16, Jesus relates the story of the dishonest manager. For the sake of brevity, I won’t include it here, but read it over and see if it doesn’t strike you as odd how “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.” (Luke 16:8a)

Christ clarifies the meaning of the parable to his disciples by noting that, “the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” (Luke 16:8b) Again, Matthew Henry offers some helpful commentary on this passage:

The lord referred to in this parable commended not the fraud, but the policy of the steward. In that respect alone is it so noticed. Worldly men, in the choice of their object, are foolish; but in their activity, and perseverance, they are often wiser than believers. The unjust steward is not set before us as an example in cheating his master, or to justify any dishonesty, but to point out the careful ways of worldly men. It would be well if the children of light would learn wisdom from the men of the world, and would as earnestly pursue their better object.

The true riches signify spiritual blessings; and if a man spends upon himself, or hoards up what God has trusted to him, as to outward things, what evidence can he have, that he is an heir of God through Christ?

In Conclusion

I’m convinced that the key to a Scriptural understanding of bargaining is the principle of “faithfulness.”

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. (Luke 16:10)

One who is faithful will:

Make good use of the resources he is given by God, no matter how little or how much (Matthew 25:14-30)
Will keep himself free from the love of money (Hebrews 13:5)
Will not be afraid of money; it is the gift of God (2 Chronicles 1:11)
Will be afraid of the effects money can have (Luke 18:24)
Will not lie or defraud others in an attempt to keep more of his wealth

So, returning to the original verse from Proverbs, “‘Bad, bad,’ says the buyer, but when he goes away, then he boasts.”, what can we conclude?

Be shrewd, but don’t lie.
By all means, shop for deals!
Make sure your motivations are in line with Scripture.
Don’t be naive. Make sure the seller is asking a fair price (remember the sons of this world are often more shrewd than we are).
Surrender your resources to Christ, and don’t hoard wealth.
Seek spiritual riches first.

When They Speak Against You

2011-06-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:12)

Notice how Peter singles out the Gentiles in this verse? He emphasizes the importance of keeping our conduct among them honorable, but this raises the question, “should not our conduct be honorable among all, regardless of whether they be Gentiles or not?” Yes, of course. But why does Peter specifically reference the Gentiles - or unbelievers - here?

He knows that they will condemn us and our actions - “when they speak against you as evildoers” - and therefore encourages believers to act honorably among them, giving no grounds to their accusations.

We may, however, also fall under the condemnation of fellow Christians. The difference in that scenario is that we both acknowledge the same standard, and can therefore argue from that standard - God’s Word. Sadly, that doesn’t come naturally. We are far more likely to argue for our respective opinions, temporarily setting aside the authority of Scripture in favor of what we like - what we’re passionate about (or what we’re passionately opposed to).

Take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Regardless or who speaks against us, and for what cause, we must act honorably and with humility - honorably because we are representatives of Christ, and with humility because we may very well be the one in the wrong.

"Whom He Foreknew"

2011-06-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father... (1 Peter 1:1-2)

I read A.W. Pink’s thoughts on the foreknowledge of God a few days ago, so I was immediately struck by Peter’s use of the word “foreknowledge.” The following thoughts are largely drawn from Pink’s book, The Attributes of God.

You see friends, the choice is yours. Winning or losing, life or death. No one can make that decision for you. Choose life! Choose winning! Choose Jesus today! (1st Free Insurance Quotes website)

Ah, but is the choice really ours? Or does something happen previous to our conversion which is, in fact, the cause of our conversion?

I’m not intending to address the issue of free will right now. Rather, I want to examine what the word “foreknowledge” implies in the broader context of Scripture; does God foresee what will happen and react, or does He sovereignly decree what will happen?

The Scriptural Definition of “Foreknowledge”

When God’s eternal choice of certain ones to be conformed to the image of His Son is set forth, the Enemy sends along some man to argue that election is based upon the foreknowledge of God, and this “foreknowledge” is interpreted to mean that God foresaw certain ones would be more pliable than others, that they would respond more readily to the strivings of the Spirit, and that because God knew they would believe, He, accordingly, predestined them unto salvation. But such a statement...repudiates the truth of total depravity [and] takes away the independency of God, for it makes His decrees rest upon what He discovers in the creature. (Pink, The Attributes of God, ch. 4)

What does Scripture mean by “foreknowledge”? To find out, we must go beyond our simplistic personal definitions, or even Webster’s dictionary; how does Scripture itself use the term?

When Scripture uses the word “foreknowledge,” it is always in reference to persons, not events or actions, thus, “It is persons God is said to ‘foreknow,’ not the actions of those persons.”

...This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (Acts 2:23)

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers... (Rom 8:29)

God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. (Rom. 11:2)

To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father... (1 Peter 1:1-2)

God’s Decree is Causative

We must expand upon and clarify our understanding of God’s foreknowledge by taking a brief look at what lies behind it. It is clear from the first two passages above - Acts 2:23, and Rom. 8:29 - that God’s foreknowledge is not causative; it is preceded by His sovereign decree. In Rom. 8:29, the word “for” indicates that we must look back to what immediately precedes that verse. “All things work together for good to them...who are the called according to His purpose.”

God foreknows what will be because He has decreed what shall be. (Pink, The Attributes of God, ch. 4)

What of Free Will, Then?

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. (Eph. 2:8)

Siouxon Creek Trail Hike

2011-06-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today a group from church hiked about 9 miles on Siouxon Creek Trail near Amboy, WA. It was AMAZING weather and we had a great time. I may post some more details later, but for now here's one of my waterfall shots that turned out surprisingly well (surprising, because I wasn't shooting with a tripod and still managed a 1.5" exposure). I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Sow Bountifully

2011-05-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:11)

Here, Paul is addressing the Corinthian church on the issue of their financial ministry to the saints in Jerusalem (see verses 1-5). He addresses two primary points in the last half of chapter 9: the motivation for giving, and the purpose of giving.

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (vs. 7)

First of all, Paul makes it clear that our motivation must come from our love for God, and for His Church. If we don’t truly love the saints, we are unlikely to lend them our financial support, and, if we do support them, it is most likely out of compulsion. Remember the story of Ananias and Sapphira?

There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.... (Acts 4:34-35)

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 5:1)

In this story, Peter makes it very clear that Ananias and Sapphira were under no obligation to present the proceeds of the land as a gift (“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own?”). This story confuses some people. On the surface Ananias and Sapphira’s actions seem commendable, but what was their motivation? They could have made it clear that this was simply a portion of the proceeds, but instead they misrepresented their gift to gain approval in the eyes of men. Their motivation was clearly not their love for God and the Church.

Secondly, Paul states the purpose of giving:

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. (2 Cor. 9:12)

When we “sow bountifully” out of thankfulness to God, He will not only “multiply [our] seed for sowing and increase the harvest of [our] righteousness,” but will use our thankful actions to produce thanksgiving in others. Here’s the thing, though: everybody appreciates a gift. Even unbelievers can take great joy in receiving gifts from others. What sets our gifts apart is our motivation for giving.

...they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others. (2 Cor. 9:13)

We have received the greatest gift imaginable in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Moreover, God promises that we will be “enriched in every way to be generous in every way,” when we give from what we have been given. He will continue to supply our needs, just as He is using us to supply the needs of others. May the Gospel motivate us to live generous lives.

Joshua the Mountaineer

2011-05-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

Jonathan's post about Kaylee the mountaineer reminded me of this photo I shot of Joshua a few weeks ago. I brought him upstairs to show him my gear and we decided he should try it on. As soon as I put the ice ax in his hands and told him to look at the camera, he gave me this expression; apparently he thought it was a weapon! Super cute.

Godly Grief

2011-05-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

We experience several types of grief throughout our lives, among which are grief over loss (i.e. death of a loved one), grief over parting, and grief over sin. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, Paul is addressing the latter. We know this from the context:

As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. (7:9, emphasis added)

Godly grief is a work of the Spirit, motivated by our love for God, resulting in a changed life. Matthew Henry puts it this way:

Sorrow according to the will of God, tending to the glory of God, and wrought by the Spirit of God, renders the heart humble, contrite, submissive, disposed to mortify every sin, and to walk in newness of life... Where the heart is changed, the life and actions will be changed. (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on 2 Corinthians 7)

Grief and repentance are closely linked. Thomas Watson, the Puritan preacher and author, wrote in his excellent book The Nature of Repentance, that “repentance is a spiritual medicine made up of six special ingredients:

1. Sight of sin

2. Sorrow for sin

3. Confession of sin

4. Shame for sin

5. Hatred for sin

6. Turning from sin

Sorrow is such a crucial facet of repentance that Watson goes on to write, “He that can believe without doubting, suspect his faith; and he that can repent without sorrowing, suspect his repentance.”

They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn. (Zech 12:10)

Sin is not committed in a vacuum. When we sin, we are in fact sinning against God - directly. It is not to be taken lightly. Imagine standing at the foot of the cross of Christ, shuffling your feet and glancing up at Him; would you honestly be able to say, “Sin isn’t a big deal.”?

Ye who think of sin but lightly,

Nor suppose the evil great

Here may view its nature rightly,

Here its guilt may estimate.

Mark the sacrifice appointed,

See who bears the awful load;

'tis the Word, the Lord's Anointed,

Son of Man and Son of God.

(Stricken, Smitten and Afflicted, hymn)

Grief, then, is the proper response to sin in our lives, but our grief must not be worldly grief, which produces death, but instead godly grief, which produces “a repentance that leads to salvation without regret.” (7:10)

Longing for Heaven

2011-05-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

...We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:8)

How often do you think about heaven? Is the concept of “heaven” purely theological to you, or is it real? It is difficult for mortals to comprehend immortality, but God has indeed promised us an eternal home, and Christ confirmed this when He said, “I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2)

Even those who acknowledge the existence of heaven may fail to live in hopeful expectation of eternity. Ironically, we are most prone to this spiritual dullness when we are experiencing great joy and happiness here on earth - which is not our true home. Of course, God is the Giver of all good gifts, and we should accept His blessings with thanksgiving, but the moment we get lost in the joys of this life - and fail to give Him glory - we are prone to losing sight of eternity.

The opposite is also true: earthly trials heighten our awareness of, and longing for, heaven.

For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed [see vs. 2], so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (2 Cor. 5:4)

Notice Paul’s response to his earthly burdens. He does not retreat into self-pity and introspection, but instead lifts his eyes to heaven. If we’re not careful though, the “cares of this world” may choke our awareness of eternity.

Another temptation, in light of the recent episode with Harold Camping and his rapture predictions, is for us to actually make light of eternity as we criticize false prophets like Camping. I understand the sentiment behind many of the “rapture jokes” that were flying around in the aftermath of the non-rapture, but we must be careful not to take it too far, responding in such a way as to almost say “there will be no rapture, no heaven, and no eternity.”

The book of Revelation reveals a glorious picture of heaven - one we would do well to remember, and perhaps memorize.

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:3-4)

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed... (Rev. 21:10-12)

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. (Rev. 21:22-25)

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” (Rev. 22:7)

Let us then echo Paul and say, “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” (2 Cor. 5:9)

Jars of Clay

2011-05-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

God could have sent angels to make known the glorious doctrine of the gospel, or could have sent the most admired sons of men to teach the nations, but he chose humbler, weaker vessels, that his power might be more glorified in upholding them, and in the blessed change wrought by their ministry. (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on 2 Corinthians 4)

Why did God choose to spread His Gospel through feeble men? And why does He allow His Church to undergo such harsh persecution and torment, as it has gone through in the past and continues to endure today? These are difficult questions.

Paul provides some insights in verses 8-12.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. (2 Cor. 4:8-12)

Some people fail to understand the two-fold nature of Christ’s redemption, namely, that He both lived and died to procure our salvation. Were it not for His perfect life, we would have no righteousness before God, and were it not for His substitutionary death, we would remain in our sins. In the same way, “we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” Our lives, when we are afflicted ("given over to death"), will begin to manifest the life of Christ (that is, His righteousness).

...Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:17)

It is often when we are at our weakest that God demonstrates His power most mightily in our lives. When our self-confidence is shattered and exposed, we realize that “the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Cor. 4:7, emphasis added)

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Cor. 4:16-18, emphasis added)

A Fragrance Amidst Death

2011-05-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:14-17)

Here, Paul draws an interesting comparison between our witness for Christ and a fragrant odor. I’m sure some of us have had the experience, at one time or another, where nonbelievers come up and question us about our faith after having just been around us for a while. To some, our lives will be a fragrance of “death unto death,” but to others “from life to life.” Some will be attracted, and others will be repelled.

When I’m sitting at my desk in the late afternoon, I will sometimes catch a faint whiff of dinner downstairs, and, being a guy, this naturally makes me curious about what exactly is for dinner, so I go ask questions until I find out. In the same way, our lives are to give off a pleasant fragrance which testifies to the One who has redeemed us; when this happens, expect people to ask, “What’s for dinner?”

You may have heard the quote, attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel at all times and, when necessary, use words.” It’s not difficult to understand or appreciate his meaning, but is it really that simple? Or should our witness actively extend beyond simply the way we live?

In the previous chapter (2 Cor. 1), Paul states, “For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.” As you know, however, Paul did not stop at a life of “simplicity and godly sincerity,” but actively preached the Gospel - the knowledge of Christ - to many.

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. (2 Cor. 2:14)

There can be no fragrance if there is no substance. We must not be “like so many, peddlers of God’s word,” who speak the truth but don’t live it. Instead, “as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.”

This means that actions alone are insufficient for missions work, whether at home or abroad. The church and its members must be a sweet fragrance in the midst of a dying culture, but it is the Gospel alone that saves.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?... So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:13-15, 17)

What We Can Learn from Mountains

2011-05-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Exalt the Lord our God,

and worship at his holy mountain;

for the Lord our God is holy! (Ps. 99:9)

Mountains seem to have special significance in Scripture, and today, I decided to do a brief study on the subject to see what I could find out.

Begin with Humility

We must begin with a humble realization of our own inadequacy when studying God’s Creation.

...Then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out. (Eccl. 8:17)

As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. (Eccl. 11:5)

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding.” (Job 38:4)

Why?

Secondly, we must ask the question, why? Why did God choose to create mountains? I think the answer lies in a much broader examination of Creation, and begins with the acknowledgment that God’s original Creation was perfectly consistent with His character and holiness. When sin entered the world His Creation was marred and tainted by sin, but nonetheless, it still clearly testifies to its Creator.

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Rom. 1:19-20)

This is known as “general revelation.” God has made Himself known - partially - through the things He has made. Today, I’m not interested in purely “scientific” observations about mountains; I don’t want to just learn about them, I want to see what I can learn from them about God and His character.

Safety in the Lord

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth. (Ps. 121:1-2)

Just as earthly mountains cause us to “lift up our eyes,” so we are to look heavenward for our Source of strength and protection. Spurgeon had this to say about Psalm 121:

It is wise to look to the strong for strength. Dwellers in valleys are subject to many disorders for which there is no cure but a sojourn in the uplands, and it is well when they shake off their lethargy and resolve upon a climb. Down below they are the prey of marauders, and to escape from them the surest method is to fly to the strongholds upon the mountains...

Help comes to saints only from above, they look elsewhere in vain: let us lift up our eyes with hope, expectance, desire, and confidence. Satan will endeavour to keep our eyes upon our sorrows that we may be disquieted and discouraged; be it ours firmly to resolve that we will look out and look up, for there is good cheer for the eyes, and they that lift up their eyes to the eternal hills shall soon have their hearts lifted up also. The purposes of God; the divine attributes; the immutable promises; the covenant, ordered in all things and sure; the providence, predestination, and proved faithfulness of the Lord—these are the hills to which we must lift up our eyes, for from these our help must come.

Whether you are the type who enjoys looking up at mountains, or standing on top of them, allow God’s magnificent handiwork to mold your heart and cause you to place your trust and hope in Him alone. As mighty as the mountains may seem, God is mightier still, and it is He who watches over you. Is that not a comforting thought?!

The Lord will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore. (Ps. 121:8)

Summiting Mt. Hood - The Highest Peak in Oregon

2011-05-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

In his hand are the depths of the earth;

the heights of the mountains are his also. - Ps. 95:4

Climbing has fascinated me for years. We live in the Cascade range, an area very popular with mountaineers, skiers, and other outdoor enthusiasts - and for good reason! Directly to the north is Mt. St. Helens (8,365’), to the northeast, Mt. Adams (12,281’), farther north up by Tacoma, Mt. Rainier (14,411’), and to the south in Oregon, Mt. Hood (11,249’), Mt. Jefferson (10,497’), the Three Sisters, and many more. We have enjoyed climbing Mt. St. Helens in the summer for many years, and recently completed a winter climb. Though most of us were completely wasted after that climb, it gave us the confidence that “people can actually climb these things.”

A few months ago, Jonathan started talking about wanting to climb Mt. Hood. At first, I was a bit skeptical, doubting my own ability, and weighing the risks involved. After all, people have died or been seriously injured climbing that mountain, but the media tends to present an imbalanced view. Here are some quick stats:*

As of May, 2002, more than 130 people have died climbing Hood since records have been kept

The number of people requiring rescue remains steady at around 25-50 per year

In 2006, 3.4% of search and rescue missions were for climbers, compared to 20% for vehicles (ATVs and snowmobiles), 3% for mushroom collectors, and 73.6% for people involved in other activities on the mountain

On May 30, 2002, three climbers were killed and four were injured when they fell into the Bergschrund (a crevasse on the “Hogsback,” south side); that incident is also notable because the rescue chopper (a Blackhawk) crashed during the rescue attempt. More recently, on December 7-10, 2006, three experienced climbers embarked on a 2-day expedition on the treacherous north face of the mountain. They missed their rendezvous at Timberline Lodge, and rescue attempts were forestalled until the 16th. One of their bodies was recovered but the other two were never found.

Though stories like those are sobering and ought to instill an appropriate sense of caution, you need to realize that incidents of that nature are very rare. You don’t often hear about the 10,000+ climbers who attempt Hood’s summit every year - you just hear about those few who tried, but didn’t make it.

That said, we approached this climb with a healthy mix of caution and confidence. We would be climbing the south side, which is universally recognized as the safest and easiest way to climb Hood. The weather for Wednesday and Thursday of this week was lining up to be awesome, so Jonathan and I settled on Thursday morning for our summit attempt.

Day 1: Wednesday

After a morning of frantically pulling together my gear and finishing up a time-sensitive client project, I was ready to go! Mom and I drove into town to meet Jonathan, and after our rendezvous we headed down to Portland to rent some gear. I picked up a pair of plastic mountaineering boots and a climbing helmet, and Jonathan rented a pair of skis. From there we took I-84 east toward Mt. Hood.

Upon our arrival at Timberline Lodge (around 6:30pm I think), we took about an hour to practice our self-arrest technique on the slopes surrounding the parking lot. I hadn’t used an ice ax before so it was helpful to practice the motions and perfect my technique before the climb. You can read about stuff like that all day long and still be completely useless unless you get out there and actually practice!

After that, Jonathan wanted to try out the skins on his skis (skins are strips of synthetic material, with one side covered in tiny directional bristles - they allow you to move forward, but the bristles catch so you can’t go backwards), and I tagged along to get some pictures. Once we had ascended a little ways up “The Magic Mile” ski slope, I realized that I had forgotten my camera battery in the car. Go figure.

Needless to say, Jonathan made it back to the car much quicker than I did just “booting it.” We changed back into our regular shoes and hung out inside Timberline Lodge for a little while, then headed back outside to make some dinner. As always, Jonathan’s little MSR Whisperlite stove worked like a charm and we were soon downing some freeze-dried meals, jerky, apples and other carb-loaded food. Around 9:30 (I think) we decided to call it a day.

We got a glimpse of the summit as the cloud began to clear.

Since tents are not allowed in the parking lot, and we didn’t want to go very far from the trailhead to set up camp, we had both decided to load our gear in the front seats and try to sleep in the 5’x5’ space in the back of Jonathan’s Jeep. That probably ranks among my worst night’s “sleep” ever... I felt like an inchworm. But oh well, 12:30am would come soon enough and my misery would end.

Day 2: Thursday

We both awoke shortly after 12:30am the next morning to the sound of other climbers preparing, chattering noisily, and shining headlamps all over the place. I pulled out the instant oatmeal and coffee while Jonathan fired up the stove. After eating, we both geared up, hoisted our packs, threw everything else back in the Jeep, and made our way over to the trailhead.

The previous evening, the summit had been shrouded in clouds - causing us to worry about conditions the next day - but it had cleared up completely by the time we went to bed, and now we could see it looming above us, a dark silhouette against the star-sprinkled sky. We began climbing at 2:00am.

Many of the climbers paid for a Snow Cat ride which saved them about 2,500 feet of climbing, but both of us wanted our first ascent to be “legitimate” so we legged it up instead. I have to admit a tinge of jealousy when I saw the Cat’s headlights twinkling on the slopes above the Palmer ski lift. Jonathan had the advantage over me with his skis and skins - I climbed the whole way in boots and crampons - but I think we were both feeling a bit winded for the first 1,500 feet.

We also discovered the importance of frequent hydration and calorie intake. As a general rule, your appetite goes out the window at higher elevations, but you must keep eating or you’ll eventually “bonk” and collapse in a helpless heap of quivering muscle.

After we passed the Palmer ski lift (at about 8,500’) the slope began to steepen significantly. We decided to stash our gear (Jonathan’s skis, my sled) and boot up the rest. My leg muscles were already warmed up and used to ascending in crampons, but Jonathan took a little while to transition, so we enjoyed fairly frequent “photo breaks.” The sunrise began at about 4:30am, and at that point I pulled out my camera and began shooting. We were treated to some spectacular views of Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters, and Broken Top to the south, and Illumination Rock directly to our left. The imposing mass of Crater Rock still loomed above us - close, but yet so far away. To our right were the Steel Cliffs.

This was shot around 4:30am. We had been climbing for 2.5 hours already.

Crater Rock looming above us. It's difficult to get a sense of scale in a 2D photo, but this is a whole lot bigger, and a whole lot farther away than it looks.

Illumination Rock catching the first glow of sunrise

Looking west toward Illumination Rock and Portland (not visible) in the distance

The Steel Cliffs (to the east of Crater Rock)

When we finally reached the base of Crater Rock the distinct smell of sulphur, which we had been smelling for a while, became much more intense. The crater is home to at least half a dozen fumaroles, rocky vents that emit noxious sulfur fumes, and is appropriately called “The Devil’s Kitchen.” Many climbers experience nausea when in such close proximity to the fumaroles, and we were no exception. My muscles felt fine, but the sulfur really turned my stomach.

Looking south toward some neighboring peaks in the Cascade Range - Mt. Jefferson (right), The Three Sisters (middle), and Broken Top (left)

When the sun rises, Mt. Hood casts an impressive "pyramid" shadow to the northwest. The only way to see this phenomena is either from the air, or actually on the mountain.

Crater Rock from below. This thing is massive!

We continued the ascent around the east side of Crater Rock, crossing over the “Hogsback” - a narrow, wind-swept snow ridge that used to be the preferred route to the summit. Several climbers took that route, climbing the Hogsback, traversing around the Bergschrund (a crevasse at the top of the glacier - you can see it on the right in the photo below), and climbing up through the “Pearly Gates” to the summit. That route used to be the primary means of reaching the summit, but has recently become much more technical and difficult (though after talking with one of the climbers who took it, I think we could have definitely taken that route). We chose to follow the majority of other climbers and ascend the headwall west of the Hogsback, climbing up to the summit ridge through a variation on the “Old Chute” route.

I led the way up the headwall, kicking in steps and searching for solid snow. My toes were already pretty cold (in spite of two layers of socks and boot liners), but the constant kicking motion intensified the pain. Still, it was the only way so we kept pushing onward. Finally we reached the bottom of the Old Chute and discovered that it was a lot steeper than it had seemed from our vantage point below on the Hogsback. We’re talking about a 35-40 degree pitch for 100 feet - that’s steep! There was a lot of ice, covered in a few inches of snow, so it was much more difficult to get purchase with our ice axes and crampons. This part of the climb made me nervous. If you were to slip and fall, you would begin sliding down the headwall toward a nasty looking fumarole about 800 feet down the slope. Now, 800 feet is plenty of time to self-arrest, so if I had slipped I would have been fine. I’m a novice though, so even semi-risky terrain makes me a bit nervous.

There were a few climbers above me patiently waiting to begin their descent; I remember staring at their ropes and boots as I neared at the top of the chute. Then I reached the top, looked up, and there before me was one of the most spectacular sights I’ve ever seen. The view stretched for hundreds of miles. There were St. Helens, Rainier and Adams to the north... I began tearing up. It was a good time to put my sunglasses on!

A panoramic view to the north showcasing 3 more Cascade peaks - Mt. St. Helens (left), Mt. Rainier (middle), and Mt. Adams (right)

Jonathan was right behind me and together we traversed the summit ridge to the true summit. We made it! We were standing at 11,249’ - the highest point in Oregon! It was a thrilling moment of dreams realized and exertion rewarded.

Far below we could see the Palmer, the Magic Mile and Timberline Lodge

Panoramic view from the summit, looking south

Though the sun was now beaming down on us we were far more exposed to the wind and I began to get pretty cold. The exertion had taken its toll on me, so the rest was welcome. I also managed to clear the ice from my hydration tube, and worked up the appetite to down some more calories. We both tweeted and/or called in our successful summit, shot some photos, stowed our cameras, and about 30 minutes after summiting we began our descent.

The Chute was particularly nasty on the way down. The snow had softened significantly, meaning we had the opposite problem that we had coming up - our ice axes and crampons were prone to slipping, so extra care was needed to ensure they had good purchase before we took the next step. Another climber was equipped with two ice tools (his ice ax and a secondary ice pick) which enabled him to make excellent time on the descent. A few days ago I picked up a pair of those ice picks on craigslist!

Descending the headwall was also difficult at first, because I didn’t have a clue what I was doing! In an effort to maintain balance I tried side-stepping (keep my feet perpendicular to the angle of the slope), but that didn’t work very well and was extremely slow going. Then I tried assuming a seated posture facing straight down the slope, but that’s a glissading position and I didn’t exactly want to start sliding! Finally, a few other climbers educated me in the proper way to descend a steep snowfield - namely, plunge-stepping. You plunge your heels in first, facing straight downhill, and using your ice ax for balance and self-arrest in case you slip. It requires confidence, but is very natural and easy with a bit of practice.

Once we reached the base of Crater Rock it was time for some serious glissading! (“Glissading” is a fancy word for sliding down a snow-slope on your rear - or standing if you’re good enough.) My pants were nice and slick so I managed to gain some real speed! I told Jonathan that I wish someone could create a “paradox” mountain (think Inception), where you descend to the summit, then turn around and descend again. Now wouldn’t that be nice?

We were a bit nervous that someone had pinched our gear since it wasn’t in sight and we couldn’t quite remember where we had left it. Eventually we found it, safe and sound, and began the rest of the descent. As I mentioned, Jonathan was on skis and I was on a little kiddie disc. I didn’t have the option of zigzagging to control my speed so I just used my feet and held my ice ax in self-arrest position in case my sled got out of control. That was the BEST SLEDDING EVER! I think I must have reached speeds of 25mph or more, and that was with a generous amount of braking!

We met up at the top of the Palmer for one final group shot and a few action shots, and then went our separate ways down the remaining 2,500 feet to the parking lot. I could have made it down faster if I didn’t have to keep checking behind me to make sure I still had all my gear! One guy was booting it down and thought my disc was the coolest idea ever; he wanted to know where he could buy one and said he’d been looking for something like that for a long time. I should have just sold him mine for $50!

I made it back to the Jeep shortly after Jonathan, and we both found that we had developed symptoms of AMS - acute mountain sickness - including a cough and nausea. It wore off pretty quickly once we descended to Government Camp.

In Closing

Climbing Mt. Hood was the experience of a lifetime for me! It’s difficult to express the emotions that flooded over me at the top, but one of the first things that came to my mind was, “Praise be to God!” I think that certain aspects of His Creation stir us to a deeper sense of awe and wonder than we commonly experience. Mountains bear great significance in Scripture, and there is so much we can learn from them about their Creator - His might, majesty, infinity, wrath, love, mercy... For me, mountaineering is more than “conquering the peaks”; it gives me a new awareness of my smallness and insignificance before the God who created such things, and makes me marvel at His love and mercy toward me.

What is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him? - Ps. 8:4

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O Lord. - Ps. 36:6

Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God. - Ps. 90:2

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth. - Ps. 97:5

View Additional Photos in the Complete Gallery

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood_climbing_accidents

1 Corinthians 5 and Our Response to Sexual Immorality

2011-05-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

The church has been compromising left and right on the issue of sexuality, or more specifically, sexual orientation. The reasons for this would be somewhat understandable (considering our wayward culture) were it not for the fact that God’s Word speaks to the issue very specifically.

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul reproves the Corinthians church for tolerating sexual sin in their midst (mentioning “a man [who] has his father’s wife” as an example). He condemns their arrogance and tells them, “Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.” (vs. 2)

Contrast his response to the wishy-washy attitude of so many Christians today. I wonder what they would have told the Corinthian church? Judging from their typical response to sins like homosexuality in the church, I doubt they would have demanded that this man be “deliver[ed] to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

One acquaintance of mine (sister of a friend) made a comment a few months ago that surprised me. She said that she had worked with a Christian group or event that was headed up by homosexuals, and that one of her friends was a homosexual and, “a committed Christian.” I wanted to raise my hand - “Question!?”

How can someone be a committed Christian and yet live in such blatant disobedience to God’s commands?

They can’t. It’s one or the other, not both.

My friend was not so much supporting her friends homosexuality as she was expressing her frustration with how many Christians respond to such people. “We shouldn’t just shun them and pretend like they don’t exist...” (paraphrase). Agreed. Even Paul, in pronouncing judgement on a man who was caught up in a different kind of sexual sin, made it clear that the purpose of church discipline was “so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

We are not to ostracize homosexuals and simply write them off as “filthy sinners condemned for hell” (doesn’t that describe all of us in our unregenerate state?), but neither are we to embrace them until they have renounced their sin and turned to Christ. Paul clarifies that he is not talking about “sexually immoral people” as a class of humanity (see vs. 9), but specifically those “who bear the name of brother;” in other words, those who claim the name of Christ while at the same time engaging in sexually immoral activity (or greed, idolatry, reviling, drunkenness, and swindling - vs. 11). He tells us “not to even eat with such a one.”

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? (vs. 12)

While we must judge and oppose certain “cultural sins” in the broader context of our world, it is those inside the church over whom we are to exercise authority and judge in practical ways, the goal always being to restore them to faith and fellowship.

What's "Wrong" for You May Not be "Wrong" for Me

2011-05-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

No, I’m not a relativist and I don’t support any theories of relative ethics. That’s a paraphrase of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 8, and he definitely wasn’t a relativist.

For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1 Cor. 8:10-13)

1 Corinthians 8 is a chapter about being considerate to our brothers and sisters in Christ - “considerate” in the sense that we do everything in our power not to defile their conscience. At the very outset, Paul contrasts knowledge and love.

This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Cor. 8:1b)

Though we know that a certain action or behavior is not wrong in God’s sight, our knowledge should never eclipse our love. We’re not talking about the bleeding edge or morality and immorality here - getting as close as we can get to sinning without “actually sinning” - we’re talking about behavior that is clearly moral, but may not be appropriate or right in certain situations.

If I know that someone objects to drinking alcohol (but I have no objection to it, as long as it’s done in moderation), then out of love for them I will refrain from drinking it when I’m in their presence. I would be glad to talk with them about the Bible’s view of alcohol, but love dictates that I not act in such a way as to knowingly offend them.

Paul uses the illustration of food offered to idols.

...we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”... However, not all possess this knowledge. (1 Cor. 8:4b, 7)

In the interest of discipling, loving, and showing deference, we must sometimes abstain from things which may not be technically “wrong” in order to strengthen the weaker brother.

Now you may be thinking, “That’s just silly. If he would just study the Bible a little more, he would soon figure out that what I’m doing is perfectly moral. Consuming alcohol isn’t a sin. He’s just misguided.”

That’s not the point.

The fundamental problem is not with him. It’s with you, and your unwillingness to lovingly instruct him (which is largely done through how you act). The remedy to their “weak conscience” is not to flaunt your liberty in front of them (“knowledge puffs up”), it is instead to be considerate toward their stance on the issue, and to offer them instruction and a biblical reason for your position on the subject.

This is serious. You may unwittingly drift into sin, even though you are doing something which is not technically “sinful.”

And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. (1 Cor. 8:11-12)

You may need to take drastic measures, but if that self-sacrifice is for the sake of a brother in Christ, is it not worth the price?

Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1 Cor. 8:13)

Maybe "God's Best" is Where You Are Right Now

2011-05-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

As I was reading 1 Corinthians 7 this morning, verse 17 caught my eye.

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. (1 Cor. 7:17)

It is helpful to examine the rest of chapter 17 to gain some context. Paul is addressing new believers and how they should view their station in life, as well as those on the verge of making a big commitment (i.e. marriage).

In this context we can see that the apostle is speaking to people who may be discontent in their present station. Many people think that they are responsible to go out and find “God’s best” for their lives, but this is only partially true. God sovereignly directs and guides us, and as Paul mentions, He “assigns” us a certain calling in life. It isn’t necessarily something we must search out. If we are truly seeking His will, we will soon come to realize that He has been guiding us all along and that the place where He currently has us may very well be where He wants us to be!

This gives us ample reason to be content.

We can’t, however, ignore some of the caveats that Paul includes in this chapter.

Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) (1 Cor. 7:21)

Now concerning the betrothed... I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. (1 Cor. 7:26-7)... If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry - it is no sin. (1 Cor. 7:36)

So we see that Paul makes several important caveats with regards to slavery and marriage. He does this in a way that is completely consistent with the rest of Scripture; slavery is not necessarily a sin, but it is not desirable; marriage is an inherently good thing, but it may be better not to marry, “in view of the present distress.”

In conclusion, I believe that this verse is a call to contentment. The apostle is exhorting us to be content serving God in the station He has called us to, and not to run around frantically searching for “God’s best.”

When Sorrow Clouds God's Mercy

2011-05-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

I was reading Exodus 6 this morning, and was struck by verse 9:

Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. (Ex. 6:9)

Moses had just finished relating God's plan of deliverance to the people of Israel, proclaiming His promise to remember his covenant (vs. 5), deliver them from slavery (vs. 6), take them to be His people and be their God (vs. 7), and bring them into the promised land (vs. 8).

Remember, in chapter 4, we are told that the people "bowed their heads and worshiped" (Ex 4:31) upon hearing Aaron speak the word of the Lord concerning their deliverance, and upon seeing the signs that Moses performed.

Why then were they downcast?

Matthew Henry offers some insights in his commentary on Exodus 6:9.

First, disconsolate spirits often put from them the comforts they are entitled to, and stand in their own light. (See Isa. 28:12)

Secondly, strong passions oppose strong consolations. By indulging ourselves in discontent and fretfulness, we deprive ourselves of the comfort we might have both from God's Word and from His providence, and must thank ourselves if we go comfortless. (Matthew Henry's Commentaries)

Calvin also offers some comments on this passage.

Thus do the afflicted often, by closing their ears, shut the gate against the promise of God, which is indeed a marvelous thing... It is contrary to nature that the sorrow which ought to awaken the longings of those who are overwhelmed with trouble, should be an obstacle to the receiving the comfort freely offered them of God.
But it is too common for people the more they are respectively afflicted, to harden themselves against the reception of God's help.

This should cause us to consider how we grieve. We are not to grieve as "those who have no hope" (1 Thes. 4:13), but to use our sorrow as yet another reason to come before the throne of grace. God will grant us compassion and comfort.

For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. (Lam. 3:31-33)

Watch Jordan Lee's powerful testimony of grief in the aftermath of last week's AL tornado. His father was killed in the storm, but the family has exhibited a remarkable level of faith and hope in the midst of this tragedy. Click here to help the Lees, and other families who lost everything in the tornado.

Love One Another

2011-04-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

1 John 4 is a chapter primarily on the subject of love - God's love for us, and our consequent love for one another. John begins in verse 7 by exhorting his readers to "love one another... for whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." He then explains why we ought to love one another.

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.(1 John 4:9-12)

I was curious what he meant by the phrase, "No one has ever seen God," in verse 11, and I found my answer in verse 20.

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20)

As with so many other powerful truths in Scripture, God's love is often under-appreciated. We acknowledge that He loves us, but our tendency is to take that love for granted and then turn around and fail to love those around us. If we cannot demonstrate love to our brother, who we can actually see, then how can we claim to love God, who we cannot see?!

Remember, Christ didn't die for "loveable" sinners. We were wretched and hateful in the eyes of God - entirely unloveable - and yet, He still sent His son in the ultimate demonstration of love, to die in our place and bear the burden of His just wrath. We who are in Christ have no excuse to withhold love and forgiveness from others, be it our neighbor, fellow churchgoer, employer, client, sibling, or parent.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:11)

These are a Few of My Favorite...iPhone Apps

2011-04-19T13:35:00.001-07:00

Since getting an iPhone 3Gs a few months ago, I've been introduced to the wild and wonderful world of mobile apps. Here are a few of my favorites (most of these are free).

(I wanted to lay these out in a table so that I could easily explain what I like about them, but alas', Blogger is in the stone age when it comes to customizing the code of your blog posts. Click on them to find out more.)

Lessons on Animosity and Responsibility from 1 John 3

2011-04-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

This morning I was reading the first few chapters of 1 John and found a few points in chapter 3 particularly striking, especially as we consider the work of Christ on the cross this week.

The world is often very puzzled - sometimes angered - by the behavior and lifestyle of Christians. The first verse of 1 John 3 explains why:

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (vs 1b)

Just as the Jews did not know Christ (in the sense that they did not acknowledge Him as the Son of God), and put him to death, so we should expect to receive the same kind of animosity from the unbelieving world.

Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. (1 John 3:13)

We are reminded, however, that those called to be children of God must act like it. Indeed, this is the mark of true belief, that we seek to follow in the footsteps of Christ and discontinue our habitual sinning, and love our brother.

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:9-10)

This, then, is our responsibility, to believe in Christ, love and lay down our lives for one another, and keep God's commandments.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (1 John 3:16)

And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (1 John 3:23-24)

Cultural Holiness

2011-04-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been reading The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, and one of his comments in chapter 2 really struck me.

Many Christians have what we might call a "cultural holiness." They adapt to the character and behavior pattern of Christians around them.

Isn't that true? Aren't we all tempted to look no farther than our immediate acquaintances to determine what is "acceptable" and even "holy?" After all, we don't want to appear self-righteous.

God said, "be holy, for I am holy." (Lev. 11:44) He didn't command us to "be holy as your brother is holy," but defines true holiness as conformity to His character, and His alone. Note the word conformity, not just acknowledgement. Bridges goes on to say:

But God demands more than that we acknowledge His holiness. He says to us, "Be holy, because I am holy." God rightfully demands perfect holiness in all of His moral creatures. It cannot be otherwise.

The truth is, we can never live up to that standard. It is only by the grace and mercy of God, through the sacrifice of Christ, that we can be cleansed of our guilt and made holy in His sight.

But that outpouring of grace may, ironically, tempt us to "continue is sin that grace may abound." (Rom. 6:1) Let us resist that temptation, echoing the words of Paul in verse 2, "By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?"

We must evaluate ourselves in light of who God is, realizing what He has done on our behalf, and seek to align ourselves with His perfect standard, not the standard of our Christian culture.

Strive...for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Heb. 12:14)

I Survived Dog Mountain!

2011-04-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm being a bit sarcastic. It wasn't really that hard, but this hike certainly had it's challenges.

Dog Mountain is in the Columbia Gorge just east of Stevenson, WA, and stands at 2,800'. Since the trailhead is essentially at river-level (c. 60') we had to climb the majority of that elevation in just under 3 miles. That's pretty steep!

Josiah showed up at our place the Saturday before last around 11:00am, but due to some unexpected challenges (i.e. cat in the attic) we didn't hit the road until close to 12:30. Then we had our fair share of missed exits and wrong turns...but finally we reached the trailhead.

March weather in the Columbia Gorge can be a bit foreboding and it appeared that we were in for a pretty wet hike. Thankfully all of us had some form of rain gear to keep us dry. I was test-driving my new Asolo hiking boots too (Gore-tex lined - bring on the rain!), and had a nice pair of lightweight Columbia rain pants. My rain coat was a bit sketchy since I had never given it a run for its money, but it was better than nothing.

We took the [steeper] northern route and I tracked our progress using iMapMyHike on my iPhone. Having the GPS running really did a number on my phone's battery (which is I why I've since bought one of these), but I got the whole route mapped and was able to track elevation, pace, etc.

Despite the initial prospects of rain, we hardly encountered any during the hike. There was a considerable amount of fog drifting through the Gorge, obscuring visibility but making for some really spectacular photo ops. When we reached the summit we discovered that it was capped in about 8-10" of snow. Josiah and I had taken our coats off in preference for t-shirts during the climb, but soon found that the heat from our exertion evaporated very fast. Some folks at the top asked us "why are you just wearing t-shirts?" We soon began wondering that ourselves.

One thing's for sure. The higher we climbed, the funnier everything became. This video should illustrate my point...

Take a look at some photos from the hike (mostly the ascent) below. You can view the whole album here. This was a great hike!

Enchantment Lakes, WA (One More Place I Need to Go)

2011-03-31T11:32:00.000-07:00

Jonathan sent me a link to this guy's exceptional video showcasing Enchantment Lakes, up in Northern Washington.

Make that another location on my wishlist!

Up to the Summit - Again

2011-03-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Jonathan called me up - more or less on a whim - and asked if I would be interested in summiting Silver Star Mt. that afternoon. It was a bluebird day and the snow conditions appeared to be pretty good up there (4,400 ft.). We planned to leave around noon.

Over all it was an awesome hike. We hit snow sooner than we had expected and had to park about 1.5 miles from the trailhead, but were still able to make excellent time, accomplishing the hike to the summit and back in about 4.5 hours. According to my gps reading we gained about 2100' in elevation, and in snow shoes that's no easy feat! Here are some photos from the hike.

In Which We Reach the Canyon and Overestimated Our Own Abilities

2011-03-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

This is the fifth installment in a series of posts about my recent road trip from San Antonio, TX, to Washington State. If you missed the previous four posts, they may be viewed here:

1 - In Which I Depart San Antonio and Encounter Hazardous Weather

2 - In Which I Find a Suitable Campsite and hike to 7,825 Feet

3 - In Which I Finally Get a Solid Meal and Escape the Snow

4 - In Which I Make it to Phoenix and Listen to a Tale of Exploration

February 5,

Last night I was blessed to enjoy the hospitality of some friends in Phoenix. This morning I headed out after a good breakfast and picked up Jonathan from the Phoenix airport. We headed towards Flagstaff and had smooth sailing up to Grand Canyon. We arrived around 2:30 and inquired at the Backcountry Information Center about the trail conditions on S. Kaibab Trail. The guy there told us that the trail was pretty much free of ice and snow, sunset was at 6:00, and the next shuttle would leave for the trailhead shortly. We hit the trail just before 3:30pm and needed to be back for the final shuttle at 6:50pm. They say that you should allow twice the time to ascend out of the canyon as you do to descend, so we decided to turn around at Cedar Ridge at 4:30pm. We jokingly said that we could “always just sprint out of the canyon” to make it in time. Um...yeah right. The elevation difference between the trailhead and Cedar Ridge was 1,000 feet, so we were definitely feeling it as we climbed out.

So far the day has been awesome...later we’ll go out and attempt some star photography at the campground (our tent is already set up). Tomorrow morning we need to head out pretty early to make it to Zion National Park in time to do some hiking (either Angel’s Landing or Observation Point if conditions permit). We’ll set up camp there and on Monday morning will drive two hours up to Bryce Canyon to enjoy some hiking there before we need to head out that evening.

Beard status - Fair. I think it feels un-loved though, on countless occasions I have assured it that it is a most welcome addition to my face and should feel free to grow and thrive. Apparently it remains unconvinced.

In Which I Make it to Phoenix and Listen to a Tale of Exploration

2011-02-27T18:18:00.000-08:00

This is the fourth installment in a series of posts about my recent road trip from San Antonio, TX, to Washington State. If you missed the previous three posts, they may be viewed here:

1 - In Which I Depart San Antonio and Encounter Hazardous Weather

2 - In Which I Find a Suitable Campsite and hike to 7,825 Feet

3 - In Which I Finally Get a Solid Meal and Escape the Snow

February 4

I feel a lot better today. Still not 100%, but vastly improved since yesterday evening. I’m going to check out of the hotel shortly and hit the road with the goal of reaching Phoenix by this evening.

9:30pm

I made it to Phoenix just in time to enjoy supper with the Harding family. I’m really grateful for their hospitality while I’m in town - it’s so much better to stay with friends than book a hotel. The driving between El Paso and here was fairly uneventful. I realized that there were actually two Mesa Streets, and the second one would have had better (read “more economical”) options for lodging yesterday evening...oh well. I stopped a few times to take some pictures (something I wish I would have done more yesterday, especially for last night’s sunset). Texas Canyon along I-10 was particularly interesting - a jumble of rust-colored boulders, some perched precariously on top of one another. I got a few shots, but was unable to get to the best viewpoint.

Along the way I listened to “Sea of Glory” by Nathaniel Philbrook, a story of the U.S. Expedition of Exploration of 1838-42. The expedition was headed up by Charles Wilkes, by all accounts a very disagreeable fellow, but remarkable in his self-discipline and perseverance during the long 4-year voyage to Antarctica, the South Pacific Islands, Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest. It’s interesting to see how a man with so many flaws was able to successfully mount and lead such a monumental expedition. Equally interesting is how little-known the U.S. ExEx is today...

Mt. St. Helens: Conquered

2011-02-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we again worked up the resolve to summit Mt. St. Helens - this time in the snow. Having climbed it a handful of times before (in the summer), we were fairly confident in our ability to reach the mountain's 8,525' summit in spite of the additional exertion required for snowshoeing. I, for one, underestimated just how hard it would be...

Jonathan was the de facto leader of the expedition since he knew the most about mountaineering and had pulled together most of the logistics. He, Chelsea and the kids came over on Friday and spent the night at our place, so we could be ready for our 4:00 a.m. departure the following morning.

We were on the trail from Marble Mountain Sno Park by 6:30 a.m. and made pretty good time up to timberline. The sunrise was beautiful, glistening off the freshly fallen snow that blanketed the surrounding forest. In the days preceding our hike the mountain had accumulated a few feet of fresh powder, but that wasn't a major concern since the trail was fairly well packed. It was awesome for the skiers and snowboarders I'm sure!

As an anecdote, last week I attended a Winter Safety presentation put on by Portland Mountain Rescue in which they discussed the hazards of hiking in winter conditions and told some stories to illustrate their points. Though I paid careful attention to their warnings and advice, I couldn't help but think, "that would never happen to me." I mean, I can understand other people succumbing to the elements or to fatigue, but not me. This hike was my reality check.

I could tell almost right away when we hit the trail that I would need to warm up and kick into gear if I was going to summit. My pack certainly wasn't helping; it weighed in at 36.5lb fully loaded - nearly as much as I carried on a 3-day backpacking trip a few years ago. But, I wasn't carrying extraneous gear - it was all needed. In winter conditions you have to be ready and it generally pays off to be over-prepared.

Like many other mountains, Mt. St. Helens has a few tricks up its sleeve, the worst of which is its false summits. From the base you can see what appears to be the summit, but when you reach it, it turns out to be just another ridge. Of course, you're positive that the next "summit" is the real thing, but it's not. The best plan is to assume that what you're looking at is not and never could be the actual summit - fewer disappointments that way.

When I reached the last false summit I was exhausted. I thought the likelihood of me reaching the top was extremely slim, unless I could make it up there by sheer willpower. There were several times where I just wanted to fall on my face in the snow and stay there, but I kept going regardless. The last 50 feet were pure misery, but God gave me the strength and I finally collapsed on the summit with the other guys. (I really did "collapse." The other guys were understandably concerned ;)

The view from the summit has become somewhat familiar to us, but it's a completely new experience in the snow. Being careful to avoid the cornice (the overhanging snow along the rim), we set up our little stove and melted some snow to replenish our water supply. Jonathan and I took some photos, at one point venturing to an overlook which allowed us to see Spirit Lake and Mt. Rainier to the north. I shot a few photos holding the camera way above my head so I wouldn't have to get any closer to the edge. Not that I'm afraid of heights...but there was no telling where the edge actually was and I wasn't about to take any chances.

Some people say that going downhill is just as hard as going uphill, only faster. In this case, I disagree. I found the descent to be comparably easier than the climb, especially when we broke out the avalanche shovels and started sledding down the mountain!

As we neared timberline we got to enjoy one of the most spectacular sunsets I've ever seen. It was so worth it to pull out my camera and get a few panoramic photos (even though I fell behind the rest of the group).

The 2.5 mile stretch to the car was arduous. Mike and I teamed up for the last mile and we couldn't believe how far a puny little 1/2 mile was! We finally reached the Jeep about 30 seconds before our 6:30 p.m. goal, and thus were on the trail for almost exactly 12 hours.

When we got home supper was waiting. After we ate I was so whooped that I just sprawled out on the floor for a while. Kaylee kept coming over and giggling at me - she had no idea, but it was cute anyway!

Make sure you head over to Jonathan's blog to read his trip report and see his photography.

You can view the rest of my photos here

What I'll Be Climbing Tomorrow

2011-02-18T21:06:00.000-08:00

In Which I Finally Get a Solid Meal and Escape the Snow

2011-02-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

February 3

This morning I woke up rather sore but well-rested. I boiled some water and headed up to the heated restroom to drink my tea and try to restore feeling to my toes, which were completely numb. Realizing that I hadn’t had a solid meal since Monday evening, I then headed up to the lodge restaurant and ordered their “Emory Peak” omelet. Ironic... :) Never has a hot meal and coffee tasted so good! Now I just need to pack everything up and figure out how to get out of here. The roads are pretty treacherous and it’s not getting any warmer out there. The rangers are periodically taking people down in caravans, so I may be able to join one of those in the next few hours.

7:30pm

I was one of the last people they let out of the park today due to the weather conditions. Once I reached lower elevations, snow was no longer a concern. I took Hwy 385 N to US-90, where I then headed west toward Alpine, TX. It’s incredible how long it takes to get out of Texas!

In Alpine I encountered more snow and some ice on the sides of the road. I talked with Christopher and he said that Alpine was likely to be snowed in, but if I made to Van Horn I would probably be fine. I was originally going to camp in Van Horn and then make the trek up to Phoenix from there the next day, but decided to press on to El Paso where I could find a hotel. I pulled in around 7:00, found a place to stay, took a hot shower and am ready to crash for the night. I’m not feeling too well, so I hope that a good night’s rest will provide the remedy.

Dad's little MSR Whisperlite stove (International) - brilliant little piece of equipment!

I don't know why I hadn't thought of it sooner, but that morning I was desperate to get warm so I headed up to the Chisos Basin lodge. At this point a hot meal was not only a luxury, it was a necessity! My feet were grateful for the opportunity to warm up as well.

While I was at the lodge I heard one guy loudly explaining his exit strategy to the rest of his group. It was clear that road conditions were getting worse by the minute, and that the only options available to visitors were to either pack up and leave soon or stay put and risk getting snowed in. I was driving a '99 Honda Accord, had two sets of tire chains, and have had more experience driving in the snow than most Texans, so I wasn't too concerned. I realized, however, that I would need to make my escape soon while they were still letting people on the roads; I went back to camp, packed everything up, and waited at a gate for about 15 minutes while a ranger checked for other vehicles that needed to be escorted out of the basin.

The descent wasn't too bad. I stayed in 1st and 2nd gear the whole way down and there was only one time when I completely lost traction and began sliding happily down the mountain... (it wasn't that bad ;)

I emerged from the park around 1:30pm and began the 350 mile drive to El Paso. Apart from the occasional tumbleweed crossing the freeway and a bit of snow, it was an uneventful drive. By the time I arrived in El Paso I was completely whooped so I found a hotel as soon as I could. (I had been wearing a beanie almost constantly for the past 2 days so my hair was an absolute mess. I pictured myself as the daring adventurer just emerging from the wild, but the folks at the front desk seemed to think I was some guy off the street, judging by the looks they gave me.)

I settled for some snacks instead of dinner and, after journaling for a few minutes, went straight to bed.

God's Extraordinary Provision - A Heartening Reminder

2011-02-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

My New Road Bike!

2011-02-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

Last night I picked up a Scattante R660 off craigslist. I'm stoked! (pun intended)

In Which I Find a Suitable Campsite and Hike to 7,825 Feet

2011-02-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

February 2

I didn’t sleep well last night. Woke up to frost on the inside of the windshield and windows, and upon stepping outside I finally saw the surrounding mountains which had been phantoms against the stars the night before. This place is pretty incredible.

I made some tea and oatmeal, periodically jumping in the car to warm up a bit. I needed to find a new campsite, so I set about searching, and once I found one I managed to set up my tent and get it staked down securely. The winds were picking up, but as the sun rose the cold began to subside just a bit.

At noon I packed a lunch, poured myself some water from one of the few unfrozen jugs of water I had (water freezes in a matter of minutes out here), and set out to hike Emory Peak via the Pinnacles Trail. It was beautiful country, accented by the constant flurry of ice particles (despite the sun being out) which lasted until late afternoon. The photographic opportunities were great, especially as I got into the higher elevation areas around Emory Peak. The 1 mi. spur leading up to the summit took me longer than expected, and ended with a 30 foot sheer scramble up a rock face to reach the real summit. The views of the Chihuahuan desert were breathtaking, but the winds made things a bit uncomfortable. I took it easy, shot some panoramas, and carefully made my descent down the rock face again.

The trek back was pretty strenuous, albeit downhill. Anytime I hit a shady spot, the temperature dropped dramatically. If my hands were un-gloved for more than a minute or two, I quickly lost all feeling in my fingers. Once I reached the valley again, the mountains were lit by some truly awesome evening light. I hurriedly got some panoramas, put my gloves back on and made the final mile or two back to my car. As often happens when I’m on the trail, tired and footsore, I could just picture my car with me in the driver's seat, leaning on the steering wheel breathing heavily...

When I returned to camp I decided to “test” out my sleeping bag, so without bothering to change into fresh clothes I climbed in, coat and all, zipped it to the top and soon began to feel pretty comfy. I wasn’t too hungry so I just decided to call it a day and get some shut-eye. I slept a total of 12 hours, in spite of the wind whipping at my tent. The only thing I really don’t like about this Marmot tent is that it’s primarily mesh, so when the wind blew under the rain fly it kicked ice and dirt up against the mesh and got a bunch of fine dust all over me and my gear. It’s a three-season tent though, so it’s not meant for these kinds of conditions.

I had a pretty rough night trying to sleep in my car. Those mummy bags don't insulate well unless you can constrict airflow, and that's nearly impossible to do unless you're lying flat...which, incidentally, can't be done in my car.

When I cracked open the car door I was finally able to see the scenery around me. The campground I was in sits at 5,400 feet and is almost completely surrounded by the Chisos Mountain Range (the only mountain range to be completely enclosed within a national park). It was quite a sight.

The weather that morning was absolutely frigid - 4 degrees according the campground host, but easily below 0 when you factor in windchill - and I was very reluctant to venture out and make breakfast. I finally worked up the resolve to get out and light the stove, but as the water was boiling I jumped in the car to stay warm.

My hike up to Emory Peak (7,825 feet) began around noon, covered 10 miles, and took me 7 hours to complete. The temperature hardly relented in spite of the sun, and tiny ice particles continued falling until mid-afternoon.

The scenery seemed very unusual for Texas. Of course, I've become accustomed to San Antonio, the southern hill country, and the flat scrubby landscape around Corpus Christi. It was a welcome surprise to find some real mountains again! The ascent up the Pinnacles Trail was largely forested, and any time I encountered shade I would find tell-tale signs of the extreme winter conditions - icicles lining the trickles of water coming down from the hills, frost on the grass and leaves, etc.

The route to the summit of Emory Peak was relatively easy, but the last 25-30 feet involved a sheer climb up to the true summit (YES!!). Once I got up there the 360 degree view was incredible! I could see at least 50-100 miles in all directions. Down in the basin, I could barely make out the lodge and visitor center, and knew that I would have to make the descent in good time to get back to camp by nightfall. The park rangers advise against hiking during the evening hours due to danger from mountain lions and other critters. Bears are fairly prevalent in the park as well, but my fear of mountains lions is exponentially higher than my fear of a measly little black bear!

I finally made it back to the car around 7:00pm, exhausted, but thrilled with the experience and the opportunity to actually exert myself and have some fun instead of sitting at camp freezing. The sunset was nothing spectacular, but the light it threw on the surrounding mountains was simply awesome.

In Which I Depart San Antonio and Encounter Hazardous Weather

2011-02-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

February 1

Departed San Antonio later than I had hoped, around 3:30. Made decent time on the interstate, but nearly decided to pull into a rest stop and spend the night there. Instead, I pulled through and made it to Big Bend by 11:30pm. Tried to set up my tent but the wind was too strong and the ground was very rocky and hard, unsuitable for stakes. I abandoned that idea and figure I’ll try to set it up tomorrow if the wind dies down. I can’t afford another broken tent... Tonight, I’ll sleep in my car.

It’s absolutely frigid out there. My guess is that it’s close to 0 degrees before you factor in wind chill. I’m SO thankful for the cold-weather gear that I bought.

It took me close to 20 minutes just to light the Whisperlite stove, but once it got going it was great. I made some soup and boiled some water, but had to be quick about eating it because even boiling water won’t stay hot for more than a few minutes out there. Anything that has water in or on it will begin to freeze in minutes.

Time for bed now. I hope I can sleep tonight - it’s pretty cold in the car too.

That is the first entry in the journal I kept on my recent journey from San Antonio to Washington; it was written almost entirely as things happened, or as a recap at the end of the day, hence the bad grammar and incomplete sentences. Writing a cohesive entry can be rather difficult when you're out in the wilderness huddled in your car, trying at all costs to stay warm.

I had been planning this adventure for months and everything was coming together beautifully. Jonathan would be flying down to Phoenix to join me on Saturday (February 5), and from there we planned to head up to Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park to do some hiking, photography, and camping.

My departure date from San Antonio was Tuesday, February 1. I planned to spend 1 1/2 days in Big Bend National Park up in Western Texas, and then travel up through El Paso and Tucson to arrive in Phoenix by Friday night. I had a terrible time trying to pack all my things in my little 99 Honda Accord - most of it wouldn't fit - so I hit the road later than expected on Tuesday (Feb. 1). The journal entry above describes that evening simply, but well. An extreme cold front hit the southern states that day and made my life a lot more interesting...

As I was driving along Hwy 385 S. toward the park I began to see faint flurries of ice particles and snow. It wasn't until I stopped and got out of the car that I realized how cold it was. They weren't kidding about that cold front! Being the more adventurous type, I was rather pleased since the inclement weather added an unexpectedly hazardous edge to my trip. Call me crazy, but it's true.

As the journal entry notes, I was unable to set up my tent that night. The wind was blowing hard and, despite my efforts to anchor it with rocks while I worked to hammer in the stakes, it was a lost cause from the start. So I resolved to sleep in my car that night - never a welcome prospect, but in this case it was my only option.

I managed to light the MSR Whisperlite stove I had borrowed from my Dad, and warmed up some Chunky's soup for supper (at midnight). I think I also made some tea - black, and therefore caffeinated, but that didn't matter; everything centered on staying warm and believe me, it was hard to do!

I "went to bed" cold, but thankful for the Lord's blessing on my journey so far, and hopeful that I would be able to catch a few winks of sleep that night even though my situation was devoid of most earthly comforts.

There are no photos for this entry since I didn't take any that day. I was too preoccupied with keeping my toes warm. Upcoming entries will contain photos.

Seven Days, Four National Parks

2011-02-09T22:37:00.000-08:00

My brother Jonathan and I just returned from a 7-day, 2,800 mile whirlwind adventure from Texas to Washington state through the Midwest. I will be posting more details about the trip over the next few days (including stories, snippets from my journal, etc.), but for now, here are some photos I captured at each of the four national parks to tide you over.

Big Bend National Park, Texas

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Zion National Park, Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Snowshoeing Silver Star Mt. 2011

2011-01-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

On New Years Day, me and a few of my brothers and friends decided to take a shot at our first snowshoeing excursion ever. It was even more adventurous than we had imagined, it strained our muscles and opened our eyes to the difficulties and rewards that come with this type of hiking. Jonathan provided a great in-depth overview of the hike, so I'll just post a brief overview along with some of my photos.

Christopher and I were up at 7:00 on Saturday morning to get ready. I took the extra time to heat up some water and make some hot chocolate to bring along - we were grateful for it later! Jonathan and I approached this trip like we typically do - as photographers first, hikers second - so we both prioritized camera gear over other things. His pack takes a hydration pouch, so he was able to bring enough along; me, on the other hand? Well, who needs water when you could pack camera gear instead?

Since then, I've gotten a bigger and better camera bag. Oh yeah...

Duty calls in other areas so I'll have to cut this post short and let the photos explain the rest. Enjoy!

View the New Year's Day Snowshoeing Excursion album

I'm 'Lijah and I'm a Big Man

2010-11-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

Look at my toof! No, really, it's in there.

And my beard. You have to look close!

I have a nice big belly so I can roar like a big man.

But I still laugh when mama tickles me.

People say I'm cute, but I wish they would say "handsome" instead. I'll be sure they know that when I can talk.

All Cozy by the Fire

2010-11-24T20:10:00.001-08:00

Winter Wonderland

2010-11-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

Surrounding foothills viewed from the top of our neighborhood (click on the image for a larger view)

Zach the Mighty Fish Hunter

2010-11-21T16:22:00.000-08:00

Joshua aka. "Buddy"

2010-10-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

I was going through photos from the past few months and ran across this photo of my classy little brother Joshua. He's such a character - I can't wait to see him in a month and a half!

Food, Glorious Food!

2010-10-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I like to break the trend of 20-something bachelors who eat mac-and-cheese and chow on potato chips and microwave meals through their single years. I really enjoy good food - not just eating it, but making it too. And now, I'm expanding my horizons a bit further, and trying my hand at food photography.

My motto is, "It doesn't have to taste good. It just has to look like it tastes good." Generally the food I photograph does taste good, but you'd be surprised at some of the tricks pro food photogs use in their line of work. But I can't reveal the trade secrets...

Below are some recent samples of my work. As I have time, I intend to add more photos to the collection - deserts, more fruit, NY Strip Steaks with creamy bourbon cheese sauce, grilled honey-ginger-glazed corn on the cob...but I digress.

Vintage Coffee!

2010-09-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

I recently picked up some more photography gear, including an umbrella (the reflective type used by photographers, not the kind you take out into a rainstorm), a soft-box, and some stands. Most of the guys I room with were out today so I had the apartment all to myself for a few hours this evening, giving me the opportunity to completely rearrange the dining room table and spend some time photographing...what else...coffee! Here are some of the best shots.

Sun-flare Photos

2010-07-30T20:44:00.001-07:00

I have a penchant for using sun-flare as a creative effect in my photography. Here are some photos I took in Sunriver using that technique.

Sunriver Photos

2010-07-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

Well, Blogger has been giving me errors every time I try to upload photos, so I'll just link over to my Picasa albums where you can see a sample of the images I shot on our vacation. Over all, I shot about 1300 photos (and could have taken far more...), but here are some of the best.

Sunriver Vacation Day 1

Sunriver Vacation - Day 2

Sunriver Vacation - Day 3

Sunriver Vacation - Day 6

Sunriver Vacation - Day 7

Sunriver: Day 1

2010-07-16T19:29:00.001-07:00

One week ago today, our family returned from one of the best family vacations ever down in central Oregon! Grandma Berkompas graciously pulled everything together months ahead of time, and was incredibly generous as we all gathered around her and the rest of Dad's side of the family to reunite and enjoy a week of fellowship and fun.

The place we went to holds special significance to us and the rest of the Berkompas family. Ever since I can remember, our family reunions have always been held at Sunriver Resort in central Oregon, and for good reason! It's beautiful, rustic, fun, warm, up in the mountains!... We all had a wonderful time, and a thousand thanks go to Grandma for making it happen, and the Lord for blessing our travels and time down there!

Some of you may have followed me on Buzz during the trip (click here to follow me), in which case you saw the photos I was posting at the time. I will be posting many of the same photos here on my blog, but this time with captions and explanations (where necessary!), as well as some video clips.

Jeremy being his usual, playful self!

Aimee and Kaylee getting some fresh air at one of the rest stops along the way. It was about a 4-5 hour drive, so the kiddos needed several chances to get out and, as Joshua would say, "stomp around."

It takes a lot to take a family our size on vacation!

We were driving along and just as I was drifting off to sleep, someone shouted "whoa!" and everybody looked out the window to see that we were crossing a bridge over a huge canyon (huge for this area at least). A minute later we stopped at a nearby rest stop, and walked over to have a look. It turns out it was 300 feet deep.

We had barely settled in, but Kaylee was already enjoying herself. She's such a cutie!

Overall, the first day was fairly uneventful. The Lord gave us safe travels and our little caravan made it safely down to Sunriver. We all got unpacked (read "we began trashing the place" ;) and settled in, Jonathan and I set up our computer gear on the kitchen counter (that's what they're for right?). We were ready for a fun week ahead!

Coming, Coming!

2010-07-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

If you've seen Disney's Jungle Book, it will give the post title more context... ;)

Anyways, more posts ARE coming. I just have to get our apartment organized first. By the weekend, I hope to post a short series on our family vacation down to Sunriver, OR, complete with photos and stories.

Thanks for bearing with me over the past few weeks!

Post-Vacation Reluctance

2010-07-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

Now that we're back from a fantastic family reunion down in central Oregon I have to reconcile myself to the fact that next week I'll be back down in Texas, and will have to re-adopt my "normal" schedule and pick up habits which were put on hold for vacation.

I'm not sure I'm looking forward to life going back to "normal," because being home still seems like it should be normal...

On the other hand, I am looking forward to buckling down and getting a bunch done in the next 6 months. Big plans!

Popsicle Girl

2010-07-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

The Sluggard’s Farm and the Strenuous Life

2010-06-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

Life has kept me on my toes lately! Just as my grandpa used to say “your life will never be less complicated than it is right now.” It seems that every new day brings something new, and there are already so many things that demand time in my schedule, i.e. cooking meals, cleaning the house, exercise, study, reading, blogging, photography, chatting with family and friends…etc.

Most people who know me will attest to the fact that I like to lead a busy life, in fact, I thrive on busy-ness. But just because I enjoy it doesn’t mean I have it easy. In fact, it seems like the more productive I want to be, the less I actually get done. Have you ever felt that way?

It would be so much easier to just relax and take life day by day, moment by moment, right? Don’t do today what can be put off until tomorrow…

Actually, Scripture commands the opposite. In Proverbs 24:30-32 we find a poignant example of the Lord – through the words of Solomon – condemning sloth.

“I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.”
—Proverbs 24:30-32

The Sluggard’s Farm

Charles Spurgeon preached a short sermon on the passage above, and as I read through it there were a number of points that really hit home for me. I attribute the majority of the following thoughts to Spurgeon’s sermon, The Sluggard’s Farm.

In his sermon, Spurgeon addresses several types of lazy people, the first being those who are spiritually lazy. We might describe them as “hyper-Calvinists,” those who believe that man is not required to labor for the Lord in converting and discipling sinners. They are led to this belief by acknowledging God’s sovereignty but denying man’s responsibility to fulfill the Lord’s commands (i.e. the Great Commission).

To quote Spurgeon,

“Do-nothingism is their creed. They will not even urge other people to labour for the Lord, because, say they, ‘God will do his own work. Salvation is all of grace!’ The notion of these sluggards is that a man is to wait, and do nothing; he is to sit still, and let the grass grow up to his ankles in the hope of heavenly help.”

“The sluggard, whether he is sluggish about his business or about his soul, is a man void of understanding.”

As a dedicated Calvinist myself, I certainly don’t question the crucial doctrine of God’s sovereignty, but Spurgeon has a point. We are called to “labor in the vineyard” and pour out our lives for kingdom service, not sit around and expect the Lord’s blessing on our idleness.

Spurgeon then goes on to describe the man who is practically lazy, who thinks he is “cultured,” “educated” and all the rest, and yet never actually does anything important.

“Friend, if your knowledge, if your culture, if your education does not lead you practically to serve God in your day and generation, you have not learned what Solomon calls wisdom…”

“Wisdom ploughs its field, wisdom hoes its vineyard, wisdom looks to its crops, wisdom tries to make the best of everything; and he who does not do so, whatever may be his knowledge of this, of that, or of the other, is a man void of understanding.”

“Having opportunities he did not use them, and next, being bound to the performance of certain duties he did not fulfill them.”

Speaking of the man in Proverbs 24, Spurgeon says,

“He was not a sickly man, who was forced to keep his bed, but he was a lazybones who was there of choice.”

This is Not Beyond You

“You are not asked to do in the service of God that which is utterly beyond you…”

When we’re idle, it’s almost always by choice. We knowingly neglect what we ought to prioritize, thinking that there will always be time for that later (right now I just want to enjoy myself!), but we need to shake ourselves of that lie and realize that we are not guaranteed our next breath, much less another day, month or year.

“A Christian sluggard! Is there such a being? A Christian man on half time? A Christian man working not all for his Lord; how shall I speak of him? Time does not tarry, DEATH does not tarry, HELL does not tarry; Satan is not lazy, all the powers of darkness are busy: how is it that you and I can be sluggish, if the master has put us into his vineyard?”

“No rest can come out of an idleness which lets ill alone, and does not by God's Spirit strive to uproot evil. While you are sleeping, Satan will be sowing.”

I hope these thoughts from Spurgeon have encouraged and counseled you as they did me. Just so you know, I hope to write a follow-up post which addresses the other side of the coin – rest.

Medieval Festival

2010-06-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, some friends hosted a "medieval festival," where most everybody came dressed up and got to enjoy the debut of a massive 30' tall trebuchet, archery competition, sword bouts, a whole roasted pig, short messages on medieval warfare and chivalry and more!

I wasn't able to come in costume, but that's fine because it would have presented a kind of conflicting image don't you think? A guy in his tunic or baggy trousers with a sword on his belt and his trusty, period Canon 7D in his hand... ;)

I had a blast, and I know everyone else had a great time too. Enjoy the photos. Later on I'm hoping to put together a short film using the various clips I shot during the evening. You'll get to see the trebuchet fire, some very spunky young ladies tear into a poor pinata with a plastic sword, boys practice their archery and more!

For Dad

2010-06-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Dad,

There's so much I could say, but it all comes down to this - if it weren't for the grace of God and you in my life, I wouldn't be the man I am today. Being away for so long has only deepened my appreciation for you. I don't think I had any idea how much you sacrificed (and continue to sacrifice) for us. In the words of Edgar Guest:

We little guessed how much he did to smooth our pathway day by day,
How much of joy he brought to us, how much of care he brushed away;
But now that we must tread alone the thorough-fare of life, we find
How many burdens we were spared by him who was so brave and kind.

Though I know you're always there for me, things have been different with me being away, and I can't even begin to express how I miss you and appreciate you as I have begun to heft the burden of making my way in this world. When it comes to being a dad, you're my hero!

The glory of children are their fathers. (Proverbs 17:6b)

I pray for many more years of us fighting the battle together. Stand strong, and always know that I love you!

Benj