Life in a nutty shell

We made the trip back from Chicago with no hassles. Unless you call a severe thunderstorm a hassle. We returned via a route that was different than on the way up and I wish we had been able to see more of it during the daylight. It really was pretty, for farmland.
This is more like what I would call pretty. The picture is of a place called Tangles Lakes, Alaska. This is barren country. Tundra and mountains abound. Every mountain within eyesight of where this picture was taken, I have been to the top of in search of caribou and or moose or just out picking blueberries with my family, or hiking back to fishing streams.

This is the same lake that when I was a kid learning how to hunt, I rode a skateboard (sitting down) down a 4 mile long hill.. only to realize afterwards that I had to hike back up. The hill ended where the lake pictured above begins. When I turned around to begin the trek back up the hill, I noticed that the road had curved. Surely it would be shorter to hike across the tundra in a straight line. I lived to tell you that this was probably the dumbest thing I ever tried to accomplish in the wilds of Alaska. The tundra, while looking innocent and flat, is anything but. There are valleys where you cant see them, there are holes that could break the strongest of ankles and willows that could hold the best escape artist firm.

Tangles Lakes is hat I named the dog I have now after. We had a dog previously that we took on one of the fishing trips back at the base of the mountain pictured above. We hiked about 2 miles to some of the best Arctic Grayling fishing on earth. On the way out, the dog chased ground squirrels in a fashion similar to the kids game whack-a-mole. The squirrel would pop up in a hole, the dog would run to catch it, the squirrel would duck down the hole only to pop up several yards away in another hole. This continued all the way to the creek. I am sure the dog ran 10 miles vs. the two we hiked. When we finally crawled in the tent that night, the dog fell asleep sitting up. When I pushed on his shoulder, he fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes and barely moved all night. This is why after we had to put him down a few years ago, when we got another dog that acted so much like him, we had to name him Tangles.

Tangles Lakes is also where I took my wife not long after we were married to go fishing. It was the same trip mentioned above that my wife learned to fly fish. She got herself all ready to fish, including hip waders and got out into the stream. A few casts later, SPLASH. I thought for sure the rip and any chance of her ever enjoying the outdoors were over. Instead, she worked her way back to the bank, slipped off the waders, emptied the water, put them back on and kept fishing. I knew then this was a match made in heaven.

Tangles Lakes holds a special place in my heart for a lot more reasons than just these stories. This was where I spent the first two weeks of every September from 9 years old to about 18. It is where my dad taught me to hunt. It is where I killed my first big game animal. It is where I had my first beer. I miss it. I pray I see it again....SOON!

Chicago - My Kind of Town

Our family is in Chicago right now after having driven almost 600 miles yesterday. We left KC about noon and were in Chicago at 8pm. The drive was pretty uneventful other than the toll booths. I despise tolls. I suppose if I really try I can understand their need, but really, they ruin the flow of the trip. The only cool part of the ride was that we rented a Dodge Stratus. While it doesnt exactly fit someone 6 feet tall, it was a nice smooth ride.

We are here to pick up the daughter of our pastor form Fairbanks. She comes into O'Hare Intl. this afternoon around dinner time and then we are driving back to KC. We plan to take in a couple sights today too. Hopefully the Sears Tower is worth a ride to the top, although there are thunderstorms around so we may not do it. Also, there is the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Navy Pier, all of which hold promise, but with the cruddy weather who knows.

Please say a prayer for our dog back in KC. He scared the life out of the person watching him and is now residning in our abode by himself without having been let out now for over 24 hours. On the bright side, he does know to go in to the unfinished part of the basement to do his business, but still he cant be happy. A friend of ours is going to check on hojm late this afternoon, so hopefully it will, uh... all work out :)

Clarity or Trust?

First, a warm (or should I say cool because it is 90 degrees at 11pm and 65% humidity) hearted thanks to Shari G for sending us the DVD of a session Jason Upton held in Wasilla this past May. We wanted to be there, but God had us here in KC too fast.

Rachel and I just finished watching the message. There is so much about the style Jason has when speaking, but bottom line (thats the accountant in me) is the fact that Jason does not hold back, sugar coat, beat around the bush or make us where chest waders to wade through the crap dished out from the pulpit. and I for one LOVE IT.

In this message he said A LOT of great things, but one particular bit jumped out at me. I knew right away why I havent been blogging and what I have been searching for in my prayers. It is the issue of clarity vs. trust. Sorta like walking up from the riverbank with your stringer full of salmon. You need both clarity and trust. Clarity to understand you may have an unwelcomed lunch guest, and the trust that God will keep you safe.

Jason told of a story that is found in a book called Ruthless Trust (my apologies to the author whom I dont remember the name). The author goes to see Mother Theresa and asks her to pray for clarity in his life. She declines. The fella is aggrivated by this because surely of all people, Mother Theresa had clarity in her life and what is the harm in praying that over someone else. The catch was, as she told the gentleman, that in fact, she had no clarity. God never told her what she would be doing at any given time or next month etc. I have been saying this in my own life for a couple years now. I have told people that when I try to lock some big thing into my schedule I can promise that God will not allow it. The kids will get sick, or I will, or some superceding event will take place to shatter the schedule.

The longing for clarity comes from the striving from within our hearts and spirits to know what is coming down the pipe for us in our lives. Trust is letting go of that struggle and letting God meet our needs and see our destiny fulfilled. Trust is also eternal when talking about God. We can always trust God.

The Bible is full of stories of kings who went to great lengths to build up their kingdoms. Over and over again the Bible tells us that these same kings also lost it all because they were trying to fulfill their will and not God's. We have to trust in God to meet our needs. It is amazing to me how inense the struggle to let go is. I know that when we tithe, God promises to meet our needs. God is not a God that lies, so why then is it so hard to quit striving and let him do his work? I think there are about 100 sermons that come out of this paragraph, but for now, I let it go :0)

Rachel and I are at this point. We have been there for many months now. We have been trusting in God in increasing levels since well before our leaving Fairbanks. Now as we settle into our positions at IHOP we have no choice but to trust in God to meet our needs. We wouldnt have it any other way.

The Battle to End RFDM's

What are RFDM's you ask? A good friend (that I haven't spoken or received email from in months now) told me about these. Red Flags of Disorganization and Miscommunication. They happen to the best of people and businesses, church groups and organizations.

These usually appear at the most unwanted time such as the most busy point of an event. The flags represent where the weaknesses are in systems. Many people never even notice the flags. They continue day to day as if all is normal. As if by some strange reason, things should be done this way.

I seem to spot them a mile away and it challenges me to stay calm and slow to anger. Over and over I am tested in this. If there is one thing I have noticed in KC it is that people largely do things , whatever it is by the seat of their pants. The funny part is that they do it repeatedly this way. Instead of taking the time jot down a few key points to remember the next time the chore appears to make it go easier, they struggle through the same issues again, expending the same amount of energy to find the answer as it took the first time.

As much as I point fun at the military and some of their ridiculous systems, I will give them credit for a book most people in uniform are familiar with. A continuity book. The idea is that should a person suddenly fall off the face of the earth, another person could sit down in their sit, grab the continuity book and be able to do the job.

For everyone reading this, I present this challenge to you. Take a few moments each day over the next week to write some of the procedures you do day to day. My dad, who is probably sitting in his boat in Valdez right now is excluded, I don't want to hear about THAT :). Begin building your own Continuity book and join the battle to end RFDM's.

Perpetual Transition? I Hope Not!

The new vista I was referring to is a new position within IHOP. As of Monday, I am officially a part of the ONETHING Ministries team. For those of you reading along on this journey, you will remember that I mentioned having two dreams on 10/31/05. In these dreams, I got two scripture referrencs, Acts 2:42 and Luke 18:16.

One of these dreams was about ONETHING. I dreamt that I was being escorted into an aircraft hangar by a fellow employee. As we approaced the hangar and then stepped inside, I could see a huge airplane being constructed. It was as big or bigger than the AIRBUS. It ws still rough looking, sparks were flying from grinders, wires from inside the fusalage could be seen hanging. There were no winows installed so the holes could be seen where they would go.

The gentleman escorting me said, "I want to introduce you to the project manager", and we ascended the stairs into the aircraft. Right inside the doorway stood Dwayne Roberts, director of ONETHING ministries. I sorta chuckled in my sleep because I recognized him from real life. He said he was glad to have me aboard.

My escort then walked me through the airplane toward the tail. As we walked, again you could see the enormity and unfinished state of the plane. At one point, where the interior was nearing completion, I saw a veneer of wood that was to become the interior panelling. It was made of Tiger Maple Thie picture makes the wood look lighter than in the dream, but you get the idea.
It was magnificient. Any rich person would be jealous of this plane and its beauty.

We continued through the plane and out the tail section back into the hangar and my escort said, "I want to show you your station". We walked over to the back corner of the hangar and he showed me what appeared to be a solvent cleaning station, a place that washes grease and grime off of parts. The pieces on the tabale to be cleaned were very small, most only the size of a finger tip. My escort then told me, "It is VERY important to set the machine to 242. Very important!" I turned the dials on the machine to 242 and woke up.

Once awake, I wrote the dream in my journal and later looked up all the scriptures in the Bible having a 242 referrence. Acts 2:42 spoke loudly. "They continually devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, to the beaking of bread, and to times of prayer." This scripture was one half of why we came here and the verse came to me through a dream of ONETHING.

We recently had a friend over (Tim for those in Alaska who know him) and he provided some great insight into this dream. He said he thought it was awesome how God allowed me to see what He was working on. How even in the small things, it added to the whole picture of a magnificient creation. I was even allowed to see some of what the finished product would become, and that in some ways, the creation was closer to being completed than the beginning stages.

So Rachel and I are focused on two vistas right now and both are incredible. We pray continually that God will equip us and that we will be able to bring this all back to Alaska so that the children and young adults in Alaska can wake up from their sleep and realize the full potential of God in their lives. The days of coloring page Sunday school and pizza gathering youth movements are over. Just because it is dark in Alaska more than it is light is no excuse not to have light burning from within. With the power of prayer and a great battle of spiritual warfare, transformation will truly take place in Alaska.