Archive for February, 2008
15 Point Atypical Mule Deer
These pics were taken by a buddy of mine out his front door.
No, he resisted all his army training and did not shoot the deer.
Powder Day Tomorrow
Copper Mountain got 11 inches today.
Supposed to get another 8 inches tonight.
There will be no posting here tomorrow. I will be skiing.
Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak
Past weekend with my Dad and Mary was great. You’ve seen the skiing pictures but there’s more to do in Colorado than just ski. Although there’s nothing better than skiing…and touring micro-breweries.
Garden of Gods
It’s magnificent. Trails run all through the place – can turn the kids loose and enjoy the scenery. It sits at the foot of Pikes Peak and it’s free. Here we are taking the traditional picture at the entrance. I’m guessing every family that has ever visited Garden of the God has one of these pictures.
Kissing Camels is the name of this rock. You can see why. It’s pretty impressive – over 200 feet high and normally there are guys climbing this. The second picture is of 2 guys on the back side of Kissing Camels about to climb down. Their rope is all tangled up and as I was watching them I had the eerie feeling that neither one of them knew what the heck they were doing.
Pikes Peak
Here’s Dad standing in front of one of the plows on Pikes Peak road. Couple of interesting facts we learned about Pikes Peak. First, Zebulon Pike never reached the summit of this mountain. It’s the 31st tallest peak in Colorado. It used to have a ski resort on the mountain until 1984. The reason it doesn’t now is because the snow is not consistent enough. America the Beautiful was written here as well. Now you have some useless information to bore your friends with.
Here are two guys backpacking in to board. We saw some ski tracks up in the bowl on Pikes. You can completely do this all over the state – hike in/up, ski down backcountry style. It’s just that you better know what the heck you are doing and the mountain. Avalanches are always a threat as well as rocks and trees. You’ve got to be one heck of skier/rider who enjoys the powder and knows your limits. I’m going to do this one day. I need another season or two to get completely to that level.
Dad and I hiked up a ways to get a better view since the summit was closed. At close to 14,000 feet we immediately felt the loss of oxygen. Of course, Dad had the rougher go of it since he lives at sea level. Here’s proof that he made it. I’m pointing to where we live from the viewpoint of Pikes Peak.
Coming down was supposed to be easier!
During the summer and spring…people race down this road. In cars and on their feet. The Pikes Peak Marathon has more injuries coming down the mountain than going up. Just so you know.
Actual Conversation at Youth Tonight
One of our new students tonight was wearing the whole goth/dark uniform. Looked incredibly intimidating.
I walk right up to him and hug him.
“I’m Grant. What’s your name, dude?”
He tells me his name. I haven’t yet let go of his hand that I’m shaking.
“That’s a cool name. Are you here with a friend tonight?”
He tells me he is, what grade he is in and all of a sudden this huge smile rips across his face. We talk for a while. Great kid.
At the end of the night, he walks up to me.
“Grant….this was a lot more fun that I thought. Mind if I ask you a question?”
“Ask away.”
“In the Bible it says that we are given every seed bearing plant for our use.”
“I’m impressed. Yes, it does say that.” I have a feeling I know where this is going.
“So does that mean marijuana is okay to use?”
“You think that’s what God meant in Genesis?”
He pauses.
I wait. I’ve got the time.
“Um…yeah. I do.”
“Okay…I’m impressed that you want to live your life according to the scriptures, not the government or local law.”
He starts smiling.
“You know what the problem is, though?”
Smile starting to fade…
“There just so many verses in scriptures that once you think you’ve got something figured out…you read something else that changes everything….Like Romans 13…Obey the authorities that God has placed over you because they are God’s authority. If you’re irresponsible with the government, you’ll be that way with God. Or Ephesians 5 – Do not be intoxicated or drunk with wine…the only thing that should consume you like that is the Spirit of God.”
Smile is gone. “Does the Bible really say that?”
“Yeah……..that’s probably going to create some problems for you in your marijuana hypothesis.”
And I walked off.
You can’t make this stuff up.
The Power of Community
This is part of a e-vo series through the New Testament book of Acts. Today is from Acts 5:12-42.
We talked last week about what probably was the real issue with Ananias and Sapphira. But we’ll miss a larger truth if we don’t consider the chapter as a whole. Something is going on that will not be stopped. It’s the power of community.
Who sells their stuff to give away to those who need more? Who gets arrested and beaten only to be released to go do exactly what it was that brought on the arrest and beating in the first place? What turns a man who at one point get intimidated enough by a teenage girl to deny Jesus into someone who stands before the Supreme Court of the land saying things like ‘you killed him’ and ‘He rose again’ and ‘it’s better to obey God than man?’
“It was the Spirit of God.”
Hard to argue with that but it was the Spirit of God using community.
The only common item among them all was…Jesus. Not beliefs about Jesus but the actual person of Jesus. That’s a huge difference and it’s played out right here in this chapter.
Peter and John continue to tell Jesus’ story, get arrested, escape, return to the scene of the crime only to be beaten again and told not to do it again. Then they show back up telling the same story. The Spirit of God was using that community to embolden the faith of the followers. The community was the Spirit’s tool of healing, encouragement, and accountability.
The San Hedrin was the other side of the coin. They were unified by a cause or a set of beliefs…that their religion needed protection. That God need protecting. The ironic thing here is that God doesn’t need protection. He’s never asked for protection. He asked us to proclaim Him, obey Him, and love Him. But not protect Him.
And so stands the San Hedrin as an example of what happens to any organization that has beliefs or doctrine as their unifying battle cry – it eventually exists for the purpose of keeping itself alive. Churches who rally around beliefs or doctrines at the exclusion of Jesus suffer the same fate. Eventually their true mission statement reads “We exist to make sure we exist.”
At the other extreme is the community of Jesus followers. They are free to proclaim and follow…not protect their turf or idea of what God is. They’ll eventually fall into the same trap and have to deal with it (Acts 15) but for now what unifies them is Jesus. The real Jesus. The one they saw and touched and smelled and loved. That was their community and the source of its transforming power.
Winter Park with Grandparents
Dad aka “Granddad” and Mary aka “Mame” hit town this past weekend so naturally – we had to ski. I mean…I HAD to ski…a good son does not allow his dad to ski alone.
They love to ski Winter Park so we got to try out the new Panaramic Express Lift to the Parsenn Bowl. The view was awesome and as you can tell by the pictures – the sun was incredibly bright. We could see the Valley as well as Grand Lake from on top.
Granddad is a pretty good skier but Camber and Coop led us all into some deep woods. Literally.
After skiing down the bowl side, there is a wide run to the far right that will lead you back to ‘civilization’ or you can stay on the left and ski through the glade. “Glade” of course is NOT the air freshener but it’s a fancy way to say “forest” or “woods” or “trees so thick bears don’t live in there.”
As a responsible parent, I was skiing behind Camber and Cooper and Granddad in case any assistance was needed as they were coming down the bowl. The only irresponsible side effect of this action was not being in front of them to lead them away from the glade. Camber was in the lead. Camber loves the trees. Camber is 4 foot tall and has skis the size of matchstick. She might as well be snowshoeing.
Camber negotiated the trees well. Cooper found out what happens when you stop in deep powder (you sink). Granddad found out how hard it is to turn long skis in the trees. I found out how well the trees muffles an adult father cussing out his adult son. (Even though technically…it wasn’t my fault. Yes, I did enjoy it but I didn’t cause it…sort of.)
All in all it was a great two days of skiing. Well, one day for Mame. She didn’t feel to hot the second day. Here are some pics of the day.
New Skis…A Ski Buying Primer
I finally broke down. It has been a secret passion/desire of mine since college to own a pair of big ole’ fat, wide powder skis. Why wide? As Pontiac said – wider is better.
Enter the 2007 k2 Apache Chief. They’re 188s with a 128/98/116 dimension.
Don’t have a clue what all that means? Let me help you out.
Length
188 is the length of the ski in centimeters. The other numbers are the width of the ski in millimeters at the front, the midsole (underfoot) and the tail. (Why do they use centimeters and millimeters? Because skiing developed over in Europe and they use the metric system. Like the rest of the world. It sucks but you’ll get used to it.)
Length of the skis typically affect how fast you go. Longer = faster. Generally speaking, you want the ski height to be somewhere between your eyes and your forehead. Unless of course you are doing ski jumping or are just a stud. In which case, you aren’t reading this post and you probably ski on 200s and look like a Nordic god.
Width at tip/midfoot/tail
Basic premise here is this – wider is better for powder and backcountry, narrower is better on groomed and moguls (bumps). Generally speaking, the narrower the ski, the easier it is to turn.
I’ve got a pair of Bandits that are 70 mm underfoot. Awesome for moguls, terrible for powder. The narrow skis tend to bury themselves in the snow. It’s incredibly funny watching someone ski these in deep powder…it’s not fun for the skier but will provide hours of entertainment for anyone else watching. Looks like someone learning how to drive a stickshift.
Wider skis give you ‘float.’ The ski sits in or on the powder as opposed to underneath it. Makes smooth turns in the powder and is awesome for busting through ‘crud.’ Crud is a special type of snow that is hard on the top but soft underneath. Conversely, skiing moguls with wider skis is akin to strapping two snowboards to your feet. It’s doable but not recommended.
Flex
The flex of ski is the most overlooked characteristic. Generally speaking, the heavier you are, the stiffer you want your sticks. More flex makes the ski more maneuverable but also makes it less stable at higher speeds. They call this ‘chop’ because that’s what the skis sound like they are doing – chopping. It’s all relative on one hand because what might be too flexible of ski for me would be perfect for you because I’m a 6’2″, 240 chunk of pure muscle. Or not.
Stiffer skis handle the higher speeds better and can plow through the ice and crud but are a bit heavier and harder to turn.
One of the coolest things I’ve seen is how guys test the flex of ski. They hold it upright, grab the top of the ski while pushing on the underfoot. See how far it bends over. I’ve seen a guy bend a ski almost in half like this. It looks cool and I seriously thought the ski was going to break like a pencil but it didn’t. I also swore I’d never put my big body on that ski.
So I’ll be on the Apache Chiefs today with Dad and Mary at Winter Park. I’ll post some pics later if I can.
Book Review: Climb to Conquer
This was a hard book to finish. First, Peter Shelton’s account of the 10th Mountain Division is thorough and impressive. What these men accomplished in the short amount of time they were activated plus the losses they suffered is astonishing. The men of the 10th not only served their country well but when they came home, they committed to making it better.
Most of the ski resorts today have a direct link to someone from the 10th Mountain Division. The rope tow and chair lift were used in battle to first save men. Great insights and stories.
However, I do have to be honest and say that the initial excitement I had in learning about the 10th Mountain quickly faded. Shelton’s first two and last chapters were amazingly well written with a story-tellers heart. Something happened in the middle and it began to read like a… well… a history book. And I don’t mean that in a good way.
What’s frustrating is that all the pieces are there, the research, the personal stories, how they fit in the whole of the 10th Mountain story, even the epilogue. But for whatever reasons, it doesn’t flow like a story. It’s a great resource and well researched. I just wanted more story out of it.
It’s Not Worship Until Something Dies
This is part of a e-vo series through the New Testament book of Acts. Today is from Acts 5.
One of the worst sermons I’ve ever heard was on this passage of scripture. The point of the speaker was something along the lines that God punishes people who don’t give all of their discretionary money to the church. Not only that but the “Church” (and I’m assuming he meant his particular church) is really the only legitimate place to give your money. Here’s the proof – Ananias and Sapphira.
What happens to Ananias and Sapphira is disturbing enough without the added dramatics of lunatic pastor. The key piece of information actually happens at the end of chapter 4. Joseph, aka Barnabas, sells a piece of property that he owned and gave the money to the apostles to use to help the needy. Was this required of Barnabas? No. Was it required that he gave all of it? No. He saw a need, he was a man of means and he used it.
What got Ananias & Sapphira killed is the object of their worship. Why lie about the amount the money they got for the property? Peter plainly tells them – the field was yours, the money you got from the field is yours. You could have done with it whatever you pleased. By lying about that and putting on a show of their gift, we learn who their real object of worship was – themselves. They wanted others to see them as generous and as pious as Barnabas. It had very little to do with worship or giving or helping the needy. It cost them their lives.
What is REALLY disturbing in all of this is how much I have in common with Ananias & Sapphira. No, I don’t have a stack of money or investments to sell to help the needy. But is this story really about the money? Money just happens to be what Ananias & Sapphira chose to leverage their reputation on. For others it could be lying about how much time they spend in the word or how much they pray or how much they volunteer. All for the point of others to be impressed with who we are and what we are doing “for God.”
I’ll be honest – I want others to think well of me. I want others to notice my good deeds. I want others to be able to say that what I do matters. It’s easy to get caught up in the worship of myself. In that regard – I’m a lot like Ananias.
The bottom line is God didn’t NEED Ananias’ money and He really doesn’t NEED my insight or humanitarian work. He invites to be on the journey with Him. Yes, it helps others but we NEED it more than He does. And I wonder if that is what Ananias and Sapphira ended up forgetting.
The Tragedy of Clemens and MLB
Tomorrow baseball will once again dominate the sports landscape and it won’t be good. There is not a good ending to any of these events.
Clemens – who got top-billing in the Mitchell Report – will go to Congress and say that his reputation and integrity is higher than that of Brian McNamee and Senator Mitchell. One shouldn’t be a problem, the latter may as well be Everest.
I can’t see how Clemens is going to win…even if he wins. The deck is stacked against him. First, he’s had 5 years to come clean and talk with Mitchell but he didn’t. Second, Brian McNamee has EVERYTHING to lose if he is lying. Third, Clemens behavior of late is one of a lobbyist, not of innocent victim of slander that he wants us all to believe.
On top of this, MLB seems to be the only organization that doesn’t know how deep of weeds it is in.
If Clemens is innocent and he never did HGH or steriods, then the Mitchell Report is a joke and MLB is in an even deeper hole than what it was because the independent research council failed. If he’s innocent then Selig and the player’s association will be shown for the self-serving leadership that it really is.
If he’s not innocent, besides the fact that he’s going to jail, won’t get in the Hall, and will join the likes of Pete Rose in infamy – MLB will show that it is about as legit as professional wrestling. Protecting its stars and the integrity of the game for the sake of the almighty dollar.
All of this dominating the news when they should be talking about pitchers and catchers reporting.
Len’s Pushing Through
Len Evans‘ new article “Pushing Through” is up at YouthMinistry.com. It’s about sticking it out in ministry. Take a gander at it.
Len is one of my closest friends whom I’ve never seen face to face. I’m dead serious. We’ve been emailing and posting and calling for I don’t know how long but we’ve never been able to hook up. But every time we talk, it gets to the “real place” in about 10 seconds. How’s your soul? What’s been the most encouraging thing in your life over the last couple of weeks? The most discouraging? The only major character flaw about Len that isn’t going to get fixed is his love of the Red Sox. It about pushed our relationship to the brink this past fall.
But baseball is not the point of this post nor is it the point of the article. Len and I have talked about how so few youth pastors make it more than 10 years in the ministry let alone in student ministry. The turnover is hard to ignore even though some would argue that it’s no different than any other profession.
Should some of those people never got in the ministry in the first place? I have no idea. To some extent it misses a larger point. The bottom line is this – if our calling was from God and on His terms and His timetable then only He can tell us when we are done. Often times that way past our limit of frustrations of hurt and I’ll be the first to admit that many of us quit before finding out how far God could take us. God seems to always push us further than we thought we could ever go and does more with our junk that we ever thought possible.
I’m not minimizing the hurt and damage the church/ministry can dole out on people. I’ve got my own scars, thank you very much. What I am saying is that Len’s encouragement of ‘pushing through’ is much needed.
My Favorite 10 Books
Darrin asked me for my favorite 10 books. I hope he doesn’t abandon his Halo practice to start reading (he really needs it) but these are the books that I’ve read over and over and each time I get something new out of it.
Messy Spirituality, Mike Yaconelli
Actually anything by Mike Yaconelli. You can’t go wrong by reading Yaconelli but this is my favorite one. You can check this out to see what I mean. Messy Spiritually was probably the single most influential book on my life. It forced me to rethink biblically what spiritual transformation is and what it NORMALLY looks like and to be okay with that.
Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
Another author that I have every one of his books and YES…I’ve actually read them. Only a one of his books gives me grief – Till We Have Faces. I’ve yet to finish that book with a clear understanding of what the heck is going on and a sense of enjoyment. Fortunately, this book is the exact opposite of that. It’s written clearly and plainly. In fact, the content of this book was lifted from conversations Lewis would have about Christianity in pubs and lecture halls across England.
The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
I have 4 different sets of these books. I don’t really have a great reason why. My son has a set. I have two. Then there is the big family book that has them all in an illustrated coffee table book. Any book that a family has 4 copies of must make the list.
Into Thin Air, John Krukauer
I wrote a longer review here about the book. Tons of leadership lessons and incredible writing. It’s rare to get an author be so vulnerable with who they are and yet maintain a clear perspective on the subject. Krukauer does this. I’m actually going to pick up a couple of more his writings…thanks, Robert.
Instant Karma, Wayne Sheldrake
Here’s another author who has that rare gift of being incredibly vulnerable without being myopic. I wrote a longer review here. I’ve actually had the privilege of having a long e-dialog with him as well as meeting him face to face. We hit it off immediately. I can’t wait to read more of his stuff and he actually invited me to go skiing with him…both on snow and sand. I will do both…and wear a helmet and depends when I do.
D-Day, Stephen Ambrose
Band of Brothers, Stephen Ambrose
I could have listed a few more of his books here. Undaunted Courage was spectacular (Lewis and Clark expedition) as well as his treatise of Eisenhower. Ambrose wrote history as story and made it personal. We often get an unvarnished look at our heroes, heroes that were broken but resilient. There is no better book on the Normandy invasion than Ambrose’s D-Day and I’ve read about all of them. There is no better narrative blend of history and story than Band of Brothers.
The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning
How does Jesus REALLY heal? What does Jesus REALLY look and sound like in a room full of alcoholics who are trying to get sober? Does Jesus really love the poor or is he only reserved for middle-class white America? After reading Manning’s insight, I doubt you’ll ever be the same.
Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller
Miller didn’t set out to write the theology of twenty-somethings across America. He wrote to figure out his own journey to Jesus and to wonder out loud if the Jesus he was introduced to as a child was anything like the real one. I promise you’ll laugh out loud. I promise you’ll find something you completely disagree with.
Endurance, Alfred Lansing
Shackleton’s story of “failure” in the end becomes one the greatest stories of survival and leadership. I’m actually going to re-read this book this year so I’ll save my longer review for later.
Yes, I could have list more but I’ll stick with these right now. Any thoughts? Any you would add?
While Praying With Cayden…
I get done praying with Cayden and she asks me…
“What does sacrifice mean?”
I kick myself for using that big word in prayer with her.
“Well…a sacrifice is when you give up something very, very valuable to you because you want to…not because you have to.”
She pauses. I can tell she’s deciding whether or not my definition is adequate enough to roll over and go to sleep.
“So Jesus was a sacrifice…right?”
“Right…our sin – the stuff we do and think that isn’t God-like – introduced death to the world. It is what sin does – it kills things. So Jesus – loving us as He does – chose to die for us.”
She looks at me again…shakes her head while smiling…
“But Dad, He’s God and he kinda had to do that, right?”
“I guess your kinda right on that.”
“Good night, Daddy.”
And I wandered off to think deeply of the theology of a 5 year old.
Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince
I love these books and last year after I read the 7th book, I decided to reread the whole series. It’s great story telling although by this book, you would have think that Harry and his mates would have learned a few lessons of perspective and trusting their friends. They haven’t and that’s part of what makes the book enjoyable and partly true to the teenage world.
Snape’s character is probably one of the greatest characters ever written. You’re lulled into hating him because Harry does. Although by this time in the series I found myself on multiple occasions wanting to chastise Harry for his complete lack of perspective. I guess that’s a sign of good writing – you find yourself arguing with the main character of the book.
These are just fun reads and reminds me of when I was a kid, staying up late with a flashlight under my covers reading the Chronicles of Narnia.
Sowing Seeds In The Face Of Death
This is part of a weekly e-vo series through the New Testament book of Acts. Today is from Acts 4.
Peter and John’s actions land them in jail. They are tried by the same men that sent Jesus to the cross.
What is baffling about the exchange is how the court never once disagrees or tries to disprove Peter and John’s claim that Jesus resurrected from the dead or the healing. Instead, the court admits that they are between a rock and a hard place. Peter lays it all out for them – this guy was healed by the power of Jesus – yeah, that Jesus. You remember the one you condemned to death and had crucified? He rose again and he’s the only way to God.
Guess who was probably in the audience? Guess who probably even had a hand in the arrest of Peter and John? Saul. Crazy, huh? Here are Peter and John with evidence that couldn’t be contradicted, plainly telling the truth and listening to it all is the future missionary to the Gentile world and author of half of the New Testament.
The only response they could muster in light of the truth were threats. Some things just never change.
Last thing I notice in the chapter is how stress and persecution brought the church together. They shared trials, money, and meals. They needed each other and they wanted each other. It’s hard to reach that place in affluent, comfortable western Christianity. And I think we’re less fortunate because of that.