Here are a few pics and “phone” videos of the day! Went pretty well… I’m sore though.
Archive for April, 2010
Wildflower Century
2010
04.24
04.24
Today I’m riding the Wildflower Century in San Luis Obispo, CA. And from what I’ve seen so far, it’s going to contain quite a few hills. A friend told me that “you’ll either being going uphill or downhill… no long flat stretches.”
It was nice to cruise through the green rolling mountains yesterday to get here. There is something majestic about the California coast, especially in the Spring and Fall. I can’t even imagine being an early explorer that stumbled on these amazing sights. I stopped in Morro Bay on the way down and had the seafood lunch (chowder, fish & chips) followed by coffee at The Coffee Cottage. You you should visit if you’re here. They have a great location and a relaxing view of the bay, ships, and big rock!
I hope to post some pictures on Facebook throughout the day… it’ll just depend on signal strength. 100 Miles of shear fun (and work) just around the corner.
Being & Accomplishment
2010
04.23
04.23
I was thinking the other day about the spiritual discipline of celebration. It’s not often that we think of this topic as a spiritual discipline. But it actually makes sense. We should take time to celebrate all that God gives us… all that we have been blessed to experience because of His grace. We shouldn’t have to earn a moment of celebration based on our religious duties. We just celebrate being.
These discipline thoughts come from much of Richard Foster’s work in The Celebration of Discipline.
To me, it’s much like the difference between a birthday cake and a trophy. Trophies are the rewards of accomplishment and achievement. Birthday cakes are given just because you exist. Your being is celebrated… the grace of being alive verses a celebration of somehow working your way out of the womb.
The same is relevant in the areas of faith as well. We celebrate because we are alive in Christ more than just because we’ve accomplished much in His Name.
Got a reason to celebrate today? I think so!
Back from Mexico
2010
04.13
04.13
Well, I’m back from Mexico. Actually I’ve been back since late on Friday. It’s just taken me awhile to recover and sit down to type up a report. These were so many good, funny, spiritual, clumsy, creative moments that I can’t list them all. But I hope to bullet point quite a few amazing moments of the trip. For deeper details, come to the Mexico share night at HSM on April 21st.
Alright, here goes (in random order and significance… bold some favs with good stories):
- This was a trip bathed in prayer
- I’m not a fan of car rides lasting longer than 5 hours… 14 one-way is insane
- Mexican border/drug dogs might be past retirement…
Hecho en Mexico
2010
04.01
04.01
This weekend I leave for the great country of Mexico with the High School Ministry (HSM) of Big Valley Grace. We pull out early Friday, all 140 of us. I get to serve as the “camp pastor” for the trip — and hopefully an official fish taco connoisseur.
It’s been exciting getting to know students & leaders alike. Thankfully, I have had the great privilege of learning names, faces, and prayer requests before the trip. This knowledge has sped up my ability to connect with people, see the work of God in students, and have a heartbeat for what to preach/teach.
Please pray for me as I am preparing messages to deliver each night. I am really wanting the Holy Spirit to guide each night, even in spite of what I have prepared. I feel that God is going to do great things through those special moments of worship and teaching each evening; during the trip and in the months and days after.
I’d also ask for prayer for safety. We will be traveling in a 15 van caravan for some 14 hours one way. That’s a lot of driving and we need protection! In addition, pray for safety at the work sites… and the water. The picture below is of a few guys that caught a massive Oarfish in the ocean near where we are going! Really!? “Stay out of the water kids.”
Thanks for your prayers– to God be the glory. Reports in a week.
