To Tunnel Falls and Back

At 0h dark 30, Andrea, Kirby and I headed out for Eagle Creek in hopes of beating the crowds. And beat the crowds we did! We were able to park right at the trail head. We met very few people as we started up, except for some sleepy backpackers who were just crawling out of their tents. The trail was muddy, and the sky was overcast, but the lack of people made it all worth it.







Our first stop was Punch Bowl Falls. It was running higher than the last time I had seen it. Then, we paused for some pictures at High Bridge. This is a very high bridge!




















Then we stopped for lunch at 4 1/2 Mile Bridge and had some sandwiches and tried to get Kirby to eat his dog food. I didn't take any pictures of Kirby, because by this time he was a very dirty dog, and did not wish to put him through the indignity of being photographed in such a state. ;)


















I was amazed at Tunnel Falls. There's a tunnel behind the waterfall! I've seen some interesting things before, but this was just weird. So that was as far as we decided to go.















We headed back at an excelerated pace, as we knew the crowds were gathering at the trail head just waiting for the weather to clear, before storming up the creek. And clear it did. Just as we hit High Bridge coming down, we passed our first big party, and they didn't stop coming until we got back down. We ran into many dogs on this leg, but Kirby, who seems to have leash agression was quite well behaved. I think it was because he was tired, cold, and wet. He zonked as soon as he got back into the car.






















































That after noon, having showered, and washed the dog (now that was gross!!!!), we had burgers at Andrea's house with her folks. It was the end of a very long, but very satisfying day.

Retreat!! Retreat!!

I know, I'm late with this post. I'm sharing some of the pictures that other people have taken. The retreat couldn't have gone any better. Amy and Carrie did a fantastic job getting everything set up, and putting up with Sean and I. It was a great time of sharing and meditating on what the Lord has done in our lives. For me, it was a serious time of reflection. I think, ten years from now, I will be looking back on this weekend as one of the defining moments in my life.

Saturday started out on a discouraging note. Life just felt like it was pressing down on me from all directions. I got up and made an early morning Safeway run to get some coffee and bananas. Then I made some breakfast. I then crashed for a little while before trying to fly my kites. Unfortunately, there was no wind. That was a bummer, so I went back to have a pity party. I soon grew tired of that, and felt the strongest urge to get out of the house and do something. So I left and found a trail to hike. This was a time of soul searching. I've never examined my life in such a way before. I came back with a renewed sense of not only who I am, but where I'm going. That has been a crucial ingredient missing in my life until now. But, now is not the time to talk about that. Now is the time to show you some pictures from the trip. These are all stolen from Carrie's and Sean's blogs as I left my camera behind by mistake. By the time I got back to the house, there was a steady wind, so I was able to put all three kites in the air. Thanks to Sean for the kite pictures.

Coffee does wonders for Bible study

So I've been getting up earlier in the morning so I can get ready for work sooner, and have some down time before I leave. I've been amazed that it seems to be sticking. I have such a hard time getting out of bed until just before I really need to in order to be out the door on time. What's different I think, is that I do my usual morning routine, and then make some coffee and sit down with my Bible. I don't have to worry about anything else until it's time to leave for work. Well, this down time has alowed me to begin really digging into the Word, and also read more of it (I think I went through 1 & 2 Corinthians in like four days!).





Just the other day, I found something really really cool! I don't know why it's got me so excited, but it does. Lots of books for men stress 2 Corinthians 10:5, "...we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." I've always thought that was a great verse, but deep down, I didn't actually know how to apply it. How does one make every thought obedient to Christ? How does a person capture a thought to begin with?

So I'm reading along, and I read that verse, and then think about it for a while, and stop short. There's more to the verse than I'd been taught. It says:

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that set itself up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Did you catch it? Taking a thought captive isn't the action, it's the result of demolishing the things that set themselves against the knowledge of God! The answer was right there the whole time, and I never saw it. In fact, another translation puts it this way:

"With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer they're rebelious ideas, and teach them to obey Christ."

There isn't even anything about taking a thought captive. This is also a good verse on the cultural commission (but that's another sermon ;). Okay One Point Three, does everyone remember what the cultural commission is?

This is a great incentive for memorizing scripture (as if we needed another one). If I have verses in my head that will refute the rebelious ideas and thoughts that cross my mind all too often, then I have a weapon at my disposal that will demolish those strongholds before they have the chance to take hold.

Sorry I seem a bit over excited about this. My mind is a serious battle field in my life, and it was so cool to read that verse in a way that I'd never noticed before, and that I have yet to have pointed out to me, and one that, if applied consistantly, will score some serious victories down the road.




Well, my resume goes in tomorrow (unless they've already found somebody). Please pray for an interview. I'm still not holding my breath, but I'm going for all the way.

Nate's Smooth Move

So here I stand. Before lie the advantages and disadvantages of all that I've learned in Financial Peace University. Advantage: I have a fully funded emergency fund, so emergencies don't hurt as much anymore. Disadvantage: Those cash envelopes. They have been vital to keeping a reign on my spending, however, one can lose them as well, and then you're sunk.

Such an thing has happened to me. I have misplaced my cash somewhere, most of the money having not yet been spent on the things I usually use it on (groceries and gas). So there was a significant amount left in them. Prayer for their retrieval would be appreciated. Fortunately, I have an emergency fund. I dipped into it this afternoon, so I would have money for gas. Tomorrow I will be getting another alotment for groceries that will have to last me to the end of the month, unless my envelopes are found. Sean, I got you beat on the silly story catagory.

On a lighter note, I may apply for the open possition at church. I know, having a guy as an administrative assistant (secretary) is kind of odd, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I don't think I've ever had a normal job my entire life, so why try to get one now? I'm not holding my breath or anything, but I can see myself doing it. The question is, does God see myself doing it? Hmm... I do need His will to be done, so I would appreciate prayer in this most of all. I'm not taking it lightly, but as I said, I'm not holding my breath either, because there is always someone more qualified out there. I'm excited at the possibilities, but It's tempored with the knowledge that God determines my steps.

So, hope you are all hanging in there as well. Have a great week!

All Day I Dream About Soccer

Friday night. I was sitting there in my room, pacing back and forth, wondering what the next day was going to hold. I had done my best, but I had also dropped the ball in many places as well. The tournament was the following day, and I was supposed to get referees for the games. I had gotten only one confirmation and that person couldn't even be there all day. I had talked to the person in charge of referees in Kelso, but all she could do was call people and let them know what was happening.

So there things stood. What do I do. I knew I wouldn't have enough people to do all the games. I thought I should pray about it, but I felt guilty, because as I said, I had dropped the ball pretty badly. Why would God listen to me when I hadn't done all I could? How could I not do my job, and then expect God to do it for me? I decided that confession was the best place to start. It usually is. I hadn't done my job, and I could possibly let a lot of people down because of that. There, that was a start. It had taken plenty of pacing and worrying, but I'd started somewhere.

Then, came the real hard part. I could admit my fault, but could I ask God to provide in the midst of that? Could I let go of the day, and let Him work things out? Then the thought came to mind, Is it really about me? I must say, that stung. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my imagined importance, that I don't see how small I really am compared to the whole situation. God didn't need me to make the day a success. He could do it just fine on His own. He had extended to me the privilege of helping to bless a group of His children. I just didn't see it that way, so I didn't receive all the blessings that were available to me. I think that is the most disappointing part, but also the most relieving. God didn't 'hate' me because I messed up. I could still pray to Him, and place my trust in His unconditional love. It's interesting that He still puts His arm around us and leads us through a problem, even when that problem is brought on by our own actions. Hmmm...

So I gave it to Him. The whole day. Whatever came my way, I was going to trust that it was part of His plan, and that I could still lean on Him for help (funny, shouldn't I be doing that every day?). I don't know where that night is going to take me, but I'm pretty sure something has to change. A renewing needs to take place. I need to see that God extends His hand to bless me in these situations, and I need to accept these responsibilities with that attitude.

So...

Everything started out just fine on Saturday. Though I didn't have enough referees, there were plenty of volunteers who were willing to help out in that regard. I'm praising God for that, since I went in expecting to have none at all, and having a very stressfull day. But God provided, and the day went smoothly! Actually, He provided in some neat ways. First, one of the coaches of the teams that was there I knew pretty well, and I knew he was a ref. When he showed up, that was great. The most unexpected thing happened when I was reffing the deaf team from Vancouver (to read that story, scroll down through the pictures).



































































The smiling faces you see are from Tacoma Metro Parks. They're old timers. I've been doing their games for the past ten years! The girl on the ground, and the red-head behind her work at a Safeway just up the street from where I used to work. I keep comeing back for the familiar faces.

This one girl from another team remembered that I had given her a coin last year, and came up to me and asked if she could have another one. I didn't even remember doing that! I didn't have a coin to give here at the time, so I told her to talk to me at Fort Lewis in June. Now I have to find a nice coin for her to have. :)

Another face I enjoy seeing is a coach that just started a couple of years ago. She had a pretty rough start. One of my refs was trying to get her players to start the game right, and she didn't really like the way he was going about it, so she came up to me and told me about it. Then, she saw me at the big state tournament, and three time came to ask me questions about some confusing calls. By the end of the weekend, she was sure I didn't like her at all. On the contrary. She asked questions instead of jumping to conclusions, and we had some frank, but pleasant conversations. Now she's another person I look forward to seeing every year. I'm glad she stuck with it after what seemed like a discouraging start!


















The team in black is the team from Vancouver School of the Deaf. That's me in red. I had been doing their games for years. They new me, and I new them, or so I thought. As I was doing their first game of the day (and mine), I looked to the sideline, and saw Debbie, the wife of my high school soccer coach, and a certified referee! Mind you, I went to school in Tacoma, and that's where they live to this day. Apparently, her nephew plays for the Vancouver team! All these years, and I never knew that her sister has lots of pictures of me reffing their games!






































So that was my weekend. Hope all of yours were just as blessed as mine!