Helmet Cam Zipline

Nothing's ever boring in our backyard.

Picnic Table

We had some really high winds come sweep through here a few weeks ago. When I looked outside I saw that our umbrella to our patio set was laying on the other side of the back yard. After retrieving it I walked back over to our table to find the glass top shattered into four billion pieces (approximately). We love sitting and dining outside and to be without a table has stirred Mica to appoint me as project manager. 

We looked for patio furniture that might be on sale with the changing seasons but we were a bit too late to get in on some of that action. We decided a picnic table would be cool and I set myself to build one. I landed on some plans on found online, wrote down the shopping list and headed to the Home Depot. Now, if you're from Eugene/Springfield you are incredibly spoiled. I guess I've just taken advantage of the fact that our "Jerry's" is the largest privately owned home improvement shopping center in the country! They not only have everything you could possibly want they also have an incredibly well-trained staff with years of field experience, and they do customer service like non-other.  So I'm down at "The De-pot" looking for lumber for my picnic table and they don't even sell cedar deck boards! Ha!  Therefore I resorted to Doug Fir while the boys and I proceeded to sift through two units of lumber until we obtained all the best-looking boards.

I spent the next day cutting and sanding in preparation for the application of some kind of wood treatment (stain, sealer, etc.), which I wanted to apply prior to assembling. So I'm back down at "The De-pot" in the paint department talking to a surprisingly knowledgeable sells guy who told me that I had plenty of options, that is until I told him my table was being constructed of Doug Fir.  Shaking his head he told me that it was unfortunate I had not gone with Cedar, for now I would have to go with a full-color stain because Doug Fir does not take stain very well.  I call this “The De-pot Paradox.”  I miss you Jerry’s.

Swedish Fashion Is Here!

I’ll try to introduce you to some of the amazing people we’ve met here and share their incredible stories with you.  Right now I’d like you to meet Bijörn (as in the Swedish “Baby Bijörn” front pack), Nina and Lewis (pronounced Luisz).  They are such an incredibly fun, young couple with such an awesome story!

Nina has always had a dream to transform the fashion industry for the Lord.  They decided they were going to do this through jeans.  Through a series of unbelievable stories that reveal the supernatural favor of God on their lives they have started their own line of jeans called “Ninaqui” (pronounced Nina-key”).  A generous chunk of all their proceeds go to charity and each pair of jeans is personally numbered and individually prayed over.  The anointing of the Lord over their endeavor has brought international attention and unprecedented advertisement without costing them a dime.  One such story showcased of the winner of “Swedish Idol” (similar to American Idol) who wore their jeans at the final round of the show and which flashed several images of their design logo continuously over national television in Sweden. 

Check out their website and if you’re feeling spicy order your own pair of Ninaqui’s!

www.ninaqui.com

School Overview

October is just around the corner but summer is very much alive and “hot” down here in Redding with temperatures remaining in the upper nineties.  As you can see from the picture we’re still rocking the pool in the backyard (I’m so glad we brought it!).

I realize I have yet to write anything about my schooling other than “it’s begun.”  I’m two-and-a-half weeks into it now and this experience has been so much to take in.  The Lord is doing such a powerful work in me through the gentle moving of his Holy Spirit in my life.  He is affirming so many things in me through so many different ways through so many different people. 

Picture of the main building from across the parking lost 

The school is comprised of first, second and third-year students (interns).  There is over nine-hundred first-year students, over one-third of which are internationals.  First-year students all have the same lecture sequence and course-work curriculum, but get to choose “Activation Groups,” where first-year students are combined with second and third-year students who facilitate a variety of weekly, community-wide outreach programs that integrate the classwork with hands-on experience to see God release the supernatural in the lives of people through ministry in the marketplace.  There are over five-hundred second-year students and a hundred-some interns who have separate classes but work directly with the first-year students as part of their leadership development training.  Bethel has a discipleship school over on the coast, but the school we are a part of here is specifically designed for leader development for ministry deployment.

We meet corporately, all nine-hundred first year students for general sessions four days a week, Monday through Thursday.  We always start with worship, which every time is the most incredible concerts you’ve ever experienced!  Imagine nine-hundred people, whom most have sold and left everything to travel half-way around the world, who are desperately hungry to see the Lord move in power ways all gathered together praising the God of the universe, all led by some of the most talented musicians you’ve ever heard… it’s worth the tuition right there!

The general sessions are lecture style classes with time allocated questions at the end.  We have a rich variety of really top-notch teachers including senior leaders Bill Johnson,Kris Vallotton, Danny Silk, Paul Manwaring and many others (you can google their names to learn more about them).

We also are assigned to “Revival Groups” of about sixty to seventy people who are overseen by a Revival Group Pastor and an intern.  We meet with our revival group twice a week.  Even in the short amount of time we’ve been together we’ve got to know each other really well. 

I hope to “unpack” some of what I’m learning along the way through this blog. 

This is a picture of the "Alabaster House" which is a 24 hour prayer chapel on the property

Back Yard Moments

Having kids there are so many funny moments in everyday life that are such a treasure. Now days, with the convenience and capability of "phones," you can capture these beauties on film in an instant and share them with the whole world, or anyone who's willing to watch your backyard videos, mostly your own parents, at least not until our boys are old enough to do backflips off the roof in the pool on their bikes or something amazing. I suppose the rest of the world can wait for our back-flipping-boys-on-bikes while the grandparents enjoy their princess on the trampoline.

The Lodger

I told my British “mate,” i.e. buddy or bro, James, we were going to be getting a guy moving in with our family and attending school as well.  He refers to a roommate as “a lodger.”

Colton, “The Lodger,” was our neighbor back home who just graduated from Thurston High School in June.  I was his mentor this past year with “A.S.P.I.R.E.,” which is a program that helps students prepare for college and apply for scholarships.  Linda, the wonder gal in charge of the Career Center who oversees the A.S.P.I.R. program was concerned that Colton was not getting his stuff done to get into a four-year school for this fall.  It was kind of funny breaking the news to her that Colton wouldn’t be going to a four-year school right out of the shoot, but going to Bethel’s school of ministry… oh, yeah, and I won’t be here next year either because I’m going too J. 

When we were building our house five years ago I never imagined that I would be “college roommates” with the eighth-grade kid down the hill. 

Colton and I rode our bikes to our first day of school today.  Powerful, powerful stuff.  I still can’t believe I’m here experiencing all of this.  Truly incredible!

Oh, yeah we had to get our pictures taken at registration.

Skype

Oh the wonders of modern technology.  Can you believe skype?!  I had never used it until we moved here.  Now we’re part of the space time continuum where life and relationships are visually connected instantaneously through high-speed fiber optics. 

 

So far I’ve given my sister a virtual tour of our home, Grandma Desie has read the kids a bed-time story and we pulled one of Josiah’s front teeth before of a real-time audience (Papa Mike & Grandma Susan) all with my laptop over skype.

(Josiah before tooth pulling)

(after)

Behold, the trophy!

(Hang on to that puppy... it's worth a whole dollar at our house if you stick it under your pillow)