366 days

Tomorrow is my 1 year anniversary on staff at New Life Church. I expect cake by the way. I thought I'd share with you a few things I have learned, (or "learnt" as they say in Marysville) over the last 366 days. It was a leap year this year.

1. I learned about Business Time. Look it up on Youtube.

2. I learned that just because Pastor Troy doesn't laugh at your joke, it doesn't mean he didn't think it was funny; he was probably just thinking of something else at the time.

3. I learned that a Kawasaki 700 quad will roll a LONG way when tipped just right.

4. I learned that sudden stops frighten Jana to the extent that they produce high-pitched-shrieks. I take advantage of this whenever I can.

5. I learned what a male intern looks like in a dress and makeup dancing to Copa Cabana. And in a turtle costume as well.

6. I learned some new words courtesy of Bryan Reynolds. Appropriate words of course. Most beginning with the prefix "sick-".

7. I learned that if you keep asking for lime wedges at Applebees, they will keep bringing them to you.

8. I learned what it means to have a patient and forgiving boss.

9. I learned how to be a better worship leader and still learning.

10. I learned that I still have so much to learn, it isn't funny.

11. I learned that whatever I'm going through, it's not the end of the world. Unless of course it is the actual end of the world. In which case all the other problems I have would seem pretty small by comparison anyway.

12. I have the best job in the world. How many people can say that?

So I'm glad to call New Life Church my home and excited for what is to come in the next 365 days.

Moving

I moved yesterday, on one of the hottest days of the year. At first, when I saw the weather forecast, I thought, "Oh sweet, it's gonna be hot." Then I remembered about moving and I was significantly less excited. It was pretty brutal but I kept thinking "At least it's not (insert horrible job here)." I have been a lot of things in my life. I've been a pizza deliver guy, a fish processor on an Alaskan factory trawler, a dish washer, a fry cook, a courier for a laboratory, a barista (for those of you outside the Seattle metropolitan area, a barista makes coffee), a collections agent, a house painter, a church janitor, a landscaper (fancy name for a lawn mower) but by far the worst job I had was a granite polisher. So moving was bad, but at least it wasn't polishing granite. That made me feel a little better.

What is the worst job you have ever had?

Beautiful People

Someone gave me a copy of Jason Upton's CD "Beautiful People" over a year ago, but for some reason, I never listened to it. It sat un-played in my CD case until about a month ago. I was home by myself and I needed to get the house picked up before my wife came home so I decided to throw it on. If you've never experienced Jason Upton, you might not have any idea what I'm talking about, but if you have, you know. There is an anointing on that guy's songs, something that resonates with my spirit and soul. I was trying to pick up the house but I kept having to stop and fall on my knees, weeping. It was like an encouraging letter from a friend that got lost in the mail and arrived precisely when I needed it. I have found myself a rough situation of late, and hearing Jason sing "I will never leave, I will never leave you children, I will never leave you alone" Was exactly what I needed and need to hear from God. Had I listened to that CD a year ago when things were great, the songs might not have had the same effect now. I believe God has used those songs to minister to me in a tough time. Reminding me that I am not alone, regardless of my situation. Looking back at my life, I can see God's hand in my struggles, and in my victories. No matter what I face, I know that I am not alone. Check out www.jasonupton.com. You can stream his music 24/7.

Church Friday

Today is the first day of the annual Pastor-is-out-of-town week-long free-for-all bonanza. Wow, there are a lot of dashes in that sentence. I'm not even sure if I'm using them correctly to be quite honest. OK so it's not really a free for all bonanza but it does feel a bit like the days in school when we would have a substitute teacher for a day. Or the days, few and far between, when it was sunny enough in the greater Seattle area to have P.E. outside. To maintain an order of semblance, those of us who were not on vacation did our best to keep the universe in order by having service programming and music/media team meetings anyway. Had we not done so, today could have felt a little too much like a Thursday. If you are not aware, Thursday is unofficially the "Church Friday". Around here we take Friday off so we can have two consecutive days off instead of the "Monday and Saturday off" model. Which is nice. I've done it both ways and consider the current dispensation to be greater than the former. When we come in to the office on Thursday we all greet each other with a hearty "Happy Church Friday!" Also when we see each other randomly at Starbucks or wherever on actual Friday, we say "Happy Church Saturday." You'll notice the lack of an exclamation point at the end of that greeting. It is usually because we are in a crowded Starbucks in Fairwood* and it just isn't appropriate to shout greetings in Christianese there. You won't find Church Friday and Church Saturday on regular or "secular" calendars but they are found on official church calendars ecumenically. So today is Monday or, as it is less commonly referred to: "Church Tuesday", but it felt a little like Church Friday which is of course actual Thursday. It sounds complicated but after a while, you get the hang of it and it becomes "Second Nature", which of course is "Church Nature". As in: "We had our service programming meeting today" "Was it weird without Pastor Troy and Jana there?" "No, we've done it so many times it was like Church Nature."


*I motion that the Fairwood Starbucks should be deemed the official Starbucks of New Life Church and that all off-site church business/ministry meetings be conducted there.

Intrigue, rescue, danger, waterfalls, and knifeplay: A retrospective.

I think it's time to finally post my take on the events and happenings during my recent whitewater rafting trip with some people from the church office. I had made mention of some things in previous posts and I feel now is the time to reveal what really happened.

We had planned to leave Brent's house at 8am Friday morning. As I was heading toward 405 I turned the radio to hear the traffic report. I was encouraged to hear the people say that it was a surprisingly light commute for a Friday...except for northbound 405 between the Maple Valley Highway and the Kennydale hill; exactly where I needed to travel on 405. It wasn't really that bad and I actually made it on time.

Haley and Rachel had a little trouble finding Brent's house and we ended up leaving at about 8:15am. A quick stop at Starbucks to fuel up and say hello to Gordon Wayne Gunther and we were on our way. Traffic was light and we made good time stopping only for gas in Kalama, WA.

Once we made it to Oregon, we headed east on 84. A few miles down the road, we were ahead of schedule so we decided to stop at Multnomah Falls. It is an impressive sight cascading from a sheer cliff 620 feet high. You can hike up to a bridge looking up at the falls or continue on up to the top of the cliff. We didn't have all day so we were satisfied with looking up.

Back in the car, we continued along 84 to Hood River and crossed the toll bridge. The woman in front of us was apparently nervous as she was going 20 in a 35. It wasn't about the bridge either because once we got across, she continued at her ridiculous pace. We could see her on the phone, of course. The funny part was when we passed one of those police radar things that tell you how fast you are going. the limit was 25 and she was rolling along at 20. We were laughing because if we didn't, we probably would have thrown something at her car!

We arrived at the base for the rafting company and were immediately suited up with wetsuits, splash jackets and helmets. I can't say enough about the professionalism and courtesy of the staff at Zoller rafting. Check them out at http://www.zooraft.com/. It was hot and in those suits and jackets made it sweaty. We were introduced to our guide Jon and off we went. We shoved off in to the unknown. This is where things got real interesting. A few rapids into our trip we were having fun, getting used to the feel and motion of the mini raft we were in. One of the employees was travelling down the river in an inflatable kayak next to us. In the middle of a rapid, he turned over the kayak and it got away from him. we immediately went into Coast Guard mode. The guide told us to keep paddling and if we could grab the guy or his boat, do it. Brent grabbed the kayak and our guide pulled the guy into our raft. After about 30 seconds, he managed to get his boat righted, and away he went. We felt pretty cool. After that, we felt up for anything. We continued down the river getting soaked and loving it. There is nothing like nautical rescue to help you get over your anxiety. I felt like I was sitting on something and couldn't figure out why I was so uncomfortable. I realized then that I had forgotten to remove my wallet from my back pocket. Dang.

A little while later in a relatively smooth section of the river, I noticed something shiny in the bottom of the boat. Upon further inspection, I realized that it was a 7 inch diver's knife in the bottom of our inflatable raft. I asked Brent if it was his and he said "no" (He's not much of a talker). We asked the guide but it wasn't his. He was pretty freaked out by it too. He wasn't sure what to do with it and apparently this was his first encounter with aquatic/cutlery fusion. He put it away in a bag he brought and we continued all the while keeping our eyes peeled for other boaters in need of rescue.

The river was beautiful and the scenery was amazing. The climate is like a perfect blend of eastern and western Washington. Lots of both evergreen and ponderosa, volcanic rock and wildflowers.

We finished our trip and took an old school bus back to base. The facilities were nice, save for the communal changing rooms.

We began the trek home and stopped for costco polish dogs in Vancouver. We drove home on I-5 as the sun was beginning to set. It turned the landscape golden like it does in the summer. That is my favorite time of day; when the sun is at an angle and it lights up everything with an amber hue. It even makes people's eyes look cool. We arrived back at Brent's place around 9pm and headed our separate ways.

It was a great day and a fun trip with lots of memories made. Although multiple theories exist as to how and why the knife ended up in our boat, most involving Scooby Doo style mysteries, I choose to chalk it up to the fact that wherever I go, intrigue follows. Whenever I set foot outside my front door, danger is lurking. If it's not a knife in a rubber raft, it's, well, it's something dangerous. Of that you can be certain.

A quick plug

I want to give a quick plug to my friend Kory. He is an amazing guitarist and an all-around-good-guy. Excessive dashes again, I know. There is a link to his Youtube channel in my blog list. Check out his stuff, it'll blow you away!

Road trips and inside jokes

I got to go on a road trip yesterday and I love road trips! A couple of us went white water rafting. I will spare you the details for now but I will tell you that there was a 14 foot waterfall involved. One of my favorite things about road trips is developing inside jokes. Inside jokes are awesome because I enjoy awkwardness and when you reference an inside joke in mixed company, there is always an awkward laugh from someone who isn't sure what you are talking about but thinks they might know. Then there is the awkward conversation where you have to explain that the reference you made was in fact to an inside joke. It's not that I like making people feel dumb: I just like to laugh. So if you ever hear me say something that is obviously supposed to be funny but you don't think it is, just assume that I am making a reference to a hilarious inside joke. Because that's probably what happened and somebody somewhere is laughing hysterically. A-like so: "I've never seen a white salmon, but I have seen a white whale. Snap."

Hilarious.

Colbie Caillat and cabriolets

As a man, there are standards of accepted behavior in all facets of life. Some are more concrete than others. For example; Men should never own a VW Rabbit Cabriolet as their primary vehicle. I had a friend in high school who had one and we teased him about having a "girl car". He always said that it was a "girl-getting car". That never panned out for him however, and the standards were again reinforced. Music is another. I was on a road trip yesterday which was a blast. A few of us drove four+ hours to go white water rafting on the White Salmon River in south-central Washington. I will spare you the details for now but suffice it to say that there was a harrowing rescue and knife play involved. Yes, really. Anyhow, where was I? Oh yeah, standards. So sometimes there are songs that I just can't seem to get out of my head and one of those songs is "Realize" by Colbie Caillat. Not exactly a manly beat-your-chest-and-jump-around anthem but I love it and I am constantly singing it. This can be awkward especially when on a guys only fishing trip or some such endeavor. Trust me on this one. It can be disheartening to your fishing/hunting partner to hear you on the trail behind him singing "If you'd just realize what I just realized then we'd be perfect for eachother and we'd never find another." So on this road trip I cant remember how many times we listened to that song but I know that I kept saying "ok one more time". Again, not real manly but what can I say? It's a great song. So sorry to my road trip fellows and also to my fishing buddy, you know who you are.

Congrats Benny!

Well, it was a close race and it went down to the wire but Benny Hinn has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to win the inaugural "Who is your favorite TBN personality" poll with a total of 4 votes. Second place went to Paul and Jan Crouch with 3 votes and Kim Clement tied for last with "What's TBN", both receiving 2 nods. Thanks to all who voted and watch for a new poll soon.

That guy

Have you ever noticed that without exception, at every single kids event there is at least 1 guy who does not understand societal norms in the least? I was attending my son's end-of-kindergarten-concert the other night and I was looking for him. Doesn't-get-it guy, not my son. I knew where my son was, back row second from the left. Anyway, about halfway through the 6 year olds' version of Chris Tomlin's How Great is Our God, complete with hand motions, mind you, I spotted him. Actually it would have been difficult not to. There he went walking up the center aisle with his camera in hand, completely oblivious to the other 300 people in attendance. He boldly stood front and center peering in to his view finder declaring to everyone that he was "that guy". After, I kid you not, a full minute, he finally ducked down right next to the people sitting in the front row. Here is my personal rule: If you aren't early enough to get a front seat, you live with zoomed-in video. While that was pretty bad, I soon discovered that "that guy" had brought a friend. There was another. He sat a couple rows back and was talking at innapropriate levels all night. Toward the end of the concert, which was only about 30 minutes, he could be heard saying things loudly like; "She looks tired, doesn't she look tired?! Honey, Honey, doesn't she look tired?!!" The truth was we were all a little tired and talks-alot wasn't helping.

So I think society could benefit greatly if we would all agree to follow a couple simple rules:

1. Don't stand in front of other people who arrived on time to get a good seat.

2. Don't talk loud.

There are probably more but these will suffice for now. Send me your ideas for more simple rules.

The Design with garlic and butter

There is something about being on a river when it is early and light is low. When the sun peeks sideways through the evergreens, cedars, hemlocks and pines. When the spray from the water rises to cool your face. When it's quiet except for the sound of the river. When if you didn't know better, you might think you were the first human ever to lay eyes on this scene. To get away from your cell phone and just to be away. I remember getting away a couple of years ago. A couple of us got out and took our 4x4s as far as we could push them. Then we loaded up our packs and hiked in the rest of the grueling way. Hiking past old growth logs that were pushing through the soil when Columbus shoved off, and waterfalls you could measure in football fields. Wanting to quit but pushing on because the reward, we were sure, was "just over that next ridge." We made it to the shore just before nightfall, enough time to set up camp and get some freeze dried dinner hydrated. We wriggled into our sleeping bags and drifted off, our minds occupied with the morning's quarry. About 5am we woke without an alarm and got our gear on. We pushed off into the water in search of anything that swims. We caught our share of beautiful little brook trout and as we made our way around the lake I stopped and found a big flat boulder to lie down on. The July sun was hot even way up in the mountains. I managed to nap a little bit even though every chipmunk in the brush had me reaching for my bear spray. We stayed up there for 2 nights. I remember thinking as we were making the trip back down, that the entire world could have ended and I would not have even known.
I think the reason that being out in nature is such a refreshing thing is that nature, in most cases, is still how God designed it. The trees, the water, the air, the mountains are untouched by human hands. A small glimpse into the mind of God. His design for our planet is still intact and nature continues on the same as it has since He spoke it into existence. Something about that resonates with me and makes me want to go and experience the unspoiled. I'm not going to lie to you; if I can experience a few of those unspoiled brook trout on the end of my fly rod and pan fried with a little garlic and butter, it makes the design seem a little sweeter.

Monkey scientists

I was driving with my boys the other day and I was asking them about their recent trip to the zoo. I was asking them what kind of animals they saw and if they saw any monkeys. My oldest said "There are 100 different kinds of monkeys." I said that I would have to agree because I didn't know whether or not there actually are 100 different kinds of monkeys. If there are, I can't say I would be shocked. Then he said "I bet nobody can name all the kinds of monkeys." I said that he was probably right but maybe a monkey scientist could, to which my youngest exclaimed "Yeah, like one that could talk!" Now I was referring to a person who studies monkeys, but his 3 year old mind immediately conjured up images of a monkey wearing a white lab coat and holding a clipboard saying things like "Hmmm, very interesting." I assume if there actually were a monkey who could manage to keep a lab coat on and be comfortable around Bunsen burners and graduated cylinders, he probably could name all the kinds of monkeys. It would probably be pretty important to him.

Chains as tambourines

I named this blog after a line in a song that I wrote that says "I'll use these chains as tambourines". It was inspired by Acts 16:25 when Paul and Silas were in the prison and praising God at midnight. I imagine that they were in such a state of mind that they would have used anything they had to praise God, including their chains. As people that have been set free, we should use our old chains as instruments of praise to God and testimonies of His life-changing power. Our past mistakes and bondages serve as reminders of His goodness. They are messages of hope to those who need to hear.

I will try to begin this blog by adding an entry once a week.
Thanks for reading,
Sam