Happy Independence Day!

I hope ya'll are having a wonderful time with family and friends!

I'm so thankful for the freedom we have in our country. Especially to talk with God and worship him. We're so blessed to live here!

I had the incredible opportunity to talk with our Real Life community this last weekend. God met us and lives were changed... I couldn't have asked God for more. Thanks to those who helped out and prayed. God is good!

Six Days

Days fly by.

Last week I was leading our community in worship and this week I get the opportunity to talk about prayer. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity to partner with other leadership in our community to bring together a very interactive experience. I'll share with ya a bit more later.

(by the way... this series is starting off well)

Take some time...

What a gorgeous day today!

After the little ones went to bed, I spent some time on our little porch overlooking the apartment's pool and played some tunes. There's something soothing about a quiet guitar and a warm evening...

I came inside and was thinking about the Pat Metheny Group. I've seen them once in Eugene and it was absolutely amazing. This song, "First Circle", is one of my favorites. Enjoy!



From a live Italian show in 1988. Note the hair and clothes! :)

Waiting...

Prayer involves a LOT of waiting.


The Steppe Eagle is one of the eagles that make Israel its home.


This Sunday I'm leading a worship set at Real Life as we launch into a new series on prayer. Isaiah 40 talks about the act of waiting on God and it's connection to finding renewed strength. As we trust, we're renewed... strengthened.

When I was younger, I had a friend who collected a lot of eagle statues. Very beautiful, hand-carved masterpeices. His life is a life of service and prayer... I think the eagles were a constant reminder to him of this passage.

I need renewed strength... I need to trust... I need the strong arms of my everlasting God. Don't you?

Introducing Wesley!

Our friends had their baby boy yesterday. (Doesn't dad look happy?!?) We've all been waiting for this joyful little man to arrive... and he's INCREDIBLE!

Congratulations Meghan and Trevor! I think he's a keeper.

Prayer

This week our community starts a new series on prayer... man, do I feel inadequate in that department at times. Sometimes I feel like God and I are sharing every experience and the connection is sweet... other times it's like we're roommates that never see each other except when there's a problem.

I long for a closeness with God that flows out of a life of continual prayer. So that when those I meet see me, they can't help but see him. He wants all of my life all of the time... not just when it's convenient for me to cry out to him.

All in all, I'm so glad he's such a gracious, merciful and wonderful King. He knows where I am and he's so patient with me. I have so much to learn...

Helpful Hints

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Talked with my dad this morning and wished him a Happy 58th birthday!

"You know Tim Russert was 58." He said in a sullen manner.

Yes, Tim and my dad were pretty much the same age. I've been thinking about Tim and his family lately. Wow... life can end so suddenly.

(I still think I cheered him up a bit by the end of our conversation.)


Anyway... I took my kids with me to the zoo today. We had TONS of FUN!!! Took some pics and here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Abby's first bus ride!
Overflow parking... what Daddy gets for going on Saturday.

Don't feed the monkeys!

Andrew and Abby hangin' around.

Ric the Rhino (animal name the kids picked for me)

Zebra... one of my favorites!

Remember when???

The Pleiades & Orion

This seven star cluster is one of the many sights Andrew (my son) and I saw at the Oregon Star Party last Summer. It was so cool to see it in real life through a very nice telescope courtesy of my friend Alan.

(God) designed the Big Dipper and Orion, the Pleiades and Alpha Centauri. Job 9:9

(God asks Job...) Can you catch the eye of the beautiful Pleiades sisters, or distract Orion from his hunt? Can you get Venus to look your way, or get the Great Bear and her cubs to come out and play? Do you know the first thing about the sky's constellations and how they affect things on Earth? Job 38:31-33

During the summer, we get to see this constellation about every night! Two of the brightest stars are found in Orion. Rigel (the large blue star in the bottom right) and Betelgeuse (the large red super giant in the upper left - one of the largest known stars)

It is the Lord who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name! Amos 5:8

Wanna know how big we are??? Watch this...




I was at Gresham Station Starbucks today with Abby, my daughter, and she saw these big baskets with coffee in them up near the ceiling. (about 20 or so feet up) She said, "How did they get those up there?" I told her that they probably used a ladder.

She said, "God could put them up there... he's very tall."

Today I'm thinking about the greatness of our God. He created it all... Even Betelgeuse!