Snowbound Snowshoeing
This weekend The Crossing had our winter retreat, Snowbound. It was a great time and it was nice to wrap the trip up with a little snowshoeing. Washington is absolutely beautiful and it’s great to get out and enjoy it.
Posted on February 24th, 2009 by David | No Comments »
I've Been Doing Big Things
I hate, yet love, those times when you have an epiphany about something and the significance is so great, yet you can’t understand why it didn’t come to you earlier.
In the moment when that happens you are so overwhelmed by your new found understanding, yet you feel a little stupid because it took you so long to figure things out.
For the longest time I have felt like God has called me to “do something big.” I’ve never known exactly what that meant, but deep down inside was the feeling that God created me to do something significant.
I always wanted that to be something in the spotlight, something that involved power and influence, maybe even a decent salary, if I’m completely honest with myself. To me that would be “big.”
Over the last 4 1/2 years, I have been in ministry and while I have seen the significance of it and while I have loved helping people dive into deep passionate relationships with Christ, I never viewed it as that “big thing.” I’ve always been waiting for something more. Something “bigger.”
Yet the other day I had the realization that there is nothing bigger than helping people come to personal, intimate, authentic relationships with Christ.
I know that sounds like such a duh statement for someone who is in ministry. But for me it was a profound realization. I think in my heart I have known the significance but intellectually I failed to make the connection. I wonder how many other people like me get that concept deep down inside, but fail to realize it with their brains.
Realize that truly, there is nothing bigger, more impressive, more significant than helping someone develop and grow a relationship with Christ.
Posted on February 24th, 2009 by David | 3 Comments »
"Prayer Tweets"
I’ve started prayer tweeting.
If you haven’t you are so behind the eight ball. Nah not really, but I would suggest giving it a try.
Here is what it means to “prayer tweet” in three easy steps
1. Pray regularly. Whenever you recognize a need or a blessing, pray.
2. Keep it short. One or two sentences max.
3. Each time you “prayer tweet” spend a minute or two reflecting on what it is that your are tweeting about and God’s involvement in that.
See, here’s the deal. If you are like many people, including myself, sitting down and praying for extended periods of time is a HUGE challenge. Life is busy, our minds wander and we end up forgetting why we’re praying in the first place and what the significance of prayer is.
However, prayer tweeting keeps you in prayer all throughout the day.
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Posted on February 19th, 2009 by David | 3 Comments »
Pics of the Spider Trap from "The Sissification of Me"
I figured that posting some pictures of “The Spider Trap” as mentioned in my last post “The Sissification of Me.” would be interesting.
So, this weekend while Monika and I were in Bellingham for Valentine’s Day we decided to drive past the trap and take some pics.
Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of it while I lived there, but these pictures will give you a pretty good idea what a dump it was.
I do have to say however that the yard did look slightly more groomed when I lived there than it does now.
I lived in the basement appartment. You can kind of see the front window behind the bush.
There’s a close up of the window. Wow, what a classy place.
That little basement door was the main enterance into the “Spider Trap.”
If only I had pictures of the inside. HAHA!
Posted on February 16th, 2009 by David | 2 Comments »
The Sissification of Me
For the next few minutes lets consider this blog to be a virtual confessional booth. A place of secrecy, confidentiality, honesty, probably a good dose of shame but in the end healing.
I am sharing this knowing that whatever is posted on the web is completely sacred, will never come back to bite me in the butt and is private and will not leave the confines of this web address.
…Phew, glad I have place like this to share my inner most battles.
Father, mother, sister, friend, random web browser forgive me for I have sinned. It has been over 25 years since my last confession via the interweb.
Okay here it is, the low down shameful truth…
About three and a half years I ago I got married to an incredible woman. At the time I was a full blooded man. Sports, video games, junk food, etc. 100 percent XY chromosomal goodness. But over the last three plus years, I have changed. There has been a shift and as hard as it is to admit, I have been sissified.
I finally admitted to this in the shower a couple weeks ago when I realized I almost had as many products in the shower as my wife.
Before my wife and I got married, I lived in a basement apartment that my three roommates and I dubbed “The Spider Trap.” I’ll let you guess why. During this time, I lived out of a travel bag, used whatever soap was available and the cheapest shampoo I could find. It often times was VO5 because I could get a bottle for something like 79 cents.
Oh, did I mention that this appartment looked Katrina wreckage and literally had to bail it out late one night with a dust pan and a kitchen pot. No woman would EVER live there. It was a dump and it was perfect.
I say all of this to make perfectly clear that prior to marriage, there was testosterone coursing through my veins. However, as I was standing in the shower a couple weeks ago, I felt the testosterone in my body come to a screeching halt as I realized that I had, face wash, body wash, organic shampoo and of all things, a loofah hanging in the shower (loofah – a word that I had no clue how to spell until I researched it for this post).
It was as if every ounce of masculinity was being exfoliated from my body and I was watching it helplessly swirl around and around in the drain before heading out to sea, never to be seen again.
Gone are the days of cheap grooming products and in their place are over priced moisturizing washes and clarifying shampoos (I don’t even know what a clarifying shampoo does, but I use it).
And so here I sit confessing, pouring out my soul, hoping that my story can save the masculinity of another fellow XY.
If not…use the loofah, your wife will LOVE your smooth skin!
Posted on February 8th, 2009 by David | 6 Comments »
Soundtracks
I often find myself wishing my life had a soundtrack like in the movies…
7:30am the alarm goes off – “September 22nd” by Nathan Angelo
9:00am settling into the work grove – “We Workin’” by Grits
10:30am meeting time – “Till I See You” – Hillsong London (Jesus Is Remix)
12:00pm grabbing lunch downtown – “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It is” by Chicago
2:47pm mid afternoon distraction – “Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin
2:50pm boss interrupts mid afternoon distraction to inform me of a substantial pay raise – “Brighter” by Paul Wright
5:00pm time to punch the clock and call it a week – “Where the Blacktop Ends” by Keith Urban
5:10 get let into traffic by nice elderly gentleman – “Whoever You Are” by Geggy Tah
6:00pm all out last quarter mile on the treadmill – “I Have a Dream” by Group One Crew
6:30pm BBQing with some close friends – “Summertime” by Will Smith
9:00pm cleaning up the dishes – “All Night Long” by Lionel Richie
9:12pm dancing around the kitchen – “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole
10:00pm bedtime 
– “Your Body is a Wonderland” by John Mayer
And then it would start all over again. A new day with a whole new set of musical embellishment.
Posted on February 2nd, 2009 by David | 7 Comments »
