Coffee and a Girl

I am in Cafe Fiore right now with my first cup of coffee in two weeks. It was bitter, but quite smooth. I have been on a water fast for two weeks where I've drank no coffee (well I had one sip of coffee during the two weeks . . . I repent), and then saved the money I would have spent on that cup of Joe and gave it to the Water Project. The water project is something that I am doing with Every Nation Campus Ministries in order to raise money for wells in Kenya so that some people there can have clean water. Coffee is a good thing.

I'm also here with a special someone named Bethany. We have been dating for four months now, and it has been so wonderful. I've found that being in a serious relationship is one of the hardest most growing things ever. I've also found it to be one of the greatest blessings. God has done a lot in me over the last four months. I have grown a lot, but I also realize just how much I need God's help to be the man I am called to be to this wonderful girl God has put in my life. Every once in a while I get to peek over the lip of my computer and catch a smile since we are both working across from each other. Bethany is so wonderful, and being with her has taught me a lot about trust, commitment, and friendship. These are also the things I am learning about God.

Life is hard sometimes. Living, learning, growing, healing, changing, forgiving . . . I'm learning a lot about grace. I'm learning a lot about unconditional love. I'm glad I have Jesus as my guide, but even more as the friend who is always there when I call regardless of my past neglect of him. What a blessing. What a friend I have.

Marathoning

This week I decided I want to run a marathon. I'm thinking the Seattle marathon would be fitting because I live in Seattle. Yesterday I went to Greenlake to run. I had the old ipod plugged in and was listening to some tunes (Queen, worship, Jazz etc.)

When I got done running I sat on a bench to people watch. With my ipod still on, "Mighty To Save" by Hillsong came on and I was struck by just how much God loves people. Not only that but I felt a renewed confidence in God. My heart went out to the hundreds of people i saw walking, running and roller blading (I didn't know people still did this!). I know many of these people don't know God. None the less I know he has plans for every person in this world. I felt a renewed conviction to Love people because God first loved me.

I've also decided to start blogging again. Run, blog, eat, work, sleep, and worship.

Pen and Ink

I've decided to post a few of my drawings from the last couple of years. Pen and ink is one of my favorite mediums, so that was the medium for most of the pieces. In addition there are a couple of pictures done in pencil. I enjoy art because in my opinion it is always unique. It's like photography in that you can never take exactly the same picture twice. What an amazing thing to capture a single moment in time. It's the same way with original art. Each piece is unique and can never be exactly replicated by another "original."

"The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection." - Michelangelo

"Hooks"

"Early"

"Pupil"

"Dark Possession"

"Dirty Santa"


"Beach Lookout"

"Rainbow Fish"

"Swimming the Rocks"

Trip to the Smokey Mountains

Dave in tights.

The beautiful smokey mountains.

My team. We won the competition.

Ashley and dave.

Our song in the competition.

Before we left for the eight mile waterfall hike.

Me looking for a place to go fly fishing.

The bridge on the trail.

The waterfalls (sideways).


The little falls.

Making A Quality Decision

me after a late night run.

I love fried chicken . . .

Last week I weighed in at a modest 164 pounds! (I've been 150 or so for the last 7 years so this is pretty intense). When I first saw the scale I laughed a little, but my laughter quickly shifted as I came to the reality that I was gaining weight because I had no discipline. A couple of weeks ago in the Every Nation School of Ministry my class and I were discussing the Bible and how it applied to practical living. We stumbled across 1 Timothy 4:8. It says:

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promises for both the present life and the life to come."

We focused on the portion that I usually skip over. It says that physical training is of some value. I know I have often used this verse to convince myself that since Godliness is better (as the text says), then physical training isn't of much importance. I got the revelation that I was using the Bible to say what I wanted it to say instead of reading what it actually says. Basically I was giving myself an excuse to not exercise, eat right, etc. I'll admit I got soft becasue I got comfortable and undisciplined.

Anyway, this week I've lost several pounds and have decided to make a quality decision to exercise everyday (in some form, for some amount of time). I'm the first to say I have tried to make these kinds of decisions in the past and failed at seeing them through. However, there is something about God's word that motivates me to try again. I can use the word to encourage me to a life of discipline.

I need to honor my body. Plain and simple. For me it comes down to disciplining myself (something I can be very bad at), and making a quality decision to honor God in every way I can. I know Godliness is always the most important thing, but I can't use that as an excuse to not be excellent in the physical areas of my life. Especially when the Bible tells me there is value in physical training! I think more than anything it's not about weight or looking better, but it's about discipline. I know I need more of that!

Mustache August Update #2

"Chico"

"Toni Braxton"

"Pam"

"Chip"

"Gerabaldi"

"Pepe"

I think I speak for almost everyone when I say "Praise God . . . the month is almost over.
It's been hard to keep the ladies away. This has been a real issue, but we are slowly learning how to deal with the magnetic attraction our fabulous facial hair.

It's been scratchy and it's been itchy, but it's also been an incredible ride. Stay tuned for the final pictures next week.

Jacob said to Rebekah his mother,
"But my brother Esau is a hairy man,
and I'm a man with smooth skin."
What if my father touches me?

Genesis 27:11

Dance Dance Revolution . . .

Dance Dance Revolution is so bomb. I just spent the last three hours bustin moves and burnin calories. As many of you know (from our recent leadership seminar) one of my strengths is that I am a maximizer. So, when there is some new challenge in my path I tend to take a hold of it with passion and undying fervor. It is in my nature to keep on doing whatever it is until I feel I have mastered it to a sufficient level. My skills in dance dance are far from perfect, but I have indeed began the journey into the world of DDR.

My head hurts from playing so much, and I only stopped because my roomate (6'5" 250 lbs) was going to kill and eat me if I didn't stop. Needless to say, now that I'm addicted it's gonna be hard to get all my work done. I'm gonna need some help keeping a reign on this one!