The trip is almost here.
Today I packed up my laptop and put it away. It's not going with me.
I expect that in a few days I will be completely, 100% not-reachable. Off the grid. No laptop, no phone, no pager.
Other than the email withdrawals, I am actually excited about being completely off the grid for the first time in like 10 years.
See ya when I return!
Joel
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
oops
This summer I am taking my family on a major vacation. We are going to the island of Yap. Long ago I lived there for a year as a kid. My famly has been to Yap many times, and I wanted to take my wife and kids. So this summer it is.
When we were last on Yap it was a US Trust Territory. US Territories are great because you can go there with no documentation beyond a driver's license. Despite what everyone seems to think this is still true. If you want to travel to Puerto Rico or Guam or the US Virgin Islands etc. you do not need a passport.
The astute readers will notice that I did not include Yap on that list.
Yes, when I called to check on what I would need for the kids I discovered that all of us need passports.
oops.
Now, had I not been in school and working and trying to be a husband and dad, i would have taken care of all of this months ago. But life is just beginning to return to normal, and I found this out with very little time to spare.
The LA federal building is a major headache to go to. Heather Barr told me that she waited in line for five hours.
Five hours.
Imagine being in line with two young kids for five hours. Might as well bring along an endodontist for a little elective root canal work at the same time!
You can't stand in line without an appointment. You can't get an appointment because they aren't available. So I called after midnight and found the first available appointment was approximately four days after we have already left.
oops.
But that's ok, because you can call and talk to someone as long as you are within four days of leaving, and they will schedule an appointment for you. Of course they will dictate when you can come and stand in line for a reallyreally long time with two young children. I think they also drip water on you slowly.
So this morning I had a brainstorm. We are going to Hawaii first. The island of Oahu has less than 900,000 people on it. By contrast the Los Angeles area is home to over 18 Million people. In addition, since there are only 18 of these places in the entire united states (and two of them are in california), people from as far away as Las Vegas or Phoenix or elsewhere have to come to LA if they want to get a passport in a hurry.
Now, let's think about this for a second. Which passport center do you think is more crowded: The one with 900,000 people who live in paradise, or the one with 18 Million+ people that live in a crowded smog bank? Then we add the other states who have people coming here, and suddenly the solution becomes very clear.
Get the passports in Hawaii.
So I call. I pick the date I want to do it. I say morning. It suggests 9:30 which is perfect. When I checked to be sure that I didn't have to go to LA, the agent told me that she didn't think it would even take an hour at the Hawaii office.
So my choice is go to LA and fight 18 Million people for a spot in a 5 hour line, or take a taxi to the passport office (conveniently located a few miles from waikiki beach) on Oahu and get it done there. No huge crowd, no root canals, no water torture, nothing.
Well, guess what we're doing while we are in Hawaii :-)
Hang Loose baby.
Joel
When we were last on Yap it was a US Trust Territory. US Territories are great because you can go there with no documentation beyond a driver's license. Despite what everyone seems to think this is still true. If you want to travel to Puerto Rico or Guam or the US Virgin Islands etc. you do not need a passport.
The astute readers will notice that I did not include Yap on that list.
Yes, when I called to check on what I would need for the kids I discovered that all of us need passports.
oops.
Now, had I not been in school and working and trying to be a husband and dad, i would have taken care of all of this months ago. But life is just beginning to return to normal, and I found this out with very little time to spare.
The LA federal building is a major headache to go to. Heather Barr told me that she waited in line for five hours.
Five hours.
Imagine being in line with two young kids for five hours. Might as well bring along an endodontist for a little elective root canal work at the same time!
You can't stand in line without an appointment. You can't get an appointment because they aren't available. So I called after midnight and found the first available appointment was approximately four days after we have already left.
oops.
But that's ok, because you can call and talk to someone as long as you are within four days of leaving, and they will schedule an appointment for you. Of course they will dictate when you can come and stand in line for a reallyreally long time with two young children. I think they also drip water on you slowly.
So this morning I had a brainstorm. We are going to Hawaii first. The island of Oahu has less than 900,000 people on it. By contrast the Los Angeles area is home to over 18 Million people. In addition, since there are only 18 of these places in the entire united states (and two of them are in california), people from as far away as Las Vegas or Phoenix or elsewhere have to come to LA if they want to get a passport in a hurry.
Now, let's think about this for a second. Which passport center do you think is more crowded: The one with 900,000 people who live in paradise, or the one with 18 Million+ people that live in a crowded smog bank? Then we add the other states who have people coming here, and suddenly the solution becomes very clear.
Get the passports in Hawaii.
So I call. I pick the date I want to do it. I say morning. It suggests 9:30 which is perfect. When I checked to be sure that I didn't have to go to LA, the agent told me that she didn't think it would even take an hour at the Hawaii office.
So my choice is go to LA and fight 18 Million people for a spot in a 5 hour line, or take a taxi to the passport office (conveniently located a few miles from waikiki beach) on Oahu and get it done there. No huge crowd, no root canals, no water torture, nothing.
Well, guess what we're doing while we are in Hawaii :-)
Hang Loose baby.
Joel
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Babel
I like movies. I like to watch them for several reasons. I find them entertaining, but I also find them very thought provoking. I like to see the way God is expressed through pop culture, even sometimes when the people creating the work do not profess to know Him. When I saw the ad for Babel I was very intrigued.
The awards buzz, including 7 academy awards nominations had me even more interested in this film.
The preview made it seem like Babel would have a very intriguing multi-continental plot involving many languages, and would really delve into the problem of language barriers.
Unfortunately, this is not a movie that lives up to its preview. Babel does deliver on a plot that involves the US, Japan, Mexico and Morocco. The problem is that there is only a loose connection between these places. The parents are in Morocco, the kids are in the US and travel to mexico, and there is an almost unrelated story in Japan that has a very small connection to the main plot.
The stories are all interesting, and they are all in their native tongue with sub-tittles, but other than in a few isolated incidences, language does not create a barrier. If anything, the most significant barrier is for the deaf girl who cannot communicate with speech. The end result is an interesting film that doesn't deliver on its initial promise.
The primary problem for me comes from the Japanese storyline. While interesting in covering the challenges of a deaf person in a loud society, the story is severely damaged by a disturbing amount of unnecessary nudity. This nudity is actually essential to the telling of this particular story, but there is virtually no relation to this part of the story with the rest of the film, so it feels very out of place. I would not choose to watch a film about a girl who gets frustrated by her inability to communicate and decides to flash people out of frustration. But that is what this one subplot "adds" to this film. It's a shame, because the deaf plot is really the most effective commentary on the value of communication.
Even if you were to remove this aspect of Babel, I do not think the film would have worked at providing insight into the language barriers we face in the world. When I first saw the trailer I was very intrigued by what twists and turns the story would take. When I saw the film, I found the loose connections unfulfilling, the cultural clashes to be underrepresented, and the overall film to be a disappointment.
Babel wasn't terrible, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the film, but I think I would have liked it more if I had never saw a preview for it and wasn't expecting something much bigger and more profound.
joel
The awards buzz, including 7 academy awards nominations had me even more interested in this film.
The preview made it seem like Babel would have a very intriguing multi-continental plot involving many languages, and would really delve into the problem of language barriers.
Unfortunately, this is not a movie that lives up to its preview. Babel does deliver on a plot that involves the US, Japan, Mexico and Morocco. The problem is that there is only a loose connection between these places. The parents are in Morocco, the kids are in the US and travel to mexico, and there is an almost unrelated story in Japan that has a very small connection to the main plot.
The stories are all interesting, and they are all in their native tongue with sub-tittles, but other than in a few isolated incidences, language does not create a barrier. If anything, the most significant barrier is for the deaf girl who cannot communicate with speech. The end result is an interesting film that doesn't deliver on its initial promise.
The primary problem for me comes from the Japanese storyline. While interesting in covering the challenges of a deaf person in a loud society, the story is severely damaged by a disturbing amount of unnecessary nudity. This nudity is actually essential to the telling of this particular story, but there is virtually no relation to this part of the story with the rest of the film, so it feels very out of place. I would not choose to watch a film about a girl who gets frustrated by her inability to communicate and decides to flash people out of frustration. But that is what this one subplot "adds" to this film. It's a shame, because the deaf plot is really the most effective commentary on the value of communication.
Even if you were to remove this aspect of Babel, I do not think the film would have worked at providing insight into the language barriers we face in the world. When I first saw the trailer I was very intrigued by what twists and turns the story would take. When I saw the film, I found the loose connections unfulfilling, the cultural clashes to be underrepresented, and the overall film to be a disappointment.
Babel wasn't terrible, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the film, but I think I would have liked it more if I had never saw a preview for it and wasn't expecting something much bigger and more profound.
joel
Monday, July 9, 2007
And now for something completely different...
If you are a mac user, you should pay attention to this:
Shareware developers work hard, and they create great stuff. Oftentimes, they make very little money. One of the hardest things for them to do is to get people to try their stuff, as if it is somehow not "legit" because they don't have a big company with software for sale in the Apple store.
But oftentimes they make really great stuff. A while back there was an event called "MacHeist" that was a ten day software sale. They sold about $350 worth of software for around $50 or so, and it was very successful.
Well, another company has taken their idea and run with it, doing a similar sale. There are great products offered here:
SRS iWOW - This is an audio plug-in for iTunes, designed to help your music sound better. My music sounds great, but I have Klipsch iFi speakers on my machine. Not everyone has great speakers, and this might help you get better sound of of your mac. UPDATE: Um, this plugin rocks, to put it mildly. I have great speakers, but this plugin really makes things sound great at the volumes I tend to play stuff in my office.
Garage Sale - Ever find that listing stuff for sale on ebay is a pain? This is a great product that puts a mac-like interface on creating an auction.
Cocktail - Easy access to a bunch of unix functions for your mac.
ProfCast - This allows you to create podcasts with video that comes from a keynote presentation (I think it also works with powerpoint if you must). Nice idea!
Amadeus Pro - This is a multi-track sound recorder and editor. Bills itself as a great way to transfer your records to CD...
Fetch - Now this is one of the apps that was personally exciting (yes I'm a geek). Fetch is a great FTP client that has been around for eons. If you've ever tried to do FTP from the finder, you know that OSX's FTP support blows.
Graphic Converter - This program is really handy when someone sends you a picture or graphic in a file you cant' read. Graphic Converter reads 199 different file formats! (and translates them to 80 more common formats...)
Then, if there are enough sales of all of this, there are three bonus apps that kick in depending on how many sales are made. The first is Little Snitch, a program that is designed to prevent programs from "phoning home" on you. The second is Intaglio, which is a drawing and illustration app. The final is Tech Tool Pro, which is usually $100 on its own. If there are 10,000 people who buy the bundle, we all get TTP as part of our $50 purchase price!
Ok, so you are bored, and you can't figure out why I'm pimping shareware. Well, I'm doing it because I like to see people create innovate apps for the mac. If this interests you, go
here to buy it. A word about that link: The original people who did this was a group called "MacHeist" and they have decided to try to hijack MacUpdates theft of their idea. What they have done is they are splitting the referral fee with you, so you get even more stuff for the same money. Go through MacHeist and you get four more apps or so.
Now back to your regularly scheduled theology rants...
Joel
Shareware developers work hard, and they create great stuff. Oftentimes, they make very little money. One of the hardest things for them to do is to get people to try their stuff, as if it is somehow not "legit" because they don't have a big company with software for sale in the Apple store.
But oftentimes they make really great stuff. A while back there was an event called "MacHeist" that was a ten day software sale. They sold about $350 worth of software for around $50 or so, and it was very successful.
Well, another company has taken their idea and run with it, doing a similar sale. There are great products offered here:
SRS iWOW - This is an audio plug-in for iTunes, designed to help your music sound better. My music sounds great, but I have Klipsch iFi speakers on my machine. Not everyone has great speakers, and this might help you get better sound of of your mac. UPDATE: Um, this plugin rocks, to put it mildly. I have great speakers, but this plugin really makes things sound great at the volumes I tend to play stuff in my office.
Garage Sale - Ever find that listing stuff for sale on ebay is a pain? This is a great product that puts a mac-like interface on creating an auction.
Cocktail - Easy access to a bunch of unix functions for your mac.
ProfCast - This allows you to create podcasts with video that comes from a keynote presentation (I think it also works with powerpoint if you must). Nice idea!
Amadeus Pro - This is a multi-track sound recorder and editor. Bills itself as a great way to transfer your records to CD...
Fetch - Now this is one of the apps that was personally exciting (yes I'm a geek). Fetch is a great FTP client that has been around for eons. If you've ever tried to do FTP from the finder, you know that OSX's FTP support blows.
Graphic Converter - This program is really handy when someone sends you a picture or graphic in a file you cant' read. Graphic Converter reads 199 different file formats! (and translates them to 80 more common formats...)
Then, if there are enough sales of all of this, there are three bonus apps that kick in depending on how many sales are made. The first is Little Snitch, a program that is designed to prevent programs from "phoning home" on you. The second is Intaglio, which is a drawing and illustration app. The final is Tech Tool Pro, which is usually $100 on its own. If there are 10,000 people who buy the bundle, we all get TTP as part of our $50 purchase price!
Ok, so you are bored, and you can't figure out why I'm pimping shareware. Well, I'm doing it because I like to see people create innovate apps for the mac. If this interests you, go
here to buy it. A word about that link: The original people who did this was a group called "MacHeist" and they have decided to try to hijack MacUpdates theft of their idea. What they have done is they are splitting the referral fee with you, so you get even more stuff for the same money. Go through MacHeist and you get four more apps or so.
Now back to your regularly scheduled theology rants...
Joel
Friday, July 6, 2007
Growing old
I went to visit my grandma the other day at her nursing home. She is at a wonderful place that specializes in helping people with mental problems live out their last days. It was a bittersweet visit. On one hand it was good to see her, and she seemed happy to be there. On the other hand it's very sobering to see a place full of people whose minds don't work anymore.
There was a very nice courtyard with people shuffling around in it. Two ladies in particular simply moved about the courtyard continuously, unable to figured out how to get out of the courtyard. At one point I opened a door for them and they seemed even more confused. I realized, sadly, that it's best to just let them shuffle around. There was another woman who is always walking around looking for the street. She very politely asks people how to get to the street.
I watched my grandma and grandpa sit together (he still lives at home) and they were clearly happy to be together. My grandpa read scripture to her, and his voice was loud and clear like it had been when he used to preach regularly, not quiet like it usually is. It was neat for me to hear that voice again, I haven't heard it in years.
Then my grandma went to the piano and began to play. One after another hymns poured forth on a very out of tune piano. The other residents took notice and gathered around to listen to her play. Every one was played from memory, and was heavily embelished. A lifetime at the keyboard really shows. After a few songs she was too tired to keep her head up anymore, and rested on the piano.
The whole experience was very surreal, but encouraging in a strange way. At the end of life, God's word is clearly the most important thing in their lives. While my grandma can barely speak or eat, she can still praise God with music, and she does.
Psa. 61:4 ¶ Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
Psa. 61:5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
Psa. 61:6 ¶ Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
Psa. 61:7 May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
Psa. 61:8 ¶ So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I perform my vows day after day.
It was very touching to see my grandma clinging to God as she waits for Him to call her home. I think this period of time is for us to observe what really matters when our days come to a close. The experience at the home was a great reminder that nothing on this earth is permanent. Our minds will go, our bodies will wither, and only the things of God remain.
Joel
There was a very nice courtyard with people shuffling around in it. Two ladies in particular simply moved about the courtyard continuously, unable to figured out how to get out of the courtyard. At one point I opened a door for them and they seemed even more confused. I realized, sadly, that it's best to just let them shuffle around. There was another woman who is always walking around looking for the street. She very politely asks people how to get to the street.
I watched my grandma and grandpa sit together (he still lives at home) and they were clearly happy to be together. My grandpa read scripture to her, and his voice was loud and clear like it had been when he used to preach regularly, not quiet like it usually is. It was neat for me to hear that voice again, I haven't heard it in years.
Then my grandma went to the piano and began to play. One after another hymns poured forth on a very out of tune piano. The other residents took notice and gathered around to listen to her play. Every one was played from memory, and was heavily embelished. A lifetime at the keyboard really shows. After a few songs she was too tired to keep her head up anymore, and rested on the piano.
The whole experience was very surreal, but encouraging in a strange way. At the end of life, God's word is clearly the most important thing in their lives. While my grandma can barely speak or eat, she can still praise God with music, and she does.
Psa. 61:4 ¶ Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
Psa. 61:5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
Psa. 61:6 ¶ Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
Psa. 61:7 May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
Psa. 61:8 ¶ So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I perform my vows day after day.
It was very touching to see my grandma clinging to God as she waits for Him to call her home. I think this period of time is for us to observe what really matters when our days come to a close. The experience at the home was a great reminder that nothing on this earth is permanent. Our minds will go, our bodies will wither, and only the things of God remain.
Joel
Friday, June 29, 2007
Summer Blast
When I was a kid there was a week each summer where we did something called "Vacation Bible School" that involved sitting in an old school house that our church owned and hearing stories illustrated by flannel graphs. As I recall, we did lots of crafts, and on the whole it was a fun, if rather basic, experience.
At HDC we host something we call Summer Blast every year. It has, at its roots, the same idea as Vacation Bible School: Bring kids in who are driving their parents crazy at home, give them a week to hear about God and have a great time. But we've come a LONG way from the days of flannel graphs.
First up, when I went to VBS there were somewhere between 20 and 40 kids or so. We had over 1100 in our auditorium (between 1st and 6th grade). If we sang a song, it was most likely either acapella or maybe accompanied by a piano. Summer Blast featured music lead by a kids choir that danced and had hand motions to every song. Two of the days they were accompanied by a live band.
The presentation involved drama and a movie that was written and produced in house. The special effects were simply jaw-dropping when you consider the whole thing was edited by a member of the children's staff at home on his iMac. There was a full sized volkswagon camper van on our stage, among other things.
Each day featured teaching by our children's pastor, who taught the kids from the word of God. My daughter accepted Christ this week at the age of nine. She has heard the gospel many, many times in our home, but it was Summer Blast that at last convinced her that she need to pray to accept Christ. She is obviously not the only one, but definiately the one that I care about the most in this crowd...
One of the really great things about our church is a focus on OIKOS, which is a Greek term for extended household. Essentially the 8-15 people you come in contact with on a daily basis. As part of this OIKOS focus, we actually make registration cheaper for our people if they bring a friend who does not go to our church. The friend is free, and our people pay less. My daughter brought eleven friends with her from girl scouts. Among them were two mormons and a catholic, as well as several that are unchurched.
Many of our staff take the mornings off from their "real" jobs to volunteer serving at summer blast. This is a testimony to what great people we have working at HDC, that they would be part of our programs like this as volunteers.
Summer Blast is my single favorite week of the year at this church. I don't get as much work done as I usually do, but it reminds me of why I put the time in that I do. It's awesome to see so many kids having a great time and learning about God. We've come a long way from flannel graphs, but we still serve the same God.
Joel
At HDC we host something we call Summer Blast every year. It has, at its roots, the same idea as Vacation Bible School: Bring kids in who are driving their parents crazy at home, give them a week to hear about God and have a great time. But we've come a LONG way from the days of flannel graphs.
First up, when I went to VBS there were somewhere between 20 and 40 kids or so. We had over 1100 in our auditorium (between 1st and 6th grade). If we sang a song, it was most likely either acapella or maybe accompanied by a piano. Summer Blast featured music lead by a kids choir that danced and had hand motions to every song. Two of the days they were accompanied by a live band.
The presentation involved drama and a movie that was written and produced in house. The special effects were simply jaw-dropping when you consider the whole thing was edited by a member of the children's staff at home on his iMac. There was a full sized volkswagon camper van on our stage, among other things.
Each day featured teaching by our children's pastor, who taught the kids from the word of God. My daughter accepted Christ this week at the age of nine. She has heard the gospel many, many times in our home, but it was Summer Blast that at last convinced her that she need to pray to accept Christ. She is obviously not the only one, but definiately the one that I care about the most in this crowd...
One of the really great things about our church is a focus on OIKOS, which is a Greek term for extended household. Essentially the 8-15 people you come in contact with on a daily basis. As part of this OIKOS focus, we actually make registration cheaper for our people if they bring a friend who does not go to our church. The friend is free, and our people pay less. My daughter brought eleven friends with her from girl scouts. Among them were two mormons and a catholic, as well as several that are unchurched.
Many of our staff take the mornings off from their "real" jobs to volunteer serving at summer blast. This is a testimony to what great people we have working at HDC, that they would be part of our programs like this as volunteers.
Summer Blast is my single favorite week of the year at this church. I don't get as much work done as I usually do, but it reminds me of why I put the time in that I do. It's awesome to see so many kids having a great time and learning about God. We've come a long way from flannel graphs, but we still serve the same God.
Joel
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Man Camp
What ever happened to all the men? Somehow our society has made it not politically correct to be a man, and that is wrong. God created guys to be men, and we need to step up to the plate and fill the bill.
Enter Man Camp. Man Camp is the brain child of my friend Ryan, who wanted to develop an event where guys could spend time doing manly things and learning what it means to be a man of God. The first Man Camp was invitation only, and I jumped at the opportunity.
Man Camp started on Wednesday night, with a great steak dinner and a talk by Ryan introducing man camp and the reasons for its existance. One of the really great things about Wednesday night was meeting Marshall, a friend of Ryan who demonstrated selfless acts of service when he setup our tent and made us dinner, despite not attending man camp at all. Marshall didn't need to speak about how a man should serve, he showed it.
Thursday morning we woke up and had a nice breakfast (bacon and eggs, plus leftover steak!) and then went out to the Rampart Range shooting area where we unloaded an arsenal of guns and ammo and proceeded to put them to good use. I don't know exactly how many guns there were, but personally I shot a 9mm, a .40, a .45, a .357 magnum, an AK-47, some sort of Romanian built SKS, a Weatherby 300 mag, and of course the 12 gage pistol grip chrome shotgun. :-)
After a shooting contest we moved over to the shotgun range and had a clay pigeon contest. It took me a while to get the hang of it again, but I still shot poorly. Maybe next year. Marshall was there, along with his friend Matt and one of the security officers from Focus on the Family. Joe talked to us about doing security for focus, why it was necessary, and some of his time overseas. He focused on the religious conflicts he witnessed, and talked about our need to know why and what we believe, as well as to be strong Christians.
After shooting, we moved on to the Pratt river where we went fishing and had a little lunch. Fishing was fun, I haven't stood around and fished in years. It is very relaxing. Unfortunately the fish weren't biting, but I was very successful in hooking many of the rocks that dwell on the bottom of this section of river. Are you supposed to go through a lure every cast?
We finished our journey for the day at Noah's Ark Whitewater Rafting, where we had dinner and setup our camp. The wind was outrageous, causing our tent to fall over and we had to move it and set it up where we could lash it to a fence. We finished the night around a campfire where Ryan was very open and transparent, sharing some of the failures in his life, the lessons learned and the importance of being a man of God. This time also involved a lot of talk from the participants. The mix of married men vs. unmarried men was cool, and I really enjoyed being able to give some of the younger guys some very frank advice about marriage.
After spending a cold night in the tent, we got up the next day and went rafting. Our guide, Dale, was very cool. He definately caught the vibe of our group and we had a blast. I have been rafting before, but it wasn't nearly as fun as this was. It was interesting to observe guys in other rafts not doing their job as men. It really drove home the importance of taking time to think about what it means to be a man and how to live it out day to day.
We left Noah's Ark and made our way back to camp, where we re-assembled our campsite. A man named Steve (who happens to be Marshall's dad) showed up and shared with us some great insights on parenting. He talked at great length about a 13 year old kid who had been killed recently, and the significance of the manhood ceremony that the kids dad had gone through with him. I was deeply moved by Steve's talk, and it really fired me up to think through very visible and concrete ways I can work with my son to lead him into a future as a man. Steve showed us a sword that he had made for Marshall, that included Joshua 1:9 "Be Strong and Courageous" on it. It's amazing how our culture ignores these values, and yet they are so important.
One aside: Steve brought his dog as an illustration. Rugby was a great illustration until he ran off and picked a fight with a skunk. After we all got a whiff of that smell, we didn't really want Rugby around any more, and we had to tie him up down wind. It was a very funny moment. Mostly the part where Zack said "Maybe he saw a skunk" which was followed by the realization that Zack was right, and then the incredible odor that goes along with such a discovery.
Saturday morning we had a nice pancake breakfast followed by a trip the bowling alley, where we saw the most amazing mullett in the history of mankind. We were only using two lanes, but we basically were the only people in the bowling alley, and it was a blast. We all had fun picking random songs from the jukebox and bowling up a storm. The first game was pretty rough, but by the second game most of the guys bowled pretty well. It was very fun, the first time I've been bowling since about 1992 or so.
After bowling we went to the house of Ryan's friend Roy. Roy is an MD who has the distinction of being one of only two people in history to deliver a gorilla via c-section. Roy is a stud. His game room has more trophies mounted on the wall than you could get if you went and shot the local zoo and mounted it on your wall. It was simply astonishing. Roy gave us a slide show of his life and of his safaris, and basically taught by showing the examples of his life. He gave us great instruction on raising kids, how to treat a lady, the importance of spending time with his kids etc. His success is evident not only by the trophies on the wall, but by the lives being lived out by his family. His kids are both very successful and it is apparent that they love their family. It's hard to summarize everything he said, but it also deeply impacted me. I will never forget this visit.
After a time fishing in one of the ponds by Roy's house, we headed over to Ryan's house to watch the UFC season finale and have pizza. I've never watched much of this, but it was very fun. The evening finished around the fire as we sat and talked about life. We needed coffee cups for the next morning, and so I borrowed my friend's Subaru WRX STI Limited and flogged it. WOW what a rush!!! It was so fun I couldn't wipe the giant grin off my face for days. It's a little car that weighs next to nothing and has 300HP. My friend Dave, sitting in the seat next to me, told me that this car could keep up with his Porsche 911 up to about 135MPH or so. Nice! It was, without a doubt, the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had behind the wheel of a car. Amazingly I didn't get a ticket or hit a deer...
Sunday we went up to Woodland Park for the best donut I've ever had in my life, and then we went to Garden of the Gods for a finale. On the whole it was a fantastic week. I salute Ryan for putting the time into such a life changing experience.
I arrived home to my kids jumping up and down with joy to see daddy again. It was a wonderful welcome home!
Joel
Enter Man Camp. Man Camp is the brain child of my friend Ryan, who wanted to develop an event where guys could spend time doing manly things and learning what it means to be a man of God. The first Man Camp was invitation only, and I jumped at the opportunity.
Man Camp started on Wednesday night, with a great steak dinner and a talk by Ryan introducing man camp and the reasons for its existance. One of the really great things about Wednesday night was meeting Marshall, a friend of Ryan who demonstrated selfless acts of service when he setup our tent and made us dinner, despite not attending man camp at all. Marshall didn't need to speak about how a man should serve, he showed it.
Thursday morning we woke up and had a nice breakfast (bacon and eggs, plus leftover steak!) and then went out to the Rampart Range shooting area where we unloaded an arsenal of guns and ammo and proceeded to put them to good use. I don't know exactly how many guns there were, but personally I shot a 9mm, a .40, a .45, a .357 magnum, an AK-47, some sort of Romanian built SKS, a Weatherby 300 mag, and of course the 12 gage pistol grip chrome shotgun. :-)
After a shooting contest we moved over to the shotgun range and had a clay pigeon contest. It took me a while to get the hang of it again, but I still shot poorly. Maybe next year. Marshall was there, along with his friend Matt and one of the security officers from Focus on the Family. Joe talked to us about doing security for focus, why it was necessary, and some of his time overseas. He focused on the religious conflicts he witnessed, and talked about our need to know why and what we believe, as well as to be strong Christians.
After shooting, we moved on to the Pratt river where we went fishing and had a little lunch. Fishing was fun, I haven't stood around and fished in years. It is very relaxing. Unfortunately the fish weren't biting, but I was very successful in hooking many of the rocks that dwell on the bottom of this section of river. Are you supposed to go through a lure every cast?
We finished our journey for the day at Noah's Ark Whitewater Rafting, where we had dinner and setup our camp. The wind was outrageous, causing our tent to fall over and we had to move it and set it up where we could lash it to a fence. We finished the night around a campfire where Ryan was very open and transparent, sharing some of the failures in his life, the lessons learned and the importance of being a man of God. This time also involved a lot of talk from the participants. The mix of married men vs. unmarried men was cool, and I really enjoyed being able to give some of the younger guys some very frank advice about marriage.
After spending a cold night in the tent, we got up the next day and went rafting. Our guide, Dale, was very cool. He definately caught the vibe of our group and we had a blast. I have been rafting before, but it wasn't nearly as fun as this was. It was interesting to observe guys in other rafts not doing their job as men. It really drove home the importance of taking time to think about what it means to be a man and how to live it out day to day.
We left Noah's Ark and made our way back to camp, where we re-assembled our campsite. A man named Steve (who happens to be Marshall's dad) showed up and shared with us some great insights on parenting. He talked at great length about a 13 year old kid who had been killed recently, and the significance of the manhood ceremony that the kids dad had gone through with him. I was deeply moved by Steve's talk, and it really fired me up to think through very visible and concrete ways I can work with my son to lead him into a future as a man. Steve showed us a sword that he had made for Marshall, that included Joshua 1:9 "Be Strong and Courageous" on it. It's amazing how our culture ignores these values, and yet they are so important.
One aside: Steve brought his dog as an illustration. Rugby was a great illustration until he ran off and picked a fight with a skunk. After we all got a whiff of that smell, we didn't really want Rugby around any more, and we had to tie him up down wind. It was a very funny moment. Mostly the part where Zack said "Maybe he saw a skunk" which was followed by the realization that Zack was right, and then the incredible odor that goes along with such a discovery.
Saturday morning we had a nice pancake breakfast followed by a trip the bowling alley, where we saw the most amazing mullett in the history of mankind. We were only using two lanes, but we basically were the only people in the bowling alley, and it was a blast. We all had fun picking random songs from the jukebox and bowling up a storm. The first game was pretty rough, but by the second game most of the guys bowled pretty well. It was very fun, the first time I've been bowling since about 1992 or so.
After bowling we went to the house of Ryan's friend Roy. Roy is an MD who has the distinction of being one of only two people in history to deliver a gorilla via c-section. Roy is a stud. His game room has more trophies mounted on the wall than you could get if you went and shot the local zoo and mounted it on your wall. It was simply astonishing. Roy gave us a slide show of his life and of his safaris, and basically taught by showing the examples of his life. He gave us great instruction on raising kids, how to treat a lady, the importance of spending time with his kids etc. His success is evident not only by the trophies on the wall, but by the lives being lived out by his family. His kids are both very successful and it is apparent that they love their family. It's hard to summarize everything he said, but it also deeply impacted me. I will never forget this visit.
After a time fishing in one of the ponds by Roy's house, we headed over to Ryan's house to watch the UFC season finale and have pizza. I've never watched much of this, but it was very fun. The evening finished around the fire as we sat and talked about life. We needed coffee cups for the next morning, and so I borrowed my friend's Subaru WRX STI Limited and flogged it. WOW what a rush!!! It was so fun I couldn't wipe the giant grin off my face for days. It's a little car that weighs next to nothing and has 300HP. My friend Dave, sitting in the seat next to me, told me that this car could keep up with his Porsche 911 up to about 135MPH or so. Nice! It was, without a doubt, the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had behind the wheel of a car. Amazingly I didn't get a ticket or hit a deer...
Sunday we went up to Woodland Park for the best donut I've ever had in my life, and then we went to Garden of the Gods for a finale. On the whole it was a fantastic week. I salute Ryan for putting the time into such a life changing experience.
I arrived home to my kids jumping up and down with joy to see daddy again. It was a wonderful welcome home!
Joel
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