Merry Christmas

It's 10:44 pm Christmas eve. Abby and Emma are sound asleep in bed and Amy and I are getting everything ready for Christmas morning. I remember when I was a kid waking up on Christmas morning and just freaking out at the site of a Christmas tree surrounded by presents that 'Santa' had brought while I was asleep, we didn't even have a chimney.

Tonight I pulled a Clark W. Griswald and told my daughter that Santa had been spotted over Chicago and he would be in Seattle in 5 hours. Just then the thought came into my head of when do you actually tell your kids that Santa is just a big fat alcoholic who can only get work in the mall during the Christmas season. I also wondered if it is wrong, or to put it more clearly, how wrong is it to pretend to your kids that Santa is real. Maybe that is why there are so many messed up people in the world who are seeing psychiatrists, because their parents lied to them about Santa. I think I will tell her next year that Santa died in a horrible reindeer accident while flying over Northern Canada.

I hope that my family and yours have a great Christmas this year. I hope that we will remember what this season is all about, Jesus.

Yea, it worked.

Here are some pics of my trip to Chicago. Enjoy.

Jesus on a plate in the antique store.
















Ben and Rusty.
















Smile in the elevator











































The Groom












The dudes












Rusty took me to a Blackhawks game. Dream come true for me and the lame sized crowd that showed

One night in Chicago

I wanted to share some pics and memories of last weekend when I was in Indiana and Chicago with my good friends. Unfortunately blogger is not letting me upload pictures at this time. I have not had many problems with blogger, but this is enough to make me want to bail out and join another carrier, any suggestions? Until then, or until I can get my pictures to load here is a great youtube video that I found on my good friend Lars site. Heres hoping we see some pics of Chicago soon.

Christmas Vacation

Christmas is coming soon.

36 at the DMV

Today is me 36th birthday. I woke up at 1:30 this morning as Abby, our 17 month old was coughing and crying a bit. I picked her up and she threw up all over me. It is now 14 hours later and I smelled it again just in writing this. Anyway, it was a huge toss, filled with rice and something red. So now I am sitting at the DMV approx. 20 numbers away from mine. So far the B-day has been stellar. I am looking forward to tonight when Amy and I get to go out for a nice quiet dinner together, far away from throw-up and lines.

Off the topic of birthdays

Have you ever been away from your daily responsibilities for a while and when you get back you feel as though you will never catch up again? That is kinda how I feel after coming back from my friend Sams wedding. We had a great time, got plastered by a blizzard in Chicago and went to a Blackhawks game, but now I feel slammed. Maybe its cause I don't know how to rest, or maybe its cause its the holidays and I haven't got Amy anything, but whatever it is it sucks. Here's hoping you and me find peace and rest this Christmas season in the midst of chaos.

Later.

Ywam shooting update.

I am travelling to my good friend Sam 's wedding currently so I won't be doing a justice post tomorrow. I did want to take a moment and update you on what I know about the ywam shooting in Denver. I talked to my good friend mike today. Mike is from ywam vancouver and he attended the memorial service for Philip and tiffany in Denver yesterday. He said it was a hard and emotional service as friends and family of philip and tiffany. The guy who was shot in the neck is now in stable condition. He and tiffany were about to get engaged. Please pray for him and his hurt and loss. Please also continue to remember the family, friends and ywam Denver.
Thanks

YWAM Denver Shootings

Today a tragic thing happened at a YWAM base in Denver Colorado. At approx. 12:30 am a man came to one of the YWAM houses and asked if there was a place for him to stay. The people there told him that there was not and then he pulled out a gun and started shooting. Two people were killed, one is in intensive care and one is in good condition.

At 1st I wondered if they were going to get slammed with people saying that they are Christians yet didn't act like it because they didn't show hospitality. Then the more I though about it I praise God that they said no because if he opened fire while the house was awake and full of people I can't imagine what potentially could have happened if the house was asleep and he was in there. Please pray for the families of those hurt and murdered, for the YWAMers who are living there and for the apprehension of the murderer.

Below is a letter that we received an hour ago from Peter and Linda Waren, the base directors.

Dear friends of YWAM Denver,
Linda and I just returned from the hospital at 6am. Along with a number of
our staff and students we were awaiting news of our four staff who were
shot last night. It's with a heavy heart I need to tell you we just lost
two of them. Tiffany Johnson and Phil Crouse passed away in surgery in the
early hours of this morning, Sunday December 9th. They were wonderful
young YWAMers in their early twenties. Dan Griebenow is in critical but
stable condition with a bullet still lodged in his neck and Chuck Blanch
has two bullet wounds in his legs but will be fine.
Thanks for praying for us. Our whole community has been uprooted as the
base in Arvada has been declared a crime scene and no one can return to
their beds during the investigation. We've relocated everyone up to our
mountain campus, Eagle Rock, for however long this takes.
Please lift up the family and loved ones of those who were lost in prayer.
We're so grateful for the worldwide YWAM family that is reaching out to us
during this difficult time.
Your brother in Christ,
Peter

Read More

Theology

Last night our family put up the Christmas tree. I look forward to this time well before we actually do it, I think it is because I have great memories of putting the fake tree up in my house as a kid. So Emma, our 5 year old started talking and we were asking her about Christmas and she was explaining it to us. So, here is the true meaning of Christmas told by my little girl.

Evangelism

I read two interesting posts today on evangelism that I thought I would share. They are very interesting and a lot of good to be found in both.
David Fitch and Ryan Benhase

San Diego

So this weekend our family went to San Diego to visit our good friends Craig, Kay Charlotte, Ingvar and Jessie. It was an amazing time for our family. The reason we went was to talk about Mission Adventures international and how that is going to look. I will spare you all the details, but I do want to talk a little bit about friendship and hospitality. From the moment we got there we felt that they were happy to have us around. I learned once again this week what it means to serve. We were treated like royalty during out time there. We had great food, constant coffee and drinks, lots of good conversation and a trip to Seaworld. I just want to send a shout out to our dear friends with Mission Adventures in San Diego. We love you dearly, and you taught us many things this weekend about family, service, humility, transparency and friendship. Thanks.

Before I sign off I want to share one story illustrated by pictures. On the last day we went to La Jolla to walk on the beach and see the pelicans. While we were waiting for the girls to park Ingvar, Abby and I were hanging out watching to seagulls. Abby was eating a banana and a seagull took interest. He kept getting closer and closer and Abby was not backing down. Eventually, the little nasty bird grabbed the banana from Abby's hand and flocked off (flocked like a flock of birds, clever eh!) Abby was not happy, but we, and the rest of the people watching couldn't stop laughing. Here are the pics.