Decisions....

We are very decisive people. We make decisions, and run with them.

I like that about us. I like it that we choose to live our lives, or, maybe better put, the lives God gave us....decisively.

We value decisions made in the best possible manner...

Decisions based on wise thinking, wise friends, the Holy Spirit, wisdom from scripture, wise examples from others...

Sometimes the decisions we make are naive...but at least we make our own decisions....

There is huge freedom in "choice"...we have the choice for how to live the lives God gave us.

And now....in this approaching new season....we choose again: how to love each other, how to love a child, how to parent, how to have adventures (both personal and familial), how to be good friends to others...

...and in these things...and others....we will have to make decisions...

i like that

went to...

the beach the other day

took a picture of what I saw

messed with the pic a bit...

cause it felt more like...


last week's Vancouver forecast: rain
this week's Vancouver forecast: rain
next week's Vancouver forcast: rain

....ahhh but somewhere, in the distance (notice the pic) its snowing....

preaching...(updated)

you know....

one of my greatest privileges in my life is the regular act of preaching...

I realized it, 10 years ago, when I preached my first sermon...I realized it, the second I opened my mouth in front of the congregation of First Presbyterian Church, Fresno, California. It was scary and somehow "right", all in the same moment.

it was...in this church...in front of this congregation


Now, I preach every week for High school Students, but don't get recorded for the fam back home to hear....

so...for anyone that's interested in what's goin' on in/through my heart and mind these days...here ya go: my latest sermon

if you missed Heidi's last sermon: go here

34 weeks pregnant

Yay!

Man...this pregnancy thing is cool....

It's cool to think...."wow, this is happening"...."and in 6 weeks....this baby could be born"

FREEK OUT TIME....

nah...its cool, we're takin it in stride....

Here are some pics to celebrate our day....

took a walk to the beach....on a nice cool crisp fall morning

Heidi....poppin at 34 weeks


cool, eh?

This is about as mad as heidi gets...this look says.."can you please stop taking pictures of me"

I posted this one because I knew it would make her scream....muahaha

all in all...a great morning

we are so blessed....

We're Dating...

Heidi and I started Dating...over 6 years ago....and we haven't stopped.

In the days where we lived apart, before we were married, after work on Friday, I would travel 4 hours, south, to Long Beach in time for a walk and dessert....

food + intentional conversation = date

That lasted for 2 years.

Then...we moved to Canada. I was in school full-time, and Heidi, in the beginning, was having trouble finding a job. But still, every Friday night, we shared a mocha at Starbucks...and called it a date.

food + intentional conversation = date

That lasted for 2 months.

Heidi found a job...and we started having more expensive date nights: 4 slices of crappy pizza and 2 pops for $6.

food + intentional conversation = date

That lasted for 1 year

Heidi and I both started working a new job...at a church. Our date nights were changed forever...we dated on Saturdays....and it was a full-on dinner...$25.

That lasted for 3 years

So, a couple nights ago...we dated. Again. Like always.


food + intentional conversation = date

and we're hoping...this lasts, forever.

33 weeks pregnant!

Yay!

To celebrate, we went to the climbing gym this morning....

Why? Cause' its fun! Cause it's good exercise! Cause it's a great way to hang out!

We went with our friend Dan, who we call, "Dan the man"....and had a really good time pulling on plastic and gettin worked (well, me and Dan got worked...Heidi takes it pretty chill(ish)...does a dozen routes and climbs sets of stairs)

Here are some pics:

Heidi...climber girl and mom to be

still crankin overhanging 5.10c with 25 extra pounds

Recently, Heidi and I were participants in a hoe-down at our church. We got our hoe-down on and had a fun time....Heidi liked the exercise...and I liked wearing suspenders. yee-haw

In other news....we may be going down to Mt. Baker with our friend "Dan the man" for a little fall season ice climbing on the seracs....which should be fun. Heidi will come for the hike in and take pictures and I will climb my heart out.

Here's a pic from last season's ice adventure with Dan



Alrighty then...time to go....peace out yo....
leading some meetings this afternoon
planning a bible study
speaking at Alpha tonight...
then if time.....goin to the climbing gym for a quick burn.

I think...

I'm nesting. I've heard it happens....or something. I think I've got it...or something.

Anyway.

The space used to represent: learning, theology, study, devotion, discipleship, thought.


It now represents...

new life and new adventures.




We can't wait to welcome him/her into our lives.

Today....

Goin to the gym to climb things- morning
Goin to Starbucks - afternoon
Goin to do a crap load of errands for tonight- afternoon
Goin to the office for meetings - late afternoon
Goin to a country hoe-down with 60 teens - evening
Goin home @ 11pm - late evening
Goin to bed - tomorrow morning

Workin...

Ya know....

It's such a privilege...doing what we do. Such a cool privilege.

To care for others (and be cared for...and my students care for me...a broken man being mended by God)...to mentor, lead, encourage, challenge, equip, and discipline.

It NEVER gets old.

We are pastors to students.

Junior High students -- High School students -- College students

I used to think, "Workin' for a church is a sucky job"...."especially working as a pastor to students"...."youth pastor jobs are stepping stone jobs until you get something better"....

But...I just realized something...including the ministry I did full-time before coming to Vancouver...this is my 6th year of student ministry...

...and ya know, I could do it for another 6. Without a doubt. Oh how I've been changed...

Student ministry is the most exciting, rewarding, challenging adventure I have ever particpated in. Harder than any mountain, rock face, marathon etc...

There is SO much for God to do....

It's cool to work alongside the wounded healer...as a wounded healer.

Sundays

Sunday's usually leave me feelin' like a train wreck. The realities of the week behind me, the duties of the day, and the challanges of the week ahead...leave me feeling tired.

Now, I'm not here to virtually whine...so here's what I'm going to do about it.

1. I'm going to post a picture that makes me remember a good adventure


...ahh, that's better. I already feel better...

2. Go to bed early (like in an hour)

3. Don't wake up to an alarm tomorrow

4. Go on a walk and drink coffee to wake up no matter what the weather is like

5. Climb something in the afternoon

6. Watch a movie

7. Chill with a friend

8. Go to sleep early

.....I am looking forward to sabbath rest. coolness...

Climbing Gym morning session....

Before work...it's nice to get a couple hours of climbing in...

Today....was such a fun day pulling on plastic. It was raining, cold, and windy outside....but inside... it was lovely.

Heidi....walked stairs today....


and did some pull up sets off of a climbing hold...

and i did some bouldering
yay
good times....

A declaration and prayer

Wrote this in my journal the other day:

I am not proud of the man I am. I certainly succeed, have friends, inspire others, have a healthy marriage. But behind it all is an undisciplined man. This record is my humble attempt to become God's disciplined man. I pray that these small steps toward discipline and diligence, would usher in a healthy man: body, mind, soul, spirit.

Wrote this....a bit down the page...after identifying areas in my life where I have become undisciplined.

Father. I don't want to "self help" my way to health. I want to be Spirit led. Deeper in Lord, but deeper up also. Jesus, may my body, mind, soul, and spirit experience your vision for the man you desire me to become. Amen

Never give up. Never.

Great time of year

Was savin' this post for tomorrow...since Heidi will be officially 31 weeks...but I just couldn't help myself...after all, my previous post this morning didn't have photos...and for that, I felt guilty.

I am LOVING this time of year. Colors. SO many colors. Gotta be one of my favorite months of the year. But there is also something else to enjoy....31 weeks of carrying a little baby! So cool. It sure feels like an undeserved blessing and a mysterious opportunity.

Here are some pics to celebrate the day and wife...

This is the tree outside of our bedroom window

the sidewalk we pass through, most mornings, on our way to the coffee shop

The pumpkin that was grown in our front yard

The one and only, Heidi White, at 31 weeks! Yay :)

Heyo

What up! We are well....last night we went to a meeting with a bunch of pregnant mothers and their partners. It was a class, put on by our midwife. We went over the birthing process, and even got to watch this really cool movie on birth...it had really helpful digital images which helped me better understand what's happening and going to happen in Heidi's body. I caught myself having such a deep appreciation/ awe for how God made all this stuff work so perfectly. So cool.

After the meeting we went to the climbing gym. It was nice to see some friends, boulder/ do a couple of routes, and just chill. People always look at Heidi funny, when she ties into a rope.....new climbers usually ask: "is that a pregnancy harness?" We always laugh (inside ourselves) because there is NO SUCH THING. We just say, "No, its a harness made for aid climbing, but it works well for pregnant ladies with big bellies". I'll have to say....its pretty inspiring to see Heidi carrying up 24 extra pounds up a vertical/ overhanging wall....and somehow...she's still having fun. Pretty cool.

Anyway...today should be a rather long day...usually on Wednesday's we work for 10 hours...so that's not really fun....but it's good.

Peace all

Heidi's latest sermon

Listen to it...here!

(The audio file starts with scripture is being read in two languages...and Heidi starts about 4 minutes in)

Adventure

Just got back from a fantastic hunting trip with my buddy Steve. Steve is a very experienced hunter...and it was my first time. It was like school...and Steve's a good teacher. We didn't get our objective: deer...but we had a lot of fun exploring a WILD area, far from anybody/ anything.

Here are some pics from our adventure:



The trip involved....biking uphill with heavy packs for hours, an awesome fire, exploring a new area, learning the ins and outs of hunting, and getting a 5star sample of some wild terrain. Cool stuff...

Glad to be back in my own bed though...cause I forgot my sleeping pad and had to sleep on my pack which was soaked...which sucked. Ha...oops!

Heidi is preaching tomorrow

Yeah....she's doin it!

She has preached before...done it a few times with me, and a couple times by herself for highschoolers, but this time she has been asked to preach in the main service.

She is really excited!

Headin to the hills...

Yo....I REALLY want to get outside. So...on sunday afternoon, me and my friend Steve are going on an adventure....into the woods with exploring on our mind....a raging fire, brew, meat, and laughter are on the agenda for the evening then a fun day in the hills on monday until we return.

This is gonna be fun...

Yo G's...

Just got back from Kelowna...visiting our Oma and Opa (german grandparents). They ROCK. Hard core, yo (I don't know why I'm talking that that right now). They are very cool, vibrant, generous, followers of Jesus. We like hanging out with them.

Here are some pics from our time together:

they got us baby white's crib!...thanks a ton!...I'm gonna sleep in it tonight to test it out...jk

It gonna be Oma's 84th birthday pretty soon. The fam got her some peerrrrty flowers...



Heidi is doing well (29.5 weeks)....healthy, having fun, and enjoying thinking about inviting this little kid into our lives. Kelowna is great...cuase Heidi can walk around the track and do stairs at the local stadium right next to Oma and Opa's place. This was a PERFECT weekend for that....absolutely perfect weather for being outside.

all in all....great weekend!

Passion...

Some days ago I was sitting with a friend over a cup of coffee. He said to me, “You’re a man of many passions.” I responded defensively with, “No, no. I’m pretty simple, really: eat, sleep, invest in relationships, have fun…that’s pretty much it.” The look on his face told me I didn’t know what the heck I was talking about. But over the next two days, I just couldn’t shake it. Was he right? I began to think about all the things that I’m “in to”. So I created a list. Now, for something to make the list, and therefore be called a “passion,” it has to:

1. be something I’m currently involved in and have a long-ish track record of participating in it.;

2. create a regular experience of a high-level enjoyment , which rarely fades.

Here it goes (in no specific order or priority):

SPORTS

Basketball

Golf

Mountaineering

Ice Climbing

Rock Climbing (Sport & Trad)

Bouldering

Scrambling

Hiking

Cycling

Running

Kayaking/Canoeing

Skiing

Snowshoeing

ENTERTAINMENT

Watching movies (mainly rentals)

Attending Broadway musicals or live theater

TECHNOLOGY

Cameras (digital and SLR)

Mac laptops

Bicycles

Sporting gear (specifically for the passions under the “sports” category)

Engines

Any tool

RELATIONSHIPS

Jesus

Heidi & baby

Family

Friends

Church community

THINGS I SHOULDN’T BE IN TO BUT I AM

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Boxing

Cool shoes

AUTOMOTIVE

4x4’s/ Rock Crawlers

2^nd generation 4Runners

American muscle cars (specifically: Chevy Chevelle, Dodge Charger)

The McLaren F1

Motorcycles

EDUCATIONAL

I enjoy learning about all my passions.

Studying theology (specifically, missiology)

HOBBIES

Ping pong

Building things with wood

Knowing about knots with rope

Reading (particularly adventure and travel literature)

Learning

Working on cars

Riding motorcycles

Sailing

Writing poetry

Photography

Blogging

ADVENTURE

Going on road trips

Going to the mountains

Travelling to other countries

Following Jesus

Parenting

GOD

Loving God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving others.

Preaching the Good News of Jesus

Discipleship

Serving the kinds of people Jesus hung out with

Performing baptisms & offering communion

Pastoral care

MUSIC

Playing guitar

Playing violin

Leading worship

Listening to classical music

FOOD

Beer

Coffee

English breakfast tea with cream

Spaghetti

Candy (Sour Patch Kids & Hot Tamales)

PASTTIMES

Going to the beach

Going to the coffee shop

Attending sporting events

Walking through art galleries

RANDOM

Oak trees

Isaiah 58 & 61 / Luke 4 and the Biblical concept of shalom

Children’s books

…did you actually keep reading? Wow. I’m impressed. I would have given up a long time ago. So…umm…I think I was wrong. Tomorrow I’m going to do a short post on the implications for having so many passions in my life. Until then, I’m going to go take a long walk (was that on the list?).

It hit me...

Three months ago, today, I was doing this...

...loving on orphans in a small village outside of Beijing, China

And in...2.5 months from now...I could be holding my own.

HOLY CRAP.

A few things:

First....we are big fans of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, also known as The Swell Season. If you'd like to hear/ watch them perform....check this out. They are coming to Vancouver, and we think we are going to go check them out!

Second...Heidi is 29 weeks, today! She is healthy we are really getting excited to meet this kid. Right at this very moment, she is walking our neighbor's dog, then we are going to go on our own walk to a coffee shop to drink God's nectar and chat, and in the afternoon we will go to work. Tonight while I'm leading a Bible study, Heidi's goin' climbing with a friend.

Third, not sure if you know about my Dad's blog. He's currently in Manila. His job is to take Phd students all around the world and help them to learn how to be transformational leaders in their own cities. His blog is worth a visit, because his last post is about the devastation he is encountering due to the VERY recent typhoon. Here's an excerpt...

The vision from my hotel room includes this building that has collapsed from the recent Typhoon Ketsana in Manila. This is but a tiny example of the devastation that residents are still dealing with in the aftermath. Now, even two weeks later, the waters are still creating a glut of piled up trash, and sludge. Typhoon Parma followed Ketsana and is still parked over the north of Luzon dumping meters of rain on a fatigued population. But here's my question: Is this an act of God, as they say? Well, of course. It's a natural disaster, right? Rain is God's territory...

Intrigued?....go visit his blog to check out more of his reflection...

Fourth, OK. Enough....coffee calls. Peace yo

Hey all....so today we had great fun climbing boulders. Squamish is FULL of every kind of climbing: Aid, Trad, Alpine....and also, bouldering. There are SO many great things to climb there. As you are aware...for us, climbing is just as much about where we go/ what we do as is who we are with. So today, we went with our buddy Jer...he's a really smart dude: a published PHD in neuro science....and a lead researcher at a prominent Canadian university.

Here are some pics of the day:

the weather was perfect...cool and crisp but not cold

We did a cool v3 named "titanic". Here, Jer is trying the sit down start to titanic which goes at V5

Heidi's psyched and havin fun on a V0+

Jer on Easy and an Easy Chair, V4

Me on a cool V2

All in all....we are havin' fun and we're healthy. Heidi is doing REALLY well in this pregnancy thing. It's pretty fun feeling the baby kick regularly. We pray every day for this child and try to talk to him or her often. Reading kids books to baby white in the evening has been a fun routine and I try to sing to the kid in falsetto on a regular basis (mostly cause I stinkoth and Heidi laughs). This kid has had SO many adventures in Heidi's womb already....we are really excited to see how that changes/ morphs/ continues when it's out of the womb.

And...as always...to top off our trip...we did our NECESSARY squamish tradition: Taco Bell for dinner

...where the food makes our stomachs hurt and the service sucks....but we love it....

The day is done: We are now ready and amped for ministry tomorrow.

Cya!

Siked...

Ahh yeah. tomorrow is Sabbath Rest! Ye-ah!

and you know what that means......climbing! We're headin' to squamish for a day of bouldering with our friend Jeremy. Should be super fun....

Here's a pick we took 4 years ago...on a climbing trip in Squamish. We were so siked to climb...that after doing a day of trad climbing....the sun set...and it was time to dawn the petzl tikkas and boulder by headlamp. So fun...


We'll post some pics tomorrow.

It's a bit consuming...ya know...

...every week...serving such great people....people who look like:

Junior Highers and High schoolers serving at a local non-profit

high school students inviting their friends to a Youth Alpha kickoff party


College Students journeying through life together

Why do we do it?

we do it because we love him

follow the links to learn more about our Student Ministry programs at Granville Chapel

So much

Ever feel like any unforeseen change in your daily schedule could result in other important tasks not being able to get done?

This is currently our life....

We feel, most work days, on the edge of catastrophe....We have SO much to do

....that's not really a good feeling. I think we need to do a better job of delegating....

Anyway. Whatever.

Our jobs are still a joy. Remember: Joy comes from gratitude. It's not simply the elation we feel for a job well done.

We have A LOT to be grateful for.

Sabbath Rest

AHH YEAH. Monday's are the day we have sabbath. What's a "sabbath"? Sabbath is a day which is set aside for rest and reflection. We do it because we trust that God's instructions laid out in the Bible are worth obeying. It's a day which moves away from the normal routine in favor for a different rhythm... for us....that means a slower one. It's a chance to be together, to have a date night, and cease from work (creating). We LOVE Monday's. We have really come to believe that God uses Sabbath rest to help us reorient our lives to Him. Even though we are "in ministry"...it's so easy for us to just make what we do "a task to be accomplished". God reminds us that when we wake up on Mondays we "wake into a world we did not make, into a salvation we didn’t earn" (Working the Angles, Eugene Peterson).

So today, as most Monday's go...we did something like this:

- wake up late
- go for a walk
- have an extended devotion
- go for some java
- eat a simple lunch
- go do something fun
- go out for a date night during the evening
- go to bed early(ish)

Here are some pics from our sabbath day:

After our morning routine, we went to Cypress Park for a little bouldering session

cool eh?

Did a cool traverse at Cypress Park...V2 on slopers. Here's a lame video for ya

Heidi was bummed she didn't complete the problem but we had to remind ourselves....its not like shes operating at the "hard core" level, ya know

left....to go back to the car...and found...

A movie set. It's so crazy how you try to "get away"....and entertainment is never to far away

We still had fun!

then...like after all good bouldering sessions...we went for coffee and book time. We're readin' this new book called "Chasing Waves". It's really good, so far.

just in time for the rain to start...ahh yeah

1 minute of fun...

Doin good

We've been havin' fun lately. Ya know...it really doesn't take much to have some fun.

It just takes...1. a good attitude 2. a good friend 3. a good effort.

Our fun went something like this: "Dang man...We don't have much time or energy....we can't get into the mountains and have time for all the stuff we have to do today....let's just do some bouldering at Riley Park...grab some burgers and chill at the beach"...and in 3 hours...wa-la


Riley Park is a park in the middle of Vancouver which has a really cool man-made boulder in it. It's got lots of problems, mostly v0-v3. Its pretty fun. We try to do laps on it by traversing around it. That makes for a pretty good workout.


...then it was off to the beach. It was SO nice. Kits beach looks onto Vancouver's famous North Shore Mountains. We've spent a lot of time in those mountains...but today, we were content just lookin' at them while we ate burgers and had yam fries. Oh yeah...


Heidi's 27 weeks now...less than three months to go...yay!

so much to do....

Sermon to write

Bible study to prep

Event to plan

Sermon #2 to write

Sermon to deliver

Bible study to lead

Event to lead

Sermon #2 to deliver

...all this needs to get done by Sunday by 10am

...I swear...if its sunny on Friday morning, we're going cycling
...I swear....if its sunny on Saturday morning...we're going climbing

oh yeah...now i have motivation. cool

All is well in our world. Heidi is now 27 weeks...and all is going well. Pretty cool. Went to the gym...that was fun


still smilin', havin a good time.

Transportation

I got in the 4runner today...and thought:

"Wow...I really like this truck. Actually...I think I love this truck"

Does that sound cheesy to you? It does to me...but I don't care....there is a special bond a dude (and I suppose a dudess) has with a 4runner.

Why? because of the memories it represents --

Meet our 1990 4runner 4x4 with a 22re engine on 31's and a few mods. It's mostly stock (for now) with some off-road enhancements in the works over the next million years it will take to save enough cash.

It's taken us on many a road trip...street, off trail, logging roads

in all 4 seasons

we sleep in it...on a regular basis

and it carries massive amounts of gear

Our 4runner is super reliable, fun to drive, tough as nails, and gets A LOT of use (the kind its meant for...i.e. not going on grocery runs).

OK. It's true...I confess...I love fossil fuels and 4x4...but I also like cycling. I don't have the same love affection for my bikes as do some (some people are BIKE CRAZY....i.e. usually the tree hugging, granola munching, Pacific North West types)...But...because I am a follower of Jesus, I do care about caring for the environment and general fitness...so biking to work is something I do regularly.

Meet my commuter work horse given to me by a buddy: old school steel frame, panniers and lights gets me to work rain or shine in about the same amount of time it takes me to drive (15-20 minutes). Its all hills...so I gotta work for it...but its fun.


But...I also cycle for fitness. Cycling gets me in awesome shape for the mountains. For this...I use a Trek 5000. Carbon frame, Shimano 105 components...it's a really fun bike to use...Went on a ride this afternoon and the weather was PERFECT.


OK. Enough reflecting on transportation....it's outa' my system now.

So, off we are to take a walk to Swiss Chalet...for some soup (Heidi's a sicky) and some good conversation...then off to the gym for some climbing (me..not Heidi).

peace

Leavin' for the Weekend

Yo G's

We are headin' out...coming back after the weekend.

It's Church retreat time.

Good times....Good food....fellowship.....service....doing talks.....running programs....it should be full, for sure.

Our students will be there:


...we will post a trip report when we return

Peace out

Good times

Let us share with you a story.

Once there were a few friends who were in search for a pub and good conversation. We found one where the Irish melodies roared and people danced.

Heidi and Jay (not pictured), were happy

Joe was also happy (not pictured)...as you can see

As the evening progressed....

...our stomaches grew hungry. The three friends were not about to indulge in overpriced irish food, so we came back to the White Castle (our house) for some pizookie

it made us all very happy

but most of all...it was the friendship and love that made the three delightfully satisfied.

the end

Holy Words

Thanks to mike for this quote:

As we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them on top of our hearts. And there they stay until, one day, the heart breaks, and the words fall in.
(Parker Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness via Inward/Outward)

Pulling on Plastic

Oh yeah. Good times.

2 hours...with a friend, Leslie-Ann.

Good times indeed

Heidi did overhanging routes with big jugs (big holds)

Leslie-Ann and I did mostly technical vertical routes. Now, the gym is NOTHING like being outside...but its awesome for training and hanging out..and tonight, that's exactly what we did.

Sabbath Monday

Yo G

We here at the crib...chillin...

Eatin' lunchy...looky...

This is how we do our lunches most days. Simple. This is a good word for the way we aspire to live our live as well. For 4 years we have lived in 400 square feet, with one closet for our clothes. In such a small space...simple is a necessity. But its a good necessity. We don't have a lot of useless crap. Most of what we have, we use. We like it that way. Now don't get us wrong...we DREAM of having more space. But dude...seriously, people all over the world live with MUCH LESS...i think we can SIU and find joy in simplicity.

Went on our morning walk to Timmy's this mornin'...that was good. We do it 7 days a week now...but its super cheap and so we don't care. It's fun. It's super overcast right now, looks like its gonna rain. Dang. Maybe I'll go for a ride on the bike before it pours. Heidi's gonna read a bit, then go for a jog for some mental health activity. Later this afternoon, we're gonna chill with a friend over a latte, then tonight we are going to the climbing gym to pull some plastic.

Frankly, we're tired man. Haven't been sleeping well. But last night, over beer at the Wolf and Hound, we got prayed for by some good friends.....and last night...we slept like vampires do during the day. Ahh yeah. So today is all about chillin'. That's good.

Aight...TTFN (ta ta for now)....ttu soon!

Peace