Under the Sun

On occasion throughout the year the White boys get together for a saunter through the mountains. Thoreau said a saunterer is a "seeker of the Sainte Terre or Holy Land." We define saunter as "reverently walking through creation to look for God." 

Our conversations in the car and on the trail ebb between the themes of theology and identity, ministry and family, art and beauty, sacrament and stillness, and between liturgy and life lessons. 

During our saunter our Dad read two poems by R.S.C. which echoed my soul's prayer. 

Building His heaven, On common sod.

Oh the sheer joy of it,

Ever to be, 

Living in glory,

Living with Thee,

Lord of tomorrow, 

Lover of me! 

Mountain Te Deum

I thank Thee just for life,

The chance to live,

To be alive! So great They gift,

If Thou dost nothing give

Beside, it is enough,

To breathe Thy air,

To walk this mountain sod,

To feel the play of mighty winds,

To look Thee in the face,

And call Thee God! 

Reverently walking through creation to look for God always leads to Him. 

These are good days

Spending time with my brother

Climbing is fun....but doing it with your brother is AMAZING! He's a knowledgeable climber -- safe, calculated, adventurous, and not afraid to "go for it". He's a great partner to have in the mountains! 

On this trip we went to a local climbing spot named Squarenail for a low-stress route named DAVE.

These are good days.

Rockclimbing Tollhouse Rock

I think that adventure is measured but the mindset that brings you to wild places. If you want adventure, you can go and get it! Recently my brother and I didn't do the hardest climb in the most wild place....but none of that matters when you're pursuing an adventure. Adventure is a mindset! Adventure is the admission that it's OK to put a pause on the duties of the day to find the things that your normal day-to-day can't provide. 

Jameson recently called me and said, "I need an adventure, let's go climbing!" So we booked a day that worked for us to head to the hills. 

It was a great climb up a classic route. But it was never about the route itself....it was about adventure -- cultivating a mindset that sought out the beauty and peace that is found outdoors when earth meets sky. 

After the climb, we decided hang out on the summit, drink coffee, read, talk, and listen to Jesus. Glorious! This is how adventures are made. 

 

At the end of the day, we watched the clouds roll-in and the weather change....it was time to head down the mountain. We found adventure.

These are good days.

My biggest project yet

A few months ago my brother and I went to our friends house in Acme Washington to use their beautiful cabin to work on a book that he and I are writing.  We've worked on this book for over a year and a half.  It's the biggest project we've ever done! We are writing about what it means to live your life in such a way that following Jesus is your obsession, that loving your neighbors is your lifestyle, and pursuing the well-being of the neighborhood your church represents is the priority.

this cabin always inspires us every time we visit. 

The book also shares the stories of dozens of people we interviewed across North America who are doing innovative things to love people and place.

After a week of writing....we were ready to celebrate a year's worth of work with our best C.S Lewis portrait.

We want to thank our friends, Corean and Ray Bakke for allowing us to glean your wisdom and use your beautiful space! 

So what's the status on the book?  The first draft is written...and now we are in editing mode.  We're not close to where we want the book to be...so now we hold onto the cliche "failure is success in progress."....so we adapt and continue to make our project better so that it can help more people!

These are good days!   

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Rock climbing and Sabbath keeping

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is a little bit of "extra".  Sabbath should have a little bit of "extra" in it.  Maybe that's a date night, or your favourite run, or hanging out with your favorite friend.  When you keep a sabbath, consider doing something that fits these criteria:

1. It brings you life and puts you at ease
2. It creates avenues for you to worship Jesus
3. It connects you to other people (sabbath is not a lonely experience, its a communal one)

Today my brother and I kept sabbath by climbing at Tollhouse Rock.  It continues to be a great place to keep sabbath.

It always feels good to knock out 4 pitches before lunch only an hour away from Fresno. 

Jameson's a good climber -- strong, fluid, safe, and confident.

We loved watching the clouds roll-in and roll away.  Half way up the climb the clouds engulfed us and decided to stay.  

It's always fun to climb in a cloud....it feels like reading a good mystery. 

Summit shot!  We made it! 

At the top, we enjoyed watching the clouds roll past us, carried by a gentle cool breeze.

Sabbath is about connecting with God, enjoying God, and enjoying the fellowship that God provides.  

Climb on and keep sabbathing! 

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Rock Climbing & mindset

This morning's 6:00am departure came quickly.

I needed two necessary fuels: gas and coffee.

Off to the hills with my brother Jameson for a day of climbing.

Coffee.  Morning prayer.  Coffee.

...and a beautiful drive into our granite cathedral. 

Tollhouse Rock often gets overshadowed by Yosemite....but it is truly an amazing place.

only 45 minutes from downtown Fresno. 

I had one friend describe it this way,

"Tollhouse has always been such a special place. The rock is warm and the air smells of Manzanita and Bay Laurel. Peregrines dive from above, cattle moo in the distance, the entire San Joaquin Valley spreads out below. Farmland stretches for miles and beyond that the high and rugged peaks of the sierra call out begging the local Tollhouse climber to come and imbibe on the fountain of adventure that waits among her craggy ramparts."

With a 4x4, getting up to Hang Glider slab is a breeze.  But seeing wet granite and soaked earth...we knew that our day of climbing was going to turn into another kind of adventure.

Food & fire....is there a better combo on a cold sabbath morning?

Adventure doesn't require a task....it requires a mindset.  The mindset is one filled with wonder, amazement, love for creation, and a willingness to see new things and allow yourself to feel the effect of those new things.  

adventure doesn't take much....

a good guy, a good fire, some good food in a great place under the care of a a greater God.

After a relaxed morning filled with conversation....a little hike over wet terrain is all we needed to warm-up and get the blood moving.

No climbing this time....but that's perfectly OK.  We had adventure.

These are good days.

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