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

So Good It Has To Be Shared

I've been deeply inspired these last few years by our friends, Jay & Milissa Ewing. They spent the last 3 years working at A Rocha, a Christian non-profit organization that is committed to caring for creation. One of the things we have been challenged by is their lifestyle of living off local, organic, and seasonal foods. We have been trying to do the same - with success on some days, and failures on others (if only bananas could grow in Vancouver weather...sigh). One of the books that I've been trying to cook by is called Simply in Season.

It's produced by MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) and it's a collection of recipes, stories, and helpful cooking tips that are divided into seasons. The recipes in "summer" are all based on produce that grow during the summer season -- and since we are nearing our final weeks of summer (sigh!), I wanted to end with a few tasty meals, many of which are vegetarian yet extremely hearty.

Now, I'm not much of a "soup" person, but this recipe is STELLAR. Joe, myself, and our two new church interns ate this soup, and it is unbelievably delicious...so delicious that it's one of the very few things I'm blogging about (Joe is the truly committed blogger of this family). This creamy soup is packed with vegetables, is flavorful, hearty, and easily feeds 6-8 people. So, here's the recipe for "Zucchini Garden Chowder" for those willing to try something new and want to celebrate the final weeks of summer with a tasty meal (I wrote my modifications in pencil, and it still tasted amazing):

Oh, and it goes great with focaccia bread! Enjoy!!

Back in action

Got it! (see previous post)

...A camera that is...on sale, oh yeah


took this on the way back from a morning walk to Tim Horton's...a very typical reality these days....

so much more to come...

Camera time

As you are well aware...pictures are important to us. Just click on the Picasa logo to see our Web Album full of photos we have taken which document our journey...


They are important for two main reasons:
1. We can't remember half the crap we do and see
2. It's a chance to be artistic (joe mostly)

Now, let's get something straight. We DO NOT have a good track record with Digital cameras. In the last 7 years, to the best of our knowledge, we have gone through 4 cameras. NOT COOL.

Our cameras have been destroyed by:
-falling off a cliff
-getting smashed against an ice axe
-simply stopping to work
-being submerged in water (read a few posts below to find out how our last digital camera died during an epic paddling trip through Stave Lake)

Now you might be wondering...WHY DON'T YOU JUST USE A DISPOSABLE? Answer: good pictures are important to us for the two reasons listed above. 1. Because its not just about remembering...a good picture helps you re-live (i.e. re-experience) how you originally felt when you experienced or saw something that merited recording. 2. Joe really likes the artistry of photography. A good camera which takes higher quality pictures (i.e. less good than a DSLR of $500 or more but better than a disposable or cheap digital) is an important means to that end.

So.....given our history with digital cameras...is there a solution?

We are beginning to think so.

Meet the Canon PowerShot D10


Here's what Canon says about it:

Life can take you almost anywhere. So Canon engineered a digital camera durable enough to go where you go and produce the kind of awe-inspiring images that will earn your respect. It's the PowerShot D10 and it is no ordinary digital camera. This unique camera is waterproof down to 33 feet so you can take it scuba diving, snorkeling or surfing. It's freezeproof and can withstand extremes of temperature from 14-104°F so it's also ideal for snowboarding, mountaineering and more. Plus, it's shockproof, so when the going gets rough, the D10 will keep going strong.

But again...its not just about durability...we wanted quality, right?

Here's what a non-biased review concluded:

If you're buying a camera with hopes of making big prints (larger than 8x10 inches) of what you shoot, the D10 is your best bet. The low ISO performance from it is very good. Image noise is in short supply below ISO 200, and fine detail and sharpness were noticeably better than other cameras in its class. Subjects get visibly grainier between ISO 200 and 400, and at ISO 400 details start to get a little softer. There's a big drop-off in quality at ISO 800 where it looks as if something's smeared on the lens. You can pretty much write off using ISO 1,600. Colors from the D10 are generally very good, as is white balance and exposure, though occasionally challenging lighting would cause subjects to underexpose--which is easily correctable.

Ok. So it looks like this may be the camera we go with.

With so many adventures to come: outdoors in nature and indoors with a baby...it seems like owning a camera is a good investment.

Now the search begins for a good price...

yum....

ahh yeah.

Homemade pizza. In the oven....right now. Soooo good.

Sorry we don't have pics...yet. Our camera is still "no worky"

We will try to get another one soon.

Yesterday we went hiking with our friend Nathan....that was fun. It was a super good activity full of laughter, stories, intermixed into a 2 hour excursion in the woods. Good times.

...OK. I can't help it. Here's a picture we took a while ago which has nothing to do with this post. Enjoy!


Why did I include that photo?

Because I'm hot.

Wanna see another one?

I talked with my buddy Dave from Texas the other day. He's in Berlin, changing the world. Meet Dave:


OH. I also had a meeting with a friend of mine today. He's a pastor in Langley. His name is Jay. Meet Jay:


OK. That's all for this random post. Thanks for reading....going to eat now...

Wishing we were there again....

St. Marks Summit, North Shore



Not in the rain that we're in now....

arrgh

Been a good week....a more good weeks to come

Car's still in the shop till Tuesday

Went to the gym last night with our buddy Nathan (he drove). When we go to the gym...it's all about training...doing laps...getting strong.

Climbed a lot...hands/arms/shoulders are tired today...its been a while since we were at the gym

Baby's kickin like crazy...LOVE that

Next week our September craziness starts (it's the same craziness that is ongoing until January)...e.g. each week we have Tuesday-Friday evening engagements (i.e we don't get home until at least 9:30pm.

We are possibly climbing tomorrow (if it doesn't pour)...

If it does pour...we put on the rain gear and go hiking in the woods....

Tonight...we'll spend some time with friends and chill....

ahh yea....

Brakes...who needs em

Yo G

So the other day...

I was drivin' on the Port Man Bridge and a car in front of me slammed on its breaks...

I slammed on mine too...except...mind didn't work.

Bummer.

I threw on the E-break while downshifting and came to a stop-ish.

To get off the bridge...I needed to drive another 15 minutes.

Now there's an adventure if you'd ever want one...driving for 15 minutes without breaks with a 5 month pregnant wife.

Anyway...

Car's in the shop now. Had it towed there on Monday...On Tuesday (the day the mechanic was going to be in the shop to work on it)...the car was gone...

We thought it was stolen.

Turns out...it was just towed. The towtruck that dropped off our car on Monday, put it in the wrong spot.

Bummer.

So today is the first day the mechanic has the car in his possession and intends to look at it.

Fun times...