Wisconsin...Chicago...Rocky Mountains

-Christine and Me by the Christmas tree at the Hancock Building Downtown Chicago.


-Brett, Christine, Christine's Grandma, and Ben.


-Steve Opening his first present


-Sue opening her first present--A watch that glows.


-Christine's first gift...a camelback.


-Christmas picture at the Soodsma's.


-on the way to Chicago.


-Tim and Steph at Gino's East Pizza.



-Rocking out on new years eve eve.


-Me and Steph


-All ready for the Blue Man Group.


-Snowshoeing at Rocky Mountain with Matt, Eileen, Baby Ruter(currently residing in Eileen), Keli(not Pictured), and Luke.


-Matt and Eileen.





-Me and Matt.


-Luke and Matt.


-The crew at the trailhead (before heading to Emerald LAke).

Ugly Sweater Christmas Party 09

-and some Christmas pictures...

BRI HMR/VOL Christmas Card

A gift from the Heaven's!



Merry Christmas from your Friends at Brothers Redevelopment Inc...
Ricky, Jason M, Jason S, Rhonda, Branton, Chad

Christian Empathy

What does it mean for Christians to be empathetic? From what I have gathered over the course of most of my Christian education it means that i have to accept that God doesn't save everyone and I need to deal with it and be thankful that I am one of the lucky ones (the chosen) and feel bad for the others...in some way. I trust that Jesus died and rose again to save me from my sins, but that is me...and most of the people that I love and care about.
What about the people that were not raised as I was? What about the people who died young, were killed young, or have no understanding of where I come from in my faith? The Japanese at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII? The victims of bombs and missiles? ..the list goes on and on...
I have asked this question to many mentors in years past, but I have never felt great about the answer (though I have heard many a heart felt one).
When it comes down to it life isn't fair and God is God...but what the heck does that mean when we know the truth are not able to reconcile the question...why?
I submit that it is not a lack of faith that asks these deep, burning, questions in our own lives. then why are we such empathetic creatures in the first place? Why do we hurt with one another when a friend or family member passes away? Why do we feel bad when someone we know is terribly sick? Or someone loses everything? ...because it is a part of us to feel empathy. Yet, what does that mean in a larger context when we have to accept that we are the elect and that many many many people in this world (and yes, people we know and love) are not privy to the right information and belief?
It makes us feel guilty that we are not doing more to save souls right? At least that is the impression that I get.
I suppose this is breaking my argument(s) into two sanctions...one for those who are just killed and I do not feel like they really had a chance to know Jesus and those who have decided that Jesus is not there savior. Yet, empathy has to be a part of both right? Do we not mourn for/pray hard for those who we know do not have a relationship with God..and those who we feel were not given the special revelation that many of us have had since we were kids? (I love the idea of general revelation and believe it to a certain point, but there are so many people in the world who have grown up entirely different..with different families, different education, different beliefs...and where I can understand where creation would show them God I have a hard time believing that it would be the Jesus that I know.)
Where does that leave us with empathy? Hurt with the broken hearted and downcast....and walk with the lost....share the truth God has taught us in our lives with honesty .....and pray and for those who don't know God. That is what I know and believe...and I have peace about it...in my own walk. It just hurts like hell sometimes to think about... and digest the searing tragedy that is life without Jesus.
God made us empathetic for a reason...I just cannot completely wrap my mind around empathy when He is so good to me for no reason but His own.....
Please comment...

Thoughts on the Church

Now that Fall is in full swing I am able to checklist my work days opposed to attempting to control the chaos that are my summers. Thus, a drive from one destination to another is able to foster thoughts beyond work. One such...

For some reason I remembered sitting in a host family's basement in the Netherlands talking with elders of the church we attended while studying there. The evening was setup to be a "conversation" with the elders to confirm that we were professing Christians and we could take communion at the next church service. The dialogue however, traveled through many veins of our faith which I had never considered. We talked about the history of the church and what it meant to us as North Americans and them as Europeans. They listened to our Christian Reformed United States Citizens perspectives then gave their opinions. They said that after the reformation the new church swung so heavily toward the word that some other important parts of church were lost....and now...the church in our age is in the process of swinging back to re-understand and practice some of those things we left behind. The example I remember is use of visuals in worship.

Growing up a "good" CRC boy in a conservative town....I was not even sure if Catholics were saved, much less their tendencies of worship being OK to consider....and.... No, I am not talking about crucifix's and mother Mary, but the basic concept of visuals in worship. Things such as color/light/dark...

I remember large purple banners hanging in First CRC during the season of Lent. Also, the candle light services and the Palm Sunday services...all very visual.

....but for many many years church services were held "colorless"...not that Christ wasn't the center of the Church and the Holy Spirit moving, but that worship was much different then before the split between Catholic/Protestant.

I dare not say what that means for the future of the church using the pendulum concept aka the potential swinging back towards some of the practices of the church before the reformation.

I can say that I am a very visual person. I learn with visuals. I am affected by visuals. Visuals typically have a more vivid imprint on me then spoken or written word. Why wouldn't Christ use visuals to impact me and move me then? He already is...so I suppose I am pondering the thought that there could potentially be more visual worship in a church service then a screen with Hymn/praise song words on it...something that assists our understanding of churches sacred days, as noted in the First CRC memories, or art that helps us to visualize things we have read and not really grasped or taken the time to wonder about.

I don't really know what that looks like (really...no pun intended), but I think the Dutch elders were on to something. What do you think?

This week: in Photos

-Tuesday night pumpkin Carving...


-Whoops...Liz showed up wearing what I was wearing...Awkward!


-Joe's Pumpkin.....GO HAWKS! UNDEFEATED!


-Last night...Stew night...Christine is an amazing cook!


-If you haven't figured it out yet...I am rocking a sweet Mustache!

Contentment

It seems like most of the time we think of contentment as living an OK existence. Not too great not to bad, but good enough. Often times we even use the word content to describe a certain level of disappointment...such as...well I was hoping for _____, but I got ______ instead....o'well I suppose I am content. It doesn't seem to make sense to me.

If contentment is just feeling OK about where we are at...is that what God wants from/for us?

Or is there something more?

John 10:10b "...My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."

"My Grace is enough..."

When I look at the life that God has given me...I can see it in a few different ways some good...some bad, but only one is true...and that is the way He shows it to me.

I have been blessed. We have been blessed. Family...friends...a warm place to sleep...a vehicle...food...and mostly...Gods grace that He gives us in Christ.

When I look at my life with Gods glasses the most existential feeling of Joy exudes out of my heart. I am loved. I look around and see grace everywhere. He has penetrated our hearts and shown that He loves us! We are loved by the creator of the universe...if that in itself bring us a sense of Joy deep in our souls....

I don't think that contentment is a point we get to nor a static complacency that just says "Life is OK". There is more...more than OK....its dynamic...

Contentment in our lives is the daily experience of God's Grace that flows Joy through our hearts.

Thoughts?

Pics from September

-A little bit of Nate Rock in Moab last weekend.


-I found my nook in Arches NP


-Joe became very winded from hiking to the top of Nate Rock.






-Moab - Joe and Luke standing on Nate Rock above our campsite "High Plains Drifter #2".


-Me, Luke, and Joe, at the Delicate Arch


-Christine and me in Fort Collins.


-Yeah...this is from Alaska still...

Where's Luke?

Back to Alaska!

-After a three year delay I made it back to beautiful Alaska to see my close friends and enjoy some of its awesomeness. Anchorage from Earthquake Park.


-Not that I didn't have to be careful....there are a lot of dangerous people up there....


-Like this guy...


-I was blessed to be able to see Mt. McKinley...though it was from 300 miles away...it was still amazing.


-Last Saturday night Josh, Jess, Eric, and Josh's Grandparents had a cook-out at a park in Anchorage. We had Halibut, Salmon, and some chewy Moose.


-Josh's grandparents, the Louwerse, made the drive up to see them and as much of Alaska as they could in a few weeks. A very cool trip I must say...how long until retirement again?


-Visser and I made our way up to Lake Eklutna in Chugach State Park to do some backpacking the next Monday.


-This is our view from the campsite....not too bad...lakeside.





-After we got done hiking we went up to Jim Creek, near Alaska Raceway, and did some off roading in his truck.

This past Friday I was also able to go to the Downtown soup kitchen and do some work with Jlo (He's the top chef on Friday's). Since it was my first time they put me at the serving window where I got to see all of the 500 folks coming in. I very cool experience which I hope comes back with me to Denver.

http://www.downtownsoupkitchen.org/

Right after the soup kitchen Jlo and I took off for Homer with Dave Van Berkel, the associate pastor at Crosspoint, and Mandy. It was a very long day, but we made it to Fred's in Ninilchik by 11 and got a little sleep in.


-In the morning we drove to Homer, about 2 hours, near the tip of the Kenai Peninsula. Shown...Mandy (a friend of the Louwerse from church) jess and josh.


-We hung out on the Homer Spit until we got to go Halibut fishing at 4.


-You can see josh and jess in the bottom corner.






-This crab boat is on "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel. Its named Time Bandit.


-Some Scenery from the boat. Just a little farther down from this spot is Soldovia...which sounds like its a pretty amazing little community that you have to fly or boat to.


-I got shut out fishing...but JLO caught a 46 ibs Halibut...which is good because he needed to have fish for his churches Fish Fry the following week.


-VERY AMAZING to see great friends again and be able to see a glimpse of life in Alaska. I also realized that I must be getting older when I haven't seen close friends in two years...I am finding more and more that when you are really good friends you pretty much pick up right where you left off. God Bless.

Summers Almost over already? REALLY!?

I just realized this morning that I haven't blogged in almost two months...so I figured a little update wouldn't hurt. June was crazy...with all the volunteers coming in we were able to paint about 50 houses and log around 6500 volunteer hours (the average summer month is about 4000-4500). July didn't slow down either because whenever we had a break from groups we had to work on Hazmat removal, and I scheduled the Paint-A-Thon. Now we are in the second big week of the Paint-A-Thon and the media highlighted painting day on Saturday. Check it out Brothersredevelopment.org We have around 18 project scheduled so its not as crazy as it could have been, but a good amount of work either way. Ohh yes, Also, I am going to Alaska next week. Peace