Westward 2013, debrief

SO, blogosphere, it appears that the King of the Wild Frontier has returned from his latest adventure and is ready to resume his online thought processing!

Most of you have heard my trip to Idaho was full of rewarding work and beautiful scenery. I could stop there, and it would be entirely accurate...but for those who want more, allow me to expound.

The trip out was an experience in and of itself. My friend Taylor and I camped in National Forests for free most of the way. We heard wolves in the mountains near one campsite, slept practically on the Continental Divide, and paid an arm and a leg to do next to nothing in Yellowstone National Park.

Once we got to the farm, things got even better. It was situated between three separate ranges of the Rockies (the Selkirks, Purcells, and Cabinets), and was far from any serious human clutter and noise. There was a small line of mountains right behind the farm, and I summited two of the peaks in one day: Line Point and Goat Mountain. Unfortunately, I neglected to plan well enough and almost had to spend the night on a mountainside in grizzly bear country. Heh, whoops.

The job itself was great. Good, hard work four days a week, and three-day weekends. I also realised how much farm work of this sort suits me. This should not have come as a surprise to me, as almost my entire family is comprised of farmers going back generations. I would strongly consider working for a similar farm (or even the same one) full-time whenever I settle down.

Our time on the farm (Ronniger's Organics, in case you were wondering) did include one very untimely event, though. Another intern who had been working there since around May shot and killed himself in his own cabin, which was just a hundred or so yards from our cabin and the owners' home. This came as a shock to everyone, and made things hard for quite some time. I have never dealt with death before, and especially not suicide. I am unsure what else to say about it, really...I was not particularly close to him, but our boss Simon was good friends with him, and he took it very hard for a while. Taylor and I just tried to keep our minds off it.

Changing topics completely now, I kept a journal every single day of the trip except five days while we were at the Barter Faire, which I will discuss later. Journaling regularly is something I have always wanted to do, but have never felt quite able or motivated enough to actually accomplish. It truly helped me to process my thoughts on a daily basis, kept me reading and writing, and strengthened my resolve to pursue some of my personal goals. I may post one or two journal entries here when I get the chance. I used my journal to also practice writing in general, and it is full of edits, so the posts will not be as raw as they are in their current state.

As I mentioned, I also read quite a bit. I finished "Into the Wild" by John Krakauer, the story of Chris McCandless, who abandoned everything he had after college to search for something...purpose, himself, the meaning of life, a real existence, God...he died alone in the Alaskan wilderness. His search, though, resounded in my soul, and showed what one young man can (and cannot) do if he sets his mind to it.

Next, I read "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek," an abstract Christian nature theology book by Annie Dillard which explores both the wonder and horror displayed in Creation. Very interesting and even beautiful at times, but very difficult to read. The descriptions of her experiences with the Spirit of God in nature really hit home in me.

A book which I have been trying to read for almost two years now, "'Hunting Trips of a Ranchman' and 'The Wilderness Hunter'" by Theodore Roosevelt, saw its completion on this trip. Roosevelt's descriptions of the West and life on the old prairie are the stuff of legend: tales of hunting grizzly bears, sleeping in buffalo robes, and heading out on horseback for days with nothing but a blanket, a gun, and some bread and water.

I also began reading some Henry David Thoreau, whose writings were referenced by Krakauer and Dillard. His longings for solitude in nature, yet also true friendship, also echo deep in my soul. I have yet to finish the compilation of his works I am reading, though, so I have not fully developed my thoughts on him yet.

Now, before finishing up, let me quickly explain the Barter Faire, which I mentioned in passing earlier. It is actually called the Okanogan Family Faire, and is located roughly in central Washington. The fair takes place over about five days, and is a combination of a giant farmers' market, a music festival, a county fair, and a hippie festival...and I am very serious about the hippies. This place was almost like a dream come true for me: trading vegetables for other goods, working and having fun at the same time, and giant, intense drum circles all night long. Yes, drum circles. The event was basically the end of our time working at the farm, and certainly was a great way to finish the season, as Simon told us it would be.

All in all, my time in Idaho served to shape me more fully as a man. I will always have room to grow, of course, but I can identify very specific areas of growth. First, again as mentioned earlier, my resolve was strengthened. Through helping me identify what I truly value in life (that is, who and whose opinions are important to me, my true passions and life goals, and the lifestyle I want to pursue), God strengthened my motivation to take certain steps. These include: moving out of the Lansing area and living with my friend Andrew (who is also trying to move forward in life and chase the westward dream), educating myself on geology and paleontology for now, and saving up to move to Durango, CO as soon as possible. Several occurrences prior to my departure and the lessons I learned while in Idaho have made it clear that the time to sit and wait is over: now is the time for action. So, Andrew and I are moving to Grand Rapids this January, where we will be working and getting ready to eventually move away.

Second, I learned about working hard and working over your scheduled time in order to complete a job. Perhaps it was easier because I enjoyed the job so much, but my time on the farm helped me understand the importance of work in life. I do not view work as a bad thing, or as something I must do in order to make a living, but rather as an opportunity to serve others and build up oneself at the same time. I used to complain about staying late at previous jobs, but now I see doing the work well and seeing it to completion is actually quite personally rewarding.

Third, making this trip happen was in itself a very important moment of growth. I have never done something this "crazy" before, but after being on the farm for a few weeks I realised it was not so crazy after all. In fact, it felt right...and almost normal. This realisation was very important for my life in the future. Now I can see doing things like this is both very possible and absolutely fantastic.

I hope this sheds more light on what the trip meant to me. Naturally, there is still much left unsaid, but such is life. I would like to express all the lessons I learned, ways I grew, and experiences I had to all of you, but I simply cannot. They are my own, and belong to no other.

Please, I urge you to take the step you are too afraid to take, shoot for the goal you think impossible, and make your own dreams come true. It can be done, and once you try, you will be living life on a new level. Then, the lessons, growth, and experiences will be all yours. Then, God will show you things about yourself you never imagined.

Peace.

Reconciliation time

So, God is good. I'll just start with that. I had a crazy and excellent weekend, and the crazy is still continuing. I now have a mentor at least for the summer, which is something I've been needing for a while. Thank You Lord. The same day that happened, I also had a very good talk with a friend which, among other great Jesus-things, got me motivated to get in contact with my dad. That's something I've been putting off for months now, but God has confirmed several times that it's finally the right time to sit down and talk with him.

So, thanks to my Uncle Tony, I have my dad's address and phone number. It's going to be awkward, for sure...but so far my uncles have given me enough encouragement, God has confirmed it, and my peers have pushed me enough to prove that it will be good anyway. Next week I'm going to call him and set up a day to go talk to him. Prayers are appreciated.





Last night, Jesus let me know how important this is to him. Of all the things I worry and pray about, He said this one takes precedence. Moving out West, relationships, all that stuff takes a back seat right now to reconciling with my dad. He said that we have a lot to work on, and this is the first thing. So, that's where I'm putting it. I've never had a very good chance to honour my dad as I'm told to do in Scripture, and now it's time.

Also, I received a prophetic picture on Saturday that God has ALREADY confirmed this week...didn't take very long at all. It has to do with how God is using me in my friendships. If you want to know more you can ask me personally, haha, but it just adds to the cool things God is doing.

Good stuff. God stuff. I love it.

Peace.

Westward 2012, Garden of the Gods

So, I've hardly been in Colorado Springs for three days, and my mind has been blown. So many things have happened since arriving here two nights ago. I'm having a hard time finding words, really. I love this place, and I love the people I've met here.

This morning I hiked to a place called Garden of the Gods, then met one of my new friends, Andrew, in the afternoon to go bouldering in the park. Here are some pictures:

Besides being in a beautiful area, God has also been doing some serious work on me since I've been here, so thanks for your prayers. Yesterday I'm pretty sure I became Pentecostal. Much of the Christian community here is very charismatic and put full stock in the spiritual gifts. I've been wondering about those sort of things for some time now, but have had almost no chance to find out more in Lansing. Most of the people I've met here are students at Charis Bible College, which I think is a Pentecostal school. They talk about spiritual gifts and receiving the Holy Spirit like it's totally normal for Christians...so I thought this was a great opportunity to finally take a step of faith in that direction. I know I've received the Holy Spirit now (preparing myself for the flak from people back home for saying that...), and I've learned a lot more about the spiritual gifts even in this short time.

Also, I've noticed a vast difference in the Christian community here. People's speech is obviously dominated by Christ, and it doesn't feel awkward to bring up God in almost any conversation. Sadly, this is different from what I've experienced elsewhere. I just met more new friends today in a purely divine appointment, and we were all encouraged by each other so much it was ridiculous.

All of this makes me a little concerned about going back home. As far as what I've learned here, I know it's Scriptural because I've seen it before arriving in Colorado...I just needed to see it confirmed. The problem is that I won't really be able to learn more back home in my Christian community. I'll have to start listening to online sermons from the head guy at the college here, Andrew Wommack. I'm pretty concerned about what some people will say if they hear about me joining up with the Pentecostals since it's so different from Baptist practice, but I know God has my back. My faith has been seriously strengthened since coming here, and I know God won't let me be ashamed because of it.

I need to do a lot of praying and seeking God's will, but I'm almost certain that I'm going to move here soon, whatever "soon" means. Turns out the Andrew I went bouldering with today has almost the same passions and vision for ministry as I do. So much has been confirmed to me already on this trip...I can't wait to see what the rest of it brings.

Peace.

Finally

So, I officially deleted my G+ account tonight...meaning I am no longer a part of any social network (except for LinkedIn, but that's a professional site, and I'm rarely on it). Since getting rid of my FB account, I've been able to tell which of my friendships are actually going to last by how much effort certain people have put into keeping in touch with me. Now that some time has passed, G+ has gone from a transitional social network to an unnecessary one for me. A number of my friends read my blog, most have my cell phone number, and I'm connected with others via Skype, Steam, and League of Legends (online game)...not to mention the people I see face-to-face on a weekly basis without being in contact with them in any other way. Social networks are convenient and very helpful at times, sure, but I feel so much better when I am less connected to technology.

Next week is the last week of my park ranger job. I'm actually pretty sad about it; I've made some friends, my boss there is fantastic, and it really has been a great job so far. Our contract with the City of Lansing is expiring two weeks earlier than expected, though, and it won't be renewed...so there's no chance of getting the job back. Now I'm trying to get a better-paying job at a security company where a friend of mine works. I could really use a job that will help me save up money to move out West soon.

Tomorrow morning I'm heading to Sault Ste. Marie with my mom, where we'll be hanging out with my grandparents all weekend. Fishing at the Soo, birdwatching at Whitefish Point...good times. I love the Upper Peninsula.

Peace.

Another Vision

So, this is something that's been on my heart for a while, but it's been brought to the forefront of my thoughts today. I see divisions in the Body of Christ everywhere, and it sickens me. We proclaim unity in Christ, and yet we're all constantly fighting about one thing or another. God has been convicting me to heal the relationships in my own life for a while now, and working toward this has become a big passion of mine over the past few months.

In Lansing, there are a lot of churches, but few of them have anything to do with each other. Some churches have broken relationships with each other to the point of practically refusing to have anything to do with each other. This pains me. I want to see different church congregations and denominations start worshiping and working together. We may support the same para-church ministries, but that doesn't mean we will go out of our way to support those other churches themselves.

My least favorite part of it all, actually, is not the fact that few congregations have strong relationships with other congregations. The part that bugs me the most is that so few Christian leaders see it as something worth pursuing! It smacks of arrogance, really, to think that we don't need to support other members of the Body, even though their ministry focuses and theology are different. If one church could be supported by another church that had different (and maybe even disagreeing!) theology than them, what an example that would be, and how might that affect those people being supported by the other group!

I know Lansing isn't the only place that struggles with this issue. Any reader probably already has some examples in mind. Can we as a whole work toward reconciliation? God went out of His way, even sacrificing Himself on a cross, to reconcile our relationship with Him. Maybe as Christians we should start putting a higher priority on this.

Please, if you have relationships which need mending, work on them. We justify why we let this kind of thing happen, and thus allow Satan to widen the gap and tear the Body apart. Don't let these divisions continue. Seek God, seek forgiveness, and love others even through hard, awkward, unpleasant, and inconvenient circumstances.

Peace.