God and Country

Woah! Struck a nerve, didn't I? Well so did the podcast that I have been listening to lately by Andy Stanley. He's the pastor of North Point Community Church in Georgia - the church Ashley and I attended when we lived in Alpharetta. And to say it is an amazing church is an understatement! Anyway, let me share with you what I've been learning and convicted of.

God and Country. God and Politics. God and schools? God and...God and...that is the essence of what Andy has been talking about. God is being left out of so many areas of our lives, but not just our own lives. You see, America has what he calls a "national conscience". Not only do we have a conscience, but our country does too. The question is: What informs our conscience? You and I (and the USA)- we know it's wrong for a man to marry a 14 year old girl. In other countries? Might not be wrong. THAT is a "national" conscience. Agree?

Ok, so what informs that? Where do we get that "ought to" and "ought not to" feeling in our gut? Andy's argument is that as a Christian it comes from the Holy Spirit. It's God nudging us in a certain direction. But what about the country? We might have to look a little further back to figure this out.

How about 1776 and the Declaration of Independence? Phrases like "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and "And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence" support the fact that we founded this country reliance on God - as creator, protector and 'influencer'.

Do you know when the last printed prayer was by a sitting US President? 1944. "D-Day". Our President literally stopped the nation. Cars, businesses, everything paused for 5 minutes and was asked by the President to pray for our troops. And every newspaper printed the prayer from the President in the afternoon press. I thought that was interesting. So long ago!

How about a little more current? Do you know what our National Motto is? "In God We Trust". That is the USA's National Motto! Could you imagine if every school started the day by declaring their own country's national motto? Why is it that that makes people squirm? It shouldn't! The Congress is who came up with it! In 1956. Our elected officials were the ones who thought that we need to put our trust in God.

How about even a little more current? Like at the end of every State of the Union Address, when the sitting President asks that "God Bless America". And yet there are law suits and fusses about taking the phrase "One Nation, Under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance.

It is interesting how far we have strayed, as a nation, from God. Our nation started with God, founded on principles laid out by Him. What if we were a nation that was dependent on God? What if we gave Him credit and were accountable to Him? I think we have gotten a little too reliant on "self" and that our country and ourselves are taking credit for all the blessings that we do have. In reality, lack of humility leads to less dependence on God.

I know I' rambling...and I'm really not trying to be political or anything! I just thought it was interesting what Andy was saying about the state of our country and how we have strayed from a basic foundation. I agree with him that we need leaders in this country that look to Jesus and who are influenced by Him. We need leaders in our own communities that do the same. After all, He created this place. We need to be accountable to Him and look to Him for guidance and leadership.

I don't often blog about Jesus or politics, or the two together. So forgive me if this strikes a nerve. I just felt the urge to write something! Until next time, look to God whenever you can. He's in control anyway!

Have a great weekend!

Maui, Masters, and more!

Well hello again friends! I left you last time wondering where we would go on our 1st anniversary. Well we ended up in wonderful, beautiful Maui, Hawaii! This was Ashley's first trip and boy was it a good one. Our main objectives were to a) relax, b) see some sights and c) relax some more. We accomplished all three!

Some highlights included:
- Twin Falls hike. We wandered around a rain forest near the small ocean town of Paia and managed to find 3 great waterfalls (one of which I jumped off of!), get really muddy, and find an incredible lunch spot (Cafe Mambo). A great day!
- Finding (reconnecting?) friends by a pool at the Ritz Carlton hotel. Got to catch up with Seth and Julie and realize that we need to be friends again!
- Dinner at David Paul's Island Grill. One of the best on the Island!
- Whale watching!!! Never done this before and it was AWESOME. Got to see 50 foot humpback whales in action...and by action I mean...you know...action.
- We relaxed. A lot. On the beach, by the pool, on our porch, it was GREAT!

If you want to go to Maui on the cheap, let me know...because we managed to keep it in the budget and also have a great time!

Other things going on in our lives is extreme jealousy. Well just me, really. Let me explain. You see I am a golf nut. The 2nd weekend in April every year means is Masters time. I'm not there. My dad is. That means I'm really jealous. Upset, really. Not at him, just that I'm not there!! I was blessed have been once, and it was incredible. I took Ashley's dad and we had the best day. Hopefully one day I'll go back!!

In other news, there are rumors that Ashley's sister Jamie will be living in Portland, OR for one month this summer. More on that later.

Well I guess I should stop hiding in my office where no one can find me and get out to the Sales desk. The live online feed of the Masters is just too good to pass up! Until next time, relax this weekend. Trust me, it's nice!

Whirlwind weekend, a studio appearance, and more!

Hi friends, welcome back! Since I've last blogged, a lot has happened! Nothing of major importance to speak of, but life got busy for us. Last weekend we managed to accomplish the following:

- Housewarming party for a friend, followed by meeting more friends after for a night cap. Great to catch up with the Hanna's, for sure!
- Golf on Saturday morning (beat Wade by 1 shot, come on!)
- Wedding Saturday night in Salem. GREAT to see lots of old friends and even make some new ones!
- MAGOOS. Still a classy joint.
- Church to hear Sco speak, that was a nice little bonus to the weekend.
- 84th birthday party for Grandma - boy was that a wild time!
- Dinner with friends from San Diego back in Portland (Toro Bravo, SO good)
- BED!
- Stuido recording session (for me) in Salem. Got to record keys on a worship album coming out soon!

Needless to say it was quite the weekend. But in all that busyness we managed to reflect on how good it is to see old friends. The first set we got to reconnect with (in a way) was the Scofields. Eric was the officiant of our wedding and also the leader (with his wife Marni) of our marriage counseling. Living in San Diego we don't get to see them all that often. But it is amazing what an hour of conversation and a glass of wine does to rekindle a friendship. We laughed, got serious, talked about future and just loved being together.

The next set of friends we reconnected with was the Pitkins, who we didn't even know would be at the wedding! Talk about a great surprise. We were able to be with them thru the whole wedding, then to Magoo's for shuffleboard, and then for a nice quiet dinner on Sunday. What a treat to have them in town and be able to steal some time from them.

Just writing this makes me want to get back in touch with some people. What about you? Who can you call this week to reconnect with? Encourage? Say hi? I think when we lose track of people we can lose a special part of our lives. Don't let life move too quickly that you forget about friends. I know I'm guilty of this.

Well as nice as this weather has been for the past 4 months, Ashley and I are going to be leaving tomorrow. I'm not saying where - you'll have to check back to find out. But I know one thing: we are ready to get out of here!!

Until next time, enjoy your friends, old and new.

1st Anniversary and other adventures

Well it has been a great year! Two nights ago Ashley and I celebrated our 1st Anniversary, and we did it in style. We spent the day writing a 5 page paper for her Grad school (yes!), watching golf (yes!), and going to church (getting better). But the good times really hit around 5:30 when we toasted to a great year with a glass of champagne, followed by an amazing meal at Urban Farmer. We capped the night with chat and a pillow fight! I was once told by a very wise man to have a pillow fight once a year because "it keeps you young!". Good advice!

A funny thing happened at dinner, however. Ashley excused herself to go to the bathroom about halfway through our meal and came back smelling her hands. She said, "Man, this place is great! They have this really nice oil that you can use on your hands after you wash them! My hands feel so soft!". So naturally I wanted to investigate this claim. I excused myself and headed to the men's room in search for this oil. After washing my hands and looking around, I came up empty. I told her that I couldn't find the oil in my bathroom. She said, "Well did you see a little blue bottle?" "Yeah, it had three of those smelly sticks sticking out of it".

Silence.

"Crap" she says. "I doused my hands in the smelly stick oil and it is so strong!! My blue bottle didn't have the sticks poking out so I thought it was hand oil!!"

My wife, ladies and gentlemen! She keeps me guessing and smiling. And that's why I love her.

2 days later her hands still smell!

Other than that, Ashley obviously made it home safe and sound from the beaches of South Carolina and is now depressed with the weather. But she's a champ and realizing that Summer is right around the corner! And a great Summer it will be. Aren't we all looking forward to getting rid of this Winter?? On to bigger and better things!

I hope you have a great week, and remember - watch out for those things that sneak up on you, like oil. . .Until next time, wash your hands and pray for sun!

ASHLEY'S GONE! WHAT DO I DO???

Well its been only 4 days since Ashley left for the East Coast, and I'm bored!! She went to celebrate her sister Jamie's 21st birthday (a worthy excuse, I suppose) and they are enjoying the beaches of Hilton Head, SC. Paparazzi stay away!!! Anyway, that leaves me here in the rain, working away. So far I have done about nothing. Here are some highlights:

- Worked out on Sunday morning while everyone else ran the Shamrock Run. (I have a fractured foot or else I would have!)
- Went to church on Saturday night with a group of friends, then went and had a beer with a group of friends.
- Went to church again with best friend on Sunday night, following a nap while watching golf. Riveting, right?
- Worked all day Monday, Kettlebell (aka KILLMEBELL) class in the evening.
- Woke up not being able to move
- Worked again. Boring! Ok, I did go to Spin Class.
- Farted while doing a sit up in front of my trainer (at least Ashley didn't hear it!)
- Finished the set sits ups with no more farts or sharts.
- Bought some iTunes music (Matt Wertz - get it, The Civil Wars, Amos Lee)
- Went to Molly and Will's to watch Emily win the Bachelor, then announce the break up. What a waste!
- Now I'm blogging.

I mean, come on! Life just isn't that fun without my wife around! She's laying on the beach, drinking some Mick Ultra, eating Danny's killer food, and laughing the night away! I'm in the apartment eating quinoa, brussel sprouts and fish. Boooorrrring!

Ashley, if you can hear me - come home quick and save me from myself!!

In other news, I am leading Em in our year long game of cribbage (and will be adding to my lead on Friday), am very excited about our upcoming 1st anniversary, and am loving the longer days! See, some things aren't all that bad. Until next time, count your blessings. And come visit me.