Been there....

You haven't been a parent until you've had the pleasure of these kind of moments.

A Call to Anguish...

Probably the most 'prophetic" word...i've heard in a very long time...I pray it messes with you as it does me.

The Sacred claim...

Jackie Pullinger was born in Britain in 1944. She had a great love for music even in her childhood. At 22, Jackie Pullinger wanted to become a missionary, but no society would take her on. So she went on her own to Hong Kong in 1970s and began a pioneering work among drug addicts and Triad gang members that continues today. Jackie still works among drug addicts and street gangs. You can read her about her journey in her book "Chasing the Dragon."

Mr. Roger's Missional Method of Cultural Engagement...or, not...

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." - Anais Nin

Mr. Roger's was the vanguard of missional endeavors...his secret, was simply...being a good neighbor.

You can sell all your 'Missional books, dvds and conference tickets'...and just watch and embody the above video intro of his show and get more wisdom for community care and impact than all the other stuff combined. I learned this the other day...

I was interrupted during my writing time, the other morning by a knock on the door. I opened it and it was a man from the neighborhood that I have been developing a slow growing friendship with. He's lived in this area for over 15 years and he is in his 50's and has a mental disability of some sort. I've been fond of him, since I first met him and his family when I was prayer walking with my guitar in the first days of our church plant. Since that meeting, I've consciously sought to be his friend...even though for many years, He has kept me at a distance, kind of like an interested but aloof cat.

He's turned down countless invitations to this or that church activity or services. He's never come to one of our Community Dinners and rarely lingers in conversation around my fence for more than 5 minutes. Yet, he always crosses the road and ask's me "What Im doing" when he finds me outside. Our short conversations usually center around mowing the lawn...because he is a expert in yard care...that's how he makes extra cash to supplement his state checks. We talk mowers, rocks, blades and possible folks to hit up for a yard job...most of my tips, he lets fall to the ground as soon as I say them...I've never appeared to important to him. But, I still talk.

Some times I give him rides, just a few blocks, or to the store...or we run into each other at Freddie's...he usually has a bag of lunch meats from the deili...because he mostly eats Turkey sandwiches....he's extremely picky. I've taken him gifts at Christmas....dinner plates after meals, treats from events...and mostly, he has seemed disinterested. But I've just continued bothering him nonetheless...mostly because, I have a God given heart for the lonely, forgotten and sometimes odd folks. I have a deep inner pain for those who I know are very isolated and longing for companionship but often just dont know how to be a friend...or are simply unattractive, smelly, old or poor and don't appear to have much to offer the "Fast & the Furious" of today's up and coming world. I've felt that way too...and there are many memories of feeling forgotten and not good enough.

These are the type of people, I was assured we couldn't "build" a church with in this neighborhood...and maybe that's true...but they are the people, we can "BE" the church for...and in many ways, that's much more the way of Christ in my opinion.

My friend at the door...sat down on my porch railing and simply said:

"I'm lonely...I don't have any friends...what are you doing?"

It was in that moment, that I was granted the gift of friendship, expressed. It was a precious moment to me. We ended up going to my favorite coffee shop and shared some good coffee and cookies together. As we sat down at the table in the crowded room, he said he wanted to pray. I bowed my head and he led us in a simple but heartfelt prayer for each other, the troops and the food.

When he was done, he asked me "How did you like my prayer?"; I smiled and told him I thought it was a really good prayer.

He sipped his coffee with ice and cream and then said: "I like having coffee with someone who is a friend...do you like having coffee with me?

Yes, I do...I replied..."I really enjoy it."

He then told me he could beat me at Monopoly....

I guess, that will be another day's story from the Neighborhood.

Resting between His shoulders....

""Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders." -Deuteronomy 33:12

I've been ruminating on a few verses of late that speak of resting and being still in and before the Lord. The passage in Deut. 33:12 pictures someone being carried by the Lord between His shoulders and I thought this piece by Fritz Eichenberg captured the spirit and truth of the passage.

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." is another passage of Scripture that fed me like bread from ravens this morning. It's found in Psalms 37, as well as a number of other meditations that invite us to "delight ourselves in Him". I sensed an internal ache in my spirit as I dwelt among the lilies of those verses. The fragrance and beauty of them soothed my long distracted soul.

As I was greedily sipping of their healing ambrosia...a deeper longing was awakened. Seasons of visitations...remembered. These reflections cast light on a present but unnoticed thirst. This is often the case...we move through life at a pace that most of the time deafens us to the internal pleadings for fresher air, more still waters...and pastured presence.

Nurturing a faithful life is the continual habit of a God dweller. Doing good as the saint and poet says, but never losing the fascinations and preoccupation of the Divine delighting. Waiting...the art of being present and accepting what is..instead of postponing pleasure for some future possibility. Learning to be full in our poverty is a secret of saints. It is so true..."The little of the righteous is better than the abundance of the wicked."...why do we forget that and pursue the abundance of things that never truly satisfy the hunger within?

As I sit in this moment, among these eternal whisperings...I remember...and in remembering, I am made a little more alive as I rest between His shoulders.

Art by Fritz Eichenberg

Garden delights...

"I have great faith in a seed...convince me that you have a seed
there, and I am prepared to expect wonders."
-Thoreau

Prayer is the one thing that can conquer God...

In the past prayer was able to bring down punishment, rout armies, withhold the blessing of rain. Now, however, the prayer of the just turns aside the whole anger of God, keeps vigil for its enemies, pleads for persecutors. Is it any wonder that it can call down water from heaven when it could obtain fire from heaven as well? Prayer is the one thing that can conquer God. But Christ has willed that it should work no evil, and has given it all power over good. -Tertullian, early church father (ca.160 – ca.220 AD)

A thought worth pondering....

Not a face-lift...

"It is impossible to get from preoccupation with behavior to the gospel. The gospel is not a message about doing things. It is a message about being a new creature. It speaks to people as broken, fallen sinners who are in need of a new heart. God has given His Son to make us new creatures. God does open-heart surgery, not a face-lift. He produces change from inside out. He rejects the man who fasts twice a week and accepts the sinner who cries for mercy." Tedd Tripp

KKK VS. the power of humor and love....

The repentant former KKK leader Johnny Lee Clary explains how Reverend Wade Watts, an NAACP leader, disarmed him by being cool, funny and brave, engaging in some first-rate psy-ops. Be sure to listen through to the end for the chicken story.
via BoinBoing

Avatar...

Avatar...wow.

Dont mess with Betsy....

This chick is awesome...

The Wolfman cometh....

The Wolfman....this looks like creepy fun....

Micah's drawing of me

Aung San Suu Kyi....rightful leader of Burma

This is my artistic meditation after reflecting on the my post and link to the documentary on the aftermath of cyclone Nargis. The answer isn't political alone...but democracy is desperately needed in Burma and until the international community stands up to the illegitimate military Junta of Burma...true justice and peace are mere words.

Eyes of the Storm....

Eyes of the Storm...Uncensored news from the heart of Burma is scarcely reported and this documentary is a must watch for everyone who loves the people of Burma. This news piece made me rethink of how I spend my life and how I use my resources.

As a church that took the missional name of Jacob's Well as a description of our life and mission; I see the imagery of a well, as a mobilizing directive. We are people of the living water and as those who have been revived by these eternal springs of restoration, renewal and resurrection; we are compelled to overflow into the parched and dead places of this world. Our internal springs of life, given by the grace of our Mission hearted God; are meant to quench our thirst as they spill out and over the deserts of these fallen lands. He has chosen us to be His living extension of His ongoing work on Earth.

"The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the LORD, will answer them Myself, as the God of Israel I will not forsake them. "I will open rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land fountains of water. -Isaiah 41:17-18

This year at Jacob's Well, we commissioned a second Vision & Values painting to express our commitment to the mission of God among the nations of the world:
As I watched this documentary and was haunted with the sense of "Where are you God" in this horror...the answer is always returned...In YOU....and then the question becomes...."Where am I".

I pray that this year will be one of increased involvement and action in the work of love among the most needy of this God loved world. I pray we all will be able to answer the Lord with a humble and obedient response that reflects His heart in response to the needs of this age.

One of the best fight scenes ever...Matrix Reloaded

Heads of gold...and empty pockets.

Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don't be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned. -Jesus (Matt 7:15-20)

This article (Believers Invest in the Gospel of Getting Rich) chaps my hide. A ministry that takes in $100 million annually...really? I was made aware of a recent group of local pastors that have special monthly clergy rates at a local Golf Club that nearly exceed our monthly budget as a church. The issue is growing and the damage to the credibility of the local church is ever expanding. The slick hair, crest strip teeth, the flashy clothes and sports cars and sooped up Motorcycles, not to mention the expenses accounts, helicopter transportation and a host of other gross misuses of hard earned cash is atrocious.

It makes me ashamed to be called a pastor at times.

This "prosperity gospel" feeds upon peoples unmet needs, it promises the moon while it pit-pockets your shorts. It's a delusion that weaves itself into the legitimate hierarchy of needs. It's a bait and switch like the professional street thieves use...they get you looking at one thing while they pull a fast one on you. So they are walking off with your cash and you are left scratching your head.

The prophet Daniel saw a statue that embodied all the fallen kingdoms of this world...and guess what the head of this statues was made out of...yes, you guessed it...gold.

When will we ever learn....we are such suckers.

The evolution of the garden...

"May the LORD bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below; with the best the sun brings forth and the finest the moon can yield; with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills; with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush." -Deut. 33:13-16LeeElla and I spent some of the evening working in the church garden. We were able to connect with 3 neighborhood families as we worked. We shared food, planned watering, reconnected with someone we have not seen for awhile and prepared the harvests for sharing tomorrow. It's a gentle but renewing activity that brings people together.

Jacob's Well Church Community Garden: Before...

Jacob's Well Church Community Garden: Now...

Today's pickin's for Sunday distribution: Squash, Onions, Potatoes, Carrots, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, some kind of cabbage root, hot peppers, strawberries

Colombia River Gorge

The Worst Group of Cannibal Campers Ever...

Our church group camped up at Farragut St. Park in Idaho last weekend. We brought around 75 people and a lot of them were teens and kids. Of course if you know teens, particularly teen boys...the woods means climbing trees, making weapons and adventuring. All of these activities are forbidden by Johnny Camp Law, we found out...a fact that doesn't seem to bother young men and boys. So over the weekend, our campsite was visited by numerous men and women deputized by Smokey The Bear, Treebeard and David Henry Thoreau! Of course when they were greeted by dirty wild boys wielding 5 foot club hammers, spiked staves and spears sharpened to a cutting point...I'm sure they held their tongues about their major complaints for fear of their lives.
Needless to say...our group earned the "Worst Group Ever" epitaph...from a disgruntled grounds keeper who had to clean up someone's crap out of the men's bathroom sink! Which by the way was present when we arrived at the camp...of course there were a couple Jacob's Well campers there before our main group arrived...(you know who you are...)...but I digress. In fact the deputized park ruler...called the pernicious poopers...."Cannibals"...Yes, you read it right...human flesh eating tent dwellers!

So that makes Jacob's Well Church: "The Worst Group of Cannibal Campers Ever" at Farragut St. Park!!!
There has to be a T-shirt in there somewhere...

But no worries for next year...because we just told all the staff, we were from LifeCenter.

Turning to wine...

"May the LORD bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below; with the best the sun brings forth and the finest the moon can yield; with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills; with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush. -Deuteronomy 33:12-16

I was told that these grapes that are growing in our Church Community Garden, had a few purple ones popping out. So today, I investigated, and sure enough, there were some that have turned purple. I have never seen any purple grapes on this vine before when it was on the metal fence. But today I plucked a lovely plum colored grape and ate it and it was delicious! I was so excited. I find myself praying for the Lord to bless this piece of ground...which is so Biblical and yet at times, seems strange to do.

But I am compelled to speak the words of the Lord into the roots, dirt, fruit, watered spaces, growing vines and ground yet used. There is so much to come in the days ahead....

Not small in any...

"There is something deeply spiritual about honoring the limitations of our lives and the boundaries of what God has given us to do as leaders. Narcissistic leaders are always looking beyond their sphere of influence with visions of grandiosity far out of proportion to what is actually being given. Living within our limits means living within the finiteness of who we are as individuals and as a community- the limits of time and space, the limits of our physical, emotional, relational and spiritual capacities, the limits of our stage of life... and the limits of the calling God has given. It means doing this and not that. It means doing this much and not more." -Ruth Haley Barton

I find the truth of the passage to be extremely liberating if you can fully comprehend and accept it. Many people wrestle with the sense of being bound by providence in circumstances...but often the very thing one is seeking freedom from...is what will usher us into a deeper experience of true freedom.

I am finding God big in smaller and smaller things these days. The whole "mustard seed" reality is becoming a peace producing truth. I am letting go of more and more pursuits that are governed by a sense of bigger or better. Process is more and more valuable to me.

As a growing painter, the ability to layer paint with a sense of a bigger process is critical. In order to produce a depth to the painting...I often start with a darker paint underneath...this allows for lighter paint to be layered over the top and the combination of light and dark...produces perspective. You need both to produce dimension to the painting....and I am coming to see the same in life.
"Thou art in small things great, not small in any...For Thou art infinite in one and all." -George Herbert

We have these Sunflowers growing in the church garden...I took their picture the other day, because I love yellow in art. To some our garden has little significance...but to me it is pregnant with inspiration. I discover the Lord in the boundaries and opportunities of the rhythms and seasons. I am captured by the process of it all and the large amount of time that is needed to truly enter into the mystery of growth. It's a piece of ground that isn't that pretty to most people...but to me, I love it.

I love that its not what it will be...and not what it was.

It's a organic prophesy to me.

The Fountain...

I love these new fountains that cities are putting up more and more. They are great places to cool off. This shot of Micah enjoying the one in Beaverton Oregon, is classic. Ahhhh summer...

Little people...

I love this art project.

Youth ministry....?

If you have ever been involved in youth ministry or a youth pastor; these two video's will make you laugh. If you have been on the receiving end of youth ministry, you'll relate.
Lifted from Thinklings

Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Kids and Church....

I think I know this kid....

2009 Family Camp....

Here are some pictures from our recent Church Family Camp.

A culinary first...

This is Taena Dailey's very first Cinnamon roll experience at our Family camp. I noticed she ate it all up. She has recently been adopted by our friends, Daniel and Melissa; she it the third daughter adopted from Ethiopia for them. It's a delight to watch these first moments in the lives of orphans or refugees. You can find out more about adopting children at www.kingdomkidsadoption.org

Red & Yellow, Black and White...all are precious in His sight

One of the beautiful things about the church God is continually forming us into at Jacob's Well is the racial diversity. It was amazing to share the outdoors together at our family camp with a mix of different languages, foods and faces. Learning to live out the kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven is a call we seek to follow, especially in the cultural make up of our congregation. The Lord is beautiful in our togetherness.

sinead o'connor

Listening to: Psalm 91 by sinead o'connor.

Thanks Cole for the heads up...

Whaaaaaisky!!!!!!!*

I've been hanging out with Jeremy Isom, a brother, I met in Amsterdam, Holland; about 5 or so, years ago. He spoke at our family camp this weekend. When we headed down to the lake, he wanted to Longboard there, so he borrowed one of our boards and hit the road. We passed him and snapped some shots of him luging down the steep road to the Beaver Bay area.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud and think about the scene in the movie "HotRod" when Rod is screaming the trouble word "Whisky" at the top of his lungs, as he is careening down the hill. Luckily Jeremy didn't end his run in a crash with a trailer like the movie! It was hilarious and the teens in my rig thought he was a riot...and a bit nuts....


.

Lake baptism...

Every year at our Summer church family camp, we end the weekend with a baptism at the lake. This year was particularly sweet because we were blessed to baptize Jamie, a woman we came to know in the neighborhood. These are precious moments where we get to participate in the unfolding story of new life. Each conception hides the uniqueness of the journey ahead...but every birth results in celebration. I was moved deeply, as I listened to Jamie share her testimony and reflected on the past years that have led up to this day...God is good.

An amazing work of performance art using sand....

The dive...

Sliding softly down into the yearning, emerald deep,
Rippling sensations of passing descent, wash away the too full, days.
Quiet forgetfulness...a darkened remedy, a pause of peace.

A thousand bubbled massages,
Soothe and release the cocked trigger of muscle.
The descending dive, unslithers me from my overly burdened skin,
I shed...time.
And it reminds me that I am alive.

Coming up....
Darkness gives way to light,
Ascending,
Rising with effortless lift,
a porpoise or an eagle,
Blissfully lost in the mix of sea becoming sky.

Underneath...
The distance, surprises me,
The reach awakens me,
I rise swiftly, a sense of quickening birth overtakes me.

I pass through...
Born anew.
Gasping and in rushes today and tomorrow.
Gently rolling over,
The sun leans down...Fatherly kiss, motherly light.

I am alive again.

-Eric Blauer (8.17.09)

After the baptism we did on Sunday morning, I took a dive into this spot of the lake we were at. It was the first time all weekend I was in the water. I had been admiring the emerald lake but the cold temperatures, the rain and the crowds had left me hesitant. But the sun had come out, the baptismal waters were surprisingly warmer than anticipated and I knew...the water called.

So after the glorious moment of new life was celebrated...I turned from duties and dove into the deep.
With eyes closed, I descended into the cooling waters. The quietness and the revitalizing depths were almost ecstasy.
I opened my eyes as I began my ascent and quickly noticed that the surface was quite a ways up.
The lake shore drops off fast here. The moment of feeling the depth of the waters and the ascending...is heavenly.
I cant even explain the exhilaration I felt in the moment of this spot...it was amazing.
As I came closer to breaking the surface, the bliss was as childhood as it could get, but with adult appreciation.

I think it was one of my most visceral aquatic experiences...

It's raining at Farragut St. Park

There are Angels in Sodom...

"The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground." -Genesis 19:1

So, Im looking up information on some leads of potential and verified sex offenders within a few blocks of our church; at the request of someone who has been experiencing unsettling and possibly criminal behaviors from some of the locals. So I'm knee deep in police mug shots and words like: child rape, molestation, crime, convicted, sex offender, warning...etc..and I get a phone call from another woman in the church.

She tells me she has a vision to share with me concerning the church garden. So she begins to recount this vision God gave her of angels in the garden, and an explosion of celestial inspired spiritual growth that she saw in the garden vision. There were dancing angles, rushing winds of the Spirt of God who was blowing the fragrances of beauty into surrounding parts of our city from this little eden. The working of the supernatural work of God that was expressed in the images of powerful fragrant winds was powerfully impressed on this sincere woman. She related the vision to me and expressed her excitement about the future work of God among us and through us. I thanked her and asked if she would write it down, so we could hold it in prayer and believe it into reality as we work towards such ministry impact.

As I got off the phone, the irony of the two previous moments, so diametrically opposed, crashing together, didn't escape me. The ability to hold these conflicting realities in tension and not lose faith to fear or become over dazzled by potentials is sometimes paralyzing...probably Like finding Angles in the streets of Sodom.
So often the challenge of urban ministry is "seeing" the angels in the devils. Finding the beauty among the decay. Scrubbing away for life...when death is urinating on every street corner.

I find myself praying for grace and a enduring spirit like Paul who honestly recounted the challenges of ministry: "We wear ourselves out from working with our own hands. When insulted, we bless. When persecuted, we endure." -1 Cor 4:12

I too, like Lot, am in the gates of Sodom...the people go about their lives an ever stretching drama of blood, failure, darkness and encroaching sin. And yet as I sit trying to disciple the saved and reach the lost among the local masses and the demonic rhythms of some dark band are pumping through the sound system of the local coffee shop...Im reminded, that there are still Angels in Sodom.

Angel's use to come for judgment....their presence meant wrath was about to fall.
But now...the Angels come as ministers of life...thier arrival, speaks of grace and forthcoming blessing...not fire.

But even still the bizarreness of it all sometimes overwhelms me...

You aren't a slave, quit acting like one...

Believers sometimes forget that we have been set free. Freedom scares us and more important, it scares those religious leaders who are into control. Jesus said, ‘Therefore if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.’ We want to change that, to create some parameters and to ameliorate the dangers of the freedom Jesus gives. When we do that, we miss the joys of being free from the bondage of our slavery to rules and manipulation...Being free enables us to go to God without the need to act like a proper slave...Being free means that , in prayer, we don't have to work for 'slave's wages'...Being free means that we don't have to worry about every word and every thought that is uttered in the presence of God...God says...'You aren't a slave, Quit acting like one". Steve Brown. When Being Good Isn’t Good Enough. -Steve Brown

Exactly....

“Religion is, ‘I obey, therefore I’m accepted’.
The Gospel is, ‘I’m accepted through what Jesus Christ has done for me, therefore I obey’.
Religion gives you control, that’s why its so popular.
If I am saved by what I can do, then there’s a limit to what God can ask of me.
I still have some control.
But if I am saved by sheer grace, then there’s nothing He cannot ask of me”.
-Tim Keller

Deep Blood

"The blood of your brother cries to me from the ground..." -God

Spokane Garry

We host semi regular art-music-food evenings on the First Friday of
some months. Last time we did one in December and we raised $3000 for
African Orphans. This one will be a fundraiser to help the Spokane
Indian tribe replace a culturally appropriate statue that the city
tore down. Spokane Garry was a christian leader in the early days of
the Spokane tribe.

His story is inspiring and another tragic testimony of white on Indian
injustice. The tearing destruction of the statue is another sad event
in Spokane'shistory.

I've always valued the local first nation art in this area and have
also been dissapointed in the lack of city support and celebration of
that heritage.

Read up on his story, it's a major move of the Spirit of God through a
man in our city's history. He's a modern apostle that the local church
should remember.

I fully support a new statue in his honor and hope to work together
with the tribe; to errect a monument worthy of the man and the people
he loved and led.

The church failed him then...I want to help redeem our reputation now.
It's a sin that needs restoration.

Eve...by Rodin

Eve
Originally uploaded by l'enfer.

I find this sculpture simply stunning and the photographer did an amazing job capturing it. Rodin is one of my favorite artists by far...the stuff of his I saw in Lyon France was a gift to behold. This picture captures the spirit of my thoughts for tomorrows message: "Naked and Unashamed"...I hope to do the image justice, at least in poetic form.

Oregon Coast...2009 Trip

Well another wild trip to Oregon is over and a ton of memories were made. We headed down last Friday to spend some time in the Portland area seeing friends and family and then headed to the Oregon Coast for 4 days of fun and relaxation. We stayed at the OverLook in Lincoln City for two days and spent two days in Pacific City in a Yurt-like cabin. We had a fantastic time, packed full with amazing experiences in nature and pampered goodness at various places. It was a great trip and here are some pictures to prove it!

The Portland Facebook Meet Up....

Whenever we head down to the Portland area...we are always frustrated that we never have enough time to see all our friends. So this time, we set up a Facebook meet up opportunity at the Beaverton City Fountain and invited anyone who could or wanted to see us...to come down to hang out for an hour or so. It was a great success! Not all our friends could make it and we were bummed for that, but we got to see a lot of folks from our previous church pastorates, old friends or bible study bro's and new and old children that we have missed growing up or getting born. It was a really good way to connect with people and love on each other for awhile...not as great as a evening at someone's home...but these trips are usually fast trains from one thing to the next...so this was our alternative. Sorry we didn't get a chance to see all of you who wanted to come, but couldn't...maybe next time. Thanks to everyone who came out: Benjamin and Lazarus, Darin and his two fast boys Martin and Luke, Summer and Jason and Judah and Makiala and Sam Mcnear!!!! You can see the pictures...Here.

The Lewis River swimming hole....

There are very few things I enjoy more than swimming in the clean, cool river waters of the Great Northwest...most of my cherished memories are from moments like these. I enjoy sharing them now with my own kids and hope they too will take their children to such wonderful places of recreation...and its all for free! Here are a number of amazing shots of our day at Lewis River. It's a swimming paradise with slow to fast water, deep or shallow, high or low rocks to jump from or spots to just soak in the refreshment and restorative beauty of God's creation.

The Sand Dune of Death.....

Pacific City has one of Oregon's largest sand dunes. It's a 45-degree uphill climb that's a ferocious BEAST to climb. Of course I say that; but as I was descending...I noticed a young woman doing it...with a child in her backpack...I felt like a weenie. The dune magnificently rises from the northern end of Cape Kiwanda, the last of the three capes along the Three Capes Scenic Route. If you make it to the top, you are rewarded with sweeping views of the coast on either side of Cape Kiwanda and Haystack Rock, a 327-foot rock formation off the coast. If you are real adventurous, you can rent sand-boards and ski down the dune!
Micah, made it up first, Christian was over-confident and ran up the first quarter of the hill and exhausted himself and retreated in defeat...I made it second, slow and steady and here is Austin making his way up the last leg of the hill....on hands and knees.The massive Haystack rock is something to behold...the picture doesn't do it justice...there are hoards of swirling sea birds on the top of this thing...it looks ominously prehistoric. Pacific City is a must stop destination on the Oregon Coast.

Lincoln City Sea Lions....

If you head down to Mo's on 51'st street in Lincoln City for some amazing clam chowder; you can also spot sea lions sunning and playing across the bay. After we ate lunch, the kids and I hiked over to the area across from them and took some pictures and watched them through some binoculars we had borrowed. As the kids started playing along the shore...a couple seals came to our side and popped their heads up and watched them play...they were only about 15 feet from the shore. There was a lot of seal activity everywhere we were on the coast...not sure why, but I saw more swimming around and watching us...than all the years I have ever been to the Oregon Coast. It was awesome.

Swimming at the Magical house of Mary....

Monday night my brother Marc and I, enjoyed a dip with the kids in his neighbors salt water pool. If you have never swam in a "salt water' pool, you have to feel it to believe the difference. No chlorine smell, burn or parched out skin...just clean, smooth, soft water to enjoy. You can even open your eyes underwater and enjoy a pain free experience.

During the raucous romp in the cool waters, my little niece, "Lilly" and her friend "Ellie" and I had fun, jumping off the edge of the pool together. Lilly, the little blonde was extra sweet to me. She swam up to me in the pool and asked if I wanted to "jump off together"...as an uncle who doesn't get to spend much time with his nieces and nephews...it was a very special moment for me. Just hearing her call me "Uncle Eric" melted my heart...I would of bought her the moon, if she asked. If you click on the picture of her and I...you can see that we share almost the same color eyes...I thought that was cool.

"His (Elrond) house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Evil things did not come into that valley. I wish I had time to tell you even a few of the tales or one or two of the songs that they heard in that house. All of them, the ponies as well, grew refreshed and strong in a few days there. Their clothes were mended as well as their bruises, their tempers and their hopes. their bags were filled with provisions light to carry but strong to bring them over the mountain passes. Their plans were improved with best advice." -The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien

The pool was located by a glorious home, on a couple of wooded acres in the heart of Garden home...it's simply known as...Mary's house. Mary lives alone but she shares her haven in the midst of busy urban life, with her friends and family...it was a really special treat. My brothers place, buts up against her property and all you can see is a heavily wooded area beyond the fence that separates the two properties....except of course...a gate. There is always a wonderful gate between the known world and the one that beckons you. Once you pass through that gate...you enter a magical world of beauty.

Here are some wonderful pictures that LeeElla took of Mary's world.

Top of sand dune!!!!

A Wash Of Colors

The waves are a rush of pearl,
Climbing over the constant emerald hills,
and the Leopard has left his spots across the sand.
Smokey clouds hover softly,
Punctured by moments of teasing blue.
Trails of grey weave across charcoal waters.
And the thin line of the artist's thumb,
Separates sky from sea...