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....


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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...