everything.....
i'm writing from work...which i probably shouldn't be doing...but there's ABSOLUTELY nothing to do...i opened the mail...that's it...seriously. nobody's called or anything.
we're back from the AT early..rain..etc. kind of a long story i guess. the trip was awesome though...that's also a long story. so..we're back...and i'm at work...which is INCREDIBLY boring.
actually...there is stuff for me to do..but my uncle/boss has not gone through the stuff he needs to go through so that i may then take on the massive task of reorganizing 20+ years worth of files...so..for now..i'm just killing time...
today is josh's birthday!! happy birthday to him! melinda, caitlin, josh, and i are going to lunch for his birthday...in about an hour...ahh! maybe dinner and a movie later too....we'll see.
my parents have been cool so far this summer...i've spent time at home and with caitlin and josh...caitlin got a job at food city..and josh is still working on finding his "june job"....last night caitlin, josh and i went to subway and then walmart...and then she and i baked him a cake for his birthday...when we put the icing on...it melted... at that point it started looking like a five year old made it...so we just went with that theme. it's pretty funny...and slightly tacky..but hey...it was fun...and it's the taste and the thought that counts...
yesterday at work, i read a book. caitlin's bringing me books at lunch (i hope she remembers)...this morning i worked on sermons. i have two in progress...and i don't know which one i'll use first...my friends have been the inspirations for both of them...which is cool....i was on a roll earlier...but i've lost motivation...so i played around on the typewriter...which turned into a rather humorous letter to meghan..and now i'm here...we'll see if i can get back on track....
since we got back from the AT, i've been trying to think of what i learned from the whole experience...here's a preliminary list...
1. pain sucks...but the journey is what counts...i can walk through the pain. support and conversation ALWAYS helps.
2.prayer works. God saved our butts so many times on the journey...when we asked, he provided what we needed. and He guided our decisions which made things go really smoothly.
3.nature is great...escaping is great...but it's very selfish. you leave your world..to go be alone. hiking is all about you...it's about your comfort, your feet, your miles, your hunger, your thirst...very selfish. which is cool for a while...but ultimately, it made me realize that going out of the "real world" to encounter God is certainly an awesome experience, but it's not a way to live. Faith isn't about mountain top experiences with no time in the valley...by the end of the trip...i was feeling rather self-absorbed...and kind of out of line in terms of where God wants me....
4. agony of the feet brings about some VERY strange quotes...but Joey humor helps the agony of the feet...so..in the end it's all good.
5. if you ever encounter a hiker...they want one (or all)of 3 things..1. a ride. 2. food. 3. ice.
i guess 2 out of 5 meaningful lessons isn't too bad...
we're back from the AT early..rain..etc. kind of a long story i guess. the trip was awesome though...that's also a long story. so..we're back...and i'm at work...which is INCREDIBLY boring.
actually...there is stuff for me to do..but my uncle/boss has not gone through the stuff he needs to go through so that i may then take on the massive task of reorganizing 20+ years worth of files...so..for now..i'm just killing time...
today is josh's birthday!! happy birthday to him! melinda, caitlin, josh, and i are going to lunch for his birthday...in about an hour...ahh! maybe dinner and a movie later too....we'll see.
my parents have been cool so far this summer...i've spent time at home and with caitlin and josh...caitlin got a job at food city..and josh is still working on finding his "june job"....last night caitlin, josh and i went to subway and then walmart...and then she and i baked him a cake for his birthday...when we put the icing on...it melted... at that point it started looking like a five year old made it...so we just went with that theme. it's pretty funny...and slightly tacky..but hey...it was fun...and it's the taste and the thought that counts...
yesterday at work, i read a book. caitlin's bringing me books at lunch (i hope she remembers)...this morning i worked on sermons. i have two in progress...and i don't know which one i'll use first...my friends have been the inspirations for both of them...which is cool....i was on a roll earlier...but i've lost motivation...so i played around on the typewriter...which turned into a rather humorous letter to meghan..and now i'm here...we'll see if i can get back on track....
since we got back from the AT, i've been trying to think of what i learned from the whole experience...here's a preliminary list...
1. pain sucks...but the journey is what counts...i can walk through the pain. support and conversation ALWAYS helps.
2.prayer works. God saved our butts so many times on the journey...when we asked, he provided what we needed. and He guided our decisions which made things go really smoothly.
3.nature is great...escaping is great...but it's very selfish. you leave your world..to go be alone. hiking is all about you...it's about your comfort, your feet, your miles, your hunger, your thirst...very selfish. which is cool for a while...but ultimately, it made me realize that going out of the "real world" to encounter God is certainly an awesome experience, but it's not a way to live. Faith isn't about mountain top experiences with no time in the valley...by the end of the trip...i was feeling rather self-absorbed...and kind of out of line in terms of where God wants me....
4. agony of the feet brings about some VERY strange quotes...but Joey humor helps the agony of the feet...so..in the end it's all good.
5. if you ever encounter a hiker...they want one (or all)of 3 things..1. a ride. 2. food. 3. ice.
i guess 2 out of 5 meaningful lessons isn't too bad...