Cozy Feet!!

Happy, happy, joy, joy!!!! We are now living in a place with a fireplace and our feet are loving it!!


Mmmmmm, cozy feet!!


Mmmmmm, fireplace!!

Work Quietly With Your Hands

Ok, so maybe this isn't exactly quiet, but I am hoping Paul meant the attitude of the heart.
This is the beginnings of a large garage we are building in the Ellison area. (the one from a couple of posts ago). I thought it would be cool to show the progress over the next few weeks.


This is after the hole has been dug and we are doing the footings.

After the footing comes the walls.

Saty tuned for more.

A Change Of Heart

What is it in my heart that refuses change and balks at the commands of my Lord? I suppose flesh would be the first thing that pops into my mind, but it seems to be deeper than just that. Somewhere below psychologies, next to the shelves and racks of rational thinking, and right through the door marked "KEEP THE @*%& OUT!!!" there lies the answer. It is found on the face of the guy cowering in the corner over there where the light can't quite reach. It is fear; fear of just about anything, but most particularly death. This would also include the pain associated with the whole process. This fear of pain causes no end of trouble. It hinders every effort towards freedom and hampers all clear thinking. It is the armed guard at every roadblock on the 'way'.
Of course the death this fellow fears is far more than the brutal gore dealt up by Hollywood and the pages of the latest thriller. It is worse because it is far more complete. There is nothing that this death would not touch or demand to be handed over. It is the utter annihilation of the self. Physical death still leaves the self free to wander through the afterlife unscathed. Not really so terrible, unless you just can't live with yourself, then it would truly suck. The kicker is that it is the very fact that the self is demanded and not just confiscated (at this point anyway) that allows this ghoul of fear to haunt the dark crevices of my brain.
The great thing is that in the end he is always proven to be made of nothing more than paper and the only real pain that he brings is the paralyzing fear of his desparate thoughts. He cannot be outsmarted, but he can be dealt a death blow if I will just bow my head and let the One who watches my back cut him down.

An Office With A View

You know I have seen people trying to get to the office with a view, well this is the view from my office for the next few weeks. Pretty nice, eh?
Oh yeah, there is also a friend from 10 years ago who has returned to Kelowna and is working with me again. We framed before for Double K Craftsmen and now we are the men of GTR. May I introduce Guy Toderash, carpenter in training. We will take him to dizzying heights where framers fear to tread. (Probably because they may have to carry a finishing hammer =) ) Welcome back Guy. (ryhmes with eye not see)

The Power Of The Gospel

It never ceases to amaze me at how powerful the gospel is. It can change utter darkness into blinding light. It can take the impossible and thrust it back into unbelieving eyes so that they too may see. It always changes what it touches.
What I have found to be equally true and mostly frightening is that the change will happen in either direction. We love the stories of radical conversion, but the ones that shake me are the ones of radical dismissal of the gospel. Either on the Rock or under It, there are no other options. Just as there is a radical change in the lives of those who fall on the rock so too is there a change in those who finally reject it. Even of those in the body who turn aside for what ever reason, there is a change that occurs. It usually surfaces in a doctrinal shift away from at least one point in particular. Not one specifically across the board, but one specifically that cannot be reconciled to the life it is busy offending. It becomes easier to change the word than submit the thing it is trying to kill.
I had a picture once of a submarine which was sitting on the surface of the sea while people were furiously trying to fix all the cracks in it so that it could submerge. Meanwhile the submarine captain was yelling out the order to dive. No one was heeding though because they thought that in the sub's present state it was no good for submerging and could, at best be sold to the Canadian Navy. This did not hinder the captain from his command though.
The Lord said this was a picture of Christians who are beset by the need to fix their sub before diving into God. The Holy Spirit continues to call the command to 'Dive!!!', but they fear their sub will fill up with water and they will die. Of course this is the whole point. The word wants to kill us! The water flowing through the cracks was a picture of the power of God flowing through all the weaknesses we try to hide from Him. The only option for life is to allow the word to kill me. My flesh fights daily to pervert the truth so that it can stay alive. So the power of the gospel can give me a heart of flesh or turn my heart to stone, but it cannot be ignored.

The picture here reminds me of the dream of the Rock which falls and crushes to dust all the empires of man. If you go to the link it will become even more apropriate as it says

The good news:
Scientists will probably spot the object before it hits us.


The bad news:
Even if we get six months warning, there's nowhere to hide.

There is nowhere to hide.

A Couple Of Reasons Why I Love These Guys

This is the metal leftovers from my headbanging days. Tourniquet was and is my fav metal band and since I have renewed aquaintences with them I have found even more of their accessable humaness that I so enjoy. Here are two examples from their website (link is in the sidebar).



OK, ok, that is kind of shameless promotion, but when is the last time you had Judas Priest coffee???

The other thing is that the drummer and driving force behind Tourniquet, Ted Kirkpatrick, seems to have a great love for fishing which appears to have come from time spent with his dad in Wisconsin trout country. Again not the kind of thing you would expect from a guy in a thrash/metal band. Of course this is not your average metal band. (probably why I love their music so much :) )

Hey We're Back

We were gone for awhile to visit family in the fair province of Alberta (land of lower gas prices). I had not been to my brothers place for 20 years so it was about time. They are understanding people and it was always something coming up with the other side of the fam' that kept us from going. They live 8 hrs north of Edmonton so it was a bit of a drive. We stopped at Mt. Robson for a cuople of nights and made our first effort at camping as a family. Worked out awesomw and the kiddies had a blast.
I got a more involved blog coming up which will have to wait until we unpack from our latest move (Lord, will it ever end???). I wrote it done on paper...wow. Now I need to transfer it to the net. Patience will pay off in the end. Till them here are some shots of the holiday.

My Bro and his fam'

Sammy in a skidder wheel

The boys with cousin Josh in the skidder

A cool sunset back at the house

Uncle Darcy teaching the finer points of fishing

A very happy little girl

At the Mt. Robson campground

Mt. Robson

A truck accident we saw on the way

My little cutie blowing away some other local beauties

Thanks To One And All

Thank you to all those who are far more resourceful than I and have dug up the cool blog page tricks that I have plundered. You are a blessing to hacks like me who have great desire, but little time. I especially like the page translation on the sidebar. Now my friend in China can read through this more easily. Sweet!
This time the thanks goes out to Cindy-Lou at Son-flowers.

It's Hack, But I've Taken Care Of The Template Issues

Although it is rarely true that things are, I do tend to see things in black and white (right Nathan?? ;) ). This came to me as I finished the changes to my Blogsite. Not that it was an original thought by any stretch, but the scheme of the site screamed it out to me. Though there are few things I have corraled into this way of seeing things I continue to search for boundaries and parameters. The interesting thing is that even fluids have boundaries and these days I am fascinated by the fluidity of God's truth. Fascinated because it still remains absolute, and yet fluid all the same. I love how His mind works, always makes me want to know more.

Anyway, it was time for a change and a simplification. Hope you like it, I sure do.

Help!!

Anyone know how to fix the problem with the sidebar and the profile? I want to have it all black and no scroll bars. Any takers??