Noise

It does seem applicable to entitle this recent post in stark contrast to the title of the subsequent post. Although expecting the content of this post to be starkly dissimilar to the content of the last post is a mistake.

The month speeds on the wings of warm weather. New Zealand is quickly approaching summer on four days out of the week - the other three days perform a reversal and take us back to the presence of a wet fall. It seems an adequate metaphor for me personally through this season of life.

Today I will depart for colder climates - leaving the near 30 degree Celsius weather here for the below 0 degree Celsius in Alaska.

Past months have spanned the range of emotion and activity. It is none too soon that a break arrives. Off to the US of A today!

Silence

There is some wonder in my mind as to the effectiveness of attempting to communicate across many miles with the use of this simple blog.

Certainly the wonder quickly subsides when it becomes quite obvious that continuing a current series of blog entries may much improve any supposed effectiveness.

Yes, it is very much a true statement that I am VERY delinquent in providing a recent update to this blog. For that, I TRULY apologize to all those who remained curious and interested in reading about life and thoughts poised from this end of the world.

Why the silence? Well, there is not a one-word answer or other excuse. There are reasons, good or bad, for a three month gap. Much of those reasons revolve around a bit of burn-out, fatigue, and just failing to live in the reality of staying in touch with a bigger world. There isn't really an excuse to be made, nor do I wish to make one - just to agree that such lack is pretty lame.

There are a whirlwind of thoughts going through a mind congested with ideas of a past time. I had hoped things would go differently in keeping in touch with people and the world at large when I set out on this journey some time ago.

Certainly the blog wasn't so much a strict communicative and informative forum as it was a place to share some heart and some of life. I'd much like to say that efforts shall improve, but, I've said that before... So, we'll have to wait and see what proves true.


I had the opportunity to spend two of the last three months house-sitting a neighbor's home - it was a good break from community life.


The house in which I lived for two months.


Louie the dog!


Mac the cat.

Winter Calm... Uh, NO.

Whoever said that the winter season brought additional down time? Somewhere along the line I lost that memo...

This much I know that winter has brought: a lacking of emails, blogs, and pretty much just staying in touch with the world at large.

Currently, I am wading through the pit of lost communications - someday soon I hope to emerge victorious! In the meantime know that I whole heartily appreciate any form of communication with you, the world around me.

Here's some not-so-random pics of two weekends ago:

Snowboarding at Mt. Hutt (the drive up the mountain is half the adventure...)


At the top, wondering what's on the other side...


It was a nice day out on the top of the world at the bottom of the earth.


Working towards an Ansel Adams effect...


Rugby anyone? New Zealand All Blacks vs. South Africa deer-like-mascot-creature (B-team)

Maybe somebody should remind him that he is actually from Canada... Actually, not one of us really understood all aspects of the test (match) - some of us just went to yell.


In spite of the fact that this may appear a bit uninteresting I would have to say that rugby is quite grand to view.

More to follow, soon, very soon...

What I Do.

A view from my dwelling - well, nearly.

This post marks the 100th for the blog that I begin sometime a bit over two years ago. Time waits for no man. The fact that it is the 100th post, a numerical milestone, plays the reflective strings that resonate in the history of my soul.

It would seem that a look over the past 100 posts would not just provide a summary of where I have been, but perhaps the direction for which I embark upon daily.

This season of life and particularly this day of writing can't help but ring the bell of reflection. Tomorrow's sun rises on the dawning of my first day as a man no longer in his twenties. That is scary.

The scare is not from the fact that I am old and in my thirties, rather, what happened to the years? Where did the time go? I think back to a time when I was looking forward to twenty; hardly even imaging what twenty-five would possibly be like. Hah! Twenty-five was simply a large stone by which the river of time washed over on its way to thirty, where-by I was stuck momentarily in the hole of the leeward flow.

And so, I sit here and steep for a bit in the contemplative mood brought about by aforementioned milestones and rimmed with the recent consumption of dark chocolate shaded by the hearing of loud and hard music.

The reflection of the past in the theatre of my brain brings about things said, things done, and things yet realized. "Things" because I care not talk about some, nor do I care to describe in detail others, much less take the time to do so. I once used to have a number of regrets in life, I've attempted to disbar myself from those - to release those regrets. Not simply because I don't believe they had or could have significance, but because living life in regret or with regrets seals the outcome by which a person would hope to recover those regrets.

I speak of regrets now as that is what is significant to me in the past. Perhaps others deal with the 'regrets' differently; yet captured in similar contexts such as poor decisions, dreams not realized, hope smothered by a certain 'reality', etc. Yet regrets only become negatively significant if they are perceived as failures and become the defining moments of a life. Regrets may strike the nerve of failure, yet the constructive attitude may rather view those regrets as a path by which the high ground of a vision cast can now be pursued mightily.

The film reel of life brings to the mind images and situations which notably shaped me. More so, they became a preparation. A preparation for where I am now; a preparation for the time to come. It is quite easy to see how those decisions and experiences of years past comes into play today - whether it be the time spent hanging out with friends and doing things I am not so proud of; or participating in a team of government construction administrators trying to do the best we could with what we had, working the long hours bringing about gradual change and completeness contextualized by what we thought right to do in the face of thankless owners and internal government poor management. It's quite easy to identify how the experiences and decisions shaped, in part, who I am now and prepared me for this life now.

Where I am now is, in and of itself, a season full of satisfaction and questioning of what is next; of what this life may hold. I don't doubt the path that has brought me here or the Hand by which has guided me. Nor do I doubt the path for which the future may hold. There are no regrets now.

I don't know where the next step is. For now, for this season, I am here in Oxford, New Zealand. Realizing that it is not the work that is defining what I am and what I am all about, rather it is who I am that defines what I do and what I am all about. Does that make sense?

By my personality I am a striver - a person who continues to strive to do things better or to just be busy thinking that such is what is necessary. It's easy to work and to keep the hands busy. More difficult it is to stop - stop striving in order to listen, to think, to consider.

The heart of the matter is this - I am a believer in Christ Jesus and have wholly given life to Him. And it is only within the context of my relationship with Him that I truly can accurately reflect upon my life up until now, and the life yet to come. Truth and purpose now easily flow from the images of past events and memories. Life in it's direction is more purposeful, yet certainly more challenging.

For me, life is no longer a striving after something for which I may never reach - the American dream, or the thought of bringing about satisfaction through the accomplishment of an arbitrary goal. Satisfaction in life is now found in my identity through Him, by which I have never had to strive for to reach. I can do nothing more or nothing less to find God. He's already here and has provided a way to Him that is contrary to the 'worlds' popular opinion of what such should look like.

And no, I am not going to preach here - you'll either think I am a religious fanatic or a have a genuine belief that has somehow misplaced what a person may think I should be doing. Frankly, I don't care what a person may think - my identity is not influenced by what another will think for that is no identity at all.

So I choose now to live in Truth and a life that is something much more real than anything I have experienced before. I don't mean a life of "Christianity" as the Western world now largly views it - for that is a label by which we have applied to something very much unlike what Jesus had lived like. Where is the Love? This is a choice based on personal experience, personal revelation and a consciencse decision.

Screw the labels and the judgement that comes along with them. Dare one cast judgement againest another without first examining that 'self' by which they live by? I'm reminded of something I have read before: "hell is truth relized too late".


A view opposite from that at the beggining of this post

****

And so, what is it that I do here? Right now I have a hand in many aspects of the backbone service ministries at this YWAM Base that include the following general catagories:
- Building Project Manager
- Facilities & Grounds
- Transportation
- I/T (Computers, Networks, etc.)
- Outreach Budgets for Teams
- Also student with the Basic Leadership School

Those are general categories. What does that look like on 'typical' day - not that there is such a thing. Well, perhaps it would mean coordinating and the work of a mechanic or seeing to the road worthiness of any of our 4 cars or 10 vans; communicating with he local council (government) with respect to our ongoing application for requesting initial approval of a new facility construction project; checking out the validity and evaluating the priority of a reported maintenance issue within any of our 5 existing major residential structures; attempting to successfully re-establish the email client on some of our staff computers; or trying to figure out what's next to do on a list of things that changes daily.


The vans to which we are blessed to operate from this place

To say it is a busy life style is true; however, I try and think of it as full. There's not time to become bored during the day - rather the challenge is to separate personal and work time prior to realizing that burnout is around the corner. The difference here is made in considering again that it is not what I do, but who I am.

***

Fancy rhetoric? I think not.

Mt. Oxford, Attempt #2

From Mt. Oxford, A...

The first bump on the southern ridge approach to Mt. Oxford

Success! It only takes one wrong turn to make certain that the do-over is done correctly the next time round...

We started by a different route this time; a route that was marked and proven previously by a member of this second summit team. A week ago today I traveled along with this group of staff and students from the current DTS, including my sister, to conquer the nearby peak.

Blessed with a beautifully cool late fall day we were able to reach the summit without trouble, albeit a few sore muscles and liters of sweat lost to the uphill climb. Six hours for the up and the down - better than I thought it might be. Suzanne would want you to know that she easily beat me to the top - she actually was the pace setter for the group. I beat her down...

The view goes on forever at this height, well, as long as the haze allows. It's a different world at the top of a mountain - the cares of the world lose themselves in the altitude. I don't think we were too anxious to come down, yet the cool breeze and shortening days chased us away.

It was a grand day.

Someday soon I'll write a bit more - that's it for now!


Through the woods and over the hill...


Looking south along the eastern edge of the Southern Alps


Suzanne and I on top of the geometric data marker


Just to prove that we made it


View to the westerly direction from the top


Down and out...

Base Tour Online

I'm definitely learning more about time management - so much so that I don't take the time to post to this thing - ahhh!

For those of you interested, we recently were able to post a Tour of the YWAM Oxford Base on our website. You can visit www.ywamoxford.org and look for the links on the main page, or you can follow the links below...

Beware! The video file plays with Quicktime (if you have iTunes you have Quicktime) and there are two video qualities available - dial up and broadband. These are not small files! They take a bit to download, but, if at all possible, go for the higher quality broadband.

Broadband (~16 Mb)
Dial-up (~5 Mb)

Enjoy!

New Post @ Skyline

Overlooking the beach just south of Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia

Yaahh. For those keen to a wee bit more of the written content please click here or find your way through to the 'missions' update page on the Skyline Family Fellowship website. Or check out the right-hand sidebar.

www.skylinefamily.com

A Quiet Place

The local cemetery here in Oxford has become a place of respite in recent days and months. You might think this a bit odd; perhaps a degree of crazy. Fear not as it is not the attraction of death that enthrals, rather it is a quiet place.

There are no concerns lain alongside these markers - no concerns of the busyness of the day, the tasks left undone, the need to solve the most recent 'critical' issue, emails waiting for a response, or some miscommunication left unresolved and a relationship in need of mending. It's quiet and peaceful. The concerns of the day drift away with the cool fall breeze and are drowned in the reflecting pool of lives once lived.

There are many people buried here - easily five hundred if not many more. Some headstones date back to the 1880s. Other headstones are quite recent. They all tell a story, often brief and often poignant. No headstone adequately tells of the life marked therein; the brief words can only provide the fragrant essence of the life once lived.

The peace of this place provides a fertile ground for reflection and distilling of thoughts lost to the concerns of the day. It takes little effort for the soul to then shift to the brief reminders of these lives once lived. What must these people have been like? These fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, wives, husbands, children.

Many reminders of these lives communicate a simple message of 'dearly loved' and peace now found in 'rest'. Some reminders display an eloquent word painting of the life once lived and the memories now held. Yet, many of the stones displaying such reminders are fading, cracking, failing.

All that is left of these lives are a name, a brief epitaph, a legacy, and the memories of that person now passed. There is nothing of this world that is now held closely by that man or woman buried there. The length of the years once lived becomes a line or two of how the person is remembered in the memories of those whom loved them.

The sadness of the quiet place is captured not in the loss of the person, as death is a requirement for us all. Rather, the sadness rests with the understanding that some lives buried here may not have navigated to those dreams that gave wind to their sails. This only serves to focus personal intentions, pursuits, and futures. Fear of death is lost when the reality of living life to the Full is understood.

I've been searching for a particular epitaph that caught my eye one recent crisp, fall morning. The words were elegant and described a life truly lived. I haven't been able to find that epitaph again, nor can I recall the words to repeat it. It may remain lost amongst the stones.

This isn't such a recent endeavor - walking the cemetery. I like to think partial fault of this activity is that of an equally reflective friend, yet I must admit that it is an interest now fully taken by myself. The curiosity begins with the lives recorded on the stones, brimming forth with the wonderment of what might my stone read upon the time of passing... The focus of a life is only realized in the reflection upon death.

And, so, I sit here and write and consider my life now being lived. What will be engraved on my stone? I don't fear death, I fear not truly living. Yet what might that mean? 'Tis perhaps something different for you and me. What might you consider living?

Death is simply a door to pass through. I believe at the very core of my being there is such a thing of life through that doorway. However, the decision to open that door must be made prior to stepping through it.


"In His will is our peace found"

Current Prayer Requests

Current Prayer Requests!

Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement!

Prayer Requests:
• This period of time for Suzanne, my sister, as she is now attending a DTS here. Her school is now a third of the way through their Lecture phase. The three teams will depart around the end of June for a near 3 month outreach. Suzanne will be joining the team traveling to Fiji, Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia.

• The students and staff of the ongoing schools. It’s a time in life that is full-on and it is a time in life to seize hold of. Lives change. We have six teams currently in their Outreach phase from the January AW80 DTS. There are now two schools here at Oxford during their Lecture phase - April AW80 DTS and Biblical Core Course.

• Clear direction and leading for the expansion of this YWAM Oxford Base of ministry. The building project is progressing - we have hired a person to draw up design plans, however, there is additional resource consent issues that will likely require application and approval prior to moving much further in this process. We are just seeking to be following the Lord's heart in this matter - wherever that may lead.

• Further personal growth and direction as I press into this season of life, and the seasons to follow. The past number of weeks have been both encouraging and challenging as the Lord has spoken some words and as I have been stretched with interpersonal relationships.

A Recent Update

Good Tune-age.

So, if you are a fan of good music, allow me to turn your ears to Josh Garrels.

www.joshgarrels.com

Follow the link to Merchandise and then to the album Stone Tree - it's being offered as a free download for a time. Or, you can click on this link and look for "Free Download".

It's some amazing tunes.

More to follow on other things later...

The Land of Auz

Whoa, a new post! Yeah, it has even shocked me. Certainly I agree that my attempts at keeping this blog updated have been utterly failing over the past weeks. However, the blog is not alone in its neglect - I have failed to post to the church website, to write another email update, and to even have some sort of communication with friends.

So, perhaps it is time for a renewed effort at these and other unnoted items. Thus, here goes the first simple blog update in some time. I hope to follow with an email update following the coming week's trip to the Land of Auz.

Yup, a trip to Australia. It's definitely "business" related, however I am very much viewing it as a break. It's past my due date for stepping away from the Base for a much needed rest. Sunday to Friday is the duration, perhaps only long enough to begin to get my head back on straight. Now this isn't to say that the past weeks haven't been positive or good - oh they have been - yet full to say the least.

The present week's conference is held northwest of Sydney, Australia, near the Blue Mountains. It's called Proclaim YWAM Conference and is simply a time for YWAM staff of the South Pacific (Aus, NZ, and Islands) to seek the Lord for His next Move. Those of us attending from YWAM Oxford are very much looking forward to it! Off we go bright and early in the morning.

Packing has commenced for the trip and during the current lull of debating whether or not to actually sleep tonight, I very much felt it well past time to complete some sort of rushed update.

Life here is continuing to go well in all respects. It is busy at times, it is frustrating during some minutes of the days, it is challenging in more than one respect, and it is good. Difficult to think that I have been here in NZ now for 3 and 1/2 months - ahh, where did that time go?

It's difficult to some up things into a note and then expect it to be worth reading. I am sorry for those of you who I have, quite literally, dropped off the face of the earth - you know who you are I think. My apologies too for keeping this something less than what I desired - change is coming, but ever so slowly!

Here's a few pics from the third or fourth time I have actually made it into the NZ wilds since arriving back here. A group of us attempted to go up Mt Oxford a week ago Sunday. I say attempted because the path which we though would allow us to summit in a reasonable amount of time was certainly not the path we chose to take - we blame it on the low visibility of the path marker. Really, don't ask - just know we had a grand time, and nearly made it up the roundabout way...

From Mt Oxford, At...

On our way up, the Canterbury Plains as the backdrop

From Mt Oxford, At...

Toby pointing towards the hopeful summit of Mt Oxford

From Mt Oxford, At...

Poser


Viewing the Canterbury Plains - Oxford is a little bit to the left


What we saw on the other side of the ridge - Lee's Valley I believe, looking westerly.


Janusch and I hanging out on the ridgeline - as far as we ascended that day


Oh, that was they way we should have gone...

The Sister.

She's arrived. Suzanne has arrived. Actually, it was this past Friday. In any case it is grand to have her present with me in Oxford where she will reside for the next 3-months attending the Lecture Phase of the April AW80 DTS 2007. I think she is glad to be here.

Flattering pictures, no?





The staff and students of April AW80 DTS 2007

Hanmer Springs

The river valley near Hanmer Springs.

A bit "Photoshop'ed", but a spot in the woods that reminded me of Oregon.

On the way up the Mt. Isobel track. Did I say this reminded me of Oregon yet?


A weekend away from life and work at the YWAM Oxford Base. It was quite nice, no, really great.

As part of a celebration and transition to new roles here at YWAM Oxford, the Jan-Mar 2007 crew of Basic Leadership School (BLS) Interns escaped to Hanmer Springs for an awesome weekend away. As part of this crew I was able to get away from the base for some much needed contact with the world.

Yes, it's true, I have only been away from the base for one or two brief outings that would be considered non-work related up until this past weekend. Not necessarily a good thing and its not that the base is a poor place to hang around, just that it is right to remove one's self from current surroundings to keep a healthy perspective on life.

So, we had a chance to get away to a beautiful spot to the north by a couple hours. Hanmer Springs is a place known for hot springs located in-town, however, I thought it a bit too warm to be lounging about in a hot pool. Thus, a couple of us determined to conquer the nearby Mt. Isobel, a 1300 meter hill upon which the surrounding views were grand.

I need to get out more. This is God's Country of the South.


Looking from the saddle to Mt. Isobel peak.

The view from the saddle - Hanmer Springs is lower left center. Quite a view...

Looking out to the other side of Mt. Isobel, from the top.

Mt. Isobel, from the top.

Freedom Day, 23 March 2007

One week from today in the States, Friday the 23rd of March, is Freedom Day.

Freedom Day is a day of awareness and education of the modern-day human slavery taking place throughout the nations of the world, including within the US.

Friday, 23 March 2007, from 3-5 pm, on the State Capitol steps in Salem, Oregon, will be a rally spending a few moments publicly addressing human trafficking.

I invite you to be a part of this rally, or at the very least, to spend just a few minutes of your day seeking awareness. Prayers for this event would be MUCH APPRECIATED.

To learn more about Freedom Day in Salem visit this website:
http://web.mac.com/thefreedomproject/iWeb/Site/Home.html

To learn more about Human Trafficking please visit these websites:
Stop the Traffik
The Blind Project
Polaris Project
Salvation Army Trafficking Site

You can help, it starts with education and will spread from there.

The Last Great Race

Well, the title above may be debatable to some of you, but really it's not that debatable - sorry to have to break that to you...

From the Last Frontier originates a race of will, partnership, and community - with some people thrown in.

The Iditarod Sled Dog Race is in it's final days. The dogs and their mushers will begin arriving in Nome within the next few days.

Check it all out at www.iditarod.com, and enjoy.

Value + 1

And here is an example of where my time (see prior post) has been invested as of late. But, the office is up and running and we now have more room... one step at a time.

The 'new' portable office on-site and in-use - thankfully!


Inside the portable office - never know who may show up...

An early morning sun break through the misty coolness of a warming day.

Value

A fire from Alaska. Fun times to ring in the recent New Year!

A sunset in the late afternoon over a frozen Alaskan expanse - near the Wood cabin of Southeast.


“God sends people our way.”
J. Oswald Sanders

It has been said by someone, sometime, somewhere, that you can tell much about a person by considering how they spend their time. Well, I don't know if I have really heard such as a quote - although I quite imagine it going something along those lines.

In any case, time is the one resource we have control over. Natural abilities or talents, God-gifted abilities or talents - those are things that we can't control the origin of. We have what we have.

But time, now that's something that we have one minute and lose the next.

So, I don't know exactly where my time goes. The days here escape me. When all is said and done, at the end of the day, there is much to be thankful that the day has brought forth and there are those things that wait for a future day.

It begins to torment me that this blog has been left in disrepair, unkempt for days. The desire is to maintain this electronic space , and that on the Skyline website, in addition to keeping up with the emails and contact to the world outside of New Zealand...

So, to say that I value those of you who are not here with me in New Zealand is a very true statement, although if one would review the way I spend the time I have been allotted in this life, it may not ring so true.

Be assured that I thank each of you for your friendship, prayers, financial support, emails, letters, and love. None of that goes unnoticed, though it may be unaffirmed.

More night artistry of Will & Trevor - good, eh?

The recent 2006/2007 Backpackers Discipleship Training School graduating class - God speed!

"...faith is vision..."
J. Oswald Sanders

Time Management & mySpace

Really, this has nothing to do with anything, other than its just Beny being Beny.

Whoa. Time stops for no man (or woman). There are evenings where it’s an effort to recall if a certain event occurred that morning or the mornings of past days. The days have been full, and it has been good.

I have struggled over the last two weeks to complete a newsletter and updates for this blog and the Skyline blog. The intent was, in fact, to have some pictures and a few short thoughts assembled two weeks previous. Hah! That was a nice thought anyway.

So, the newsletter is done, and the blog updates are seemingly a work in progress. Maybe someday I will return to the habit of actually posting something witty and interesting more often then every month, but, we'll have to wait and see what next week brings...

In other, more pressing happenings, we had a student here who just last night broke one (?) of her vertebrate falling from a height of maybe 10-12 feet out of one of the massive hedges here. Thus far, it doesn't appear this has affected her spinal cord (i.e. she is able to walk), but the CTscan today should provide better information. Prayers for her healing and for her family would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, and for those of you who are mySpace fans, yes, tis true, I have one - but I didn't make it, and I DON'T check it! So, basically, I ignore it. Yes, I am certain some of you are heartbroken, but that is the reality of it - my apologies.

Here are some pics from around these parts (I did not take them all):

Night artistry by Will & Trevor

A sunset over part of the Base (the Ghetto, actually)

Base Staff outing - overlooking Taylor's Mistake

Reflection of Christchurch seaside from Noah's Ark replication - checkout this


The Welcoming for the AW80 DTS back in mid-January - we are doing a 'Christian' version of the New Zealand Hakka