Ryan & Sarah

Let me be the first to introduce you to Sarah Hunter: the girl with the new ring in the photo above. Ryan proposed on Friday night May 6th at his new apartment on 21st St. in the Pearl District/Portland, OR. A bit later they walked a few blocks to 23rd St. where a bunch of us were waiting at Papa Haydyn's (thanks David and Karen Woods for the inspiration on that one) to celebrate. We love Sarah and can't wait to welcome her to the DanFam!

Possess Nothing

Before God created man He first prepared for him a world that was full of useful and pleasant things (Tozer, Spiritual Classics, p. 113). These were 'things' meant to sustain and please the man, and yet, to remain external to him. The many attachments intertwining my heart, mind, and soul are beyond mere externals it seems. How do I grow in affection and commitment to those I love; grow in experience and effectiveness with initiatives I care about; increase my borders and boundaries; and hold it all loosely so as to possess nothing?

Then Jesus said to His disciples: "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life must lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What good will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?

Splagnidzomai

Luke 10:33 In the middle of the Good Samaritan story the author of the gospel connects reader and protagonist by revealing the nature of his motivation to act; which is best explained by the Gr. word splagnidzomai, which comes from the root splagna, meaning 'inner parts' such as liver, spleen, and heart. In the context of the story, the Samaritan traveler came upon a beaten, half-dead man on the 'bloody road' connecting Jerusalem to Jericho (called the 'bloody road' because of the wanton bloodshed and gratuitous violence that often occured there). Seeing the victim on the road, the Samaritan was moved in his inner being; he felt compassion. Matthew uses the same word to describe Jesus' response to the people who were scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. He was moved in his inner being to act on their behalf.



What situations impact me to the core of my being? When have I been moved to care for another person in need? Recently a friend of mine stopped by the church to find someone to pray with. He wasn't looking for me specifically, but I ran into him in the hallway and he told me what he was up to. We sat down together and he told me about being separated from his wife and children, being out of work, and missing his kids. As we began to pray, something inside of me said give him all the money you have in your pocket. For a split second I held back, but decided to go with my instinct. We prayed and prayed some more, and when we got down praying, I reached into my pocket and gave him all the bills I could find. It wasn't a ton by the worlds standards, but it was more than I've ever given randomly. I typically do not give money on the spot to those in need to protect myself from giving away everything I have and being irresponsible with my real obligations, but on this occasion I was moved in my inner being. Splagna was taking place.

A Mini-Family Reunion

After 1 year, several of my aunts, uncles, and cousins decided to put together a mini-family reunion as a way of honoring/remembering my mom, dad, and brother. Pictured here are 4 of my mom and dads 6 remaining brothers and sisters (Uncle Gilbert, Auntie Retta (dads siblings); Uncle Marvin, Uncle Herbie (moms). Two live in Fresno, one in Las Vegas, and another in LA area. What a cool thing to be together and say to each other, 'you are important!' Would've blessed my mom and dad no doubt.

Earlier that day a few of us went to the graveside to put some now flowers on the headstone which holds my mom, dad, and brother. It was really peaceful and brought some further closure for me and Janet. We are totally confident that God has them securely in His hands, but there are still days when I wonder what's going on. Being there was a fresh reminder that their bodies are no longer with us, but with God.

When we got on the plane to fly to Portland, there was a genuine feeling of satisfaction and blessing. Many good things shared with family and friends. We are grateful to God for His care!

30 Years later . . .

So here we are in the lobby at the fabulous Hotel Lucia in downtown Portland (about 10 blocks from where Ryan will be working next year in the Wells Fargo building pictured here as well) celebrating Valentines! Thirty years ago we got engaged, can you believe it!! (See story below under 'My Valentine'). Tons of fun: like coming up out of the parking garage with our pillows, books, and bags in hand, only to find Steve & Trina Fowler standing on the very street corner with their son Chase, then heading down to Pioneer square for the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics on a big screen, then to all the jewelry stores to check out new rings, and getting on the Max to explore the rest of downtown Portland. Couldn't have been better! So what are you doing for your Valentine this year?

My Valentine

On February 14, 1981, I asked Janet to marry me on the back porch of her house in San Diego. (It wasn't quite as nice as our current front porch that she is standing on last Christmas in this picture). I had dinner all prepared, waiting for us on the table, her roommates lit the candles before they took off, we were supposed to walk in the back door, except they forgot to unlock it, and Janet didn't have her keys with her for some strange reason. So there we were; locked out. So I did what I've become so good at through the years, improvise.
Obviously it worked out pretty well for me; I asked, she said yes, and here we are 29 years later. In honor of 29 years since we got engaged, we head to Portland this weekend to celebrate on Friday night. Our friends Carl and Sue Nelson are putting us up at the Hotel Lucia as a thank you for doing their daughter Molly's wedding in December (cool idea guys! Thanks). It will also be fun to hang out in the city where Ryan landed his first job (which he doesn't start till next year).

Petra

Do you recognize the fantastic scenery in these pics? I am standing at the ancient site of Petra in Jordan, 1 hour from the Red Sea, 2 from the Dead Sea. The Nabatean peoples carved these amazing structures out of the hillsides; they have been standing for over 2500 years.

I spent two weeks in the MIddle East just before Thanksgiving '09 as part of a team from our church to help establish community centers in three specific locations in the region.

I also got to see the place where Jesus was baptized on the Jordan river, Mt. Nebo where Moses died and was buried (Dt. 34), the ancient ruins of King Sihon of the Amorites who was defeated by the Israelites (Num. 21), the plains of Moab (Ruth), and the hills of Gilead. Tho we did not get a chance to cross over into Israel, we could clearly see the city of Jericho in the distance, and the eastern hills of Jerusalem above Jericho. What a blast!

Bikin' Fool

So today I ended up out in the middle of nowhere on a perfect 25 mile ride; I stepped out my apartment door at Gonzaga, turned right, crossed the bridge, past the park, and off . . . the next 22 miles were meandering trails like the one you see here on the Spokane river. I've been spending 3 or 4 days a week riding to my hearts content; stop every 6 or 7 miles for a drink, a short walk around to catch my breath, and off. Considering I'm riding the 30 year old Schwinn Tour that was given to me last summer after my trail bike was stolen on campus one night, I'm not doing too bad. I caught up to an old dude a few days ago on one of those 5K Italian jobs, he took one look at my beater and kept going. 8 miles later I'm still with him and he finally says, 'So, how you pushing that old whip of yours around so fast?' 'They don't make em like this anymore do they,' I responded. '35 lbs and slow as molasses. Guess you just gotta be good.' And with that I turned on my afterburners and left him in the dust (ok, i made up that last part, i didn't really leave him in the dust, but the rest is all true). So friends, the next time you see me this summer, look for my bright yellow nike shirt and 30 year old whip riding like the wind.

Social Construction

"The foundational idea of social construction seems simple enough, but it is also profound. Everything we consider real is socially constructed. Or, more dramatically, nothing is real unless people agree that it is" (Kenneth Gergen, Entering the Dialogue of Social Construction).

"Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man . . ." Romans 1:22-23 The Apostle Paul

So which person do you believe? As for me, I'll stand with the Apostle Paul thank you! One of the most pervasive theoretical constructs of epistemology (how we know) is social construction; the notion that all truth is man-made, that what we agree on together in relationships with other human beings as truth is truth. This would be a convenient way to live, even generative, in the sense that every situation can be viewed through a positivistic lense; we can make anything positive, life-giving, constructive.

The only problem is its not true, plain and simple. There is objective reality and transcendent truth. Jesus proved that by walking out of the tomb on the side of a hill two-thousand years ago. When I first arrived at Gonzaga I was not prepared for the onslaught of relativistic, social constructionists running around campus. In class I would sit and listen, stew a bit inside, attack a time or two, and generally walk away with my tail between my legs. This summer has been different. I no longer have the need to correct others, to defend good, or make all things right.

I'm sad this is probably my last summer in Spokane (I've just about completed my course work on the way to Dissertation research and writing next year) because my new found freedom is refreshing. I don't have to defend God from social construction, I'm simply called to live my life and be faithful to Him; He'll accomplish His purposes in and through me. What a difference a summer makes.

"So now that you've graduated from UofO, what are you doing next Ryan?"
"I'm going to Disneyland!"