From "No Man is an Island"

"It is therefore of supreme importance that we consent to live not for ourselves but for others. When we do this we will be able first of all to face and accept our own limitations. As long as we secretly adore ourselves, our own deficiencies will remain to torture us with an apparent defilement. But if we live for others, we will gradually discover that no one expects us to be “as gods.” We will see that we are human, like everyone else, that we all have weaknesses and efficiencies, and that these limitations of ours play a most important part in all our lives. It is because of them that we need others and others need us. We are not all weak in the same spots, and so we supplement and complete one another, each one making up in himself for the lack in another.

Only when we see ourselves in our true human context, as members of a race which is intended to be one organism and “one body,” will we begin to understand the positive importance not only of the successes but of the failures and accidents in our lives. My successes are not my own. The way to them was prepared by others. The fruit of my labors is not my own: for I am preparing the way for the achievements of another. Nor are my failures my own. They may spring from the failure of another, but they are also compensated for by anothers achievement. Therefore the meaning of my life is not to be looked for merely in the sum total of my own achievements. It is seen only in the complete integration of my achievements and failures with the achievements and failures of my own generation, and society, and time. It is seen, above all, in my integration in the mystery of Christ"

-Thomas Merton

Final Preps

Thursday we woke up and headed towards the airport to pick up shane. All the time in the car with Jeff was much appreciated, because we really got a chance to chat with each other.

As we drive south, we can see the cascades to the left, the Olympics to the right, and Rainier looming straight in front of us. Its huge.

Shane is stoked, and we head to REI to get final gear and plan for the climb. After seeing some of the touristy stuff, we head to Jake's Parents house for dinner and final packing.

Wednesday

Wednesday we woke up for breakfast, and went out to Mt Erie to find adventure. Not being much of a rock climber, and already tired from the previous day, Jeff thought it'd be a good idea to repel down a cliff and see what sort of climbing we could find in my skill level. The spot we were at had gorgeous views of the water, complete with sitings of bald eagles and angry falcons. I "Sent" a couple routes, including a "5-10 a." before being so tired i didn't think i could climb any more. Then, we got out our glacier gear and practiced ascending ropes on prusik knots.

The day wouldn't be complete without dinner with jeffs mom, a visit with jeff's grandma, and some equipment double checking

Seattle Trip: Tuesday

Tuesday after breakfast with Court, i got on the bus to begin my adventure. After an uneventful flight, I arrived at the airport where Jeff was waiting for me.

We went to REI to get a few things, and then met some of jeff's buddies at the local climbing gym, Stone Gardens. Here, I met Jake for the first time. Jake is going to climb mt rainier with us. I can see he's an amazing rock climber, and a super nice guy. After climbing until i'm "Pumped Out," Stefan and I grab a beer and then re-connect with Jeff and more climbing buddies for thai food and Rainier Beta. This guy bill, who sounds like he has a few screws loose in his head, tells us Rainier is solid gold right now, and we should go for it. The other climbers agree, and we decide to call the climb a go.

We finish the night with a 2 hour drive up to Anacortes, Jeff's home town. Anacortes is a sleepy cute northwestern town on the sound with beautiful mountains and cliffs.

A funny way of winding down...

It seems to me that my view of relaxation has become slightly skewed. With classes over, its time for me to get out and recharge a bit. This time around, I'm packing my bags and headed to Seattle. Ahh, Seattle. Pikes fish market, Coffee, and Indy Rockers.

But no, i'm not packing my tight jeans and my rain jacket for a week of sitting in the city sipping coffee. Up on my life to-do list is climb mount rainier. I leave tomorrow for what could be one of the biggest and scariest challenges yet.

Mt Rainier is a massive 14,000' volcano popping up from sea level. It brings with it a whole host of challenges including avalanches, rock slides, crevasses, and extremely unpredictable weather. Its stretching me out already in my plans to be flexible. The weather has been bad for the past 2 weeks and the chances of a safe climb are looking slimmer and slimmer. The mountain will still be there, and we're going safety first. So, just in case, i'm bringing a plethora of toys to help me make the most of my romp in the cascades. a couple options up for grabs are ice climbing on mt baker, or maybe a peak in the northern cascades (Dome Peak?)

And so, i've got my bags packed. Ice axes, snowshoes, avi gear, boots, rock gear, crampons, and all sorts of winter camping gear. Special thanks to Steve B. and Phil P. for helping outfit me for this this adventure, and to Jeff and Shane for getting stoked and making this dream a reality. I'll try to keep the blog-o-sphere up to date as the story unfolds!

Peace.

Mike

Belize Trip Report

It's finally here! Check out our official trip report from Belize!

Also, thanks to everybody that donated to our trip. Thank-you notes will come soon, but in the chaos of our church re-structuring a bit, the list of donors hasn't gotten to me yet.

Peace.

mike

If you love something, give it away

Sometimes I think God goes out of his way to teach us things, and I'm so thick skulled I can barely hear him shouting over all the noise in my day-to-day life.

Recently, i was listing to Bright Eyes and there is this line in their song "Landlocked blues" that says:

but it all boils down to one quotable phrase:
"If you love something give it away"

Land Locked Blues - Bright Eye...

The lyric really jumped out at me, as if this secular musician has cought some huge truth that I'm missing in my Christian life.

Then, as the thought started to leave my head, God went ahead and underlined his point. I was at this superbowl party and this guy, who i kind of know (but not well), was wearing this really sweet retroish Patagonia jacket. I told him i thought his jacket was sweet, and he immediately took it off, handed to me and said "It's yours!" This makes so little since to me, a) because he must have liked the jacket, other wise why was he wearing it... b) it's really cold outside, and c) who just gives away his stuff? I tried complementing him on his pants, but he wouldn't give me those...

Anyhow, I don't get this, but i figured i'd think "out loud" for everybody who follows me on cyberspace to ponder with me. I find Truth in this concept in 3 ways:

1. If you love something, chances are others will love it too. You can hoard your enjoyment, or share things you find enjoyment in, and in the void, find NEW things you Love. This way your love never grows old or sour, its always new and fresh, and others can love things that you have found.
2. If you Love something, and it detracts from your Love of Christ, it's better to give it away than hold onto it.
3. God loved his Son, and so he gave Him away to the world.

i dunno, chew on it.

-mike

Complaining / contentment

My new years resolution this year is to avoid complaining. Complaining about our circumstances, or people in our lives is a direct insult to God's goodness, who has blessed us out of abundance. The idea was spawned by St. Benedict's strict ruling against complainers in monastic life:

Under no circumstances should complaining be tolerated, no matter what the reason. Anyone found complaining should be subjected to most severe punishment.
-Ch. 34, Rule of Saint Benedict

Indeed, we've all heard the whiny teenager who sounds like a spoiled brat even though their parents continually pour into them. How much more shall we whine when God continually pours into us?

But, God's also been teaching me this new year that avoiding complaining is treating the symptom, not the disease. The disease that I suffer from chronically is discontentment. No matter how many skills I have, friends I make, papers I write, Toys in the garage, I always long for more, think about how life would be better if I just had _______. Life is soo good, and being content with what i have should be a key aspect to my worship of Christ. That doesn't mean I don't hold great Hope in what God has in store for the future, but my Hope isn't in my future but God's glory.
and thats about all i've got to say about.
-mike

Belize!

I'm back from Belize! It was an amazing time. We were down there with the Word at Work working on the foundation for a community library in the valley of peace. I really enjoyed making friends in Belize, and am really planning on trying to make another trip down there either this summer or next winter to follow up on a lot of the relationships we have down there, as well as see the finished library!

The construction was hard work, but it was great to work alongside the locals and it was really fun learning a thing or two about concrete construction from the foremen down there. In the afternoons, we would usually swim in the river or pool, and drink a belikin and talk about the day. On the weekend, we went to a coffee plantation in the mountains where we jumped off of a secluded waterfall and hiked in the jungle. We also did a full moon horseback ride where a bonfire awaited us, and had a great new-years eve party with a regge DJ and lots of locals to dance with.

The end of the trip was spend on a secluded island in the Caribbean, where we had time to snorkel, relax, and decompress from our time in Belize before returning to the states. The island was beyond description, like something out of a postcard. I am also extremely thankful for the others from Boulder (Randy, Danelle, Andrew, and Kevin) that went and the way we bonded on the trip. Enjoy the pictures!!
-mike