Perfect Timing, Personified
I’ll tell you what, God sure knows what He’s doing.
It was only one year ago that I was laid off at the Springfield News-Leader in Springfield, Missouri. I ended up moving away from my family and back here to Washington in the hopes I could land a media job in Portland and live in the Vancouver, Wash. area for awhile.
Things didn’t exactly work out that way, but as of right now I couldn’t ask for much better. I live and work in Centralia, Wash., forging new friendships every day, finding my job enjoyable and starting to settle in a little bit.
Timing is everything, but it never goes as I plan it. I didn’t get the job at the paper until February, and that was even on a last-minute whim. I was working at a Verizon Wireless store in Vancouver and loathing it, although the pay was good. I knew I had potential for much better and I felt horrible that I wasn’t realizing that potential.
But God knew, and here I am with the job. I’m slowly beginning to enjoy my time here more and more, and create essential connections and friendships in life.
Today brought a whole new gift from God as I began dating a beautiful girl from east Lewis County. You’ve probably read about someone named Trinity a few times — to make a long story short, we met officially in March at our mutual friend Cydnie’s apartment. We attended church together so we’d seen each other and I had actually met her parents, but we still didn’t officially meet until that night.
I think it was late April that saw Cydnie, Trinity and I go on a trip to Long Beach and back on a Saturday evening. We were all punchy and as Cydnie fell asleep in the backseat, I got to talk to Trinity a bit. You see, Trin had been through some tough times and I was ready to just be her friend…but fate (God?) wouldn’t have it thatway. I think it’s safe to say at that point was when I really began to “like” her.
(Honestly, the whole way through from the moment I met her, I couldn’t get out of my mind that I wanted to date her and I’d make sure it would happen. I just didn’t know when, so I didn’t worry.)
She let me know she reciprocated those feelings a couple weeks later when we were talking over the phone, and she was listing off our similarities in life experiences and how our families operate. Then she blurted out: “…and we’re both tall and attractive.”
She said it, not me.
It hasn’t been the easiest road, but the last two months we’ve really seized the chance to get to know each other and pray about where to take our feelings for each other. Now we know, and today is the start of a cool chapter in life.
I hung out with Trin and her parents today over lunch, and it reinforced that the relationship just simply feels right. There’s no other way to explain it. When you fit together, you fit together. When you don’t…well, I’m sure you understand.
I guess if you were to ask me how I’m doing in the year since I’ve moved on from life at the SNL, I’d say I’m doing alright and I wish everyone could say the same.
Please keep Trinity and I, and our relationship, in your prayers. Send an extra one up for me, especially if she decides to keep chewing on my arm at random times of the day. :)
Ocean Shores Trip – July 11, 2010
My friend Trinity and I made a trip to Ocean Shores, Wash. yesterday to celebrate our friend Dale’s “halfway party” — a party in which he celebrated turning 51.5 years of age with an eventual goal of kicking the bucket at 103.
It was a grand time, as we walked on the beach and enjoyed some time in their rented condo. It was great to get around 15 people together and see friends…I haven’t been able to relax like that for awhile.
The atmosphere was neat, the ocean was beautiful and it was only an hour and thirty minutes from Centralia. Not bad.
Travel tip: Stay away from Dugan’s Pizza. The food is mediocre, they charge for a pitcher of water, and there was only one server on duty which meant our order was screwed up. Pricey, too, as is the case with most food joints in tourist towns.
Photos after the jump!
Centralia Summerfest Parade – July 4, 2010
My apartment in Centralia, Wash., straddles one of two main streets of downtown — making it easily accessible to the Centralia Train Depot, Fuller’s Market, Olympic Club, and a whole host of downtown businesses.
This also means I had a living-room seat, quite literally, to watch the 2010 Centralia Summerfest Parade to celebrate our nation’s independence. I did end up venturing outside the apartment and up a few city blocks, and took the opportunity to shoot photos of anything and everything, really.
It was a neat little parade, featuring a host of community groups and drawing a decent-sized crowd. Everyone arrived in droves shortly before the parade started at 4 p.m., and once it was over, everyone scattered quickly.
Urgent: Fire Severely Damages Vancouver Hispanic COGOP
The Columbian and Fox 12 are reporting this morning that the Hispanic COGOP church building in Vancouver, Wash. has burned in an overnight fire.
As per fire officials, the structure is in “really rough shape” after the fire heavily damaged the roof. Fox 12 has reported that portions of the roof have collapsed inside the building. No injuries occurred during the fire, but apparently firefighters are still on scene to ensure the blaze is completely put out.
Pray for the good folks of this church. I have many friends from this church — and speaking of such, if any of you guys from the Vancouver Hispanic COGOP or anyone that has connections to it would like to leave a comment and let us all know how you guys are doing, that would be great.
As of 10:47 a.m., I have heard from friends that the building will be declared a total loss. This is rough stuff and the folks at the church there need our prayers.
Review: Washington COGOP YAK Camp 2010
During my time as a youngster, church camps were the highlight of the year for me — I’d see all my friends from other COGOP churches around the state of Washington for nearly a full week and we would enjoy hanging out, ministering to each other and just being able to be with each other.
As the years have gone on, many of us have parted ways. There are a few that remain, but those that do remain faithful to the camping ministry and their churches.
The COGOP in Washington state has fallen on tough times, to say the least. The most glaring example is church attendance being down, and everyone’s being socked in the gut by a tough economy that is slow to rebound. Those two factors were evident this weekend as we barely climbed over 40 in attendance for YAK Camp 2010.
Despite the low turnout at Millersylvania this year, God ministered to many this weekend and people seemed to respond in a quieter, low-key fashion. Pastor Frank Smith of New Horizons Church brought convicting messages about grace, forgiveness and unity and they resonated with me personally. The teaching by Ruthie Turner and Rick Bear on Saturday was relevant as they both spoke on transforming and renewing our minds to Christ’s image.
One person came to accept Jesus Christ as their savior, and we had four baptized yesterday morning.
The weather cooperated, thankfully — we were able to get in a rousing soccer match in, just after learning of the U.S. loss to Ghana in the World Cup. Basketball was great as well.
I didn’t shoot photos because I wanted to spend some time with friends, and it was definitely time well spent. It was great to see people I haven’t seen in months, particularly my buddies from the Vancouver-Camas-Washougal area whom I have not seen since moving to Centralia.
Overall, I don’t think the camp itself was as good as the 2009 edition, but still good nonetheless. I’m still on the fence about paying $75 for it though, and in the end I think I’ll be glad I did. I know a lot of people can’t justify spending $75 when they have to drive from across the state to attend an event that spans somewhere in the neighborhood of 44 hours, and something has to change in that department — but overall, the spiritual benefit for now outweighs the monetary aspect of it all.
I grade this year’s YAK as a B-minus, just a hair more than C-plus.
Pros:
- Relevant word, great teaching
- Very relaxed atmosphere, close-knit environment
- The food, as always
Cons:
- Parents are allowed to bring their small children
- The cost ($75) is too high for a 44-hour retreat
Young Adults Retreat This Weekend
It’s been ten days since my last update, and I sincerely apologize for not getting on here as much as I’d like to.
The past few weeks, to be quite honest, have been a spiritual struggle for me. I don’t want to get into it, but please rest assured my faith in Christ is strong and will remain so. I am just struggling with some life situations that want to burrow themselves into my mind and mess with my well-being.
I could use some prayer and a pick-me-up.
I think I’ll receive a good dose of both starting tomorrow, when I attend the Washington COGOP young adult retreat at Millersylvania State Park. It’s only about 20 minutes north of here so I lucked out — it’s like having all my friends come to my backyard and chill for a weekend. I’m looking forward to some good teaching, prayer and fellowship with my friends from across Washington state.
The weekend promises to be great, and I’ll document it all with photos. That’s how I roll, son.
A Meeting O’ The Minds
I had a neat chance to sit down yesterday over lunch with Bill Hennessy, director of social networking for an Assembly of God-based organization called Network 211, regarding a ministry he has a hand in that I found particularly engaging and interesting.
Network 211 is focused on a ministry they have named Project 10 Million, which is what I would describe as Internet-based missionary work. Now before you write this off as something that has no merit, peruse the links I gave you above and find out a bit more about it. How it works is absolutely stunning: the team has produced websites in which people can watch a video of a testimony and find out more about Christ — and most importantly, be led in a prayer to receive Christ. Then, they click on a choice of two links: one if they prayed the prayer, one if they have more questions. Either way, the person is linked with a person through live chat who can disciple them and help them. Eventually, the network serves to plug the person into a local church in which they can become a vibrant part of the body and grow spiritually.
The results are even more stunning, with scores of people per day making a decision for Christ, tracked in real time on Project 10 Million’s website and using Google Earth.
A friend had shown me the Project 10 Million website months ago, and I had wanted to know more about it, who was behind it, how it got up and running, etc. It was really nice to be able to meet with Bill, who coincidentally lives in Springfield, Missouri, and really connect with him over this idea. I expressed a desire to get involved in some fashion, but I didn’t know how just yet.
This much I do know: I have a vision to open a business someday in which I facilitate the creation media for churches who can’t afford their own ministry staff — and distribute sermons, vignettes, etc. over the Internet for broadcast to a worldwide audience. I don’t know exact details of that yet, but I do believe the two ministries could merge.
It’s an exciting time and it’s going to be exciting to see what God does with all this. I’ll write more on this later, I’m sure.
The World Cup In 24 Seconds (And One Word)
Compliments of the great Andres Cantor.
GO USA!!!
Five Guys In Longview: Epic Win
I spent some time with a friend in Longview yesterday, mainly for the purpose of checking out Five Guys Burgers and Fries, which opened a week ago in the Triangle Center.
First off, let me say that I am really happy for the folks in my hometown. The addition of said establishment is a great thing and really shows how well the Triangle Center is doing these days. It is full of people every time I visit, and I hope Longview’s economy is on the way up.
So as for Five Guys itself…I would seriously compare it to In ‘N’ Out. It was that good, and I consider it a neat indulgence for around $10.
Their main offering is a double-patty burger and a cup of fries…you can choose either regular or cajun fries. The burgers are cooked fresh right in front of you as you order by a group of extraordinarily busy people behind the counter.
And whoa, is it ever good. The burger was so fresh, juicy and tender…unlike anything I had eaten in a fast food restaurant. For a guy that ate nothing but hamburgers during the family’s trip to Yellowstone in 1998, this ranked up there as one of the best I ever had.
The fries were a little overgreasy and soggy, but that’s an item of personal preference as I am more of a crunchy fry fan. We got the Cajun fries and the taste didn’t disappoint.
Overall I would rate the experience 9 out of 10. The music was a bit loud and the place was a bit crowded at 7 p.m. on a Friday night (that is partly due to the novelty of the joint) but the food was excellent.
I know where I am eating every time I visit Longview…which just might have to happen more often.
Dana Key, 1953-2010
Man, this sucks to write.
I heard of the passing of Christian music pioneer Dana Key this morning after deadline at work and couldn’t believe it. He passed away yesterday evening at the age of 56 from a blood clot.
Key was one half of DeGarmo & Key, one of the better-known Christian rock bands out there for a couple decades until he and Eddie DeGarmo parted ways in the mid-90s to pursue other ministry opportunities. In fact, DeGarmo and Key were the first Christian musicians to have a video on MTV — “Six, Six, Six” ended up being pulled from the airwaves because of the supposedly controversial image of a man on fire.
DeGarmo & Key was a HUGE part of my family’s Christian music selection while growing up, and it was music I rather enjoyed. I remember my dad playing their 1991 album “Go to the Top” during a trip in his Toyota pickup to COGOP State Convention in Yakima. I was only seven then, but I also remember the family listening to their 1993 release “Heat. It. Up.” on repeat during a trip to Yellowstone National Park.
It was music I came to love not only for the musical quality, but also for the lyrics of many songs that spoke to me even during my formative years.
Dad kept the DeGarmo & Key tapes for years, and when I moved away I purchased “Go to the Top,” “Heat. It. Up.” and “Commander Sozo and the Charge of the Light Brigade.”
I didn’t know Dana Key, but the music he had a hand in was so instrumental in my life while growing up that it stirs up a profound sadness in me to write this blog post. It’s awesome to know, however, that he was pastor of a church congregation in Memphis and had devoted his life to the ministry of the Word.
I’m writing a news story for the Chron right now, but I’m doing so with “Go to the Top” on repeat in the background. In fact, the song “Family Reunion” just played…fitting tribute because we’ll see our brother in Christ one day in heaven.
Here’s the video: