Thursday, January 10, 2008

More Utah Pics and the Love message

Today was amazing. Period.

Check out the pictures

Chris Margono having a gnarly time
Gettin ready to drop in.

Snakerun Canyon shot - remember, 3 new ft of pow.


So much pow!

Looking down the Gandola



So that is basically the story... Amazingness out there. Fun to board in a Gods playground.

But ya, not too much on this side of town.
Enjoy the pics.

Let me leave you with something I recently read that spoke Truth to me.



It is easy for us to become numb and fall accustomed to our sacred traditions. Our world becomes a series of Sundays scratched off on our calendars, an X next to every attended church event. We lose our focus on the intended purpose for our life as we become buried in the visceral, the obsolete, the finish of the paint job on the shell over our meaningful existences. The Love that conquered the world has somehow been stitched into a Sunday suit worn twice a week at most. Our version of being the Light is refusing to see the opening of The Golden Compass so that the viral news headlines read "Heretical Hollywood Tanks in the Box Office." The 84% "Christian" population has done their part while supporting next year's blockbuster lineup of busty babes that is considered acceptable viewing material as long as you've sprouted a few hairs on various parts of your body.

The existential world is left festering in confusion and professing their unbelief in defiance of a moral existence. I'm alone in my car weeping for the people who are unknowingly, undeniably at large to the message of Truth. Passionate people who have become objects of a media-driven culture shepherding millions into spiritual genocide. If the pied piper was still alive, he would be suing for copyright infringement. Or maybe he, like many, just caved to the highest bidder.

I'm not an advocate for the drive-by antics of the "street-vendor-esque" minister, peddling salvation for head counts or ticket sales. But those admonitions are vaporised when the testimony of encouraging other believers to shine their Light like an exploding star is introduced into the equation. And in a time as critical as now, it's really not conducive to the Message to be debating evangelistic strategies.

I am saddened by those who scowl at the minister of the Love message, but no matter how sad it is, I deplore the believer scowling back and would always be firstly concerned with reaching the unbeliever on an intimate, serious level, before some vain attempt to fulfill a personal quota for evangelistic shrapnel discharge. And I would gladly leap in front of that sort of spiritual buckshot and take the hit for a chance to reach that person on purely love-driven motives.

I want to encourage everyone to take the responsibility to live the life of a true follower of God. To be rivers of righteousness, mighty floods of justice. Take a stand for the message of salvation, that is life to them that believe. Be the hands, feet, and voice of Christ in your school, job, neighborhood, home, etc. And don't limit yourself to the passively receptive. Fight for the lost souls and the aggressive anti-evangelic. If you take the time to reach into someone's heart, you'll find there are many modern-day Paul's worth fighting for.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Let it snow... Let it snow... Let it snow!

So here I am chillin on the hotel bed writing this blog.

First I wanna start with some fun stuff. Meaning pics from today and last night.

So here is where we are staying.





Same place as every year. Comfort suites:












Some ping pong action going on














Sick view on the way to Snowbasin























The guys stoked for the Pow!






















Me thru chris margono's reflection.

















Mark the Gah!


















View up the lift

















Awesome view at the top of snowbasin.











So there is a just a lil' preview.

What I wanted to talk about on a serious note is just about repetitiveness and stagnancy.
So I am here at the winter retreat in Utah and I have gone to this for the past 2 years. Honestly, there is some stuff about it that seems so repetitive, and its doesnt involve the food, snow, or anything outdoor. It involves stuff with the church, I just have a little problem with things being so repetitive in the church and the way we do stuff here at this church. I dont see any growing. The only growing I see is new people learning about Christ but not teaching about reaching out or just being part of OTHER different groups with fellow Christians. The stagnancy in the church at this stage is what has been turning me off to alot of churches. I need a church that is active in the community. Meaning, doing things and having their fellowship in public or around other non-Christians. We shouldn't isolate ourselves and sometimes in the ministry I came with, I feel we are just that. I see people so comfortable with themselves and where they are at. But is this really what Jesus would do? Or would teach his disciples to go be amongst the public. You tell me?

Just a little thought that keeps recurring in my head and I feel to be too heavy in one aspect of Jesus' teaching (Fellowship) is to deny the other (Being amongst the world but not of it).

Write what you may. And comment what you may please.

Any way, Utah is sick... Awesome snow. Thank the Man above.

Out...


PS I will be starting a new blog on WORDPRESS.com and LEAVING this one soon.
Look out for it!

Sunday, January 6, 2008

snoW reporT

For those who dont know,
I am heading for Utah tomorrow.
Its gonna be so bad ass! Check out this snow report:

Last updated: 1/6/2008 at 10:30 AM Sunday
Snow Information
Past 24 hrs: 6" since opening Past 48 hrs: 24+" Storm Total: 24+" Season Total: 183" of Natural Snow
Snow Surface: Powder, Packed Powder, Machine Groomed

Current Weather: Snowing
Weather Information
Forecast: Today: Periods of snow. High near 32°. South wind 5 to 9 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches possible. Tonight: Periods of snow showers, mainly before 11pm. Low around 22°. West wind around 5 mph becoming south. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Monday: Periods of snow, mainly after 11am. High near 26°. South southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.


Seriously, how legit is that? I am so stoked. God is good and I am so thankful for my life right now.

Apex Park just opened up at Snowbasin too. That park is off the hook!
Will be taking tons of pictures

Stay tuned

Woot!

Peace

Saturday, January 5, 2008

rain...snow...frusteration... and billary clinton.

seriously, this storm is so gnarly...

blowing everything away, i cant believe what going on today.
havent seen a storm like this, its so much craziness.

ok so that rhymed a lil' bit :D

but ya. this storm is nuts. i think its dropped 4"+ of rain and tomorrow is when the snow comes. woot.

utah is gonna be legit. pounded with snow. cant wait.
here is one sick pic i found from mthigh.com. chek it.

---------------

it kinda annoys me when old friends of mine wont talk to me anymore.
and i mean its not even my fault.
im sorry i didnt call you when i first got into town.
i hate trying and trying to chill with this someone and all i get is a voicemail.
so gay... i know he has negative attitude toward me and it sucks for me.
but its alright. i forgive him. i just hope to see him again.
summer was fun with him around. now im just kinda bummed.
oh well.
he will always be a buddy of mine. even if we arent on good terms right now.
he is too chill of a bro to let go of
its in Gods hands. not mine.

i know none of that made sense but i had to let it out somewhere. some ppl may now who im talking bout and some may not. im not getting into it tho. leaving it up to the Man above.

whatev.
------------------------
so how bout obama in iowa?
pretty impressive. better candidate than billary clinton that for sure.

and huckabee's win? never thought that. dunno who ill vote for.
candidate. dont get blinded in the whole political party BS. vote forall i know i dont vote for a PARTY member. i vote for the best the best candidate please... dont be blind to your own party's views.

anyway. we will see what new hampshire holds i guess...

peacing out. time to play some BODOG poker :)

Thursday, January 3, 2008

lost too much money! but gain some rain!


wow so today was a day not to remember

first this morning i had a physical, and those are always interesting :-/





anyway... after that me and my buddy dan headed out to hustler's casino to play some poker. [oh ya i lost alot of $$$ tonite :-/]
here is a 3 photo slideshow of the trip.





so that is about it for today.
oh ya. the storm for today looks pretty gnarly.
Cant wait! Here is a little model preview of what to expect in the first wave of the storm.
looks legit!

here is an interesting timeline i found on digg.com that shows the approximate stages of christianity and were each denomination broke off etc. i think its funny how the author of this timeline also shows atheism being constant. anyway... just a lil something to look at. lol. its not putting down christianity at all. I was merely interested in how each denomination broke off at a certain pt. in time and how it all goes back to the EARLY/TRADITIONAL Christianity. The one Jesus TRULY taught of. Not of what it has become in our culture today.

tell me what u think!?

gnite

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

just before sun went down... I stumble blind into the light of it all

so, i think its time for an update.

news years eve was soooooooo fun!
i headed out to laguna beach with a buddy of mine from SJSU who lives down there.
check out some of the pics:

just a good shot i got just before sun went down.


haha ana


rhian showing some peace


nights end with an awesome view at night! thank God for these views!


it was pretty off the hook there.

for any of you who like checking out new music. Listen to Strata, they are amazing. I never really got into them but I am now really starting to appreciate their stuff.
STRATA's Main Webpage
STRATA's Myspace


Here is one of their songs i really like.


"Night Falls (The Weight Of It)"

The room fills up with water and the roar of the crowd died down, they didn't hold their
breath, they just waited to drown.

Now I'm just the ghost in the corner that nobody knows. I'm just the chill in the air that
comes and cuts you to the bone.
I've never seen it shine so bright here before.
I stumble blind into the light of it all.
The walls of this city are all cold metal and stone, but we're nothing permanent we're just
soft skin and bones.
I'm just the pins and needles attacking your toes.
I'm just a mesage you saved in your phone a long, long time ago where I'm singing how I've

never seen it shine so bright before.
I stumbled blind into the light, the light of it all.
You've never seen it shine, so hard before-
You'd crumble underneath the weight, the weight of it all.
I'm always with you.
I never left you alone.

That song hits me in a different way than other people i think. It starts out negative and lonely but then at the end the light is revealed and it shines soooo bright that you are just in awe of it all. I feel this is how it will be when we see God and his light. It will be so majestic. And as the last two lines of the song say.


im always with you
i never left you alone


that is comforting to know in the spiritual sense... :) (Hebrews 13:8) check it!

i am sooooooooo waiting for a revelation and change in music. specifically, the christian genre. churches need to get past the whole contemporary scene and open their horizons to the other great/unique/individual music that exists. it may not fall under christian music. but who cares. its the motive and heart that counts in music. not the crowd your selling out too... im just so frusterated some times with our American way of selling out to people musically. this even goes on in churches around the USA. its ridiculous. again, my opinion.



anyway. im hitting the hay.
peace.