Memories of home

Spent some time last weekend transporting some things for my sister as she prepares to move back home to my parent's house. After bringing the last of the boxes inside, I found myself walking around the yard in the moonlight. It was amazing all the memories that came to mind...

* That scraggly little tree in the front yard that looked like a mop
* Dodgeball in the front yard with soaked Nerf footballs
* The apple "bush"
* Our dog's "minefield," especially when cutting the grass
* Riding bikes on the patio 'cuz dad didn't want us in the street
* Mom's chive plant by the back steps
* Throwing dried dirt clods at each other like hand grenades
* The grits I dumped into the evergreen bush when I made too much
* The play fort (manly 'til mom & Vikki painted flowers on it)
* Playing catch with Dad next to the garage
* Kickball games at the side of the house
* The Prayer Tree

Louis Vincent Albano - 1933-2009

I'm both sad & smiling as I write this, especially considering the substantial amount of time since my last full post. Who would've though that "Captain" Lou Albano would break my writing drought.

Those of you familiar with professional wrestling, especially the years that I followed it (mid to late 1980's) are probably nodding in silent tribute to "Captain" Lou. I still have pictures I took in 1987 of matches that took place in Milwaukee that dad took us to - Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, the British Bulldogs, etc. As I reminisce, what exactly was Lou captain of, and how did he get those rubber bands to stick to his face?

I think what makes me sad today is that I know that my dad would've called me right away. I can almost hear the voicemail he would've left..."Hey Dave, did you hear about Captain Lou?"

Ugh, another month has gone by!

Yes, I'm still alive. Not much new to post besides the fact that life is crazy as usual. Olivia continues to grow at an accelerated rate...Hattie is developing into a little girl with a unique personality (she laughs & smiles a lot!), Jen's busy with school & parenting, I'm trying to stay on top of the wave that includes being a good husband, dad, and camp program director (without a fulltime assistant) during a crazy busy fall outdoor ed season.

[breathe]

Oh hey, here's something new...I started playing volleyball in my church's league. Surprisingly, we won! I think the last time I played volleyball was almost 20 years ago. I remember because I broke my left middle finger during that game. No breaks last night, so maybe that's a good sign!

Taco John's + caving = ?

Had the pleasure of meeting up with our new interns yesterday in Richland Center for an afternoon of caving. On the way there, my friend Jim and I stopped at one of my favorite eating spots. Oh, Taco John's, home of the Potato Ole. Yumm! Anyway, as we were back on the road with the spoils of our stop, it hit me... can burritos and underground confined spaces ever safely mix?

I'll let you find that out for yourselves.

Summer draws to a close

Where did it go? Seems like not so long ago we were wrapping up staff training and welcoming our first week's campers. Now we just have a couple weeks of specialty camps, training for the new interns, then the fall outdoor ed season begins in force. Wow!

Learning to float

It's hard to believe I've been in fulltime Christian camping ministry for 10 years now. That's 25% of my entire life! Scary thought...some of the 6th grade students I may have taught in 1999 are now finishing their undergraduate degrees, some possibly with children of their own! Yikes!

How did I get here? As a senior at Elim Bible Institute, I thought I had it all figured out, and it didn't include camps. Sure, I got hooked on backpacking & rock climbing while a student there, but I had a plan. My friends were envious as we approached the end of our last year together. I had taken quite some time writing down in detail my plan for the 3-5 years following graduation. Yup, had it all worked out...

Until I sat in the "hot seat"...

Each spring, Elim has visiting ministers with proven prophetic ministries come to the school, a kind of "sending out" or commissioning of that year's senior class. As I sat with my back to them, facing my friends & the rest of the student body, I'll never forget the first words out of Stanley Hammond's mouth...

"Plans, plans, plans...this young man is drowning in plans. It's no fun to be drowning. I have a clear word of direction from the Lord for you. SCRAP whatever it is you have written down, and learn to float in the sea of My Spirit."

There went my plans!

Over the next couple of years following graduation, God continued to prepare and guide me, teaching me to "float", knowing that His current would carry me in the direction He intended for me. Bobbing around in that seemingly endless "sea" with no sign of a destination, God would sometimes drop a clue or an encouragement, especially when I started focussing on the waves instead of keeping my eyes on the horizon. On a trip to New York, just before Timber-lee entered the picture, a pastor I had lunch with shared a word God had given him concerning me. "I can't shake it," he said, "but I keep seeing a picture of a slingshot in my mind, and I believe God wants you to know that He's preparing to launch you into the ministry He's called you to. Don't be discouraged, like you're not progressing, or even losing ground, because like a slingshot, it gets pulled back before it fires. Be ready!"

A year later I was at Timber-lee in a fulltime position! Borrowing from the Peace Corps' slogan, it's the toughest job I'll ever love. I have to restrain my laughter when I'm asked what I do for a living & I tell 'em I work at a camp. "What do you do for the rest of the year?" is not an uncommon response. Timber-lee serves around 60,000 people a year on our grounds, and the ropes course program I oversee serves almost 30,000 participants annually. I'm a pastor with a climbing harness on, an adventure minister who gets to see lives impacted through the tools of adventure programming. It's a fulltime, year-round job that is very hard work, but I absolutely love it. Watching a sunset from atop our 40' climbing tower after a full day of classes, or Nordic skiing with school students when the air is calm & those huge snowflakes are falling...you get the picture. It's such a gift to have a career built around a blessing!

Thank you, God.

The pain will never end...

I've been chewing on this for a bit now. As you probably know by following my site, the past 7 months have seen the loss of both of my parents. Particularly hard for me is seeing pictures of mom & dad at the birth of our oldest, Olivia, two years ago. I was so proud to introduce them to her, to see them hold their granddaughter. This past May brought the birth of our second daughter, Hattie, only 2 weeks following my dad's death. Just the thought of them not being there still brings tears to my eyes. There are times that I fear, if I dwell too long on their loss, I may be swallowed by the grief.

I grieve deeply because I loved and was loved deeply...

I will always miss my parents. The void they left will never truly be filled. I'll never get to email mom the latest pictures of the girls for her work computer desktop...I'll never share another breakfast at McDonald's with my dad.

But I will go on...I can go on!

It's only because of Christ, and the love of others in my life.The blessed truth is that I will see my parents again someday, and in the meantime I have a wife & daughters that I love, brothers, a sister, and relatives that are here for me to love & enjoy. The sadness doesn't stand much of a chance when my Olivia jumps on the bed in the morning, a big smile on her face as she gets to "snuggle daddy", or I get that look from my wife that expresses a wellspring of love & support. Hattie pretty much just lies around at this point. I swear she smiles at me sometimes, but the accompanying farting sounds reminds me it's probably just gas.

Life without my parents will never be "ok," but God sees every tear, and promises to supply all my needs. God has blessed me with life & it's my responsibility to honor Him by treating each day I remain on this earth as a gift, and be an instrument of His love to those around me.