God's Finger

I can't believe how much snow we've gotten this season! No blizzards like last year, but we've had good snowfall after snowfall. Today starts our first weekend camp at Timber-lee for high school students. We we're worried about not having enough snow for the winter activities.

We were worried...hah! God is so good. Today's storm is finally slowing down after dumping another 8 inches on us.

It's a reminder to me that God is interested & involved in ALL the details of our lives. I remember a number of years ago, we had a group scheduled for a day of ropes course activities. As their day drew near, the weather forecast was not in their favor. The night before, they were predicting "100% chance of thunderstorms." Not looking good.

The next morning, I went over some last minute details with their youth pastor. "By the way, it looks like the weather's going to be a problem today & we may have to cut things short depending on when it hits." "We've been praying all week for today," was his response, "and we're believing that it's not going to affect us."

By 3pm, under blue skies & tall clouds to our north & south, I was getting a little curious as to where our "100%" storms were. I sneaked away to my office where I could check radar images on the web.

As someone who took meteorology classes in high school & college, I couldn't believe what I saw...

The entire region was experiencing strong storms...except us. Looking at the radar image, it was a mass of green, orange, and red, but right through the middle of it, it looked like someone had taken their finger and erased a 20 mile wide straight line right through the middle of it. Animating the map, Timber-lee stayed exactly in the middle of that line.

I went back out to the course to meet up with the youth pastor. "I'm witnessing the answer to your prayers, live on Doppler radar."

Two hours later, as we were finishing the last group of the day, we heard our first rumble of thunder & it started to rain.

Gear Review - Crocs

Ok, so this is what I do once I get back in the office - I write reviews. To be fair, I've got a few minutes before lunch, and I HAVE finished repacking the kits from my caving trip, done some budgeting work, read an article related to universal access of challenge courses (i.e. participants with disabilities), and turned in a handful of receipts to the office.

Back to the review. This may seem like kind of a stretch. I mean, come on, are Crocs really gear? Aren't they those wacky foam slippers that everybody's wearing? If you go online, you'll find sites created by those who absolutely love 'em, and sites with people putting Crocs in blenders. Even The Daily Show made fun of them. So, where do I stand when it comes to Crocs? Originally, I thought they were funny looking & overpriced, especially for a couple pieces of foam.

Then I bought a pair.

I had some extra money, and after hearing enough people rant & rave, I decided to put 'em to the test. I have to admit, they are very comfortable. They don't breathe (at all!), but the abundance of ventilation holes make up for it. They fit loose, but wearing 'em with a thick pair of socks in cooler weather will make the sale for you. It's like wearing air!

Final verdict: I wouldn't go out & spend hundreds of dollars just so you can have one in every color, but like any other piece of gear, there's a right "tool" for the job, and Crocs definitely fill a niche. I'm actually interested in their new line of technical apparel. Somehow they've integrated their material into a woven fabric that's light & breathable. Oh well, that's a discussion saved for a future review.

Merry Christmas!

Good evening & Merry Christmas! I'm away from my computer this evening, but I just wanted to take a few moments to wish all my readers a blessed Christmas. I say "readers" because I just found out that 121 unique visitors came to thedavewave in the last 30 days. That's pretty cool!

As I look back at this past year, I have so much to be thankful for. I'm celebrating my first holiday with our baby daughter, and God has proved Himself faithful in so many ways. He's provided financially through my work here at Timber-lee, plus more than a few photography jobs. He's provided for me professionally through the hiring of a very capable assistant who's helped me greatly, plus my appointment to the Professional Ropes Course Assoc. Board of Directors.

So again, have a blessed Christmas!

Hittin' the books (again!)

Well, it looks like it's official. I'm heading to school again. My last bits of info are en route to Beacon University in Columbus, GA, where I'll be working towards a BA in Organizational Leadership & Management. It's a distance learning program, taken online. I'm both excited & a bit nervous. It's been awhile since I've played the part of student.

Jen & I both think it's a good idea. Educationally, it'll give me more options down the road. My Elim education, though invaluable in preparing me for full time ministry, isn't exactly the kind of preparation desired by some of the grad schools I'm looking into. Trying to get into a MA in Adventure Education or Recreation Management program is a little tough with a Bible school diploma.

God has given me some awesome opportunities over my 10 years in this field. I direct an adventure education program that serves over 30,000 participants annually. I've lectured on numerous occasions at different universities. I'm beginning my second term on the Board of Directors of the Professional Ropes Course Association. I look forward to the doors God can open in the future with a stronger academic background in this field.

I don't need a nap!

Heading back from the cave...

This is kinda fun. I'm writing this on my phone as we drive back from Pop's Cave. We had a good time with students from Badger High School, getting muddy in the balmy 50+ degree temps inside the cave. One student was visiting from Turkey. "Someone take a picture," he said after crawling out a particularly muddy passage, "my mom's never going to believe this!"

I love my job!

Mobile Device Testing

Hey guys, this is a test of my ability to post with my new smartphone. I'm kinda excited as this will allow me to eliminate carrying so many different gadgets. We'll see how it goes...

Speaking at UWM

I'd love your prayers as I speak tomorrow at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. My friend Sean is a professor for a therapeutic recreation class, and he's asked me to speak to the class about my experience with Hodgkin's Disease. I'm supposed to share about what it was like to go through the entire process as a patient, from diagnosis to treatment and everything in between. I also have the freedom to share what an important part my faith played.

Pray that God gives me the words to say. I hope the students see that my relationship with God is much more than a dry religion, that they see that I was able to face cancer because of my personal relationship with a loving God.

Gear Review - Mountain Hardwear Monkey Man Jacket

Being an outdoors professional who's closet looks like a mini-camping store, I've thought of reviewing some of the pieces of gear I pick up from time. Hope you find it helpful.

A month or so ago, I picked up a new fleece. It's been awhile, and I did sell some outerwear on eBay to make room for it. It's the Monkey Man Jacket ($140) by Mountain Hardwear. Now, for those unfamiliar with technical outerwear, you may be choking at the thought of spending that on a jacket. Maybe my review will help explain (BTW, I paid way less - watch for sales!)

The Monkey Man is like a feather-light, unbelievably soft shag carpet fashioned into a jacket. It's made out of Polarguard Thermal Pro fleece, in a weave Mountain Hardwear calls "Monkey Phur." It's not windproof, or even wind resistant. Where this jacket really shines is its versatility. Because it breathes so well, you can wear it in moderate temperatures comfortably. When the wind picks up or the mercury drops, put a shell jacket over the Monkey Man & say goodbye to cold.

It's quickly becoming one of my favorite jackets, so two enthusiastic thumbs up!

We survived!

Ok, it wasn't that bad for us. We picked up a few inches of snow, and the freezing rain covered everything, but the warm temps we had this morning has already melted off the ice. Does look like winter, though.

Hope you like the picture. Before you think, "wow, he was outside last night, trying to find a cool picture for the blog," let me fill you in on what really went into the shot. I turned our porch light on, stuck my head & camera out the door, took the shot & closed the door.

It was cold!

It's a little icy...

Yeah, the snow & freezing rain have been falling for hours now, and everythings coated in a layer of ice. I'll take some pictures tomorrow morning. We were going to catch a performance of our friend AJ tonight, but decided against traveling when the National Weather Service described travel as "impossible" and "dangerous."

Hopefully we can make it to the 3pm show tomorrow.

Calm before the storm...

Jen & I just got done shutting our storm windows & putting plastic over the air conditioner (not gonna need that for awhile!) We're under a Winter Storm Warning, with a lot of snow & ice on its way. I'm sure I'll have more to write later. Are those snowflakes I'm seeing outside my window?