You Ask Us Why We Homeschool...

I had a co-worker share an interesting story with me the other day.  He and his wife decided to send their 3 yr old daughter to one of "the BEST" preschools in Las Vegas - maybe it's the best because of its outlandish cost!  Apparently, it's the creme-de-le-creme and leads into another exclusive elementary school.  He feels like the odd-man-out as he drops his daughter off in their Accord, alongside all the other parents in their Lexus, Land Rovers, and BMWs.  

He said that he and his wife were a little concerned when Lexington, their daughter, came home and showed them how to write the letter "J" - it was backward!  So his wife decided to sit in on the class to meet the teacher, see the classroom, etc.  She was appalled (as was I when he told me this) that the teacher had posted the entire classes' work on the wall - There were 8 student "J's" posted...all written backwards! -- DRAMATIC PAUSE -- with smiley-face stamps of approval on each one : )

Needless to say, she didn't know what to say, but eventually asked the teacher, "Did you know those J's are backwards?"  The teacher replied..."Oh, they are??"  I guess the teacher is from a foreign country, but she had graduated from an American college with a teaching degree!  What's wrong with this picture??  Is this the best our schools have to offer - or is it just a one-time anomaly from some yuppie school?  I really have a feeling that the problem is a lot more widespread, though.  I guess Lexington, on another day, came home and was reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to her parents (which I'm glad they're teaching - kind of doubt it includes God, though).  She started reciting, "I pledge allegiance, to the flag...of the America, United States..." I doubt that's just a 3 yr-old mistake.  Sounds like the way a new American might re-arrange their words while saying it.  They also say that her speech was better BEFORE they enrolled her at this school.  

How big of a deal are these problems?  Probably not life-changing.  To me, it's the fact that schools are hiring teachers like this - that aren't qualified for the job.  An even bigger concern is the world-view that's being propagated in schools.  It's very anti-Biblical.  But I'm sure you already guessed I would say that : )

That's why Hannah and Alexa are being home-schooled.  

Hey...let's COEXIST!

Sounds attractive, doesn't it?? Why don't we just get together and Coexist? Wow, sounds GREAT!

Yuuuuuckkkkk....gag me! I've really been disturbed by this "trendy" sign popping-up everywhere I look.

The first time I saw this sign was on a SMART car bumper as it whizzed past me at 10 to 15 mph over the speed limit on my way to work . My first impression was that it was something the Obama campaign would have printed, touting his claims to be a Christian, his indisputable ties to Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, and his support of the homosexual agenda and abortion rights. What made this even worse was seeing it pop-up in Christian circles - even a church that we know was using it to draw newcomers to Christmas services!

Now before you go labeling me an unloving, Christian, radical-nazi, I understand that many authentic Christians probably see this as an expression of God's love for all mankind. I think there's a deceptive and destructive element to this seemingly harmless symbol, though.

First of all, I thought the gospel of Christ was about LOVING God, first and foremost, and LOVING one another unconditionally.

"Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking..." 1 Corinth 13:4-7

Remember this? Doesn't Paul's description of LOVE sound like a far cry from COEXISTING?? Coexisting conjurs up pictures of primitive fish crawling up out of the primordial ooze and abstaining from their survival-of-the-fittest instincts. And I'm sure that's exactly what the creator of this emblem was trying to convey. But is that really how we want unbelievers to view the Body of Christ?? The BRIDE of Christ?? Please say it isn't so! I want outsiders to feel LOVED as they come to church! Not just that we're willing to "get along" with them for the sake of everyone's sanity.

Which brings up another point. Doesn't coexisting sound alot like, "Hey, why can't we all just get along?" This sounds nice enough. World peace, right? Hmmm...sounds a lot like the Hippie movement of the 60's. Is it Biblical? Will we ever come to a point in time when all nations and men will put down their swords and give one another a great-big, global bear-hug? No - not until Jesus Christ returns to claim His Church and rule with righteousness.

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.
I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34

"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.
Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
All these are the beginning of birth pains." Matthew 24:6-8

So when a church uses this emblem to attract people to their services, does that mean the church is willing to accept everyone's different beliefs and creeds? Let's say a Muslim starts attending a Christian church, or an atheist, or a homosexual, and they propagate their beliefs among other church members. And they're proud of their positions, so they keep coming and interacting with others who listen patiently and kindly.  Are those Christians expected to just COEXIST with non-believers of drastically different beliefs - views that are really Satan's deceptions at the core? Where do you draw the line?

Throughout the New Testament we see the pattern that the church MEETING is for the feeding of Jesus' flock - not primarily outreach. In fact, in Revelation 2:14 Jesus reprimands the Church in Pergamum:

"You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam,
who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin
by eating food sacrificed to idols and by commiting sexual immorality.
Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitins." Rev 2:14-15

I think we resort to dumb advertising schemes like this to excuse our OBVIOUS lack of witnessing and outreach in the workplace, in the marketplace, in our neighborhoods, in the theaters, etc. When was the last time you relayed the gospel, or heard somebody else teaching it outside the church?? Yep...I'm guilty, too. If we're relying completely on outreach only in the church, we're opening ourselves up to some serious dangers! That's one reason why our Western church is SO watered down! We've been permeated by professing Christians whose lives don't reflect an ounce of repentance or sanctification! And they're spreading their own self-serving, human religions in our sanctuaries - refusing to be changed by the Truth that they hear every Sunday. It's true! We have SO MANY churches with rosters full of "Christians." Shouldn't our communities be different then?? Las Vegas is a PRIME example - gobs of huge churches and a decrepit culture. Where's the power?

Then I started reflecting on church discipline.  I agree that we need to be a loving and welcoming culture to unbelievers. But if someone hears the gospel at church, doesn't leave a changed person, and persists in sin week-after-week, we need to heed the direction of Paul in 1 Corinthians 5 and correct them - NOT JUST "COEXIST" WITH THEIR DECEPTIVE BELIEFS...ESPECIALLY IN OUR CHURCHES.

"It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you...
And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief
and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?"

And later in the same chapter...

"But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone
who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy,
an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.
With such a man do not even eat.
What business is it of mine to judge those OUTSIDE the church?
Are you not to judge those INSIDE? God will judge those outside.
'Expel the wicked man from among you.'"

The church should be a safe haven for God's true church - His "Ecclesia." "Coexisting" in our churches without discipline of those professing different creeds is dangerous.

Can we love one another? Yes - only by Jesus' grace. Can we invite people of different faiths to church? Of course! Is the idea of promoting ourselves as a "coexisting" community a good way to represent God's kingdom? No. The principles behind it are deceptive and creep into our church like death. To quote Galadriel's Lord of the Rings monologue:

"Rumor grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived its time had now come."

Satan will exert his authority more and more until Christ returns to put him in his place. His deception slowly but surely creeps into the church like a "nameless fear."  Let's not make his job easier by stooping to this level.

Can you tell that this struck a chord with me?? I'd love to hear from any fellow Christians who feel the same...

The Ugliest Cars...According to Matt

Ok...for the lack of better blogging material I've decided to quickly enlighten everyone on the ugliest cars on the road today (despite your own personal opinions):

#3 - The Hummer. Notice I didn't say HMMV (Highly Mobile, Multi-Wheeled, Vehicle) - this is what the military drives around and actually looks cool. What we've got on the consumer market today (as seen below) looks like a bloated whale only meant to flounder down Hollywood Blvd or Park Ave - can these things even go off-road?? Definitely a huge let-down from the "real deal."

#2 - The Aztec. What can I say about this thing? Who came up with the rear-end on this! U-G-L-Y

#1 - And now for the ugliest car on the road....the Scion! I hope I don't offend too many liberals, but this thing is UGLY!! You'll never convince me that this thing is "hip" or "trendy" - it's just UGLY.


Now that we've been so grieved to look at the top 3 offenders of the road, let's look at my dream vehicle...

The Jeep Cherokee
(not the Grand Cherokee, mind you)
Everybody say, "Ooooooo, Ahhhhhh."

It's a thing of beauty sporting its roof rack and off-road lift kit. This is a manly man's car. 'Nuff said. Oh, wait! I own one of these! Ok, so it needs a little money thrown at it to look like this. Maybe one of these days...

Meet Macy!

Well, I finally caved in and decided to get a dog for the family - actually I was really excited to get one, too! We "adopted" Macy (apparently you never use the word "bought" around pet lovers - big no-no as I found out) this Saturday from the "Adopt a Rescue Dog" program outside a local Petsmart store. She won our hearts immediately with her affection and gentleness with the girls. Her kennel-given name was "Marian" but we didn't think that was a good fit. She's some sort of Shepherd mix: not sure if she's got German Shepherd in her or maybe Dutch Shepherd - it's hard to tell. Any thoughts from the dog experts??

More to come on Macy later, but we wanted to get the pictures out for everyone to see. She has been a little slow in eating her new food, but once she gets adjusted to the new environment, we think she'll come around.

Zion Getaway

The guys in our church had been talking all summer about a guys' getaway.  Well, we finally made it happen.  Over the weekend of Sept. 27th, we all got kitchen passes and drove to Zion National Park, just northeast of St. George, UT, to enjoy some camping and hiking.

Angels' Landing Summit - Top Row (left to right): Neal, Mike, Alexander

Bottom: Myself, Sean, and Triston

Half of the guys in our group - the young whipper-snappers (Me, Triston, and Alexander) envisioned a woodsy, off-the-beaten-trail camp location.  The elders in our group had something a little more "homey" in mind.  Little did the young guys know that what they had in mind was a location next to showers, potties, a swimming pool (complete with wine and cheese sampling), picnic tables, and barbecue grills.  In fact, they were so excited about this location that they were willing to pay $40-some for it!  Down the road was a similar BLM campground, nice sandy ground, no fee, plenty of space to get away from other campers, etc...but no!  We camped in the $40 spot with neighbors within spitting distance (see picture below).  The elders won the day and trumped our desires for a somewhat-real camping experience.  I'm not bitter, but I DO think it's important to clarify what we mean by "camping" next time : )

Our Campsite

After we set-up camp, the first hike we decided on was Angels' Landing in the middle of the park.  The only way to get to the trailhead was to commute there via park bus.  This really was a spectacular hike (not that physically challenging, compared to a '14er hike) - especially once you made it to the half-way point and saw this vista.  The sheer cliff face on Angels' Landing's North side was spectacular!

Angels' Landing Summit taken from the Half-way Point

(Path goes up the Right Side)

The final pitch was an awesome hike!  It was sloping sandstone, so slippery and steep that the park has installed chain-link along the way for stability.

Mike and Triston on the Final Ridge to the Top 

We were up there at sunset - beautiful, breathtaking views.

Angels' Landing Panorama Looking South

The next day we hiked what was called the "Narrows."  This hike can be done one of two ways.  You can catch a shuttle all the way to the top and hike down the Narrows (a river that cuts through these incredible sandstone canyons) if you want a full 8 hours of hiking.  OR, you can start at the park-side and hike up, turning around when you've had enough.  We opted for the second option.  

Let me just say that this a VERY UNIQUE trail - unlike any other hike I've done.  There's really no elevation gain, but having to walk through a river 85% of the time, over slick river rock, takes more effort than you'd think.  The canyon walls were AMAZING!  I felt like a complete dwarf walking beside them.  I'd say the canyon walls towered, at times, thousands of feet above us!

The Narrows

More Narrows - A Golden Glow in the Canyon Half-Light

"In the Cleft of the Rock"

The Lord is my rock, my fortress

and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I

take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold.

I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

and I am saved from my enemies.

(Psalm 18:2,3)

One strange thing I've noticed on our trips to Bryce Canyon and Zion is that I feel like I'm a foreigner in my own country.  The majority of the park visitors are European.  I've even had a chance to practice my German skills (which aren't that spectacular anymore).  Where are all the Americans??  Too lazy to get off their sofas and enjoy God's creation?  Get outdoors, America!

We left Sunday night after our Narrows hike, and drove back to Vegas - arriving around 9:00.  We stopped at Cracker Barrel in St. George for some eats and I asked, "What are your vegetarian options?"... DUMB question.  "Do you have any beer?"...DUMB question #2.  Again, I'm a stranger in a strange land - an alien in this world : )  

What an awesome time we had!  It's starting to get cool here in the desert, so I think our winter expeditions will consist of Red Rock Park hiking, here in Vegas.  It was great getting away with the church guys and having some "male bonding."  No we didn't have to drink beer to have fun; the sweet fellowship of other Christians and the brotherhood we have in Jesus were enough to make this trip one I'll never forget.

Castle Peak / Conundrum Peak Hike (#18 and #19)

What an amazing summer for hiking! A couple weeks after our journey up Shavano and Tabegauche, Graham and I decided to attempt Castle and Conundrum Peaks - another dynamic duo in the Elk Range that are both doable in one day. These two peaks are accessed from the Castle Peak Trailhead just south of Aspen. We arrived in Aspen on Sep 20th, about 5:30 am after having left Graham's house in Grand Junction at 3:30. Castle Creek road took us from Aspen's west side to Forest Road 102. If you remember from my last blog, Animal (a pet name for my '98 Jeep Cherokee) didn't get a workout on the last fourteener expedition, but today was different! This was an awesome Jeep trail complete with a nice river crossing. I was a little worried about the river since I'd read a trip report on 14ers.com about a Jeep Commander getting stuck in the same spot. I made sure to keep my speed up as I crossed, and we made it over, no problems. Graham got a pic that I "photo-shopped" a little to re-live the event.

My Jeep Crossing Castle Creek (Sep '08)

You can take this jeep trail all the way to 12,800', but the 14'er purest likes to hike at least 3000' of elevation to call it a complete climb. If you look close, you can see somebody drove it all the way to the top and parked their truck there.

Castle Jeep Trail - Parking at 12,800' (Far Left)

In that spirit, we parked as close to 11k' as we could estimate (a GPS or altimeter would have been nice here) and hiked the rest of the way. What a beautiful hike! To top it off, somebody had placed a cross on one particular switchback around 12,000'. What a great way to start a day of hiking - a reminder that God was with us and watching over our every step.

Praise the Lord!

We made it to the end of the jeep trail (12.8k) and were faced with a decision: continue directly into Montezuma Basin via the standard "Northeast Ridge Trail" or try the variation to the Northeast Ridge route. The variation takes you directly up the ridge all the way from the 12.8k parking. This piqued our interest as the terrain looked more challenging and guaranteed fewer crowds. The variation is seen behind Graham in this picture. Gerry Roach (author of Colorado's Fourteeners Guidebook) suggested staying south of the Buttress (the large rock seen just right of Graham's head).

Graham and the Northeast Ridge Variation Route

The route around the buttress was alot of fun! It required several pitches of hand-over-hand scrambling with the snow making footing somewhat tricky in spots. It was an exciting change from the standard, flat-trail hiking.

Matt on Castle Peak's Northeast Ridge

Once you make it to the intersection of where the variation and the standard route meet, you get a breathtaking view of Castle's summit and the saddle between Castle and Conundrum. The rest of the trail from here to Castle's summit was both mine and Graham's favorite part of the hike.

Graham and Castle Peak in the Background

Castle Peak (left) and the Ridge between Castle and Conundrum (right)

We met some neat people on top of Castle, but it was starting to get frigid! There were some snow flurries beginning and it was only 10:00! The weather improved as we hiked from Castle to Conundrum, and we were encouraged that the clouds approaching from the west were relatively moisture-less and NOT building like a typical thunderhead. We ate some lunch on top, swapped some stories with the other 4 or so people that were there, and started over to Conundrum. The picture below was taken by an electrical engineer who lived in Evergreen.

Graham and I on Top of Castle Peak (14,265')

The ridge over to Conundrum was a little tricky because a thin glaze of snow made the rocks very slippery. The views were great to the west (you could see the Maroon Bells, Snowmass Mountain, Pyramid, and Capitol Peaks - all 14ers). We hiked the majority of the ridge with the electrical engineer (I think his name was Shawn). The traverse to Conundrum took us about 45 minutes. The summit of Conundrum was fairly tiny compared to most but the view was, again - INCREDIBLE! Being on the mountain top totally restores my soul - a Rocky Mountain "high" I don't get from anything else. And being with my Brother makes it all the more awesome!

Graham on Conundrum Peak (14,060') with Castle Peak in the Background

There were two options for getting down off the peaks - one was to hike the ridge back to Castle Peak and descend via the route we came up. The much more interesting option, though, was the one we opted for. This involved hiking down to the low point of the saddle between the two peaks and descending a large snow field that drops you into the heart of Montezuma Basin. Unfortunately, I didn't come prepared to glissade (a technique of dawning snow pants, and sliding down a snow slope - oodles of fun!) This is best accomplished with waterproof pants (which I didn't have) and an ice axe for braking action (another tool I didn't have).

The Snow Slope above Montezuma Basin

There's an amazing alpine lake in the middle of the basin that looks like it's collapsing from erosion.

Montezuma Basin Lake

After a fun hike/slide down the snow slope, we started walking around the outer perimeter of the lake. This was when I got the next thrill of an already great day. All of a sudden I collapsed up to my armpits in a snow hole! What a blast! I know...I wouldn't be saying the same thing if it had been 20 feet deep; but I definitely felt like more of a mountaineer after this day was over!

Up to my Armpits in Fun!

From this point we descended another large snow slope which spit us back out at the 12,800' parking area. We hiked the jeep trail the rest of the way to our car at 11k' and called it a day. I must say that the one disappointment of the day was the jeep trail hike back down. Because you can drive up so far, alot of non-hiking types were tearing up and down the trail with their four-wheelers, motorcycles, and 4-wheel drive vehicles. It sort-of ruined the serenity of it all - having to listen to the obnoxious noise and breathe the nasty exhaust. Yeah, I'm sure it's fun if you're the one riding, but have a little consideration for the peace of the high country, huh!?

After we were off the mountain, we found a little pub in downtown Carbondale and chowed down some Nachos and beer - a pretty tasty combo after a long day of hiking, don't ya think? We drove McClure Pass back over to Delta and then on to Montrose where we met our families for a deli dinner. What a day! Thanks God! And thanks Graham for the camaraderie! This year's 14'er window has pretty much closed, but I can't wait for next summer when we can do it all again on another undiscovered peak!


COMING SOON: 27-28 Sept, Zion National Park, Camping Expedition

Mt. Shavano / Tabequache Peak Hike (#16 and #17)

What a summer! I'm not sure I've EVER climbed 4 Colorado 14'ers in one summer, but God was gracious and allowed me to do just that this year. What an awesome time I had exploring the high country with my friends and family.

I'm sorry if I bore you, but this blog is a perfect opportunity for me to chronicle my 14'er expeditions so that I can reflect on them for years to come and maybe pass down some tricks-of-the-trail for the next generation.

My dad, brother-in-law Graham, and I jumped out of bed (OK...sort of rolled-out) at 0300 on September 6th and drove to an intersection just east of Monarch pass where we met up with Graham's old friend, Ray Cameron.

The Stalwart Crew

Our goal? - climb Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak, 14'ers located at the south end of the Sawatch range in central Colorado. The road that led from the main highway to the trailhead (Angel of Shavano) was paved and short. I was sort-of hoping to give my Jeep Cherokee a workout, but alas...it wasn't meant to be.

Let me just mention that I noticed a lot of spiritual parallels from this hike, one main lesson in particular: Many people muddle around in life without God because they work from the wrong assumptions (i.e. people are basically good by nature, we all evolved from single cell organisms, etc.). If you don't start with the right assumptions - the TRUTH (we are created by God, for God, sinful from birth, in need of forgiveness and redemption - everything the Bible teaches), nothing will ever make sense in life. Well the same applies to hiking! If you start at the wrong trailhead, none of the topo and trail maps make a lot of sense! And you'll spend a lot of time trying to figure out why you're not gaining any ground in life. Yes, we missed the trailhead from the very get-go. The trail we intended to take was a seasonal route up the face of Mt. Shavano that resembles an angel with arms uplifted - that is, if there's snow on the ground. No snow yet in September, so we missed the whole thing. We spent an extra hour thinking we were on the right trail when we were really just on the Colorado Trail - which is beautiful, don't get me wrong! Aspen forests like this are my idea of heaven-on-earth, along with the mountain-top experiences. And the mountain-top called us ever onward and upward.

The Lowland Trek

After we finally started up a marked trail (it turned out to be the Blank Gulch Trailhead) the elevation started to rise markedly. The Blank Gulch TH starts at 9,800'. Let me say that I really hand it to my dad for sticking this whole hike out. As you can see from the picture below he started losing some steam before we got to treeline (He still had a sense of humor at this point, which really meant he wasn't that tired yet).

Not Even to Treeline Yet, Dad!

Once we reached timberline, it was a beautiful, vista-filled hike along the SE face of Shavano to a saddle at 13,330'. We were a little wary of reaching this point in our ascent since several parties had already turned around before reaching the summit and reported that the winds from the saddle up to the peak were "gale-force" and "too strong to contend with." We figured that arriving a little later may have given the winds a chance to calm down a bit. We also prayed for a break in the gusts. Again - God was good and gave us a slight reprieve upon reaching the saddle. The winds were still howling, but nothing we couldn't handle for the short term.

Ray and the 13,330' Saddle between Shavano and Espirit Point

Shortly after reaching the saddle, we realized that if we wanted a chance to summit the second peak (Tabeguache) and make it back down before nightfall, we would have to go ahead of dad, summit Shavano, and race over to Tabeguache (this required hiking BACK OVER Shavano after Tabeguache, in order to take the trail back down). We gave dad a cell phone and let him work the last 900' at his own pace. He did GREAT, as we found out later...took it step by step, and made it to the top like a real pro.

Graham and Matt on Mt. Shavano (14,229')

After a couple-hundred yards enroute to Tabegauche, Ray started getting a headache and feeling light-headed. He wisely decided to abort the second peak and hike back to Shavano where my dad would be waiting. We told them to start hiking back down the mountain together, and that Graham and I would meet up with them after we summited Tabeguache.

It took Graham and I about 1 hour to make it over to Tabegauche. The hike was fairly easy except for the opportunity for sprained ankles. The trail in between the two peaks involved a lot of jumping from large-boulder to large-boulder. Below is a pic of Graham and I on Tabeguache with Shavano in the background (looking SE).

Graham and Matt on Tabeguache Pk. (14,155')

After traversing the 13,700' saddle again between Tabegauche and Shavano, we summited Shavano a 2nd time before the descent. By this point we were getting tired and wanted to meet back up with the other guys. We were receiving text messages from Ray informing us where they were and that they were OK - good news! Finally about 1 mile before we reached the car, we intercepted Ray and my dad. They looked about as beat as we felt!

We finally made it back to the vehicles where we had one more good laugh about our bad mountaineering from the start, and then parted ways with Ray. Graham and I had been dreaming about a nice cold beer and some grub in Gunnison before we headed back to Montrose. We found a nice little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in downtown Gunnison and had our fill.

Graham couldn't finish his beer - he must have been tired!!