Things I Am Thankful For

Day’s Verse:
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21

  • The city employees who clean the leaves off the Burke-Gilman trail in Seattle and the I-90 trail on Mercer Island. They keep the trail beautifully clear and rideable 90% of the time during the leaf-falling season.
  • The end of my AmeriCorps internship. Today is my last day at the Bike Alliance, and tomorrow I have a closing AmeriCorps ceremony in Trout Lake. Then
  • The dehydrator JoAnn Yoshimoto from work loaned me, which allowed us to convert lots of apples into a manageable amount of dried apple slices.
  • My new Schwalbe Marathon tires, and Dean Sabol at Pedal Dynamics, who hand-delivered them to my house yesterday evening — and then installed them and fixed my finnicky front brake, too.
  • Tailwinds on the way home.
  • Our beautiful bookshelves. And, in fact, our warm cozy home in general.
  • Friends and family with whom we can share our lives, our home, and most of all our food.

In the next few weeks, with my internship over and no contract yet with the Bicycle Alliance for anything else, I plan on going Christmas tree hunting with Dad; baking delicious things for Thanksgiving; and going on a long vacation to Seaside, Oregon with Ian. Continue Reading >>

When Good Writing Goes Bad

Day’s Verse:
Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation.
Hebrews 9:27-28

Cliches. We all use ’em, and they give us a useful shorthand way of referring to an idea. But they’re cliches for a reason, as I demonstrate in this sentence:

Now, words are just hot air until we put the pedal to the metal. Continue Reading >>

My Internship: Visual Representation

Day’s Verse:
But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
2 Timothy 4:5

This picture represents what my internship is slowly evolving into. The highlight of my week last week — I kid you not — was making 5 raffle boxes for the volunteers who helped with the Auction. Although it was certainly a job well done, having that be the big thing that went well last week at work casts some aspersions on my job in general. Fortunately, I only have two weeks left as an AmeriCorps intern at the Bicycle Alliance. My last day in this position is November 18. Continue Reading >>

Political Attack Ads: It Could Be Worse

Day’s Verse:
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Hebrews 1:3

Mark it down in the history books — first week I’ve ever posted two videos.

This awesome video, which I found via FactCheck, shoots down the notion that this election was the dirtiest-fighting one yet. Try the election of 1800; apparently current-day politicians have a lot to learn about mudslinging. Continue Reading >>

Now We Have Interwebs

Day’s Verse:
We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.
Daniel 9:18

Sometimes I wonder what we did before the Internet. Then I realize that we would simply not have the dubious pleasure of this type of ukulele experience:

On a completely unrelated note, I had to write a paragraph for AmeriCorps about what I plan on doing when the internship is over. Here’s my first draft:

As my time as an AmeriCorps intern comes to a close, I find myself, once again, with the world before me. Why limit myself to the mundane, predictable course of staying on with the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, even though they are offering me a position doing something I enjoy? No, I plan on spending the next year solving the financial crisis in a way that both Democrats and Republicans both wholeheartedly support. Of course, I’ll also eliminate national and state deficits on the way. After that, I will move on to quietly ending the war in Afghanistan. Then, closer to home, I plan on resolving the difference of opinion between the City of Seattle and the state regarding the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project. And I hope to have time to squeeze in some personal development – hiking the whole of the Appalachian Trail during the summer, riding my bicycle across Asia, and learning how to play the dulcimer. I expect I’ll be a bit busy, but I should have plenty of time to keep in touch with all the AmeriCorps friends I’ve made, too. Continue Reading >>

A Weekend in the Life

Day’s Verse:
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”
Daniel 3:16-18

I spent almost this entire weekend on the run, and I barely had time to think let alone blog — but all sorts of exciting things happened. Continue Reading >>