Sea otters hold hands at night so they don't drift apart

So I have this sweet gig for the Summer and the Fall if you have not heard. I'm leading trips in Alaska and then Yosemite with this company called Backroads. It really is great. Today I got paid to bike. Tomorrow I get paid to hike to a glacier. Later in the week I get paid to kayak. Can't beat that, right?

I told myself when I applied for Backroads that I would only do this job for a season. My heart is in ministry; in working with people and allowing the Gospel to really impact their lives. I love the outdoors and I love people so Backroads seemed like a perfect parenthesis in my life; a good job in between jobs in ministry.

It's hard to let this job be only that. I love it. I love where I go, what I do, and who I meet.

I also have had more opportunities to talk about my faith with people who don't have my convictions in the last month than I have in the last few years. It really has been great and surprising.

That said, there is something that is desperately missing.

Community.

I have made some incredible friends who will be that for a long time. I interact with people who inspire me, support me, and who I care for tremendously.

But I miss my Christian community. It's the hardest thing to have when you're job takes you all over and most Sundays are work days.I have made it to church several times in the last month. When I haven't been able to I tried to substitute it with a solo walk and prayer time.

It's not the same. Nothing can replace community with believers. They are my family.

The most impactful thing I have learned this year is that we are saved to community. In salvation we not only get a Father, but we get a surrogate family. We get brothers and sisters. And there is a bond that is chosen, it is deep, and it is necessary.

So that's what I miss. That's what I need. That's what is hard about my time with Backroads. The company is great. The job is unbelievable, but I need my time with the family. As much as I would love to do this more long term, that will probably be what keeps me from it. And that's okay.

On the thunder road with red red wine and my blue jean baby

From reggae to rap, I like most music. I can't tell you who my favorite artist is or even what my favorite song is. They both change with the seasons. It will be all Bruce one season, then all country, then all hip hop. As my mood changes so does my music.

As a result, songs are often tied closely to specific seasons and memories.

A Garth Brooks song brings back memories of riding in the back of an old Toyota through rice fields in Thailand.

A Bob Marley song reminds me of driving by myself to Yosemite (my old truck only had a tape player...I only had one tape).

A certain worship song brings me back to a bus of high school students rolling through central California.

Certain other songs remind me of girls I dated.

Most of the time, when those songs come on, it makes me want to go back there. I miss the people, the drive, the girl.

It's easy to look back and feel like then was better than now. I have been thinking recently about how I glorify the past. Not that I make it out to be better than it really was (though I probably do that some), but that I make it out to be more important and enjoyable than the present. I live in the past at the expense of the present.

But then I think about it; back then I was always thinking about the future. I was never fully appreciating the present. I was always looking to the next thing: the next trip, the next experience, the next stage in the relationship with the girl. It was not until later that I truly began to appreciate that specific season of life.

We are always in danger of living for tomorrow, today. We are equally at risk of waiting until tomorrow to appreciate today.

May we appreciate this season, this day, this place, these people, and this story today. Tomorrow will always be there, but you only have one chance at today.

Grace and Peace.

Moosen, Fireworks, and Home

This will be random at best. But I have to believe that the best things in life are neither planned nor expected, but random. They are free from our expectations, hopes, and other constraints. This will be random.

First things first. I would like to thank Mr. Moose. I just got back from my first trip as a leader in Alaska. The fact that I am neither from Alaska nor that I have spent much time here makes it difficult to establish credibility with guests. I am their Alaska guide for a week. You look for any way to establish your credibility and expertise. Twenty minutes into the trip I was sinking. The guests had already discovered that this was my first season and that I had not been in Alaska for very long. I was worried.

And then he appeared. The other van ahead of us did not notice him. No one in my van noticed him either. But I did. Mr. Moose was standing in a meadow off the side of the road. He was posing like we were shooting a Moose calendar and he wanted December. His rack was nice (I'm talking about his antlers. Please control yourself).

I pointed him out. Everyone was impressed with the moose and with me. In Alaska you cannot guarantee that guests will see wildlife. Bears, moose, otters, and whales do their own thing. We just hope to catch a glimpse. A Bull moose is particularly infrequent. We wouldn't see another one for the rest of the trip. It was a good trip and I am thankful for Mr. Moose.

Today is the 4th of July. I don't love the 4th of July. I don't really know why. It's usually a letdown for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not un-patriotic, but I am probably closer to idiotic than patriotic.

I appreciate the freedom we experience. I'm grateful for those who fought and fight for that freedom. I really am. But some times I wonder if patriotism is dangerous for the Christian. At the end of eternity, we are citizens of the Kingdom and allegiance to Him is the only thing that matters. I also have to wonder if there is a correlation between the decline of the Church in the states and the unparalleled "freedom" we experience. It is places like Africa and Asia where the church is growing in size and effectiveness. It is in these places where there is not freedom from oppression, where health and happiness is not guaranteed, that the church grows.

These are just my ramblings. Again, I am grateful to be living in America. I don't want to be cynical or rain on any one's BBQ and parade. But I sometimes wonder if I am like the dog at the dog race chasing the fake rabbit thinking it is what is real and necessary.

I will be watching fireworks tonight. In Alaska, where the sun sets at 11:30pm, we will be watching them at midnight (dusk).

In September I go home. No, not Orange County or LA. I'm going to Yosemite to lead trips for four weeks. Yosemite is home for a lot of reasons. It is where my family went on vacation when I was a kid. It was where I went in High School when I needed to get away. It is where I first believed. It is where I go to remember. It's home and I'm excited.

Grace and Peace.