Life (as a raft guide)

thoughts while working on something else

2009-05-09T22:02:00.005-04:00

What would I pursue if knew that I could not fail in the effort? What would you do?

What would I undertake if I lived in complete surrender to the Spirit, to do things in His way and timing? If I lived not in fear but in the power of the Spirit?

What does it mean that Christ is the head of the church, which is His body? What is "church", in the real sense? How american evangelicals (and others) practice it? Do our traditions really recognize Christ as the head of HIS church?

Is the Spirit active in our churches? How can we know? If not, why? Have we shut him out in order to keep "church" just one hour a week, or to do things our way? Is church more like a business in the way it is run? what are the marks of a Spirit-filled church? Spirit-filled followers of Christ? If the Spirit is not in our churches/fellowships, how do we get him back?

why does a church need a building, programs, ministries, an operating budget? does it? who says? How would a building-dependent church withstand persecution? What needs to change to effectively operate as "wartime Christians"? Structure? Function?

why do we seek to make the truth relevant to the culture, and where are we in danger of adding to or taking away from the Gospel?

Are we asleep? Why are so many "Christians" just like the culture? Why are we not, in general, not distinct in the ways we should be? Divorce? Affairs? Pornography? Substance Abuse? Language, Music, Movies? Standards? Desires, Values, Perspectives?

Why have we pledged ourselves to political ideologies, rather than the person of Christ? We don't even belong to ourselves! We have been bought with a price.

2009-03-03T17:26:00.001-05:00

As I was working on my internship presentation, I was (momentarily) distracted by the box of Celestial Seasonings Green Tea sitting on my desk. Knowing that generally there is some sort of interesting philosophical perspective found in one or more places on these boxes, I looked and found this:

“Caretake this moment. Immerse yourself in its particulars. Respond to this person, this challenge, this deed.Quit the evasions. Stop giving yourself needless trouble. It is time to really live; to fully inhabit the situation you happen to be in now.” -- Epictetus

On an initial level, this prompted me to "quit the evasions" and get back to work - papers and presentations don't write themselves. What I thought of next was the last sentence, especially the segment about fully inhabiting the situation one is in at present. This came to mind - wherever you're at, be all there. For several reasons, my mind is not here right now. It's off somewhere else. I'm ready to move on from school to what is next (what is next?). Anyhow, I suppose that I am open to the accusation that I'm not invested in my surroundings right now. In my defense, I'm only here for a net of 2 more months and I'm gone. But I still have work to do. There is a reason why I am still here, even though being here and in school is not where I prefer to be, nor what I prefer to do. I think somehow it boils down to the interconnectedness of patience and obedience - living a life surrendered to God even when don't understand why things are as they are.

I have no clue who Epictetus is. Look him up on wikipedia.

If Intentions Were Actual Posts...

2009-02-07T12:47:00.002-05:00

You get the picture. More to come.

On Christian Hospitality

2008-04-26T18:59:00.002-04:00

About a month ago, I finished reading a book called "The Irresistible Revolution" written by Shane Claiborne. Some of the things I read reinforced what I already sensed - that the body of Christ in America today seems to under-value hospitality, which is reflected in the way that we meet and interact. The best way that I can describe it is as "convenient isolation" of ourselves from our brothers and sisters. There's more I could say, but I have to go to dinner. Here's what Shane says.

"So, as congregations build larger buildings, gyms, and food courts, we find ourselves less likely to meet in homes and kitchens, and around dinner tables. We end up centralizing worship on corporate space or "on-campus". Hospitality becomes less of a necessity and more of an optional matter, a convenient privilege."

Think about it. What are the consequences of this paradigm? How can I work to change this?

A Well-Ordered Heart

2008-04-25T19:39:00.002-04:00

Over spring break, I caught a glimpse of this statement while at a friend's house. I wrote it down to think deeply about it later. Admittedly, I was cleaning my room and found it waiting for me to consider. Here's what it says.

"A well ordered heart is this:
to love the right thing
in the right way
to the right degree
with the right kind of love."

Reflecting on my life, I conclude that there are many things that I would claim to love - God, my family, friends, people, and nature, for example. At the same time, my lifestyle either confirms or refutes my claims to love those things, and suggests that there are other things that I love without recognizing or admitting so - money, success, recognition, privilege, reputation, comfort, control, and certainly more. What should I do first? Examine my priorities, behavior, and values to discover where I place my affection and energy, then compare them to what I ought to be. Sifting through the many things fighting for my allegiance takes discipline, discernment, and discretion. It requires reflection, self-evaluation, and humble honesty to admit that my heart is not where it should be. That is my confession today, and every day.

There are times when I have chosen the right things to love, but did not show that love in the right way. So once I have learned what I ought to love, how do I properly display that? If I claim to love my family, it would be difficult for me to sincerely say so if I did not communicate with them, serve them, or support them. There are many practical ways to do so: spending time talking with and listening to them, finding ways to show appreciation for them, and praying for them. These are just a few examples.

I admit that another of my struggles is finding a balance. Some ethicists and philosophers writing on the concept of virtue describe it as avoiding extremes, which are vices. For example, courage is the virtue which avoids the bookend extremes of cowardice and recklessness. Loving the right things is good, but I must determine how much love is appropriate for each thing. This isn't to say that love is a quantitative measure, such as utility, but that different things require various measures of love. This is where I have to think very carefully about ordering the things that I value. What should be of greatest importance? What will endure?

Similarly to loving the right thing to the right degree is recognizing which type of love is appropriate for each right thing. For example, the love that I owe God is reserved solely for him. The love that a husband has for his wife is different from the love that is between friends, which is not the same as the love shared by families. I'm sure that there is more that I (or you) could say about this.

The complexity of this concise proverb is encouraging as wisdom, but also discouraging when I examine my heart.

I love some of the right things with the right kind of love, and maybe in the right ways (on a good day), but chances are that I don't love them to the degree that I should. Most likely, where I may succeed in one category, I fail in another. It's frustrating to compare my forward progress to the backtracking that I've done over nearly 22 years.

To me, it seems that the first step is to admit that I've got it wrong. My priorities are jumbled, my behavior is inconsistent, and my heart is imbalanced and sometimes chases the wind. I simply can't fix this, even in a lifetime.
Yet, by the goodness of God, I am being changed. It's slow, painfully slow. There are moments of hope amid seasons of failure. I have to admit with the apostle Paul that I am not what I should be, and I am what I shouldn't be. But God loves me in a way that I cannot fully comprehend, to a degree that is still breaking through to me. He doesn't love me because I love him, but because he loved me first, and promises to do so despite my incapability to love the right things in the right ways, to the right degree and with the right kind of love.

Ha!

2008-03-08T14:33:00.002-05:00

Consider this an aside from writing on Guatemala, especially that really, really long technical report. Anyhow, in the last two weeks, I committed to co-coaching a U12 club soccer team until the end of school. It should be a blast.
One of the mothers from the team was asking the other coach if we could stay three weeks after the end of school (no way) to finish out the season with the team. The other coach explained that she couldn't because of work. When asked if I (who was not present during this conversation) could stay three weeks after school, my co-coach explained that I couldn't because of work.

Somehow, it came out that I was from Colorado, and...here's the kicker...the mother said, "Oh, is he like one of those raft guides or something?"

My co-coach responded, "Um, yeah, he actually is."

Awkward. I laughed when I heard the story.

Appropriate Technology in Guatemala

2008-02-22T12:38:00.005-05:00

Building Better Stoves: Stove Improvements and Appropriate Technology in Santa Maria de Jesus, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala

Mike Wolford & Eric Peterson

Department of Environmental Science, Randall Environmental Studies Centre, Taylor University, Upland, Indiana 46989, USA

1. Abstract

As in many developing nations, current methods of cooking in the Guatemalan village of Santa Maria de Jesus have deleterious environmental, health, and economic ramifications. Mission Impact, a Guatemala-based Christian organization, works with local participants to address these issues through the Estufas Mejoradas Project (Better Stoves). By constructing fuel efficient, cost effective, vented cook stoves from locally available materials, they reduce preventable respiratory disease and avoidable financial costs while preserving traditional cooking methods. Mission Impact provides labor and pays 50% or greater of costs, although participants are welcome to assist with labor. Mission Impact assists the community of Santa Maria de Jesus to make positive changes for better physical lives, in concert with sharing the promise of a better life through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Taylor University will continue to support the Estufas Mejoradas project and Mission Impact through a short term missions course on water resources and appropriate technology offered every other January.

2. The Community Need for Improved Stoves

Santa Maria de Jesus is a Mayan village located in the mountains to the southwest of Guatemala City. Temperatures in the village can be cold by Guatemalan standards, though rarely reaching frost levels. As a result, traditional household cooking takes place indoors on an open fire or brick stove, which may not have ventilation structures included in the design. Indoor air quality in these non-vented, closed environs leads to easily preventable respiratory complications and diseases among women and children that spend hours each day cooking and near their mothers, respectively.

Furthermore, open fires and some stove designs are not as fuel efficient as they could be. Consequently, much of the heat produced by fuel wood is lost as waste heat. In addition, children and men must harvest from fuel wood outside the village. Unless harvesting is their primary occupation, the time which men spend collecting wood is time when they are not earning money for their families. Some families purchase fuel, which leaves less money for them to pay for things like health and education for their children, or for saving. One family spent 25 quetzales (~ $3.33 USD) per day on fuel wood for a total of Q 9,125 per year (~ $1,216.67 USD). Additionally, inefficient cooking methods sustain a higher rate of fuel wood harvesting, which causes environmental concerns such as deforestation of mountain slopes, soil erosion, and habitat loss.

3. Our Project Goals

The goals of the Estufas Mejoradas (Improved Stoves) project are as follows:

- to maintain traditional cooking methods and materials to the greatest extent possible while meeting the following goals;

- to increase fuel efficiency through combustion chamber design and durable insulating materials, and thereby:

o reduce the amount of time and/or money spent in fuel wood harvesting

o lower the community rate of deforestation, and thus soil erosion and habitat loss

o allow for time and money to be saved or reinvested in health, education, or employment

- to improve indoor air quality by designing stoves that include ventilation systems, and thereby decrease the incidence of cooking-related respiratory diseases, especially among women and children

· To assist the appropriate technology ministry of Mission Impact, and, specifically, that of Margarito Vasquez of Santa Maria de Jesus.

4. Proposed Solution

4.1. Community Preparation & Participation

Construction of improved stoves began with a lifetime resident of Santa Maria de Jesus, Margarito Vasquez. Margarito studied at Technologia Para la Salud (Technology for Health), an appropriate technology institute in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Margarito also has experience working with development initiatives such as Living Water International. Many years ago, Margarito began to recognize the needs in his village, and saw that improving stove designs could not only lead to better health, but to economic savings and a chance for children to receive education. Margarito joined the staff of Mission Impact, a Christian ministry focusing on evangelism, education, and development in Guatemala, and began the Appropriate Technology program in his hometown, Santa Maria de Jesus. Currently, Margarito has constructed approximately 80 improved stoves in his community of Santa Maria de Jesus, and is becoming widely known and respected because of his work in the community. The selection process for stove improvements is straightforward and simple. The projects began when community members approached Margarito regarding stove improvements. Each family or individual is added to a waiting list, and is serviced in turn based on location in the order as well as financial ability to participate. Once added to the list, participants meet with Margarito to discuss the nature of the project, necessary materials, period for completion, financial capacity of the participant, and other specific participant needs.

4.2. Financial Arrangements

The total cost to construct a ventilated cook stove is $115 USD, around Q 863. Mission Impact typically enters into a 50/50 cost sharing arrangement with participants, but this varies with participant needs. For example, when constructing a stove for a widow, Mission Impact carries much more of the project costs. Their flexibility is due to their desire to improve quality of life and to show compassion for people as a part of their Christian ethic, rather than concern for profit. During meetings, Margarito ensures that participants understand that readiness to begin the project means that the participant has the necessary funds, as agreed upon during the project assessment.

All materials for construction are available locally within the Sacatepéquez department. Bricks come from El Tejar near Chimaltenango, and the high quality steel planchas (stove tops) come from a special manufacturer through Technologia Para la Salud. The remaining materials such as cinder blocks, cal, and cement are available locally in Santa Maria de Jesus.

4.3. Stove Construction

The process begins with a level indoor surface, such as a concrete pad or dirt floor. If the surface is not level, then some excavation or concrete leveling is necessary. Critical stove dimensions are 69 cm (width) x 132 cm (length). Once the surface is level, the base is constructed using three layers of cinder blocks. In between each row of blocks is a layer of cement mortar, which we mixed in the proportion of one part cement to two parts coarse sand as a way of extending the cement. Blocks are placed with a fingers’ width space in between. After blocks have been placed in the outline of the base, the level and plumb of each block must be checked, as well as the level between blocks. Once the second and third layer of cinder blocks are complete, checking the plumb becomes important to ensure that the walls are erect and not bowing or leaning. At this point, the stove appears to be a box 69 cm x 132 cm.

Once the cement mortar between the blocks and rows has set, the interior of the box is filled with soil and rubble to the top of the cinder blocks. This adds height to the stove, and forms the base for the combustion chamber. Three large, flat brick tiles are placed on top of the earth inside the box, and set in place using a special heat-resistant mortar. The mortar is mixed as two parts cal, one part white sand, and a heaping trowel of dry cement mix.

On top of the cinder blocks, two vertical rows of bricks are set into place using the mortar, with a gap at each of the 69 cm ends of the stove, approximately the length of a brick in size. One gap will be the entrance for fuel wood, and the other the exit for smoke into the ventilation system.

The next step is to bevel (diagonally cut) one of the lengthwise corners of eight bricks. This can be done carefully using small but firm taps from a machete to score the brick. Four regular bricks are placed on the narrow lengthwise face along the inside of the 132 cm sides of the stove. The beveled bricks are placed on the inside of this row of bricks so that the bevel is facing upward and towards the interior of the stove. Bricks that are reduced in width by half are placed on top of the inner layer of standard dimension bricks. Two bricks that are reduced by half in length and depth are placed on the inside of the fuel wood gap. Resting upon these bricks is a standard brick that is flush with the top layer of bricks. Mortar is placed between all joints and all brick-to-brick faces. Again, checking the level within each row and plumb between rows is important. These steps effectively reduce the volume of the combustion chamber and optimize the cross section of the chamber for heat and combustion efficiency. The next steps involve setting the steel plancha in place on top of the stove, and sealing the stove with concrete mortar for added heat retention.

4.4. Participant Education

In terms of stove operation and maintenance, there is little instruction necessary. For optimal stove performance, smaller diameter wood (2-6 cm) is suggested. However, most of the wood harvested is not much larger than 8 cm, and the fuel wood opening in the stove limits fuel diameter, so that is not a major concern. Education that might be helpful to participants relates to the health, environmental, and economic benefits of the stove, and how it improves upon former conditions. Particularly useful to participants would be instruction on saving money from reduced fuel expenses for health emergencies and for sustaining education for their children.

4.5. Spiritual Integration

God is working in Santa Maria de Jesus, through local churches, schools, and people like Margarito Vasquez who have a passion for helping people to have better lives, not only in this world, but in the next as well. Although Margarito focuses on addressing issues related to the physical needs of his community, he loves talking with people about the real reason why he does what he does. If people ask why he works on appropriate technology projects, he simply tells them that it is because of his love for Jesus, and his calling to help the people in his community. People in Santa Maria de Jesus are hearing about Margarito, if they have not heard already, and connecting his work with his passion for improving the physical and spiritual quality of life in his community.

5. Conclusions

Margarito is not finished in Santa Maria de Jesus. More of his fellow villagers are approaching him with requests for stoves, and other projects. Last year, Dan Divelbiss, an engineering student, joined Mission Impact and now works with Margarito. Together, they have built over 100 stoves in Santa Maria de Jesus. During our week in Santa Maria de Jesus, our team completed nearly three stoves. More teams are always welcome to help on projects. The number of people that Margarito, Dan, and service teams reach with the stove projects is important – it is an indication of how many have better lives as a result. However, the success of the project is not in numbers, but in doing quality work, improving quality of life, and building relationships in Santa Maria de Jesus, for the betterment of God’s kingdom. We will continue to support Margarito through prayer and joining him every other year for the Guatemala Lighthouse trip and Water Resources and Appropriate Technology course through Taylor University.

Coming Soon - January 2008 Guatemala Trip

2008-02-10T18:29:00.000-05:00

Hey Ya'll -
During this week, in between classes and reading about soils, wetlands, and vertebrate animals, I will be writing about my January in Guatemala for a "Water Resources and Appropriate Technology" course.

If you are one of many friends and family that partnered with our team in supporting the trip, thank you. If you prayed for our team, the work, and those that we met, thank you for your commitment and discipline. If you are someone that I neglected to inform about this trip, I ask for your forgiveness. If you are just reading, I hope that you find something to think about and take with you.

Thanks for your patience, and look for updates throughout the next week!

-M.C.W.

2008-01-03T07:24:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and I will write when I get back from Guatemala. Peace.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate. It's just good.

2007-11-27T23:12:00.000-05:00

Tonight I had peppermint hot chocolate at Starbucks. I'm not saying that you should go there, but by all means, find yourself some peppermint hot chocolate.

This is part of a speech of tribute that I'm writing for my undergraduate speech class. I decided to pay tribute to the man who trained my brother and I on the river, and was the River Program Manager at Noah's Ark Whitewater Rafting for years. This is just what I have done so far.

I want you all to close your eyes and turn off your adult brains. Remember with your young mind someone that you looked up to, someone that you would do anything to be like when you grew up. It could be an athlete, an actor, an astronaut. Someone who was excellent at what they did and held your respect firmly without even knowing it.

You can open your eyes. For me, a young boy going rafting, that person was Cory Scheer. Cory was a man's man. He was the head guide at Noah's Ark Whitewater Rafting, in my ten-year old mind the best company in the world, and undoubtedly was represented by a lifelike statue in the Pantheon of Raft Guides not only at Noah's, but on the whole river. He was an imposing figure, towering over the crowd of guests at the safety talk, and his top of the line Lotus Design whitewater lifejacket covered with rescue gear convinced me that we obviously had nothing to worry about. I was clearly right, because I survived the cold water and massive waves that almost swallowed me out of the boat. I can honestly say now that from the moment I walked away from that trip, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to be just like Cory Scheer. After what seemed like a lifetime, I was finally old enough to apply as a guide. My brother and I were hired and began river training under Cory in mid-May when the snow melts and the river is like an angry torrent of chocolate milk.

One thing that I learned right away was Cory's incessant focus on excellence. If our group of training boats was too spaced out, hitting rocks, or enjoying ourselves too much, Cory's shrill and unmistakeable whistle got our attention. Once, one boat was lounging around on our third ten-mile run of the day. Cory turned around, and I knew that we were all going to get it. I stared in disbelief as Cory shouted at all the boats to flip. I thought that he was crazy. I gasped as 40 degree water plunged around my exposed skin. I've never swam so hard in my life as I did to get back in my boat, and I know that I was mildly hypothermic. But we all got the point. This was not supposed to be fun, and Cory wouldn't lose sleep if we swam a hundred times.

I've got to keep writing. This is due Friday and I haven't finished or practiced yet. This is going to be a busy week! Enjoy life outside of the blogosphere. And don't forget to find some peppermint hot chocolate.

mid-semester mediocrity

2007-11-02T23:23:00.000-04:00

It doesn't need to be said that I my lack of entries is pretty lame. I know.
As a first step in redeeming myself, I'll just list some things that describe my life right now.

School: undergraduate ends, graduate begins. not more challenging, but more busy. searching for graduate internships back home. I also have a cubicle in my departmental building (as a 1st year grad student)

Classes: environmental law, public speaking (argh), ceramics, senior capstone, graduate seminar, experimental design, intro to international ministry, teacher's assistant for hydrogeology, challenge course facilitator (yes!)

Free time: soccer, frisbee golf, music, walking, hanging out

Music: emery, anberlin, something corporate, and mae. a little jimmy eat world and
saosin

Thoughts:
Have I changed since being in college? If so, how? If not, why?
Will I find a good internship? How about a job? Where? Doing what?
What will people think of me if I choose not to pursue a career immediately after school?
Am I becoming more intelligent through all this?

This is the abridged version. Sorry, but i'm not externalizing everything on a web page. Not everything fits into the framework of words.

live life.

You Have One Day

2007-09-10T22:01:00.000-04:00

Ok, ok. So I haven't written anything in a long time. If it makes a difference, I've been thinking of a lot of things, which I would like to write about. I'll write this weekend, once I've caught up on my studies. Just give me some time. As Michael Scott, the boss of the American TV show "The Office" says, it's always good to give an ultimatum. You have one day.

South Dakota - home of temperatures in the 100's

2007-07-24T01:12:00.000-04:00

This entry is dedicated to my friend Joel, who sent me an email that convicted me to write more in my blog. Thanks, Joel! Plenty has happened since my last entry. Basically, I've been working my tail off as a trip leader at Noah's Ark, which has ups and downs, but mostly has been a positive growth experience. By the way, my brother is now a trip leader as well, and I'm pretty proud of him for that. So, I've been in South Dakota for 2 weeks now in the Black Hills. I am taking a required summer field course which essentially combines geology, ecology, and biology. And 800 hours of riding in a 12 passenger van in the 100-degree heat. I've seen the Black Hills, Badlands, Wind Cave, Mt. Rushmore, and Pirate's Cove minigolf course (twice!). It's been alright. The first two weeks were decent. Not too much work, and getting to know some of the people here from Wheaton College. However, things have become a little lackluster since all of the general students have left. Now, most conversations center around grad school and research (blah). We're heading off to Devil's Tower in Wyoming for a night, then off to Yellowstone and Tetons at the end of the week. Did I mention that it's been hot here? In fact, if you can believe it, I think that I saw the asphalt on the highway whimpering a little bit. Well, I hope that if you are reading this, that you are doing well. Be sure to let me know what is going on in your sphere. It'd be great to here some news around these parts. Peace.

Fresh Thoughts.

2007-06-18T00:36:00.000-04:00

I haven't had much time to think. Guiding is in full swing and I just became a trip leader. The hours are full. I'm pretty tired.

So far, since late May, there have been 3 fatalities on the river. Not with Noah's, but all the same, we run the same river. Some of our 1st year guides and a few instructors did CPR and evacuated a victim from another company. They looked into his eyes as he was dying.

So, a few thoughts. First, anything can happen at anytime, to anyone. Nobody is immune. Not the young, or the strong, or the rich. Christians are not immune to death. Mortality mocks each one of us, taunts us to do our best to escape its clutches.

Second, I've felt recently a tension from living on the edge of death. One flip, one swim, one radio call can hurtle a placid reality into turmoil. We constantly live one moment away from the unexpected, from tragedy.

I'm tired. Goodnight.

It's Not Summer in Colorado...

2007-05-22T23:53:00.000-04:00

Today our guide class ran the III-IV class Narrows section of the Arkansas River. It's pretty much continuous heavy water - not pool/drop stuff like Brown's Canyon where most of our commercial trips go. We hit the river around 8:30 am and got off at 5:20 pm or so. We ran that section 3 times, and another section, for a total of 37 miles. It was cloudy, air temperature in the upper 30's or low 40's, and snowing. Most people don't raft when it snows. Just in case you were wondering. But we all made it, without any swimmers, wrapped boats, or other carnage. Thank you Lord.

Night Driving, Golf, and Class IV Rapids

2007-05-20T22:52:00.000-04:00

Every summer I tell myself that I will do a better job of keeping track of what I've done by writing it down. Usually, that never pans out. This is an attempt at starting.

Thursday night we pulled into DIA. My dad picked us up, but we took 2 cars back since he picked up a Young Life vehicle that someone else had left. We stopped at T-Bell somewhere in Denver, then headed west and home. At some little town in the foothills, we stopped for coffee since we were all tired. I drove by myself the rest of the way home. The night sky was incredible! I'd forgotten about all the stars you can see when you get away from the city lights. I went to bed and slept until 10 or so. Anyhow, the next day, Matt and I played a round of golf. I got like 8 over par on the 2nd hole, but didn't end up too bad overall. I think I shot a 65.

Yesterday, Matt and I went to Noah's and worked on random stuff all day. It was good to do something other than study, even if we weren't on the river. The rest of our guide class was coming back from mountaineering training, so nobody was really around. They got back around 5 or so. It was so good to see all my friends again! It was as if nothing had changed, or that we had all been holed up for 9 months just waiting to see each other again. I met some of the new guides and caught up with a few of my friends. It was great just to listen to what they'd been up to.

Today a couple of us went on a training trip in the Royal Gorge. Our group was 1 commercial boat and 2 training boats. There were some older 4+ year guides that were training, we were pretty much just paddling and didn't get to guide. Which was fine, since the water is REALLY high right now with rain and snowmelt. In the Gorge, the water was moving at about 2400 cfs. Basically, there are 2400 cubic feet of water passing one point in the river in one second. On the Arkansas River, that's pretty quick. Anyhow, the Gorge is closed to commercial rafting at 3200 cfs, because it's too dangerous. Try Googling "Royal Gorge" and see if you can find some pictures of the Gorge. It is beautiful this time of year, especially since it is so green.

Well, Matt and I sat in the front and got pounded by waves all day. We hit some sick rapids like Sunshine Falls, Linebacker, and the Narrows. We went under the huge bridge and saw some people high above us. The scary part was that we hit a massive hole, where the water goes into a slide over a rock or something below, then makes a wave. This wave was so big, that it completely flooded our self-bailing raft, and knocked us either into the bottom of the boat or out. 2 more experienced guides fell out, which wasn't good, since we were in a canyon, and there is no way to crawl on to shore. We were in class IV rapids, which means big waves and high risks. Matt pulled in one guy, but the other was drifting away from the boat towards a canyon wall. I yelled and pointed towards him to tell the others, and then he disappeared under the water! For a few seconds, I couldn't see him. We backpaddled so that he could catch up to us, and I still couldn't see him. Some seconds later, he popped up on the other side of the boat! We hauled him in and tried to get ready for the upcoming rapids.

The river becomes very narrow, and really deep at 2400 cfs, especially. He was pushed against the wall, and found that he was partly under it! That's terrifying, because as a guide he knows that undercut rocks mean that currents can hold a swimmer underneath until they drown. It's happened before. At one point, he held his paddle above his head, and we could only see part of the top. It was pretty intense. Things like that make you have a healthy fear of the river. Later I found out that the day before, a guide of 20 years from another company had flipped in the Gorge, and one of his passengers died, either from a heart attack or drowning. I thanked God for his protection, but knew that it could have just as easily been the guide in my boat. The river is dangerous. Adventure is dangerous. But you know, as peaceful as that canyon was - the fresh spring growth, flowers, towering cliffs and jagged rocks and sunshine - I think that there are worse ways to go. Despite everything that happened, I think I'd like to go back. Maybe next time, though, I'd hike the canyons and take a break from the river.

Finals Week, Frisbee Golf, and Facing Reality

2007-05-12T14:24:00.000-04:00

Well, it's finally finals week. It has been a long year. But that's a post for later.

I only have 2 finals, since I turned in a hefty philosophy term paper for another class. I've started studying by playing 3 rounds of Frisbee golf. I also picked up a book at the library that had just been returned. I started to read, got hooked, and just finished.

The book is called "No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine". Excellent book. Well-written, by a former friend of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris - a friend that had no idea about the hateful act of violence within the minds of the shooters. In his book, he addresses everything from the history of his friendship with Dylan to incompetence and injustice displayed by the Jefferson County Sheriffs' Department. I have a ton of quotes that I pulled out, but here are some of the best. By the way, the author is Columbine grad ('99) Brooks Brown.

“The next Dylan could be your son. Your neighbor. Your best friend. Not some faceless, anonymous killer who comes out of the dark and snatches your loved ones. A regular person who faces the cruelty of the real world just like the rest of us – and in whom something erodes over time.”

- Brooks Brown, "No Easy Answers"

I felt that this statement was right on. After Columbine, people rallied for stricter gun control, and against the violence of movies, music, and video games. But Brooks points out that the entertainment industry only makes what people want; they are driven by profit. As soon as people stop watching violent movies or playing violent games, production of those things will stop.

The bullying, insults, assaults, and injustice that kids in the public school system is incredible. Brooks recounts the "We Are Columbine" speeches after the tragedy, and how they simply ignored the fact that conditions before and after were horrible, and full of oppression and injustice. What Brooks wanted was answers. Answers for why his friends betrayed him and killed over a dozen people, for why bullying was so bad, and why teachers turned a blind eye when jocks threw unpopular kids into lockers, threw glass bottles at them, or called them "faggots".

I was horrified and saddened by Brook's accounts. But they made me realize the importance of several things. One is reaching out to the marginalized. The outcasts. Those ruled out or excluded by mainstream society because they are different.

Another observation is directed to those who claim to be Christians - Jesus went to the outcasts. The woman at the well. The blind. The sick. The demon-possessed. Taxpayers and prostitutes. Jesus never mocked, oppressed, insulted, beat-up, or otherwise demeaned any of these. He confronted those who were unjust. We must do the same, or question whether faith in Christ means anything to us at all.

A third observation, and then I have to pack for the flight home. Brooks remembers having a conversation about faith with Rachel Scott, one of the girls killed on April 20, 1999. Brooks said that she was different from the other Christians he knew. She didn't tell him he was going to hell, or insult him, or discount his beliefs and doubts. She just listened. So many kids are just waiting for someone to listen to what they have to say, to show them that they are important. Just listen.

One final quote?

“The fact of the matter is that school shootings are continuing to happen. We can just sit back and call the shooters “sick monsters, completely different from us,” and decide that the problem will be solved by censoring music and violence in movies. Or we can accept that there are more Erics and Dylans out there, who are slowly being driven by society down the same path – and that if we act now, we can still reach them before it’s too late.”

- Brooks Brown, "No Easy Answers"

Well Begun is Half Done

2007-05-10T20:26:00.000-04:00

First, my apologies for anyone expecting this post to have substance to it. If anything, it's a heads-up on what to expect - thoughts on life, adventure, people, culture, science, occupation, and the one that holds everything together, Jesus Christ. More to come later. Peace.