A Bit Disconnected

So I've been feeling pretty disconnected lately. Perhaps my quasi-restriction to the house (back injury) has gotten me a bit down, despite the daily marked improvement. Maybe it's just one of those periods of time wherein I just feel kind of blah, like some sort of living purgatory. I am increasingly having difficulty being content where I am now. I am at a church with a lot of great people, but I'm the only single person my age there. Hanging out with married people is complicated, as they have other people to be responsible for, and I don't. Nothing against married people, but it's kind of a lonely place. I miss my home church in Portland and all my friends there. I don't have regular work hours and don't get paid very well. And I don't like complaining, but I suppose right now I just want to make my feelings known, to know that a couple people out there will pray for me. Just hard to be satisfied where I'm at.

And yes, I know my trip to Thailand in a week will be incredible, so I have that to look forward to. Just have to try to pick myself up out of this stew of dissatisfaction.

3855

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

So I have another book recommendation, actually from the same author as my last book recommendation. This book was first published in 1985, and is a fascinating collection of stories collected and written by neurologist Oliver Sacks. The stories are well written, showing a real sense of compassion for people whose brains cause them to act oddly, often bizarrely. I'm only halfway through the book at this point, but am finding it absolutely fascinating. I was completely unaware that the abilities to understand the words coming out of someone's mouth and the to understand tonal inflection and body-language are located in totally different places in the brain. So if one hemisphere of your brain is injured you may find yourself able to understand expression but not understand a word anyone says, giving you the gist of what most people are saying, but without absolute certainty. The man whose story is the title of the book can only see details, and cannot construct complete pictures using the details. So a picture of the White House wouldn't be identified as such, rather it would be a pictures of trees, grass, a fence, windows, columns, blue sky, clouds, and would likely not be identified as the White House. Anyway, the whole thing is fascinating to me, and I highly recommend the book. It has been reminding me of the incredible brain that God gave us, so detailed and sensitive. What an astounding creation, the human brain. Check it out. I dare you. Plus you might learn some good words like "proprioception." How cool is that word?!

Back to Normal?

I know, these back puns are getting out of hand. I'll try to back off.

Thanks so much to those of you who have been praying for my back to heal. The good news is that each day I can feel it returning to normal. The bad news is that I'm not well enough to do my normal work, as sitting down is only tolerable for a half hour, if that. So here's what happened...

I've been attempting to get back into a non-round shape over the last couple weeks. I think I may have jumped, yet again, onto the fitness with a bit too much exuberance, and overdid things a bit. That left my vulnerable little spine, well, vulnerable to going out with the slightest twisting movement. So when I kicked that soccer ball, in an attempt to save my spine from injury, my quadratus lumborum (see pic above) muscle seized up. When that muscle seized up, it twisted my back along with it from top to bottom. So when I asked my dad to do what we normally do with my back problems, it didn't fix the entire back, and because that muscle was still seized up, it probably made things worse. (Dad felt horrible to have played a part in causing me excruciating pain, though it wasn't his fault, and I asked him to do it.) So when I went to the osteopath, he cracked my twisted back into place and told me that the quardatus lumborum is a tricky muscle, an uncooperative little bugger. Apparently very little can be done to relax that muscle aside from just letting it fix itself. My back is straight now, but that muscle keeps spasming enough to keep me from sitting or standing for a long time. I've spent the majority of my time for the last week on my back, and it's getting very old. Mandi was here this weekend, and I got out of the house a couple times, which was great. Each day things feel better than the day before. I'm just glad to be able to walk almost normally and not have as much pain to try to block out. Things are improving, but please keep praying, especially as I've got a 12 hour flight coming up in less than two weeks, and they frown on people lying in the aisle.

I'm wondering when my heating pad is going to go out, as it's been almost constantly on for days now...

All things painful aside, things are going well. I was able to finish a video while I was flat on my back, making me so thankful for having a laptop, as a desktop and monitor might not be as easy to balance on my lap while lying down. The video is for a group called Transitions Global a non-profit organization whose goal it to save people out of slavery, specifically young girls out of sex-slavery in SE Asia. My friends Seth and Fritz went to Cambodia and Thailand back in December, and Fritz shot a bunch of footage of a girl who has gone through the Transitions program, and is now rehabilitated and living on her own. She has a powerful testimony, and Fritz's footage is beautiful. I edited the video footage into a story and recorded original music for it. The project took longer than expected because I volunteered my time for this, and I have other responsibilities that kept me from getting it done sooner. But it's finally done, and I'm quite pleased with it. It will be debuted for viewing at my church's group, The Well Global, Tuesday evening. Due to the sensitive nature of the footage, it won't be posted online, but if I see you in person I can show it to you, or if you happen to catch a Transitions Global presentation, there's a good chance you'll see it there.

I really can't believe I'm going to be in Thailand in a couple weeks. Crazy. I think most of the details are taken care of. Please continue to pray that things go smoothly and that this time will answer a lot of the questions I have about living and working in Chiang Mai.

And now, I have to get back to lying around playing Super Nintendo, reading, and watching movies. It sounds nice, I know, but I'm itching to get back to normal life. It drives me crazy being stuck on my back much of the time. Soon things will return to normal. At least that's what I'm praying for.

3724

Back on track?

Hello friends!

So I'm going to skip my usual pre-substance pleasantries and skip straight to a prayer request (with a bit of an explanation.)

For years I've had periodic low-back problems, and about a year and a half ago I got a real diagnosis for the problem. I have a shear in my sacrum. In other words, the very bottom of my spine, up against the inside of my pelvis, is off kilter. After regular doctor visits last year when I had medical insurance, I had been without a major back-related injury for more than a year until today. I was working as a substitute assistant this morning, and the simple action of kicking a soccer ball threw my back out. Must have been teetering on the edge of going out. So I drove over to my dad so he could help me pop my back the way my Osteopath told me I could. We did it without much change, so we tried it again, and I think we may have made it worse. Lying down, the pain is manageable, standing and walking is only tolerable for a short time, quickly resulting in excruciating pain like I've never felt. It's quite amazing, really. Until today I had never fallen down out of pure pain, which can't be very good for the old back. My doctor is back in Portland, and since I'm 150 miles from there, I have made an appointment with a local Osteopath. Unfortunately I am without medical insurance, but I don't really have the option to leave this one unchecked, so I'll pay for it with money I don't really have. I've spent a lot of time praying that God would deliver me from this, and I ask that you pray as well. Please pray not only for deliverance for the time being, but that this problem would go away for ever. May as well pray for major deliverance while we're praying at all, eh?

Thailand is sneaking up quickly. Most of the major details have already been taken care of, and the ones that haven't been taken care of are the ones I'm not aware of. We will get to visit with some of my family friends while we're in the area, and then head out to a retreat center outside of Chiang Mai for a week or so. After the retreat we head back to Chiang Mai for another 5 days or so, where we'll have a chance to explore the area. Assuming my back is cooperating by then...

So yeah, please pray for my back. Let me know how I can pray for you!

Cheers.

The Letter is Out!

Hey everybody! (can a "Hi Dr. Nick!" from anyone? Please?)

This should be a short one. Finished the letter and it's in the mail. Thanks so much to the few of you who have given me their addresses lately. I'm discovering that I have a large number of people wanting to pray for me, and a relatively small number of people's addresses. Please, please, please get me your address! If you don't receive a letter within the next week or so, I don't have your address and have therefore not sent you a prayer/support letter. I only plan to send out a couple real physical snail-mail letters per year, but if you want one right away, send me your email address and I'll email you a pdf of the letter. (Though who will deny a full-color paper letter in the mail?)

Other than getting the letter out, not much great news as of late. Spent this weekend in Portland, spent time with friends and family, caught my first Blazer game in 17 years, played on the worship team at my wonderful home church, The Well, and a smattering of other activities of varying degrees of interestingness. Please continue to pray for Mandi and me as we get closer to traveling to Thailand. The trip is in less than four weeks now, creeping up quickly. How can I be praying for you all?

(One more reminder, please get me your address!!!)

Almost There

By the time you read this, my next support letter should be ready for printing. Better extraordinarily late than never...? You be the judge.

This has been one of those weeks that seemed really busy until I looked back on it. Perhaps I did too much thinking about the future and that made things seem busy. Or maybe I just don't have the stamina for work that I once did, especially now that I don't have a regular work schedule. Anyway, it seemed like a busy week, but it probably wasn't.

Mandi and I are looking forward to our trip to Thailand. We are also looking into a fun idea which will help us connect to you in person. We have been throwing around the idea of traveling around the country to places where we know people, and putting on house parties to share our vision for missions with small groups in a warm and familiar setting. I have just begun recording my first album, and by the time we would start these house parties, I would be able to perform a number of the songs as a part of the gathering. Honestly, I love the idea of community and missions, bringing together like-minded people around the idea of the great commission. Realistically, if we were able to act on this idea, it wouldn't happen until August, maybe September. If you like this idea or would be interested in hosting one of these in your home, anywhere in the country, please let me know via comment or the email address toward the top of the screen.

So feel free to wait beside your mailbox for my new letter, unless I don't have your address. Please, if you want a letter, make sure I have your current information. Thanks.

Weekly, schmeekly

Man, I've already set myself up for failure with this whole regularity in blogging thing... Better slightly late than never, though, I suppose.

So the big news from this week is that I bought tickets to Thailand! This is just for a survey trip, check the place out, meet a bunch of people, see if it all really clicks with me. There is a retreat for all the Pioneers people in the region scheduled for the time I'll be there, so this should be a great time to really connect with a lot of folks. And here is the very best piece of news: Mandi is coming along! I asked her to think about coming along on this trip even though things didn't look monetarily, but God came through in the way of a nice tax return, and within the week I had purchased TWO tickets (at a great price, I might add.) This whole decision had blessing written all over it, and I'm stoked about it. If ever there were a good test of our relationship, flying and lay-overing for 28 hours should get nerves frazzled and let our true colors out. Could be interesting! (Do I smell a reality TV series? If so, we can exaggerate every reaction and emotion to make for better television. Let me know if you have funding for something like that...)

I now have 130 people in my Facebook prayer group, which is awesome. I didn't know how many people would be in to joining another group, but there was a significant response, which is great. So again if you're a Facebooker, click here to join my group.

It's been a busy week, and this week is going to be busy as well. However, I'm still hoping to get a fresh letter sent out for your reading enjoyment. Again, if you think you might have been left off the mailing list, please send me an email at the address at the top of the screen.

This week pray with me that the prayer and financial partners I need will keep coming in. Recessions don't affect God's work because He has infinite resources. Also pray that I remember that He's in charge and not me.

Thanks for praying. Cheers.

Practical Points

I have this goal to update my blog every Monday morning. So far I'm only about 12 hours late for this week, but next week I'll be on top of it. Hopefully.

Last Thursday I had a great talk with my Pioneers people, asking for advice on a few key items. Probably three or four months ago I reached a point where I had exhausted my list of connections that could help me build my support team. It was around that time that I met Mandi, and surprise of all surprises, I got a little distracted. (And with good reason, methinks.) So I got some suggestions regarding what to do next, which I'm hoping to implement as soon as possible.

First, I need to increase my list of prayer-supporters. Now, unfortunately, I've been horrible with communication, so those people on my email-list haven't been receiving updates at all, so there may be some of you on my list who've never received anything from me, aside from my very first letter back in July. I'm planning to get an update email and letter out within the week, so if you're already in my database, you're good to go. However, I suspect it's going to take a couple weeks to really see who's on the list and who I've forgotten. If you don't hear from me in the next couple weeks, please contact me so I can get you onboard.

For my Facebook-addicted friends, I've started a Facebook group for those interested in walking alongside me in prayer. Within the first three days I have almost 120 members in my group, which is fantastic. If you're interested in joining the group, please click here. I plan to update that page every Monday as well, and while much of the same information will be displayed on the Facebook page and this blog, it is certainly worth checking out. If you don't have a Facebook account you can still check the page, but you will not receive word of updates or be able to participate in discussions. Check it out.

Another new idea is much more participatory for all of you. I'm interested in gathering people together to build community around missions (specifically mine, but others are more than welcome to partner with me in this. In fact, I would encourage it.) I've been thinking it would be great to gather people together for some fun, perhaps a time of free worship, and I could share some Pioneers media with the group, explaining what I will be doing with Pioneers. What I need are people interested in hosting a gathering in their home, and suggestions for ways we can make this an enjoyable experience. This could be a chance to bring people together in a unique and God-honoring way. Think about it.

Also, if you have a connection with a church body who would be willing to hear about my Pioneers work, I could really use the connection. I would love to present at your church, but if I'm not able to be there, I can get you any presentation tools you might need to present on my behalf. Obviously I would love to present in person, but sometimes it just won't work out in an ideal fashion. Let me know if you have a connection.

And as always please be praying that the support I need will come in, and that I will be patient in the meanwhile. Stay in touch by commenting or emailing me at the address in the picture at the top of the page. (Trying to avoid printing the address to avoid those sneaky spammers.) Thanks so much, and God bless!

Back on track!

Good day to you all!

So I recently had to do some serious thinking and praying about where my life is going right now. From last April until late November I had no doubt whatsoever that I was supposed to raise prayer and financial support in order to go overseas and make videos about what God is doing through Pioneers. There were no distractions, and my vision was singular. Then God decided to have a little fun with me and introduce me to an incredible girl named Mandi. Up until November I didn't have anyone but myself to think about, which has often seemed like an advantage to me. Being single gives you certain freedoms of movement, certain freedoms of lifestyle. However, at the introduction of my significant other, I was forced to add another variable (albeit a very cute and important variable) to my life's equation. So instead of responding to the challenge of new perspective, I kind of dropped off the face of the earth, neither moving forward nor backward toward my goal of working with Pioneers.

A little more than a week ago I realized that this doesn't have to be an either/or process, but God, in His infinite wisdom, is quite capable of orchestrating whatever He thinks is best. I'm convinced He still wants me to pursue work with Pioneers, and in light of that I'd like to announce that I'm back on track! I've definitely neglected those of you who have pledged support, and for that I apologize. I know I've said it before, but I plan to have a new letter out soon with current stats and prayer requests. I also had some magnets printed up with my pretty mug on them so you can put it on your fridge and remember the guy who has so unjustly neglected you all. Believe me, I love all of you with Christ's brotherly love, and look forward to communicating more frequently as I pursue the ideas and people God has placed in my life. And please feel free at any point to give me a verbal or textual slap upside the head if I ever drop off the edge again.

A wonderful girl and a silly video. That is all.

Hey everybody. Sorry I've been ausente for so long. I've been a little distracted. And by "little," I mean "largely." And by "distracted" I mean "negligent." I don't usually talk about my relationships on my blog, but there's a certain special someone these days. "She's great" is the understatement of the century, but unfortunately you're not going to get me to post a whole lot more than that on here right now. I'm open about my own life's journey, but not as open with relationship stuff on here. Too impersonal. Anyway, it's a good thing. And by "it's" I mean "she's." And by "good thing" I mean "incredible blessing." So I made her a special video while she's away. I'm posting it here for your viewing (albeit quasi-voyeuristic viewing) enjoyment. That is all.