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.

Musicophilia

So I have a book recommendation for y'all. At your earliest convenience, run down to the nearest book store and buy Musicophilia - Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks, author of Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. The author is a neurologist whose fascination with the brain is immediately evident, as is his knack for making clinical studies accessible and enjoyable to read. This book is filled with tales of fascinating disorders, obsessions, and cures all related to music. Seriously folks, this is nearly 400 pages of incredible stories. I find it really interesting that the author, without any religious practice, makes all these incredible points about the wonders of the human brain, when there is so much evidence that this is all the workings of a creative God. If you're interested in the brain and music, this one will be a fascinating read.

On a related note, I've been thinking about the effect music has on my own life, especially when it comes to its ability to alter moods. I know of a lot of people who use music as a reflection of their mood: sad music for sad times, happy music for happy times, indifferent music for indifferent times (okay, maybe not that one... mostly because I'm trying to think of what would be considered indifferent music, and I can't.) I, on the other hand, use music like medication, especially when it comes to my own depression. Music has enough power in my life to change the way I think and react, to the point where if I play sad music for sad times, I think I would feel worse than before. However, I'm not sure I would play sad music all that often when I'm happy, so it's not an exact science. Anyway, I'm curious what you guys think. So I'm going to see if I can't get one of those polls put on the side of my page. We'll see if it works.

Cheers.

Little joys...

Earlier this year I discovered the joy of smoking a pipe. There are so many activities that at one point in my life had seemed sinful, though there is certainly no Biblical law or decree to support that feeling. For instance, consuming alcohol in moderation is not in itself sinful. Using something like that for the purpose of getting drunk is definitely spoken about in the good book, but even Jesus made water into wine, and wine is what Jesus used to represent his own blood. So, along those lines, smoking a pipe was something that made me uncomfortable simply because it was unknown, untested in my own life. However, when I was invited by some friends at church to go smoke pipes and hang out, I thought I would give it a shot, if only to be social, something I’m not always good at. I really enjoyed it. There was a whole world of complexities, near-artistry in smoking pipes that I had never heard of, nor encountered. It was intriguing, and above all, enjoyable. I hung out with those same people several times afterward, enjoying myself more each time.

Being indoctrinated into this new culture, I began noticing pipe smoking more and more in every day life. Such famous minds as Albert Einstein and the Inklings, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien among them, were avid pipe smokers. Participating in this activity is relaxing and a great way to pass the time with others, usually accompanied by good conversation. It’s also a great catalyst for thought, and a great tool to help me focus on reading scripture. In fact, I’ll sit for a couple of hours reading my Bible with my pipe in hand, something I’ve always had a hard time doing. The pipe I own is a Peterson, their line being that it’s “the thinking man’s pipe,” and as cheesy as sounds, I’ve found it to be true. Sure thinking doesn’t require hot smoke, but I’ve actually found that I do some of my best thinking with it. There’s just something to it, though if hard pressed, I’m not sure I could truly articulate what it is. Perhaps having something to occupy my fidgety brain helps to focus it on more important matters. I know for many people, doodling can help a person focus on a speaker, perhaps on a Sunday morning as the preacher pours himself into his congregation. Focus can be a rare commodity at times, so anything to bring comprehension to an easily distractible mind is a good thing. This is how I feel about smoking my pipe.

I’m not endorsing tobacco, as some people have a history of nicotine addiction or any number of other vices associated with smoking. But I do enjoy it now and again. And now that I’ve been properly condemned by those against smoking of all sorts, I will take a bow and leave in peace with my thinking man’s pipe resting on the table.

Cheers.

The day's flotsam...

Here are a couple of random bits from the day. I found them amusing, so I expect you to as well.

The last couple of days I've been inside way too much, and not just indoors, I've been in my bedroom the better part of the last 48 hours. So in an effort to counteract the atrophied muscles and bedsores, I decided to go on a long bike ride. I hadn't ridden my bike long distance for a month or two, a travesty when the weather has been perfectly conducive to biking. I was probably 3 miles into my 17 mile ride when I saw an incredible sight. As I approached a busy intersection I saw a fellow biker of sorts, though he was of the leather-clad variety. This guy was decked out in leather: jacket, pants, boots, even a leather dew-rag-looking-thing on his sans helmet head. Dark sunglasses and a handlebar mustache completed this biker-stereotype of a man, an awesome sight to behold. But what really completed the whole ensemble, of course, was the bike. Or should I say scooter. Yes, this bad dude was riding a Vespa. I waited until I was sure he couldn't see me before I laughed out loud. It takes guts to ride a gutless bike.

After another 5 miles or so, I had something completely different and funny happen. I got to a point in the ride where I needed to spit. This can be tricky while riding a bike, because if you don't time it right, you're looking at a face full of expectorate, which is just as gross as it sounds. So I was preparing to launch, getting everything in its place, and fired... and at the exact moment the spit was leaving my mouth, I caught a huge disgusting whiff of dead animal, and in reaction lowered my head, spitting all over my leg. And as I rode past the putrid deer carcass, I couldn't help but laugh. Fantastic timing.

One last thing. On the side of this page I have a couple video clips posted, three of which are from my trip to Kenya a couple years ago. I posted these videos for the sole reason of being able to show friends and family where my sister Daylan lived and worked. One thing some of you know, is that Daylan and I tend to make jokes a lot. So in the video we make mention of things like driving on the wrong side of the road, knowing full well that there is no such thing. I hadn't even though that anyone would take our jokes about Americans seriously. People have gotten seriously upset, to the point that they feel obligated to set us straight via comment on the video. I got another comment this afternoon, more angry words directed at someone they've never met, and never will. It's hilarious that our flippant funny comments were taken so seriously. And all from a video I never really meant to be watched more than a dozen times. (It's at over 3000 hits now.) Good stuff. Well, bad stuff, but it's kind of funny.

Updates, new and old connections

Hey everybody!

So I have to say that having a computer of my own has been great. I've had a couple opportunities to use it for Keynote (Apple's far-superior Powerpoint-like program) presentations, and has performed beautifully. Today I got the opportunity to present my Pioneers information at my dad's church here in Bend, OR. It's just been one of those things where scheduling didn't work in my favor, and months went by before being able to share with the church body. Feedback said that the presentation went well, which is good because it seemed like it went well from my perspective. (Ever take a test in school and think you did really well only to discover you completely bombed it? I've had enough of those happen to give me a tiny twinge of fear when things seem to have gone well. You just never know. I had a handful of conversations with people about my upcoming Pioneers duties, and gave out 7 or 8 support letters. I need to work on being a bit more aggressive in giving out and requesting information from people. Someday I'll get there.

Last weekend I got the opportunity to lead worship at the Evangelical Free Church's Northwest District Pastors and Wives Conference (I wanted to abbreviate it to EFCNWDPWC, but it never caught on) held in Sunriver, about 25 minutes from Bend. There was a lot of work getting 5 sets of music together, and then the problems involved with half of your band living 3 hours away in Portland. But, despite all the complications, things went relatively smoothly. Actually, this was the first major worship event I've led in a long time, and a good reminder that I do indeed enjoy leading worship. I got the opportunity to share a little about my Pioneers work at that event as well, and hopefully God will work in people's hearts, reminding them that despite the crappy economic times, there are people out there working toward full-time ministry. It's just been great to have a couple weeks in a row where there was at least opportunity to increase support numbers.

And actually, now that I think of it, two weeks before that conference last weekend, I got to give an update to my home church in Portland during the Sunday service. I made a couple of very important connections that Sunday, which is both unexpected and fantastic. As a result of one of the new connections, I may at some point in the future have the opportunity to lead worship at a church in Hong Kong. I'm not going to count on that working out, but the prospect is exciting. The other connection is with a person in a nearly identical life situation, also heading towards missions, a new and valuable friend.

My work has gotten more regular, and I've even had a couple chances to substitute as an Educational Assistant in the district here in Bend. This last time substituting involved a pretty incredible happenstance, something that rarely if ever happens to me. So I got a call just before 7am that there was an opening for a sub in an all-Autistic classroom at a nearby school. So I showed up and was being shown the ropes when in walks a little girl that I could have sworn I knew. However, knowing I'm now in Central Oregon, I know that I hardly know anyone, let alone random child walking through the classroom door. So I kind of blew off that sort of weird deja vu feeling and went on with my business. A couple of minutes later in walks one of the classroom teachers, and I get the same feeling, like I knew who she was, but couldn't figure out for the life of me who she was. I went back to orienting myself to the room, and the little passes by again, staring at me like she knew me, and then she left the room. Then it hit me: I knew this kid from the school I used to work at up in Alaska more than 2 years ago. I even remembered her name, and asked the other assistants if I had the right name. I did, and as it turned out, the teacher was her mother, and I knew her from the afterschool program at my old school, because she would pick up her kid every day from the program. I re-established that connection with the mom (and the girl once school was over for the day) and she let me know that her daughter, even a year after I had left Alaska, had still talked about me and how much she enjoyed me as a staff member. So now I have a top-notch connection with someone in the district, and I can only imagine that I'm at the top of their substitute list, or at least close to the top. Anyway, this was one of the strangest connections I've had in a long time. What are the odds, really?

Hi Everybody!

Sorry for being so inconsistent with blogs recently. I've been both busy and lazy, a frequently fatal combination.

Just thought I would let everyone know that I was finally able to replace my stolen computer. Unfortunately my computer needs are relatively specific, so I couldn't easily replace it with the amount of money I already had. I want to give a special shout-out to my dad for letting me use his laptop while I was between computers. I'm up and running again, and it's really great.

So those of you on my prayer/support team can expect a special email or letter in the mail soon, and those of you who haven't committed, please do. I have forms all ready to mail and email out. I'm in real need of prayer partners, so if you're interested in that, I'll send you the form and then Pioneers can help me keep track of my team-members.

So thank God for a new computer. You will be seeing more of me on the interweb again.

Sometimes I can't even take the blessings

So if you don't already know, I'm a bit of a whiner. Usually you have to be a pretty close friend for me to openly whine in your presence, but it's always there, lurking under the surface. I don't know for sure, but it may be one of my spiritual gifts. I'm pretty good at it.

So I've been whining a little about how long it takes to raise support for missions. Did I mention I'm also impatient? And then after I've whined a-plenty for days on end, I get word that support had come in, and a lot of it.

So when sister Daylan and I were headed up to Alaska, we ended up staying a bit with a friend in Seattle. This friend's brother was a good friend of mine in highschool, but contact had waned since graduating nine-and-a-bit years ago, and we really hadn't seen much of each other for the better part of 9 years. We ended up getting to catch up a bit while we visited Seattle, and I had a chance to share my upcoming mission work with Pioneers. He requested some support information, which eventually made its way to his hand. Recently, weeks since I had last seen my friend, I got an email from him, and word was given that he was very happy to support his old friend in an exciting ministry opportunity. I won't give specifics, but he and his wife were far more generous than I could have ever imagined. I was blown away. What a humbling experience to know that a whiner like me can be totally bowled over by God's hand in my life and the lives of those I know.

I'm not used to being blessed like that. I hope I never get used to it.

Cheers.

Cheers and Applause

So I have to share my great last couple of hours.

So first, I waited all day for a package in the mail to come. Normally the mail comes just before noon. Today, much to my chagrin, it didn't come until after five o'clock. However, when it DID come, along with my package was a notice from Pioneers that let me know there are a few new people wanting to become monthly financial partners. So, unofficially, I have around 15% of my monthly support secured. Amazing.

Then, not half an hour ago, I learned that someone bought one of my photos! I'm a part of an online stock photo agency, www.istockphoto.com, and have been slowly contributing photos over the last nine months. Tonight someone bought one! My very first purchase was made this very evening! Now, profit margins are not terribly high, but the fact remains that someone bought one of my pictures! If any of you are interested in purchasing my photos, or any of the millions of other pictures by the bajillion contributors, see the orange iStockPhoto link on the right side of the page. If you're not already a member of the site, you'll have to sign up, but THEN you'll be able to get a hold of top-quality Dayn Arnold photos. The link on the side of the page will take you directly to my photos, a good place to start.

Anyway, good things all at once. It's a good thing He's more faithful than I am, or we'd all be in trouble. Cheers. And applause.

(There are a (lot) of par(en(the)se)s) in this (one)!!!

First of all, I feel an update is in order. No, I'm not pregnant. I have had so many of you asking about whether I was, and I figured I owed both of my loyal readers an update. Oh, and also my computer and other things have NOT been found. Well, at least not found by anyone of repute, specifically anyone in law-enforcement or anyone with an over-inflated sense of justice.

So yeah, I was looking forward to saving up for a lot of the software and things I'll need for video/audio editing, software I didn't have because of a recent (if short-lived) switch to a new Apple MacBook Pro. Alas, for some reason still unknown to me, my computer, iPod, an external hard-drive, and my lovely Peterson tobacco pipe were all stolen. Perhaps this is some sort of incarnation of having all your eggs in one basket, though because of the cost of the equipment lost, these eggs may have to be Fabergé eggs in a basket made from the soft bone of baby Pterodactyls, painted with a mixture of gold-leaf and the blood of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius by Captain Gladys Stoutpamphlet and her Intrepid Spaniel Stig Amongst the Giant Pygmies of Beckles. (My most insincere apologies for that last statement, but I think I've made my point.) Irregardless (to be said with a thick Boston accent) I lost a lot of things all at once, and while I must admit some rather unpleasant words were said in the chill of the moment, I have decided to take this all in stride. (Fortunately I have long legs, so I can take a LOT in stride.)

I've had a couple weeks to think about the loss of my valuables, and have come to a series of scattered conclusions. First and five-most, I am much more American than I would like to admit. By that, I mean I love my stuff, and feel entitled to having nice and expensive things. Within the first few hours of losing my Fabergé eggs, I lamented the loss of my iPod because I couldn't have every scrap of music I owned with me at all times. Good grief, Charlie Brown. How ridiculous is that? (You may take the question rhetorically or otherwise. Sometimes Captain Obvious comes to town with humorous results.) As much as I wish I were above this ridiculous commercialism, I'm right in the thick of it, taking it all in. (Greed is so often described in visual terms, green-eyed, black-hearted, but I think it may be best described as a pile of rotting meat drenched in saccharine perfume. Or like air-freshener in the bathroom wherein a large deposit has been made, and in a frantic attempt to hide their business, the depositor has not covered anything up, but has added extra foulness to the already-pungent aroma.) This sense of entitlement is a killer.

I do not claim to have problems of Biblical proportions, but I feel like I have a new understanding of the book of Job. God allows what we would deem an injustice to take place in the interest of testing the individual. God allows the devil to take everything of earthly-meaning from Job, injust by our standards, but he doesn't curse or turn his back on God, despite having done nothing to deserve the pummeling he receives. Then physical aliments, boils and such, and still no back-turning to be found. And all the while, he has this wonderful support structure of friends telling him he must have done something to deserve this, and that he needs to repent so it'll all go away. (Nothing like chastising those we care about when they could use some support.) So I was telling my mother about how I was feeling the tiniest bit like Job, except that I hadn't produced any boils or sores. She quickly reminded me of my physical ailments due to a certain recent cycling-accident, the repercussions from which I'm still daily feeling. So that confirmed my decision to change my name to Job, and replace my fantastically supportive friends with ones who know better than I do, and chastise me at every turn. I'm looking into putting out a bulletin on Craigslist to that effect:"Wanted: friends to lend me goofy theology and kick me when I'm down. Also must have experience with boils." So it feels like I'm being tested, and I'm actually a little excited about it. Not so much excited about the testing, but excited to see how far God has taken me in recent years so that I'm actually a little surprised to see how I'm taking this negative turn of events. I'm becoming more convinced that God tests us not for His benefit, but for ours. Seriously, we're talking about the omniscient, omnipotent king of the universe who not only created us, but KNEW us before we were conceived. He knows where we are, spiritually speaking. I, on the other hand, don't always know where I am, spiritually speaking. (Sometimes physically speaking too, especially in the nonsensical labyrinth that is North Portland.)

If someone were to take my reactions to negative experiences in my life and analyze those reactions, the expected response to losing my dream-computer would be falling into a deep depression, which would not only consistently affect me, but would cast a pall on anyone brave enough to try to be around me. My good friends know exactly what I'm talking about. In a pivotal moment of darkness in my own life, someone told me "You bring death into the room." Now that may not have been a particularly compassionate thing to say (perhaps recommendation to see a counselor or look into drugs for clinical depression would have been more constructive) but it stuck with me, as you might imagine it would. So my life graphed to an average would predict long-lasting depression from this kind of loss, this kind of blow to my own productivity. However, much to my surprise, my depression was a little less than 24 hours, followed by disappointment and bewilderment of a lesser nature for the following days. God tested me, and I got to see the results. It's like one of those "progressive" schools where students grade their own work (Anyone remember the episode of Arrested Development where we got to see Maybe's self-given grades, pictures for grades. Brilliant.) and on the other side of things I've had to give myself a B+ (An A seems a little too generous.)

Now that this blog is reaching brobdingnagian proportions, I should stop and say that things are good. My dad is letting me use his laptop until I can afford a new one, I have several opportnities to potentially make money using my gifts, and the sun is shining. I have some exciting things that really should wait for a new blog, so I'll save them. Thanks so much to the network of people who so diligently prayed for me in this loss, and thanks to the creator who says that nothing he created can bring death into any room. (And extra special thanks to whoever created parenthetical statements, as they let me whisper funny little rabbit-trails without going too far off the beaten path.)

Please pray...

Hey everybody.

My new computer was stolen out of a vehicle this evening. Please pray that I would get it back. I know God has done much more impossible things, so I know it's possible, though my brain tells me otherwise. Thanks.