Back on the Mountain

Greetings friends and family,

Fall has arrived to the valley of the sun.  Cool mornings and tolerable days lead to outdoor adventures.  I had a couple of hours of daddy time.  The pool is freezing according to Uno and Dos.  The 80 degree water is just not tolerable for these Phoenicians.  I won't call them spoiled, but they are obviously meant to live in Alaska.

We headed out for South Mountain to get our hiking legs back in shape.  Easton twisted his ankle at school on Friday.  It's been a little sore, but he is a trooper.  Besides, Kendra prayed for his ankle to be healed and he is almost 100% better.  If we believe healing is flowing at the Webb house then why not believe it for Easton and Layla?

Speaking of the "why not" question... I'm catching Easton and Layla asking that question more and more, but not in whiny, bratty way with their arms crossed. They say it in a confident, hopeful, manner knowing I, as a father, WANT to say yes to their requests.

Can we go for a hike?  Why not?  yes
Can you carry me to bed? Why not?  yes
Can I go to Mars?  Why not?  yes

It's a rare situation that I say no to either of them.  I will for their safety or finances or manners or those kinds of situations, but if there isn't a reason to say no then I say yes.  Understand how God treats us and you'll find that God does more than grant us the desires of our hearts.  He lets us choose even when the outcome isn't what's "best" or the most beneficial.  He doesn't stop us from choosing even when our choices are completely against his Word or our best interest.  i'm not willing to go to that extreme because I'm ultimately still responsible for them.  Even so, I want them to know how powerful they are with their choices.  I say that directly to them daily!  "You are so powerful!  You have the power to choose and then receive the good or bad consequence from your choice."

Anyway, I mentioned the idea of going hiking.  They talked it over and came to me saying, "We agree that we both want to go hiking."  My response is, "then let it be so!"  We only made it up to the second peak because we were running out of daylight and it was still pretty toasty outside.  Quite a view from up here though.

I let the monkeys hang on me just for a silly picture.  There will be a day soon when Daddy's arms won't be strong enough to hold them both up off the ground.  Until then, they think i'm the Hulk.

We sat for several minutes pointing out landmarks such as the zoo, airport, our home, and Ikea (how could you miss a sign that big).  I tell them every time we are high up that this is the way they need to see the world.  from the top down.  This is kingdom focused.  seeing the big picture and humanity the way God sees it.  An individual's personal problem isn't very big when you look down on a city and can't even distinguish one person from the next.  Instead, we focus on the greatness of who God is and what He will do.  That is a shift in thinking, for sure.

We have a surprise guest at the Casa de Webb.  Judy, or Aunt Juju as she's known around our house.  She calls Easton by my name because we are virtually indistinguishable other than my beard and his wiggly front tooth.  Our mannerisms and way of thinking is so similar it's scary.  The twins are loving her being here for book reading, game playing, and meal sharing.  Easton asked for Aunt Juju to perform Jesus loves me in an opera style.  Of course she did...  and Easton loved it.

I did something I probably shouldn't have.  I bought a bike.  a very expensive bike.  I haven't had a bike since I sold my last one to meet our commitment to the building fund.  It's been difficult to recuperate financially from that, but giving is not sacrificial until it changes the way you live (Thanks Joanie for the article link).  We gave sacrificially.  As a result I was relegated to ride Kendra's small, inadequate bike when my desire to ride outweighed the uncomfortable aspects.

I've been salivating over this bike for months waiting for a used one to come up for sale.  I found a bike shop in Utah selling a used one and bought it!

Was it the best financial decision?  Nope.  But this is what makes me feel alive more than any other hobby on the planet.  There is nothing I would rather do more than ride a bike on the mountain.  I plan to have this bike for five years or more.  If I break down the annual cost of owning this bike, then the price tag is slightly more palatable.  I don't spend much money on myself in any other area of life, but there is a verse that says, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".  That means, if you want to know where a person's heart is just follow what they spend money on.

I'm so happy to be back on the mountain hiking with the twins and racing downhill on my bike.