Yah! You betcha!

Guess where I'm goin this weekend?


MINNESOOOOOHHHHHHTAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!


woot. Yeah, leaving saturday morning for the north country. It's prolly gonna be around a 12/13 hour drive. I'm getting excited about it. I haven't seen my folks in prolly three months now, so it'll be nice to say hello :).

So here's the plan of attack once I get there:

-play music with my sister during church and any other time that I get the chance
-play football with my cool brother
-generally chill w/ the fam
-spend a day in the boundary waters with my cousin
-read
-be in complete awe of the beauty of northern minnesota


...In complete awe.
The boundary waters are amazing. For those of you who have never had the chance to experience it, it is a massive section of untouched land. It is made up of tons of lakes and forest. There are no areas bought as private property in the boundary waters...no houses, motor boats, resorts, or electricity. There is no plumbing or air conditioning. No cars, semis, trains, televisions, radios or computers. Cell phones dont' work and palm pilots are pretty worthless.

Basically, it is quiet.

The minute you pass the boueys indicating where the boundary waters begin, you realize that there are no distractions. It's absolutely beautiful. Cliff jumping, fishing, canoeing, running in the woods in bare feet, rock hopping and/or swimming along the rapids....it's all so beautiful. There's nothing quite like sitting out in the middle of God's creation without anything to distract you from the beauty that is all around you.
I go there for two main reasons:

First off, I should be honest. I really do love God's creation. But to say that it is the only reason I go outside would be a lie. Here's the truth: I feel really manly anytime that I go to the boundary waters. Where else can you go and actually need to kill things in order to eat? Where else can you go and be FORCED to cut down a tree so that you can be warm at night or so that you can eat that night? Where else can you go and jump off of cliffs, test your strength by swimming close to rapids, test your agility by running along the rocks in rapids, and test your spirit when you realize that it is HARD? I can't think of many places...


so yes...it makes me feel kind of like one of those rough and tough type guys...

oh, and by the way....i'm not a really rough/tough guy. I'm not a stereotypical "manly man." Even though i love all of the above mentioned boundary waters activities, it took me forever to get up the courage to do each of those.

However, I think my second reason should be what makes me feel like a man...
I go there for the same reason that I lay outside to look at the stars---to be in complete awe and amazement at our Father. I go to calm and quiet my soul---to be still, and know that He is God. His creation is so beautiful. HE is so beautiful. I go so that I can sit down and see God's hand touching the leaves, the trees, the sky, the water and the rocks. I go out there to be a REAL man: to be emotional---to feel, and be in love with my Father, to be loved by my Father, the giver of all good things.

My favorite thing to do out there is to sit on rocks located over and/or in rapids. Sitting next to water rushing over my feet makes me realize just how little I actually control. I see a raging river, rushing past me, in all its randomness, and I am amazed at how God has complete control over this "chaos." He has control over everything and everyone on this earth. He calmed a storm! Wow. I can't even calm myself down, much less a flippin thunderstorm. He's so huge...

...and I'm a huge wimp

Have a great day guys
cya in a week
-Dave