Look! New Pictures! We had a visitor over the Thanksgiving weekend, all the way from the far reaches of Nome Alaska. Our friend Jamie was passing through Seattle for a few days during holiday travel. Take a look at the Jamie gallery for some fun shots of his very first ever horse ride & then trip to downtown seattle.

While we were in Seattle, we took some pictures of the big monorail crash. those are fun pictures too.

(click here) for a pasty Alaskan on a horse
(click here) to see outdated transit slowly dying

Livin’ down at camp has given Lydia the oppertunity to go riding whenever she wants, brining back an activity she has not persued much since she got rid of her horse when going off to college. The two of us went out the other day for a fun afternoon of riding.

Coming home to the throne

Finding ourselves in the world is often the most compelling difficulty we have in our Christian walk. Being in but not among our friends, coworkers, and acquaintances is an enormous task. For me, often being among non-Christians makes me feel less of a Christian and more of a sinner. It’s important to remember our own good God given nature is at conflict with our flesh and that’s a natural struggle.

Hey all who read Northslope.net, My name is Jordan Haymond and I’ve been a friend of Josh and Lydia since we worked at camp dating back to 2001. I’ve lived in Portland for 22 years and in Yelm for 1, and I’m currently a senior at Portland State University getting my bachelors of Arts in History.

I can recall at a young age reading quite a bit. Having friends when I was younger was something I wasn’t all that great at, so curling up with a good book was something I’d do regularly. One of my favorite books as a child was a book called “Dangerous Journey�. It was a fantasy novella about a man who has an enormous rock tied to his back, representing his burden. In order to loose his rock; he leaves his family to embark on this journey. Somehow I find myself relating to this journey often.

I think it’s really easy for us to feel we “need� this dangerous journey in order to feel vindicated before God. This journey of penance can leave us feeling insufficient, alone, and inadequate. Especially if we take this journey without coming home to our graceful Father, to quote one of my favorite Christian authors R.P.C Hanson: “Grace means the free, unmerited, unexpected love of God, and all the benefits, delights, and comforts which flow from it. It means that while we were sinners and enemies we have been treated as sons and heirs.�

God doesn’t require a long expedition of penance from us but a heart willing to accept his ultimate sacrifice: Christ.

Romans 8:32- “He who did not spare his own Son, but give him up for us all�

Remember that God’s sacrifices and grace have always been there to keep us close to Him. Not to force us further away on our own journey away from God. To leave with a final thought: “Grace is the beauty of form under the influence of freedom�. –Johann Friedrich Von Schiller

Ok, so its been a LOONG time since my last front page update…but things have been moving along over on the blog with photoblog friday each week & devoblog testimonies on tuesday!

We’ve been back in Washington for a few months now and still miss Alaska and our friends there. I was thinking the other day that we always posted so many pictures of Nome for friends & family back home….that now we should post some pictures for the friends we have up in Alaska, so I’ve decided to give you a vitural tour of our life here at Cascades Camp.

(click here) for pictures around Camp

Easier said than done.

Giving it all to God is one of the most important things that I’ve been learning these past few years. I’m still learning. It seems as if everyday there is a series of things that happen which I have to remind myself to just “give it to God�

Hi, I’m Janell Rogers. Hence, having the same last name is Josh and Lydia, yes I am related. I’m Josh’s sister. I am eagerly looking for my Christmas break so I can re-unite with them. At Christmas it’ll have been 1 ½ years since I’ve seen both of them. Right now with my life, I am a junior at North Park University in Chicago. I’ve been here for almost a year and a half now. This year I am Resident Assistant of 47 girls, which has been bringing many new experiences.

Coming to North Park University in Chicago was not something that I had planned, ever. Really….never. During high school I had planned out all these places that I would apply to go to college at and then decide from there. Well that came and went, and nothing seemed right. I stayed home during my freshman year in college, went to a community college, worked a bunch, and was trying to figure out where God wanted me to go. It was probably the first time in my life that I honestly said, “God, I’ll go where you want me.� Well…since I opened that door, thinking that I would somehow still have some say in the game, I ended up at North Park with about a months notice. (North Park is the place that as long as I can remember I vowed, pleated, and argued that I would NEVER go to) So, here I am. Satisfied, content, and joyful. Knowing that God wants me here for a specific reason or a set of reasons makes waking up everyday a blessing, and well….I truly love it here.

So, since I gave it to God to come here, it has been an on going theme in my life ever sense. Everyday there are numerous things to “give to God.� Whether it is something big or small, I know that God wants to hear about it, and God wants me to let him handle it.

I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. Psalms 17:6

All too often people try and rely on themselves or rely on other people that can’t help them much. Giving it to God, relying on God and trusting God, should come first.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

When you “give it to God� you also have to trust. Like the verse says, do not lean on your own understanding. God has a plan for you, so let him have some fun while you sit back and enjoy the ride.

I forgot how “great” winter in Northwest is.

I’m waiting to hear back from this week’s devo blog writter……… Happy All Hallow’s Day!