The Great Alaska Adventure Begins

Day 1 - I'm calling this day 1 because yesterday was a travel day.  After a long day and long flight, I had a meal with Rachel Elmore and got checked into my lodging in Girdwood.  I stayed up as late as I could which was only 9:00 here.  It was still light out.  Of course at home it was 1:00am and I had gotten up at 5:30am.  I slept as long as I could but the clock only read 5:15am when I could sleep no longer.  I had quiet time, made coffee and worked a little on my book.  Hopefully, I'll have much more to say about that later.  Then I was thrilled to find that ESPN was carrying the Ohio State v. Akron game.  Wow, football at 8:00am!  Cool!!  I have plans to go with Jesse Elmore and do some fishing later today.  I did not have the chance to take pictures yet but I hope to soon. 

My reflections on Alaska so far.
 - Obviously it is beautiful.  There are places where the mountains rise right up at the water's edge.  The tide was going out in the Turnagain Arm as I made my way from Anchorage to Girdwood leaving a lot of mud and bare places but still it is beautiful.
  - There is so much to see.  I wanted to take a walk and take pictures today but I knew Jesse was coming and I needed to be ready.  Still that allowed me to watch at least the first half of the Buckeyes game!
   - It has been overcast the whole time I have been here so I am wanting to take pictures when the sun is out.  There will be so much to photograph!  I can't wait to get started. 
   - The fishing is reputed to be legendary here so I am real excited to get going with that as well.
   - It is expensive here!  I went to a small grocery store here in Girdwood and bought 2 pounds of coffee (1 regular and 1 decaf), creamer, Splenda, and a 12 pack of diet 7-Up.  I was astonished when the girl at checkout said, "That will be $43.31!"  REALLY?  Yep.  All shopping will be done in Anchorage from here on. 

So keep up with me.  I don't know if I can blog again tonight but if I can, I will give a fishing report.  Be watching!!

Brokenness

Beauty
Peace
Happiness
Ice crystals form on the limbs and twigs of trees in a forest.  A beatiful blue sky adds the back drop as the light from the sun makes the ice shimmer adding the appearance of movement, of welcome.  Walking in a perfect blanket of virgin snow through a woodland of ice encrusted trees leads the imagination to picture a crystal palace that nature has built just for you. 
Cool refreshing air in the lungs
Birds singing
A winter paradise

"For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands" Psalm 92:4

More freezing rain
Ice builds on burdened limbs
Drooping
Sagging
Breaking
Twigs, branches and trees lay broken on the snowy forest floor.  Their jagged ends betray their violent demise. Once proud limbs carrying buds and leaves and fruit skyward are now litter on the once white snowy carpet.  Once vibrant with life now icons of death, food for insects, marked for decay.

"They were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.  Do not be arrogant but be afraid" Romans 11:20

Spring
Renewal
Decay enriches the soil
New life leaps from places where once decaying mounds of old trees and leaves lay.  New trees and branches take the places of the old ones and carry buds and leaves and fruit skyward.
A creator smiles
Life from death
"It is good"

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11

A beautiful garden
Peaceful
Only love
Only happiness
A man and a woman wearing only the worth bestowed by intimacy with their creator.  Walking daily with God.  All needs lovingly met by His presence. 
No sickness
No dying
No pain
God wipes away all tears.

"To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life"
Revelation 21:6

A serpent
A lie
A bite
Forbidden fruit shared. Realization of corruption, of sin, of betrayal.  Shame felt for the first time.  Awareness of nakedness, awareness of distance of a gulf between the man and woman and their creator.  "Why are you hiding?", "The woman did it!"  "The serpent did it!"
Rejection
Work
Pain
Hopelessness

"He will crush your head and you will strike His heel" Genesis 3:15

Shepherds in a field
A starry night
A light
An angel
A Savior?
A small stable.  A small town.  The creator of the universe, God, Yaweh enters flesh and then enters the world.  Mary, Joseph, Could this be the one to save Israel, the one to save the world, to save all of mankind for all time? Ministry, miracles, kindness to the poor, confrontation to the self-righteous.  Disciples, teaching, loving.  A final supper, the washing of feet, a prayer in the garden.  Betrayal, accusations, "Crucify him!".  A hill, a cross, nails, screams, suspended between earth and sky. "Father, why have you forsaken me?", "It is finished." Death. Burial in a borrowed tomb.
A new dawn
A stone rolled away
"Why do you seek the living among the dead?"
He lives!!
Salvation to all who receive him.
A creator smiles
Life from death
"It is good!"

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

A young life
A night on the town
Friends all around
"What's this?" "Try it." "Just one won't hurt you." A drink, a smoke. Guilt, shame. More drinks, more smokes, "Here try this."  More guilt, more shame but no turning back now. Parties, sex, new friends, new things to try, "It doesn't get any better than this!"  Lies, deception, "who called the police?" Have you been drinking or taking drugs?"  More lies, "Blow into this," "Fill this cup."  Exposed, guilty, conviction, jail, probation.  Parents broken'hearted, loved ones disappointed and angry, old friends surprised, talking, shaking their heads.
Worthless
Hopeless
Brokenness

"The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit...He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 34:18, 147:3

An old friend
A true friend
Late night discussions
"Come to Church with me." A sermon, a scripture, the words of Jesus "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."  God loves you, God wants to forgive you, no matter what you've done.  He died for you and promises heaven for those who will confess their sins and give themselves to Him. The gift of grace laid out inviting, forgiveness availed.  A heart touched, tears flow, surrender. A silent prayer, "God, I can't do this alone.  I need your forgiveness, I need you to put my life together again."  Sins washed away in water, rejoicing.  A fresh start with God at your side, awareness that even at your worst, he never left you.  He was always there, loving, pleading, protecting and calling you home.
New life
Purpose
A destination
A creator smiles
Life from death
"It is good"

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me." Revelation 3:20

The Hard Part of Parenting Teens

As a youth minister I have long observed parents as they navigate the swirling waters so typical of the teen years. Now that am the father of three teens, I can empathize more completely with the struggles of those having gone through this before me. Having studied teens for sometime, I was aware that there are two major shifts that tend to occur in the teen years. The first occurs early on in adolescence and is the shift from primarily being influenced by parents to the primary influence of friends. I thought that one would be harder than it was. I think primarily due to the fact that my kids all have had a great youth group and friends of faith, that transition was fairly smooth. There were sad days when the kids won't hold your hand in public and don't particularly want you around when they are with their friends but I got through it.
The second of those transitions is the one from dependence to independence that typically takes place the later teens. Teens typically seek to differentiate from their parents and want to make their own decisions. They no longer feel the need to seek parental guidance on things and want to renegotiate their rules and boundaries. This adjustment has been more difficult as my son is going through it. The questioning of family values and lack of interest in spending time with the family have created a natural but painful distance in our relationship. I understand it is as God has created it to be but it breaks my heart. I am still so proud of him that words are woefully inadequate to describe it. I love him dearly and I know the closeness will return but it will be different. I'll never again be able to walk with him wrapped around my leg or crawl on my hands and knees with him on my back but I am amazed at the man that little boy is becoming. I know God has big plans for him and I am thankful that his faith is one thing that he continues to embrace and allow to define him. He belongs to God and in my heart I know he always has. I know God will continue to refine him and mold him into a powerful force for good in this world and I have to back off and let him do that.
Still, letting go is tougher than I thought. There are many days when I would love to have that little boy back and see those eyes widen with excitement when I came home from being away. I love being a dad but I concur with others in saying that this adjustment is more challenging than others. I know however that God is working and what emerges from his handiwork is always a sight to behold. I look forward to seeing what God is doing.

Its Been a While

It has been too long since I put my thoughts down on my blog. I'm going to try again to write something at least once per week. Your feedback is of course welcome.

A Letter to Senators and Representatives regarding the Marriage Penalty.

Dear ____________________

I am writing you regarding an issue that I believe to be of great moral and social import.  It is obvious to me that the institution of marriage in our country is being challenged on a number of different fronts.  With the social controversy around "gay marriage" and the recent trend of couples simply choosing to stay single, I am concerned that traditional marriage is being cast further and further to the cultural margins and may one day be a footnote on a page in a history text book. 

What doesn't help is the fact that individuals in low income situations (such as those in inner city neighborhoods, seniors, the disabled and the mentally handicapped) who depend on government assistance continue to be placed in a moral quagmire by the marriage penalty that resides in the legal code of the SSI program.  Couples are being forced to have to choose between living together without being married (which for many violates their faith and their conscience), giving up their home and dignity in order to afford to be married, or simply choose to stay single and not be able to experience the joys of being married.  That especially for the poor, the senior and the mentally challenged who are people of faith is an unconscionable choice to have to make.

I am asking you to be a champion of those who should never have to make that choice.  I am asking you to stand up for what is right and remove the marriage penalty from this program.  Please don't let another person have to make the choice between moral conviction and financial solvency.  Please take action now to make this happen.  I know it is hard and the choices that will have to be made to pay for this change will be difficult and perhaps unpopular but doing what is right isn't always easy.

There was a scene in the recent movie "Valkyrie" where Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg stood before a firing squad for his part in an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler but he stood tall know that while he was being executed for his actions, history would remember that he stood up for what was right.  Now, no one will need to go to the firing squad for challenging the marriage penalty but there will no doubt be opposition.  Just as von Stauffenberg decided to be a light in a very dark time, you can be that light for the underprivileged and physically and mentally handicapped all over our country.  They are looking to you to do what is right.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Very Sincerely Yours,

Why Get Married? Pt. 2

    There are a couple of problems that we as a community must address in order to strategically deal with this shift in the perception of marriage.

    The first issue is a rather political one. It has to do with the marriage penalty.  In low income, senior and mentally handicapped communities where individuals are largely dependent on public assistance they are incentivised to stay single because if they choose to get married the government reduces their benefits. Their rationale of course is that when a married couple moves in together their expenses are reduced (eg. two rent payments and utilities down to one, etc...).  That would be true if everyone getting married were relatively young, on their first marriage and with no financial complications in their lives.  The fact is that is rarely the case.

     This is especially disturbing for the adult mentally handicapped population where their expenses do not go down when they are reside in assisted living facilities as many mentally challenged adults do.  In one case I know personally, two mentally retarded adults wanted to be married but due to the marriage penalty would not be able to meet their expenses if they married legally.  These two precious young people were dedicated to their faith and sincerely believed that it was wrong to have sex before they were married.  Their parents were forced to make arrangements for them to be married in a private ceremony without the legal sanction of obtaining a marriage license.  I would hope none of us would be too quick to judge what the parents did when we remember that the system especially in this case is inherently immoral.  Our government is asking two young people stricken from birth with a life-devastating defect to make the choice between compromising their morals rooted in their Christian faith, giving up their home and dignity in order to afford to be married or staying single and not experience the simple joys of godly marriage.  To be forced to make that choice is in my opinion unconscionable. 

    I understand that reversing the marriage penalty is not going to magically erase the problems with marriage in our culture but I do think it is an opportunity for people of faith and conviction to stand up and demand that the government do the right thing for the sake of marriage.  There is a letter contained in my blog that I would encourage you to copy and paste into a letter or e-mail from you to your senators and representatives.  The URL’s for my blog and for information on how to contact your representatives are below.

Tim’s blog – http://timothyatripp.blogspot.com/
Senator/Rep. Info – www.senate.gov and www.house.gov

    In part three of this series we will discuss how to intentionally train young men and women to be committed to the concept of God’s design for family.   

Why Get Married? (part 1)

    A recent Cincinnati Enquirer article reported that there were fewer couples applying for marriage licenses in 2009 in the three Ohio counties making up the Cincinnati metropolitan area than in any year since the 1950’s.  They also reported that this trend is very much in line with the national trend.  The article then stated that the trend seemed to be for individuals choosing to either remain single or to live with their mate without being married.

    I believe there are several reasons people are choosing not to get married.  First of all, I believe that culturally this trend away from traditional marriage is different from and potentially more dangerous than the experiment of the “free love” generation of the 1970’s. They wanted to live as they pleased without any “establishment” telling them what to do. This trend I think reflects a more fundamental paradigm shift primarily among men regarding relationships.  Worldly men are thinking less and less of intimate relationships as a committed, long term, family building, offspring producing, legacy leaving venture and more as a temporary, fantasy embracing, almost completely selfish opportunity for sexual gratification.  Men in our culture are more sex focused and sex addicted than ever in recent memory and women are complicit thinking that occasional, unsatisfying relationships are better than none at all. 

     Entire segments of our young adult culture are beginning to look similar to certain Caribbean cultures and to low income, inner city and impoverished rural communities.  In these cultures it is common for men to seldom enter into committed relationships and when they do, they seldom stay committed long.  They take little to no responsibility for the children they produce.  Childcare is often the responsibility of the mothers and grandparents (mostly grandmother) while the men go from one illicit relationship to another. This relational paradigm is springing up from impoverished communities right into middle-class America.  From college campuses to dating websites to singles clubs this “hooking up” (a phrase often used to describe a primarily sexual relationship with little to no commitment) phenomenon threatens the concept of marriage and family to the core.  

      Even more than our current divorce epidemic this relational paradigm seems poised to force children to grow up in homes where there is no father figure dooming them to almost certainly repeat that cycle when they move into their teen/young adult years.  More about this in Why Get Married? (part 2)