October 30, 2007
October 24, 2007
Not so Chillycoot
By popular demand, here are some photos of my trip. As mentioned earlier on my blog, we hiked the Chilkoot Trail, and historic gold rush trail over a pass in Alaska. If you’ve seen the Alaska license plate with a bunch of people hiking over a mountain pass on it, that’s the one. It was rough (the worst part being a 2,000 ft climb over 1/2 a mile, all clambering over large bolders) but it was totally worth it. Do it, if you ever have the chance. Parks Canada describes it this way:
"The Chilkoot Trail is isolated, strenuous, physically challenging and potentially hazardous. It is also extremely rewarding, providing hikers with spectacular scenery within a unique historical setting."
That's basically it, except more fun. Even Josh’s parents, who are not exactly young or super outdoorsy, had such a great time that they went camping again the next weekend and called us a few days later with ideas for another similar trip next year. Of course, the trails they mentioned don’t involve any steep ascents like the Chilkoot, but I would take any chance to go backpacking in the Alaskan wilderness again.
October 18, 2007
Where has Waltondammerung been, anyway?
Watching the Tribe win its way to the World Series (here's hoping for a fourth win against the Sox tonight)
Backpacking in the Klondike
Taking a class on the art of pairing wine with food.
Finishing her TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) certificate with a doozy of a practicum
Crocheting a cute blanket for her nephew who will be arriving in a few months
Traveling to Ohio two weekends in a row, once to meet up with her hubby's twin for their 30th birthday and once for her 10-year high school reunion
Some of these things are still going on, so her dutiful readers may not hear much from Waltondammerung until Thanksgiving, but she promises to post photos of her hiking trip soon. Really. In the meantime, there are some on Facebook
October 17, 2007
Couldn't have said it better
And I've tried. Here's a great article about Christian behavior in the political realm. If you don't have a subscription to World, you should get one, but here's a bit of it that I think expresses the gist fairly well:
It is a pity that we Christians are so often known only for our in-your-face approach. We are frequently known more for our eagerness to exclude rather than our eagerness to persuade.
To be sure, God never compromises His truth or comes close to suggesting that we can fudge on principle in order to make peace. He never hints that all approaches to belief and lifestyle are equally valid. He is the definition of absolutism.
Yet the essence of the gospel is that God reaches out to sinful people and pleads with them to change their ways. Patiently and persuasively, He waits through their rebellion and stubbornness. Knowing that not a single one of us is good enough to live up to His absolutes, He even gives us the wrapping of righteousness we can't provide on our own. Only when that incredibly generous offer is rejected are we finally excluded from His presence.