Imminent Crash

I like to give a lot of backstory to help provide clarity to some of the crazy things in my head before I let them out… usually. It’s safer that way. For me… for you… really for everyone in general. But today, as I’ve done a few times on previous birthdays, I’m forgoing the safety net and sharing a bunch of scattered thoughts – some safe, some not. Enjoy and take it all with a grain of salt, I’m ok… mostly.

1. If I ever forget the indescribable grandeur of the coastal redwoods… Someone drag me back there as soon as possible!
2. 25 year Anniversaries don’t happen very often.
3. They also don’t happen on accident. Want to have one? Commit to your spouse and work to reveal Christ in your marriage to them and the people around you.
4. Sometimes, you should just climb stuff. It may help you prevent crotchetiness in your old age. (As long as you don’t fall!)
5. 
6. It was truly surreal getting to camp and hike among these giants. I wish I could explain…
7. Lots of times, you should cross bridges when you get there… even if you don’t know what’s on the other side.
8. 
9. Don’t burn them behind you though… You might need to go back.
10. I feel like I’m on one side of a whole bunch of bridges right now and not doing a great job choosing which to cross. They all lead to where I can’t see.
11. 
12. One last thing about bridges… Don’t try to cross one until you get to it.
13. I have written over 950 posts on this blog, but only 9 of them have been this year (including this one). I’m not sure if that discourages me more than the discouragement that’s led to this recent lack of productivity or vice versa, but I have to get better and back into a writing rhythm.
14. I’m pretty sure I do not own a single set of footwear with actual bootstraps.
15. I do own a lot of other shoes, though!
16. I have great hopes and high expectations for Millenials and Gen Z. I have seen what they are capable of when fully given over to God and chasing after his mission with their lives! It is nothing short of spectacular.
17. This has been a year of car problems for the Andrews family. The glitchy doors and windows are one thing, but the transmission failure(s), valve jobs, two cars that won’t go backwards, etc. are on my last nerve.
18. My kids are incredible! I know that I am absolutely biased, but they continue to amaze me. Leading worship, solving math problems that cause normal people to seize up, tinkering with stuff, and leading their peers as truly good and dependable friends… I am grateful for the people who will carry my genes across bridges I will never even see.
19. Good and dependable friends are of more value than we often realize. Be one for somebody.
20. Friends, I am sorry for how I’ve tended to climb into a hole and lose touch a lot more lately. I don’t know why I am so uneasy letting people into the mess of process in my life. I know I’m not a finished product and you don’t expect me to be.
21. Some years are messier than others. Grab a mop when it’s needed, get help where you can, and make something awesome out of the mess.
22. I wear black socks now. But not with shorts – and definitely not with sandals! Come on now; I’m not that old.
23. Ever notice how trends change? In our meme saturated culture, don’t expect that too slow down. The good side of that is… the trends that are most annoying will be gone soon. Just shake your head and wait.
24. I haven’t actually seen many Boomers upset about “Ok, Boomer…” But mention it around a Gen X and all the neon and jelly shoes in the 80’s won’t brighten the cloud that’s about to descend. Watch out for lightning!
25. We got a really good deal switching our internet to another company. We were happy with the old one, but half price for faster speeds was too much to pass up. I think it is the second time I’ve ever purchased anything from door to door sales.
26. A bonus to the deal was free cable for 3 months. We haven’t had cable or satellite tv for years, but I’ve been able to watch more soccer in the last few months than I have for a really long time and I’m loving it.
27. “Why don’t you have cable, weirdo?” It’s an expense that just doesn’t make sense in our budget, and I find plenty of other garbage on Netflix and free Roku channels.
28. Christian Pulisic is not overrated, and it’s been a lot of fun watching him play for Chelsea. I can’t wait to see how he continues to develop and what that will mean for the USMNT. (Some of you have no idea what this means, and I am sorry you are missing out on the beautiful game.)
29. I’m also excited that Omaha is getting a USL team next year. (Check out Union Omaha!) The crest and name are exciting and seem to fit. Our state is too wide for me to justify season tickets, but I hope I can get out there for a game once in a while.
30. I don’t get fans calling for the firing of new coaches. Over the last year (or a few years) several teams that I’ve followed have named new head coaches. It amazes me how so many fans can be so self-deluded that they think they are qualified after as few as 4 or 5 games to declare the coach a bust and call for his head on a platter. At every level from college football to NFL to MLS to national team soccer this has been grossly visible. What makes us think we know how to hire a coach or that we actually know who would definitely be a better option?
31. I have enjoyed coaching soccer for my kids and others. This year was a rough one for Lizzy’s team, but they got better as the season went on, they had fun and built relationships with their team, and gained some skills. They’re 12 year olds… that’s the point.
32. I’m still not convinced getting rid of Jürgen Klinsmann was a good idea for the national team. Then again… what do I know?
33. Learning is important. When I cut myself off from the inspiration that comes from connecting with God and connecting with people, I don’t learn much. And consequently I don’t have much to say. You’re probably like that too. Let’s learn some things this year.
34. Not having much to say doesn’t always stop people from talking. Loudly. And without ceasing.
35. I did learn a little about the stock market this year by using an app called Robinhood. If you use that link to sign up, we’ll each get a free stock. It lets you buy and sell stocks commission free. Fair warning, though…. there is risk involved. Do not invest money this way that you cannot afford to lose completely – because you could.
36. Some stocks that I thought would do great have slowly fizzled despite a stream of great news and profits. Other companies that seem like they’re bleeding cash have stock prices on the rise. Do a lot of research and don’t take things at face value.
37. Commission free stock purchasing used to be impossible. Now it’s not. This is great if you want to buy stocks without paying a stockbroker. It’s terrible (or at least risky) if you’re not good at choosing companies that will increase in value.
38. You’re probably not as good at choosing companies as you think you’d be. I know I’m not. I had a stock go up 11% today. Last year the same stock lost about 30% in one day, too.
39. This method of investing has taken up an embarrassing amount of headspace for a modest return. I will be liquidating that account soon to pay for car repairs.
40. The Solomon Foundation is a much more appealing way to invest. While their returns are pretty good, and their stability is great, it’s not really about the money. It’s about investing in the Kingdom as they use the funds deposited to help build, re-build, and plant churches!
41. Building the Kingdom is worth everything. All my time. All my attention. All my resources. You can see what they’ve been doing with these churches’ stories.
42. There is nothing else like the church on the planet. I know we don’t always get things right, but as far as we reflect Jesus and live out our lives with His community in mind, we make a difference in this world no one else can make.
43. Not everything that calls itself “church” is doing a great job reflecting Jesus. I don’t always either. But I’m thankful for the grace God gives us to get up and do better.
44. I have so much to be thankful for that I’ll never be able to express all the gratitude I should. I should try anyway.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

My wife and I just don’t do things NORMAL, I guess. The expected way… The tried and tested…

When you go on vacation, it’s a pretty good idea to know where you’ll be staying, right? You should probably have a travel plan and reservations and all that. But you could just drop the kids off at Grandma’s house and drive.

Months ago, we decided to mark our 25th Anniversary with a trip to the redwoods of the northern California coast. The normal thing would have been to map out the route, make reservations, and develop some kind of itinerary. We started looking at places to stay and things to do in the area, but stopped short of anything resembling a plan. We would head west, toward the Redwood National Parks and see what happens. That was the extent of the plan.

We’d drive however far we decided and do whatever we saw to do along the way and stay wherever we ended up. We were camping in our van, so theoretically, we could park about anywhere for the night, right? After doing a little research, it turns out there are even a handful of businesses that typically welcome overnight parking lot guests. I will confess, however, that after the first night parked at a Cabela’s in Reno, I limited our camping nights to actual, established campgrounds. That was much better and felt a lot less weird.

I suppose this flexible approach wouldn’t work for most normal people, but it worked great for us. We enjoyed the flexibility of being able to move slowly through the days, not having to reach a certain place just because that’s where a room was reserved. We had a minimal plan and less of an agenda. Our vacation wasn’t built around a plan or agenda, but around the time we’d be spending together. We were literally within a few feet of each other for just about every minute of 14 days. That’s what mattered and that’s what made the experience so great. We genuinely like each other and enjoyed sharing the experience with each other.

As I think about it, we’ve pretty much lived our whole marriage that way, in some respects. We were barely out of high school when we got married. And when I say barely, I mean like… 10 days or so, maybe two weeks. I had no career, no established source of income, or life experience, and I was quitting the part-time job I did have to move 500 miles away to go to Bible college. We’d go together. That was the extent of the plan. That doesn’t work for normal people.

But it’s exactly what’s worked for us, and I think there’s a reason… Our lives are not built around a plan, but around a person. We’ve built our marriage around Jesus and that has made all the difference in the world. We’re able to be responsive to him, while working toward his mission to show people what God’s love looks like. Maybe that sounds a little hokey to you or even pretentious, but the truth is our marriage works not because we’re two good people deeply in love and committed to each other. It works because God is good and has transformed our lives together. (Not incidentally, part of that transformation has been to grow us deeply in love and commitment to each other.)

He has made something new out of us. Something to display His love to the people around us. That’s the only agenda, and it’s been an adventure for these past 25 years. I still can’t say I have what most would call a plan for the next 25, but I do know I have a great partner for the journey and a great God who’s already working to prepare us for the road ahead.

“I have a lot of words… but none of them are adequate.”

In the face of one of the most impressive and inspiring places I’ve been, this was all I could say – other than such erudite expressions as “Whoah…” “That’s insane/unreal/crazy…” & “Holy Crap!” (Sorry moms.)

To celebrate our 25th Anniversary, LuAnn and I headed to the coast of Northern California to spend some time in the redwood forests there. With a minimal plan, and even less of an agenda, we packed the van and hit the road. It was awesome, in every sense of the word.

There is no way a post on my blog can capture and explain either the 25 years of marriage, or the experience of the coastal redwoods, but it was a great trip. Inspiration was everywhere, and for me, that means… words. (And even the lack thereof!)

There was so much going on in my heart and mind over the 2 weeks of this trip, not to mention what the miles on the road and on hiking trails and van camping were doing to my body, that I feel at risk of dumping so much information that no one will want to wade through with me. To be honest, I’m still processing some of the experience and I don’t have the nice, tidy finished product to present yet, but this post will serve as a “fair warning” post. Over the next couple weeks if time allows, I’m hoping to post much more frequently than has been normal here lately as I unpack some of the incredible moments and thoughts.

Hope you’re up for the trip. I’ll try not to overshare (haha!), but you’re probably going to want to buckle up…

“This is insane!”