Life Adventures

Anna Dancing

2010-06-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

I looked over and saw Anna doing this...she's been dancing a lot lately - I guess she likes music!

2010-05-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

2010-02-12T13:23:00.000-08:00

Anna crawling and making some new sounds.

We had TONS of snow. Nathan and I made our first snowman, and some snow angels.

Then Boomer helped Nathan shovel the driveway.

When Boomer came in with snow all over his legs, Anna kept touching his legs to figure out what the white stuff on him was. I don't think she liked how cold it was!

2010-01-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

Anna starting to rock on her hands and knees.

2009-11-19T18:39:00.000-08:00

We love these beautiful blue eyes!

Anna loved helping put her bumper back on her crib!

Umm, sweet potato.

Our happy girl shopping with Mama.

Everyone who stopped to say hi to Anna got a smile in return.

Anna with her big kid friends at the Church Fall Fest.

Anna was trying to get out of the sun. It was so hot out there!

Only in Texas would it be almost 80 degrees on the last day of October!

Anna's first candy bar:

She was sweet and let her mommy have it after she went to bed.

After the Fall Fest, Anna and I went to our friend's parents' house for a fun evening of eating great food and trick or treating.

Our happy little mouse!

Say Cheese!

What a big day!

Falling asleep on the way home.

2009-10-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

Our Little Pumpkin at her First Pumpkin Patch!

What a cute little pumpkin!

Anna's First Avocado

Anna is six months!

2009-10-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Practicing how to stand!

Anna eating rice cereal. The first couple of bites didn't get this strong of a reaction!

Celebrating Nathan's birthday. Happy Birthday Papa!

Getting some cuddle time after a long day at work!

This is the blanket that I used as a baby! Sweet baby Anna.

Anna at the airport on the day she turned 6 months.

Helping Daddy pack!

Aunt Katie came for a visit. Anna loved playing with her.

Just hanging out.

Anna Laughing with Aunt Katie

2009-10-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here's Anna laughing...it's on You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3D_5q1FFAI&feature=player_embedded

2009-09-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Daddy's Girl:

5 months old:

Anna at five months. She's starting outgrow her 6 month clothes.

She's moving so much now. This is how Nathan found her after a nap.

She's so happy after a good nap!

Stopping to smell the roses. These are the flowers her Grammy got for her baby dedication. Good thing the roses didn't have thorns.

2009-09-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

Anna's Baby Dedication:

Anna was dedicated to the Lord on September 6, 2009. She liked the prayer and wanted to join in with Chad as he prayed over her! Chad's wife, Emberly, grew up with Nathan in Clinton, OK and now we go to the same church in Fort Worth! It was a random thing that Chad got to dedicate her too. It's fun to see the Lord working even in the little things.

Anna sitting in her Bumbo. We all love this thing!

Anna at the beach. She had just turned 3 months and we took her to Daytona Beach to visit Grammy and PopPop while they were on vacation.

The Biker Babe!

Grandpa, Nana, Uncle Jesse and Tiffany stopped at our house for a pit stop on their way to Louisiana! What troopers!

Hope you enjoyed the pics of our girl. She gets sweeter every day! Just for the record, Nathan and I have both made big compromises with this blog! If I were to commandeer it completely it would have LOTS of pink polka dots all over it! (See following post)

Man Stuff

2009-09-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Astronaut John "Danny" Olivas conducting a space walk in orbit at the International Space Station. I ripped this picture from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/. Sorry to all of you who were hoping for a new picture of Anna!

I've noticed that since Anna has been born, this blog is no longer a place that I (Nathan) exclusively own. It has been lovingly commandeered by my wife! So here's a man picture of people doing man stuff. More baby pictures to come...I just had to interject something to let you know that I am still here and haven't faded into the background of the baby limelight!

Seriously, though - being a dad has totally changed my life. My thoughts on what is truly manly has changed dramatically. I now know that it means cleaning up poop, pee, spit-up, and slobber all day. It means warming up milk and feeding Anna, and talking in a silly voice to get that ultimate payoff - the coveted smile!

It also means that my life is no longer my own. It is not all about me. I didn't think that I was that selfish until I saw the mirror of my daughter. She has revealed that I have a long way to go until I reach maturity. I am still a selfish individual who needs reminding all day, every day (which Anna happily provides!) that I am still a work in progress. Thank you to those of you who are following this blog, and we are looking forward to helping you watch her "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3.18)

Also, keep looking to the skies for His great glory! His creation is a huge testimony to His presence, existence, and active role in our lives every day! I am reading The Creator and the Cosmos by Dr. Hugh Ross now. I should have read it in my Natural Science class in college...I am just now getting around to reading it...5 years later! It is a great proof for God's creative power in the beginning of it all.

I will post some pictures that let you know that there is still a man around here, and that this blog hasn't just gone to the ladies! But keep expecting plenty of pics of our sweet daughter too. Something for everyone!

2009-08-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

Sweet Anna ready for a nap after church. This cute outfit was a gift from my co-worker, Felicia.
Thanks Felicia!

Anna has found her thumb... and loves it!!! She prefers her arms to be unwrapped during napptime so that she can get to her thumb easier.

Anna's first playdate. My college roommate was in town for a family wedding and spent the night with us. This is her son, Judah Chase. Anna and Judah were so cute together. Judah kept trying to hold Anna's hand!

Finally smiling during Tummy Time!
She's getting so strong and lifting her head really well.

What a sweet girl!

Such a good little napper!

And she looks so good doing it!

Celebrating my birthday! This was one of my favorite birthdays by far. Nathan made me a huge breakfast after sleeping in until 10. Anna woke up around 7:30 or 8 for her breakfast, and then let me go back to sleep. Then we went shopping - had to stay indoors b/c July 2 in Texas is not fun when you're outdoors! Then we went to the Back Porch Tavern compliments of Matt and Ashley. Thanks guys! Then we came home, opened birthday presents, fed Anna, had cake and watched a movie. Very laid back, but I had so much fun having our baby girl tag along and getting to spend the whole day with my husband.

I love those big blue eyes!

Anna at 3 months with the bear my parents gave her at the hospital. I think the bear is a magic, shrinking bear!

Our Vacation to Lake Tahoe

2009-07-04T19:53:00.001-07:00

Overlooking Emerald Bay.

2009-07-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hiking up to Eagle Lake.

While we were driving around Lake Tahoe we found a blue grass band playing music by the lake. It was so relaxing. There were some people hula hooping to the music!

Anna getting ready to go!

Our sixth anniversary was the same day as Father's Day. What a great first Father's Day for Nathan!

Everyone was exhausted after a day of travel and fun!

Beautiful Anna at Lake Tahoe

2009-07-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

Anna ready for the drive around Lake Tahoe. It took us about 6 - 7 hours to drive around the whole Lake. We took lots of stops though!

Hiking around Fallen Leaf Lake. On the way back we saw a brown bear! Thankfully the bear was not interested in us! It was about 70 feet away from us and just kept walking through the woods.

Taking a little lunch break at the lake. What a beautiful place!

Of course it started raining as soon as we paid the parking fee! We were really glad we chanced it though. There were three beautiful lakes all next to each other. One of the lakes was surrounded by tall cliffs and you could rent little canoes. Too bad Anna can't swim, it would have been fun to go out on the lake!

Just hanging out and being content. This little gal is a great vacationer!

Family Time

2009-07-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

We got to spend a few days with my family on our way home from Lake Tahoe.

Here is my mom helping Anna have a smooth ride in the car.

My dad with Anna.

My brother, Matt, with his daughter, Allikaye, and our Anna.

Triple A: Ashley, Allikaye and Anna. Ashley is my brother's wife and Allikaye is their adorable daughter. Our first niece!
My sister, Katie, also spent some time with us while we were visiting. I can't believe we didn't even get a picture of Anna and Katie together. We're so sorry Katie! We'll get tons when you come to visit.

First of the Tahoe Pictures

2009-07-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

Erin at Lake Tahoe

Anna holding my hand at Tahoe

Anna's very first time to In-N-Out...we're starting her out right! We stopped here in Sacramento as we were heading out of town and east to Lake Tahoe...more photos of our vacation to come!

Our Smiling Girl

2009-06-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

This girl sure knows how to make our day!

Anna's Proud Parents

2009-06-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

Nathan was scheduled to be gone for 5 days. Yay for the big storms that delayed one of his last flights of the day and he got to spend the night in Dallas! This is after we got home from picking him up at the airport.

Baby Shower in Clinton

2009-06-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

The wonderful people in Clinton, OK, where Nathan grew up, gave us a baby shower for Anna. It was a great weekend with our family and friends in Clinton.

Hanging out at home

2009-05-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

Anna's First Car Ride

2009-05-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

Here is Anna's first car ride in the metroplex...SCARY!

She's Here!

2009-04-28T20:45:00.001-07:00

Erin and Anna

Anna laid back

Anna with "His Little Lamb" hat

First time in the car seat

Anna's sweet face

Our friend Angela Porter took the photos above as a baby shower gift. Anna arrived last week. She weighed in at 6 lbs, 12 oz and was 20 inches long. We are so blessed to have our sweet daughter here breathing air with us!

Anna either happy or gassy with Papa and Mama (we think she's happy!)

Almost There!

2009-04-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

We can't wait for Anna to get here!

Erin and Nathan

Boomer loves Anna's toys!

Our friends Jeremy and Shari had some free tickets to the Dallas Stars Hockey game a couple of weeks ago, and they didn't want to go, so we got the tickets. They played the Kanuks from Canada, and lost. We had a good time, though...there sure were a lot of fights on the ice!

Colorado Baby Shower

2009-02-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

Erin, Katie, and Lynn with a cake made out of diapers that Lynn made. Katie put this shower together, and it was so good for Erin to be able to celebrate with her friends and family in Colorado.

Leigh, Erin, and Tiffany at the baby shower

The view just across the southern border of Colorado...ah, the fresh mountain air!

Christmas 2008

2009-02-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

We were in Colorado for Christmas this year...here is a photo of Lynn and Allie (our neice) jamming. Both are naturals!

Mom and Dad came down here to Texas to celebrate Christmas with us in January. It was great to see them, and we are so thankful that they made the long drive for such a short time here in Texas. We had a good time opening presents and then going for a walk around the pond. It's always good to have face to face time with those we love. Thanks to Mom and Dad Funk for coming down here for such a short trip!

Boomer the Guardian

2009-02-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

Our first "baby" getting ready for the arrival of the new human

Thanksgiving in Clinton

2009-02-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here's the Funk Clan together in Clinton for Thanksgiving, 2008

The pups are ready for a walk in Clinton! We think this is the first time Penny's left the state of Texas. She did great!

Since this picture was taken, we've had to give Penny up because she was having potty issues in the house. Thankfully, our neighbors down the street took her in and it worked out great because they have all tile in their house. She's in a great home, and we still get to see her every few days when she goes for walks. We miss her, but we know it's for the best, especially with a baby on the way.

OBU Reunion

2009-02-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

Erin being held by Amanda, Shawna, Aimee, and Bethany. It was a great time to reconnect with friends and see how life is treating everyone. Nathan saw Josh at OBU while the girls did their thing. This was back in early November, 2008.

Passed Check Ride in the ATR-72

2009-02-05T22:38:00.001-08:00

Here are some photos from the airplane that my fellow first officer and I flew this week with our instructor...it feels good to escape gravity, at least for a little while as we shot approaches and practiced single-engine operations.

It's always a huge sense of accomplishment when I pass a check ride in a new airplane. This is the biggest airplane I have ever flown, and it flew like a dream. Landing this thing is a snap. Unlike my last airplane, it doesn't feel like I'm landing on pogo sticks! It's nice to get back to normal, and even nicer to be back in the skies! I'll try to put some other pictures on here that are NOT flying pictures...it's just so hard not to do it, though!

Retiring the Saabs

2008-11-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

Captain Rymek and me after our last scheduled flight on the Saab. We had just arrived back at LAX from Santa Barbara.

Here is the airplane that Captain Meyer and I flew to Kingman, AZ to park so that it can be retired from service.

Southern California coastline. I've been to Los Angeles to fly in Southern California 5 times this month...whew!

Lake Mead on the upstream side of the Hoover Dam. As you can see, the water is very low from the white water ring. After parking the Saab at Kingman, we (6 pilots) packed into an Astrovan and drove to Las Vegas, NV in order to return from there to our respective homes.

On top of Hoover Dam (built between 1931 and 1935)

The first time I've ever seen slot machines in an airport - only in Vegas!

Yes, What You're Seeing is Real!

2008-11-05T13:10:00.000-08:00

WE'RE PREGNANT!

Erin is 4 months along now...this sonogram was at 8 weeks

Shuttle Launch

2008-07-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

David and Lynn (Erin's parents) saw the Space Shuttle launch while they were in Florida a couple of months ago. This is the launch that carried parts to repair the toilet on the International Space Station. What an amazing sight!

New House!

2008-07-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

The classic "New Home" picture...

We love our neighbors, and we can't wait to continue to build our friendships with them while we're here. We miss all of our friends spread out all over the U.S., but we are so excited about this opportunity to plant here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of the nation. We are excited about growing roots here, and excited about the memories we'll build in this house. May God always have the glory, and may we always remember that it's His to do with what He wills.

Boomer in his first backyard

Our newest pet, Penny. The previous owners abandoned her in front of the house out in the street. When we drove up to the house with the moving truck, she was running around out in the street. We could not believe that the previous owners did this. Thankfully, she's a sweet dog, and she gets along great with Boomer. Her fur was matted, and this is actually a picture from after Erin shaved her. It took about 5 hours for Erin to shave her down because of all the mats. Her teeth had never been cleaned, and she was left out in the backyard 100% of the time, even when it was over a hundred degrees, and when the sprinklers were on, and in the dead of winter.

The vet thinks that she's about 8 years old, but the neighbors say that she's 12 years old. We don't know, but we sure are glad that she's joined our tribe! We now have a ZOO here! We are so glad that she will have a better go of it now. Anyway, meet Penny (like a lucky penny).

Our living room looking toward the dining and kitchen area

More Flying Pics

2008-07-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

Another day at the office...

My office view (Downtown Dallas)...

More of the view from my office window

Our 5th Anniversary

2008-07-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

Because Erin has made the last 5 years the best in my life, I got a limousine for our anniversary to celebrate making it to this milestone in our relationship. We went to Del Frisco's in downtown Fort Worth (which is a really nice steakhouse), and then enjoyed the limo for a little while after that. After we got back home, Erin threw a Hawaiian luau for us, to remind us of our honeymoon 5 years ago. We had a great time, and it was so fun to celebrate what God has done for us over these past five years.

Vangie and Roman's Wedding

2008-07-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we went to Wichita, KS to marry Vangie to Roman. Roman and Vangie have dated for a really long time, and they are now finally married. It's really good to see them be married...they're truly made for each other. I got to officiate the wedding, which was a real honor. The reception rocked, and it was a blast for everyone. If you'd like to see more about their wedding, visit their website at www.vangieandroman.com

Of course, my very sane and relaxed brother Jesse...

Crazy Weather!

2008-04-17T17:58:00.001-07:00

One of the first big spring storms here in the Republic! This is just about as live as it gets!

Ferry Flight to the Heavy Maintenance Base

2008-04-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a front shot of the Saab 340 that we flew to Abilene, TX for heavy maintenance. A baggage cart owned by United Airlines was blown by gale force winds at DFW a few days ago into the underside of the right wing of this aircraft. It bent the flap hinges and left a scrape on the bottom side of the wing. After considering all of the options, the captain, mechanics, and I decided that it was safe to fly from Dallas to Abilene. Because of the damage, this was only a ferry flight under the provisions of a ferry permit from the FAA. No passengers were on board, and it was only the captain, myself, and a mechanic who were on the airplane. We went slow the whole way, and had to figure the numbers for a no-flap landing, which the captain executed perfectly. Great job to all involved, and I'm looking forward to the magic that the world-class mechanics in Abilene will work on this bird.

The captain considering the options

Discussing procedures

Gaggle of mechanics seeing the airplane for the first time in Abilene

Us (and Boomer!)

2008-04-06T13:21:00.001-07:00

Boomer jumping into White Rock Lake over in Dallas

Us at White Rock Lake
Nurse and Pilot. We came home from work at the same time, and we just couldn't resist the opportunity to really cliche it up!

Flying

2008-04-06T13:10:00.001-07:00

Between Cloud Layers

"International" Border, as named by my Texan captain (that's right--Texas is definitely a whole different country!) Here's a shot of the Red River on our way to Lawton, Oklahoma.

Rainbow from the air (my IOE captain snapped this pic)

Cumulus Mammatus on the back side of a front on that same flight--there were all kinds of weather events that day. Thankfully, I made it home in time for dinner that evening.

Rediculousness

2008-04-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington. The rumor is that it is costing the city of Arlington $1 billion (with a B) to build...these Texans sure love their Cowboys!

Saab Story...Living the Dream

2008-03-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

Finally! Here in the right seat...all of this flight training has paid off in a job that I love. The IOE captain who I was flying with the day I took this picture said, "This doesn't really feel like work if you've ever worked for a living." How true that is!

Saab 340B Flight Deck

GE CT7-9B Turboprop Powerplant and Wing

Flying between two cloud layers at FL190 (19,000 feet)

Saabs on the ramp at DFW

Vangie and Roman's Wedding Shower

2008-03-29T08:14:00.001-07:00

Vangie and Roman the night before their wedding shower in Clinton

The finished house...the work that my parents put into their house has really paid off for a very nice finish. Good job guys!

Relaxing

Jesse on his new Harley

Reflections...

Erin in Clinton

Hebee and Boomer

New Job

2008-01-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

After 8 months of intensive training here in Phoenix, I've been offered a position as a First Officer for American Eagle airlines. It's been a long road, but it's been an exciting journey. Erin has been incredibly supportive. It's still going to be a lot of work to successfully complete Eagle's training program, but I am looking forward to taking this dream of flight to the next level.

We will be domiciled in Dallas, and I don't yet know in which aircraft I'll be training to fly. We're looking forward to living in Dallas, even though it is in the Republic of Texas! Thank you for all of your prayers for us, and please continue to pray as we move forward into the next adventure of this journey of our lives.

Goldfield Ghost Town, Arizona

2008-01-27T14:52:00.000-08:00

We took my first day off in a really long time and went to the Goldfield Ghost Town (about a 45 minute drive from where we live). It was a good time to spend the day together, eat a barbeque pork sandwich, listen to live music, see a gunfight show, and just enjoy a beautiful day. Here are a few more pictures from yesterday...

At the Ghost Town

Cowboy, Horse, and Dog

Saguaro Cactus and Cowboy

Lantern and Superstition Mountain

Boomer at the Ghost Town

Superstition Mountain

Gun Fight!

"Dead" Guy in the street

Funk Family in Arizona (Christmas, 2007)

2008-01-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

Nathan's family drove about a thousand miles to be here in Phoenix with us on Christmas. It was awesome having them here with us to share in the Christmas that would come to forever live in infamy as "The 2007 Cactus and Palm Tree Christmas."

Dad, Mom, Vangie, Jesse, and Melissa in front of a cactus at Williams-Gateway Airport, which is where I worked.

Erin, Mom, and Vangie in the kitchen

Dad and Mom

Jesse and Melissa

Vangie on the phone

I took the family out to the airport to show them what I've been up to the past few months. Here's a good snapshot of what's been crackin'

Carving my first turkey...it didn't turn out too bad!

Boomer in the middle of everything...as usual!

San Diego's Dog Beach

2007-09-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

Boomer retrieving his toy at Dog Beach in San Diego.

Last week, I officially finished with the Airline Career Pilot Program with ATP. I passed my double check ride, and I am now legal to teach people how to fly in single-engine and multi-engine airplanes, and I can teach them how to fly by reference to the instruments only. I did a phone interview with ATP and was offered a job as a flight instructor for them, as long as I am able to do well in their standardization course at their headquarters. Please pray that God will provide for me to be able to do well in my time when I'm there.

Erin is doing well at her job. She finally got to switch over to working in the day time. It's amazing the difference that it can make when sleep happens at night! She's been a huge support, and I know that I wouldn't have been able to make it this summer without her unwavering love and encouragement.

We decided that we really wanted to spend some time at the beach before I had to start working at ATP with no time off, so we picked none other than San Diego's Dog Beach, in the Ocean Beach area. It's about a 6 hour car ride from where we are here in Arizona. Here are a few pics and videos from our trip there. Yes, it's true - we did plan a vacation around the silly, wet, stinky, lovable pooch. But I'm not sure who had more fun...Boomer or us!

Nathan, Boomer, and Erin at Dog Beach

People and dogs enjoying the sand and surf

Boomer bringing it in

Did you say "Give?"

The love of a dog displayed

Boomer getting beat out for his toy by another dog

Boomer soaking it up in the sun and surf in Southern California

Boomer and Nathan in the surf at Dog Beach

Boomer and Erin looking very "Southern California!"

Sweet old golden retriever that kept hanging out with Boomer, wanting to chase the toy but just couldn't.

Nathan and Boomer on the beach

Boomer retrieving his toy, and then giving a shower to anyone in his vicinity.

Boomer at the beach when we first arrived.

What a great place! We definitely enjoyed our time there! We needed the refreshment before another long time of having our nose to the grindstone in pursuit of what we believe to be God's will for our lives. Praise Him for His energy and provision through this intense time!

Arizona Sunset on the drive back to Phoenix. Notice the sliver of moon above the clouds. Sunsets may be the biggest redeeming grace of the desert. It's been tough here in our wilderness (being that neither of us are desert rats), but it's been amazing to see God's hand in moments like these.

We took this shot about a week before we went to San Diego. She's not exactly an "outside-loving" cat. But she sure was curious when we let her wander around a little on our balcony. Boomer thought it was the greatest thing that she was so close to him! Little did he know that she just really couldn't see him through the glare of the glass. Pets! You've gotta love 'em!

MEII

2007-08-30T11:21:00.001-07:00

Howdy all! This is Nathan.

I just got my Multi-Engine Instructor Instrument Airplane rating this morning. I'm excited and exhausted, but I only have one more (double) check ride to do. I have to earn my Commercial Single Engine Land Airplane certificate, and then I have to earn my Flight Instructor Airplane Single Engine Land certificate. That check ride is on September 7th.

Thank you for your prayers, and please lift me up to the Father early in morning on the 7th!

Certificated Flight Instructor

2007-08-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

As a word of news, I just earned my initial CFI rating in a Multi-Engine aircraft up in Las Vegas. It was a crazy couple of weeks trying to cram in all of the knowledge necessary to be able to teach aviation, but I'm finally a CFI!

It's a quick program, and the plan is to be finished by the first week of September with the remaining CFI ratings (Single engine and Instrument). It'll be over soon!

Thanks for your prayers, and we just wanted to let you know that we're doing fine. It's really hot here in Phoenix, but we know that this is where we're supposed to be for now.

Thankfully, Erin got a day position at the hospital where she's working right now, and the travel company that she is with is helping us in a very generous way with our living expenses. We sold our condo in Colorado, and we are now in a position to be able to go wherever it is that God leads us.

Please keep in contact! We'd love to hear what's going on in your lives as well!

Also, sorry about the old picture of us! This is from when we moved down to Arizona from Colorado...just thought you'd like to see that we're all still truckin'!

Cross Country Flights

2007-08-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

We saw some great weather when we were flying back from Florida in the Seminole. These two shots are from Meridian, Mississippi. We were treated to some great southern hospitality, as well as to two great and very powerful storms. One storm moved in, and then about an hour later a second storm moved in. We were supposed to make it to Dallas that day (we had started in Jacksonville), but the weather prevented us from making an early departure from Meridian. We were on our way to Dallas when another weather alert came up and it advised us that there was a wall of thunderstorms between us and Dallas. Clint and I ended up diverting to Shreveport, Louisiana and spending the night there.

Here's a great shot of our plane that Clint took as the second storm was moving in at Meridian, Mississippi.

The southwestern part of the Grand Canyon from 12,000 feet.

Flying over the desert of the Western part of the US.

Mountains near Palm Springs, California

The critical instruments of the Piper Seminole. (From the top left to the right: Clock, Airspeed Indicator, Attitude Indicator, Altimeter (reading 12000 feet), Manifold Pressure gauge)
(From the bottom left to the right: 2nd VOR, Turn Coordinator and slip/skid indicator, HSI, Vertical Speed Indicator, Tachometer).

Jet Flight (Las Vegas to Jacksonville, FL)

2007-08-23T12:15:00.001-07:00

The Citation Jet at Williams Gateway Airport

Flying by a storm

Flying high at 39,000 feet

Above the clouds

More clouds

Jet Flight (Las Vegas to Jacksonville, FL)

2007-08-23T11:03:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the jet flight from Las Vegas, Nevada to Jacksonville, Florida.

Itinerary: Henderson Airport (Las Vegas) to OUN in Norman, Oklahoma (We flew over Clinton on the descent into Norman. We were in Norman 15 minutes after overflying Clinton); OUN to Craig Airport in Jacksonville, Florida.

I flew the jet from the right seat from Las Vegas to Norman. Clint, my flight partner, flew the jet from Norman to Jacksonville. What a rush!Clint, my flight partner, in the right seat on the way to Jacksonville...the founder of the company is in the left seat. In this shot, we are about to fly near the anvil of a thunderstorm that is in the dissipating stage. The lightning strike finder indicated that this cloud was a minimal threat.

Here's a shot of my turn to rotate and fly the jet out of Las Vegas. I'm concentrating intently on keeping the attitude indicator coincided with the flight director (fancy talk for just putting the airplane where it's supposed to go)

Derrick and me doing the before-takeoff checklist in Las Vegas at Henderson Airport

The classic "I'm really here in a jet cockpit" pic.

The Citation Jet on the ramp at Henderson Airport before we left.

Flight School Photos

2007-08-22T11:40:00.002-07:00

Cessna waiting on a Boeing

Stratosphere in Vegas from the air

Piper Seminole in a turn over SoCal

View toward rear of cabin of Piper Seminole on a cross country flight

Biplanes at Williams Gateway airport here in Phoenix on a clear, early Saturday morning

Military cargo planes taking off out of Williams Gateway airport

Harriers on the ramp at Williams Gateway Airport

Starfighter (one of three in the world...this is the one that is privately owned)

Vought F4U Corsair on the ramp at Williams Gateway Airport (with Superstition Mountain in the background)

Here is the airport where I'm based and from which I do most of my training flights.

Multi-Engine Rating

2007-06-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

On Friday I passed my multi-engine checkride. So I am legal to fly aircraft with 2 engines, instead of just one engine. Here is a pic of the type of airplane that I've been flying the past couple of weeks (Piper Seminole with 2 Lycoming, horizontally opposed, air cooled, normally aspirated, direct drive, 180 HP engines).

Thanks for your prayers! We still need them. Erin is enjoying her job (although she's ready to be able to work days as soon as possible), and I am starting on my instrument rating training. My next checkride to get the instrument rating is June 27th. Please let us know how you're doing!

(By the way, just so that I don't get into trouble, the photo above is from ATP's website at www.allatps.com)

This is Not Normal!

2007-05-28T16:15:00.001-07:00

My number one engine...stopped...in flight. Ok, maintain directional control, pitch attitude, airspeed-check. Mixtures, Props, Throttles-full forward. Identify (left rudder is inactive), Verify - close throttle. Fix or feather-feather. Declare emergency and land at nearest airport. Engine failure checklist complete.

This may look like a problem, but it was all on purpose. As part of my training at ATP, I have to learn how to fly and handle a multi-engine aircraft in the event that I have an engine failure. It's actually quite comforting to know that I have a spare engine if I need it! Patrick, my instructor, took this pic this morning in my training flight.

Here's a cool, calm, and collected pilot...(actually, my back was sweating and my palms were soaked!)

To give credit where it is due, the above 2 photos were taken by my instructor, Patrick Stewart (no, not the guy from Star Trek!)

New Pilot!

2007-05-28T16:09:00.001-07:00

Erin and Nathan after a soft touchdown in Pueblo, Colorado (wow, they must have had a great pilot!)

Nathan setting the radios while getting weather information

On short final, about to touch down on the numbers on 35R at Centennial Airport.
I (Nathan) just got my private pilot's license a couple of weeks ago, and we are now living in Phoenix so that I can receive more flight training. I hope to be an airline pilot soon, and I am now going to ATP to achieve that goal.

Trip to San Francisco

2007-05-28T16:03:00.001-07:00

The last trip we took for fun was with our friends, Phil and Elizabeth. San Francisco was a blast to go to with them. Here are Phil and Elizabeth at the Cliff House.

The World Famous Bush Man at the Pier (yet another victim!)

Nathan and Erin at the Pacific near the Cliff House

Erin and Elizabeth at DIA, ready to go!

Our last flight on Frontier (for now...)

Move to Phoenix

2007-05-26T14:29:00.001-07:00

Mini-Vacation on the Move to Phoenix...

Erin and the Crazy One at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in SW Colorado

Gizzy, Nathan, and Boomer at the huge sandbox

Boomer, Erin, and Gizzy on the mountain of sand. We were going to climb a little higher, but a storm was moving in, and we decided to hit the road.

Erin and Nathan at Mesa Verde National Park

This is one of the village areas built by the Anasazi people hundreds of years ago...this was pretty amazing to see.

The Funks (with pets in tow) at the Four Corners - Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. This is the only spot in the United States that is common to four states.

Erin and Boomer doing the Quad State Run.

Seminary Graduation

2007-05-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

Graduation from Seminary, May 12, 2007 in Aurora, Colorado from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Master of Theological Studies
The Chambless Clan

The Funk Tribe

The Grimes Posse

New York City

2007-04-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

New York City in March is a great trip. We went and stayed two nights...in Queens. What an experience! Actually, we had a great time with no incidents at all. New York, New York! Here's the Chrysler Building in the background, and the quintessential New York taxicab.

Empire State Building from its base

Central Park

Erin in Times Square

Nathan in Times Square

Statue of Liberty...and the New York Water Taxi

United Nations

Grand Central Station

Washington DC

2007-03-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

A Day in Washington DC

On the tail end of the trip to Virginia Beach for a funeral

Here we are in front of the Capitol building. I didn't even know where we were until I finished that cup of joe in my hand...

This is as close as we could get. There were guards and gates all over the place. The guards were carrying M-16s...Oh America, home of the "free" and land of the brave. This is Nathan's opinion: Whatever happened to the notion put forth by Benjamin Franklin - "Those who give up liberty for safety deserve neither liberty NOR safety?"

Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument behind us. "Jen-ny!"

The bro, Matt, fake-snowboarding in front of the Washington Monument.

Matt, Erin's brother, was with us as we walked around the entire Mall area in DC. It was a great day to get to hang out with him and get to know him better. Here is a pic of Matt and Erin on the street in front of the White House.Here's a pic of us in front of the White House. This is actually the back of the White House. And no, we did not meet the President!

Although we had to be in this part of the country for a sad reason, it was nice to be able to see where so much history in our nation had occurred. Please pray for Erin's grandmother. Her husband died, and that is why we were on the east coast. We think she will be just fine, and we are looking forward to our next trip to see her under better circumstances.

Stay tuned...we've got another trip planned to an undisclosed location in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled!

Matt Sliding on Ice at the Washington Mall

Erin Sliding on Ice (in her own way) at the Washington Mall...

Vacation, January 2007

2007-01-31T11:35:00.000-08:00

Vacation, January 2007 - Departing the snow for palm trees, sun, sand, and warm waters...

Following is a pictorial journal of our time at Universal Studios Orlando and our first cruise on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas for 7 days.

Also, while we were on vacation, our niece Alexandra was born to Matt and Ashley Chambless, Erin's brother and his wife. There is a photo of her at the bottom of this post.

Here we are at Universal Studios, Orlando. We arrived in Orlando a couple of days early and took advantage of the time by going to this fun amusement park. We really needed this time together, and this vacation was a real blessing from God. We were both needing that time to let our hair down and not worry about things of work and whatnot.

Erin watching as we depart Port Canaveral for a week in the eastern Caribbean Sea.

Erin and Nathan on the cruise ship.

NASA Vehicle Assembly Building. This was visible from the cruise ship as we departed Port Canaveral. This is an enormous building in which NASA constructs the spacecraft that have taken men to the moon and which put men and women into orbit on a regular basis. What an amazing sight!

Mariner of the Seas. This is the ship on which we spent a week relaxing, reconnecting, and decompressing.

Caribbean Sunset

CocoCay in the Bahamas. This is Royal Caribbean's private island.

B-b-b-b-barracuda!

This snail kept coming out of his shell and trying to get us to drop him.

Beach time in CocoCay, Bahamas

Tribute band to The Temptations. There were shows in the theater on the ship every night. This was a totally different experience from anything else we'd ever experienced before.

Waking up in Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

Nathan in the water

Relaxing on the beach with a good book. This beach in Saint Thomas was our favorite beach of the entire cruise.

Reflections of a St. Thomas (U.S.V.I.) Sunset

St. Thomas Sunset

Erin on the dock in Sint Maarten (Dutch Virgin Island). Behind her are two Royal Caribbean ships. The one on the left is the one we were on, the Mariner of the Seas.

Nathan on the dock when we first arrived in Sint Maarten.

The world famous Orient Beach on the French side of Saint Martin Island. This beach reminded me of what a beach in southern Spain might look like.

Top Deck of the Mariner of the Seas . This ship has three regular pools, and six hot tubs (that we know of)

The Royal Promenade. This is like a mini-mall in the middle of the ship. Our room had a window overlooking this.

Map of the Ship. Our room was on the 7th deck.

This is a view of the main dining hall. The attention to detail on this ship absolutely blew us away.

Our dinner table mates, Chris and Karina. They are both chefs. Karina is the pastry chef at Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine, and Chris is a kitchen chef at Arrows' more relaxed restaurant. Here's a link to Arrows: http://www.arrowsrestaurant.com/. We had a really good time getting to know them over the week. What interesting people!

Towel Monkey - Every night we had a new animal either on our bed or above it that was crafted from a clean towel. This was definitely something unexpected and fun!

Erin watching Pirates of the Caribbean

Just waiting to return to the frozen state of Colorado...

Our beautiful niece Alexandra, who was born while we were away.

Our beautiful...uh, I mean crazy dog Boomer.

Blizzard!

2006-12-21T22:53:00.000-08:00

Two nights ago, it started snowing...a lot. Then, the wind picked up, and we were the hapless victims of an official blizzard (according to the local meteorologists). I (Nathan) didn't suffer to much for this weather (due to the fact that DIA closed all traffic, I didn't have to go in to work), but Erin still had to make it in to the hospital to work. It's too bad hospitals are one of those places that can just never close! Anyway, she had to stay there today and try to get some sleep after her shift, and she is still there, helping to usher new lives into this world.

One of the local news stations did a story on her department at UCH that you may find interesting. You can view it here. Go Erin!

Our friends overseas may recognize this car...the scrape is from being rear-ended. The car still works great! Anyway, the Civic is almost totally buried in snow drifts after our recent huge blizzard. According to the local news station, we got 26 inches of snow. The drifts make it seem like we got far more than that.

Our contracted snow removal company didn't come out immediately, so disgruntled owners called the HOA and received results...BIG results, as you can see. There's nothing more comforting than seeing a 15 ton front-end loader sliding around in the parking lot. Ahh, the relaxing beep of a reverse warning! I've got to say, this operator knew what he was doing. He finessed this snow removal job and did such a great job...I've never seen snow removal happen this quickly here before.

Yep, you're seeing it correctly...that is the right tail light of a car that was unfortunately parked exactly where snow wanted to drift.

Here is the walkway to our stairs. As you can see, the snow definitely created some challenges, but none too difficult.

Here is the snow that drifted onto our retaining wall that is at the foot of the stairs. It makes us city slickers feel at least a little like those who live in the mountain snow every winter!

Here was the sunset tonight after the storm dissipated. Wow...God's awesome creative fingerprints are all over His creation!

San Diego Zoo

2006-12-21T21:20:00.000-08:00

October Trip to the San Diego Zoo

Erin and I went to San Diego for a day to go to their world famous zoo. We were so unbelievably tired that day...good thing we took pictures! Otherwise, I have no idea how much of that day we would have remembered. Erin worked the night before, and neither of us were used to waking up as early as we needed to in order to get to the airport on time. Nonetheless, it was a very fun day out on the west coast.

Polar Bear looking for his toy...

This hawk swooped over our heads as it showed its impressive diving ability.

This golden retriever and cheetah live in the same cage. In fact, the dog is the cheetah's security blanket. She relaxed noticeably when she saw that her dog friend was there with her.

Late Posting

2006-10-19T00:55:00.000-07:00

Here it is, late at night when I really should be sleeping. But I was just inspired by my friends Matt and Clint. It's important that we don't just post things that are inherently selfish, although I'm not sure how to avoid that tendency. We live life, and we want to share it with you, our friends. But to jump away from mere experiences that we'll continue to share with you, let me share a little about the struggles of life that I've been encountering.

1) Being a husband...what an adventure! It's hard to put into words the difficult, perplexing, and utterly fascinating aspects I find in understanding the particular woman that God graciously gave to me. She is the most amazing person in the world, yet we don't have a perfect relationship. We can have a beautifully relational day, and the next day seems to open an ocean of misunderstanding between us. Most of the time I finally come to understand that the misunderstanding is something that I've done/not done. Those are the days that make sense to me. However, the utterly perplexing days are those on which I can find no logical reason for our emotional and interpersonal separation. And I believe that is where I go wrong...I'm not supposed to understand it logically. I need to come to grips with the fact that life is so much more interconnected to Erin than it will ever be for me, no matter how emotional of a person that I am. That is what makes her the wonderful gift from God that she is.

2) Working full-time. This is a mind-numbing sensation sometimes. I can empathize with Clint in his lack of motivation in his job when I think about the landscaping job that I had the first couple of years that we lived here in Colorado. However, the new job that I have brings a new aspect of vibrancy and clarity to my life...not to mention the fact that it opens the country and the world up to us with incredible travel benefits. This new clarity brings me to my next point...

3) Flight school. I am doing what I dreamed of doing as a small boy. This job with Frontier Airlines has reawakened my passion for flying that I've always had. I fly several times per week, and I learn more about what it means to be the responsible pilot that I aspire to be. I wanted to start flight school last year, but the timing wasn't right. Erin and I had to go through the journey of discovering that God did not design us to live and work in ministry overseas at this time in our lives. It is important that I always remember that my job here on this earth is to obey Him in whatever He leads us to do. Flight school was dumped in my lap, and the Father has given me peace, as well as a fully supportive wife to pursue this path. He placed this passion within me. Therefore, I am confident that He is leading me.

These three aspects of life cause me to want to know more about what you, the reader thinks of one or more of these pursuits. However, I am mainly interested in knowing what three things (excluding your assumed (hopefully!) walk with Christ) are the most important to you at this time in your life. How does it all fit together?

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...Halloween?

2006-10-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is folks. I snapped this shot yesterday before I went in to work. For some weird reason, I had Christmas songs running through my head, and it was October 17. By the time the snow stopped, we had accumulated 2 inches on our cars. The deicers were going full blast at the airport, and it was definitely NOT warm out there! I guess that's Colorado for you!

Rocky Mtn National Park with Mom & Dad Funk

2006-10-14T23:51:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad Funk's Trip here to ColoradoMom and Dad Funk at our Kia watching the park. By the way, this is the vehicle that replaced the Chevy Cavalier that was totalled a couple of months ago.

A bull elk trying to attract the attention of the ladies.

These two young bull elk crossed the road 10 feet in front of our vehicle. Caused a typical "Elk Jam."

Erin and Mom Funk enjoying the view at Moraine Park, within the Rocky Mountain National Park.

A view of the "glowing" aspen trees and the mountain vista.

Chicagoland

2006-09-07T20:50:00.002-07:00

Nathan and Sue - one of the most important T-Rex fossils ever discovered. This skeleton is the most complete fossil of a T-Rex in known existence. Her actual skull is on the balcony above her because it weighs too much to go with the body on the frame on the main floor. The skull seen is a reconstruction.

Ferris Wheel

The ignorance of Darwinian thought...what do we do with it? Is this something that should be taught exclusively to the school students that we saw in the Field Museum? Or should other creation/coming-to-existence stories also be presented? Let me know what you think.

Erin and the elephants

CTA

Field Museum Great Hall

Chicago, Chicago

2006-09-07T20:50:00.001-07:00

Since Erin had never been to Chicago prior to Tuesday, we decided to go there so that she could experience the Chicago magic...

Since we have flight benefits with Frontier Airlines, we decided to take advantage of it. We had a great 32 hours in that toddlin' town.

John Hancock Building

Erin in Chicago

Ferris Wheel on the Navy Pier

Camping at Lake Granby

2006-09-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

Camping at Lake Granby
Lake Granby

Mama Moose and Her Baby

Tired Pup

Boomer standing near an old steam engine in the woods on the trail around Monarch Lake

Erin and Boomer at the campsite

Don't Download This Song

2006-08-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I was riding in a moving van (moving books for the seminary) between Salt Lake City and Mill Valley, CA when my friend Brannon and I got into a discussion about illegally downloaded songs. I was loose on my standards on this, and Brannon is very staunchly against illegally downloaded songs. Thankfully, I was reminded of the witness that I must be, even in the small things. Shortly after that conversation (and subsequent week in the Bay Area), I deleted all of my illegal songs off of iTunes and the iPod. It was a sad day, but I realized that I need to honor God in EVERYTHING.

Anyway, here's a link to a Weird Al (streaming audio, so no laws are broken here) song that Brannon just sent to me. In his words, get out your lighter and enjoy the song that will inspire, guide, protect, and serve.

"Don't Download This Song" by Weird Al

Cell Phone Woes

2006-08-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know you guys are going to remind me that I at one time said, "I will never, ever own a cell phone." Now I am starting to wonder why I attached myself to one of these accursed things in the first place.

This cheaply made, shoddily constructed Motorola V220 is a piece of junk. I've already had to replace it once already, and now the screen is acting up. It is impossible to see my contacts, which makes it difficult to stay in contact with the people I want to call. Thankfully, all of my numbers are stored on my SIM card, so I don't have to worry about permanently losing the numbers.

Anyway...I know that this isn't really the norm as far as this blog goes, but I had to voice my frustrations somewhere. May the world know that Motorola doesn't create quality!

I do have a question for all of you. Let me know what you think about cell phones. Do they help your life and make it easier, or do they simply add stress to your life?

I also want to know if you've found a particular style of phone that works for you, and why it works for you. As a former sub-contractor for Cingular's E-911 True Locator service, I understand some of the ins and outs of the cell phone world. It's an amazing technology that allows for conversations as you're going down the road at 75 mph, but it's got its faults as well. I want to hear your comments...let 'em fly!

Barry Switzer

2006-07-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

So I (Nathan) was out on the ramp on Friday doing training for my job over on the Frontier Jet-Express side of the airport, when all of a sudden, I saw Barry Switzer deboarding a Jet-X flight and meandering into the airport. I quickly grabbed a pen and a card and talked with him for a couple of minutes. He signed the card, was very cordial, and went on his way.

What a cool opportunity to meet such a controversial and huge figure in the world of sports - especially in Oklahoma and Texas!

Just another day working for Frontier Airlines...

http://www.answers.com/topic/barry-switzer

Child Sponsorship

2006-07-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Compassion International

Sponsor a child online through
Compassion's Christian child
sponsorship ministry. Search for
a child by age, gender, country,
birthday, special needs and more.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please take the time to check out this opportunity to help provide an opportunity for children to rise out of poverty in the name of Jesus. May we western Christians not sit on our wealth. May we freely give what was freely given to us.

Erin and I sponsor a child named Jivenson in Haiti. It is such a joy to correspond with him on a regular basis. He is only 5 now, so we have many years to be able to sponsor him. We are able to take a small, yes-very small, part in his education, health, and guidance toward Christ. We pray that he will find the joy in Jesus that we know every day. Although we are only giving a small amount of money every month, we are thankful beyond measure for the brothers and sisters who are working in Haiti to love and protect precious Jivenson. Please join us in praying for the work of Compassion International in many countries in the poorest parts of this small world. To God be all the glory!

New Job

2006-07-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

I (Nathan) just got a new job. I'm working for Frontier Airlines as a Ramp Service Agent. I'm pretty excited about this opportunity to learn more about planes and airlines, as well as the challenge of being part of a team that turns a plane around in 40 minutes so that the airline doesn't lose money.

Plus, I get to live the dream. You know that guy with the flashy sticks in front of the airplane as it taxies toward the airport? Yep, that'll be me in a few weeks! My training starts on Monday, so needless to say, I'm a little nervous, but I'm really excited about this opportunity that God's dumped in my lap. May He be glorified in all that I say and do in this new job!

Grand Canyon

2006-07-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

We went to Arizona a couple of weeks ago to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. This was the first time that I (Nathan) had seen the Grand Canyon up close and personal. What an amazing testimony to the creative and awesome power of the God of the universe...I stood utterly speechless before His handiwork. And those who know me know what a miracle THAT is!

We packed a lunch and ate it sitting on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Then we had an authentic experience rafting down the Colorado River (in a theater, complete with popcorn). So it wasn't quite authentic...but parts of it sure felt like it was authentic!

Also, the Chrysler 300 that we're standing in front of is the car that we were upgraded to on our rental when the lady at the rental desk found out that we were celebrating our anniversary. What a cool car, huh? It's definitely a step up from Old Betsy (the Baby Blue (a.k.a. Robin's Egg Blue - courtesy of Mrs. Porter) 1978 Olds Cutlass that I drove to college in)!

Welcome to Mexico

2006-07-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

Nogales, Mexico. The land where dreams come true...just kidding. This is a border town that's about 3 hours away from Phoenix, which is where we stayed for our vacation. It was a town of traders, shopkeepers, and sly salesmen who were hoping to make a buck (uh, I mean peso). It was nothing out of the ordinary international experience that we had, but it was something that helped us in the next step of our lives...

This little day trip actually created a watershed moment for Erin and me. We decided on this trip that we are not even close to being ready to live overseas. We were only on the Mexican side for about 45 minutes, and that was all that we needed to realize that we are not in a position in our lives right now to live internationally. We need to live lives that honor the Father right here in Colorado. We need to grow where we are planted right now. Although this is a tough decision for us, we are holding off on the application process to live overseas until we are able to KNOW that we are called by God to be there. Otherwise, we are merely living our own dreams in pursuit of ourselves. We are hoping to grow to be more Christ-like in our plans, as well as more Christ-honoring in our decisions. We can serve without disobeying the Father right where we are, without having to move 12,000 miles away. We know that we are called to go, and AS WE GO, to make disciples. Right now, we are clearly in the "as you go" stage. In fact, I am not expecting to ever fully find myself out of that stage, and I hope that I never do. I mean that I hope that we are never to a point in our lives where we feel like we have it all figured out. That is the day that we stop learning and worshiping God. That is the day that we start to worship our own selves, as inadequate as we are.

Please note that we have not made any particular decision regarding long-term plans at this time. We've learned that when we say that we are called to something, God (or our own immaturity) immediately decides to change that particular thing that we said that we were called to do. So right now, we are following God as best as we can, and we are hoping to know more about what He wants us to do very soon. However, we are trying to live on His timetable, and not our own. We do hope that you pray for us. We also hope and pray for your support in whatever decision God leads us to make. We pray for your grace and patience in this...we are as frustrated as we can be at this point (because we are continually changing our plans), but we know that we are not supposed to be overseas right now. Please help us through your prayers and support through this decision-making time of our lives.

Definitely a day to remember.

Critique of Piper's "Let the Nations Be Glad" - for World Missions and Collegiate Ministry Class

2006-06-26T22:56:00.000-07:00

John Piper’s Let the Nations Be Glad gives fantastic guidelines to understanding the purpose for which we’ve been created. Piper’s stirring language and passionate explanation of the nature of God comes through in this book. His love for the Word of God and his desire for the ultimate glory of God is what fuels his flame to see missions bring all peoples into worship of God.

The idea that had a great impact on me came in the first 4 sentences of the book. It says

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.

Although the remainder of the book is full of great nuggets of truth, this truth seems to be the most important of all the words written in this book. It is so obvious that the rest of the book exists to support and lend credence to the idea found within the first 4 sentences of this book.

God’s supremacy over man and all the other created order is a biblical idea that Piper is bringing to light in his own words. He is passionately serious about pushing forth this biblical idea into the forefront of the minds of every Christian on the face of the earth. It is obvious that John Piper is walking in God’s ways. He is saying things that in no way contradict with the ideas and principles found within Scripture.

The beginning of chapter 4 puts this idea into slightly different words. Piper states, “The aim of missions is the ‘bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations’ (Rom. 1.5)” (Piper 111). The Bible is very clear that God empowers His people for the sake of His name. It is for no other purpose than to bring glory, honor, happiness, and joy to the heart of the Father. It is for His name’s sake that missions exists.

I fully agree with everything Piper writes in this book. Although the ideas that he espouses are sometimes hard to understand or even like, I find that Piper is more biblically based than any other preacher or author who I’ve ever been influenced by. When he says that God is ultimately interested in having people worship and extol Himself, I was offended at first. However, as I began to understand this concept better, it dawned on me that God is the only being in the universe whose selfishness works to the good of all of creation. It is exactly opposite for those of us who are part of the created way of existence. When we are selfish, it works to the detriment of our fellow creatures. But when we are focused on God’s glory, everyone wins. This is true. John Piper walks with God, and it is obvious in his writings.

Another ah-ha moment that had came when Piper quoted Richard Wurmbrand on page 79. It says,

We have to make the preparation now, before we are imprisoned. In prison you lose everything. You are undressed and given a prisoner’s suir. No more nice furniture, nice carpets, or nice curtains. You do not have a wife any more and you do not have your children. You do not have your library and you never see a flower. Nothing of what makes life pleasant remains. Nobody resists who has not renounced the pleasures of life beforehand (Piper 79).

Wurmbrand was imprisoned and tortured for the sake of Christ. Because of these amazing stories of the faith, I am encouraged to give up the comforts that I enjoy here in Denver in order to honor God and glorify Him. I pray that God would make it obvious where I need to go and what I need to give up in order to truly follow Him in spirit and in truth. I must realize, just as Piper realized, that it is our vocation as Christians to suffer. We are to die to ourselves and our selfish ambitions in order that Christ’s kingdom may come through and shine through us.

As I stated before, I can think of nothing that I disagreed with him about. He is a solid Christian who walks with God, which comes through in his writing and in his preaching. The only thing that I suggest for this book is to not get so bogged down with lists of prooftexts for an idea. Place the scriptures in the front or the back of the book, but place them all together in order to know where these scripture references are located. If they had been bunched together, it would have made organization much simpler. It would have made the flow of the book a little more streamlined, which means that it would have been easier to read, and then to read it again.

I am recommending this book to all of my family and friends. I want them to know the reasons for missions, as well as our purpose as Christians. I want them to know what I am learning through the diligent and responsible exegesis of the text of God’s Word. John Piper is concerned about the glory of God. That passion wears off onto the reader, and it is a glorious feeling. It is wonderful to know that there are still people in this world today who are interested in building up God’s kingdom by reminding them of their purpose on this earth.

This book made me nod my head in agreement. This book made me cry. But most importantly, this book motivated me to leave it all for the sake of Christ. I am interested in His glory, and I pray that I will never lose that interest. His glory equals my joy. To see Him glorified brings joy to me in ways that are not necessarily tangible. I love to see others worshiping Christ, especially if it is in another language. It brings me joy to know that I will be able to join with those people in the relationships that we have built. To know that God is honored and glorified is enough for me to feel joy like no other joy I’ve felt in my life. This book changed my life, and I suspect that it will change the lives of all who read it in the future.

Redneck Kansas Adventures!!

2006-06-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

My brother, the Red Neck

Stylin' Red Neck

The Red Neck and his woman

Sooooooeeey!

(I have this strange feeling that Melissa didn't want her picture taken...just a hunch)

Kansas Trip

2006-06-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

Here's some of what we did while we were in Kansas this past weekend. We all came in to celebrate Grandma's 80th birthday and to celebrate Father's Day with Grandpa. This was a great time to get to know some of the family better. We played bluegrass, Erin taught Mom and Vangie how to knit, and we had some really good cooking from Grandma's kitchen. It's always good to see everyone.

Crunched Car

2006-06-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

While Erin was driving through a parking lot to meet her coworker to ride to work, she was violently backed into by a small guy in a big pickup truck. She's fine, except for a little neck and back soreness. We had it checked out and it was just muscle spasms, so she's alright. Anyway, we're still waiting to hear about the estimated cost of the damage.

Wouldn't you know that the other driver was excluded from coverage from the insurance company that covered the truck, so they're not covering it. However, our insurance company is taking care of us without raising our premiums, thankfully!

Anyway...here's some of what's happened in the last week.

We happened to push the car into a parking space that had this sign. Thankfully we knew that we wouldn't get into trouble! This car is now definitely a compact!

It's Been Too Long!

2006-06-13T04:19:00.000-07:00

So here's a picture of what I (Nathan) feel like since it's been so long since I've posted...thought you'd get a kick out of it. I found this on Heath Smith's blog. Heath and I went to high school together back in Clinton.

Don't worry...we've got a lot to post. We'll get it up soon. Trip to Kansas, an upcoming trip to Phoenix, and Nathan's upcoming trip to the Bay Area for classes. Plus, we've got a crunched car to show you. So keep your eyes peeled!

Boomer's First Birthday

2006-05-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

Today is Boomer's first birthday (as best as we can tell)! He weighs 73 pounds, which is more than twice what he weighed when we first got him. As the first dog that I've (Nathan) ever had the opportunity to have, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Go Boomer!

Ah, the Memories!

2006-05-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

Nathan writing:

So I was cruising around on OBU's website, trying to find Dr. Estes's contact information, when I came across this picture on the faculty web page. Now, I'm not sure if I'm just going crazy, but if I didn't take this picture, then it was someone standing right next to me. Anyway, I just happened to notice the hot leader of the group, and I thought, "Hey, I know her!" Then I immediately thought, "Hey, I sleep with her!" Before this digresses any further, I just thought I'd mention how cool it was to randomly come across this pic on OBU's website. Erin is obviously in the foreground at the far right, and the rest of the group is all of her close friends while we were there.

Just for a little "behind the scenes:" It was incredibly windy that day, and it is just sheer coincidence that nobody's hair is in their face in this picture. Again, this reminds me of what a great accomplishment it was for Erin to graduate with the honors that she received. I'm proud to say that Erin is my best friend and the love of my life. You go girl!

Here's the address where I found this picture: http://www.okbu.edu/employees.html

No Dog Do-Do and No Kids!

2006-05-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

Here's the open grassy area near our building...notice: NO KIDS

What could the reason for that be?

Our condo complex seems to have some issues...what do you think?
-------------------------
As I thought about these signs, I thought about how selfish we can become. Why do people desire community so much? I have a feeling it's because of the atmosphere given at places like our condo. These signs were put up by our maintenance guy, probably by the request of our HOA Board of Directors. Why do we feel so compelled to place our things in a greater priority than the people with whom we share this world? Just some thoughts...what do you think?

Concurrent Blog

2006-05-18T05:29:00.001-07:00

Nathan writing:

Due to the encouragement recently received by my cousin Ezra, I have decided that Erin and I don't have to be "Blogger Snobs." He didn't say that...I just made up that term. However, I realized that it doesn't hurt a soul to post concurrently to two blogs. So that is what we will do.

If you're interested in taking a peek at the other blog, it is: nathanerinfunk.busythumbs.com

Just to give a bit of a warning, I've had to request the blog's webmaster to control some of the ads on busythumb's site (suggestive ads, cluttery ads, etc.), so if you are offended by that stuff, please don't link to the busythumbs blog. However, I think that the webmaster is controlling our particular blog's ads so that we don't receive those. Some get through however, so just be cautious.

Other than that, we've loved busythumbs. They're based in London (or that's where the IP address originates), and they have an "Editor's Picks" section. It's always encouraging when one of our photos is selected for that section of the main page. It's worth a look, if you've never had the busythumbs experience.

Anyway...thanks for reading my rambling. I know it may not be quite blogworthy, but I figured that a little extra info never hurt anyone.

Have a wonderful day, and remember to always aim for the stars...they make great targets. (Before anyone gets carried away, it's just a metaphorical statement...no need to warn J.Lo or Ben Affleck or Tom Cruise or any of those stars...there's no threat intended in this statement!)

What a Tattoo!

2006-05-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

Instead of forwarding this to everyone (like we've been doing), we figured we'd just post it here. We got this from our friend Elizabeth (see following pics)...

We thought you'd get a kick out of it!

Baseball Pics

2006-05-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

We just got these pics from Phil and Elizabeth via email. Thanks for sending these our way!

Erin and Elizabeth Chillin'

Phil, Erin, and Elizabeth not watching the game

Nathan and Phil not watching either...

Although it was cold, it was a beautiful evening for a baseball game...take a look at the sunset!

Phil the Robber

Come on, you know that's not a real can of Coors Light!
(It took us about 10 tries to get this shot because Phil and Elizabeth's camera kept using up all the battery power before we could get the shot...it was worth it. What a work of art!)

We had a ton of fun with our friends and neighbors Phil and Elizabeth. After the game, we drove downtown and shouted at some of the people walking down the street. Elizabeth yelled, "Hey you...with the face and the hair!" We had a great time that night!

Baseball and Such

2006-05-12T01:58:00.000-07:00

Nathan blogging:

So I was cleaning out my wallet tonight and I found this reminder of a fun evening we had with our friends a week ago. We rode downtown together and watched the Rockies barely pull out a win in the bottom of the 9th. What a great game! Sorry this is a week late, but you know how that declutter/cleaning stuff goes.

Anyway, if you want more info on the game, go to: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp

We had loads of fun, and we've got some photos that will follow.

Say YES

2006-05-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

We got these bookmarks from the kids we tutor at Say YES. We tutor these kids every Tuesday every afternoon. By the way (before we get some really confused comments!), Ms. Becky runs Say YES, and Erin and Nathan's kids moved away. So Becky gave that bookmark to Erin...we're not really sure why, but hey, it works!

Latest from Kim

2006-05-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest email that we received from Kim early this morning:
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Thanks to you all for your prayers and phone calls and concern. Now that things have settled down a bit I can give you some more information. The names of the soldiers have not been released to the media yet, and probably won't be until at least tomorrow. I was called into a briefing yesterday afternoon and told about the soldiers from John's unit that we lost. We lost 3 young guys ranking from specialist down who I had never met before. And we lost the Squadron commander. Things are going to be a bit rocky over there for the next week or so as they deal with this loss and the effects of any change of command. I have not talked to John yet. I know he's waiting in line patiently for the phone. He may also be working non-stop because he works directly under the number 2 in command. If and when I learn more I'll let you all know.
Love, Kim

John is OK

2006-05-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

We just got a phone call from Kim Tierney letting us know that John was not on the helicopter that went down. He is alive and well and just waiting on his turn at the phone to call Kim. In her words, in the email that we just received: He's Fine!!!!

However, the sad news is that his commander was on the downed chopper. Please pray for them as they have to grieve the loss of a friend. Kim said that John's commander and his wife had just had a baby, so please pray for their family. The commander's wife will be having to face a lot of grief, so please pray for Kim as she ministers to her.

John is the guy on the right in the above photo. This is pic of him and some guys he and Kim go to church with back in New York while they're in Afghanistan.

Boomer's Best Trick

2006-05-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

Here's our favorite trick that Boomer does. We say, "Boomer, get your tail!" and he immediately goes into a tornado-level spin attempting to get it. Just thought you might get a kick out of this!

Helicopter Crash

2006-05-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest, as of 3:07 pm MST:

Hi everyone
By now I'm sure that you've heard the news reports out of Afghanistan. If not, here's your re-cap: A US Army helicopter went down today losing all 10 soldiers on board. These soldiers were from John's unit however I don't know if John was one of them. From what I know after talking with John on Wednesday he should not have been on any helicopter this week, but things change and I'm not certain of anything right now. They have shut down all communications lines from Afghanistan back here until all families are notified. Please just pray and pray and then pray some more. I'm scared, I'm worried, and I just don't quite know what to do with myself through this waiting. I will let you all know more info when I have it. Hopefully it'll be soon that I have some news for you.
Kim

----------------------------------------------
This is what we know at around 1 pm MST:

Please, please pray for our friend John Tierney. We just got a call from Kim saying that there was a helicopter crash in Afghanistan about 12 hours ago. There are no survivors. Those who died were in John's unit. He may have been on the helicopter, but we don't know. Please pray for him, please pray for his wife Kim, and please pray for their daughter Maddie. We don't know anything at this point.

Here's the article from BBC World:
-----------------------------------------

Ten die in Afghan chopper crash

The Chinook is regularly used as a troop carrier in Afghanistan

Ten US soldiers have been killed after their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan late on Friday night, officials from the US-led coalition said.

The CH-47 Chinook came down in Kunar province near a "mountaintop landing zone" 240km (150 miles) east of Kabul.

The soldiers were reportedly involved in operations against the Taleban, although military officials said the crash was not caused by enemy fire.

The crash happened near the provincial capital, Asadabad, close to Pakistan.

No survivors

AFGHAN AIR CRASHES

24 April 2006- Five die when US anti-drugs plane crashes in southern Afghanistan

11 November 2005 - Civilian cargo jet from Bagram crashes killing eight

25 September 2005 - Five US soldiers die in Chinook crash in Zabul province

16 August 2005 - 17 Spanish soldiers die when Cougar helicopter crashes near Herat

28 June 2005 - 16 US soldiers die in Chinook crash in Kunar province

6 April 2005 - 15 US soldiers and three civilian contractors die in helicopter crash in Ghazni province

Fact file: Chinook

There is a large US military base near the town, in the mountainous border terrain.

"The remains of 10 soldiers were on board the aircraft that crashed last night.

"The remains of 10 servicemen were found in the aircraft. There were no survivors," Lt Tamara Lawrence, a spokeswoman for the US-led military coalition, said.

In an earlier statement the US military had said that the CH-47 was conducting operations on a mountain top landing zone when the crash occurred.

"Additional aircraft and crews were also at the landing zone and confirmed that enemy forces did not cause the crash," the statement said.

A man claiming to speak for the Taleban told the BBC the militia had shot it down with a new weapon, but correspondents say claims like this have been unsubstantiated in the past.

QUICK GUIDE

Afghanistan

A major operation against the Taleban, Operation Mountain Lion, was mounted in Kunar province last month.

However, the BBC's Alastair Leithead says the province is one of the most difficult regions of Afghanistan to operate in, with its narrow and deep forested valleys.

The US military has suffered more casualties there than in any other province, our correspondent says.

Worst incident

It was in Kunar that US forces suffered their worst single loss of life in Afghanistan since they first invaded in 2001 in response to the 9/11 attacks.

One of their helicopters was shot down in late June 2005, killing all 16 special forces and crew on board.

The Chinook had been sent in to rescue a special forces unit on the ground whose mission had been compromised. Three members of that four-man team were also killed.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan on Friday, two Italian soldiers were killed after their vehicle was hit by a bomb as they were travelling about 20km (12 miles) south of the capital Kabul.

And four Afghans, including two policemen, were also been killed in the southern Helmand province where British troops have just taken over Nato operations.

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Quoted: "The measure of my life: Is it "blogworthy?"

2006-05-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

Nathan typing:

So I saw this quote today at the bottom of an email from Seth Glaze and it made me think about it. Is my life blogworthy? Well, I really don't know. If I were to say that it is, then does that make me a conceited, self-centered punk? However, I know that I have those tendencies to begin with. I don't know if the things that I busy myself with every day are worthy of any attention whatsoever. However, I do know that I sure hope that what I do makes an impact somewhere for the good.

When I look at Erin, and I think "yeah, she has a blogworthy life." She works in labor and delivery and welcomes people into the world every day. She comforts those who are in pain, and she gives a smile to those who need it. Her life is one of great impact, so yes, she has a blogworthy life.

But most importantly, I want to know that I am living a Christworthy life. When it all boils down to the bare essentials, that's all that really matters. When I stand before my Maker on that day of judgment, will I know that my life was worthy of the Christ Who saved me from my sins on the cross? Will I be able to look back on the years that He gave to me and say that is was Christworthy?

A country song that I really like has the line, "I hope that someday soon you get the chance to live like you were dyin.'" (I'm sure you noticed the missing "g" on the end of dyin' - it's a country song...what do you expect?!) But seriously...that's how I hope to live my life. I hope I never forget the fact that every day is a gift, and that I am not guaranteed a single day on this earth. So I must love my God with all that I am. I must selflessly give myself to my wife in the way of service to her that only those who know the love of Jesus can come close to understanding. I must live in a way that inspires others onward toward the ultimate joy...Jesus Christ Himself.

My challenge to you is this: Live every day like it could be your last. And if today is your last day in this life, do you know where you'll spend the rest of transcendent eternity? If it's joy and hope you seek, Jesus is the way to God. If it's separation, loneliness, and despair that you want, then seek anything else. But friend, please seek Jesus. I have this treasure and I desperately want you to also know Him and to have the treasure of His friendship and love as well.

Email us!

2006-05-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

Mark and Alison Struska! This message is for you...and anyone else coming to the Denver area. Please email us at funkybluegrass@yahoo.com. This email address isn't our primary email address, but it's the one that we feel comfortable with sharing on a forum like this. Then we'll share our regular email with you once we hear from you in that inbox. We'd like to get together with you guys when you're here if we can.

This goes for all of our friends reading this blog...please email us if you're going to be in Denver! We want to see you and find out what's going on in your worlds. Thanks!

Fun News From Friends

2006-05-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

We just got news today that our friends Tony and Ally Hawkins just welcomed AmyLee Scout into the world this morning at 8:02 am down in Mississippi. She is 20 inches long, weighs 6 lbs., 14 oz. She and Ally are really healthy, and they'll be able to go home sometime tomorrow evening. Just thought we'd share that with those of you who know them.

The BolderBoulder

2006-05-03T00:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you Kim and Alison for your comments on the last posting. That really helps us in the decision process. This blog seems to be a lot cleaner and more visitor-friendly than the busythumbs blog. Thanks again!

Well, we've signed up to run the BolderBoulder here in a few weeks. Apparently this is one of the biggest 10k races in the country. We're really looking forward to it. Erin has run it before, but this is the first time for Nathan. We've both run a 10k before (the Tulsa Run in Oklahoma). In fact, we ran the Tulsa Run on the day that we got engaged to be married over 3 years ago.

Just so we're clear, neither of us is the one in the monkey suit, but it does bring back some pretty scary memories for Nathan from college! Anyway, if you're interested in running the BolderBoulder, or if you're just interested in why we're running, take a look at http://www.bolderboulder.com/

Well, we hope you all have a wonderful day, and we'll keep you posted a little better than we've been doing lately...Please let us know how you're doing! Leave us a comment, so that we can know how to more specifically pray for you, and just so that we can selfishly know how our friends are doing!

Life Events

2006-04-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has happened in our lives lately. We've got our home on the market and we're considering a move internationally. We've been busy with school, work, and life in general. We're planning a vacation to Arizona in June on the occasion of our 3rd wedding anniversary, and believe me...we're both in need of some time away and some time off. Nathan's never seen the Grand Canyon up close before and neither of us have been to Mexico before. We're planning to go to Nogales in order to get a little taste of Mexico. Phoenix is where we'll spend most of our time, so we're looking forward to getting to know that city of the desert.

With Nathan being in class in seminary, he's learning a lot about what it means to minister in the name of God. Erin is working in labor and delivery in the hospital, so she's gaining great experience in the world of healthcare.

Either way, life is spinning in a wild, wonderful, weird, somewhat in control fashion.