Thanksgiving 2013

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

I woke 5 am to no alarm this morning and rustled in bed only to get the normal and reasonable response from my wife, "why don't you get up and have some coffee."  My ears hear, "get out of here and let me sleep!"  Time to serve my wife and get up...

Love Thanksgiving mornings and the thoughts of what is ahead in the day. Group ride, hanging with family, playing with the kids, delicious foods, wine, and a stomach ache (or two) as the day progresses.  It is one of those days that reminds me that "my cup overflows..."

As I sat this morning looking to read various news articles of the world, I found this article Opening the Gates which describes that the leaders of Iran were considering (or reconsidering) their rule of whether the women of their country may watch world soccer.  As I read on, I was reminded of the realities of the world and different countries that oppress their people in the name of their religion.  Unfortunately, the article does not seem to state that the reality for women in Iran will change anytime soon, especially under the regime of the nations Islamic Law.  It pauses me this morning to give thanks for so much.

This guttural thanks is not just rooted in giving praise for basic comforts and our country's prosperity (those things are good too), but a much greater thanks for our real and eternal freedom in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is my prayer that both our religious freedoms and basic liberties never change.  I also pray for those who are oppressed (such as the women of Iran) and looking forward to when God decides to explode his Church in even that part of the world.  May he open the real gates of freedom!

God thank you for this life and the wonder of your world.  Thank you for my marriage and the joy of family.  Thank you for my children, Sean and Amber.  Thank you that my daughter can live in freedom without oppression and being cursed a second class citizen!  Thank you for your hand in our lives.  Thank you for the reminder to trust you always, and to remember that it is not our circumstances that say we are blessed, but rather the much deeper and eternal blessing of knowing you and being loved by you.

Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving to you all...

Christmas 2012 is here!

This Christmas we are on the road visiting family and friends.  Interesting time to watch the kids adjust and try some adventure in this.  We enjoyed a delightful dinner prepared by my sis Donna and her husband John.  Later in the evening we had a surprise visit by my brother in his uniform, taking a brief break from protecting and serving the community while they sleep.  Lots of fun had by all and the anticipation by the kids for the coming of gifts was precious as it always is.

After nearly a month of contemplating Gods word towards a build up of Christmas, and after accepting and gifting this morning, I was reminded of the greatest gift in an unexpected way this morning.  My son Sean reminded me of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a new way.

After opening a few gifts this morning, which included a cash gift, he retracted to a different room of the house and was tearful.  I gave him a bit but then went to him and sat with him to see what was going on, thinking along the lines of disappointment towards the gifts he received.  I could not have been more wrong.  He explained to me sadly that he did not earn the money and that there are many that deserve it more.

I sat with him for a moment and realized he just gave me such a reminder of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from his own words. God gifted us all, with his most valuable possession in His Son, and we did not earn nor deserve it.  He freely gave to undeserving sinners, which is all of us.  It is only His Grace that we received such a gift, in Christ Jesus.

Rather than make this time with my son a theological experience and screw it up, I simply reminded him that his care and thought for others is a gift of Jesus, and his sharing this with his dad was my greatest reminder of Christmas this year.  We both smiles and hugged for while and I got to watch his joy rebuild...

Thank you God for your providence and the unexpected gift this morning.  My heart is full right now and wanted to share this with family and friends.  Merry Christmas to you all and let the light of Jesus shine in your lives!

Greater Grace

If you are like me, you remembered Steve McQueen in such favorable ways.  As a child, I had no idea of his life, his addictions, his background, and certainly not this story of redemption.  I remember this cowboy, stuntman, moto rider, and all around fun actor that did it all.  I am sure we all recall the most famous car chase scene in Bullet...

I love waking early and seeking various stories on the Gospel Coalition Blog and to my delight, I found this amazing nugget.  Who knew?  I surely did not know this story but what a delight to read it.  Indeed, God gives the greater grace...

Click this attachment, read on and enjoy and hit the player button at the bottom for some cool tunes...

http://southerngospelyankee.wordpress.com/2012/12/09/greater-grace-a-story-of-god-redemption-and-steve-mcqueen/

Giving Thanks (part two)

My family arrived in Borrego Springs this afternoon.  We are having a great time and love seeing my wife and kids enjoy the experience.  It is a very beautiful desert landscape and our creator seems much bigger than I regularly give credit.  Father, your work is beyond my imagination and gratitude.  Thank you for loving your people infinitely more than they deserve.  Thank you for sending your son so that we may have life from certain death.

I look forward to waking to Thanksgiving tomorrow.  May we praise your name all the day!

Psalms 100:1-5 ESV "Make a joyful noise to the Lord , all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord , he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."

Encouragement...

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

http://bible.us/Col1.15.ESV

2012 L3S ADVENTURE

2012 L3S ADVENTURE, a set on Flickr.

This post shares Lukes 9th birthday and the fun all of us men and our sons had. We had the great fortune of having 4 cousins and their fathers camp together and Lopez Lake. Mike Easter and had a special experience for the boys in store and our pre-planning did not dissapoint.

We designed an adventure race course for the boys complete with compass navigation, map reading, mountain biking, trail running, swimming, special tests, weapon shooting (sling shot) and generally working as a cohesive team.  They had a surprise challenge at the end to "leave no injured men behind."  The course had 7 check points (CP's) and covered much ground that took these young men nearly 2-1/2 hours to complete the course.  They were rewarded honorably by Mike Easter in a ceremony and were each given a personal "dog tag" complete with their name, date of birth, and instead of blood type, their favorite scripture on the tag.  Mike gave them a knowledge of the history surrounding the dog tags.

We had a fine time as men that weekend.  It was sad to see it come to an end.  We ate together, told stories, laughed, shared life, and simply enjoyed being the men God designed us to be.  We truly hope we are giving our boys experience and skill to be adventurous with basic skills in working in community with other men, especially in the outdoors.  It reaches them much, and provides a desire for fitness and athleticism outside conventional sport formats.  We hope they got a glimpse and a building passion for the outdoors.

Big thanks to Mike Easter for bringing the idea together and giving the boys a very special weekend.  It had a profound affect on my son Sean who loved the time of adventure and spending time with the men and boys.

The Men and Their Sons (from left to right: James and Levi, Mike and Luke, Greg and Liam, Jeff and Sean)

Praise God for these men and boys.  By His grace, we will finish the job he gave us in raising these young men.

Be a father

I like this photo.  It reminds me of being together and fatherhood.  It reminds me much of wanting to be a good father and to ultimately have a positive impact on my children.  I need to continue to teach, as effective as I can, and remember to just share who I am with my kids.  I want to do it with action and not just words, authentically...

Praise God for the fact that salvation is of the Lord, and let me "be" who He has called me to be...

Christmas Break 2011

As is the growing tradition, we take a vacation between Christmas and New Years dedicated to being together.  Unlike previous years which was a snow trip or a trip to SD and Dizzyland, we chose to hit the beach at Rincon Parkway in Ventura to enjoy the forecasted 70 degree and sunny weather.  The time did not disappoint...

Both Jenn and I planned to catch up and do some joint planning into the New Year.  Well that never happened...  But what did happen, just lots of fun and reflection on God work in our lives and His blessing in such profound ways.  We spent tons of time recreating, cooking, and sitting around the fire in addition to a few jaunts here and there.  Look at the photos and get a peek...

Camp site front yard - Ventura's Gold Coast

Camp evenings at fireside

The "Rustler" Camp Cook - Dutch Oven Style

Evening sun sets - Gods handiwork on display

Santa Barbara area riding with the kiddos

Hydration break with the wifey and some lunch for the kiddos!

Time to slay some perch!

The trip was full of activity.  The Martins could learn to rest more - note to self.  We enjoyed much and some of the highlights were:

• Surfing Campus Point with the kids at evening - both kids went for it and we said hello to local surfing pro Bobby Martinez!
• Fishing a ton - we slayed em out there...
• Lots of cooking together and eating outside.  We only prepared breakfast and lunch inside.  The rest was open fire cooking...
• Loved talking with the wifey and kids as we settled down in the evening.
• Enjoyed having no agenda to speak of...
• Visiting with Mike and Jenn Easter clan in Ventura and seeing their family grow.
• Looking at the stars and pondering on our creator God.
• Enjoyed a New Years eve visit with TT and Korey and spent the evening with a meal and some games.  Enjoyed having the praise song Glorious going through my head all evening long and then to bed by 10pm.  Boy we are real night owls...
• A little road ride along the coast and remembering how many times I've done this route before.
• Seeing my family do what they do...

At the time of writing this post I am really reflecting on the amazingly free life we live and wonderful experiences we have.  I am encouraged (and somewhat scared) of the reality that we are blessed so that we might bless others.  Our family speaks of this often, and living in real grace in this fact.  We are still in the throws as a family determining our short term "to-do's" in 2012 and ready to state our goals.  Look forward to prayerfully taking this new year on, and all that it brings.  Praise God for all years before, and this next year!

God bless you all, and thank you for reading...

Outward Sign of Faith - Sean's First Communion

Praise God.  Sean experienced his first communion at Grace Church this morning.  After much discussion in the household, and even some tearful moments, we were blessed to present the opportunity for Sean to outwardly declare his love for God and his absolute need for Jesus Christ, our savior.

I believe it is important to share this event with my family and give even my personal testimony in this experience.  The timing of Gods word was and is always timely and nourishing.  And today was no exception to that fact.  Before sharing the message today, let me share what has been going on with my son.  He desires to take communion.  Partly because that is what we do, and because he thinks he is ready.  I was trying to do my best to discern his understanding of the gospel and the right timing of this celebration and communion experience.

Prior to worship this morning, and over many months, our family contemplated what the essence of communion really is with my son.  Notwithstanding the important biblical command, I enjoyed explaining to my son the version that my pastor explained, which I believe is consistent with being centered in the gospel.  Pastor Tim described communion as being an "outward sign of an inner reality."  Since I believe that salvation is by Gods grace alone, in faith alone, through Jesus Christ alone, the concept of an outward sign of an inner reality really describes this best, which is another description of faith and outwardly professing our need in Christ, our savior.  I don't believe my son at age 8 perfectly defines this and understands it the same as I do, but I truly believe he loves the Lord and believes Christ Jesus saves.  He acknowledges we are sinners, in need of a savior.  And he knows who Jesus Christ is.  This is enough.

But even with all this knowledge from my son, I continued looking for more surety of the right time...  I continued looking for unwavering understanding from my 8 year old son.  It was as if I believed that my instruction, timing, and the success of my father pastoring was a key element in Gods work.  As the elements were being passed this morning, I told Sean I would prefer to let the elements pass from him and he looked at me sadly and respectfully and said "I will do as you tell me dad."  As I took the elements in my hand, and at just the right time, I repeated to myself that salvation is of the Lord.  I looked at his precious face knowing that he desired to be part of the Lords table and the only reason I was wavering is I thought he was not fully confident in the Gospel and he could not perfectly recite the answers I wanted.  It was at this time, I looked at Sean and told him he and I would take communion together.  I declared this is Gods work and needed to let that stand as it should.  Tears of joy immediately sprang from the both of us!  I was emotionally reminded that this is Gods work and I need to be graceful in this, and especially to my son.  I needed to give him a gift during this worship Sunday that God provided us both.  How precious, and how fortunate it was to experience this moment with my son.  As my Pastor preached the word, I began to whisper to Sean in his ear the significance of each element of the supper we were about to take.  About this time, as we were taking communion, I realized it was not just Sean and I becoming emotional and tearful since both Amber and Jennifer were both in tears of joy.  What a blessing...

Today was a message on Psalms 78.  The message focus was the importance of equipping our children and disciples in the gospel so that the generation to come may know and continue it's teaching in the word of God.  It was fitting timing to pass the baton on to my son today.  It is my prayer that we do this well.  It is also my praise that God will get it done.  May he give me strength to be part of his work.  I plan to continue instructing my family in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and thankful that I have trusted men and a Pastor who continually poor it in to me with love, truth and application.  He who began a good work in you, will take it on to completion until the day of Christ!

There is many reasons to remember this date.  Partly because of the tragedy of 9-11 where so many lives we lost in our county.  That tragedy is still vivid in my mind and I still grieve for the families affected by it.  But to remember this time and Gods blessing in my son will be the prize and focus of this father.  I will do my best to remind my son of this memory for many future years.

We celebrated the day by enjoying a lunch together following worship service at Sean's favorite spot, Habit.  His grandparents also treated him to a great dinner complete with cookies.  Great day, this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Dinner time with the Grandparents!

Family Weekend

Started Thursday with a drive to Valencia to hang with the brother brohem Uncle Sean and his wife Deb.  We started things off with our treat at La Cocina for some awesome mexican cuisine...

On Friday, we started the day off with a morning run and Sean ripping my legs off in the neighborhood.  We then got the family ready for the day and headed to Hurricane Harbor at Magic Mountain.  At the park all day until 6pm and then headed to my sister Donna's house for some more family get togethers with our visiting Alabama family.  Great time.

(The Martin Fam at Hurrican Harbor ala 95 degrees F!)

On Saturday, spent the day at Castaic Lake and had a blast.  Tubing, food, site seeing, swimming, boating, and a little bit of fishing.  Great time and memories were being remembered and created on this lake.  When we finished, we hit the pool for a bit more of water - we were water logged by 7pm...  My kids could not get enough of it.  I'm tired, and cannot explain why...

(Tubing Castaic Lake)

(Heading into Elizabeth Canyon at Castaic Lake)

(Wifey enjoying some summer sun in the Canyon)

(Martin Family Totem Pole!)

Really enjoyed the adventurous weekend.  I don't think I took a shower the entire weekend.  My wife confessed she took one shower!!!  We never got out of the water.

So thankful for the experiences and what God has provided in our lives.  I woke this morning and had the delight to read Isaiah 53 in the Bible and was just simply humbled to read about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.  Sweet time this weekend.  Good rest for the brain, even though we never slow down...

Looking forward to more of lifes adventures.

14 Years...

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

This is the wedding vow made to each other on June 21, 1997.  This is Gods word.  We are grateful that Gods love for us, and our faith in Him, gives us the power to live out these things together.  Without God, these important marriage vows and scriptures flee and we would be self absorbed in our own individual needs.  Praise God for his faithfulness in our lives, especially in our marriage.

I met my beautiful bride at Cal Poly in 1994 as we were waiting for class early one morning.  This blog photo marks the spot which was just under the canopy.  Only the original canopy was much smaller.  She looked at me, and I stared at her.  I did not stop staring.  As our invitations said when we married, a glance and a smile, turned into friendship, and then fell in love...  Her outer beauty caught my attention - her inner beauty captured me for good.  This is Gods work, and I am thankful for that fact.

Looking forward to more marriage adventures...

Easter Break 2011

The Martin Family had the joy to spend our Easter celebration on a road trip.  The main attractions were Death Valley and Mammoth Lakes with cool travels and places along the way.

The first day we left early and drove eastward across the lower central valley, through both Tehachapi and Mojave until we reached the Owens valley in which we took an abrubt right hand turn in Olancha.  Death Valley would be our next step over the beautiful Panamint Mountains.  We landed in the valley and Furnace Creek campground at approximately 3pm and set up camp.  It was an awesome desert landscape.

(The great Owens valley and dry lake bed.  Sierras at left and the rise of the Inyo Mountains on the right)

(The descent into the valley via atop the Panamint Range)

(desert camp out - a comforting fire...)

The second day was planned ahead and we rented a Jeep Rubicon for a mountain and desert adventure through Titus and Echo Canyons with several stops along the way including the famous DV sand dunes.  Mid day between the canyons, we poached the ranch inn pool to enjoy refreshment poolside and wipe the dust of our bodies.  We encountered petraglyphs, historic lead and silver mines, reptiles, and just amazing desert landscape...

(Jeep packed and ready for exploration!)

(Lunch in the canyon!)

(Sean feeling his scale against massive and beautiful canyon walls - Titus Canyon is simply a must visit!)

The third morning we all woke together to worship our risen savior Jesus Christ!  It was a delightful morning as family as we read 1 Peter together and reflected on the Gospel in our lives.  It was great to hear the kids and my wife talk about the scriptures together.  It was awesome to praise God in His creation on a day of resurrection celebration.  The balance of the morning was spent quickly packing and hitting the road for Scotty's Castle, and northern Death Valley run, and a trip back westward through the Inyo/White Mountain passes into Bishop and then to Mammoth Lakes.  This drive did not dissapoint and the new landscape was an amazing adventure.  The Castle too was a great history lesson on early California and it's folks.  We arrived into Mammoth Lakes in time for another quick dip in the pool before an Easter dinner at a family favorite restaurant known as Angel's.  Great time.  Sweet time.

(Death Valley Ranch aka Scotty's Castle)

The next two days was spent on the slopes of Mammoth Mountain and both Sean and Amber got their alpine game on with Seany skiing with his dad, and Amber snowboarding with her mother.  Awesome time.  First day it snowed and the wind blew.  The next day was a beautiful sunny day.  Both days were nonetheless very enjoyable.

(My girls on their sleds!)

(The fam in their groove on the mountain!)

Our final night, after a day of skiing entailed a quick 90-100 mile drive south on 395 along the eastern Sierra to Independence in which we turned again abrubtly right straight into the mountain foothills and made camp at Grey's Meadow at approximately 6,000 foot elevation.  We were so close to Whitney and other major mountains simply directly above us.  The mountains towered above us with snow caps.  Simply massive and awsesome.  Made camp, cooked dinner of quesadillas, and enjoyed some refreshments and family time around an open fire.  It was an amazing time to end our Easter road trip before returning home the next morning.

(last night with wine, sodas, and grilled quesadillas on open range - does not get any better than this)

We are so very grateful for the blessings God gives us in exploring His landscape.  Praise God for these future memories and this great trip...  He is Risen and risen indeed!

More pictures of this great trip - Just click on the active FLICKR site at right...

Celebration of her life - Jeanette R. Martin

Jeanette R. Martin, my grandmother, and mother to my father passed from this world on November 12, 2010.

Grandma was born in Georgia in 1918 almost the same day and month of her passing in 2010.  She was one child of a large family including two brothers (Gerald and Earnest) and four sisters (Lorraine, Cora Lee, Julia, and Annie Mae).  She was the last living sibling.

Among several places her life may have taken her, I have knowledge of several that included my father in Las Vegas in 1946, Minneosota in 1952, and later her permenant residence in Vestavia Hills, Alambama (near Birmingham).  This is where I always considered their home.

She is survived by her husband of 64 years, Robert Martin, her son Jeffery Davis Martin, and daughter Kaye Hodge in addition to their grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Daugther Kay and son Jeffery

Attending grandchildren:  Donna, Deeane, Sean, and Athesia

We are blessed in the love and care the Hodge family has extended to our grandparents in these later years and thankful for them.

As we all greive at this time in her passing, let us have peace that she knew and loved the Lord.  By knowledge of her faith in Jesus Christ, we are encouraged to know that she is with the Lord and her soul is at rest.  May we all stand comforted in Gods word in which Paul reminds us "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain...having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better (Phillipians 1:21-23). 

May God bless all of you and give you peace.

This Video Fires Me Up!

My Pastor recently posted this video.  It fires me up and speaks volumes...!

Does it grab you as well?

Adventures in Marriage

team  It's Bizness Time - the ultimate team - 3rd place

Jenn and I had the pleasure to recently celebrate our 13th year of marriage in participating in this years Central Coast Adventure Challenge sprint course at Lopez Lake. Korey and TT joined in the fun and it did not dissapoint and we planned to complete the course together in unison - it was aweseome the wifey did amazingly well...! 

The course consisted of kayaking, mild orienteering to each check points with map navigation, mountain biking, and a run/mountain climb complete with ropes and some minor team tests... 

A little test of teamwork, balance, thinking - the old(er) guard and the new guard.

Team It's Bizness Time with the Faciliators - along with the kiddos and nanna/papa.

Great time of fellowship, suffering, team work, and pure gutteral fun.  So proud of the wifey in her efforts.  Life and marriage is an adventure and this day was a blessing.  I praise God for our marriage "oneness" and His amazing and mysterious gift.  Looking forward to more marriage and adventure together!

Thank you Korey and TT for your friendship in all of this.  Let these experiences illustrate some of the realities of marriages - challenging, tough, messy, exhilirating, joyful, and utlimately a great gift...  Thanks for the grandparents and kiddos for giving us this moment of fun as well...

Black Canyon Adventure

The crew (Brendan, Jenn, Amber, Seany, Mom, Dad, Tim(our guide), and yours truly adventure kayaked the big horn tour up the Colorado River and the Black Canyon just below Hoover Dam. It had all the elements of our kind of trip. Adventure, challenge, good food, exercise, family, fellowship, beauty, and even some occasional rest. This trip did not disappoint and suggest you see for yourself.

CLICK THE RECENT PHOTOS VIA FLIKR TO THE RIGHT TO SEE SOME OF THE GREAT PHOTOS OF THE TRIP!!!

Ch Ch Ch Changes...

Lots of changes in the past 7 years.  More gray for me.  Amber is 3x's (5'1" at ten) as tall.  Sean replaced the lifeguard can for a pistol.  Gods faithfullness in our lives has not changed.

Cool pic and lots of color...

Sounds like a bromance!

After establishing a day of hooky on Monday, February 8th, this was the response to my brother for an email invitation to ride, surf, fish, and otherwise be brothers. It was ofcourse, our 42nd birthday...

Sounds like a bromance!

Dad, Sean, Rudy, Korey and yours truly set off for a man day on Monday at 7am with the car packed to the brim with food, surfboards, wetsuits, fishing gear, and road bikes. Sean came from So Cal and met us at Jalama at 8am. Wind was already up so we changed plans and drove to Refugio. There was no dissapointment in this change of plans and God really provided the setting with warm sun, surf, plenty of fish to be had, and a special treat none of us really expected...

The boys ready for a bromantic ride from Refugio up the Canyon (Rudy, me, Dad, Sean, and Korey)

The boys atop the peak above Refugio - 4200 feet from sea level in 13 miles. God blessed us with a very fitting gift in this experience for our 42nd... What a nice surprise. Seriously, you could see Shell Beach areas from atop this peak...

Korey and Sean on the descent - it was very cold until halfway. 13 mile descent was a bit hairy...

Rudy with the first barred perch on the boards! I was sporting my new wetsuit from the wifey and kids!

Yours truly with a really decent sized perch. You may not be able to tell by the pic but this lil fish was about a pound!

The Martin Boys...

Very grateful to those who made the time to enjoy this day of play. God has been so faithful in my life and has placed very precious friendships to keep me in check. It is my prayer that we all honor His name in our activity, our fun, and our birthday celebrations.

Thank you Dad, Rudy, and Korey for helping Sean and I celebrate this great day. Happy Birthday Seany Boy! God bless you all.