4th of July Part 2

Having a hot dog is an Independence Day tradition, so we cooked some up! Aaron was the dog griller.
Nik seems to be having some cannibalistic thoughts, but Aaron appears to be keeping him at bay with that fork

4th of July

Last time I posted was Father's Day. Now its the Fourth. Maybe I just will start posting on holidays.

Last year we went to the Uinta Mountains to hike on the 4th, so we did the same thing this morning. We stopped for breakfast at the Gateway Grille for breakfast, then headed up Weber Canyon to explore the Smith Morehouse Reservoir area. We'd never been up this way so it was fun to see some new territory. All in all it's about 35 minutes from the house and an easy drive.

We didn't hike too hard...just walked around the lake and then down to the Weber River.

Now we're going to cook some hot dogs!

Father's Day 09

All in all a relaxing day with the gang.

I actually got Father's day stuff before we left on our trip. Sara ordered a couple of custom T-shirts from Cafe Press. One has a Shiba Inu on it, the other was for a fictional rock band: Driveshaft. If you watch LOST, you'll know what its all about.

Lauren got me a lizard key chain while we were in Zion. A man can't have enough lizard stuff.

After church we came home and had a lunch of BBQ chicken, salad and strawberry shortcake, although instead of shortcake we used pound cake.

After we got stuffed with all the food, we went in different directions. Lauren and Zach went upstairs as they just started season one of Lost. Sara and I watched the last 4 episodes of Life, a show that Lauren and Zach introduced to us. And Aaron played EA Sports NBA LIVE on the computer.

In the evening Sara and I went through our photo albums as Lauren asked us to find a certain picture for her. Of course, we got caught up at looking at all the memories of raising our two kids. Pictures of Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, camps, sledding, trips to the beach and more.

Good day.

Back at Home

Yesterday morning we headed out from California at 5AM. Eleven hours later we were home. Pretty much a straight shot, except for an hour in St. George for lunch.

The main goal of our trip was to attend a niece's graduation. It just so happened her graduati0n took place at the very same place mine did some 30 years ago: Handel Stadium in Anaheim. I took a few photos:

Aaron was in a "hammy" mood..

Cousin Eric, Zach and Lauren

So, a few-post trip thoughts:

• You just can't beat So Cal weather.
• Every where you go in So Cal, you can expect crowded conditions. The stadium used for the graduation was way undersized. Crowded freeways. Overflowing parking lots.
• This trip was a bit of an "introduce Zach to family and friends" event. He passed with flying colors.
• Aaron is a great car traveler. No matter how long we are in the car he is in a good mood 95% of the time.
• The new car added a lot of room...which we needed. Don't know how we would have fared with the older car.

Vacation: Stage Two

The second section of our trip was spent in Canyon Lake, CA. This is the place where I was a youth pastor for 12 years. Both our kids came into our family here. So we have a lot of good memories and great friends. In fact, one family let us use their poolside guest house which was great. We BBQ'd, watched the Lakers win the NBA championship and played basketball in the driveway. These were are digs for a couple of days:

20,000 Hits

Sometime in the past few days this blog received it's 20,000 hit! I started the blog in 2005. Thanks for all the visits!

Quick Shots of Zion

On the Road

We leave in a few hours for a road trip that ultimatley ends up in California. First stop is a few days in Zion National Park. Then it's on to Canyon Lake, CA (where we lived for 12 years) to catch up with some old friends. Finally we end up in Orange County for a neice's graduaton. We'll post any interesting photos.

Aaron got his report card: All A's!

Revolving Cars

So it was time for Sara to get a new car. To do so meant we did a lot of shifting in regards to our cars. We got a 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander for Sara. Here's a stock photo of what it looks like:

What makes this interesting is the Sara had a 2003 Mistubishi Outlander. White, too! But it's been such a great car, we figured we would be happy with another one.

So, I now am driving the old Outlander. And Lauren is driving my old Chevy Tracker.

Which still has Aaron a bit confused. In his mind I am driving mom's car and Lauren is driving dad's car. Give him a week or so and he'll have it all sorted out.

We traded in the 1997 Subaru wagon, so it is no longer in the mix.

Living La Vida Nik

I glanced out the kitchen window this morning to spy Nik getting a bit of sun on his belly. What a life! Had to use the zoom to get this shot because if I had opened the back door he would have jumped up. He's not rolling around here...he's dead asleep!

Working on a message for this Sunday with the working title: "How's Your Love Life?" The goal is to gain an understanding of what love is, according to the Bible, and how we apply it in our lives and in the lives of others.

Just met with some folks for some funeral arrangements. What a blessing as this family desires the service to contain a strong message of hope in Christ. One of the couples involved is from Harvest Christian Fellowship (Greg Laurie) in Riverside. Great people who have large capacity to help the widow at this time. That's what a steady walk with Christ will do for you. It makes a person able to be a minister in times of need.

5k for 5 Kids

This morning Aaron and I took part in a 5K in Park CIty that was held in memory of 5 Park City High students who died last year in a climbing accident. Over 1000 people showed up, which is a lot more than they expected. The run was set to start at 9AM, but the organizers had to move that time back to 9:30 because the registration tables were packed.

This was Aaron's first 5K. He ran about 10% of the time, walking the other 90%. The last mile was really tough for him, and he said his legs were too tired, but he never quit. As we crossed the finish line he waved his hat to the crowd.

Afterwards we went over to Whole Foods market with some of the staff from Mountain Life Church for smoothies and sandwiches.

Here are a couple of pre-race photos:

Stewart Falls 2009

Last year we trekked to Stewart Falls twice...it's one of our favorite hikes. So today we made it our first hike of the Summer. What makes the hike so great is that it ends with a spectacular view of a cascading waterfall. So, after running down to Provo for a couple of errands and lunch at Rumbi (http://www.rumbi.com/), we drove up to the trailhead which is just past Sundance Resort. On the way there, we passed by an old truck that I've seen a thousand times and always wanted to take a couple photos. Today, I had my camera with me so I pulled over for a few shots. I just thought it looked cool:

Here's the trail marker for the Stewart Falls hike

Amazing view of the valley below Mount Timpanogos

First sight of the falls from the trail...Sara is dwarfed by the waterfallJust like last year, Nik immediately cools his feet in the creek

This is the earliest time of the year we've traveled to the falls, and thus the amount of water coming down was incredible. The result was a major amount of mist that cooled us off quite quickly.

In fact, the mist was so strong Nik couldn't keep his eyes open...he just kept blinking as he rested from the hike

Last year I took a shot from behind the falls. Totally different view this year as some dark clouds rolled in

There are a few section of the hike that are a little tough for Aaron, mainly rocky areas were he has to put extra attention to his balance. On the way back he started dragging...until I challenged him to racing to the end of the trail. At that point, his male competitiveness kicked in and he charged ahead for the last mile.

Long Time No Blog

Yep, I figure everyone is tired of looking at that picture of Aaron holding a slice of cheese...

So, here's what's up:

• Took Lauren and Zach to the airport today for an early flight to Atlanta. Zach's sister is graduating from HS and they wanted to be there.
• Last night was the last class for Sara's "Genesis" women's study. On the horizon: A six-week study for women through Psalm 119 called "Sweeter than Chocolate."
• I'm 4/6 through my "Foundations" class, designed to help new believers better understand the basics of the faith. I do think I'm going to change the name of the class to "Starting Point." That's what they call it at Shane's church (www.mvfchurch.org) and I think it has a better ring to it.
• About three weeks until we journey to California. About nine weeks until the wedding. Wow.

As far as activities of late, we made a trip to the Hogle Zoo with my sister, her daughter and her granddaughter last Saturday. Perfect zoo weather. Most of the animals were out and about. A few shots:

There's a red panda in the tree by Aaron's hat...

All day Aaron told us he wanted to see a wolf. This one was taking a nap just a few yards from the fence.

Staeuble tradition: trying on odd hats...

For Mother's Day, we had lunch at Cafe Galleria in Midway, then planned a hike to Stewart Falls. The only problem was that there was still to much snow on the trail. So we opted to walk around Sundance Resort. Some photos for your viewing pleasure:

Pizza and salad

Lauren and Zach took care of Nik

Aaron looks like he's trying to get Zach to laugh...

Men's Breakfast

Today was the last men's breakfast of the spring. We'll take a break until the fall as so many people travel during the summer. This morning we had a couple of guys from our church who are FBI agents share what its like to work for the bureau. This was followed by some words from Karl Silva, a missionary and pastor to India/Nepal, who talked about how we as believers can't afford to be undercover in our relationship with Christ. As Christians, we aren't secret agents, but rather we are ambassadors.

I snapped a few pictures with my cell phone:

Once again, Aaron was on duty in the kitchen. He takes his job quite seriously!

Meat and cheese...perfect men's breakfast fare!

No Limbs, No Limits

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

1 CORINTHIANS 1:27-31

This afternoon I attended a pastors lunch that was set up to promote an upcoming outreach event. The "Life without Limits" event will take place in Salt Lake City in Septemeber. The lunch was intened to introduce Nick Vujicic, of the Life without Limits ministry, who will be the speaker at the upcoming events. His story is quite compelling. He is a very challenging speaker, gifted with a great voice (an Aussie accent never hurts!) and a sharp mind.This is his "bio" info from his website (http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/). Read it and see if you aren't challenged to consider your life, and more particularly your circumstances, and see if your perspective doesn't change a bit...



It says in James 1:2, "Consider it pure joy, my Brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." It seemed like a tall order to “count” hurt, pain and struggle as nothing but “pure joy” when my birth date arrived. My parents were Christians; my Dad was even a Pastor of our church, so that verse was quite familiar to them. However, on the morning of December 4th , 1982, in Melbourne, Australia, the last two words on the minds of my parents was "Praise God!". Their firstborn son had been born without limbs! There were no warnings or time to prepare themselves for it. Having no answers at all, the doctors were completely shocked and taken off guard!

The whole church mourned over my birth and my parents were absolutely devastated. "If God is a God of love, “ they questioned, “Then why would He let something like this happen, and especially to committed Christians?" My Dad did not think I would survive for very long. But, tests proved that I was a healthy baby boy with just one hitch, I’d been born without any limbs.

Understandably, my parents had strong concern and evident fears of what kind of life I would be able to lead. The first big hurdle was for my parents to be at peace, trusting that God was still fully in control. It took a number of months and a lot of tears, questions and grief before coming to terms within their own hearts. God provided them with the strength, wisdom and courage they would need through those early years.

Soon after that, I was old enough to go to school. School was really enjoyable for me and I really tried to live life like everyone else. But, it was in my early years of school where I encountered uncomfortable times of feeling rejected, weird and bullied because of my physical difference. It was very hard for me to get used to. In spite of this, with the support of my parents, I started to develop attitudes and values which helped me overcome these challenging times. Though I knew I was different, on the inside, I was just like everyone else. There were many times when I felt so low that I wouldn't go to school in order to avoid all the negative attention. With encouragement from my parents, I began to ignore the bullies and tried to start making friends by just talking with some of the kids. Soon the students realized that I was just like them. Starting there, God began to bless me with new friends!

Many times I felt depressed and angry because I couldn't change the way I was, or blame anyone for that matter. In Sunday school, I learned that God loves us all and that He cares for us deeply. At that stage in my childhood, I could understand His love to a point. But, as you can imagine, I still got hung up on that fact that if he really loved me, why did He make me like this? I wondered if I’d done something wrong and began to feel certain that this must be true. Otherwise, I thought, God wouldn’t have made me the only weird one out of all the kids at school. Feeling I was a burden to those around me, I sensed the sooner I’d just go away altogether, the better it would be for everyone. So, at a young age, I wanted to end my pain and my life. But I am thankful, once again, for my parents and my family who were always there to comfort me and lend me their strength. Thankfully, a real turning point arrived!

Due to the emotional struggles I had experienced with bullying, self-esteem and loneliness, God began to instill a passion of sharing my story and experiences to help others cope with whatever challenge they might have in their lives. Turning my struggles into something that would glorify God and bless others, I realized my purpose! The Lord was going to use me to encourage and inspire others to live to their fullest potential and not let anything get in the way of accomplishing their hopes and dreams.

As I grew older, God continued to prepare my heart and teach me to seek Him. One of the first lessons that I have learned was not to take things for granted. With a wake-up call around the age of twelve, I realized just how much God had blessed me. My foot, what I’ve termed “my little chicken bone” I had been taking for granted. But it serves me well. God had freely given to me and so much with my loving family, and so many other blessings, I realized “Why should I still complain?” God directed me to Romans 8:28 and there I found this, "And we know that in all things God works for the best for those who love Him." Wow! That verse really spoke to my heart. It convicted me to the point where I’m confident that there’s no such thing as luck, chance or coincidence and that these "bad" things happen in our life to make us more like Christ.

In James 1:3 & 4, it reads, "...know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Enlightened through God’s Word, I felt complete peace rush in, knowing that God will not let anything happen to us unless He has a good purpose for it. At the age of 15, I completely gave my life to Christ after reading John 9. In this chapter, Jesus said that the reason the man was born blind was "so that the works of God may be revealed through Him." I truly believed that God would heal me so I could be a great testimony of His awesome power. As I grew in Christ and in spiritual maturity, the Lord gave me the wisdom to understand that if we pray for something within His will, it will happen, but in His timing…not ours. And likewise, if our prayers are not within God's will, then I know that He has something better. His purpose became clearer to me and now I’m fully convinced and understand that His glory is revealed as He uses me just the way I am. And even more wonderful, He can use me in ways others can't be used.

Now twenty-five years old, I’ve completed a Bachelor’s Degree in both Financial Planning and Accounting. Also, I’m active as a motivational speaker. Again, my number one passion is for souls. I just love to go out and share my story and testimony wherever opportunities become available. Over time, I’ve developed messages that relate to and encourage students through topics that challenge today's teenagers. The Lord has used me to speak in the corporate sector as well.

In recent years, I’ve learned to become independent and can now take care of all my personal needs. I’m able to do everything from brushing my teeth and combing my hair to dressing up and taking care of my personal hygiene, including shaving. I get around the house by jumping around and, outside the house; an electric wheelchair assists me. For recreation, I enjoy swimming, fishing and playing soccer.

Passionate for reaching out to the youth, I’m constantly ministering in schools from elementary to high school. Ultimately, I make myself available for whatever God wants me to do, and wherever He leads, I follow, for I’ve learned to trust Him fully.

Achieving goals and pursuing dreams is something I’m actively pursuing on a regular basis. Some of these include becoming the best witness I can be of God's love and hope, to become an international inspirational speaker and to be used as a vessel in both Christian and non-Christian venues. These goals are, even now, being realized. Other aspirations of mine yet to be realized is my desire to modify a car that I can drive, to be interviewed on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" and share my story, and to write several books. With anticipation, I look forward to starting on the first of these this year. Not surprisingly, the title will be, "No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!"

Many would think these goals were too far-fetched. However, I believe that if you have the desire and passion to do something, and it's within God's will, you will achieve it in good time. As humans, we continually put limits on ourselves for no reason at all! What's worse is putting limits on God, who is well able to do all things! We put God in a "box". The awesome thing about the power of God is that if we want to do something for God, we must refocus. Instead of concentrating on our capability, our attention needs to shift to our availability. For, the Word of God is clear; it is God working through us. Without Him, we aren’t capable of doing anything on our own. Once we make ourselves available for God's work, guess whose capabilities we rely on? God's! Philippians 4:13 highlights this point well, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." God has a truly great purpose for your life!

As far as your unanswered prayers, remember that God is Faithful. What are we to do when we are seeking but not finding? Jeremiah 29:12 states, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord. Take courage my friend for the Battle is the Lord's. Let me urge you to keep striving for the truth. The truth, found in Jesus Christ, is what will set you free. It’s His peace, reigning in your heart, that will give you true freedom from the fear and doubt that has previously resided there. May the Lord bless you as you diligently seek Him and grant you Godly wisdom and strength through your journey.

In Christ’s Service,

Nick Vujicic

Greg Laurie has a great interview with Nick which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8Cwx2UbTJA

To: MIKE From: AARON

Dear Mike,

Thanks for giving me a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey. I like to practice basketball. If you look at the end of this post you will find a short video of me making a three-pointer. Now I want the Cavaliers to win the playoffs. Lebron James will help the Cavaliers take the Lakers down!

Thanks again!

Your best buddy,

Aaron.

For the Love of the Game

Aaron has always had a love for sports. Even when he was a toddler he was drawn to the TV if there was any type of athletic event taking place. He watches golf, football, and baseball. This past year he loved watching the olympics.

But Aaron's game is basketball. Back in 2003 we purchased a driveway hoop from Costco for his birthday. We didn't know how well he would do with it, but he immediately started working at getting the ball in the hoop. At first he wasn't strong enough to get the ball through the rim. But he didn't give up, and soon he scored his first basket at the six-foot setting.

That's when his love affair with basketball took off. Here are some photos through the years of our basketball nut reveling in his favorite sport:

Aaron found this hoop while we are on a mission trip in Mexico. We didn't have a basketball, but it didn't matter because he improvised with a soccer ball

Basketball in Sacramento

Here is Aaron at his very first NBA basketball game: Jazz vs. Supersonics. The Jazz won on a three-pointer by Mehmet Okur in the final seconds. He went nuts. The only problem was that he figured this was how every Jazz game was supposed to go. A few months later some friends took us to see the Jazz play the Lakers, and when the Jazz lost, Aaron was in shock. Wasn't it always supposed to be a happy ending?

Here's Aaron at a Jazz-Sixers game...what a fan!

And the love for the game continues to this day...