You Know Justin

Trip "Up North" - October 10th-12th, 2008

2008-10-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

I took a Friday off from work so I could join my friend Josh on a trip up to Mackinaw City (and parts beyond). This time of year is apple cider season in Michigan. So, with that in mind...

We stopped at a place called 'Uncle John's Cider Mill'. We got a lot of good things to take north with us. Yes, including donuts. Yes, Josh really ate donuts that had been sitting on the dashboard. If you know Josh, this does not come as a surprise.

We stopped in Midland, MI on the way north, to pick up our friend, Matt. He joined us for our weekend of fun.

The sun setting over Lake Michigan.

Josh's Nissan Pathfinder. At this point, we were headed north on M-119, which is a beautiful scenic drive that runs right along Lake Michigan.

Josh trying his hand at skipping stones. He and Matt are far better at it than I am.

There I am, considering skipping a few rocks...

I think the most skips I got was four. A lot of them skipped zero times. Funny, you can't tell that from this picture.

"Oh no.. I needed that rock!"

This was an awesome sunset over Lake Michigan. This photo was edited, but I think the colors are pretty striking.

Here's a similiar shot with more 'natural' colors.

After this, we dropped our things off at Josh's parents place in Mackinaw City. As it turned out, some friends from Lansing were in the area, teaching a Revelation seminar this week. We got to attend parts of that when we weren't off exploring elsewhere. It was about as perfect a weekend as I could have asked for.

Leaving for the Upper Peninsula

2008-10-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, we left Mackinaw City for a visit to the Upper Peninsula. Being this far north, it was about the perfect time of year to witness all the leaves on the trees changing into their brilliant colors.

Josh and Matt, checking out the Mackinaw Bridge.

A closer view of the bridge that spans Michigan's two peninsulas.

You know, the sign says 'no parking', but those cars aren't moving. Maybe they were parked there, or maybe it's just a photograph. You decide.

Our first stop was Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Paradise, MI. It had been about 14 years since I had been here.

According to the Michigan DNR, it's important to know the difference between varieties of muskies.

These are the lower falls. There is a very useful walking path/deck that runs along side the river and finally a wood platform that lets you stand right next to the falls. It's a well executed design, I must say.

Upper Falls at Tahquamenon

2008-10-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

After visiting the Lower Falls, we drove a few miles to the taller, Upper Falls. According to the information provided to us, the Upper Falls are nearly 50 feet tall and more than 200 feet across. I enjoyed these a lot more than the Lower Falls.. as nice as they are.

Taken as proof that Josh has been to Tahquamenon Falls. See.. you can barely see the Photoshop lines!

These falls create a lot of mist when that water hits the river beneath it. You can definitely see the mist in some of these photos.

Wondering about the color in the river? Well, according to my sources, the amber color of the water is not rust nor is it muddiness. It is caused by tannin leached from the cedar, spruce and hemlock in the swamps drained by the river. So, there you go. It's also not caused by people pouring root beer into the river...

Not a good place to be hitch-hiking, Josh.

Here's the view you'd have if you decided to go over the falls in a barrel! (Minus the barrel, of course. Just use your imagination!)

Josh took these 2 photos of the trees. After this, we stopped at a place called 'the Fish House'. Can you guess what we had for lunch? Right! Sloppy Joes. Okay.. we had whitefish. It was pretty awesome.

Whitefish Point

2008-10-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

After visiting Tahquamenon Falls, we headed a little further north. We went to a shipwreck museum located at Whitefish Point, right on Lake Superior. A lot of shipwrecks have occurred near Whitefish Point. Most notably, the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975. I only had to hear that song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot about 3 times! Oddly enough.. I didn't take any pictures of the shipwreck museum. Okay, take my word for it. We were there.

Knowing that he'd be soon listening to that song on repeat, Josh wisely chooses to gain strength from Trail's Best Jumbo Steak, Teryaki edition.

That electric pole is pretty neat. The beautiful fall colors on the trees are okay, too.

We drove down this road, mere seconds after taking this photo!

The beautiful and COLD Lake Superior. It was pretty windy this day.

Matt and Josh tried skipping a few more stones. Lake Superior wasn't as kind to them as Lake Michigan was...

I like this one, even though it's crooked.

Here's the lighthouse you might expect to see at a place called Whitefish Point. It also has a fog horn, which we heard demonstrated multiple times. Yes, I'd say their fog horn is working well.

Headed south on the bridge...

We had a fun weekend up north. It was a bonus that we got to attend the Revelation seminar and study God's Word! Praise the Lord for a wonderful weekend in the Truth and with friends.

An evening with Phil Wickham 9-14-08

2008-09-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had the privilege of seeing one of my favorite Christian musicians in concert. His name is Phil Wickham and he's only 24 years old, but he's a fantastic songwriter and performer. The Lord has really blessed him and He is using him mightily for His glory. I strongly recommend his latest album (entitled 'Cannons'). You can also visit his website at www.philwickham.com and download a free, live album that he released on 8-8-2008.

The concert was in Grand Rapids, so my friends Josh, Karsten and I left in the afternoon, to meet my father at a mexican restaurant called Carlos O'Kellys. We had a nice dinner there before heading to the concert.

Me and my father, Steve.

Karsten and Steve.

Well.. you see.. Josh and I were feeling a little bored before the show started.. yyyeah.

Here's what the other camera saw. Aren't you glad?

Phil played for about 1 hour, 45 minutes. I was really excited for this show and Phil did not disappoint. He was able to seamlessly mix his own songs with old Christian hymns/standards. The music was definitely directed towards the Lord and Phil encouraged the audience to press in and praise God.

These pictures are pretty dark, but at least you get the idea.

There was a young lady who was painting this while Phil was playing his entire set. She was about 10 feet to the left of Phil. I could say what I think this picture is... but.. what do you think it is?

Josh and Steve.

Justin and Phil Wickham.

Josh, Phil and Karsten.

My trip to Alaska

2008-08-07T18:09:00.001-07:00

From June 28th-July 5th, I got to visit my good friends Quentin and Christina in Alaska! They live on Wrangell Island, in the very south of Alaska. This was my first time to visit Alaska. Hopefully it's not the last. It's a very beautiful place and I had a great time visiting my friends.

They really know how to pick street names in Wrangell.

We went on a walk right after I arrived. We took a path up a hill to a nice vantage point of the city.

The city is built around a natural harbor. Beyond that, you can see a recently built man-made harbor.

Quentin and Christina. My friends.

Cats!

2008-08-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

Quentin and Christina have 2 cats: Tigger and Shadow. They are a lot of fun to be around. They kept me laughing the whole week.

This is Tigger. He's definitely the more aggressive of the two.

Looking towards the catnip..

This is Shadow. I enjoyed her personality.

Shadow loves beef jerky.

Shadow protested my leaving by sitting on my suitcase.

More scenery

2008-08-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

This is kind of a signature view for Wrangell. It's the edge of an island next to Wrangell Island. It looks like a duck, don't you think?

It just barged in, out of nowhere.

Hiking up a mountain

2008-08-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon, Quentin and I headed out for a hiking excursion. We drove part way up a mountain, then unloaded our gear and started the climb. I was not in optimal shape, so it was a challenge, both physically and mentally. I had about 40lbs of weight on my back, as well. Quentin had even more than that, but he's in far better shape.

Quentin, mountaineer.

Some guy. (Alright.. it's me)

This was one of several streams we encountered as we hiked up. The snow at the top of the mountain was slowing melting, creating impromptu streams here and there.

Towards the top, the climb got really steep! This picture should give some idea. The ground was also slick in places, due to the snow run-off. God showed me a lot about the Christian walk while on this climb. If we focus on the whole mountain (our entire lifespan), it will overwhelm us. We must take one day, one step, one moment at a time, relying on the Lord in all things. Then we'll look back on our lives.. and say.. look what the Lord has done!

Time to relax...

Our kitchen. Quentin made spaghetti!

The one photo that Quentin can't take! (Unless he buys another tripod)

Can you guess what this is a picture of? (Answer at the bottom of this section)

Quentin and I camped out overnight, near the top of the mountain. This picture is after we've taken down the tent and had breakfast.

Quentin, 6 inches shorter.

This is the power line that feeds the entire island of Wrangell.

Answer: that's the screen on the side of the tent!

Picnic views

2008-08-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

There are all kinds of places to explore on Wrangell Island. On one stretch of road, there are several picnic areas, complete with picturesque views as far as the eye can see. (I imagine the views continue past where the eye can see - but you can't view them.. so.. nevermind) Disclaimer: Justin was not compensated by the Wrangell Board of Tourism(tm).

Disclaimer: Quentin and Christina were not compensated by Lay's Potato Chips(tm).

They are just naturally happy people in the Lord Jesus Christ :)

Softball

2008-08-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

Quentin is the captain of the softball team for the Forestry service. I had the pleasure of practicing with the team the day before this game.

Quentin, centerfielder.

Quentin, taking a hack.

Boat ride up the Stikine river

2008-08-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we went for a long boat ride. There were about 14 of us on the tour boat, I think. Right before I got on the boat, I couldn't get the Gilligan's Island theme song out of my head.. *shudder*

I love the reflection.

Quentin and Christina, discussing politics.

This was a neat little island. It had a lot tree trunks scattered around it. They floated to this point from further upstream. Quentin and Christina, on the other hand, got to the island by tour boat.

There's the tour boat we took. It had a lot of power and moved along pretty well once it got up to speed. It was still small enough to maneuver some very tight spots.

Quentin, taking a picture of his fingers. He already had enough pictures of beautiful Alaska, so he had to get creative.

Watermelon? No.. but close! Waterfallin'

This path led to a small building that had a hot tub inside it. The hot tub is fed by natural hot water that flows out of the ground in that area. I didn't get any pictures of that, because I was too busy being eaten alive by mosquitos.. Ahh.. good times.

This was a little bit off the main river. This section leads up to a glacier. As you can see, we met the ice head-on and couldn't proceed any further, as it was blocking the whole passage.

It got very cold being next to big blocks of ice, as you might guess by their shift in attire.

Biking

2008-08-07T16:13:00.000-07:00

I went bike riding a couple times with Quentin.

God's work.

Quentin. Berry forager.

Quentin spies something up in a tree. It's a...

Eagle! (You can actually see a 2nd one if you look closely)

I saw a lot of eagles during my week in Wrangell. It's a great blessing to have seen so many types of birds, over my travels to different places of the world. I've loved birds as long as I remember.

This was on bike ride #2. This road got a lot steeper shortly after this. Fortunately, Quentin let me turn around. (He's a nice guy.. usually)

A boy and his bike.

4th of July in Wrangell

2008-08-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

From what Quentin and Christina say, this little town doubles in population every year around the 4th of July.

Log rolling, anyone?

Careful... careful...

The log wins every time!

Quentin, photographer.

They don't look too confident..

*cough*

Downtown Wrangell

Ah.. the egg toss.

Just before EVERY toss, a lady on a loudspeaker would say, "Toss your egg NOW!". I've still got that burned into my brain.

Quentin roped me into doing the egg toss. What was the result? Well, I didn't get egg on my face. That said, does anyone know how to get egg stains out of blue jeans?

After these festivities, I spent the rest of the day with Quentin and Christina at a friend's house.

The next day I started my journey back to Michigan. I thoroughly enjoyed my time visiting Alaska and my dear friends.

Wall coverings

2008-08-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry, it's been a while since I updated this place. It can be time consuming to prepare photos, especially when there are hundreds to get ready! Maybe if I'll stop taking vacations, I'll have fewer pictures to post and then I'll post more often. Nah.

This is a oil painting on canvas that I bought at a market in Freetown, Sierra Leone. I love the black and white tones. This one is in my living room.

This is a map of Sierra Leone that I bought in ... Sierra Leone. In the bottom right corner is a 1000 Leone note. This one is also in my living room area.

Here we have a cloth map of Sierra Leone. I bought this one in Little Rock, Arkansas! No, not really. This is in my bedroom.

This is a map of Beaver Island. Where is Beaver Island? It's at the top of Lake Michigan. It's a 2 hour ferry ride from Charlevoix. I visited it last summer with my friend, Josh.

Big shoes to fill...

2008-06-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

Little Titus wearing my size 11 shoes. What a funny guy.

Golfing with Brandon Smith

2008-06-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 17th I payed a visit to my friend Brandon in Grand Rapids, MI. We ended up going golfing with a couple guys he knows from a Bible study. We had to drive north about 30 minutes to a place called Grant, MI.

Normally it's *really bad* to take a picture when someone is in the middle of their golf swing... just so you know. Brandon said he didn't hear me take this one, thankfully.

This hole was layed out very beautifully. It's a little peninsula surrounded by a moat.

This was only the 3rd time I've ever done the "real" golfing. Naturally, I did pretty bad. It was balanced out by being with my friend and seeing natural beauty like this sky. I appreciate the wonderful things the Lord has provided for us!

An evening with Superhero

2008-06-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

My dad invited me to go with him to see a band called Superhero on Friday night, May 16th. I had never heard of the band before my dad told me about them, but I decided to go anyway. We drove up to the Grand Rapids, MI area to a church where they were playing.

The fool says in his heart, "there is no God..." (Psalm 14:1)

My father Steve (L) and his friend Mark (R).

The band that opened is called Annagail. They did a pretty nice job.

Superhero is from Scotland, UK. Their musical style is definitely rock n' roll. They have a fairly "heavy" sound, but with a strong emphasis on melody.

They performed well as a band, with each member doing his part well. (Just like it is in the Body of Christ)

The drummer has one serious afro.

They definitely have a lot of fun in their playing. The bassist was bouncing around the whole set.

Since this concert, I've downloaded some of their songs off itunes. Their music is definitely growing on me. The lyrics are generally really good and Scriptural. My current favorite song is "Is This the End of Everything?". One part of it says, "all you've got to do ... is live each day as if it were your last...". They also played some newer songs that will be on their upcoming album. I look forward to its release.

Headed to Freetown, Sierra Leone...

2008-05-25T20:14:00.001-07:00

Rick Jackowski and I left for Africa on Friday, April 18th. We went for the sole purpose of teaching in a Bible school for 2 weeks. We flew from Detroit to Chicago to London to Freetown. It was about a 24 hour trip, start to finish. These 3 pictures were taken in Detroit, while we were waiting to board our flight to Chicago.

Teaching the Word of God

2008-05-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

I put these teaching photos near the top, because this is why Rick and I came to Sierra Leone. It was not to sight-see. It was to teach the Bible, the Word of God to those who needed to hear. 3 series had already been taught by 3 teams that went in prior to Rick and me arriving. We taught a series called "The Advanced Work of the Cross", which mainly focuses on what the Bible says about sin. The Word of God says that ALL sin is without excuse (Romans 1:18-20). Jesus Christ came to deliver us from sin! Not only did He die that our sins could be forgiven and removed from the conscience, but He died to empower us to live free from sin! Praise the Lord, Christ accomplished this. Of course, as sin is a choice, so is overcoming sin. Preaching/teaching what the Bible says on sin is not a popular message in a world that loves to sin. However, only the Truth will set people free.. and God must be glorifed.. therefore, the Truth on sin must be shared, in love.

Rick and I split up the teaching about 50/50. We taught a morning class from 9:30am-12:30pm and then an evening class from 6:30pm-9:30pm. Faith Tech purchased a generator to use to provide light for the evening class.

Rick teaching the morning class.

Justin teaching the morning class.

A drawing based on Galatians 4:21-31. The Lord was gracious to give me several new drawings to present to the students.

Morning class students. Most of them were very faithful to attend every day, Monday-Friday, for 2 weeks.

Joseph and Justin

The last day of morning class.

Rick teaching evening class.

Justin teaching the evening class.

"the law having a shadow of good things to come..."

Half of the evening class.

The other half.

Some evening class students, before class started.

Our dwelling place

2008-05-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

We stayed at the National Stadium Hostel. It's the building in the center of the picture. Behind it, you can see part of the National Stadium. In the foreground, is a cemetary. The tallest hill on the left is where I took some other photos that show up later on...

This is one of the gates into the hostel. It's moderately secure. The best thing about staying in a government run hostel is that the power was on about 98% of the time! Nothing to take for granted in Africa..

This was our room. We opened up the mosquito nets and put them over the beds while we slept. Next to the air conditioner is our stash of bottled water.

Taking the ferry

2008-05-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

The airport is not actually located in Freetown. It's on the other side of a bay, which requires taking a ferry across. Since the ferry schedule is generally unreliable, this can be quite an adventure. When Rick and I arrived, we actually missed the last ferry and had to wait until the morning for the next one.

After 45 minutes on a ferry, they rapidly exited the craft.

Mango tree

A boating we shall go...

2008-05-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

Boats, anyone? It's a-boat time.... for boats. (I really shouldn't write late at night. I'm sure you agree!)

How to make friends with lizards

2008-05-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

One day Rick and I were having lunch outside, and we made a new friend. You too can influence lizards (for wealth and power, of course) - in 5 easy steps.

He doesn't seem too interested at first.. but..

Everyone knows the way to a lizard's heart is through his stomach. Fortunately, a lizard has a small stomach. So, this incurs only a minimal expense to you, the lizard appreciator. In this picture, we have set the trap with some rice...

He's definitely considering our offering...

I never knew lizards could chew rice. The things one learns overseas.

By this time, Rick and I trained Mr. Lizard to not only be our friend, but also to balance rice on his nose, on command. There you have it, folks.

Soccer (aka Football)

2008-05-25T18:49:00.001-07:00

Sometimes we would arrive to evening class to find a game of soccer in progress. Africa is a lot of things, but it's sure not quiet. Ever!

At the beach

2008-05-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

Our taxi driver knew of this secluded beach on the Atlantic ocean, so Rick and I decided to check it out. We went on the weekend when there weren't any classes going on. It took close to 2 hours to get there, but it was well worth it. As beautiful as these pictures are, they don't do it justice.

One of my favorite pictures for the whole trip.

Another favorite...

It shall never flop again...

This road was way nicer than the roads in Lansing.

What's the matter, something got your goat? No, it's safely fastened to the roof of my vehicle, thank you.

Flowers

2008-05-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Way up there

2008-05-25T18:00:00.001-07:00

We took a ride up to perhaps the tallest point in Freetown.

Kids love the camera..

2008-05-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

These kids saw me taking a photo of something and then all of a sudden, I was surrounded! One of these little guys was hugging me before I took this. It was really cute and blessed my heart.

This was just outside of the hostel, still inside the National Stadium complex. All the kids wear uniforms, the color based on what school they attend.

Signs around town

2008-05-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

Ernest Bai Koroma was elected as Sierra Leone's president last year. He will serve a 5 year term, then be up for re-election. A caption on the picture says "Chosen by God, loved by the people". The 2nd part might be debateable, but I made mention to this sign when I was teaching from Romans 13:1-6 in class. "The powers that be are ordained of God".

We passed this building/sign every night when we walked to evening class.

Tell them Rick and Justin sent you. (If you want them to say "WHO?")

If you are going to consume MSG, it may as well be pure. Our arsenic.. er.. MSG.. is made with only the purest poisons.. er.. ingredients.. yeah..

There is a large Muslim population in Sierra Leone.

I *think* this is cough syrup...

An unscheduled delay..

2008-05-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

Rick and I were scheduled to leave the Lungi International Airport at 12:35am, Sunday May 4th. Unfortunately, our airline changed the day of our flight. We didn't find out until we arrived at the airport. Well, the Lord delivered us as only He can! Here's some of what happened while we waited for the next flight, which was 2:00am on Monday May 5th:

1. Our airline gave us both seats in Business Class - a free upgrade. We sat in the seats next to the door, so we had more leg room than we knew what to do with.

2. The airline manager helped us get a discount at the nicest hotel around, the Lungi Airport hotel.

3. Our taxi driver stayed with us at the airport until the details of our flight were worked out. He was then able to drive us to the hotel.

4. This room had *very cool* air conditioning. I was so tired, that I slept from 9pm-8am. 11 hours of sleep!

5. The airline's flight staff stayed at this same hotel. We met the pilot, stewardesses and another airline representative. They were all exceedingly helpful to us and went out of their way to be kind to us.

6. This hotel had free internet in the lobby, so I was able to send some needed emails.

7. Free continental breakfast!

8. A group of missionaries from Oklahoma stayed in the hotel, as they were also delayed by the flight change. They were in the country to drill some water wells for the local people in need. The Lord used these men to bless us mightily. Among other things, they let us keep our bags in their room after Rick and I checked out (we still had another 9 hours before we could leave for the airport). We hung out in their room for a few hours, basking in the cool air conditioning. They insisted on buying lunch for Rick and myself. It was an awesome 3 course lunch. They gave us a ride to the airport when it was time for us to leave. Praise the Lord!

When in Freetown, Faith Tech staff stays at the luxurious Lungi Airport hotel. (yeah, right!)

They had a nice bed. That was the main thing I enjoyed!

Grand Rapids visit with the Brandon Smiths

2008-04-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

After visiting Hastings (see below), I then drove to Grand Rapids to spend the rest of Friday night and most of Saturday with Brandon, Rebekah, Titus and Leah Smith, my good friends in the Lord. It's always a joy to spend time with them.

I love the following 4 picture sequence of Brandon (loving father) and Leah (innocent little daughter)!:

Leah has more hair since the last time I saw her. It's pretty cute how it's sticking out on the sides.

Wow, Titus is talking a lot more and with better understanding, each time I see him. It's pretty fascinating how children grow and learn at such an amazing rate!

Titus was so excited for the bacon and french toast breakfast, that he buckled himself into his booster seat, haha.

Leah is getting pretty mobile and crawling all over the place! She can even stand if she pulls herself up on something. It won't be long and she'll be walking. (Special cameo by Titus' feet)

Basketball time

2008-04-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I like to play basketball when we get a chance (and the weather allows!). Today was awesomely nice, as it was about 60 degrees and the sun was shining. I hadn't played basketball in months, so I was rather out of shape. It was still fun!

While I was waiting for Brandon to come outside, I took a picture of the decal on the back of their new van!

Brandon doesn't mess around when it comes to basketball. Mothers.. you may wish to hide your young children.

The basket leaves a little to be desired, yeah. It just adds to the challenge of the game...

From waaaaaay downtown...

The school we played at is right next to a church. There are 3 distinct layers of depth to this photo, which makes for a neat image (brick, tree, steeple).

Wrapping up and headed home...

2008-04-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

Leah wondering why her father is eating her baby food...

Hi there!

I then went thatta way ----->

My Friday night visit to Hastings

2008-04-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

I was blessed to be able to spend part of my Friday evening in Hastings with my parents and my grandma. We went out to eat at my favorite Hastings restaurant - The Mexican Connection. I grew up in Hastings, so I've eaten there dozens of times in my life. I've never had a bad meal there in all my many years of eating there. When in Hastings, Michigan (and that applies to about 0% of you, haha!), eat at The Mexican Connection! Tell them Justin sent you - if you want to be met by blank stares and confused faces.

I hadn't been to Hastings since Christmas, so it was good to see everyone. I'm headed to Sierra Leone, West Africa in a couple weeks, so it was especially nice to visit before that trip!

The car the Lord provided for me

2008-03-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

It's been about 2 months since a girl at work felt led of the Lord to give me her used car (she had just gotten a newer one). I'm so thankful for what God did for me. This is a 1992 Saturn, and a blessing to my heart. See Phillipians 4:19 and Hebrews 6:12.

Practicing Guitar with Mike Reed

2008-02-24T18:44:00.000-08:00

Ok.. time to settle in for "the guitar story". Wait! Don't run... I'll keep it short.

When I was young, my mom forced me to take piano lessons (as every good mom should...), but I didn't enjoy it that much and I quit as soon as she'd let me. Fast forward to a few years ago when I was living in North Carolina. I decided I wanted to play guitar, so I bought one and took lessons for about 6 months. I slowly improved, but I didn't practice as much as I should have.

I moved back to Michigan and I ended up selling my original guitar in January 2006 (I thought it was a distraction from focusing on serving God..) For about 2 years after that, oftentimes I'd be visiting someone who had a guitar, and I'd pick it up and play a bit. After a while.. I really started thinking "hey.. I miss doing this".

So... this past Christmas I asked my parents to get me another guitar for Christmas (pretty close to the same model I originally had, a Washburn acoustic). Being the nice parents they are, they were happy to oblige. It's been about 2 months since then and I've been pretty dedicated to practicing about 5-6 days a week for between 30 minutes to 1 hour a day.

This time, I really want to use the guitar as a means of glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ! That's my motivation and that makes it much easier to dedicate myself to practice. I've been seeing steady improvement, glory to God! I'm thankful for my friend and brother in the Lord, Mike Reed. He's been playing guitar for many years and he's an excellent worship leader. He's been helping me learn how to play. This is the 3rd time I've been over to his house to practice with him. It's my hope that a few more months down the line, I'll be good enough to contribute to praise and worship in a group setting.

Smiling for the camera before we get down to business...

I think we were playing through "Here I Am To Worship" by Tim Hughes when this picture was taken. (Yes.. I always look that serious when I'm playing A major..)

Visiting with the (Brandon) Smiths

2008-02-18T17:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally decided to join the 21st century by investing in a digital camera. I got a refurbished Fuji Finepix F10 for an excellent price. I've been reading my friend's blogspots for months now.. so I figured it was time to start sharing. I love taking photos, so I hope to update this place quite often...

Yesterday I was blessed to visit with the Brandon Smith family, my good friends. I hadn't seen them in about 2 months. They live in Grand Rapids, but they were visiting Rebekah's parents (Mike and Linda Reed) over here in Lansing. These pictures were taken at the Reed's after church.

Justin's cellphone turns into hours of daddy-daughter bonding time!

It's so precious to watch babies learn...

Grandpa Mike, playing guitar (Titus') for Titus.

Rebekah was taking Leah's photo, so I thought it a good time to "steal" a picture. Leah is 8 months old! She's a sweet, happy little girl (as you can see).

Brandon, Titus, Rebekah, Leah and Justin (L-R)