On to the gospel of John

After much discussion, we decided to dig into the gospel of John for our next book of the bible to discuss. (Chris was out sick, but he texted his vote in for John too!) There were many other contenders in the discussion, but in the end it came down to revisiting Proverbs--our inaugural study--and John.

We watched the Bible Project's overview of the gospel according to John--part 1 and part 2. As usual, these folks provided a great summary of the book and got us excited about the study.

Talkin' bout a Revolution - 1/8/2018

Tonight we started our tenth year as a men's bible study group - and kicked it off with an overview of the book of Amos. We started the session by checking out The Bible Project and specifically by watching the video on Amos. It was a great medium to understand a book of the bible in just a few minutes.

While driving home, Keith was listening to the Tracy Chapman song, Talkin' bout a Revolution, and was taken by the parallels of her song and what Amos was talkin' bout to Israel. 

Christmas Praises

On Tuesday, December 8 we had our traditional Christmas gathering at Keith and Amy's in NE Portland, and enjoyed a great meal with Swedish meatballs.

Wiseguys on December 8, 2015 at Keith and Amy Daellenbach's: Mike Bertuleit, Dan Payne, Rob Felton, John Gendron, Tobyn Bower, Chris Goforth, and Keith Daellenbach.

Following dinner, we moved to the living room for a photo, and to share prayer requests. Below are noted requests from the evening:

• Dan: Phone interview (12/9) for an inside sales position. Current work schedule - and knowing how/when to separate work from personal time; revenue considerations.
• Steve (in Alaska); Pray for is dad (John) who will undergo a triple-bi-pass surgery on 12/10; also pray for a 5 yr old child who just died in their village.
• Rob: Pray that Kim is able to make it until 12/31 for the c-section birth of their son; Kim has some apprehension about the c-section; Kim's mom will be out to help after the delivery, and Rob will take 6 weeks paternity leave (- pray for his time away from work). Also pray for the loss of jobs with the recent closure of the mill in Newberg.
• John: Pray for his family as they consider how to best manage cognitive challenges both his parents are facing. Would love a solution that honors both parents. Pray for wisdom and collaboration with siblings, and accepting hearts for all. 
• Sharron look for a new church home. 
• Chris: Mother-in-law just passed away; looking for a good care solution for his father-in-law in January; oldest son is failing in school - and is working through an agreement/contract with Chris to complete his high school degree. 15 yr old daughter is having mood/cognition issues - having testing. Chris has accepted current job as good for where he is right now - though feels lost in his spiritual journey; searching for a divine experience with God. Really wants to simplify his life. 
• Tobyn: Praises for answered prayer of recently being hired as a forklift operator where he's been temp'ing; may have opportunity to do customer service work with Apple after the first of the year; reconnecting with people (and dogs ;) after summer NPS ranger position at Yellowstone. Expecting some tough conversations with family in coming months. 
• Keith: Prayer of thanksgiving: Ted Young's health; Brody Stapleton lost father; Paster Randy: need of a (sense direction and re-connection in next chapter of life). 

Dining with Bees

We enjoyed another dinner fit for an army at Keith's in June...complete with a fire to keep the wild animals away. (Though a week later, a black bear was captured by ODFW in the neighborhood near Keith's!) 

We had a great time discussing summer plans for camping, backpacking, and other vacation thrills. Notably missing were Chris, Rob, and Tobyn.

Guys at the Beach

With lots of patients and endurance, Chris was able to facilitate a beach retreat for WiseGuys. We headed to Lincoln City, and enjoyed about 2 days (Fri night thru Sun morning) at a house about a block from the beach. Keith and Dan couldn't make it, but the others were there for rest and fellowship...oh yeah, and lots of food. It was almost as if Keith WAS there ;) 

Sunset @ beach access

Tobyn, John, Chris and Rob at beach access (Steve's taking photo)

Chris, John, Mike, and Rob near Cascade Head

Chris nearly pushing John off the cliff

 

Cascade Head. Looks like it would've been a nice view from the point, but we'll never know; thanks Rob!

WiseGuys: Mike, Steve, Chris, Rob, John, and Tobyn. Keith and Dan were sadly missing

Lincoln City for a WiseGuys' Get-Away!

Save the date...you're not going to want to miss this. October 25-27 (Friday - Sunday) is the Sporadically-Annual WiseGuys' Get-Away. This year, it's gonna be in Lincoln City (1332 NW 17th) - at a house Chris has rented a number of times before. The house is about 2 blocks from the beach, and has beds for

everyone - though bedding and towels are not provided, so please bring a sleeping bag or bedding and towels. We'll be guaranteed NOT to roll out with the tide like our last adventure ;)  The cost will be $150 for the group of us for the weekend...Chris will let us know the price per person once everyone has checked in with him. We can show up as early as 2 PM on Friday, and will need to check out by 2 PM on Sunday. 

Things we need to decide: 

• What do we want to do with this time? Chris is all excited about watching the Lincoln City Manatees (or whatever their local baseball team is called), but we want to do more than just sports. Let's start brainstorming. 
• How should we handle meals? While the easiest thing to do would be to fast, I'm not sure Keith would make it past snack time on Friday. Let's consider pairing up to provide and prepare meals. 

Okay...more details to come. 

Summer Seafood Soirée

July's WiseGuys' gathering was held right at the end of a hot spell we'd been having for the past week or so. But despite the heat, we ate outside for an evening of BBQ salmon, seared scallops, and mondo salad.

The evening was filled with lots of great time to get caught up on summer adventures—Keith had just returned from an 8-day Trains-Planes-and-Automobile backpacking/climbing trek in the North Cascades, Rob was hosting more Air B-n-B guests, Chris had just returned from a work conference—and before we knew it, we were finishing dessert at about 9:00. Rather than try to cram a gallon of bible study into a quart time slot, we instead talked about what we'd want to study for our next book after Romans, then prayed. 

It looks like the group would like a study that provides a platform to discuss relevant issues of our times. Though we discussed a study on Ecclesiastes, Acts, Genesis, and even Lamentations (...thanks Mike ;) , it looks like the group is honing in on a study of 1 Corinthians. With two more gatherings ahead to discuss Romans, we've got time to made a final decision in the next month or so.