Life of a youth pastor .

Dream Car.

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vanagon_poptop

I love cars, and am fascinated by all the makes and models out there but the Volkswagon Westfalia Vanagon has a special place in my heart! After doing a short trip up the California coastline in college and seeing many of these, it was westy love at first site.

This thing is a road trip, camping machine! Probably not the best daily driver, but a great option for those with a sense of adventure. This vehicle sleeps four and comes with a stove, fridge and sink. The top pops up into a tent where two people sleep up top and two on bottom.

I’d love to get my hands on an oldie and restore it. As a matter of fact, I was super close to buying one of these but my dad had a mechanic look at it, the guy said it would need about 3k in repairs. Most of them these days are in need of repair, popularly some replace the engine with a Subaru engine.

Perhaps someday I can get my hands on  one and have a restoration project on my hands. Would love to do long weekend trips in the TX hill country in one of these things!

VW made a similar model called a Syncro, this one is 4 wheel drive but a very limited edition, pricey and almost impossible to get your hands on. I’d settle for just a plain Westy, they are very neat set ups.

The Road to Bandera.

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I knew that I was in for a busy first two weeks in Texas. Unpacking and planning out a mission trip lends to very long days along with meeting tons of new leaders and students. So, yes, I knew it would be this way going in, what did I do to prepare? I took the road to Bandera!

Before coming to Texas I coaxed my buddy Caleb in Chicago to join me for the Uhaul move and then join me for a motorcycle tour of central Texas. We both did a lot of riding together in Chicago and he had never been to Texas before. A good motorcycle ride is so refreshing and relaxing. I had a two day 500 mile loop planned out…unfortunately it was pouring rain the first day and we couldn’t get the bikes. So the second day we set out to conquer as much as we could…we ended up doing almost 400 miles in 24 hours.

We set out from Cowboy Harley of Austin each with a Harley and headed to San Antonio. We stopped in Gruene, TX for a coke and checked out the old dance hall. Our next stop was the Alamo, we did a quick tour and then had lunch on the riverwalk. We then proceed northwest out of San Antonio and took the road to Bandera. Our destination for the night was Garner State Park.

Bandera itself, claimed cowboy capital of the world is a pretty cool place to stop for BBQ or a quick fill up at the gas station, which I would highly recommend before entering the gauntlet to Garner. The road to and from Bandera itself is what I would consider a true beauty, I can’t wait to make the same time in the spring when all the wildflowers are in bloom.

Garner State Park is a gem and I can’t believe after all the years I have spent in Texas I had never been there until now. Located on the banks of the Frio River and underneath a picturesque canyon wall it makes a beautiful place to make camp after a long ride…I would recommend spring/winter/fall, the tent was a little warm in the middle of summer, but a morning swim in the Frio quickly made up for it!  Out of Bandera take 16 to 470 to 187 to 1050 – this will take you right to the park. While this was beautiful ride I hear that the best riding in the Hill Country is called the three sisters…three separate highways just a little bit farther west from the park. You can read more about them at this link… http://www.hillcountrycruising.com/

The next morning it was a mad dash for Fredericksburg, Johnson City and back to Austin. While we didn’t get to ride the entire loop I planned out I think we saw as much of the hill country as possible and I think Caleb was pleased. I’m excited to make this ride again, while in the trenches of ministry now it was a good trip to make getting my tank refueled for the busy weeks ahead.

Eat Blueberry Pancakes

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It’s not my first choice on the menu…pancakes. I’m more of an eggs and bacon kind of guy. I know my wife loves them and I do like the idea of creating them, I love cooking! This past weekend we decided to take a few days off to enjoy the great outdoors. We packed up the truck with all our camping gear and headed north to Devil’s Lake in Wisconsin. The park was quite full so we camped at a nearby campground Mirror Lake, it’s quite the gem. We spent most of our first day setting up camp, napping, talking around the campfire and praying together – there is just something about getting away from your every day schedule that allows you to think more clearly and put the life that God has given you in perspective.

We invited another couple to join us for the weekend. They are very close friends of ours and came up later that night after getting off work. It was a comfort and refreshing thing to spend an intentional weekend with another couple that re-energizes us and gave us all an opportunity to minister to one another.

After a long day of hiking and rock climbing the cliffs at Devil’s Lake we ended the evening with chili over the campfire. The next morning I put some coffee on and then proceeded to make some thick, fluffy, blueberry pancakes. I did have my eggs and bacon but also threw down a giant blueberry pancake! It was perhaps the best pancake I’ve ever had…and a new favorite.

The truth is, no matter if things are going great, life is a little crazy or you find yourself in tough situations I think the three following things can bring great joy to your life and family:

1.) GO CAMPING. Maybe you aren’t the happy camper…but do try to get away from everything – including that cell phone. Throw the normal schedule out the window for a couple of days…enjoy the adventure!

2.) TIME WITH FRIENDS. Great friends are priceless. Find them and keep them close – they can be your greatest boost of energy while serving in full-time ministry.

3.) EAT BLUEBERRY PANCAKES. More specifically, try something new whether it be a new food, a new exercise routine, or book series. You never know…you just might like it!

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