This pdx life

If you're looking for a blog with a theme, this isn't it. I plan on writing about whatever is going on and seems to be filling my "brain time". Could be anything from Hiking to Theology to Baking to Beer. We'll never know...

[tomritz]

Rock of Ages Arch at Sunrise. I didn't get out of the house as early as I was hoping, getting me to Horsetail Falls Trailhead about 30 minutes later than planned. 😔 So, I hiked/ran/scrambled up one of THE steepest 'trails' (est. 800 elv. gain in about 3/4 mi.) in about 20 minutes. Literally made myself sick to the stomach, but it was worth it! Just caught the closing act, but it was magnificent. #ExploreTheGorge! (at Devil's Backbone, Rock of Ages Trail)

[tomritz]

Munra Point

The past two weeks have been winter break for us and we have been doing our best to take advantage of our time!  My wife, Desiraé really wanted to get out and explore some new spots, so that's exactly what we did.

Wednesday night we were looking for somewhere in the Columbia River Gorge to adventure to.  We have done a few of the classic hikes here, so we were on the hunt for something a little less known and maybe a little less "user friendly".  We found exactly what we were looking for in the route that brought us to the top of Munra Point. 

I can't exactly recall how I came about it, one thing lead to another, but eventually landed here : Munra Point from Wahclella Hike.  This is a great wee website with plenty of resources to get you out there and detailed enough direction and descriptions to get you there and back safely; so I won't being doing much "turn by turn" talk here, but I do want to write about our experience!

We started our day on Thursday a bit early because I had to work for 2:45 that afternoon and we wanted plenty of time for any extra exploring that may occur.  After a short 40 minute drive under a sky that seemed on fire from the sunrise, we parked at the parking lot for Wahclella Falls Trailhead, but instead of heading south into the canyon to find the falls, we followed the road back out and hooked up with the Historic Columbia River Highway and shortly took a sharp left onto a single track climbing the ridge.  It was steep, but I was quick to remind Des that this incline was nothing compared to what was awaiting us in a about a mile or so...

After a quick climb the trail leveled out and after catching our breath we were able to get into some good discussion about things we had been thinking about and wanting to do in the coming year, even if we did have to talk over the the noise of Interstate 84.  : / If you're doing this hike solo, which I wouldn't advise unless you're an experienced and confident hiker, bring some earbuds to drown out the hum of tires and engines. 

As the description reads, the trail to Munra Point really starts just before reaching Moffett Creek.  Don't even start to go down hill, the trail heads south and straight up the ridge just before the land drops towards the crick.  (Also, the website doesn't mention this, but there's another little trail that breaks off from the main trail south before you get close to Moffett Creek, I have no idea where that goes so don't be confused by it.  Wait until you can just barely see the Moffett Creek bridge before heading south and ascending.)

This is where we got excited.  We started walking away from the noise of the freeway and climbing into the adventure of what seemed like Middle Earth! I just love the Gorge! We were lucky the last few months have been unusually dry, much loose rock and soft soil stared down at us from above as we navigated switchback after switchback.  As the webpage mentions, once you notice a large rock formation to your left is where the trail really gets steep and also where the trail can become somewhat difficult to follow.  Too many irresponsible people have tried to take short cuts to avoid the length on the switchbacks causing massive amounts of unnatural erosion.  This is a pet peeve I have.  In a context where you'd think people would take the proper actions to preserve that which they are experiencing, you find the hill side stripped bare in parts where lush moss, prickly Oregon Grape and strong Sword Ferns used to thrive.  I plead with you, be responsible when experiencing creation, humble yourself and take the low road every time. 

We took our time through here not wanting to exhaust ourselves.  There was more climbing to come and even more after that.  This is a hike for those who consider themselves "in shape" and round is not a shape when considering this hike. 

Also, if you're afraid of heights, this trek will be challenging for you.  The last third has an ample amount of exposure, weakening any sense of security, but it makes for fantastic views! There is a point after climbing where you'll notice a small single track that shoots off to the left.  Take it! It's a little side trail with big views; your first real views of the Gorge.  Creep out onto the narrow outcrop for some stomach turning drops on either side of you and take in the majesty of Portland's backyard.  On a clear day, you might be able to see Mt. Adams from here.  You'll for sure see Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mountain straight across the river. 

Take a quick breather and keep on ascending!  We soon found ourselves winding through groves of some kind of dwarf oak growing on almost vertical steeps. All the leaves had fallen and the branches were covered in "old man's beard" leaving the trees looking like they were reaching for the sky with hairy arms and extremely skinny fingers.  It was magical. Really, it was. 

There's a couple spots were knowing a thing or two about rock climbing is helpful making the trail unfriendly to those with paws and those with tiny legs (children).  If you're looking for a family outing, this isn't it. 

Soon enough the trail raises you above the tree line and it's all views from here to the top!  We were on cloud nine!  There was a point where Desiraé started to sing and dance she was so happy.  Our adrenaline was   p u m p i n g! Despite our throbbing quads, our pace quickened as our excitement rose. 

Shortly-there-after we came upon the prize : a trinity of volcanic majesty! Due to this unique lava formation, it was a 360 degree view across the Columbia River Gorge and into the foothills to the south.  EPIC! We first explored the ridgeline reaching south and looked back to Munra, making our way around it and following the ridgeline to the northwest(isbest!) and then back to the summit.  The website advises against climbing to the top, but it's very doable if you approach from the southeast side.  We ate lunch up there and dreamed of things to come.  

The descent wears the knees down, but it can be done in about half the time the ascent takes.  All in all, we love this hike and plan on doing it again in spring and again in late summer!  STOKED!

[tomritz]

Twenty Fourteen, will be a year of beginnings. 

For instance, on January Fourteen I will be in the classroom again for the first time since May 2009.  Freaky deaky, I know! I will be in pursuit of a Masters in Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling and my beautiful wife will be joining me in the fall.  Through this experience I am learning that our past choices and actions do indeed have an affect on our coming future and now, my very present.  You see, school has been a challenge for me from the beginning.  Case in point, I attended about four different preschools back when I was a wee lad not because my parents didn't like the program or whatever, but because I couldn't sit still for more than like seven seconds and apparently I liked to hit people.  I don't hit as many people anymore, but my attention span is still stunted and I find my relationships with my friends and family to be of a much higher value than my studies.  So when the choice between doing homework or getting a pie at Laventina's and hanging out with my best friends on the beach, I chose the latter.  Every time. 

All that to say that I'm now having to jump through a few extras hoops to even be considered to be accepted into the Graduate program at George Fox.  For example : I have to take two courses as a "special student" (dear, Mr. Fox, for flip sake, change the name from 'special student to something less degrading!) without being able to take out a student loan, having to pay up front out of pocket without the guarantee of being accepted as a 'real student' come fall.  Money, stress and shame all wrapped up into one intimidating package of uncertainty.  Yay!

However, things are different now, at least that's what I'm trying to believe.  You see, when I started my undergrad work, I came into it knowing exactly what I wanted to be when I was finished.  I wanted to be the best youth pastor there ever was, or at least better than the ones I had growing up.  Not that they were bad, they were good, but none of them lasted very long.  Over the next few years, God stripped away all the presuppositions I had about ministry and my role in it.  By the time I finished under grad, whist my friends were securing jobs as worships leaders and youth pastors, I got two part time jobs as a barista and a server.  What I now see as a gift, I had no idea what I wanted to do.

Fast forward few years after hitchhiking cross country and falling in love with a very dear friend and getting married to that dear friend; to the moment where my wife and I were preparing our little four foot by four foot garden box behind our cute little cottage in SE Portland.  We were amending the soil and plucking out all the weeds.  With dirt under our fingernails, we started talking about our dreams.  I started putting a voice to things that had been silently peculating in the depths of my being.  Thoughts and desires that had never seen the light of day were being dug up from safety of my heart and exposed to the vulnerability of being known.  Not just known now by my wife, but now known by me!  And I don't say this lightly, by the grace of God, our dreams were in alignment.  She had been dreaming the same dreams as I and I her.  It was a moment of marital congruency that I fear too few people experience and from then on, we had a new found trajectory.  

Starting class on January Fourteen, will be the first tangible step in achieving that dream...

[tomritz]

Today is this year's darkest day. Reminds me that sometimes we find ourselves in what the mystics revered as 'the dark night of the soul'. A season of life where God feels distant and nothing seems to be happening for the better. These seasons are difficult, but what is more difficult is showing gratitude in its midst. God uses these times to do work in us that we are completely unawares of because if we knew what he was up to, we'd most likely sabotage it. If you're there now, hold fast. For the light you will soon experience will be like no light you've experienced before. Happy Solstice. #madewithfaded

[tomritz]

We've replaced incarnation with communication; thinking that sending a text, a direct message or a tweet is 'good enough' or 'all that we can do'. God sent his law and his prophets, but at a certain point in history, he sent his Son; God Incarnate to dwell among us, to be present to us. He 'pitched his tent' to be with his hurting and lost creation. We are not called to simply communicate with the 'orphan and the widow' we are called to intentionally be incarnate; abandoning all distractions to be present to those Christ loves.

[tomritz]

Friday morning's sunrise lighting up the summit of the majestic Mount Jefferson. Warning, there's a story 👇 It was approximately 9:17pm when we reached the point where forest road 4220 crosses the Pacific Crest Trail. We had all worked that day so a late start was inevitable. We cinched up our boots (or Chacos if you're Nathan) and strapped on our backpacks. We had about five miles ahead of us on the PCT to reach Russel Lake. None of us had been there before and with our head lamps only allowing us to see what was directly in front of us, there were many moments of doubt and fatigue. We found out the next day that one can see Mt. J and Russel Lake from miles away and find encouragement and strength in that, but it was dark; it destination was hidden from us. After following some mountain intuition, we finally bedded down at about 1am and had no idea what to expect the morning; we had no idea of the majesty we were so close to. I slept abnormally poor that night I think because of the anticipation to know the unknown. As soon as my eyes could detect light I poked my head out my tent, leaned out on my elbow and was awestruck. I waited for golden hour to begin before venturing out of my toasty mummy bag and spent the next wee while trying to fit this glory into little boxes on my phone and Nikon D80. Although this photo is one of my favorites from the trek, it speaks only of a portion of the beauty that was to be experienced. Sometimes that's all we can do, because sometimes, nay, most-times the vast beauty of glory leaves us speechless. (at Russel Lake, Jefferson Park)

[tomritz]

[tomritz]

Hood to Helens

[tomritz]

@desritz and I are reading Gerald May's 'The Dark Night of the Soul' in preparation for a spiritual retreat we are attending at the end of this month. May is a talented writer and he brings a fresh perspective on St. John of the Cross and Teresa of Ávila as well as a new lens into what The Dark Night really is. I found the above quote so timely because it contradicts what we are sold to be truth here in the US and elsewhere. It seems like we have been taught from birth that with accumulation comes freedom. Even in our churches we are encouraged to gain much knowledge of God and create habitual spiritual practices and that prayer should look a certain way. May would argue that sometimes liberation feels like a loss of everything we trust as our spirituality and a loss of beliefs and practices we have unintentionally made into idols. He writes, "One learns experientially what John and Teresa continually affirm: no words, not even the divine names, can ever adequately portray the Reality." Let us, somehow, embrace the obscurity.

[tomritz]

"Is this like slacklining, Tom?" Meet Carlos. Sometimes God brings people into your life that when you first meet them, you don't think twice about it. Sometimes you look back on a friendship and think, "wow, if I didn't happened to have randomly been assigned to be a roommate with this guy's brother-in-law, the last seven.5 years would have looked very different." Right, my thoughts exactly. Carlos and I have braved many journeys together. Ones full of fear and trembling and ones of joy and triumph; mostly all of those intertwined. We've encountered crashing waves at Giant's Causeway and breaking hearts at Auschwitz II, Birkenau. We've worked alongside each other putting on chapels for our university and years later (after one too many glasses of wine) came up with a business plan drawn out with crayon at Macaroni Grill. There's no one else who I share more inside jokes or awkward moments with. Carlos brings extreme amounts of laughter and peace to my life as well as wisdom and adventure. We both grew up as the only child in the home and consider ourselves very blessed to have found such a brother. If you have someone in your life like this, make sure they know who they are to you and make sure you know it too. 🍻 to you, @padredeshalome #storyportrait (at Helvetia Tavern)

[tomritz]

This photo was taken at the beginning of this year and I've been waiting to share it. On your right, you'll see me and on the left, you'll see @noahjenks. Noah is one of my bests. A brother not by blood, but by spirit. Noah's wife, Katie who is also a dear, dear friend was diagnosed with cancer in 2011. It was hard won, but just recently had been declared cancer free for 1 year!!! 🎉 However, because of the dangers of cancer coming back, her doctors advised against starting a family until she was at least one year free. Too long. So, last August they started the process of adopting domestically. About 2 months ago, while hanging out w @allister14 and her hubby Kiel, I got a call asking if we were ready to be aunts and uncles! The due date was only 3 weeks away!! I kept in close contact w Noah, especially when the due date was surpassed by almost 2 weeks! 😬 I got a call about three weeks ago from Noah exclaiming they were on their way to meet their new born baby girl. On March 29, 2013, Eliana Marie Jenks took her first breath of air!!! And what a beauty she is. @desritz and I are figuring out when we can come visit in the very near future. They live about 680 miles away, but we like road trips. 🚙💨 (If you read this whole post, pound it. 👊) #storyportrait (at Cathedral Park)

[tomritz]

Last night I taught from Acts 16:16-40. It's the story of Paul in Philippi. He's on his way to pray with friends when his day is interrupted by a spirit-processed slave girl. He casts out the demon and then is beaten and imprisoned. Then he was freed by an earthquake, but refused that freedom and in turn converted the first Gentiles (the jailor and his family) of Philippi to The Way. Through and through, Paul was open to the leading of the Holy Spirit in every situation. He was living what @bobgoff describes as a 'Palms Up' kind of life. This kind of life is living in tune to how the Holy Spirit might use any and every situation that happens in our life for the establishment of the Kingdom. God did not cause any of the events recorded in this passage, but because Paul was who he was, God was able to do great things through him. God did not cause the tragedy in Boston today, but if the church is listening, is tuned in to the workings of Christ, He will use us to help heal what is broken. #prayforboston

[tomritz]

Driving through the valley and I took some time to remember a fellow Ragamuffin who has now been made complete. Brennan Manning's impact on this world was soft, but deep. Grateful for the few memories I have spending time with him. Growing up the suggestion that we should fear the LORD never made sense to me until Brennan explained it like this, "Fear of the LORD is silent wonder, radical amazement and affectionate awe at the infinite goodness of God." Thank you for your words and your heart. You will be missed. Sail ever onward. (at Fir Crest Cemetary)

[tomritz]

You can either reflect the light or stand in its way. #choices (at waterfront walk)

[tomritz]

My second entry for @zackwilson_'s #hopestagrams contest. It was simple in the end, but it took me a good while figure out how to create this image using just the apps I already had. #afterglowapp #diptic and #typesetter I've got to invite three fellow Grammers to be entered so I choose to invite @scromelin @jordanlamb @clarissalhughes to the game to see what they can create. Check out @zachschutt's feed for rules or go to #rulesofhopestagrams. Spread the Hope.

[tomritz]

Nothing fancy, but gotta love that SPEED! As in going fast. Not the drug.

[tomritz]

BOND•AGE - noun 1. slavery or involuntary servitude; serfdom. 2. the state of being bound by or subjected to some external power or control. 3. the state or practice of being physically restrained, as by being tied up, chained, or put in handcuffs. 4. Early Eng. Law. personal subjection to the control of a superior; villeinage. (dictionary.com) The image of bondage is a strong one. My wife and I recently saw Denzel Washington's newest film, 'Flight'. In it, he plays a pilot for a major airline who boasts a straight edge façade, but his real life is consumed by heavy drugs and even heavier drinking. He's a hard time alcoholic, but is too proud to admit it. The film really shows what some people deal with not just on a day to day basis, but with alcoholism, life is moment by moment. Anything and everything is a trigger for him pop open one more bottle. Some people would see that Denzel's character is bound to booze and he is, but what the film eventually reveals is that it's not the alcohol that straps him to his addiction, it's his platform of lies he continuously tries to perform from. He can't stand to live with himself; that's bondage at its worst. In Galatians 4:3-7 the author paints us a glimpse of what bondage looks like, but also the freedom, the son-ship that is available to us. Through Christ we are no longer bound under weight of the 'world', but instead are redeemed from the oppression of the law. We are no longer slaves that work for no gain, but are adopted as children and an heir to God at no cost to us. That last part always gets me. I've got to think about it. Because it does cost is something; living a life that uncovers hidden pieces of the Kingdom can cost us very deeply. It can cost us our lives and I'm not just talking about martyrdom; when year after year, day after day, moment after moment you let yourself fall into bondage, when it's the only life you know, giving it up for something that is yet to be seen is an extreme act of faith. You see, when you are addicted to something, it becomes a part of you, your flesh becomes welded to that substance, action, emotion or whatever. When you choose to accept the freedom that is offered to you, you will loose what has become apart of you along with some of your flesh; it will leave open wounds. But this time, your open wounds will have time and space to heal and will become scars. Scars are ugly. I can see one now as I type that was left by a very open wound on my left hand between my thumb and my index finger. But we learn from our scars. Now I know not to try and split open a cocoanut with a tiny Swiss Army knife. Scars are constant reminders of our past and when revered with respect can be cause for deep motivation to keep growing and keep striving for the Light. In reflection, take just a moment to ask yourself what you are bound to or bound by. Don't expect an instant response, but let the question rest if need be. Maybe a few days from now you'll hear the Spirit whisper lovingly to your soul, "This is it, this right here, this is your bondage. And here in this moment, is your chance to choose freedom over slavery. Take my hand and I'll lead you home; I'm right by your side."