Just Read: Love and Respect, The Art of Manliness, The Purity Principle, Mosaic, and devotional book roundup

En route to surfing in Australia (I hope!)  Originally written in the jungles of Guatemala and during our Oregon Coast surfing trip last month, this entry should have been posted in February.

Instagram Story Pic: My new Kindle Paperwhite e-reader—A welcome break from the eyestrain of book marathons on my phone and tablet screens

With yet another youth all-night party on the books (I was asked to be the speaker!), I’m ready to begin my devotional reading plan for 2017. I’ll be reading through God’s Justice Bible this year, as well various novels and the required reading assignments for my credentialing process. That credentialing book list is a doozy!

For a fun change of pace, I’ll also begin reading the Harry Potter book series this summer. My Twitter friends have finally convinced me to take the plunge.  Better late than never, no?

The book reviews below will also be featured on my Goodreads page soon.

The Purity Principle

By Randy Alcorn

Note: This is the first ever book I’ve read on my new Kindle Paperwhite! I’m trying to cut down on how many Kindle books I read on my Galaxy Note phone and S2 tablet. The less LED screen time, the better.

This small book was a reread for me, required as part of my Church of God credentialing process. I’m glad I revisited it. I expected to be clubbed over the head with guilt and shame for every stray thought… But The Purity Principle feels less like a book of legalistic rules and more like practical encouragement to foster thought patterns which result in a satisfied life of monogamy. Alcorn fits a lot of practical advice into such few pages, and every single page is worth reading.

Verdict: ***** out of 5 stars

The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man

By Brett and Kate McKay

Adulting couldn't be any more clearly explained than in Brett McKay's how-to guide to being a dude. Society often takes for granted that guys have been taught the survival skills and manners of a modern day man: Dressing, grooming, behaving graciously, fighting, saving someone’s life, surviving in the outdoors, dating, parenting, being well read… Including the little things, like how to not screw up a man hug.  Even the most seasoned gentleman would probably glean a few pointers from this book.

McKay has a few old fashioned rituals mixed in with the relevant stuff (Joining a fraternal lodge as a rite of passage to manhood? “Newsies”-style hats?).  Yet much of his advice regarding style and manners that might be written off as dated would be better described as timeless.

Stay classy, San Diego!

Verdict: **** out of 5 stars

 Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs

By Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

A woman needs love, and a man needs respect.  That's the premise of Eggerichs’ book and marriage conferences.  Though a bit too complementarian for my world view, there are several valid points and mutual exercises for both parties to help get off the "crazy cycle" which many relationships are trapped in.

Besides the overbearing complementarianism, Eggs also makes generalizations about gender-specific thought patterns which simply won't fit many couples.  For instance, occasional sections described me and my significant other in terms which fit each of us to a tee... But the roles were COMPLETELY REVERSED.  Yet other sections applied to us perfectly, with no flipping required.  To each their own, I say.

Something I really appreciated about Eggerichs’ presentation of his love and respect theory is that both parties of the relationship are instructed to provide their respective love/respect, regardless of whether or not they are receiving the love/respect that they desire.  Initially, I was concerned (offended, actually) to read that a woman ought to unconditionally respect her husband even when he isn't being loving or otherwise "deserving" of respect.  That sounded chauvinistic.  But when I later read that the man should absolutely, in turn, be unconditionally loving even when the woman is not showing him respect, it all made sense:  Whomever is the more mature person should make the first move.  It's a copout to blame your own behavior/attitude on the other person's lack of love or respect.  Be the more mature person.

I highly recommend this book, disagreements and all.  The reader may argue about whether the "love and respect" prescription is a magic bullet to save all relationships that are on the rocks.  I, in particular, am wary of plugging in a simple formula to solve complex issues.  But still, there is no denying that doing your part to be more loving and respectful is likely to have a profound impact on your significant other… And your relationship.  Love wins.

Verdict: **** out of 5 stars

Mosaic: A Journey Across the Church of God

By Patrick Nachtigall

Patrick Nachtigall tells of his two year international journey of visiting various Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) communities around the world. This book is much more than a travelogue, though.  He highlights the cultural flavor of each church, its place in the community, its place in the Church of God, and the local challenges that are faced.  Nachtigall’s goal is to create diversity awareness, communication, and cooperation between our worldwide churches.

Although this book was required reading for my Church of God credentialing process, I would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in the diversity (and theological distinctiveness) of the Church of God holiness movement. Nachtigall also mentions bumping into a few of my own friends during his international journey, which made his book an even more enjoyable read for me.

Controversial opinion about racism:   This will upset many of my beloved activist Twitter friends, but Nachtigall (a POC himself) makes a bold statement about racism in our country. Based on his extensive travels, his observation of racism in other countries has led him to rate the United States as a relative 4 out of 10 for severity of racism.

Before you send me hate mail… I’m not making the case that we don’t have significant work remaining in the name of racial equality.   But seeing the U.S. from a global perspective gives me even more appreciation for our country’s strides for equality.

Verdict: **** out of 5 stars

God Is With You Wherever You Go: A Travel Devotional

By Vicki Kuyper

The most well-travelled book in my library (not counting my Moleskine journal) has been to several continents already. To save weight in my backpack, I’ve started scanning the daily travel-themed devotions into Evernote so I can read and reflect on them on my tablet when I’m overseas.

Each entry is a travel-themed meditation on Scripture, applying the passages to scenarios which travelers  are likely to encounter on their journeys. Some of the devotionals seem to favor theme over the Scripture’s actual context... But the daily Scriptures are reasonably relevant to each topic at hand, and Kuyper's reflections themselves are really what tie the journal entries to the travel theme anyway.

And herein lies this devotional’s strength: Kuyper's clearly loves the wonder and discovery of travel, and she provides insights to make the most of every day of any adventure.

Verdict: **** out of 5 stars

Ready-To-Go Devotions for Mission & Service

By Mark Ray

Nearly every summer, we take our Aloha Church of God youth group down to Vicente Guerrero, Mexico for a mission trip with Welcome Home Outreach Ministries (link). In addition to delivering a full-length message or two (plus a home dedication message for when we ceremonially hand over the new home keys to each family), I prepare daily devotions for the end of each work day in Mexico.

Some of the short devotionals in this book have been useful jumping-off points for our evening debriefing sessions in Mexico, as well as any pre and post mission trip gatherings. Note that further preparation by the group leader will obviously enhance the depth of discussion.

All in all, this book is a helpful tool for anyone who leads or co-leads a domestic or overseas short term mission trip.

Verdict: **** out of 5 stars

No Crib For a Bed: Daily Advent Devotions for Children and Their Families

By Stephenie Hovland

There isn't much substance in these family Advent devotions. Frankly, they require quite a bit of creativity to stretch out into a family discussion of any length. But for $.99, impulse Kindle buys like this one make it easy to keep my disappointment in check.

And what's up with that pudgy white-boy baby Jesus on the cover? Ugh.

Verdict: ** out of 5 stars

Mexico mission, Day 7 (previously unpublished)

My birthday Mount Shasta climb over the weekend was a great way to cap off an exciting week of birthday adventures with family and friends!  As usual, I'll try to blog photos and stories from a few of those recent hiking and climbing outings when I get a chance.  There have been so many recent outdoor adventures! 

This previously unpublished post from Mexico was a snapshot of our mission trip earlier this month, from the morning of Day 7.  WiFi was down on the Thursday morning when I originally attempted to upload this post from Vicente Guerrero for our home Churches of God in the U.S.  Since this post has been stuck on my PC until now, I've also added some more recent Mexico photos for this release.

For a throwback, last year's blog update from Mexico is here.  Check back here later for an upcoming look at this month's entire Mexico trip, from guest blogger Kathy!

Garth, Kathy, Tim, Patricia, Vi, and Harry outside Welcome Home Outreach Ministries headquarters in Vicente Guerrero, Mexico 

Hello, loving church families and supporters in the U.S.!   It's Day 7 of our mission trip here in Vicente Guerrero, Mexico. Working with Welcome Home Outreach Ministries, God has allowed our combined group from Aloha, Fresno, and Tigard Churches of God to accomplish much so far.



At the beginning of this week, we completed rebuilding a roof for our new friend Victor and his family.

Worshiping en español at the local Calvary Chapel church on Sunday, before beginning the week's projects

Rebuilding a roof for a family in need, in Mexico last week

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Aug 14, 2015 at 7:12pm PDT

Victor and the boys standing on the finished roof

The second roof we had hoped to rebuild was far too deteriorated for us to work on.  Rather than miss an opportunity to help that family, we decided to finance the materials for an upcoming group to build with.

Project 2: Neri points out the structural damage and unsafe deterioration of the second roof.

Our third and current project, pictured below, was brought to our attention completely unexpectedly. Eternal Anchor, an orphanage organization for disabled/special needs children, has been in need of a temporary structure to store some medical equipment for the upcoming school year. Thanks to some previously donated building materials, the only things missing were some willing and available laborers!

Since we were looking for a replacement followup project anyway, we started building a shed for Eternal Anchor on Wednesday.

Project 2, Day 1: Mixing mortar and cement, and laying the foundation

Our final Mexico project- Building a storage facility for Eternal Anchor, an orphanage/ therapy center for disabled children

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Aug 20, 2015 at 12:12pm PDT

Project 3, Day 3 (Day 7 in Mexico)

Almost done!  Breaking for lunch on Day 7, with only some final roofing and a coat of paint remaining

Finally, here are some shots of the children served by the ministries we support here in Mexico:

Mexico: Train of local kids being served by Welcome Home Outreach Ministries at our home base

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Aug 17, 2015 at 3:08pm PDT

Austin introduces a few of the special needs children that he, Deborah, and others care for at the Eternal Anchor orphanage

We expect to finish construction of the shed for Eternal Anchor by this afternoon, allowing us to drive back up to the U.S. border tomorrow morning. Thank you for your support and continued prayers!

Upcoming climbs!

2015 has been a great year for mountain lovers.  Despite the low snow levels, I and a record number of my good friends have been following our dreams to climb to the peaks that we've always longed to reach.

Within the past year, I've been blessed with opportunities to summit Mount Hood, Mount Adams, multiple times up Mount St. Helens, and other less famous peaks.  Some are outings that I've lead for NW Wilderness or other local groups.  Family schedule permitting, I'm hoping to squeeze a few more in.

Never before seen photo of Katya and I on the summit of Mount Hood!

Our final Mount Hood climb of the year has been bumped up considerably to chase after the official end of the "safe" climbing season last week.  Time slipped away from us this year.  Don't judge-- I was asked to climb, I didn't volunteer.  But how could I say no?  We promise we'll turn around and descend if we observe that the post-season rockfall or crevasses are too dangerous.


It's up to another, more experienced climbing buddy whether or not we will again pursue my ever-elusive hopes of climbing Mount Rainier (links are in blue) this summer.


But there will certainly be another Mount Adams climb or two in the mix.  If I lead a two-day climb, we would be climbing to camp at altitude before summitting the next day.  The other climb I'd like to participate in, organized by another leader, would be a single day ascent.


I hope to be climbing, rappelling, or doing whatever my favorite friend Katya is in the mood for this week... both today and on Friday.  But great friends are more important than the activities we choose.  And this weekend's insane 32-mile, 7500+ elevation gain circumnavigation of Mount St Helens will be a tough and painful but ridiculously fun scramble over some really rough terrain for us.  I've been looking forward to this one since hearing about last year's notorious expedition that ended on 2:17 a.m the next day.  I feel like I'm in great shape, although this trip will probably deal the final blow to my orthotic inserts before they need to be repaired.  Future Mount St Helens climbs are on hold until this fall season, but Garth's Blog readers can soon expect an upcoming blog post about the most recent climb I led up to the St. Helens rim.


Many more hikes and scrambles are in the works, but I only have time to lead one or two a month.  I'm also excited to lead upcoming hikes for a couple of local churches, as well as rallying some friends in Europe for a Mount Blanc summit bid.


All of these plans are subject to change.  I won't be updating this "Upcoming Climbs" post, as I often do.  Rather, I'll be sharing some of these adventures here on Garth's Blog and Twitter as they happen.  Someone like me doesn't deserve to have these opportunities, or to blessed with such amazing and supportive friends and family... but I thank God for all of this.

**********

Family always comes first.  And our student ministry at Aloha Church of God is also the highest priority, with a special emphasis on growing our ministry and fundraising for our upcoming Mexico mission trip with Welcome Home Outreach Ministries.  Gotta have priorities!

Coming next, after our Loowit 360 marathon scramble...

The crew and me on our #hike up to Nesmith Point a couple weeks ago; This weekend's hike is gonna be insane!

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:03pm PDT

Taking a group on our most recent hike, to Nesmith Point!

Hamilton Happenings- A year of family stories and photos

Kathy and I are flying overseas again tomorrow, so I won't have time to write a new blog this week.  In the meantime, I'm sharing Kathy's 2014 year-end Hamilton4 newsletter.  I removed or altered the Christmas-y bits. 

This family update was originally sent out as a Christmas letter to our friends and extended family.  As always, links to earlier blog posts look like this.

From Kathy:

Greetings, Family and Friends!

Our biggest news of 2014, in case you haven’t heard, was the birth of our son Levi James Hamilton on January 15^th. 

Levi weighed 9 lbs. 6 oz. and was 19 ½ inches long.  Now 11 months old, Levi is crawling, climbing and getting into EVERYTHING!  More than Lena ever was at this age. He continues to bring us so much joy and happiness.

Vine video: Unclick the mute button above to hear Levi singing as he learns to crawl

Lena has accepted her role of big sister very well.  Lena loves her baby brother very much, and Levi’s face lights up whenever he sees her.

Lena and Levi enjoy playing together, except for the occasional, “Mommy!  Levi is looking at me.”  Yes.  It has already started.

In September, Lena turned 3 and began preschool two mornings a week at Aloha Christian Preschool, a ministry of our church.  Lena loves school and is making lots of friends.

Open house at Aloha Christian Preschool


Lil' Lena gets jiggy with it during Aloha Christian Preschool's Christmas program.  Kinda.

We are still serving as Youth Pastors at Aloha Church of God.  This past summer we led a combined group from our church and Tigard Church of God on another mission trip to Vicente Guererro,Mexico in Baja California.   We are planning to go back once again in 2015.

Missions work trip in Vicente Guererro, Mexico with Welcome Home Ministries

Garth preaches on occasion, when his shift at Delta Airlines allows.  We love the people whom God has called us to serve.

In addition to working for Delta at PDX airport, Garth also became a hiking leader for NW Wilderness in 2014.  He also started assisting with expeditions for other local outdoor groups.

NW Wilderness climb to the summit of Mount Adams

Garth organizes and leads hikes, scrambles, and adventure expeditions all over the Pacific Northwest, as he does with our ministry students.  Combined with his leadership, love for people, and passion for the outdoors, his aggressive-leaning hikes often fill to capacity.  This role also allows him to explore wild areas that would be too dangerous for hiking with Lena or Levi (or me!).


Garth also ran in the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon with some Delta coworkers.

A tutu-clad Garth with Delta coworkers, after crossing the "Finish Swine" of the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon

I still work 3 days a week at The Portland Clinic, and I love my new position of Nursing Support/Referral Coordinator for our Family Practice department. The other days, I am a stay-at-home mommy to two very busy L’s (Lena and Levi).  I often joke that I go to work to relax.  But being a SAHM to the L’s is definitely the best job ever!

In March, we (without kids) flew to Dublin, Ireland for a few days.

Dublin, Ireland- A few days before Saint Patrick's Day

I flew home to the U.S. early, and Garth continued on to meet some friends near Belfast, Northern Ireland for a couple more days.

Northern Ireland: Garth and a few friends from Australia cross the rope bridge over to Carrick-a-Rede, on their way to the Giant's Causeway

It was this Ireland trip that first brought out the separation anxiety that I get from being away from the L’s.  But I really enjoyed uninterrupted time with Garth! 

This summer we took our first road trip as a family of four for some hiking and visiting in Southern Oregon.

On that same trip, we also visited the Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon.  

Lena loved seeing all the animals up close, and Levi was too young to care.

We also took the kids on our annual Hamilton family camping and water ski trip at Banks Lake in Coulee City, WA. 

Garth of course occasionally flies over the pond for quick overseas friends day-visits to his many international buddies, but only when the kids are committed to plans that don’t necessarily involve him, allowing him to get away for a day or two.  Depending on the destination and the festivities, some of these international trips are eventually covered on Garth's Blog.

In addition to these overseas weekends and international family getaways, we sometimes take domestic trips as well.  For example, a few months ago Garth blogged about taking Lena for a Daddy-Daughter day trip to Seattle.

Daddy-daughter airplane ride

Earlier this month, Garth and I flew away together for a completely kid-free week.  It was intended to international  We tried to return to Johannesburg, South Africa (for a safari that Garth was planning), and then to Nicaragua and Seoul, South Korea.  But due to flying stand-by and encountering oversold flights, we ended up visiting friends in Seattle and spent some time in L.A. and Atlanta instead, including hiking Stone Mountain in Georgia.

Hiking Georgia's Stone Mountain before catching a flight to Rome, Italy

With only a couple of days left, I encouraged Garth to stick with our original plans and continue on for the planned Saturday night out with friends in Rome, Italy without me since he had a couple of extra vacation days.

It’s hard to sum up our year in a short letter, but I encourage you to follow Garth’s blog: www.garthhamilton.blogspot.com. Garth does a great job of writing about and posting photos of the things we do, including some of our exciting family hiking and surfing, and of course our travel adventures.

We are blessed by a faithful God... May each of you feel His love this blessed [Lenten] season!

Love,

Garth, Kathy, Lena and Levi Hamilton

Thanks again to Kathy for writing this update!

Garth's blog will return next weekend with a book review of "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Cheryl Strayed, followed by updates from our latest hikes and overseas trips!

From Mexico this week: Looking back at our 2013 missions trip

Our work here in Vicente Guerrero, Mexico this week is finally complete. Both Aloha and Tigard Churches of God journeyed down here again from Oregon to expand a house for Ophelia (mother of Jose, pictured a few times below, of Welcome Home Outreach Ministries) to shelter her family of 10. And we started building a house for another U.S. work team to complete next week!

It may be a while before we gather everyone's Mexico pics from this week. In the meantime, I've dusted off an unpublished Mexico post that Kathy wrote last summer. Many of these photos have never been shared publicly.

I think we'll all agree that this post  written by Kathy  was worth the year-long wait!

Our 2013 Mexico work team at Welcome Home Outreach Ministries:  Elaine, Cara, Katie, Eddie, Josh, Wendy, Kathy, Tim, Garth, Patricia, and Leah

At 5:00 on a dark August morning, there was excitement, energy and sleepiness.  Two groups, Aloha Church of God and Tigard Church of God, had met to begin a week long, life change journey together.  Destination:  Vicente Guerrero, Mexico in Baja California.  The van was loaded and we were off.

The first driving day proved to be uneventful and we made it safely to First Church of God in Tulare, CA.  The second day we headed to San Diego to pick up Garth who had to fly due to his work schedule.  So where did we meet Garth?  The only logical place:

In-n-Out Burger, San Diego

With our tummies full and after another very necessary stop, we were on our way to Vicente Guerrero.

After witnessing some crazy and intense driving, we had finally arrived to Welcome Home Outreach Ministries.

On Sunday morning, we worshiped at a local church.

Calvary Chapel Church in Vicente Guerrero

We then spent Sunday afternoon and evening relaxing and exploring the town.  On Monday we would begin our house building project; the main reason we had come to Mexico.

The house we began building on Monday was located in a very poor community where the typical house is made from sheets of plastic and whatever other materials can be found.  This particular house would be a simple one-room home with three windows and one door made from cement blocks and mortar.

With most of us not knowing what we were doing, our foremen/teachers, Jose, Josiah, and Mateo quickly taught us the ways of manual cement mixing and brick laying.

Throughout the week, each of us also took turns helping out with the children and doing chores around the home base of Welcome Home Outreach Ministries.

The kids took an excursion to the beach after work on Wednesday.

A couple of evenings during the week we had the opportunity to visit some local ministries.  The first one we went to was a nursing home for the elderly homeless or the elderly whose families no longer want them:

Pastor Juan, the worship leader from Calvary Chapel, had a vision from God to begin this ministry.  He even went to nursing school so he could better care for his patients.  The one thing that stands out about this nursing facility is that 100% of operating costs are based on 100% faith.  The patients don’t pay a monthly fee so Pastor Juan relies on donations for food, utilities and medical supplies.  With an amazing faith in God, monthly needs are usually met.

One other night we visited a voluntary men’s rehab center and were able to participate in one of their worship services.  It was inspiring to hear their testimonies of life before Christ and the transformation taking place now.

Garth had the privilege of sharing an encouraging message with the men.

This rehab center is different than what we find in the states.  The men come here choosing to seek help and can stay for as long as they need to.  There is no 12- step program, but a daily routine of morning worship, studying the scriptures and an evening service.  As with the nursing home, all expenses are based on 100% faith.

A favorite place or two to eat dinner was at Tico's Pizza and El Pollo Loco taco stand.

Tico’s makes a jumbo pizza that has 35 slices.  The biggest we’ve ever seen.

El Pollo Loco or Papa Reuben’s, as the locals call it, makes the best quesatacos ever.

All that good food fueled us for the rest of our busy work week:

By Thursday afternoon, the house was complete with windows, a locking door, a roof, stucco and paint.

Esteban, his wife and their six children (soon to be seven) were delighted when Garth offered a prayer of dedication and handed over the keys.  This family of 8 was thrilled to enter their 450 sq. ft home that had a solid foundation and a roof over their heads.

It was a week of hard physical work in the hot sun, but a week we would choose to do again.  Not only were Esteban and his family’s life changed, ours were forever changed as well.

Saying goodbye to the neighborhood kids as we closed the van door to drive home to the States.