Blue Creek Living

This Blog Is In Hibernation

2009-02-14T07:43:00.000-08:00

it's a long winter...I'm taking a break from blogging....maybe spring will thaw me out. take care

We're There....

2008-11-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

Well, we went and did it...we were installed yesterday as the Pastor's at Columbia Heights A/G. Having left Sultan last January with no plans to continue being in the ministry, it's a bit of a shock. We were asked to "fill in" while the church looked for a new pastor...it was a "Sunday Only" commitment for 4-6 weeks. The church had gone through a very difficult time and was down to 15 people...seemed like the right thing to do to help out. Well, 10 months later, we're still there and will be for the foreseeable future. The church has grown to average over 50 on Sundays...and yesterday there were over 85 for our installation. Not too bad for a town with a population of 96! God does work in mysterious ways...His plan may not always be the most obvious, but it's always the most awesome.

Summer In Summit Valley

2008-08-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

Life is pretty good these days...all of our kids were together yesterday for the first time in quite a while. Andrew has been traveling for Northwest University as part of the ACTS team. The team had a couple of days off and decided to spend them here. Jackie, Andrew's girl friend came over from Seattle to surprise him. She's also studying for the ministry at Northwest. Lauren has been working at Starbucks in Spokane and reciently made the decision to pursue the ministry as well...she will be attending the School of Ministry at Bethel Church in Chehalis (we used to be the Youth Pastor's there). It's an accredited 2 year program. Liz will be a Sophomore at Chewelah High School this fall. It was a nice day and Andrew wanted to do some shooting, so Dad got out a few guns and some ammo and the blasting began. The girls decided to join in, so Elaine got out her pistol and it was open season on pop cans. Elaine even took a few shots with the shotgun...it made an impact on her. Elaine was in "mother-hen mode"....fixing food, making space, just enjoying her kids. It was a good time.

Alaskan Fishing 2008

2008-08-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

This years fishing trip was pretty fun. I spent 10 days with my father-in-law at Naukati Bay. We did pretty well..landed 40 Silvers, dozens of Pinks (threw them back), 1 Chum, 7 Halibut, 3 Lingcod, 2 Yellow Eye (Red Snapper). Overall, I came home with over 200 pounds of fillets! The highlight of the trip is shown in the first picture, the cooler is 48" long...that Silver Salmon was 40" long and weighed 22 1/2 pounds! That's the biggest Silver I've ever caught. The Alaska state record is 26 pounds, so it wasn't close...but still was a hoot to catch. You can see in the bottom picture how it compared to the others we caught that day...most ranged 10 to 14 pounds. The fishing in Alaska is outstanding....even in a "down year". It's hard to imagine not coming home with several boxes of fish and having to take Advil for several days to deal with how cramped my hands get from reeling in fish. :) Somebody has to do it...might as well be me!

Anybody Looking For An Alaskan Dream Home?

2008-04-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

Elaine's parents are selling their home in Alaska. It's really a great place to getaway too...check out the link for the whole story.

http://naukatiliving.blogspot.com/

Spring Was Here For 3 Days Last Week....

2008-03-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

The snow had all melted, the grass was starting to come to life, the birds were in full song....spring had really arrived! And then it left in a hurry and I mean in a real hurry! So, what do you do with 12" of fresh snow when April is just 2 days away? I guess I could plant snow peas....or white corn...or just sit inside and enjoy a hot cup of coffee and the amazing view.

We've Made The Move!

2008-02-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

We are in the middle of our transition, 5 truck loads down, two more truck loads to go. This picture was taken last Saturday after we had finished unloading. The snow has been amazing and frustrating. The pass to the Western side of the state has been blocked for several days, keeping us from making the long drive back for more stuff...hopefully we will be able to go Monday.

2007-12-18T23:40:00.000-08:00

We had everyone home last weekend so we had some photo's taken for Christmas...Andrew is 21, he's a Junior at Northwest University and is majoring in Youth Ministries. Lauren is 19 and has moved to Spokane where she works for Starbucks. Elizabeth is 15 and is driving her parents a little crazy. Elaine and I often wonder where our "little kids" went????

Facing The Challenge of Change

2007-11-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

Nov, 14, 2007

To Our Church Family at Mountainview,

Eccl 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

Solomon’s words have been going over and over in my mind since we returned to the pulpit in August. Over the last three months Elaine and I have spent a great deal of time talking and praying about our future and what we should do. We have come to the clear understanding that our season of ministry is coming to a conclusion here in Sultan.

We want you to know that we are not leaving for any other reason than that we believe that our task here is completed. We have not been asked to leave, we are not taking a position at a new church and we aren’t upset or mad at anyone. We truly do love this church and it’s because of that, we know we must move on in order for your next pastor to come. We are confident that God has already begun to prepare that persons heart for his task of leading this church forward. While it has been a very difficult process, we are at complete and total peace regarding our decision.

We want to express to everyone our deepest appreciation for your genuine love, support and understanding that you have shown to us over the past 11 years. We have seen God do amazing things and we will treasure these memories in our hearts forever.

Our bylaws require at least a one month notice be given by the pastor for transition. Noting the Christmas season, the events that are scheduled as well as the school semester break, I have requested that January 20^th be our last official Sunday.

It is our desire to move during the following week, this will allow for Elizabeth to be enrolled in her new school at semester break. We will be purchasing Elaine’s parent's home and at this time, do not have a job lined up. We ask for your prayers for us regarding this.

I have already notified the Northwest Ministry Network and they will stand ready to assist during the pastoral transition process. I will also do whatever I can to facilitate a smooth transition and will accommodate whatever requests the board may have to the best of my ability.

Thank you so much again for the privilege of serving as the shepherd of this wonderful congregation for these last eleven years, it has been exciting to see how God has worked through the years and we are confident that He will continue to do so. The people of this church and community will always have a special place in our hearts and in our prayers. We are truly excited about what God is going to do in our lives as well as at Mountainview Christian Fellowship in the days that are ahead.

Sincerely And With Much Love,

Pastor Ben & Elaine

Read Any Good Books Lately?

2007-11-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

Over the last few months I've read quite a bit.....Wild At Heart by John Eldredge, Visioneering (again) by Andy Stanley, Breakout Churches by Thom Rainer and a book my sister recommended, "Waiting on God", by Andrew Murray. This last book is very short with 31 chapters that have just three to four pages each. I read one chapter a day for a month. I must confess that it was a bit of a struggle to get a feel for the book due to the authors usage of King James English for the entire text. I use the NIV, New Living Translation and on occasion, The Message when I preach. Once I got into the flow of the context it became more relevant. Waiting on God was written around the turn of the last century and it is amazing how the pace of life really hasn't changed all that much in the last 100 years. We become consumed with things we think are important...that really aren't. We allow our spiritual health to become depleted to the place where we think that God has left us behind...when it's we who have walked away from His presence. In one of the later chapters Murray speaks about the passage "they shall mount up with wings as eagles"....he asks the question, "do you know how eagles get their wings?"..."they are born with them"....Paraphrasing, he goes on to say, "You may not know it yet, you may not have used them, but God has given you wings to soar." Think about that today.....

The Precious Gift of Life

2007-11-04T16:40:00.001-08:00

When I first glanced at the email title I knew immediately who it was referring to. It read "Anna Is With Jesus".....and my heart sunk. Anna was going to be 25 in December. Her parents, Warren & Cheryl Erickson, had been serving as missionaries in Sweden and had moved back to Chehalis in 1992, Anna was 10 and the youngest of four children. While her older brothers and sister were active in school sports, Anna couldn't participate. Anna struggled with seizures....some of which were extremely severe. Anna spent much of her time undergoing tests and procedures trying to determine how to best help her. I remember one time visiting Anna at Seattle Children's Hospital and seeing her hooked up to a huge bundle of electrodes...I thought, she has to be miserable...well, if she was, she didn't let on. She looked up and said.."Hi Pastor Ben, wanna play Nintendo?" She just wanted to be a normal teenager...her parents gave her every opportunity. She was always looking towards the future....she had big dreams and loved to share them. Anna also loved Jesus...her faith was as big as her heart. She loved helping others whenever she could. I last saw Anna at the memorial service of another friend who passed away last month...she was sitting with her parents and following the service came up and gave me a big hug. It was the last time I would see Anna alive. I didn't know that this past year she had come close to dying a couple of times and that over the last few weeks her health took a radical turn for the worse....she stepped into the Lord's presence last Monday at 5:45pm. Her memorial service was packed with family and friends.....many of which had been at odds with each other for various reasons (none of which I can think of are eternally significant) but Anna's memorial service brought them together. That finally brings me to the reason why I'm posting this...there are too many people fighting over things that are unimportant. We can make our world, our churches, even our homes much better places if we would only be willing to approach our difficulties and conflicts with the same attitude, passion and perseverances as Anna did. We have been given the precious gift of life....lets not waste it on things that don't really matter.

2007-09-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks now since my father passed away. What a roller coaster of emotions. The hardest part for me was to see him in constant pain from the cancer. He is at rest now. I'm so thankful for all the things my father taught me and for his constant love, encouragement and support. Having the support of my family and many friends during this time has also been a great blessing.