... being Seattle tour guides

Daniel's family came out to visit and celebrate the light at the end of the Ph.D. tunnel.  While they were here, we did Seattle with gusto.  We ate fish n'chips; we saw Snoqualmie Falls; we kayaked among the lily pads by the arboretum; we went to the Market, Gas Works, the troll, the locks, Discovery Park, and Mars Hill.  It was Greg's first time in Seattle and we might have gone a little over the top but we had a lot of fun in the process.  Dad (Ron) is avid birder and he got to add a bird to his "life bird list" and we got to mercilessly mock him in the process.  It was like watching a hunting dog.  He was looking around interestedly and then suddenly froze, his whole attention fixed on one spot as he quivered with excitement. Since one of the functions of a dad is to embarrass their children, Dad did this performance in the middle of trying to buy cherries from a roadside stand.  He eventually returned to awareness of other things in the world besides the wonderful bird and returned to the car ready to share his triumph.  His parade persisted despite a heavy rain in the form of "Daaaaad, it's just a bird"from the backseat.  We almost managed to leave the cherry stand when he decided a picture was necessary.  While he was trying to get the perfect picture, an unsuspecting guy came for cherries too.  The wonders of the bird were then recounted, if not to a more sympathetic audience at least to a less complaining one.  It should be noted, according to Megan, that the guy did walk quickly back to his own car and pealed out trying to leave.  :)

This weekend I was reminding of all of the reasons I love being in Seattle.  We really do have the best parks ever.  68 degrees feels wonderfully nice and warm when paired with sunshine.  We can drive through the mountains and kayak on the lake in the same day.  And we can laugh about the fact that there are only 2 months a year that you really want to be outside enjoying it.

The culture of Seattle is also just so unique.  Where else could you go to a park for a barbeque and find fully armored knights engaging in sword fights have taken over the shelter. No joke.  The culture of  Mars Hill Church is also very unique.  I have never been somewhere where openness, honesty, and an avoidance of being fake was valued this much.  I have grown so much as I have submitted to greater accountability and have been inspired by people who share what God is doing in the midst of their mess.  I am really inclined to be "moral" and to guard that appearance.  I want to be put together, know the right answers (think Hermione) , and hide the fact that I am terrified you would see something in me and be disappointed.  (One of the reasons I am writing this blog is to try to pull aside the mask I keep putting on.)  Community is so important and we have been blessed beyond measure with our community group.  Through conversations this weekend I realized that one of the things that I appreciate most (although not always at the time) is the questions about what is going on behind the sin.  What lie am I believing to think my mask is the best choice for me? What truths of Jesus shatter the lie and how do I move my heart towards loving Jesus and the truth more than the lie?  When the gospel meets the city of indie-rockers and unabashed medieval knights, real honest discussions result.

This weekend also reminded me that it is real.  We are leaving and something different is just around the corner.