First Day of School

Jonatha and Aidan both got back to the world of studying today. We have had a great summer, filled with tons of pool time, little hiking, biking, and BBQ. Kids have been doing really well and both are pretty stoked over their new teachers...at least for now



Jonatha is now in the third grade, is about to get her blue belt in Tae Kwon Do and is still rock climbing a bunch. She had her first excursion in the mountains this year and bagged a 5.10 peak...pretty impressive. I would never do it!

Aidan is now in the first grade, just completed a couple rounds of summer hi-hop dance classes and is starting U8 soccer in Louisville this month. He is as energetic as ever and is glad to be a big boy now (not in Kindergarten). Aidan has a huge heart for people and is a praying fool!

Liam is almost 1...wow! I cant believe that 10 months ago I was holding a tiny little 7 lb handful of joy and he is now about to walk, is saying mommy and daddy (and of course, "no") and is 25 lbs. He's a monster and we love every inch of him.



Jan and I are blessed with amazing children and are excited to watch their growth this fall. Love you guys!

EMT School - Firefighting Update

Well, with my 2008 Wildland Training, 2009 Firefighter I and Haz Mat Ops Academies behind me, I now embrace EMT school. EMT will consist of 4 hours on Monday and 4 hours on Wednesday for the next 4 months, along with clinicals on Saturdays at Avista Hospital. This will be followed with National Registry practical and written exams in December.

When I was 18 I witnessed a man get thrown into his windshield and back into the vehicle after being rear-ended. He was unbuckled. I was the first to open the door and discover his already deceased body. In the days following that scene, it struck me that I had the personality make-up to become involved with emergency services. Long story short, it took me 15 years to take action and get involved.



Fire service has been a huge transition for me personally but a good one. I have been able to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses, search out the place where I fit best and establish some lifelong friendships with my firefighter brothers. EMS has been the biggest driving force in my getting involved with Louisville Fire. I am excited to be starting that path.

I'm sure the challenges will continue and I am also sure the story list will increase. If you ever in CO and want to hop on a big red truck or check out an ambulance (not as a patient I hope), give me a call.

Aaron Strumpel Concert

Friday July 31 7pm. My house. Aaron is bringing in sound and we are converting the living room into a stage with draping/lighting. Should be fun. If you know anyone in the Denver area who is stoked on Aaron's music, send them my way!

We are honored to be hosting a house concert for the one and only Aaron Strumpel. Concert will be July 31, 2009 7pm. Seats are very limited and should be reserved early. $10 cover. Learn more about Aaron's music and life at www.aaronstrumpel.com.

I got hooked on Aaron's music back when he recorded Enter The Worship Circle's Chair and Microphone 2, a singular voice and instrument recording done in one take. Amazing album. He then reappeared on ETWC's 4th Circle last year, recording with the likes of Ben and Robin Pasley and Karla Adolphe.

When we hosted Kate Hurley last summer I caught a bug for house concerts. So, having Aaron come in to our home is a real treat. If you will be in CO July 31, make sure to make this venue a stop. But also make sure to reserve early. Seats will sell out quickly.

Run!

2009 2k/4k Fun Run. Our Coyotes did great!

One word...Wow

Last Sunday, couple folks were baptized at Quest. Their stories of coming to faith in Jesus always moves me. With permission, here’s the story of Rosalind - one of only 30,000 Karaite Jews in the world and now one of two Karaite Jew believers. I want to encourage you to read it and be blessed.



“The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. ’I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’ So Abram left, as the Lord had told him…” Genesis 12:1-4

It feels like my faith journey began before I was born. I guess that’s why my testimony might feel more like a history lesson than a story about God’s grace, but the fact that I’ve made it here is almost testament enough.

I am a Karaite Jew; a sect of Jews that has been around since God passed down his laws to Moses. Originating in Mesopotamia, the area between the Tigris-Euphrates river system (present day Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, etc.), only 30,000 of us remain in the world today, 4,000 of which reside in the U.S.

My parents were born in Egypt and, like many of the Karaite Jews, were also imprisoned, and then expelled, during the 1967 six day war between Egypt and Israel. In the middle of the night, my father was taken to a prisoner of war camp (similar to U.S. Japanese internment camps during WWII). At 37, he, my mom and two brothers were forced to start over, having lost everything (home, business, money, dignity), they began a second life in Italy as Jewish refugees. It’s a miracle that my father escaped the two-years of imprisonment sustained by two of my uncles and several other Jews. It’s a miracle that I was born to them in SF, CA, in 1972.

So begins my story of Christ’s protection, guidance and salvation.

Judaism is the Foundation of My Faith

In Hebrew, Karaite means “Followers of Scripture.” According to some Jewish scholars, the Karaite are referred to in the Bible as “the righteous,” because they believed in keeping the Torah’s commandments with no additions. [Now I understand why I always HAVE TO be right.J]

They broke away from Rabbinical Judaism (today’s mainstream Jews), who added an interpretation of scripture known as the Oral Law – the Talmud. The Karaite movement can be compared to the Protestant Reformation, because the Karaite vowed to follow the word of God over the opinions of Rabbis.

“Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.” Deuteronomy 4:2

Grace Several Years in the Making

I am a Jewish Believer, Follower of Christ and have been since sometime before my 7th grade teacher at West Portal Lutheran School told my classmates that she felt sorry for me, because I was going to hell. When I approached her, hoping she’d clear up what must have been a rumor; Mrs. VanBlarcom confirmed that she had indeed said this, insisting it was nothing personal. Jews don’t believe in Christ, so you’re going to hell – “no offense,” she reassured me.

Thankfully, my brother had taken me to my first (and only) Young Life meeting in 4th grade. I had also been attending Lutheran school since age 5 and Chapel every Wednesday. All of this prep helped me believe that Christ’s teachings offered more hope than Mrs. VB knew how to share. So, I decided to take this up with my pastor, Pastor Keyne. When asked if I would go to hell, because I’m Jewish, Pastor Keyne showed me the grace I needed. “I can’t tell you the answer. God is the final judge.”

As an 11-year-old, this was reassuring. Also as an 11-year-old, I vowed never to assimilate as a Christian. Christians, after all, seemed was often more divisive than unifying. I decided that I would always, privately, be a Follower of Christ, never losing my Jewish identity.

Departure from Tradition

Not unlike my ancestors, today I stand before you prepared to profess my faith as a Jewish believer. No, the Karaite don’t believe that the Messiah has risen, but the tenants of this faith planted the seeds I needed to begin following Christ at an early age. How? Karaism teaches that:

It is more important to do the right and moral thing than to do the same thing as everyone else.
It is up to the individual to take personal responsibility for interpreting Scripture, basing his understanding on the merits and logic of a given interpretation.

Luke 7:6–8 gives me the courage to let go of tradition and join a small sect of Karaite Jewish believers. So far, I think this sect is only comprised of me and my brother Clement, but I have to admit that even as an adult I have continued to be very private about my walk with Christ. That is until today.

“Jesus replied. “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people hone me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” You have let go of the commandments of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”

Using the empowerment bestowed upon me by the Karaite, I have taken personal responsibility for interpreting scripture and leaving the traditions of men. Finally, I am choosing to be washed by the water of Christ’s amazing grace. Like my father who started anew at age 37, today, also at age 37, I ask Pastor Eugene to help me begin my public life in Christ.

Church, will you promise me one thing? If I do this, promise me you will never tell anyone they are going to hell. Amen.

Moving/Home

Today we are helping some friends move and it takes me back over three years ago when the Tighe crew uprooted and hauled off to Colorado. As much as I wanted to move to CO back then, I felt very mixed emotions and it was a very difficult time for all of us. We had to adjust to a new house which didn't suit our needs, a new culture of people, new school, new job, not being able to sell our house in Nebraska and making new friends. The first year was a transition time, to say the least.

Looking back, however, it molded and shaped us into who we are today. It propelled us to make changes in our lives that are bearing fruit now. It gave us a renewed hope in the living God who dwells in our hearts. It gave us the long awaited opportunity to actually be ourselves and not feel pressured to fit into the culture surrounding us. And although we actually experienced some hardship after moving here that, in my mind, far exceeded the pain of moving, we are blessed by the events. We are blessed by moving here and experiencing them and are thankful. We now have some amazing life friends that we can't imagine living without, we love our community, we love our local church, work for a locally owned business and we have the icing on the cake of a pretty amazing view of God's mountains every day.

Back to the family we are moving. Nate and Heather just launched a photography business and seem to be fulfilling their passions. You can check it out at www.natedisarrophoto.com. Reminds me of a talk Jan and I had in 2007 when I got sacked from Schwab. Jan looked me in the eye and said, "what do you want to do with the rest of your life?" I told her I wanted to fulfill my passion to go into law enforcement or fire service, but always seemed to lack the courage to take the step of faith. She told me to go after it...and I did. If we had not moved to CO, I wouldn't be fulfilling those passions. I would most likely be struggling to find fulfillment in a desk job that maybe pays well, but saps life from within.

Flee the rat race. Find your passion. Do something about it. Live simple. And through it all, search for and love God with your life. The reward is great.

Baby Liam

 

Thank you Tara for taking these wonderful pictures of our baby Liam!

My Fridays and Saturdays are completely shot until the fall, so to enjoy our last Saturday together as a family, we did what we love to do...hike. Took a good moderate hike up to the 2nd and 3rd Flatirons in Boulder. Liam did great and slept most the time. We finished off the hike with sandwiches from Snarf's, the sandwich shop that destroys all other sandwich shops. Good times!

I thought I'd provide an update on the fire department happenings. I was sworn on to Louisville F.D. in December and assigned shifts starting in January. Academy begins next Friday, but we been quite busy with shifts, classes, miscellaneous training, etc. The busy schedule is only about to get more busy!

My very first shift I arrived to a call for mutual aid on a wildland-urban interface fire in Boulder. Basically that means there is a wildland fire and residential and city structures are endangered. I was ordered on the truck and told I was the luckiest probie ever to get this as my first call. I soon found out why as 3,300 acres were burning and hundreds of homes needed protection. Pretty much the dream call for the year, much more a probie's first call ever. "Probie" by the way is the name given to all first year firefighters. It's short for probationary. Picture below was taken from a few miles away. The fire was incredible with 100mph wind gusts, rapidly moving flames and some pretty intense structure fires at our staging area. We fortunately protected a house that was spared the drama but witnessed amazing fire behavior. And I finally have the cactus needles out of my skin from all the wind.



I have been very pleased with the environment of the department. We have an incredible volunteer/reserve crew and I am surrounded by a ton of experienced, passionate and professional firefighters. LFD spares no expense in training, gear, facilities and safety and for that I am very thankful. Considering I work in Louisville and love the city, it is a blessing to be able to serve in this manner.

I've been training hard physically and have seen some nice benefit to that, although I have to say I hate running still and probably always will. It's a necessary evil. I usually do my runs with full bunker gear, heat shroud and helmet so its pretty effortless to get a hard sweat going real fast and adds a lot of weight. In the pics below, I am training with not only the bunker gear, but also a 50lb weighted vest. So, I now know what it feels like to train as a 300 pounder.






I am excited and eager to start academy and complete my certifications by end of fall. I am sure I'll have more stories to share down the road. Jan and the kiddos have been wonderful in the transition and adjustment to a hectic schedule with a full-time job and all the training hours at the station. I am blessed to have my family for sure!