Fearfully Exhilerating!!!

Mark it down, or at least I will. July 11, 2009. On this Saturday afternoon, I experienced my first real rock climbing experience!!! Before the details, let me just say that I am HOOKED!

I have always thought that climbing seemed like fun, but never really sought it out. I had all of these doubts in my head. I am to big. I am out of shape. Blah, blah, blah. Well I finally set up a day to go climb. My friend, Bobby, was gracious enough to take my brother Adam, my friend Eddy, and myself to the limestone rocks just north on 299 outside of Redding. I have never really climbed before so I was excited, but didn't know what to really expect. Here is where it gets good!!!

We hiked up a short little jaunt to the rocks we were going to climb. But, oh no. We were not just going to get to jump right into climbing. Well what did you do then, you might be wondering. Oh, just a 150 rappel down a shear rock face. To be honest, I was terrified. I love sports, and I love adrenaline, but this takes the cake over anything I had done to this point. The shear terror running through my mind of something going wrong, and no more Ryan Reuther on this earth was in full force, but I am still here and better for it. To be able to look down 150 feet with nothing below you but air...awesome. I slowly lowered myself down and made it. Bobby will attest that my legs were shaking a bit when I hit the midway point that him and Eddy were chilling at. When I was done I looked up and could not help but think that from down below it did not seem that high. At the top however, is a different story. Okay, so with a rappelling session done, onto the rock climbing.

We got to the limestone we were going to climb and Bobby set everything up so we could get right to it. My brother Adam went first. He did a great job and made it to the top on the first wall we climbed. We started on the easy wall. Thank God. Eddy went next and flew right to the top. It was cool to see Eddy and Adam both take so well to climbing. I was a little worried going in. I consider my brother Adam to be a better climber than myself and did not want to be shown up to much out there. I started the climb and instantly was hooked. The feeling of grasping the rock edges with your fingers, sometimes only one or two finger is crazy. Putting one toe onto a hold and lifting your entire body up to another level is hard at first, but really works!!! I made it to the top and man did it feel good. This less then in stellar shape body of mine made it to the top. Then I rappelled down. This wall was only about 50-60 feet high, so it was a cinch with the 150 rappel under my belt. We then moved onto a lot harder climb.. This was was an incline...not easy. My brother made it farther than us all. Eddy and I made it to about the same spot and I was good with where I got. It gave me something to shoot for. There may be a lot of shooting before I reach the top of that climb.

To top it all off we drove up the road about 2 miles and went to some falls out in the middle of nowhere and jumped of into some amazingly refreshing spring water. A perfect end to our climbing adventure.

So again, I am hooked. I want more and cannot wait to push myself farther and farther each time I climb. I felt so alive and adrenaline crazed on the rock. Thank you Bobby for being such a great climbing host and showing us the ropes. I had so much fun and realized that climbing is something that I can and will continue to do. So look out all you boulders, cliffs, and any other rock formations out there. Ryan Reuther is on the hunt for you!!!

Eureka!!! 6 years!!!

Rachael and I celebrated our six year wedding anniversary this year (6/28/09). We decided to get away to the coast and went to Eureka. It was a blast.

We drove to Eureka Friday after I got off work. We arrived at 9:00 and drove through the town to scout everything out and see where our hotel was at. We had a hotel reserved for Saturday night. For Friday night we decided to camp out in the back of our van on the beach. So we drove to the beach in Samoa. It was great except for the cop who showed up at 11:30 to see what we were doing. He was actually a really nice guy. We told him it was our anniversary and we just wanted to camp on the beach for one night. He said that wasn't technically allowed int he spot we were at, but he saw that we were no trouble makers and said he would radio his co workers so we would be left alone and we could stay there for the night. Sweet!!! we woke up and went for a walk on the beach. It was so nice. Just Rachael and I walking the ocean. After that we went and ate breakfast at the Samoa cookhouse!!! French Toast as big as my head. SOOOO GOOD!!!

After breakfast we headed to Ferndale and walked the tiny town streets, poking our head into the small shops that were open. Then we went back to Eureka for some shopping at the mall. Once shopping was done we drove to Trinidad and had an amazing lunch of fish and chips, clam chowder, and for desert, some salt water taffy. We were both stuffed to utter satisfaction. We then walked down to the beach and then headed to Patrick's point. We went to Agate beach. That was so much fun. Rachael and scowered the shore for agates. I found a pretty good one for Rachael. Agate beach was one of our favorite parts of the trip. From there we headed back into town to relax and have dinner.

So for dinner we went to The Lost Coast Brewery!!!!!!! I was so excited to go here. I warmed up with a pint of their Tangerine Wheat. So ice cold and straight from the source. I then tackled the sampler platter of all their different beers. It was amazing. I would drive to Eureka just to go here!!! I had a roast beef sandwich, which was made from roast beef marinated in Downtown Brown!!! Awesome. After dinner we went to the movies and saw Night at the Museum 2. It was a great date movie and Rachael and I both enjoyed it.

So on our alst day we slept in a bit and then went to the mall for a little more shopping. We then went to clam beach on our way back to Redding. I was determined to find Rachael a whole sand dollar and lo and behold, after a lot of searching I was able to find one!!! It was a great way to end our trip!!! Then back home we came.

The trip was amazing, but it was only so great because I was able to spend it with my wonderful wife. Hon, I cannot tell you how awesome the last six years have been. We have been through so much (in a good way) and I cannot believe how far we have come. We are blessed with two beautiful and amazing daughters. They are so great and you are such a great mom to them. I cannot thank you enough for the way you treat them and take care of them. You have been by my side, not matter waht I was doing or going through. I am overjoyed with the closeness I have seen us both grow towards the Lord. It has been an amazing thing to look back at and see. I know that we are just now entering into what God is truly wanting to use us for!!! You love me more then I deserve. I love you so much and am truly blessed to get to have you as my wife. You are an amazing wife, mom, woman of God and friend. You are my best friend and can't tell you enough that I LOVE YOU!!!

Thank you for six wonderful years of marriage and here is to the rest of our lives together!!!

My house smells good!

My house is full of some amazing aromas at the moment.

The hazelnut candle and the sweetly intoxicating maple doughnut smell that it sends through the house smells amazing.

The twice bakes garlic potatoes that are in the oven that my amazing wife is preparing have my taste buds salivating for just one bite of their greatness.

The meatloaf, oh the meatloaf! Yum!!!

To top it all off, I am in the company of three wonderful and beautiful girls to share my evening with!

I am loving life right now!

Birthday Thanks!

So another year has come and gone and I am now one year older. All in all it was a pretty good birthday. There were only a few minor hiccups, but I/we overcame and had a great day. This year for my birthday we had some friends over to my parents house. We had Rock Band going in one room and the Nintendo Wii in another. It was a blast. We got my brother Adam's big speakers out of his room and hooked them up the the Rock Band setup. It was awesome and LOUD! I love rock band and we had a blast. A lot of you friends actually took the mic and sang! That was so much fun for me. I am normally the only one that wants to sing, so it was nice to be able to kick back and watch for a bit.

First off I would like to thank my lovely wife Rachael for putting this all together. You are such an amazing wife and you do so much for me! Thank you for putting on such a great party. You make me a better person!!!

Thank you to all of you friends who showed up and made my birthday a great one. Sorry to those of you who could not make it, you were missed!!!

I would like to give a special thanks to my friends Bobby and Candace. Thank you guys for hanging with me all day. I had a blast disc golfing with you Bobby and it was great to get do a margarita movie night! You guys truly bless(ed) me and I am so thankful for your friendship. Bobby, your encouragement means a lot to me and I am thankful to have you speak into my life and your listening ear.

Again, thank you to all my friends! I am a very blessed man and you all are a huge part of that!!!

My thoughts...seeking better spiritual understadning and faith!

OK, let's face it. Religious beliefs can be a divisive subject. They can break apart churches, tear down marriages, hurt friendships, and torment an individual. As a Christian I find myself looking at my religious beliefs constantly and checking them against God's Word (The Bible) and with what I am being taught at my home church. I want to have a strong faith and know what I believe and why. If I cannot explain my beliefs, how can I expect anyone to take them seriously? For those of you Christians out there, you know that we are not going to fully understand all of God's ways. Nor do we have to. Some of the greatness of God is clouded in mystery. It is in this mystery that I long to know more of God!!!

A religious subject that I have come to seek more understanding of and have extreme interest in is spiritual gifts. Prophecy, Tongues, and so forth. I have never spoke in tongues. Believe you me, I desire to so much! I do feel that I have been blessed with the gift of prophecy. It is in what I would call its infant stage. I can look at certain instances that God is slowly preparing me to take on more and more of a prophetic role. This is so exciting to me and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for more and more of the Holy Spirit to fill me.

The spiritual gifts are amazing, exciting, explainable and unexplainable all at the same time. Here's where my thoughts have been lately on the subject. This comes from some curiosities that my wife has had lately. (Insert note here-My wife is an amazing woman of God. I respect her so much for her constant seeking for a better relationship with God and and very discerning spirit!!! She helps balance me and I am so glad we get to take this journey together) I have also had a lot of the same curiosities as she has at some point in my life. Some past and some present. As a Christian, do I question the word of God with my curiosities. I find it important to point out that it is not a questioning of God Himself (to do so can lead down a dangerous path), but a questioning of unclear subjects to gain a better understanding of His ways. Does this devalue my faith in God? Is it okay to question things of God? In devaluing my faith, No! Can I question the things of God, I say Yes!

1 Thessalonians 5:18-22 states-

"in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things, hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."

A few points I draw from this passage. We are not to quench the spirit. We should not put a stranglehold on what God is trying to do in our lives. We need to be obedient and even when we may not have a full idea of what God is doing, allow Him to blow us away with His perfect plans. The Holy Spirit will not lead us astray. With that known, take that trail with the Spirit.

We also are to test all things. I feel we need to question! Questions are a valid and valuable tool/weapon for us. We need to look at our beliefs and see how they line up. You know what, you may find your beliefs challenged. Good! If my beliefs are challenged with the word of God, I need to take a better look at my beliefs. Put down our pride and see truth! We need to bring forth our questions and seek a better understanding into this Life that God has called us to live. I want to live an on fire, in-tune walk with my Almighty God. I feel that we need to question, seek, better understanding, guard ourselves, or whatever else you want to call it. I believe it will help to strengthen us as believers! We are to hold fast what is good. We need to filter the good from the bad. We need to grasp at the good and sift out the lies and falseness of what Satan would have us to believe. There are a lot of false things in our word. We live in a world that has false prophets, liars, self-serving and downright evil people/spirits. We need to be on our guard so not to fall prey to the lies that they bring. I want to make sure my faith is authentic and I am experiencing the real thing, not some cheap imitation!!! Abstain from every form of evil (this includes evil disguised in good clothing.) We are the sheep and Satan loves to wear his sheep costume!!!


All and all I believe we need to be open to the spirit, but also be wary of things untrue. Do not be afraid to question for the sake of better understanding and for the longing to know more of God. Also know that God will reveal himself to you when you may not even be looking! I feel this issue is great for discussion and can bring us into a better understanding of who we are and who God is shaping us to be. It should not divide or hurt. Talk about it, learn about each others beliefs, and be merciful and compassionate with one another. God did not give us His word to have us quarrel over it. He gave us His word to live by.

I would love to hear your thoughts/opinions on this!!!

We serve an amazing God!!!
Ryan

Costco Hotdogs and Hot Pastrami...

Any of you who have had a Costco hot dog know the absolutely juicy, flavorful goodness that resides inside the bun and dog combination. I love them. It is really good food and it is ridiculously cheap. The tartness of the mustard, the tomato flavor so conveniently provided by the ketchup, and the bittersweet taste of the sour kraut packed on the hot dog. I love the Costco hot dog.

I also love a good hot pastrami sandwich. I do not even need to describe how good it is if you are a fan of the sandwich. I will just say GLORIOUS!!! So good.

So now we come to the point of bringing up the above mentioned items. The hot dog and sandwich are so good. This I do not deny. They are also guilty of one very real truth. They both are the meal that keeps on giving. For one day and in severe cases, two days you will notice that you will be constantly burping. Everybody burps, so no big deal right? Wrong. It is a big deal. For the day or two you experience this burping, you will come across a real surprise. You will continue to burp and unlike a soda burp, these burps will bring about the sensation that you just ate the hot dog or sandwich all over again. In some cases you may feel the urge to chew! I may have eaten you oh hot dog or hot pastrami sandwich three hours ago, but I now am enjoying you again and again.

Thank you for this amazing gift you continually give me when I eat you!!!

Forsaken, so that we may live!

Once a year comes Good Friday and with that Easter. I find that the true nature of what Christ went through for us is most felt during the few days that we live around Easter. Rachael and I watched The Passion of the Christ. Those of you who have seen it, know it is a profoundly powerful and deep movie. I feel ill and shaky after watching the movie. Christ death was not just a death, but an all out gruesome and grievous single body massacre. Here are my ramblings of all that the movie and the true meaning of Easter bring out of my mind.

Christ was a perfect son.
He had a mother and an Almighty Father!!! Christ is King!!! Christ was THE perfect sacrifice!!! Christ died for you and I!!! Christ gave himself to save others who cursed him!!!

CHRIST WAS INNOCENT!!!!!!!!

Lord,
How feeble and fain we are. You gave your very life and what do we give you??? How is it that I have a hard time sharing my faith in you and often times hide my true feelings about who I am because of you??? It is because of you that I do not get what I truly deserve. I deserve to be condemned to hell. Oh, how I have sinned against you. For this I am ashamed and ask for your forgiveness. Throughout all my transgressions, you still love me Lord!!! What an amazing King you are. Thank you for your unconditional love! Thank you for walking with me! Thank you for my family! Thank you for my friends! Thank you for my church! Thank you for YOU! I do not deserve anything you offer me, but I freely accept!!! I pray for the strength and boldness to share you mighty word. I want your righteous conviction to guide my life. I want to share the good news of what your death truly meant for mankind. You are the one true God and may many know you because of your workings in my life. I am weak and cannot do anything without you!!! May your will be done through my life and all that I do. I love you Lord!!! May your death not be for naught in my heart!!! You bring salvation and I bring my service to you. Use this simple, sinful man to spread your word.

AMEN.

Lord, you arose. After what man did to you, you came back to life to walk among the living. You fulfilled the prophecy. You are our good news. You are our salvation.

YOU ARE RISEN!!!

Christ was persecuted because he challenged the norm. He looked to new doctrine instead of sticking with the old. He saw beyond the laws of man and the simple thoughts of our brains.
Let us go beyond the norm. May we move beyond what man knows and show the world that they need the perfect savior in their lives. Let us be bold and empowered to move people beyond their comfort zone and into the Father's Arms. May this world wake up and know the one true God!!!