Meet me in St Louie

A lot has changed since I last put something on here (which was about 6 months ago now...oops) so I figure it's time to at least write a brief update. My time in Alaska was wonderful, in fact, it was the best summer in Skagway so far. Why? Well, the weather was a lot better! But I also had friendships grow deeper with those I knew from years prior, and I got to meet some pretty amazing new friends as well. My tour-guiding came to a halt when I took a job as a brakeman (if you don't know what this is, just think of a conductor--it's relatively the same) and I enjoy that position much more. I'm pretty sure I'll be heading up north in the summer for at least the next couple years.

Now I'm living in St Louis, not quite the beauty of Alaska, but a good city none the less. I am enjoying living close to by brother again (which hasn't happened in over a decade!) and playing around with my nephew whenever I get the chance. My classes start in January full time at Covenant Seminary and I'm only getting more excited as time proceeds. For now, I'm enjoying the break, filling my time with writing music and studying Greek.

I could write a book just on God's faithfulness to me over the past 6 months, and another book on all the things He's taught my heart along the way--but this is a brief update and I'll keep it that way for now.

Alaska Bound

In a few days I pack my bags and head north for another season in Alaska working aboard the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway. The past couple months at home have been beneficial and productive which is all I can ask. I've spent some time recording music and working on a hymn project of old hymns I've rewritten. (If you want a taste of that rough project, check out www.myspace.com/paulranheim). Anyways, the reason why I write is to say if you are coming to Alaska (perhaps on a cruise), be sure to swing by the little town of Skagway and say hello.

That's all for now from my neck of the woods. Cheers!

The Nephew

Some of you have been asking to see more pictures of my little nephew. My brother does a good job of posting pics every few weeks on his site. Check it out.

http://southernnorwegian.spaces.live.com/

The Newest Ranheim

Well, it's sad news to anyone who knew her. She was a good friend, very faithful and dependable, through rain or sunshine, she persevered. Perhaps you remember her. Maybe you came with us and enjoyed the countless hours of driving across the country, or listening to tunes on the way up to the slopes, or just enjoying the stillness of a conversation in the driveway. Well my friends, those days are over. She was old, but she didn't die from old age. She was just a little fragile. It all came to pass while we were in rush hour traffic about a week ago when we ended up in the midst of an accident. We were only traveling about 5mph so I didn't get hurt at all, but she took a hard hit. It was merely a flesh wound, but at her age it proved to be serious. When word finally came back about her condition, they only said: "There's nothing we can do. She's just too old." My heart sank. What will I do? I loved her... maybe. I can't go anywhere without her.

It's true. She has passed on to another place. That's right my friend, my subaru has died. And although we know she can never truly be replaced, well, she's already been replaced. I know, it looks bad; she dies and almost instantly she's replaced by a younger, prettier, more attractive blond. It's not that way, but it is.... Anyways. Let me introduce to you the newest member of my family:

Thoughts on Money from Piper

The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. II Cor 9:6-7

In God's mathematics the best way to increase a sum is to subtract from it.

Verse 6: "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."

Most people operate on exactly the opposite principle to this one, namely, We will have more if we give less. But the Bible says, You will have more if you give more. This doesn't sound like good mathematics. Ten minus one is nine. And ten minus zero is ten. So if you want to have ten instead of nine, you subtract zero from the checkbook on the first day of the week. Right?

Wrong! The problem with that math is that it leaves God out. That's what I am trying to change this morning--to put God and his promises back into your finances. God says: if you subtract more seed from your bag you have more than if you subtract less seed from your bag. That's God's promise to you. Put him to the test. If you ask, How can this be?, we will see more as we move on.

This not some prosperity gospel--it is not a business principle to cash in on God's amazing interest rate. But it is an opportunity for joy in delighting in what God loves, since He loves cheerful givers.

God loves for you to be happy in your giving.

Verse 7: "Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

This is an utterly wonderful truth about God. You may feel it if you imagine what the universe would be like if God were not like this. What if God were like a father who was basically irritated by happy children? What if on Christmas morning a little child has wrapped up some clay hands in a praying position that he made in pottery class at school with a poem to his mother that says,

I made these hands the size of mine,
And make a promise too.
Would you please take them as a sign
That I will pray for you.

And what if he is so excited about giving this gift to his mother that he can hardly sit still and says, "Open this one next, mommy, open this one!"--and the father snaps at him, "Just shut up and be still. She'll get to it!" Or worse, what if his joylessness was so great that he said, "What are you so excited about! They're just some crummy praying hands"

If God were like that the universe would collapse into a black hole of nothingness for me. So you can see why I love verse 7. God loves a cheerful giver. God loves when his children are happy in their giving. God joins every childlike saint on the edge of his throne to see and savor the joy of every gift given and every gift received. God cannot be irritated by excessive joy in giving because there is no such thing. The heavens are the limit, and he is pushing us in this text to as much joy as we can possibly experience.

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How strangely irrational this seems in light of our current cultural values which attempts to find happiness and purpose in possessions and self-gratification. But that we might find happiness and purpose when giving away our hard-earned money is unheard of. Yet God loves people who realize their treasures are in Heaven and are eager to be generous. And I think this is why we are sometimes given more than just enough. We are given enough to live, and an abundance to give.

God's power and grace combine to give cheerful givers enough for themselves and abundance for others.

Verse 8 (literal translation): "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that by having all sufficiency always in every way, you might abound for every good work."

The point is that God gives us more than we need, and the reason he does that is not so we can store up the excess, but so that we can provide for good works--the poor, missionaries, ministries. The verse can be summed up: God gives enough for us, abundance for others.

Or to link it up with verse 7: the reason God gives you more than you need is not so that you can reduce your joy by keeping it, but increase your joy by giving it. Remember, in God's wonderful way of calculating, if ten minus one is more than ten minus zero, then 15 minus 6 is lots more than 15 minus zero.

Verse 8 makes crystal clear what the meaning of wealth is. Wealth is the God-sent possibility of multiplying the joy of providing for every good work."

"When we gunna wake from our naivety,
To find that there's more than a world full of me.
When we gunna snap from this funk that we're in,
To find that there's freedom only when we give."
~PJR

Excerpts By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.

In God We Trust

I recently heard a rumor going around stating that the government was about to release a one dollar coin without the phrase "In God We Trust." It was just a scam, but it made me think.

At first, I was a bit surprised and appalled by this. Who would have the gall to break this historic American tradition? It is such a good reminder that we are not to put our trust in money, but in God. And when our view becomes so fixated on wealth, prosperity, and retirement, there is the phrase etched into the very thing we covet, hoard, and are greedy for, saying, “NO, it’s in GOD we trust. Do not put your trust in money since it is temporal. But God is eternal!”

Then I thought further about it. Do we actually trust in God? Does our government put it’s trust in God, or does it trust in money, politics, technology, power, and military? As much as I desire to, I cannot honestly say that our country trusts in God. Do we trust in His faithfulness? His providence? His salvation? His sovereignty? I know many people who trust God, but our country as a whole has turned its back from Him. We trust in money and insurance instead of God's providence and faithfulness. We trust in knowledge and education instead of God's wisdom and Word. We trust in self-esteem and image instead of God's patient, forgiving, and unending love for us. We trust in science and empiricism instead of God's Word and guidance. We trust in government and military instead of God's almighty power and sovereignty. We trust our selves instead of God.

Perhaps it is best we remove the common slogan since it is simply a bold-faced lie. And perhaps someday we can reinstate it on our money, someday when we mean it, someday when it tells the truth.

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own”
~Proverbs 3:5-7 (The Message)

A brief update

This last weekend I took a trip to Spokane to visit some friends and professors—it was such a blessed time. I miss being involved in a Christian community and it was good to touch base with some long time friends. Tomorrow I’m heading down to San Diego with my friend Nathan to celebrate his birthday and to enjoy the sun. It couldn’t come at a better time as the forecast in Seattle shows only rain.

When I get back from California I’ll fly to St Louis for some scholarship interviews and to spend a week with my brother and his family there. This summer I will return to Alaska to work aboard the White Pass train, so if you take an Alaska cruise be sure to swing by and say hello.

Slavery?!

There is a new movie about to be released documenting the life of William Wilberforce who spent the majority of his life fighting in English Parliament to end the British slave trade. While laying on his death bed after nearly 50 years of fighting for the abolition of slavery, his parliamentary bill was passed ending the slave trade and freeing all slaves in the British Empire. He died three days later.

He is one of my heroes.

America soon followed in abolishing slavery. However, it cost us the lives of 600,000 men--the bloodiest war we have ever fought. It's no doubt that the cost of freedom is great.

And that is how slavery ended. All people are created equal and because of it, no one will every taste slavery again.... If only that were the case.

I doubt it is a surprise to you that slavery still exists. You have probably heard about sex slaves and child slaves among the many. But I was shocked to hear there are about 27 million slaves right now. That is disturbing and disgusting.

It is time for action. May we follow William Wilberforce's example of commitment to justice for all, so that by God's grace we may forgo another war.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found
was blind but now I see.

911

So I called 911 today (don't worry, no emergency or anything) and I got a recording saying that all phone operators were currently busy, please hold. What?! Since when do you get put on hold when calling 911??? I mean, don't we have that number just in case you need to talk to some NOW! I guess everyone is using those automated machines these days, trying to cut costs and cut personnel. Next time I call 911 I'll probably get a list of options: "press 1 if your house is on fire, press 2 if there's a burglar in your house, press 3 if your are having a heart attack, press 4 if you just had a heart attack, press 5 if you are dead from a heart attack....if you would like to talk with a customer service representative, please stay on the line. You are very important to us. The estimated wait is: 71 minutes. If this is truly an emergency, please hang up and dial 911."

Pics of my nephew

Today I Became an Uncle!

That's pretty much it! At 6:41pm I was standing in the delivering room awaiting my little nephew to breathe his first breath outside of the womb. The doctor delivered the sweet child and turned it toward my brother: "what do we got John?" "Looks like a boy!" "What's his name?" John turned to Elizabeth with a questioning look and responding through tears of joy she excitedly said: Jacob Paul Ranheim!

At 7lbs 13oz, I can honestly tell you that he's the cutest baby ever (no, I'm not biased......).

Footage from my Belize trip!

Hey, check this out. One of the guys on the catamaran to Belize put together this short video and did a great job of capturing it in a nutshell. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouU0i8Kz4XM