Down the pike into Summer 2009
Here’s what I’ve been up to the past couple months or so…
1. In 2.5 months (July 31) I will have been on leave from Royal Rangers for a full year. Technically I never left Royal Rangers, since I’ve been working 1-on-1 with the GMA’s in my church’s Outpost. The time off has been good and I’ll be doing a post soon about “the burnout cycle“.
2. Things have been going good in life… 5-6 months into a new IT job. Aside from technical issues, things have been going fair with the worship team at my church, where I’m still playing bass. It is so hard for me not to get involved in things at church on the leadership level. I think I’m doing good so far.
3. Lots of tweaks, transformations, and changes in Royal Rangers on the National level. Of course I only know what was mentioned in 2008. Since I’m not involved in Royal Rangers beyond my local church, I’ve been ignoring the latest buzz. Separation from all of that has been good for me in self renewal and I can actually think outside the box without being chained to it. Hence the projects I’ve been working on the side, plus future rants coming here and on the Royal Ranger Eagle.
4. On a personal note, without going into any real detail, I’ve been spending a lot of time with God in the past 16+ months praying and rethinking God’s calling in my life. I’ve been struggling, (the good kind of struggling), with God given dreams in my life. As Habakkuk 1:5 says, God’s going to do seemingly impossible things that regardless of what God shows me, they will come to pass by his hands. Even as a teen, I’ve known my overall calling. It hasn’t changed, hasn’t been killed, and has been lived out thus far. It is the things coming down the pike that will be hard. Too all that are dealing with the “divine delays of God” like I am, keep the faith! It is harder than hell, but keep Matthew 10:29 at hand!
I’m sure there is much more to update on, but I’ll leave it at that and leave it to facebook and friends publish my up to date status!
Here’s what I plan to do from here into the summer/fall…
1. Doug is getting his GMA on June 20. He’ll be the 6th in OP19 to earn the GMA, where in July he’ll be the first in our Outpost to earn the Saber! Way to go Doug! I’m still working with another boy in our Outpost that is only a few merits away from the GMA. 1-2 others maybe down the pike too! I’m both proud to be a GMA, as well as proud of my GMA’s + all GMA’s!
2. I plan to do some cycling road trip over the next couple months. One trip will be biking most of the Great Allegeny Passage trail, which you can take from Cumberland, MD to the southside of Pittsburgh. (This trail connects with the B&O Trail, which goes from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC.) Also part of that trip I’ll be biking the Stavich Trail, which goes from my childhood hometown of New Castle, PA into the burbs of Youngstown, OH. In the mix I’ll be doing some camping, some kayaking on the Three Rivers, and if I can find anyone to join, some rappelling at McConnell’s Mills.
3. Another cycling trip will be down around OBX and Virginia Beach. I did it last year, where I was impressed by the roads, but not so much by the trails. Sorry, not a fan of sandy trail and biking on shadeless paths that parelell busy roads. Hopefully my brother will be joining me! 
4. I’m planning 1-2 backpackers this summer. At least one, if not both, will be on the PA sections of the Appalachian Trail. I’m trying not to do the Pinnacle section of the AT this summer, since I frequent that. I want to do Cove Mt to Duncannon and maybe another new spot. Open invite to my Royal Ranger friends, with details to come soon.
5. Starting in June, I’ll be getting back into kayaking and canoeing. One of my GMA candidates had his grandpa donate a canoe to the Outpost. So we’ll get that licensed and out on the lake soon. Then I’ll be padaling the Schuylkill River, not just pedaling it! I grew up canoeing most weekend during the summer with my family, so it is like second nature to me. Will be fun teaching n00bs!
6. I’ll be planning some sort of mystery trip in the late fall. Well not so much a mystery… Likely a cycling/camping/hiking trip to the Grand Canyon. If not, Yosemite. If not that, then maybe something in Florida, like a Florida keys cycling trip. Hopefully I can get my brother involved!
7. Aside from all my adventures, I’ve been working slowly behind the scenes on building the 2009 version of “The Royal Ranger Eagle“. 12 years ago it was my Royal Rangers website, which was suppose to be a resource and development site. Well that’s what it is going to be. I plan to release it on as a zine, wiki, and social networking website. On the flip side, I’ll be working on web development projects, which I plan to use to help Outposts, districts, and ministry groups. Release date will be July 1, 2009, 7 months late. But better late then never!
Lastly…
Later this weekend I’ll post my “Summer 2009 Gear Wishlist“.
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