Life in Full

Living life one day at a time

2011-03-27T11:47:00.001-07:00

So since I recapped my last cross country adventure I've since begun another one. To catch you up (assuming someone is actually reading this) the company I helped out by driving across the country to the opening round of the ATV AMA national races offered me a full time position. Its amazing to see how the Lord works and opens doors in a particular order and at just the right time. It would take too long to recount how my journey into this industry over the last three years has lead to this opportunity but I believe whole heartedly that God has had his hand in it every step of the way.

My first task with the new job was to fly back east to attend round 2 of the racing series. As of right now I'm slated to attend all of the AMA Nationals for 2011. The tour schedule will take me all over the eastern US and give me an opportunity to visit numerous states I've never been to so I'm VERY excited.

Two weeks ago I stopped into the office to sign paperwork and gather the necessary things I'd need for what I thought would be a five day trip to Alabama. Little did I know they had other plans. Ty Zimmermon, one of the several people who was pulling for me to get this job asked if I would mind extending my trip and hitting an event in Texas the weekend between races. Fortunately my life is rather flexible at this point in time so I said sure and went home to pack my suite case for my three week trip.

My first stop was in Pell City Alabama for Round 2 of the AMA Nationals. From there I headed to Jacksonville Texas for an event known as the Mud Nationals. This is basically an excuse for around 15,000 people to get together and party, southern style, in the backwoods and mud holes of east Texas. It was certainly an eye opening experience and for how crazy things tend to get, I'm thankful I was able to miss most of the mayhem. I was on hand to display our product and help get our company out and in the minds of the people.

Currently I'm spending a couple days off in Kilgore Texas before I head back to Alabama to pick up our teams race rig before heading to the next national in Bowlingreen Kentucky. I am so thankful and continue to be amazed at the doors God keeps opening. We're going to be spending a couple days midweek at a former national champions house before heading to the races. Jeremiah Jones was a top ranked professional racer when he was tragically injured in a race and is now a paraplegic. He's still actively involved in the industry running a race team and supporting his wife who races in the women's class. Just another awesome opportunity to get to meet some of the people I've only ever seen in magazines and in media.

This is about the midway point of the trip so hopefully I'll get some free time to write another post before heading back to California and on to the next adventure. Thanks for tuning in.

The Saga Continues...

2011-02-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the chaos and craziness that is my life. Ha ha. I'm now on an airplane headed back to California after yet another experience I never really thought I would be blessed with. Many of you know that I've been obsessed with the world of ATV racing for most of my life. Unfortunately the biggest ATV racing series is held on the east coast and I've never had an opportunity to attend a race. All that changed last week though as a team manager for one of the biggest race teams in the country called an asked if I could drive their racer support vehicle to Washington Georgia for the season's opening race. Turns out their usual guy had injured his knee and was unable to drive. So, whats a guy that has no real commitment or responsibility to do when an opportunity like this is dropped in his lap? Drive 39 + hours across the country in 3 days of course!!!

I made the trip from Oregon to Illinois a few times in college but it was always with other people and I was to solo this trip. Thankfully I could break it up and didn't have to drive straight through. I made it to El Paso the first night, Monroe Louisiana the second night and on into Georgia on night number three. An unexpected surprise was making a brief stop in Fort Worth to visit one of my lovely nurses from my extended hospital stay there last July. It was great catching up and much nicer chatting without my head ringing and leaking fluid everywhere.
In Washington I met up with the race team and helped mount and dismount tires for dozens of racers throughout the course of the weekend. I had an awesome opportunity to watch the pro race and afterward, even connected with a local member of the Fox news crew who was milling around the track. He was the weekend sports guy who happened to show up because he heard there was an event going on but he didn't really know anything about it. Being the rather shy fellow that I am, I offered to take him around the event and explain how things work and even helped him get an interview with the top two pro racers.

I continue to be amazed at how God works all things together and knows SO much better than we do, what He is doing. So many of the experiences I've had and people I've met over the last two years were always just hopeful thoughts and not something I really ever thought I would get to experience. Even more so over the last months as life has been challenging and work has been scarce. But isn't it just like God to make us wait, grow impatient and then just when we feel we've had enough, He lavishes something so new and exciting upon us.

This trip has been an unexpected blessing and I'm not sure what my involvement will be in the future but I'm hoping for good things. Everyone I met seemed happy to have me around and it was an awesome experience to be able to work in the thick of the industry I love. I even made some new friends that promised to bring me real Tennessee Barbecue if I make it to the next round. I can only hope.....

The Rearview Mirror

2011-02-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

So often we speak about forgetting what is behind and moving forward. It's true that in dwelling on things of the past - mistakes, choices, relationships -we often see things that we don't like. Focusing on those things can impede our ability to move forward and into greener pastures. While I agree whole heartedly that it's not about what is behind you, but more so about what lies ahead, I can't help but peer over my should every once in a while to remind myself of where I've come from.

So often along the path of life and the pursuit of a dream we can get bogged down. We become discouraged when things aren't happening like we thought or we just seem to be pouring out and pouring out while receiving little in return. I heard Mark Sanborn speak recently and he comented that "successful people find themselves discouraged more often than unsuccessful people." Successful people set the bar so high that they often times become discouraged along the way, but the important thing is to keep trying.

I find it useful every once in a while to peer into the review mirror for two reasons. One, it allows you to truly gauge how far you have come. Things seldom happen in our lives as quickly as we'd like them to but it's important to step back and see the big picture. This should show you that despite what you may feel, you are moving forward and you continue to gain ground.

Secondly, peering into the past can help us through those times when faith is in short supply. "Look at your track record" was the encouragement my dad gave me to get me through my senior year of college. He was trying to remind me that I had ended up at college because I believed that's where the Lord had called me. He lead me there and He would lead me to wherever I was suppose to go next.

Look at your track record. When faith is in short supply, recall times from the past when God provided a friend, money to pay the bills or a cool drink of water in the middle of the desert. He has seen you through storms before and he will see you through whatever lies ahead.

Just remember as you move forward and walk through this life, every once in a while, peer over your shoulder to remind yourself of how far you've come and to assure yourself that the God who was with you then, is with you now.

Moving forward

2011-02-10T17:53:00.001-08:00

Soooo.....Its been a little while since I've written on the old blog. Chalk it up to spending time looking for a job and the rest of the time worried about not having a job. Things have been up and down quite a bit over the course of the last few months but they are finally starting to look up.

A quick rehash, about mid October I suddenly realized I didn't have a job and the things that I was doing to generate money were barely cutting it and they were slowly vanishing. So after applying for jobs on craigslist and a day spent making cold calls as a part of the interview process for one company, I finally took to the streets to try and find a job. The day was bitter sweet.

The second door I knocked on was a film company called Endeavor Production Group. I talked to the owner for almost an hour and basically left with a job. It would be entry level and only part time but I was energized and continued my rounds to see what else I could find. Later that afternoon my truck died and failed to restart. That began about 2 months worth of recurring truck problems, which are still not settled to this day but its running and for that I'm thankful.

Fast forward to today, I'm still working with EPG and I'm in charge of a little branch we started called SpecSpot TV. I'm producing 60 web videos for business to promote themselves and their services online. I really like the work but its slow going. Everyone seems to want video to promote their business but no one wants to pay.

I also have another part time job working as a marketing assistant for the Stromsoe Insurance agency. I actually found and applied for the job on craigslist. It was an interesting interview process but after meeting the owner Mike and learning how he does business it made perfect sense and the system really works.

Outside of my "real" jobs, I'm continuing to pursue the motorsports world with everything I have. I've had some INCREDIBLE opportunities lately in terms of getting my name out there as an industry insider. I wrote a story for ATV Rider Magazine that should be on stands now, and basically just told my story of how I got to where I'm at and some of the exciting events that have happened along the way. That was a huge blessing because the story turned out to be 6 pages in the magazine and I've received a lot of great feedback from people about it.

I've had some other AMAZING opportunities recently that I will share in my next post but for now, it's late, I'm tired and this is the first time I've posted since November...you'll have to check back :) I always love hearing from you so please feel free to comment below or on facebook.

Pound the Rock

2010-11-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

So the other day my truck quit. I was out driving around town making cold calls on some businesses trying to find a job and things were going fairly well until my truck died and failed to restart. I had it towed to my house and with the help of my dad over the phone, began to diagnose the problem. My roommate was helping me out and could sense my frustration. Somewhere in the process I muttered, “at what point do you say enough is enough and quit?” He responded very pointedly, “You don’t.”

We had a saying in the Greenville College football program, “Pound the rock.” The idea is that if a man were standing in a field beating on a rock with a sledgehammer, regardless of the rocks size, sooner or later the rock is going to break. Each swing of the sledge transmits more energy into the rock and eventually, the rock will crumble.

The saying is meant to illustrate handling life’s challenges. So often in life we can feel like we’re giving our all with little to no success. We’re pounding away but just can’t seem to crack the rock. Life throws us challenges and obstacles and threatens to steer us off course at every turn. All too often, we bend and break under our circumstances and opt to go in another direction. “I’ve been doing this for so long and I’m not getting anywhere,” we reason.

I find myself doing that very thing as I reluctantly have begun looking for a job. Not by choice but life, bills and other commitments don’t stop coming just so that I can establish myself in this industry and figure out a way to make a living doing what I love. Fortunately I have a great support group of people that encourage me every time I entertain the thought of quitting. They put my pursuit back into perspective and help me realize that I have come a long ways. I might not be where I want to be yet, but I’m on track.

Fortunately, God has allowed me a situation in life that I can afford to pour myself out and live for next to nothing in hopes of achieving this goal. I certainly couldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if I was married or had other people depending on me.

All I can do is keep showing up. Paul offers in 1 Corinthians 7:17 “You must accept whatever situation the Lord has put you in and continue you on as you were when God first called you.” My roommate echoed Paul’s words when he told me, “You just gotta keep showing up.”

It’s easy to tuck tail and run when trouble strikes. Even more so when you fail to see any sort of fruit from all your hard work. But like our man standing in the field, you’ll never know what that next swing will bring if you don’t take it. It might not be but one that breaks the rock but one thing is for sure, the rock won’t break if you don’t swing the hammer.

I can say with confidence that I believe this is the place God has me in life. I’ve not neglected His word or his voice in those moments when He’s called me elsewhere like Greenville for instance and He has, in a very round about way, brought me back to the very place I’ve always longed to be. It’s not going quite like I had planned, but then again, when we do things Gods way how often does it work out just like we thought?

So as I’m working this out in my own life, my encouragement to you is to stay the course. The season you find yourself in my be unpleasant and may lack any sort of fruit but continue on “as you were when God first called you.” Maybe you don’t buy the whole God thing. Regardless, the quickest way to ensure you won’t reach success in your field is to quit.

We all feel some sort of purpose in life otherwise we wouldn’t keep showing up to work, class, practice or that 5am meeting. We have faith that what we are doing is in some way bringing us closer to our goal, even though at times, the end goal may seem a little hazy. Regardless of the end result, keep showing up. Keep taking steps in the direction you feel lead and watch the path continue to unfold.

“Pound the rock…Relentlessly. Pound the rock.”

Man Time and Girls Night

2010-10-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

So the other night I joined my roommate and several of his co-workers to watch UFC 121. It was a testosterone fueled evening full of good food, quality entertainment and plenty of dudes yelling at the TV. Everything about the night was a celebration of all things man from the food, to the fights on tv and even the company. I’m a freestyle motocross rider (well, use to be) and these guys spend long hard days scaling power poles in the hot sun. Manly guys getting together to fellowship with other men.

The guy who hosted us all for the evening has a wife and two kids who spent the evening at a relative’s house. They returned late that night as the fights were wrapping up and she was excited to see that we all very much enjoyed our evening. She was delighted to sacrifice her (very nice) home for the evening to let her husband and a group of his buddies have a little fun.

I don’t know this couple at all but judging by the interaction that I observed between them, this woman gets it. She understands that a little time away from the responsibilities of home to be a guy and be with other guys was good for him. It energized him. It allows him a few moments to celebrate being a man with other men and I would venture, gives him the fill-up that he needs to continue loving her and taking care of his family as a man should.

I say she “gets it” because I think all to often, men aren’t celebrated or allowed the opportunity to simply be men. (Perhaps that’s where the ball and chain jokes come in at bachelor parties?) Certainly a man has responsibilities when he gets married and his family must be at the top, but all too often rather than granting the freedom for a man to spend some time with his friends, he’s ridiculed for even suggesting it and is seldom if ever afforded the opportunity. A man needs this time and this particular wife realizes that.

Now before you ladies go hating on me or stop reading, don’t. Because just as much as I believe men need this free time away from home to be with other men, I think women need this time away from kids, cooking, cleaning, work and any of the other tasks that fill up their day.

My question to the guys reading is this, when’s the last time you offered to take the kids out just to give your wife an evening at home alone? Or better yet, when’s the last time you played babysitter so she could go have a night out with her girlfriends? The argument I would expect to hear is, “well I’ve been busy working all day providing for this family.”

Indeed, you have. And so has she though likely her contribution, while probably not monetarily, is just as great and taxing as yours. She’s quite possibly been changing diapers, giving baths, wrangling kids around grocery stores, folding laundry, cleaning house etc etc etc. (I’m just throwing things out so if I offend any feminist readers, please forgive me) She’s tired too. She wants time to herself or a weekend away with the girls just as bad as you want your man time.

I wonder how much more open the typical wife would be to giving her husband a night or weekend away with the guys if she herself had more time to be with women? We are wired for fellowship and there is something about a woman being with women and a guy being with other guys that cannot be replaced. It energizes us. After all, the world knows we handle emotions and communication along with a million other things differently.

I can think of a whole host of excuses that both men and women would give for not providing this opportunity for each other but like everything in life, we make time for the things that are important to us. What if giving her a night out with her girlfriends twice a month, shoot make it once a month, (probably more than she’s getting now) became something of importance to me as a husband? I’m willing to bet she’d be so blessed by my effort and refreshed by her time with other women that she would jump at the chance to give me an opportunity to get away with my buddies.

I’m speaking in the future tense of course because I’m not married, but to those that are, doesn’t that make sense? Sure it will take time, planning and effort when you probably are exhausted and really don’t want to spend the evening finger painting with your toddler, changing diapers etc. But if it benefits you in the long run, wasn’t your night of sacrifice a small cost to pay in order to 1) bless your wife by giving her a much needed break and 2) give you an opportunity to go be with your buddies?

So how to get there. We’re busy, she’s busy, schedules never seem to coincide so even if we are willing to make that sacrifice so she can spend some time resting and recuperating, how on earth do we make it happen? Fellas, here’s another opportunity to shine; make it happen for her.

Scour the calendar for an open weekend or figure out which night she’s most often free (you live with her for goodness sake). Make it exciting, buy her a card and put a coupon inside good for “a weekend away” or a girl’s night out, paid in full. Get CRAZY and book her a day/weekend at a spa. I hear chicks love that stuff! If you pay for it in advance, it’ll be all the more special to her.

“Well I don’t have the money to be doing that.” Good point, it’s only your marriage your sewing into…not to mention YOUR overall happiness too because I’m willing to bet she’ll come back reenergized and you’ll reap the benefits in more ways than one.

I’m not saying do this so you get something in return, but the truth of the matter is, you probably will. Marriage is kinda like a team sport, both parties work together at this game called life in hopes of scoring the goal at the end. We help each other out, support one another and sometimes that means going out of our way to make extra time for them to do what make them happy.

How much different would marriage in America be today if we actually went out of our way to give our spouse an opportunity to do those things that truly make them happy and feel refreshed?

The Measure of Success

2010-10-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

A year ago today I quite my job at Columbia River Bank and embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. It was a surreal feeling as I hung up the phone knowing that in a few short days I would be packing my truck and making a move that I'd been praying for, for almost ten years.

So much has gone on in the last year it would take a book to chronicle. As is so often the case, with each year gone by we examine ourselves and our situation in hopes that we are farther along than we were the year before. "Am I closer to my goal?" To answer that question you have to first know what that goal is and how to measure success. By the worlds standards, I'm farther away from "success" than I've ever been.

A year ago I owned two vehicles, had a secure semi-well paying job, a house all to myself, money in the bank and some level of freedom. Today my 30 year old truck needs new tires, I'm renting a room in someone else's house, I write articles for a living ranging from $100-$300 and whatever money I have in the bank is committed to paying next months bills.

Depending on your perspective, you might scratch you head and ask "Seth, what are you doing?" To many, my present situation is less than appealing and certainly isn't much to brag about. Most of my friends are married and many are starting to have kids. That season of my life is so far out of the question it seems almost comical to even consider.
Some mornings I wake up asking myself if I made the right choice. I have no guarantee of success, just a passion for what I'm doing and a vision for the future that seems to keep evolving. By this point, certainly after my trip to Texas last July, I'd hoped to be well on my way to some level of stardome. The "plan" was to become a superstar in the action sports world and become one of the sports elite. Didn't quite work out that way.

So now what? Do I limp back to the corporate world since I'm "educated" in a particular field? Do I move on to other avenues since I couldn't quite measure up as I had hoped to? Again, based on your definition of success, most wouldn't use that to describe the last year of my life. As I sit here planning my next move, scrambling around the pacific northwest for a week in hopes of finding the next peice, I'm reflecting on the last year and wondering just what exactly have I accomplished?

If accomplishment is the definition of success, than I've failed miserable. If experience fits the definition then I feel as though I can die a happy man. In the last year I have seen and done things that I only considered in my dreams. Example. I visited some friends in Corvalis recently and they had a poster of a guy upside down on a quad hanging on the wall (Caleb Moore). It's comical to me to know that the guy in the poster took me to the hospital after I crashed and nearly killed myself. I never thought I'd actually meet the guy, let alone hang out at his house for two weeks with he and the entire team of riders.

I had always hoped that one day before I die I could attend the Baja 1000 and witness the Matlock racing team continue to dominate the sport. In the last year I've served on their pit crew twice and each time the night before the race got to sit down and enjoy a pre-race BBQ with the whole family. DEFINITELY never saw that coming!

Those are just two of the countless experiences I've been blessed with in the last year and it's those experiences that I measure my success by. In terms of achieving my end goal (not even sure what that is any more) I wouldn't say I'm particularly successful, but if success is measured by satisfaction, fulfillment and joy, I'd say I'm living in the overflow.

I look at the last year as purely a gift. I cannot begin to describe the excitement I feel with regards to the experiences I've had and the people I've met in the last year. No, I don't know what tommorrow will bring. I don't know what the future holds, but I trust that this gift is from God and it is the clearest example I have that the Lord truly does "delight in giving us the desires of our heart." (Psalm 37:4)

Many might not understand my measure of success. Most people think I'm crazy for getting excited at the sound of an engine or the smell of race gas and exhaust fumes, but I do. Thats what makes me tick and it's the experiences revolving around this industry that make me come alive. It will be interesting to see how "successful" the next year is but if its anything like the last one, I'm in for a wild ride and I can't even begin to guess what it will entail!

Best Pickup line in the church "God told me your were the one."

2010-09-09T13:09:00.000-07:00

If a member of the opposite sex offers you that statement, I encourage you to thank them and promptly run in the opposite direction.

Somewhere, someone who was very in tune to with the Lords voice and the prompting of the Holy Spirit did in fact hear the voice of God say, “she is the one” but in our over zealous, over spiritualized church today, horny youth are running around declaring to the most attractive person they can find, “God told me you are the one.”

Do I disagree that God works this way? No. One of my most respected college professors has a story similar to this. He was speaking at a worship/prayer service in his younger days and his now wife was the young woman playing piano during the prayer portion of the service. He was running around the room ministering in prayer to people and his wife sensed the Lord tell her “I have brought him to you.” She opened her eyes and good old professor Filby was standing in front of her. He asked if he could pray for her and she said yes. They ended up spending time chatting after the service and they are happily married today. I don’t know for sure, but I doubt she told him what she had heard that day. My guess is it came a while down the road after she KNEW it was indeed the Lord.

What’s different about their story? Well I would venture that she really heard from God and 90% of the young people running around in church, bible college and even out in the world haven’t. They think they have and they want to hear from God on the subject, but their own eagerness for a relationship has gotten in the way of their ability to truly hear the voice of God.

I’m guilty of it. I can convince myself of a lot. In college I found myself sharing my desire to pursue a couple young ladies because I thought God was opening the door. In reality my own lust, selfishness and lack of intimacy in my own relationship with the Lord is what was driving those conversations. By Gods infinite grace, none of the girls were interested and I thank him for that daily.

Through my experience and what I observe in the church today I’ve come to discover a few things. First, most people in the church today are lacking true intimacy in their relationship with the Lord. Not that I have it figured out by any means, but that certainly was my problem in college and has continued to be in the area of relationships to this day. Until we understand what a true relationship with the Lord is we will continue to mistake our own longings and our own desires as the voice of God.

Our priorities are all out of whack. I spoke with some of the local Bible College students the other day about where our focus lies in the church. We might say we’re joining the college group or attending the bible college to “sit at the Lords feet” but I’d venture to say that is not priority number one for most people. Merely sitting in the campus coffee shop supports this. Many have good intentions and indeed desire that relationship with their heavenly Father but it seems so few understand the meaning true intimacy. Myself included.

Secondly, we are too concerned with having a fanciful, fairytale love story that we again over think and over spiritualize, acting on impulse rather than Gods divine providence. We hear the story of the young pastor who on graduation day declared to his now wife, “God told me you are the one,” and we want that so we try to make it happen. I heard recently that one young lady from the local bible College had three young men offer her that in a weeks time. Props to her because she didn’t buy any of it. In fact she shared with these young men, “surely God must be confused then because I keep hearing that.” I can only imagine the defeat and anguish these young men felt but if they didn’t learn their lesson I’m sure they can find another unsuspecting young women to prey on with better results.

A friend of mine recently shared from the female world that many of her friends are much more concerned with the love story than the relationship. “Oh wouldn’t it just be SO amazing if it worked out?” She offered that at this point in her life, she just wants to meet a godly man and is less concerned with how that happens.

I share her sentiment; at 24 I’m just looking for a relationship. I could care less if the story is fanciful and exciting. I certainly haven’t always been there and my own eagerness for a God written love story has allowed me to convince myself that I’m hearing from the Lord when clearly I have not. The lack of fruit from any of those attempts at relationships is evidence of this.

Read the bible. Every word of it is God inspired and there are plenty of not so exciting stories in there. Just because it’s a love story doesn’t mean its going to be a fairytale. In fact that opens up another can of worms regarding our idea of a fairytale love story. Books, TV and Hollywood have painted a picture of what ever after really means and we compare Gods design of a love story to that. Seldom do they look the same. Ruth and Boaz ring a bell? A very romantic story but a threshing floor and a pile of grain somehow doesn’t measure up to a weekend trip to Tahiti as seen on The Bachelor.

I offer, and I’m as guilty as the next, that our own eagerness and desire for a relationship, coupled with our lack of true intimacy with the Lord, has allowed the devil to find his way into places he shouldn’t and never was meant to be. The church tells us “You’ll just know.” And we, enamored by lust and emotion, mistake our own longing as the voice of God. How incredibly sad that we can take sin and convince ourselves that it is the voice of God.

That proves that we are lacking in our own personal relationships with the Lord. So start there. Dive into the word. Ask God to open your eyes and heart in new and truthful ways. You might offer that you study the bible day in and day out and are not seeing any fruit. Are you doing homework when you open the Bible or are you taking time to spend one on one with your savior learning to hear His voice. Either way, it takes time.

Then when that voice comes along, test it. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says “Test everything and hold on to what is good.” If it truly is the voice of the Lord, He’s not going to let her get away. God will lovingly lead you as you submit to His will and His voice, and help you as you learn to lovingly lead the woman He has for you.

Women Have Power, Real Power

2010-09-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Athletic competition is a magnificent thing. The court or field is a battleground where physical strength, mental preparation and weeks, months or years of practice is tested. The Olympic games are the stage for the best of the best, both men and women, to display their strength for the world to see.

Funny thing. Men still compete with men. Women still compete with woman. Our society, even the church, is obsessed with the idea of equality and egalitarianism and yet we segregate our athletic competition. Do we really want equality?

Women would argue, “You can’t expect women to compete at the same level as men. It just wouldn’t be fair. Our genetic make up is different.”

You are right. God made us different right down to our genetic make up. I think we can see this in athletic competition better than any other place in all of creation. To expect a woman to power clean the same 580 lbs (current men’s world record) is absurd. She got close with 412 lbs (current women’s world record). The men’s high jump world record stands at 8 feet 0.46 inches while the women’s is at 6ft 10.28 inches and I could give stats all day. Somewhere out there yes, I’m sure a woman has “beaten” men in some display of physical or athletic strength but by and large, men excel in these displays over women because we are different by design.

Our genetic make up, the way our bodies are made, suggests that we are different. We can accept it in athletic competition, in fact we even expect it, but in relationships, the business world and every other area, we demand equality.

Before you quit reading or start writing your own rebuttal, hear me out. God made us different, and that is ok. Do I believe women are capable of leading bible studies, churches and fortune 500 companies? Absolutely, and probably better than I ever could! Can they “wear the pants,” be the leader and primary breadwinner etc etc in a marriage? Yep, and many are. But do I believe that is how God designed it? No. Does that mean you have to stop doing those things? No. Especially because the guy you’re with probably won’t start doing those things.

God made us differently. That is all I’m trying to say. We are wired differently, we give and receive love differently and when we (men and women) can figure this out AND ACCEPT IT, only then will we begin to love and serve as Christ has called us.

It’s sad because that is really where it should start. Out of our love for Christ, we will sacrificially love and serve in relationships but we don’t. Until we get what we want and are treated fairly, we won’t bend or break. Somewhere, someone has got to give in. It SHOULD be men. We are called to lead, sacrificially, even to the point of laying down our life for women (Ephesians 5:25). Nowhere in scripture does it place such a high calling on women, that they give up their life for a man. We are called to lead even to the point of death.

We are ALL called to love sacrificially even when we are not receiving it, “as to the lord.” (Eph 5:22 for women, 5:25 for men).

Ok, lets take God out of the very picture He created. We are caught in a vicious cycle that until someone steps out and breaks it, will continue to go round and round. I love sharing about a trip to Chicago I made my freshman year of college that fits this to a tee.

It was a disaster from the word go. Plans fell through and it ended up being me and four women (your saying “and your complaining?!”). We made it to Chicago, crammed 6 people into a studio apartment down town and several of us spent the night on the hard wood floor. It snowed nearly two feet overnight and the next morning I went into survival mode. I borrowed a shovel from a neighbor and proceeded to unearth the wrong vehicle. I finally found the right one two blocks away and dug it out. The rest of the day was a clash of personalities, frustrated meals, bad directions and getting lost. You couldn’t have paid me to drive around Chicago in broad daylight, much less in two feet of snow.

I was not happy. The girls were having fun but thought I was a pill and I probably was, but that didn’t change how I felt. Somewhere by the end of the day as we were driving out of town trying to make our way to one of the girls homes, no one really knew where we were or where we were going. You could have cut the tension in the car with a knife. As I drove down the freeway barely able to stay on the road due to the setting sun and the snow still blowing horizontally across the road, a small, loving voice with the most sincerity I have ever heard chimed from the back seat, “Seth, thank you for taking such good care of us today.”

At that moment every feeling of dread, anger, frustration and anything else that was weighing on my mind disappeared. I would have driven all night, changed a flat tire in the sub zero temps or done ANYTHING for ANYONE of those girls (even the ones I was still upset with) because that one girl showed me respect and appreciation. She had power. She new it and how to use it.

Ladies if you can learn to speak and love as my friend did, you will hold the power of the atom bomb in your hand. A man will swim oceans, scale buildings and climb mountains when he has the sincere love of a woman behind him.

As guys, we should recognize this. We should lead sacrificially, “as Christ laid down his life for the church” and we will ultimately find that we’ll receive this kind of love and respect from women. We’ve got to start doing that.

To the egalitarianists and people that want equality, we are different. Physically and emotionally and nothing you or I say is going to change that. Our world doesn’t want to accept God or the bible but really, it lays it out for us. 1 Peter 3:7 cautions husbands to love their wives as they may be weaker (physically/emotionally) than you, BUT they are your EQUAL heir in Gods gracious gift of life.

When we, the church, the bride of Christ, actually open up the bible and begin to understand not only WHAT it says but WHY it says it, only then will we come to a true understanding of our heavenly father and how He has designed us to love and be loved.

"Just Friends" Part 2 No room for doubt

2010-09-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

“Loyalty in relationships does not start when you say ‘I do’ or even commit to dating". -Shelly Lynch

There is much wisdom in that statement. I’ve had several girls tell me over the years, “I don’t have to submit until we’re married.” Ok if you want to get technical about that verse, yeah it says “Wives submit to your husbands.” But if you’re not practicing submission while your dating or courting someone, how are they suppose to know how you’ll act in a marriage? Would you date a guy that says “I’ll start loving you after we get married?”

The same goes for practicing loyalty. I hear women say all the time, “I’m very loyal when I’m in a relationship” but what does that really mean? To some that means they don’t cheat on the person. To others that means they’re committed but they still have their own group of friends which can include any number of guy/girls and even ex boyfriend/girlfriends. To others, and the idea I’m encouraging, it means you go out of your way to let the other person know that they are your one and only.

I think that is loyalty at its core but the problem then becomes, when does it start? In my original note entitle “We’re just friends, you should trust me” I talked about practicing loyalty now by limiting the time you spend alone with members of the opposite sex if there is no romantic interest. I talked about the value of having relationships of the opposite sex but also the difficulty that comes in reevaluating those friendships once one or both of the parties enter a relationship or get married. Naturally, if you are in fact loyal, those relationships with guy or girl “friends” need to change. They don’t have to end necessarily, but your primary concern should become your significant other. If they aren’t ok with that prior friendship, it’s got to go.

Some of you think that thought is absurd. “He can’t demand I not have a particular friend” or “She’s just jealous.” My opinion? Yeah, she is jealous. And if she is, it’s probably because your doing something that is not helping her feel secure in your love. People react so quickly and assume the worst, particularly regarding this topic. I wish people would take the time to 1) communicate, that would eliminate most of the problems and 2) be willing to lay aside their own selfishness for the betterment of the relationship.

I think if we could learn to do that, you’d find that you ultimately do yourself a favor by laying the friendship in question down. You’re going huh? I’m losing a friend and he/she is getting their way? How is that doing me a favor?

I’ll explain with an example I came up with a while ago. Suppose I have a girlfriend. She’s eager, attractive and outgoing. Naturally that’s a great combination and certainly I’m not the only guy vying for her attention but somehow I’ve managed to win her affection and am the lucky one called “boyfriend.” Because she’s eager and outgoing, chances are she’s got lots of friends and more than likely several guy friends in there too. Suppose she’s of the belief that I should trust her even enough to go have coffee or spend time hanging out with these other guys without becoming jealous or worrying because she’s assured me they’re “just friends.” As in so many relationships today, it’s not a trust issue it’s a preference. I just rather she didn’t spend time alone with guys. I know how guys work so I mention it to her.

“Sweetheart, you are outgoing, attractive, you love people and I love that about you. That’s part of why I was attracted to you to begin with. But because of that, its difficult for me to see you maintain relationships with guys, even though you are just friends. Part of it is because I know how guys work, but mostly, its just another way that I can feel secure in your love. It would mean the world to me if you would choose not to spend time alone with other guys, having coffee and speaking on the phone for great lengths of time. It would help me know without a doubt that I’m your one and only.”

To that she responds as most people would, “well you should just trust me Seth. If I say we’re just friends, we’re just friends.” “I do trust you. It’s not that I don’t, but I would appreciate you not spending your time with other guys. You might not understand why, you might not think it makes any sense, but it would mean the world to me if you would make that sacrifice.”

She has a choice. She may, as is the case with many relationships, truly not understand why this is so difficult for me. After all, she trusts me. Why is this so difficult for Seth to understand? But what she doesn’t realize is at this very moment she has power. She has real power to do something that will in turn motivate me to love her better. She can show me love and bless me so much by respecting my wish. Her sacrifice is amplified all the more because she doesn’t understand why she should do it.

And why does she have power? Because she can make a sacrifice that will bless me so much, removing any foothold or stumbling block that’s between us and out of gratefulness, I will lavish upon her so much more love because I’m so thankful that she made that sacrifice. She has the power to help herself. Maybe she already feels loved. That’s fine, is anyone going to turn down an extra expression of love from their significant other? Heck no!

It takes action on both parts. My girlfriend needs to actually stop spending the time with other guys and I need to go out of my way to express how thankful I am that she has made and is acting on that sacrifice. I don’t think that will be too tough though. Our natural response when we feel loved, is to love. When your cup is filled, you overflow!

I received some interesting responses from that first article and I want to share my findings. By and large the people that agree 100% fit a couple of demographics: they are either happily married or divorced. The first response I received came from a young woman who is divorced after a painful marriage and even now struggles with this topic in her relationship with her boyfriend. Several other divorced women responded in agreement as well as several people that I would put in the happily married category. In either case, they have lived this out and have seen how it either positively or negatively affects the relationship.

I didn’t receive any negative feedback per say, but more so “I agree and disagree.” My assumptions are that these people agree with the aspect of commitment in marriage, but disagree with the notion of reigning back on those relationships now. You know what I find fascinating? Each and every person that I received this type of feedback from falls between the ages of 18 and 30 and is a single, “independent,” Christian woman.

Am I knocking these women? Not in the slightest. It think they are the ones poised for the greatest success in marriage. They often times have the desire, the heart, and the ability to be the best wives. They also have the greatest opportunity for hardship because their “independence” can get the better of them. “I want him to know I don’t need him to take care of me. I’m fine on my own.”

Yes you are. But what if the guy wants to take care of you? That’s part of our ingrained nature as men. Women say all the time, “I want someone to lead me, to protect me, to love me.” Ok...let us! Yes I’ll be the first to admit that many guys today don’t get this and won’t take the initiative to step out and lead. I think part of that is because they are intimidated.

Many women today spend so much time telling the world of their independence that many guys aren’t going to waste their time because they know its going to be a struggle. I’m in that boat. There is nothing more attractive to me than an able, capable woman who has done a great job of setting up a home for herself, is hospitable and able to provide. And I’m still hesitant to express an interest because I’ve seen far too many times these very women, while they claim they want to be lead, cannot let go of that independence once they’ve tasted it. It becomes a control issue. “He’s trying to control me.” No, he’s trying to love you the way you said you wanted to be loved and lead.

The same goes for our relationships. We ask our boyfriend or girlfriend to stop spending time alone with the opposite sex and they think we’re trying to control them. It’s not a control thing it’s a commitment thing. It is being committed to the relationship over the friendship, even enough to saying “Ok, I don’t totally understand why, but I’ll make this sacrifice because you are more important to me.” Whoever figures that out and can bring themselves to act on it is practicing true love, true submission and has power. Real power.

Baby Food Allergies and Sex?

2010-09-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

Suppose you’re an infant. Your parents are feeding you all the delectable kinds of baby food on the market to figure out which ones you seem to like the best. They begin to notice you especially like the mashed peas flavor (if one exists). Funny thing however, while you squeal with delight at mealtimes, you break out in a rash and hives not long after.

They take you to the doctor and sure enough, you’re allergic to peas! It’s a common pediatric allergy that you’ll likely grow out of but for now, no more peas. Cool, quick fix. Someday you can once again enjoy the peas after you’ve outgrown the allergy and are able to start eating them again.

But wait, you’re an infant. They can’t communicate with you that mashed peas are bad for you right now and that someday you can enjoy them again. All you know is that all of a sudden, you have to go without your favorite baby food. You fuss and complain because you want something now that will hurt you, when if you just wait a little while longer, you can have all that you like.

Sex is kinda that way. God created it. He made it enjoyable, he wants us to experience it. He made some parameters for us to enjoy it in. It’s called marriage. He knows he made it SO good that once we go there, we are going to want it again and again. Marriage is a place to enjoy lots of sex. There is commitment, (well, there should be) there is security (well, there should be) and in a “Christian” marriage, both parties are loving each other out of a desire to love and serve God (well, they should be). All the (should be's) are geared toward marriages where there is an absence of sex, but thats a different article.

Instead we test the waters. We taste the fruit and man its good! But at 13, 18, or however old you are when you go there, if you’re having sex outside of marriage the commitment is not there. You always have an out and you took part of that person with you. Sadly, marriage today doesn’t even offer that commitment. We get divorced when we’ve lost interest so we move on and its culturally acceptable and even encouraged if your not happy. The idea of investing time and energy in a marriage is a foreign concept.

What if we waited on sex? What if this God that came up with the idea originally was on to something? What if He new that by waiting until we had that commitment, we would save ourselves TONS of heartbreak, confusion and pain along the way? Not to mention drama, disease etc etc etc.

Perhaps you don’t buy this whole God thing. That’s fine. I won’t push it on you but I’ll explain how the bible refers to God. It says we are His children and he is our heavenly father. One verse in particular says “If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask?” (Matt. 7:11)

God love us like your dad loves you (or should have loved you). He wants you to be joyful. That feeling you get when your skipping barefoot through a meadow under a cloudless sky, when you lounging by the pool catching some rays or wherever you are when you’re most happy. That feeling you get when you are completely at peace and most content.

THAT is what a father wants for his child ALL THE TIME. The thing is, dear old dad has lived some life. He knows that the lures of the world and what TV says is cool, could very easily derail us from getting to that point of complete contentment. So he sets up a curfew to protect you girls from boys with bad intentions. He tells you to stay away from drinking and drugs because SO many people fall prey to those lures.

To us, it seems like he’s taking away our mashed pea baby food. He’s taking away the things that we think bring us joy and we think he’s doing it just to be mean. On the contrary, he knows those things could hinder us from getting where WE ultimately want to be, content and joy filled.

God works the same way. The bible is a list of parameters, or a map, He’s set up for us to follow so that we can enjoy things the way he designed them to work, which ultimately will bring us the most satisfaction and joy, it just takes time. We might not think that, but put it to the test ☺

To the young people in the church signing up for online dating services and singles groups like it’s the opening day of a Walmart super center: perhaps you’re in your allergy stage. God knows that right now a relationship (mashed peas) won’t be good for you. You think you can handle it so you fuss and complain, kick and scream and he remains silent. Lord knows I have! But if we wait on his timing and grow out of our allergy stage we can receive the completeness of what He has for us and experience true joy.

You don’t buy the God thing. Ok. I’m sorry. The church today certainly hasn’t made it look like the whole Bible thing is any fun. Instead of telling you why the Bible says what it does, the church just condemns you for your actions and behavior. For that I am sorry.

I’m pretty sure if Jesus were around right now, he’d apologize to and ask if He can straighten out any misconceptions you have. If you said no thanks, I think he’d probably smile and say, “Ok. I love you and I’m hear when your ready.”

Leaving No Room For Doubt

2010-09-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

God continues to reveal new and unique things to me almost daily. At 4:30 in the morning, here is what’s on my mind today:

I continue to meet young men and women who express that they get along far better with the opposite sex. “I’ve just always gotten along better with guys” says a young woman. Likewise many young men say they’ve just always had better relationships with young ladies. I understand where they’re coming from because I would put myself in that category as well. I’ve found it easier to have deeper, personal, meaningful conversations with woman than with guys. I find it encouraging, enlightening and in the back of my mind somewhere, I know that I’m giving God the option to make something happen with on of them if he so chooses (as if he needs my help anyway.)

And I think that’s what many of us do. We maintain countless open “friendships” with people of the opposite sex, reasoning that we just happen to get along better with them and there is no interest beyond being friends. In my own life I can attest to that fact and yet while I am just friends with many of these young women, I’m certainly maintaining some of the relationships in the event that God wants to do something through one of them.

My question now is this: why do we maintain so many relationships with members of the opposite sex when, if we seek to honor God and someone in a future relationship, those friendships are going to have to be drastically changed if not severed completely when the time comes?

Example:
A mentor of mine in college shared that he had a best friend all through college who was a girl. They were just friends and never dated but had a significant friendship. When this guy began dating his now wife, this relationship became a problem. His wife trusted him, but it put strain on the relationship that he had this “friendship” with another woman. When they got married some years later, my friend had to painfully tell his friend that his wife is the most important and they need to stop maintaining that friendship, to which she was livid. He reasoned, “She is my wife. She is the most important, and I need to go out of my way to ensure she knows that she is the only one for me.”
I call that leaving no room for doubt.

The woman was crushed, angry and said she never cared to see or hear from him again.

I empathize with her in that she lost a good friend because he got married, but my friend was right. His wife is and needs to be his primary concern. What I’m realizing now is that what if we took steps now, before we are in relationships or married, to change our relationships with members of the opposite sex so that when that time does come, it is less drastic of a change for all of us involved.

God is working on me in this way. I recently spent two weeks back in Oregon during which time I met several girl friends for coffee or lunch. It was great. We enjoyed fellowshipping and catching up on life but the truth is, if I had a girlfriend I wouldn’t, and shouldn’t, be spending this one on one time with other girls.

Some of you agree with me and some of you disagree reasoning, they’re just a friend. Your girlfriend should trust you. I agree, but I don’t think it’s an issue of trust. I think it’s a commitment thing and that I should bend over backwards to ensure that my girlfriend/wife knows that she is the only person for me. Especially in this context, if my friend and I feel like we really want to catch up, it’s just as easy for me or her to bring anther friend so it’s not a one on one deal.

Many of you probably think, well that’s fine when you’re married, but if your just dating you shouldn’t have to do that. “I had this friend before I got into a relationship so my boyfriend/girlfriend should understand.”

I recall a conversation in college with a young woman who said verbatim, “_____ has been my best friend all my life and he always will be. My husband is just going to have to deal with it.”

I do not believe for one minute that that is the attitude God intends for us to take into marriage or a dating relationship period. I see no level of respect or submission in that statement. Should your husband empathize with your situation? To some extent. But, like my friend I mentioned above, had he not invested in that relationship with the young woman, he would have spared himself and her, a great deal of pain when he had to sever the relationship for the betterment of his marriage.

So where does this place us? Do we start cutting ties with all our friends of the opposite sex reasoning, “well, it’s got to happen now or when I get in a relationship.” That’s not what I’m encouraging however I do encourage people to rethink how much time and energy they are putting into their relationships with members of the opposite sex.

If you’re a woman, do you find yourself spending significant time hanging out with guys one on one, even if you both say there is no level of interest? Guys are you constantly calling to chat and encourage your sister in Christ, with good intentions, but instead are creating a situation that ultimately will be harder to walk away from when you get into a relationship down the road?

You might argue that, “Well I hope that he/she would understand and want to be a part of those friendships.” That’s not a bad thought and it’s not out of the realm of possibility. But that needs to happen over time and only IF the other person is ok with it. Chances are ladies, if you’ve got some “best guy friend” that your boyfriend says he’s ok with, more than likely it’s weighing heavily on him whether he says it or not. Guys, you think you can go out to coffee with that busty blond or chat with her online and your girlfriend will be ok with it? Think again. She probably says she is and she probably trusts you, but deep inside, she would much rather you didn’t because she wants to feel COMPLETELY secure in your love.

Another sticky one is people remaining close friends with people they’ve dated in the past. Sure it’s a cool thing that they were able to date and then decide, you know what, this isn’t for us, and step out without completely ruining the friendship but folks, that relationship is ALWAYS going to be a struggle down the road for your significant other. Especially if you became physically involved (sexually) which unfortunately is the case in so many relationship today, both in and outside of the church.

You can argue however much you like about trust and “Well they need to allow me to have my friends” but the truth of the matter is, when you’re married, that person is your priority and leaving no room for them to doubt even ever so slightly, that they are number one and that they are secure in your love, is your number one priority.

Might I offer that you begin taking steps now to change those relationships with members of the opposite sex so that there is a less drastic change down the road when that boy or girlfriend comes along. Don’t spend quite so much time talking on the phone to that particular friend, deepening a friendship that is not going to be maintained at that level after you meet someone and fall in love. Opt not to spend time one on one with your friends of the opposite sex because you develop a pattern that is going to need to be broken when you get into a relationship.

I am NOT saying that you shouldn’t have friends of the opposite sex. I think building relationships with both men and women is part of fellowship and the community that God calls us to. I simply encourage all of us to shy away from spending time one on one with our friends of the opposite sex as this builds ties and deepens the bond between friends that will cause problems in a relationship down the road if we try to maintain that bond or fail to set that friendship aside for the good of our own relationship.

Start now on positioning yourself for that relationship with the person that God has for you someday. Then you won’t have to do what my friend did and all of a sudden painfully break off a friendship with someone that has meant a great deal to you. Ladies, do you feel that you get along better with guys than girls? Strive to find godly women within your church or community that can enlighten and encourage you as only women can do. Regardless of what you think, a guy can never meet your needs for friendship and fellowship like a woman can…we just don’t understand you that well.

Guys, build relationships with other men. That’s a huge part of why our society, even in the church, is where it’s at today because boys today go looking for affirmation and acceptance from women. While it makes you feel warm and fuzzy, there is a lack of true biblical manhood in today’s Christian culture because we guys aren’t seeking out godly men and learning from them.

Build relationships with members of the same sex because no matter what we think, guys and girls have needs that we can’t meet for each other because God made us different. Spend less time focusing on relationships of the opposite sex and more time cultivate deep meaningful relationships with members of the same sex who can instruct you on being a godly young man or young woman. If you want to spend time with your friends, always enlist a third party so it gives no indication of being a date. Even if you guys are just friends, everyone can attest to the fact that people talk and someone is going to make mention that they saw the two of you out.
But that’s a whole different topic for another time. ☺

On the Train again....

2010-08-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Less than a month ago I took a train ride from Dallas Texas to Anaheim California. After 48 hours of choo chooing along I vowed, never again. This morning I went to my follow up Dr appointment from my recent head trauma and was informed that I should not be flying anytime soon. This typically wouldn’t be bad news except for the fact that it was 10:30 a.m. and I had a 5 o'clock plane to catch out of San Diego. My friend Jake French had inquired if I would help him shoot and produce a promotional video for his website a week prior and I purchased a ticket on faith that I would be “good to go.”

As it turns out my head injuries are a little more severe than I had thought. The Dr said no flying so I my backup plan, thanks solely to Michelle Moore, was a train. I had already completed a plan of attack in the event that this would be the case and informed my shuttle service (thanks Ellie) we would be going to San Bernardino instead of San Diego. Problem is the train, or I should say the bus to the train station, left 3 ½ hours earlier than my flight so we had to make haste.

I pity whatever woman that I'm someday able to dupe into marrying me. She’s in for a ride! I raced from the Dr’s office to finish packing and make final preparations to leave for a week. I arrived with time to spare, sat on my suitcase and sipped an Arizona peach tea, thanking God for his many blessings, and all the while wondering why I do this craziness that I do. About 2/3 of the way through my tea, the buss pulled up so I pounded the rest of the tea and ran for the bus stop. 5 hours later I’m sitting on a train and 20 hours from now I’ll be in Portland. Not quite the evening I had planned but then again, I never thought I’d be leaving “home” in southern California to go visit Oregon. Funny how things work!

New Video!

2010-08-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

If you told me a year ago that I'd get to do half the things I've done in the last 9 months I would have laughed at you. I wouldn't even be upset because your remark would have been so outrageously out there that I couldn't help but laugh. God has a sense of humor too because He just keeps pouring it out. I continue to stand amazed at the opportunities I'm blessed with and God continues to shape and change my situation in new ways all the time.

Most recently I've been working on a video project with a guy named Ronnie Faisst. Ron's been in the industry since day one and is one of the biggest names in the sport. It's funny to me because I remember being 12 years old and watching dirt bike videos with my friend Jake and seeing Ronnie and his outrageous antics on screen. Two days ago I went to his house to shoot him ride his own private facility as we are producing a video about his experience at this years X Games.
I finished the video last night and I'm SO excited with how it turned out. I'm still learning how to shoot and edit video and with the help of my friend J Ray, I'm starting to get things dialed. The video is only about 3 minutes so I'd love for you to check it out and if you'd like to see the complete story and interview you can follow the links below or find it on my website.

X Games video-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNLxaVseO2s

Link to my website-http://www.localheroesnw.com/ronnie-faisst

Oh what fun it is to....Date?

2010-08-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

Some of my most cherished memories from my college years took place in Young house sitting around the kitchen table with friends. Between our “man time” conversations to debates with the opposite sex about dating and relationships, it would seem we covered nearly every topic under the sun. In one particular conversation, and one I reference often when talking with people about dating, a not so subtle, to the point friend of mine leaned over the table and very pointedly ask, “When are guys going to grow a pair and start asking girls out?”

Always willing to lend my two cents, I leaned forward and offered, “I’ll ask a girl out when I find one that doesn’t start planning a wedding after one cup of coffee.”

Some of you are laughing, a few of you are angry and many of you agree with me. When I tell that story I frequently get all of those responses. Now that I’ve spent some time outside of the college dating scene as well as tried dating within the “church,” I’ve discovered there really is no difference and I would argue that both my friend and I are correct to some extent. I’ll begin with the guys.

There is truth in my friend’s statement. No doubt, many young men today, particularly in the church, are less than forward when it comes to communicating with women. We have broken homes, Hollywood and in my opinion the lure of video games to thank for that. Many young men just don’t know how to communicate with women. In our defense ladies, even to a clinically diagnosed “good communicator” (Communication was in my Strengths Quest top five ☺ shout out to my GC peeps), there is nothing more intimidating to me than a beautiful woman. I will stair and stutter and rack my brain for the most eloquent of pick up lines and it never comes. Somewhere around the age of 17 I had the “Fargher charm” as one friend called it, which unfortunately disappeared by the time I left high school.

Yes fellas, we need to work on boldness. We are after all, called to be the leaders Eph. 5:25. The secular world won’t hesitate to ask a girl to jump into bed; the least we could do is openly communicate with women about how we feel. Rather than keeping silent and letting the girl pry it out of us, tell her where you’re at. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to have all the answers. That’s the whole purpose of dating, it helps you find those answers you’re looking for. Unfortunately, the ladies are so often forced to take the forward approach because we men just aren’t stepping up to the plate.

Now before you ladies start declaring “amen” and passing out high-fives, I have some thoughts for you as well. Without a doubt I agree that the world is lacking real men. Most men, even within the church, are easily swayed by the lures of the world and, all to often, are drawn away from God. The world looks like too much fun and in all honesty, it’s teaching us guys that we can get what we want without giving much in return. I believe that it’s wrong and is sadly causing women to abandon their God given role as lovers and nurturers.

Let me first share ladies that I understand your frustration but, if you hope to find the right kind of man in today’s world, you are not going to get it by applying pressure. I spent four years in the Christian college scene and now two years in the post college “Christian” dating world and there is no difference. I do not fault you for having an exceedingly strong desire to marry. In fact I applaud it, for it is God given. Gen 3:16 “You will long for your husband…”

In truth, I like that idea. I want a girl that’s crazy about me. Nothing will strengthen a man’s ego or enable him to scale buildings in a single bound like the love of a woman. I caught my brother in an unusually good mood once before he was married and inquired about his giddiness. He responded with, “because I’m in love with a woman that is crazy about me!” I want that.

At the same time, I don’t want someone that’s so eager to get married that she’s taking on my role as a leader. “Well I want to be pursued,” you say. Understood. You have every right to. But perhaps the guy is trying to decide in his own mind if he wants to pursue you. THIS is where the trouble begins.

I’ve found that many young ladies, consciously or subconsciously, are working on a timetable. Casual dating as our parents new it is out of the question. Taking a different girl out to a movie every weekend until you find one you want to settle down with is a no no as you’ll be crucified a “player.” I never dated in college. I asked a few girls out for coffee and on one occasion, at the urging of a friend, had a young lady over and we chatted for a couple hours. A week after that conversation I had five people come up to me within a ten minutes span and make comments ranging from “Seth and ______ sitting in a tree….” to “if you hurt her I will kill you.” Really? Are we adults or in middle school?

This brings me to my next point. Ladies, be careful what and with whom you share. I find all too often that people, both men and women, stick their nose where it does not belong. Rightly so, we care about others opinions. We want to know what our friends think. The problem becomes that our friends offer too much information and begin painting a picture that does not exist or is at least merely in the very beginning stages. “Oh he’s totally into you!” “Really? Well I guess he did say….” And chaos ensues.

The one thing I will say Hollywood got right was the movie He’s Just Not That Into You. It is a perfect example of the games, miscommunication and lack of overall honesty that our society lacks, both in and outside of the church.

Dating as our parents new it is pretty much out of the question. The term I would associate with getting to know someone in our generation to decide if we want to take things to the next level would be “hanging out.” It means nothing more than spending time together, whatever the setting, and GETTING TO KNOW THE PERSON. We have no other context to intentionally get to know someone than that.

My experience, and countless guys I know, has been if I express an interest in hanging out in order to get to know someone and after a while decide that I’m really not interested in dating the person, I’m labeled a jerk, a player and my favorite, I lead her on. Ladies please hear me on this; most of the men in this world would rather sleep with you and move on. They have no intention of settling down and sadly, really don’t care about your feelings. I’ve had girls, or friends of girls, tell me that I crushed them. That I lead them to believe I was interested in a relationship only to dash their hopes and leave them aching. Let me share with you this; I not so much as held a hand, tried to kiss nor offered commitment to any one of those girls. Ladies if you have any hope of finding a meaningful, lasting relationship with a true God fearing man, you must learn to let go. Let us fulfill our God given role as the leader.

You argue, “Well some guys just need a little jump start.” Ok, let me refute that by asking you this; do you want to be married to a man that you constantly have to jumpstart to get him to love you and lead in your relationship?

I will leave you with this. Ladies, in my opinion you are God’s most incredible and precious creation. Any imperfections you have are far surpassed by your ability to love, nurture and care. I believe whole heartedly that those who grasp God’s original design for us as men and women and how He designed relationship between us to work, will be the select few who experience true joy and satisfaction in marriage.

It Just Keeps Coming

2010-08-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

I continue to be amazed at the opportunities that are before me. I'm so thankful for where I'm and what I (typically) spend my days doing. As I sought to move out from where I had previously been living, God opened up a door through a bible study I was attending and it's been the most radical living situation I could have asked for. My roommates are awesome Christian guys, two of which attended the local Bible college so they're sharpening me as I continue to ask questions and seek to deepen my own faith.

This past weekend I got to attend the X Games in Los Angeles and what an experience that was! I've only ever seen it on TV and I usually miss most of it because living in good old Dufur, basic cable doesn't include ESPN!!! I attended the freestyle event and watched as Travis Pastrana took a "fun run" after already securing the Gold medal. That guy is an outstanding human being for many reasons, one of which because he pulled a double backflip, solely for the delight of the crowd. He'd already wrapped up the medal before he took to the dirt. On the podium after when they were asking how he felt about another Gold medal, he wished his mom happy 50th birthday twice, praised Robbie Madison for his exceptional freestyle run as well as Ashley Fiolek for winning the women's supercross race and gave mad props to Cameron Sinclair for coming back to X Games to attempt the same trick that almost took his life a year before. He didn't really say anything about himself or his run.

I was able to secure an industry guest pass for the weekend so the following day I was pretty excited to cruise right into the athlete section at the Staples Center and find a seat 5 rows up from the dirt. An added bonus was my friend, bandmate and X Games competitor Ronnie Faisst was sitting a few seats to my left. (It took me I while to figure out who was shouting my name because I still can't really hear out my left ear haha) To those that are unfamiliar with the industry, Ronnie is without a doubt one of the pioneers of the sport of freestyle motocross and is recognized worldwide for his skill on a dirtbike. Whats more, several years ago he came to know the Lord and is now on fire for Christ.

So here I sit, nearly ground level at X Games, next to a guy that up until recently I'd only ever seen on television and in magazine's. The event was awesome and I came away with a few ideas for articles so be on the lookout for those.

Another funny story, Ronnie called me a few days after I'd returned home and I congratulated him on winning a Bronze medal in his speed and style event. He asked if I knew the whole story on how he was even able to compete and I said I had no clue. He told me the story and I was completely in awe as it was a God thing from the word go. I'm working with him and film maker Joseph Ray on putting together a video of the whole story. It's a crazy story about God moving in Ronnie, taking an obedient step of faith and God rewarding him in an awesome way. When we finish it up I'll post the video on here.

If you're reading this I hope you can hear the excitement in my voice. I was excited about all this before I had this traumatic injury, now I'm just beside myself as I continue to get opportunity after opportunity to do things I never dreamed I would. Again I can't thank you enough for all the prayers, calls, texts, emails, facebook messages and well wishes. It's so humbling to see that so many people care. Side note, one of my buddies shared with me that he got a voice mail from some dude ranting and raving and not making a great deal of sense and at the end of the message I identified myself and told him I'd see him soon. SO if you happened to get a response from me via text, phone call or facebook any time during that ten day stint and it didn't make sense, please forgive me....I wasn't firing on all cylinders :)

So Thankful

2010-07-27T03:29:00.000-07:00

“Seth Fargher 11/29/85”
That’s the secret pass code in the intensive care unit at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth Texas if you want your dinner or your pain medicine. At least it was for me. Nearly a month ago I left California for what I thought might be the beginning of something huge. I was to drive to Texas, ride a freestyle show and spend the next two weeks working with the best freestyle motocross rider in the world. My goal was to learn the backflip, then come back to California and perform it at a large event in Tijuana Mexico. As I wrote in my last post “Man charts his course and the Lord determines his steps.” What I didn’t realize was that God might perhaps be making some significant changes to that path in the very near future.

July 14th I had the worst wreck of my life. I’d gotten up early to beat the heat, made several jumps and on my fourth attempt put too much weight forward and landed on the nose of my quad. Literally. The dirt on the landing might as well be asphalt it’s so compact and my bumper left a three-inch deep, foot long trench in it. My friend Caleb saw that I landed with the nose of the quad down but no one really saw how my body hit. I still can’t figure it out because the inside of my helmet is cracked to pieces in the front, suggesting I landed on my face but all my fractures are to the base and rear of my skull. Needless to say God had his hand on me. I’ve shed some tears in recent days and I’m struggling even now as I write because I’m realizing I could VERY easily not be alive. My best friend is a quadriplegic because he fell THREE feet out of a truck and landed on his head. I fell from THIRTY, landed on my head and walked out of ICU. Looking at my blood covered and smashed helmet tells me God had his hand on me that day.

The whole experience is eye opening to say the least. I continue to be overwhelmed by Gods goodness through all of this. Eight months ago I hated my life. I lived alone in a town of 500 people with few friends working a job I’d been unhappy with since I began. All of my life I’d wanted a chance to do ATV stuff. I watched other people live my dream in movies and magazines while I seemingly could never catch a break and God always seemed to have other things in store.

October 12th He changed all that and gave me the biggest opportunity of my life. If you’re reading this you probably already know my story and know how I got here. I’m just rehashing because I’m doing a lot of thinking about the last eight months and what is to come in the future.

In the last eight months I’ve met childhood heroes, countless celebrities (at least they are to me) and played in a worship band with guys I use to idolize and never dreamed of meeting. I use to read about this dominant team that always wins down in Baja Mexico and had hoped to maybe one day witness a race. Now I’ve got magazines asking me to write stories about them. God has poured out such favor on me I can’t begin to express how thankful I am.

I’ve always been a thinker and this latest episode has given me not only time but a reason to think about my future and what that might look like. I know I love everything about where I’m at and what I’m doing. I love to ride. I’ve never experienced satisfaction or felt such joy as when I can fly through the air barely attached to a quad. I cherish every jump because I never dreamed in a million years I would get to ride ramps or do what I do. I also love to write. I love telling people’s stories and seeing their excitement when it gets them exposure or sheds light on their accomplishments.

While I hope to do more of both, I’m less concerned with making money from my jumping. I’d love to get back on the ramps simply because it’s what I love to do. That leaves a lot of questions like “Ok, what now?” I don’t have those answers but I’m expecting big things from God in the coming months. I’m certainly in with the right crowd and two of my friends are poised for greatness in the coming months for their own accomplishments in the X Games. I hope to remain involved as they continue to experience success and work along side them. We joked in the ICU because apparently I told them repeatedly that I was going to settle for being their publicist from now on.

I can’t begin to express my thanks for all the calls, texts, facebook messages and support I’ve received in the last two weeks. I’m so incredibly blessed and thankful to have so many people that support me for what I do and care about me in times like these. Not that you have a choice in such matters, but if you’re ever going to spend time in ICU I’d recommend Fort Worth Harris Methodist Hospital. The nurses and doctors made my time there enjoyable and I’m eternally grateful for their care during what would have otherwise been the most terrifying time of my life.

Charting A Course

2010-07-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

Well I’m midway through a three week road trip taking me from southern California to Dallas Texas. I hit the road on the 29th with our team manager BC and his son. From Cali we traveled to Williams Arizona and camped out at a KOA. I managed to have a little jam session with one of the locals and blared some Lynyrd Skynyrd through the campground. From there we made a stop at the Grand Canyon and took a 45 minute plane ride over the canyon. It was truly amazing to see one of the most incredible landscapes in all of creation, especially from an airplane.

From Arizona we drove to Canadian Texas where we met up with the Moore family for a show at the 120th annual Canadian Rodeo which doubled as somewhat of a family reunion. It was such a fun time and the entire family welcomed me with open arms. Yet again a surreal experience. Here less than a year ago I was watching these guys on videos and reading about them in magazines and now I’m hanging out with their extended family for the 4th of July. (Texans know how to celebrate the 4th of July!) We were treated like royalty all weekend. The owners of the local steak house had us over for a Texas sized BBQ in their backyard paradise. The menu included the largest steak I've ever seen, chicken, quail, Texas fire crackers (jalapeños stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon) and for desert the worlds best homemade bread pudding. If you ever find yourself in Canadian Texas, be sure to stop in The Cattle Exchange steak house. THANKS MILTON AND JULIE!!!
We rode our first show Friday night and I managed to wheelie over on myself during the barrel racing contest. After the horses were done they let me and Colten try our hand at the barrels. As if the embarrassment wasn’t bad enough, I was informed I road around the barrels in the wrong direction. Saturday night I managed to ride around the barrels correctly but we didn’t jump due to wet conditions. Instead we road around the arena and threw mud on each other while Caleb took people for rides in the Razr.

Right now I’m sitting in Krum Texas at our guys facility where the plan was to spend two weeks working in the foam pit and hopefully learn how to backflip. So far I’ve been here six days and have ridden a total of about two hours as it has been raining almost non stop. I’m partly frustrated as I’d really like to be practicing but I’m continuing to remind myself that God has a plan in all of this. My last show in Canadian didn’t go quite as well as I would have liked so I was really looking forward to getting in some serious practice these two weeks. It's been raining almost non stop since I got here. Leisure time is sometimes my greatest enemy. I’ve spent a lot of time questioning how long I’m going to be able to keep doing this. I’ve made a go of it the last eight months but am barely scraping by. There is certainly a lot of opportunity for me to advance in this industry and I’m with the right people to do it. It’s just a matter of time and keeping myself healthy. The rain frustrates me because I want to be out riding and improving and instead I’m stuck waiting and thinking. I’m too much of a planner. I want to map out my course, stick to the plan and be on my way.Despite my lack of control of my situation I'm somewhat excited to see what God has in store in the coming months. My last trip to Texas started somewhat the same as I crashed on my first jump and then left for a three week trip that turned out to be the trip of a lifetime. One never knows whats around the corner and this entire adventure I've been on for the last eight months has given me a greater appreciation for Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

Another adventure awaits...

2010-06-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited. Next week I leave for Texas to do a couple shows over the 4th of July weekend and then spend two weeks working in the foam pit followed by two more shows at Texas Motor Speedway. Our team manager called me yesterday and said he's pleased to see me working hard and ready to get me to the next level. I'm super excited for this next adventure that is before me depending on how things go in Texas, this could open a whole new realm of opportunity. Right now there are probably less than 10 people in the world that are flipping quads. There certainly are more that have done it in the past, but probably fewer than ten that could show up right now and do it at a show. Soooo, we shall see what comes of it.

I've spent the last couple of weeks since returning from Mexico catching up on stories, videos and website stuff. I recently received a few issues of ATV Insider, a magazine that I did a story on the Matlock Racing team for. I'm still at the stage where I get super excited any time I see some of my work in a magazine or on a website. I love going out to a track or to a show and hanging out with a bunch of the top FMX guys that up until 8 months ago, I only saw on TV and in movies. Some people I've met since coming down here say that the excitement wears off eventually but I really hope it never does. I don't ever want to take for granted all the opportunities I have to do things and meet people in this industry. I got to ride with a couple of dirtbike FMXers last week and it was one of the coolest experiences I've had since coming down here. A young guy from Oklahoma was out here filming for a video he is producing and came out and filmed me and these bike guys. I'm excited to see how that comes out.

Right now I'm spending my days updating websites, riding here and there and spending time with my friends from the bible college. I'm truly blessed by the relationships I've made through the Bible college. I went to Starbucks last night with a couple guys and we just chatted about everything from the sovereignty of God, to where His will and our desires intersect and Gods plan for us in terms of marriage. Ha Ha the marriage one is a big topic of discussion among young Christians...especially in the church but that's another discussion for another time.

Thank you again for joining me on this journey. I continue to be blessed by hearing of the number of people that follow this blog. Please feel free to leave comments or feedback, shoot or even ask questions. It'll give me topics for more blogs!

From Oregon to Mexico and Back again...

2010-06-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Forgive my lack of consistency with my writing. I’ve been on a whirlwind adventure the last couple of weeks. I went home to Oregon to work in my dads store for a few days and then attend our annual memorial weekend camping trip to China Hat. An added bonus was being able to spend a great deal of time with my best friend from high school Jake who was injured about a year and a half ago with a spinal chord injury. We made the trip up to China Hat to visit friends and mostly get away from it all. It was an awesome time.
I spent a few days in Portland visiting friends (thanks for your hospitality!) and returned on Wednesday only to rush off to Mexico to attend the Baja 500. I covered the race for ATVriders.com, a site that I've contributed to over the last couple of years, and our team won! All kinds of excitement. I continue to be amazed at how blessed I am. It was not even a year ago that I was reading about Matlock Racing and their dominance in the Baja Racing series, dreaming about one day attending a race. Now I’m helping run their pit, changing tires in the middle of the race and writing articles about them for magazines and websites. Its such a blessing to be where I am and doing what I’m doing!From Mexico it was back to California and Sunday morning I decided to make the trek out to a local MX park and shoot some photos of a WORCS race. I got to see some great friends, made a few new connections and shot a lot of pictures and video. I’ll have a story and photos up on that event soon as well as a complete race report on the Baja 500!

Stories and video's from some of the excitement...
Story about China Hat trip HERE
Video from the Race HERE

Psalm 37:23

2010-05-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Evidently I've refferenced this verse before because when I typed Psalm 37:23 into the title bar it automaticaly came up. No matter, the verse has and continues to hold special meaning to me. It says "The steps of the Godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every DETAIL of their lives." God is in the details and I continue to see that unfolding more an more almost daily.

I was given an amazing opportunity to speak at a motoross ministry called Panic Rev this past Thursday. I've been blessed with making some amazing friends there and what's more it has provided fellowship not only with believers, but with believers who are so passionate about the same industry. I didn't present a message specifically but was asked to share my testimony and what God has been doing in my life. Part of what I shared was how I have seen Psalm 37:23 unfold in my life.

I recall about two years ago telling someone my perfect position in life would be to somehow blend the worlds of Freestyle motocross and being a worship leader. God has given me a passion for leading others in worship and through college I was involved in several different worship bands. Since graduating however I really found myself not playing guitar as much and never really had much of an outlet to continue playing.

As of lately God has been resurrecting that desire within me and giving me opportunities to continue leading worship. I've been playing off and on with the Jr High at church, joining the team in BIG church on occasion as well as leading at various small groups. I've been so blessed by the opportunity, and yet again amazed at Gods willingness to grant us the desires of our heart. Here I continue to pursue my passion in freestyle motocross and God is providing opportunities to continue to serve through music, another one of my passions.

Just a cool thought here this morning as I'm sitting here drinking my morning coffee :)

Daily Bread

2010-05-18T10:19:00.001-07:00

I've had some great conversations with my new roommate's in this first week that I've been here. I learned more about baseball and politics the day I moved in than I have in my entire life. Additionally, both guys graduated from a Bible college so I'm being sharpened in my faith as well.

Yesterday I was talking with Rob about the necessity of being in the Bible daily. He said it's every bit as necessary as food and water and we would never consider going two or three days without eating or drinking anything. I liked that and I agree but a struggle I feel is that so often my own daily quiet times don't yield much fruit. I feel like I spend time in the bible and in prayer and very rarely walk away with any sort of divine revelation. However, I continue to be in the word daily because, like Rob, I agree its a necessary part of cultivating a relationship with Christ.

I asked him if he felt like he comes away with something new, a new thought, a new insite or a deeper understanding everyday after being in the world. He said absolutely not. But he said if you plant a tree you don't get fruit off of it the next day. If you plant a tree it's not likely to produce fruit even within the first year. But you still have to cultivate it, prune it, trim it and in time it will blossom and bear fruit. That was the best explanation for having a daily devotional that I have ever heard.

This morning God brought John 15:4 to my mind. "Remain in me and I will remain in you, for a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine and you cannot be fruitful apart from me." The first word is remain. It means to continue in the same state; continue to be as specified; to stay behind or in the same place. Not to visit. Not to come. Not to check in. But to remain. To continue. Without remaining in God we cannot produce fruit. A tree cannot produce fruit if it does not continually have exposure to sun and moisture. Even in the most perfect growing conditions, a tree takes time to bear fruit. The beautiful blossom that turns into the nourishing, life giving fruit would never come if it weren't for consistent watering and sunlight.

While I don't walk away from my time in the word everyday feeling as though I just met God on top of mount Carmel, I know that by remaining in Christ He is constantly cultivating, pruning and shaping me so that I may ultimately bear fruit that shows Christ in me.

Pretty cool deal.

Long Winded

2010-05-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

I know that I'm capable of talking to a wall but I realized this morning just how wordy I am. I have an ongoing microsoft word document that I started about a year ago. A journal of sorts, I found writing to be an outlet for where I am in life. I could vent frustrations, pray and just chronicle all the things going on in my life. The document is very long and this morning I realized that most of it has taken place since my move to California. I began talking about the move on page 13, which at the time I thought was pretty impressive. In four years of college I think I only wrote two papers that length.
Today the document is 46 pages long. That's a lot of venting, praying, and who knows what else! I thought for a moment perhaps I should publish it someday as a memoir or something. On second thought, probably not a very good idea. Maybe with a LOT of editing I could do something with the majority of it. But who knows.

Anyway. Things are going extremely well. I moved this passed week from the house I was living at in Rainbow, to Murrieta. I've been praying for an opportunity to move into town so I could be closer to friends, have internet in my home and save money on gas. God provided a nearly brand new house with a couple of awesome Christian guys for dirt cheap. I was getting free rent where I was at before but I'm saving a lot on gas by living in town. Amazingly, pretty much everywhere I go in town is within a mile or two of where I live. I actually have two rooms, kind of like a home office. Its a huge blessing as I can now walk out of my room, sit down at my desk and begin working on stories, photos or any number of other things I have going on.

I've still been looking for work but with no success. I'm very blessed by a company that has begun paying me for blogs that I write. It's fun to chronicle my experiences and share them with others, and a bonus to get paid for it. Right now thats my only income but God has been faithfully providing small writing jobs here and there to keep me affloat. One example, I did a story for a guy back in December and he had a difficult time paying me up until this past week. For my trouble he sent me an extra $150! That check is taking care of rent for next month so I'm continuing to trust that God will continue to provide.

I attached a few pics of the new pad. You can join me in praying for new opportunities with riding. Shows are super slow right now and I have nothing in the forseeable future. I did have an encourageing conversation the other day with a friend and fellow rider that I've looked up to for most of my life, Mike Metzger. We are going to work on putting some shows together in the coming months and both hoping for opportunities to ride. You can keep him in your prayers also as he sufferd a bad crash this past week and broke his femur. Its his fourth time so at this point its somewhat of a minor injury, but pray for a speedy recovery.

An Ode to Moms

2010-05-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today we salute mothers everywhere. They love, they nurture and they get far less credit than they deserve. They wipe our noses, change our diapers and kiss our boo boos. Considering my chosen profession and the childhood experiences that have contributed to said profession, I've put my mother through the ringer. My famous last words growing up were, "Mom watch this!"

One of the most exciting of those memories was on a family ATV trip to the beach. Between rides I could be found jumping my bicycle off anything and everything around the campground. I found an awesome embankment that served as a perfect jump. The only problem is you had a small area to land and slam on the brakes or risk face planting off a 3-4 foot ledge.

On my final run I pedaled with all my might and accordingly, flew higher than I had all day. The rest is mostly a blur but I remember my front wheel hitting first forcing me over the bars and into a bush. I jumped up to see my mom sprinting in my direction with a look of sheer terror on her face. I assured her I was ok but it didn't seem to settle her much.

Since I started jumping ramps there have been a few phone calls that went something like, "Mom, I crashed again." Though she's never seen me jump, my mom has been one of my biggest supporters. She's always asking for the latest news, and demanding that I send along photos, articles and any other paraphernalia that I come across. (Sorry mom, I'm not that big time.) When I have my own bobble head in stores, I will truly know that I have arrived.

Bobble head or not, mom has always been in my corner and I know she always will be. Here's a new photo from a ride session this past week. Huge thanks to Richard Hurtado of Backdraft Photography for coming out and shooting photos.

The Full Scoop

2010-05-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

Below is the entire report I previously as seen on AllTerrainResearch.net Visit their site for more photos and more of my industry related work.
I do not race. I’ve lined up on an actual racecourse three times in my life and have been ill equipped each time. My first experience was in 2006 aboard a nearly stock LT250R. I was home on summer break from college and my dad suggested I give racing a try. The fellow running practice must have sensed my inexperience as he approached me and kindly suggested that I practice with the “old farts and women.” You can imagine how that experience went.

Fast forward to 2010 and I’ve got Wes Miller, world renown producer and desert champion calling me out to join him at some of the WORCS events. While my skills have increased a great deal since those days on the old LT, my equipment is still sub par. For the two WORCS events I’ve participated in I rode my trusty (and stock) TRX 450 the entire grueling 45 minutes.

Wes most recently talked me into joining him for the fourth round in Adelanto and I had declined his offer until I spied the guys loading their quads early Friday morning for practice. We loaded mine into the rig and it was off to Adelanto to see what the day would bring.

Upon arrival I was slightly intimidated by the track. There was a rather large 120ft step up and a semi-challenging double into a whoop section. As I began making laps on the course each time I came around to that step up I told myself “you’re a freestyle rider, you have nothing to gain and everything to lose.” I managed to talk myself out of going for it the first few laps but on lap four or five while I was again conversing with myself, I ended up pinning it and to my surprise cleared it with ease. I didn’t quite down side it to the 120 foot mark but I managed to land on top and not crash which was all I cared about. My newfound confidence lead me to attempt the double which proved to be not quite as challenging as I had thought. The only problem really came if you were to get squirly off the double and then lose control going into the whoops. One rider did just that resulting in the first of three air lifts for the day.

Race day dawned and Wes and I drove back to Adelanto eager for our perspective races. To our surprise the “desert” section of the course looked more like a 4.2 mile long motocross track. Be it we opted to only run the Friday practice we hadn’t even seen the majority of the course when we lined up to race.

I entered the Sport 15-29 B class hoping to improve upon my 6^th place finish from Havasu. As I took my place on the unusually saturated starting line, I found a semi dry spot to the far left of the start. This would give me the shortest line to the first turn.

Moments before the race I met a fellow named Charley who, upon discovering that I ride for the Bomb Squad, suggested I do a little freestyle on the mx track. I told him if I managed to holeshot I’d give it my best.

The green flag dropped and I gave my little TRX everything it had. I was pleased to find myself in third place as I exited turn one. While I hadn’t managed to holeshot I did a little heel clicker over the first tabletop to appease Charly. Come to find out later he missed it.

As we left the motocross track I was able to sneak past 2^nd place and put pressure on the leader. Deep ruts in every turn mad passing in the corners almost impossible but I found my opportunity down one of the straights just before reentering the motocross track. I snuck by and used the motocross track to put some distance on second place.

Again I was faced with the dilemma of attempting the step up or opting to play it safe as my arms were already burning from only one lap on the course. Windy conditions during practice had been sending me sideways in midair and I was afraid if that happened during the race I wouldn’t have the strength to muscle the quad around. I opted to try it anyway and was pleased to jump it cleanly as there was no wind to deal with.

I talk to myself when I ride. Sometime I pray. Sometimes I sing. On this particular day I was running though conversations I could have that might enable me to score some contingency money should I maintain my lead. Unfortunately fatigue began to set in and I was passed partway through lap three.

By this point we were starting to catch riders from the class in front of us and I somehow lost track of what position I was in. As I neared the motocross section for what would be the final lap a KTM mounted rider maneuvered his way around me. I recognized the name on his jersey as one who flipped me off during the race at Havasu and decided that I was not going to let him beat me here.

As we approached the ever-exciting step up I noticed that he chose not to jump it. I used this as an opportunity to close the gap and managed to almost land on him in the process. Realizing that I was in hot pursuit, he picked up his pace but I caught him again as we approached the double into the whoops. Though most of my body was aching, my competitive spirit won out and I opted to jump the double in hopes of making a pass. I lucked out and my counterpart chose to single it. Though it was ugly, I cleared the double, bounced through the whoop section and to my delight received the checkered flag a few turns later. Unsure of where I had placed I was ecstatic to find myself in third after viewing the results board.

The whole experience came as a personal victory to me. While I would consider myself an expert level rider I’ve spent very little time on a motocross track and next to no time banging bars in a live race. To have actually lead for a portion of the race was completely unexpected and finishing on the podium was the icing on the cake.

I’m not sure when I’ll be lining up behind the gate again but you can be sure that I’ve caught the racing bug. I am tremendously blessed to be at a place in my life where I’m able to pursue my passion and equally blessed to have friends that share my love for this sport.

A Fresh Start

2010-05-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

I'm turning over a new leaf. I must admit that between riding, facebooking, church activities and any number of other things that pop up on a daily basis, this blog has taken a back burner. I'm going to try VERY hard to not let that happen again. My posts will probably be shorter but hopefully more frequent.

The last week has had quite a lot of excitement. One positive thing is that a company contacted me about doing freelance work for them. All Terrain Research (ATR) is an offroad prototype and manufacturing company. They're owner, Jeremy Bratcher, contacted me and asked me to contribute content to their website. He said that he enjoyed my writing and thought that providing an inside perspective on the industry would be interesting to his readers. I'm SO thankful for the opportunity as it gives me yet another outlet for my musings and I'm actually getting paid for this work!

Last weekend my roommate and our company owner Wes Miller again talked me into racing a WORCS event with him. I've actually already written several recaps of the event, one of which was for ATR so rather than write another one, I'll post it here after Jeremy posts it to ATR's website. In short the race was spectacular. I almost took the holeshot (beating everyone to the first turn) and was able to lead for two of the first three laps. I finished the race in third place which was COMPLETELY unexpected. I had so much fun and was again so blessed by all the kind people in this industry.

Thursday: For as long as I can remember I've wanted to build a full on race quad. Money is no option, the best parts, just make it as cool looking as possible. Well we had a $15,000 limit but the quad we built was definitely one of the coolest I've seen. Dirt Wheels magazine was putting together a story on modified 450 quads and we offered to build the Polaris since they sponsor our freestyle team. While we had the quad almost a month prior to the shoot, we didn't receive all the other parts until this past Wednesday, including the motor which we didn't have until 9pm on Wednesday night.

We started on the quad at 6:30am on Thursday and Wes and I returned from dropping it off to be dyno'd at 1am Friday morning. Paint, assembly, graphics, studio photo shoot and finally the dyno. It was a long day but SO fun being a part of one of the most insane creations I've ever seen.

Friday: Yet another experience that I am going to write about in full and will post later. Needless to say the opportunity was spectacular. Dirt Wheels was testing all 6 of the race quads at the world famous Glen Helen Raceway. Simply being there was monumental for me as I've heard about this track for years but never actually been. I threw my gear bag in just in case they were in need of another rider but didn't expect much. I'll leave it at that until I put the story together but it turned out to be one amazing afternoon!

And that brings me to today. One organization I've been seeking to get involved with for some time is called Riders 4 Christ, a team of freestyle motocross riders devoted to spreading the message of Jesus Christ. I've tried multiple times to touch bases with them but was unsuccessful until recently. About a month ago I connected with Jimmie McGuire, a professional freestyle rider and one of the directors of R4C. We talked about adding a quad to their line up and have been in contact off and on since. Today I spent the afternoon at his house playing music and jamming on some worship songs that we are going to play at a worship service next week.

To cap it all off, as if you haven't read enough already, I FINALLY made some updates to my personal website so if you're not completely board checkout LocalHeroesNW.com

Thanks, check back soon and often. I mean it this time :)

Standing Firm

2010-04-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

My football coach in college always stressed being a man of your word therefore I’m trying to follow through by writing a new post each week. It’s a funny place I find myself. Over the years I’ve told God what I felt like my dream job would be. To make money doing what I love, if that be jumping a four wheeler than all the better, to serve as a worship leader in some capacity and to enjoy great fellowship with any number of people, visiting over coffee and genuinely getting to know others. Its funny because God has actually given me all of those opportunities. I am so very blessed to be doing what I do, working with a company I’ve admired most of my life and serving in various roles in different ministries. Through my various connections in different ministries I’ve had countless conversations and cups of coffee with others and have made some incredible relationships. Seemingly I’m doing all that I ever hope I would get to do and for that I am so thankful, I just can’t help but feel like I’m spinning my wheels.
I don’t wish for this entry to have a negative overtone, I simply struggle to fully enjoy all the good in my life when I feel that I’m not taking any strides forward. No doubt doors are opening. This past weekend I connected with two of the biggest names in the industry and began talking about opportunities to serve and potentially ride with a team called Riders 4 Christ. I’ve been trying to connect with them since before I moved down here so that is quite a milestone. I’ve been asked to become more involved with a ministry called Panic Rev on various levels and my relationships with people in the company I work/ride for have never been better. I am excited to be in this place however I’m still living rent free in someone’s guest room and not getting any closer to any sort of a steady income. Though relations at the house are great, I can’t help but feel like I’m imposing after having been here for 6 months. I’m living off the money I made from the tour I went on back in February and have sufficient funds to last me at least another two months or so, I just struggle with the feeling of not really getting anywhere. I’m starting to look for work but torn between simply relying on God, trusting that he’ll again provide when the funds run out, or doing the “responsible” thing and get a real job. As mentioned I’ve begun exploring the option of work, the only problem is its doubtful an employer will eagerly let me go for a week at a time when shows finally do arise, which is the reason I came here and definitely where I feel called to serve.

And so I’m torn, though I’m expectant that God will begin to move in the coming weeks as decisions need to be made. A constant theme in my life has been God moving at a moments notice, seemingly throwing open doors and creating unforeseen paths where none had previously been. (Reminiscent of the Red Sea perhaps?) Its exciting to see God move in such big ways however for a person like me that likes structure and a solid game plan it creates a great deal of discomfort. Such is life I guess and most definitely a life spent walking with Christ. He has called us to depend on Him, not our own strength and I’m certainly learning a whole new level of dependence. I am so thankful to be where I am and have never been more confident of being in the right place, I’m just learning to trust and lean, “not on my understanding” but on the God that “at the right time will bring everything under the authority of Christ.” Eph 1:10

Prayer requests would be to book shows and be able to ride events, ultimately making money for both myself and the company. I'm eager to return the kindness that this group has shown me by taking me in, letting me live and ride for free and helping me take leaps and bounds forward in pursuing this dream. Also continuing to seek a new place to live closer to town where I can have friends over and continue in fellowship with others while saving quite a bit on gas. A job if that’s Gods plan as I’m eager to get more established and stop living off the generosity of others. A greater intimacy with God., I find my faith is often shaken at times when the road extends beyond my view. That frustrates me as I don’t want my faith to be determined by my circumstances.

That is all for now. This past weekend I was blessed to visit with a couple of my dear friends from my days at Greenville and had an awesome time catching up with them. The couple of photos I attached are ones I created in photoshop. That is something new that I’m very excited about as I’ve been eager to learn the program for some time. Thanks for reading and as always please feel free to say hi. I continue to be blessed when learning that people are actually following me on the crazy adventure ☺ sethfargher@gmail.com

Proverbs 3:5-6

2010-04-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

"Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

Of all the fruits of the spirit, patience seems to be the one God wants me to practice the most. It was a painful, stretching, and trying time waiting many years for this opportunity to move to California and now that I'm here, I again find myself waiting. I'm not sure what I'm waiting for but I continue to ask God to bring about whatever is next.

It was an exciting adventure and a new step of faith going on that 3 week excursion and being able to do my first freestyle shows. Since returning in mid February I've worked very hard at polishing my tricks and adding a few touches to make them all the more exciting. I'm very comfortable in the air and based on what I've seen, have a sufficient enough bag of tricks to move forward in this sport...and yet I'm waiting. For nearly 6 weeks now I've been waiting for a call do go and "ride again." I've struggled with understanding God's reasoning in taking me to the mountaintop of excitement and success with that last tour, only to let things seemingly run dry since then. I feel that I'm ready to go, eager to continue on this path, yet the ability to do shows i.e. being booked for them, does not lie in my hands. I'm dependent upon others for this opportunity thus making it out of my control. Control has always been a struggle for me as I so readily like to be in control of my life. No doubt God is again teaching me to relinquish control over my situation as well as my life as a whole. According to His word He "has all the days ordained to me" already. I need not worry, just take them as they come trusting that He will supply all my needs. This is where I struggle.

My mentor in college thought it was amusing that I'm always ready for the next thing. In my current situation that would be that of making money and better establishing myself. I continue to live in the guest room of our company owner, who remains extremely generous, yet I can't help but feel like I'm in his space. I don't want to be a burden to anyone and I'm eager to support myself. That said, I can't do that in this profession without riding shows. I rely on others to book those shows, thus, my desire to more fully support and establish myself is out of my control. There in lies the problem. I'm trying daily to surrender my situation to God and "lean not on my own understanding." For I surely don't understand the hold up, or why I'm sitting here, spending most days looking for things to do. Not that I'm sitting around doing nothing, I simply FEEL as though I'm not doing anything productive to improve my situation and better establish myself.

I may have brought this on myself. I heard once that when you ask God for more patience or deeper faith, He doesn't zap you with more faith, but rather provides opportunities to practice being patient. I've prayed for a deeper faith and this may very well be Gods way of taking my faith to a greater level. None the less, my goal as I have an increased amount of free time is to write. I feel I need an outlet for my walk with the Lord and writing gives me some sense of sharing what I'm learning or at least what I'm thinking so I'm going to attempt to be more faithful in keeping this blog updated with my daily musings about this journey that I'm on.

My apologies if this is all over the map. Lots is coming to mind and its hard to be brief. In a nut shell I've been waiting on opportunities to do more shows. In the mean time my roomate and I have gotten into racing a little. We made a trek to Lake Havasu Arizona for a WORCS race which was an exciting time. I was pleased with my performance and look forward to doing more of this in the future. You can join me in praying for whatever God has next. I'm eager to move forward from this place I find myself. Not physically as I'm SO excited to be here in Temecula, but to begin actually moving forward to establish myself where I am, and not be so dependant upon the generosity of others.

Caroline

2010-03-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

Today I have been blessed. A certain store in the local mall, C28 clothing, put on a free concert. Due to rain the concert was moved inside a parking structure. C28 is a Christian Clothing company based on Colossians 2:8. Their message is that of not following the pattern of this world, but that of Christ. It was a great event, especially for such a unique setting in a parking garage.

One of the bands that played is called Seventh Day Slumber. This was the third time I’ve seen them perform, the first time being probably around 8 years ago. Part of the bands message is for the lead singer to share his testimony about how God has radically changed his life. This was the third time I’ve heard him speak and without a doubt the most powerful. He shared that the only memories he had of his father were of him beating his mother. At age 9 he broke into his first house and began a criminal lifestyle which landed him in jail on multiple occasions. At age 14 he began using cocaine and did so until attempting to end his life with a lethal dose at the age of 22. He shared that through it all his mother, a devout Christian, had been praying for her son as she watched him slide farther and farther away. She happened to walk in shortly after his overdose and found him convulsing on the living room floor. Joseph shared that it was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, with tubes and wires attached to nearly every part of his body, that he felt the touch of a Father for the first time. He shared that God met him in that ambulance and touched his heart and showed him that his was a life worth living.

Today Joseph is 36 years old, has been married for ten years and has three sons. The very place is he is today is evidence of Gods grace and goodness. He shared that going from where he was, to where he is now, would’ve been impossible without the hand of God.

As he continued to speak he asked the crowd a series of questions. “Where do you find yourself, have you given up hope, are you wondering what reason you have to live?” To married people, “Do you find yourself ready to give up, fed up with your spouses behavior, ready with clenched fists and grit teeth to march to the court house to let a judge end your problems?” From a man that has truly hit the bottom, came a message of hope and healing. One of the most powerful moments of the night came in the middle of their performance. Between songs they played audio clips of letters they have received from friends and fans. One letter read:
Dear Seventh day Slumber
I’m broken and hurting. Yesterday my husband of 18 years left me. Without ever knowing how he was feeling, he decided to leave. I feel rejected and unloved. Does God even love me?
In response to the letter Joseph penned the song Caroline:

Where do I begin? There's so much I want to say to make it easier
Tomorrow's on its way. Do you believe I want to take your painful memories?
I know you want to run away. I know that you can't see tomorrow
Caroline
Let me wipe away your tears, and give you life. Make you feel beautiful again
Caroline
Don't throw it all away. I'm here tonight, to take away your pain.

Yesterday is gone and everything that made you cry has fallen to the ground
I'm here to bring you home. I will always take you back, you haven't let me down

I know you want to run away. I know that you can't see tomorrow
Caroline
Let me wipe away your tears, and give you life. Make you feel beautiful again
Caroline
Don't throw it all away. I'm here tonight, to take away your pain

And when you're feeling all alone and you can't go on….Remember I am here
And when you think you've gone too far, I'll meet you where you are, My arms are open wide

Caroline
Let me wipe away your tears, and give you life. Make you feel beautiful again
Caroline
Don't throw it all away. I'm here tonight, to take away your pain, Caroline

As they closed the show Joseph gave every person standing in the lower level of the Temecula promenade mall parking garage an opportunity to stand before God and give him their heart. To say I’m done doing this for me. “The drugs aren’t doing it anymore, alcohol isn’t enough, the sex isn’t fulfilling anymore, I’m empty and I want to be filled.”

To married people in the audience he said very pointedly “If this is you, take your spouse by the hand and walk forward and place your marriage into the hands of God. Invite the One that created the universe to work in your life and your marriage as only He can.”

I was moved to tears as people flocked toward the stage to meet with God. This wasn’t an alter call for 14 and 15 year old kids to get hyped up on Jesus and caught in the moment. This was a moment in which people of all ages, young and old, husbands and wives took a step forward, from where they are to move into the place that God wants them to be.

God is a God who heals, who delivers and who saves. Please watch this video of the song Caroline. Its written from God’s perspective as he is speaks to HIS child, be it Caroline, you, me or anyone else. Better yet, open it in a different window, hit play and LISTEN to the song while reading the lyrics here on this page.

Play Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hnqApOjl9w

Lots and Lots....

2010-02-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to look back on the time line of our lives and compare where we were and where we are now. Well over a year ago I started writing as a means of a release. It gave me some place to vent, to pray and if nothing else, a place to chronicle my journey through life. I started it October 28 2008 and its now a 37 page long running word document that I just keep adding to. Tonight I was reading back over some previous entries and I was amazed at the dramatic change I can see from then to now. Many of them jump out at me but one specific entry was from August 28 of last year, not quite 6 months ago.

I was in the process of building a new ramp and multiple times became worried that I was biting off more than I could chew. I would stand there in the shop and look up at this monster of a ramp and begin worrying that I wasn’t going to be able to do it. I laughed tonight when I read that because I remember sitting there and thinking about giving up on the freestyle thing all together. Six months down the road I’m certainly glad that I didn’t.

I can’t begin to describe how crazy this journey has been and what a ride it continues to be. The latest excitement, upon returning from my trip to the south, has been getting back on the quad and improving my game. Recently I took a step that I’ve been waiting for, for a while and pushed the ramp back to a 72 foot gap. That is the money distance. Nearly all of our shows we will be jumping at a 72 foot gap (the distance between the takeoff and landing ramps) so finally making the push and jumping that distance was a good milestone. The sessions since have gone well (play Video). I've been able to get through all of my tricks and add some new variations. As of right now, I have no more shows scheduled until April but I’m hoping that something comes up and they can use me at least once during the month of March.

In the mean time I’ve been spending a fair amount of time with some friends I met through the local Bible College. They’ve been awesome inviting me to come hang out on campus as well as join them for an off campus bible study. Its been a refreshing change of pace to be able to spend time with people my own age rather than being surrounded by youth all the time. That said however, I’m still working with the youth at Life Church and continuing to build relationships there. Youth ministry is definitely a challenge. I struggle with the lack of discipline at times and those students that just seem to lack respect. Its been a long time since I’ve worked with youth so maybe that is just to be expected but its been a challenge none the less.

That’s pretty much it for right now. I’m filling my days with various web,/networking activities, riding as much as possible and spending time with the youth at church and my new friends at the bible college. There is also a family here in town that has taken me in on multiple occasions and more or less adopted me. They’ve been SO generous over the last few months and are always eager to provide a home cooked meal and fellowship should I find myself getting lonely. As a means of expressing my gratitude I do my best to keep the fire stoked and warm and the kitchen sink free of dishes. Pretty fair trade off if you ask me!

I'll leave you with a couple of videos from the road...
Freestyle tour video
Dancing Quad Rider

On the road...still

2010-02-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

This is all so crazy! Two weeks ago I left California thinking I was going to Texas for a freestyle show. I had no clue what was in store but I can definitely say that I'm SO excited to be here. Currently I'm back in Duluth Georgia hanging out at the house of one of the other guys on tour. He has generously opened his home up to us as we are in between shows.

The first show was in Gonzales Louisiana and after that we spent the whole week hanging out here in Duluth. Thursday afternoon we drove a couple hours down the road to Augusta Georgia for our next two day event. The weekend typically goes something like this: Arrive in town Thursday night, check out the venue and spend the evening at the hotel. Friday around noon we usually head to the arena to set up the ramp and practice. This is kind of the most stressful yet most freeing point of the weekend. Every time I hit a ramp on a new setup its a little nerve racking. Granted we're using the same ramp, the same landing and the same quads, but it just still makes you nervous. Additionally we were riding on a cement floor so that made the run up to the ramp a little different. At first it was really tacky and you could accelerate quickly but as the day wore on it became polished and really slick. We didn't have a ton of room for a take off so you really had to be on the gas.

None the less we set up the ramp and I motored around the arena for a bit and finally went for it. First jump was perfect!!! I raised my arm and gave a couple fist pumps as I could breathe a sigh of relief. After that it was game on and I went through my whole bag of tricks and finished off practice satisfied. From there it was back to the hotel.

On show day we arrive two hours before it starts just so the promoter can keep track of us and make sure we're all there when the lights go down. The show starts at 8pm and they dim the lights and begin introductions. Not all shows are done in the dark but this one was and its so fun when they introduce you to tear around the stadium while they've got you in a spotlight. Its way fun and on Saturday night as I was in a bit of a dancing mood I hopped off my quad and busted out the worm. It doesn't work so well in riding gear!

That was the format for both nights and the show went awesome. A couple highlights were the pit party on Saturday before the show. Fans had an opportunity to come to the pits and meet all the athletes and take photos etc. It was a lot of fun and I love meeting the kids that are too shy to come up and say hi. Another funny thing was my debut of the "Cha Cha Slide." The promoters have rather interesting music played before the show starts and upon hearing the beats drop I wandered out onto the floor and busted out my best moves for the nearly 5000 people in the stands. It was hysterical and I didn't really know what I was doing but the crowd got into it and the promoter even told me I had to do it again the following night. I'll have video soon!

Lastly kind of the icing on the cake was getting a photo in the local Augusta Chronicle. A kid brought the paper to the pit party to have it signed and I was totally blown away. Such a neat blessing to have some added exposure and get my name and picture put in the paper. I ordered a few copies today so I'll post it up here when I get back to Californioa and get the paper.

The photos I included are of the pit party and our set up for the show.

New Heights

2010-02-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

So last Monday I got a phone call from our team manager..."I need you in Dallas asap to train for a couple days and then ride a show in Louisiana this weekend." My first thought..."cool." After I hung up..."crap! I've got to deliver!"

Everyday since coming to California has been an adventure and each one seems to be more exciting than the one before. I hopped aboard a plane for Dallas and arrived at our team's facility at the Moore's house in Krum, Texas that night. HUGE thanks to Wade and Michelle Moore for letting a complete stranger show up, stay in their house and raid their pantry! :)

I arrived Tuesday night and learned that Wednesday was to be our day for practice. Around 11am the bike I was to ride showed up and I was informed it had been crashed a few days prior. One of the wheels was about to fall off and no one really knew what was wrong with it. After 2-3 hours of working on it I felt I had it fixed for the most part and decided I'd take a run at the ramp. Apparently it was "fixed" all too well and I managed to over jump and miss the landing. I got a lovely little mark above my eye for my trouble.

With no time to worry about getting it looked at, I reared around and hit the ramp again, this time a tad slower. The rest of practice went pretty soundly. No more crashes and I was able to get through my whole progression of tricks.

Thursday was spent in the truck driving to Baton Rouge Louisiana. Upon arrival at the arena Friday afternoon I really began to get nervous. While the bike was running great, it was still semi unfamiliar and I was going to be jumping to a metal landing ramp instead of dirt, another first. Additionally the ramp we were using was a little different then what I'm used to (hence the over jumping).

The promoter was great and let me scoot the ramp up close to the landing and work my way back. After about 20 min we were jumping at show distance which was 65 ft. Practice was good and I actually like the metal landing. Afterwards it was back to the hotel to wait for the show to start at 8. The down time would've been nice but it was just more time to sit and think about doing everything right. Not going to far, not coming up short. I wasn't so much worried about my tricks, or the people in the stands for that matter. I just wanted to have the distance down.

Show time rolled around and it went off without a hitch. We ended up doing three shows Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. The only hickup was when I managed to wheelie over on myself in front of a couple thousand people. Not a big deal, just hurts the pride :) But everyone said that its normal to have some sort of a crash at your first show. Another fun bit was that a great friend of mine from my church in Hood River was able to come to the show. He lives in Louisiana now and actually was only about ten minutes from the arena so that was great to have him there for my first show.

I titled this blog New Heights for a couple of reasons. Obviously doing a show is a new thing and was my goal in moving to California but this weekend I learned to rely on God in a new, deeper way than ever before. SO much was out of my control this weekend. I didn't know what I was getting into or what to expect. There were frustrations at some points along the way and a lot of unknowns. I just kept calling and texting folks asking them to pray for the show and the whole weekend and it was amazing. I keep having to relinquish control and trust that God has me here. I'm having a blast, I enjoy the people I'm with on this tour but every day is seemingly another unknown. We're heading to another show this weekend in Georgia and I'm just trying to give God every day and say "this is where you have me." All I can do is trust that He will continue to sustain me and continue to provide as I'm on this journey.

Thank you so much to my friends, family and supporters that have been behind me on this journey. It'll be exciting to see what comes along next!!!

God has a sense of humor...

2010-01-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

I've been compiling a list of the different restaurants in the area that I plan to visit once I secure a more stable income and am again able to afford "going out." Temecula is a cesspool of fine eateries which is a luxury I've really never been afforded. Try not to laugh, but recently I've had a craving for the Olive Garden. I've always been a fan and have been looking for an excuse to go back, but because I'm watching finances VERY carefully I've held off.

This morning upon arriving at the church office I hada peice of mail waiting for me from a dear friend from college. Inside was a check and a gift card to the Olive Garden. Her attached note said "Olive Garden lunch menu-Soup, Sald, Breadsticks...All you can eat $6.99....Enjoy :)"

I am so blessed by her gift and equally amazed at Gods sense of humor. I continue to be made more and more aware of Gods attention to detail. The countless childhood dreams I've had fulfilled since coming here, Gods provision through the support of friends and family and countless other opportunities the Lord has blessed me with.

A lot has been going on as of late so here is a breif summation: I'm now riding a new quad as the team is sponsored by Polaris. I'm officially a member of the Bomb Squad Freestyle Motocross team which is something I've dreamed about since I saw my first ATV film in probably the 5th grade, but never once thought would actually happen. I'm beggining to book shows for the coming months which is exciting and a bit nerve wracking at the same time. I continue to practice almost daily and work to get more and more comfortable on the quad.

An encouraging piece of info is that I've been spending some time riding with one of our other team riders from Costa Rica. He's been very encouraging about my riding and is confident that I'm ready to do shows. That has been a huge boost coming from someone who has been a member of this team for over a year.

Lastly, I've met a group of young adults from the local bible college here in Temecula and they have welcomed me with open arms. Some great relationships are being formed and I"m SO blessed to have people my own age and in the same place in life as me to spend time with.

At last

2010-01-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

At last, an update. I’ve been on the go none stop since arriving back in sunny southern California and things don’t look to be slowing down any time soon. The first few days back were spent fixing the driveline in my truck, again big thanks to my buddy Adrian for all his help, working on quads and learning my new task as a web administrator of sorts for H Bomb Films.

I’m currently interacting with fans, posting blog updates and have even created a press release or two for. Additionally I maintain the company’s Face Book page. I’m having a blast and slowly getting the opportunity to answer fan questions and essentially act as a liaison between the fans and the company.

Riding has been going well. I’ve only ridden twice since I returned but both sessions went exceptionally well. I managed to learn a few new tricks but have no photos yet to include. Basically two of them involve coming completely disconnected from the quad in mid air and then pulling yourself back on just in time to land. It’s a CRAZY exciting feeling to land one of those for the first time. I have a few exciting things in the works in terms of riding but I’m going to keep that under wraps for a little while longer.

I continue to serve with the youth at Life Church and have begun leading worship on Sunday mornings. Additionally I had the opportunity to teach last weekend and shared a message about how events in life can leave us scarred, but how we choose to heal from those injuries determines how bad the scar will be. We can choose to wear those scars as reminders of injuries we’ve sustained from the past that we’d much rather forget, OR as examples of Gods grace and forgiveness in our lives.

That's it for now...I'm working on a more thought provoking update but its not quite coming out right.

Reflections

2010-01-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

I love coffee shops. The atmosphere, the people, the sounds, it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I found a cool new one in Gresham Oregon called Café Delirium. It’s the perfect setting and brings in quite the diverse crowd. There are students working on homework, girlfriends chatting away about life, friends back for the holidays catching up, and more than one “couple” out on a coffee date. I love the diversity and atmosphere that it creates. I think what I love most is that nearly everyone has a smile on their face because most everyone that comes here wants to be here. Like me, they simply enjoy the atmosphere or they have an opportunity to catch up with special people in their lives.

I’m here because this is my office. I love to come to a coffee shop and sit and get work done. Thankfully for once in my life I’m self employed (if you can call it that), and praying that I can continue on this path. I’m also meeting a friend to catch up on life. This entire break has been nothing but visiting and catching up with people that have, in some way shape or form, impacted my life. It started the night I flew home with dinner with the fam and then vising with my small group from my church. What a blessed time of hugs, fellowship and crazy stories about this new life of mine. It was such a joy and one of my highlights was Janet Clark, one of our leaders, telling me “This is what I love about Seth, he knows how to eat.” How does one respond to that except to smile and dig in. Their family and so many others in my church came into my life at a time when I was hurting and needing fellowship the most. It was such a joy to go back and visit with them.

I had an opportunity to visit Jake, my best friend and partner in crime from the glory days of highschool. Its always a joy to hang out with him and it’s a blessing to see the continued progress he is making at his goal of walking again someday.

I got to visit my co-workers from the bank. What a FANTASTIC time that was. It took me at least two hours to make my rounds between the various offices and buildings to catch up with everyone that has been such a support of me over the last months and years.

On to Portland I visited with friends and family’s that have graciously taken me in and fed me, invited me on family outings and seemingly consider me one of their own. Its been such a blessing to see familiar faces catch up on life. The best, most humbling part of it all is to receive the love and support of people that are truly excited about what I’m doing with my life. Everyone is excited for me and I continue to be so blessed by the support of friends and family that want to see me succeed in this calling that God has placed on my heart.

As I finish up here and prepare to fly back home to California I’m excited but somewhat scared at the same time. Things are happening. I’m beginning to get asked to do ATV shows, things are in the works for me to begin speaking at various events and seemingly all the things I’ve ever dreamed of are beginning to come true. Its nerve wracking but awesome and I continue to cry out to God daily asking him for peace, perseverance and strength to continue on this road that he has laid before me. While its sure to be an exciting ride, I’m trying to live and trust Him one day at a time…I don’t have enough in me to look any further than that!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

As I write this I’m on a plane bound for Portland. I’m on my way home. When I left on this crazy adventure two months ago, I was curious what I’d be feeling at this very moment. Would I have made it? Would I have entered the next chapter of my life and be doing what I love or would I have failed miserably and already be home? Praise God its not the later. While I am going home, it’s only for a short break to visit friends and family and then its back to continue working and serving in this new life God has brought before me.

Christmas is different this year. It’s going to be small. My brother and his wife are unable to make it back to Dufur and my mom is going to come visit. Christmas for us will be myself, my mom, my dad and his wife Linda. I’m excited for the time with my family. Because of the situations we all seem to find ourselves in, Christmas revolves around thankfulness and time together this year. I guess it’s a good reminder since that’s what it should be about anyways. I’m kinda glad for it. Because of my current job status, buying gifts for people is pretty much out of the question. Though I’ve managed to pull a couple things off…A gift card for mom, a T-shirt for my dad autographed by the winning team of this years Baja 1000 and an autographed picture for my step mom. Its not much but its all I can do this year and in some way I feel it will remind them of the crazy adventure I’m on, and in some ways, they are on with me. So on the note of thankfulness, here’s a few new things since I last wrote that I’m thankful for…

1.Continued support and God’s provision from wonderful friends who want to see me continue to serve here. Without your giving I would not be where I am and I’m so thankful for your partnership in this ministry.
2. My family at Life Church. I had coffee with Pastor John again recently and he continues to be excited about my eagerness and enthusiasm for this ministry. We are scheming ways to put on events that will allow me to share my faith and my passion for motorsports with young people. I even had the director of our AWANA’s program ask me when I’m going to put on a show for the kids…I can’t wait for that!
3. I continue to work with the youth at life church and am now helping out, on some level, with both Jr and Sr high. Its truly amazing! The kids are fun and I get the chance to make fun of myself twice a week. We had a Christmas party last week that was off the hook. I’ll try to get some video of a skit that I put together…
4. New relationships that continue to grow. I’ve been spending some time with a couple of younger married couples within our church and having a blast. I help Derek, when I can, on construction of his “man cave” (garage lounge area) and Alex and I continue to hang out and enjoy this place in life we find ourselves. Lesley and Lindsay, their gracious wives, have opened up their homes and fed me on multiple occasions and been more than kind to the stranger sleeping on their living room couch. It’s a funny place I find myself in life right now, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

5. Continued connections. I mentioned that I had an opportunity to go riding in the desert with one of the founding fathers of freestyle motocross and it was quite honestly one of the coolest rides of my life. A group of about 15 of us took off like a wild fire across the desert and somehow fell into line as we snaked through the mud hills of Ocotillo Wells. I was the only quad in this group of dirtbike riders so I was a little nervous about being able to keep up. After a few miles and actually passing a couple guys, they all seemed to welcome me to the group with open arms, many expressing their amazement at my ability to keep up. It was a good day! ☺ We stopped multiple times for photos and I was able to lend my services to the group by shooting pictures of anything and everything. I’m hoping for more opportunities to work with Metz as there is a lot in store for his team in the coming year and I’d love to be apart of it in any way I can.

Lastly, I’m thankful for this opportunity to be going home. To visit with friends and family and share about the exciting adventure I’ve been on. To tell stories and catch up on life. It’s only been two months, but I feel like I’ve experienced more in that time than I had ever dreamed I would in a lifetime. God continues to pour out blessing and I’m overwhelmed daily by the opportunities I have before me!

Sorry for the delay!

2009-12-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

God has been pouring out His favor like never before. It would seem as each day brings something new and most often that “newness” is something I never dreamed I would experience. Hanging out back stage at the Vegas show, the whole Baja 1000 experience and now, an opportunity to film an event with yet ANOTHER one of my heroes from growing up Mike Metzger. I continue to be amazed at seeing how God has pulled so much together. “All the days ordained to me were written in your book before any of them came to pass.” Psalm 139:16 God has gone before me and is continuing to do so.

I met Metz through a couple of mutual acquaintances and the all powerful facebook. We have yet to meet in person but we’ve spoken on the phone and are working to pull together a few details for me to film this even that he is hosting at world renown free ride spot Ocotillo Wells. I’m pumped for the opportunity and looking forward to what comes of it.

In other news I’ve begun doing some marketing for the company I’m working with H-Bomb Films. I created a face book page and have begun adding and interacting with fans. If you’re on face book you had better add us!!! BombSquadBattalion.com Additionally I’m working on some plans that I hope will help bridge the gap between the “superstars” of the industry and other up and comers or weekend warriors like me. I’m excited to see where that goes.

In terms of working, I’ve been spending much more time with the youth at Life Church and am absolutely loving it. I help out in various ways but my main task is to emcee games for both the jr and sr high groups and make a fool of myself as I do. It's been a ton of fun working with the students. The pastor is looking to submit a plan to the church board that would pay me a small salary (just enough to cover the few bills that I have) and possibly provide me with a cell phone. This will be SO helpful however it won’t happen until mid to late January as the board does not meet until then.

In the mean time, I sent out another support letter, further explaining the ministry I am involved with here and my plans for the future. The response I’ve gotten thus far has been amazing. Friends and acquaintances from various periods in my life have expressed a desire to support me and I am so blessed by that. On that note, things continue to move forward at lightening speed and I’m now working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes towards possibly starting an FCA motocross group here in southern California. I’m excited to see how that would come together.

Thank you all for your continued prayer and support! More to come.

Psalm 37:23

2009-12-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

“The steps of the Godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives.” I continue to be amazed at Gods attention to detail. I spoke at GC the spring of my senior year on the evidence of Gods might and power that we can see in creation. I feel that I’m experiencing that same evidence now in the details that God continues to unfold. Tonight my thoughts are in a million different places but these are a few of the things mulling around in my mind right now…

I continue to be impressed with and excited about Walker, my new friend from Montana. He’s got a fire and excitement inside of him that is contagious, he just needs some guidance and a little time to channel that in the right direction. I met a couple high school students yesterday and was able to share with them about my journey thus far and my plans for the future. They were intrigued and both shared with me some of their own passions. I had a great opportunity to offer some incite and I opened the door to help them out by shooting photos and video for them in the future as they pursue their goals.

I had a blessed day at church today. I’m continuing to work with the youth at Life Church and today my task was to emcee the game we played. It was basically random useless trivia but we all had a great time and I’m excited for the opportunity to do things like that again. The kids seem to enjoy me making fun of myself. Things like this just seem to affirm my desire to speak, share and invest in young people.

Tonight at Starbucks I was sitting here with my Bible open working on this entry and a gentleman walked by and mentioned that it was good to see me reading my Bible. He asked where I was reading from and I mentioned Job. He gave me one of his cards and mentioned that he’s a Christian author and speaker. I laughed, amazed at the people God continues to bring into my life, and told him I’m an aspiring author and speaker. I visited with he and his family for a few minutes, we exchanged contact info and I look forward to seeing what might come of it. You just never know when or how God will bring people across your path or for what purpose.

That brings me to now…I don’t know what tomorrow or the next week will bring. I know I’m going home on Dec 24, that’s my next solidified plan. I have about 3 weeks until then and it’ll be interesting to see what happens in that time. I’m still looking for a job and praying for opportunities to remain within the industry to continue serving where I’m at. Thank you SO much to those who have supported me prayerfully and financially. Your giving has enabled me to keep my focus on the goal at hand, to serve at church and hopefully impact lives like Walkers and the other young guys I’ve been talking to. The photo that I attached to this blog is one I showed when I spoke at college. Its a picture of MT hood and I feel like it is a prime picture of Gods might and Power. I shared that if God can mold and sculpt that magnificent mountain in all of its glory, what could he do with my life if I live completely surrendered to him? What could he do with yours?

What its all about

2009-12-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

So I’ve got a new mission. What Kess did with football, I want to do with the motorsports industry. For those of you who don’t know, Scotty Kessler (Kess) was my college football coach my freshman year and the sole reason I attended Greenville College. From the beginning Kess told me that football was merely a tool to teach young men about life. “If after playing under me, these guys don’t grow up to be good husbands, fathers, and can’t keep a job, then I didn’t do my job.” That statement is what got me and now I hope to pass on Kess’s fire to the motorsports community.

Yesterday this new guy Walker, whom I now address as “Texas Ranger” or Chuck ☺ showed up in a beat up pickup with more atv parts hanging out of it than Tucker Rocky on clearance day. His story is almost identical to mine. He loaded his truck and came here from Montana in hopes of getting involved in the industry. Walker’s end goal is not necessarily to do freestyle, he simply wants to immerse himself in the industry and partake in all of the goings on here at H-Bomb Films.

I’m stoked to have him around because I see so much myself in him. He doesn’t even know what he wants to do, he just knows he wants to be here. I’ve been able to coach him to some extent however and explain the things that I’ve learned since I got here almost two months ago. I spent much of yesterday and almost all of today with him and I really think he has what it takes. His passion is there, he just needs direction. As I’ve learned very quickly, people just don’t move to California and become ATV super stars. You kinda have to have a niche. Thankfully I’m working towards freestyle as a goal, but I also have my media connections so that I’m being productive in the mean time.

Walker is young and energetic but just not sure how to focus his energies to make the most good. He’s had a string of bad luck with some life stuff but I’m convinced he has the heart and desire to succeed. It would take me a long time to explain our entire conversation, but basically I told him that I would sponsor him through my website and various media outlets if he would agree to going back home and taking care of those life issues he’s working on. He seems content to do that. I’ve stressed to him that making a wise decision now, will only set him up for greater success in the future whereas taking a gamble right now could end his chances forever.

I think he’s getting it. He’s stoked about the idea and I’m excited to see what this kid could do in the next six months to a year. Maybe some day my little www.LocalHeroesNW.com site will actually be something worthwhile. I’d love to use it as a networking site to help the “little guys” like me get a shot at doing what they love.

In other news I had my “tryout” here with the bomb squad and it went amazing. Our team manager BC was pleased with my skill level and the progress that I’ve made. The next step will be to make the switch over to the team bikes and begin getting up to speed on those. My goal is to be riding and doing shows come January. Perhaps a lofty goal but as each and every day I’m here proves, with God all things are possible!

We Win!!!

2009-11-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

So most recently I returned from Ensenada Mexico where I was blessed to be a part of the race team that won the Pro Quad class for the 2nd consecutive year. I probably sound like a broken record but I continue to be amazed at the things I'm getting to experience. I remember reading about Team Matlock taking the win last year after several years of hardships and always coming up short. Never in a million years did I think that I would be standing in the winners circle when they crossed the finish line and thats exactly where I was. Well more off to the side really as I was filming the event, but I quickly made my way to the circle to join in the celebration. It was a crazy awesome experience and I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity.

The Matlock racing crew is basically just a family crazy about racing ATV's. Wayne and his wife Kristen brought their 8 week old son along for the entire week of Baja. That's dedication. I told Grandma Cathy that I was jealous...it took me 24 years to get there! When I say family I mean family. Grandparents, moms, dads, wives and kids all turn up for the event and its truly a family affair. The night before the race we all settled in around a big table between a couple RV's for a feast that would rival many Thanksgiving dinners. I hardly slept a wink that night as I kept waking up wondering if it was time for the race to begin. I really think I get more sleep on Christmas eve than I did the night before Baja. Call me Crazy. The whole Baja experience was amazing and I'm already excited to head back next year.

Another neat deal, I got to share my story with a gal at Starbucks last night. I needed power for my computer so I asked if I could share her table next to the outlet. We visited a little and I found out she’s a multi media major. We had lots to talk about between photography, film and such and as I was telling her about what I’m doing down here she expressed that I’m living her dream. I chuckled and told her that I’m finally getting to live my dream but that it took eight years for me to get here. I shared my thoughts on spending your life doing something you love and I smiled inside as I felt like “this is what it’s about,” showing people and encouraging people to pursue that little thing in their heart that they’ve always longed for. Believer or not I believe that is placed there by God and it just takes time for HIM to develop that in us. In the mean time, we face hardships or get sidetracked with immediate gratification and for many people that dream gets lost. Thank God none of the rabbit trails I’ve chased in the last 8 years worked out. I know that I surely wouldn’t be where I am today.

There is a saying “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that. What the world needs is more people to come alive.”

People that are alive about what they do are contagious. It takes discipline, perseverance and the drive to not give up when things get tough. What I’ve found for me personally is that the victories I’m experiencing since moving here wouldn’t be near as sweet without the hardships I’ve faced over the last year and a half. I say hardships as if my life was a wreck. People certainly deal with harder situations than I’ve ever had to deal with but for me, my situation at home was so suffocating before I left that I felt like I had no hope for enjoying life. Life is called a journey for a reason. We walk through valleys and over mountains to stand at the peak and behold the glory of what we’ve persevered to get there. I tend to find that if I were on the mountaintop all the time, I would have less of a need for God’s presence. “Give me only my daily bread or else I will have too much and disown you.” (Prov. 30:8) God knows what we can handle, how much pressure we can take before we snap, and how much reward we can handle without squandering it. I believe if we ask Him to, he will take the reigns of our lives and only hand us control when we are ready for it. I feel like it's taken 8 years but God is starting to hand me the reigns....and I can't wait to see where we go next!

Go Chargers

2009-11-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

So I'm a bit perturbed...I wrote a fantastic update and blogger.com failed to save my draft so here is round 2...

My gracious aunt whom I rarely have the opportunity to visit offered to take me to a San Diego Chargers game this past weekend for my birthday. What an experience it was! Chargers fans are serious about tailgating. As our bus approached the stadium the air was teaming with the smell of bratwurst. Auntie Ina (I still have difficulty calling her Ina) spared no expense on this adventure and we found ourselves in line for some of the finest Qualcom cuisine moments after entering the stadium. Our seats were 6th row, corner of the end zone, the perfect vantage point to view my boy, Antonio Gates, mowing over the pesky Philadelphia eagles players. The game was an awesome time and our team won to boot! Thanks for an awesome birthday present Auntie Ina!

In other news, I'm still looking for work but I have a couple leads. I'm working with the church on possibly becoming a Jr youth intern. I've been volunteering with them on Wednesday's and Sundays as is and they were already working to hire for this position anyway. Additionally, Jake and Margaret connected me with the director at Project Walk who informed me that they are in need of a media/film/PR person. After discussing the possibility we both felt that I bring a lot to the table even if only part time but Tim and I are working to put that together. Both opportunities look promising, but I really need something to come together as an income is becoming VERY necessary. On that note, I got my health insurance taken care of and I'm on COBRA till 12/1 and then my new health care plan kicks in.

God has been doing some amazing things in the meantime as I wait for these work scenarios to pan out. As many of you may know, I sent out a support letter and I've been very blessed by the response. I've received a few checks and am told I have a few more on the way. Another cool deal is that my college football coach forwarded my letter on to another coach whom I've seen only a handful of times since my freshman year. He wrote me and said that he was excited to see me going for something that I love and that he and his wife wanted to support me in it! What an awesome example of Gods provision, and yet another reminder that I am right where I'm suppose to be. Money seems to always be an area that I've had to give to God. Maybe its because I'm an anal retentive accounting major but throughout college and countless other experiences, God always seems to wait until the last minute to provide. Call it a test of patience which seems to be the other area God is always working on in me.

That brings us to today. I got up this morning with a bit of a pit in my stomach as I rolled out to the compound to go ride. My last session didn't go so well as I was having trouble seeing the ramp through the plume cloud of dust and managed to over jump the landing on my first hit. I bent my lower a-arms and cut my chin open upon impact. (Yes Mom and Linda, I was wearing my mouth piece...teeth are ok) Thankfully the bike is fine, it was just frustrating because things were going so well. Today I managed to solve the dust problem by laying carpet out on the runway and was able to put in the best session of my life. I rode for about an hour, threw some new, bigger tricks than I ever have before and didn't want to quit riding. I don't have any photos of the bigger tricks, but I hope to get someone out to film very soon.

I guess that's all for now. In theory I'm suppose to take off for the Baja 1000 tomorrow and hang out with the team that won it all last year. I'm so excited for the opportunity because experiencing Baja has been on my list of to do's for a long long time. I'll be taking a LOT of photos with my new camera (thanks Farg Daddy) and be sure and post them here. I'll leave you with a photo of my playground :)

Where to begin

2009-11-12T19:51:00.000-08:00

Based upon recent events and so much excitement I think I'm gong to spread this update out between a couple posts. The biggest news is that I finally began riding!!! I rode for about 20 minutes on Tuesday which was just enough to get comfortable on the ramp and go through my bag of tricks. Wednesday I went back out and put in the best session yet and I'm SO ready to get back out there tomorrow. I cannot explain the relief/joy that I feel now that I'm riding and riding well. The landing here is so smooth that my bone stock quad doesn't even bottom out at all. I'm so excited to ride again tomorrow.

Other good news, my dad sprung for a new camera to replace the old one. I got a two year warranty for this one should I decide to tussle with my quad again. Thanks Farg Daddy!!!
So be on the lookout for some new photos in the coming days. I'll try to talk someone into taking some ride shots of me in the coming days so you can see what I'm actually doing here.

In other news, I may be traveling with the gang to the Baja 1000 next week. Wes Miller, the owner of the company I'm working with, was a member of the winning team last year for the Pro Quad class and he is out to defend his title. It looks like I'll be joining the team next Wednesday and hopefully aiding Harlen Foley of ATVriders.com with coverage of the event. I continue to be amazed at the opportunities that God is dumping in my lap. I've wanted to attend Baja for as long as I can remember. I've never really been sure if I wanted to race it or just attend, but at the very least experience all that Baja has to offer and it looks like I'm going to have that opportunity.

The last "news" that many of you may already be familiar with is that I sent out a letter explaining what I'm doing down here and how you can support me in this adventure which is turning in to a ministry of sorts. I won't go into the details here but I highlighted in the letter my desire to maintain my freedom to jump at opportunities like the trip to Vegas and now Baja, in order to show these guys that I'm serious about working with them, as well as create opportunities to share my faith. If you believe in what I'm doing and would like me to send you a copy of the support letter please email me at sethfargher@gmail.com God continues to show his faithfulness as I received a card from a dear friend in college containing a check and gift cards to KFC and Subway. Her words were "How better to help than fill your tummy!" God Bless!!!

More to come but I'll leave you with a few photos I rescued off the memory card of my smashed camera. They are in no particular order and I'm having trouble formatting this stinking thing...deal with it! :)

A camp at Ocotillo. I've always wanted to be in one of those "wagon train esque" camps and I finally got my chance! Though this isn't it.

The unique terrain of Ocotillo Wells.

The outcome of our late night excursion.

Never have I met a more resourceful group of individuals...using a soldering iron and plastic shavings they successfully "welded" a cracked fuel tank...and it didn't leak a drop!!!

Lastly, I received a care package in the mail from a friend/
sponsor at Shift Racing. Some clean new threads, a couple ball caps and enough stickers to vandalize the city of LA.

Friends and Family in So Cal

2009-11-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

The other day I had a little bout of discouragement as I climbed into bed after arriving home from Vegas as I was unsure what the coming days would bring. To this point, I've had one event lead to the next without much time to sit and worry about the next step. I couldn't really put my finger on it but something just kinda had me down.

My dad always says your perspective changes 180 degrees after a good night's sleep. I'm confident that did the trick for me as I awoke Friday the 6th with an excitement for the day and weekend to come. I'm still not entirely sure why I was bumbed out but I'm chalking it up to the mere 4 hours of sleep I got the last night in Vegas.

I spent Friday morning cleaning up the bikes from the show and making countless phone calls to insurance companies as I'm continuing to fight the good fight to ensure I'm adequately covered. Friday afternoon I had the privilege of driving a mere 45 minutes down the road to visit my long time friend Jake French.

For those of you who don't know Jake, he and his family were a Godsend in my life in the 8th grade. My first few years at Dufur were a challenge to say the least as I was an outsider moving in from Portland and most of the class had been together since kindergarten. I just had a tough time fitting in and never really found anybody that I clicked with. Then along came Jake; the new kid that rode dirt bikes, loved hunting and fishing and seemingly every other crazy thing I did. "Jake is fast, Seth is slow" became our mantra and will forever echo through the halls of the Dufur Middle school...at least in our minds.

Back to today. Jake was tragically injured in an unfortunate accident last December and has spent the last 11 months rehabilitating himself with the end goal of learning to walk. Please take a second to look at this video of what Jake has been through, where he's at and his long term goals.

Today Jake has been blessed with that opportunity to visit Project Walk and begin what we hope and pray is a journey to recovery. If you know Jake you know his zest for life is extraordinary. He continues to amaze therapists and doctors wherever he goes, both with his determination to succeed, as well as his outlook on life considering the circumstances. I was blessed to get to spend Friday and Saturday with Jake and his mom Margaret. It was truly a joy to walk through the doors of Project Walk and see two familiar faces. The quote of the evening echoing our table was "I can't believe we're all in California!"

Saturday we had the opportunity to attend a Freestyle Motocross demo and suffice to say, Jake makes friends fast. :) All in all it was a great day of entertainment and hanging with great friends from back home.

Today's events include a BBQ and birthday party for BC's son. I'm heading back south to meet up with Jake and we're going to cruise up to San Juan Capistrano for a BBQ and soccer game. Thanks again to all for your prayer and support. Each day is something new, and something different. I think I'm going to be able to start riding this week as well so I'll let you all know how that goes.

Vegas Baby

2009-11-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, I conquered the back flip on a trampoline. Some years later I witnessed my first motorcycle back flip and was truly amazed. Today I watched Caleb Moore pull back flip after back flip on an ATV and only one word came to mind; burly. What’s more is after a few attempts he started throwing flip variations. For those non-motocross readers, a variation means pulling an additional trick while in the midst of a back flip.

This is the adventure of a lifetime. I find myself saying that at least 10 times a day. This week’s excursion has been a trip to Las Vegas for the Kicker Big Air Bash at the Palms Hotel and Casino. I can’t believe I almost passed on this opportunity. The riders I’m with are part of the freestyle show and I came along for the experience as well as an opportunity to get some footage. I’d love to post some photos from the trip but if you read my last post you know why I haven’t.

Setup and practice are over with and I’ve now retreated to the sixth floor of the Palms Place Hotel, in quite possibly the most luxurious pool/lounge area I’ve ever witnessed. I am truly blessed and at the same time amazed at how out of place I am.

Three weeks ago I was “stuck” in a place I did not wish to be. Dufur was good to me for many years and will ALWAYS be home. I’m so thankful for all of the people that have poured into my life and encouraged me in my pursuit of this dream, I just felt it was weighing me down. I have no doubt that my 17 months there after graduating was a necessary season that God allowed both for personal growth and to deepen my faith. By no means do I have it figured out, but I can honestly say that the difficulties and hardships of the past year are beginning to pay off. I’m not where I want to be in terms of status (that sounds bad but it's the best fit) comfort or any number of other factors, but I’m certainly in the location and with the people that can help me reach most of those goals.

This has been the most eye opening experience of my life. I understand what so many have said about living in a bubble. Its safe to say my bubble has burst and I’m catching up on all the things I never saw or experienced before hand. Not that I’m doing things I shouldn't (that's for you mom) but mostly that I’m seeing what the real world is like for the first time. It's quite the experience.

I guess that’s all for now. Its nearing show time so I had better resume my post with my trusty video camera, ever ready to capture whatever chaos the night may bring. It's sure to be exciting and if I can figure out how, I’ll post some video from the event on here.

Words can't describe

2009-10-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

So...I was invited on a group riding trip to one of Southern California's most famous riding areas, Ocotillo Wells. I was pumped for the opportunity as I've heard good things and seen amazing photos from this freerider's paradise. It was to be a short trip as we were leaving Thursday night and coming back Saturday morning but I was excited none the less.

We rolled into camp around 10:30pm and my counterpart, BC, informed me we would be riding into the wee hours of the morning. Somewhere around midnight we geared up and caravan'd into the abyss. I blindly followed BC through the switch backs and cork screws that are Ocotillo, desperately trying to keep up which proved to be quite the task.

The evening culminated around 2:30 AM when one of our UTV patrons zigged when he should have zagged and careened down an embankment. Three cartwheels resulted in a blown rear tire, cracked fuel tank and a bent bumper which inhibited a front tire from rotating freely. After a few failed attempts at bending the bumper back someone took off for camp to find some tools and a spare tire. At least an hour later, after much debate and a failed attempt at removing the bumper, we finally returned to camp around 3:45am. I nestled myself into BC's luxurious travel trailer pondering the last time I had been awake at that hour and decided it must have been a lock in I attended sometime while in JR High. I've certainly been awake at that hour before, but it was beggining my day...not ending it.

The next day's events began around 10:30 (thank you Lord) with the master minds of camp working to patch the cracked fuel tank from the previous nights excitement. I am truly amazed at the resourcefulness of these guys. Not that they gave me any reason to doubt them, they were simply bound and determined to fix that tank with the supplies on hand. Using a soldering iron and plastic shavings from the fuel tank they were able to "weld" the cracked fuel tank and restore it to like new condition. Note: Previous attempts revealed that zip ties and shavings from the stock Rhino skid plate would not correctly adhere to the surface, resulting in a brittle and nonfunctional bead.

After finishing up the Rhino we geared up for another ride out into the wide open desert. Ocotillo Wells is some of the craziest and most scenic terrain I've ever ridden. If you're an offroader you must make it here sometime in your life.

If you've read this far considering there are no pictures to go along with my story, you have my thanks. The reason being I took a little spill while trailing BC through the sand and suffice to say my camera broke my fall. Though the debacle ended with me resting uncomfortably beneath my quad, I emerged mostly unscathed and thankfully my quad was still in tact. We pressed on and I survived the rest of the trip.

Upon arriving back at my truck this morning I discovered that someone had lovingly smashed my windshield and two other windows. Come to find out a worker at the restaurant where I had left it attempted to scare them off and had a wrench thrown at him in the process. Suffice to say Duke, the restaurant owner, is ready to form a posse to track down the culprits.

While this unfortunate event has thrown yet another hiccup into my adventure, it has allowed me a great blessing and an opportunity to get more acquainted with another couple from my church. I informed Alex (youth pastor at Life Church) of my predicament and asked for his assistance in some form that would enable me to make it to church this weekend. He and his wife Leslie graciously offered to lend me a car until my truck is fixed and what's more, I had the opportunity to spend the evening with them and their family. I am truly amazed at God's provision and guidance on this voyage and had a wonderful time chatting with them and hanging with their kids as they prepared for an evening of trick or treating. So Alex and Leslie, words cannot describe my thanks for the car and home cooked meal. The salmon was off the hook! (no pun intended) :)

That's all for now. I'm off to hang with my buddy Adrian and his girlfriend. Thanks to all for your prayers and support. This has been and continues to be the craziest and most incredible experience of my life. I'm not entirely sure where it's going but I could say I'm learning to embrace Proverbs 16:9 "In his heart a man charts his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

Something new

2009-10-29T17:28:00.000-07:00

What’s an adventure to be without a few hiccups? My trusty 1979 Chevy pickup made the entire 1200 plus mile trek without so much as a jot or tiddle however my radiator began leaking not long after I arrived. In my quest to remain alive and mobile I began looking at options for replacing it. Thankfully my new friend Adrian, who just happened to move into the guest house on the property around the same time I got here, is a master mechanic for anything with wheels and a motor. What’s more is that he is in the process of restoring a nearly identical truck and because of that he knows my truck inside and out. Upon mentioning my dilemma he told me where and what to get and this morning we installed a new radiator and my truck has never run better. Mad props Adrian!

I had lunch yesterday with Pastor John and Rob Coblentz from Life Church and we’re looking at opportunities for me to get involved. They are both excited about my background in worship music and feel that there are probably opportunities for me to get involved. Additionally John has inquired about me getting involved with the youth and Rob has extended the offer for me to help with AWANAS as he is the program director for the church. Lots of opportunities and I’m excited about them all, I’m just trying to get my feet settled a little bit before I dive in too far.

After finishing up the radiator today I headed off to meet John and a few others from his church to put in some laps on their own semi private course. I’m out of shape, that’s for sure! I’ve spent so much time pursuing the sport that I love over the last year that at times I feel like I’ve quite riding all together. Not even one lap into it, my legs were burning and I was out of breath. This kind of pain I’m more than happy to deal with however and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to get out and ride.

After our ride session Alex Hughes, yet another member of Life Church, invited me to come join him at Jr. High Youth group. Boy was that exciting! It’s certainly been a while for me but it was exciting to work with young minds after being so involved with college students for so long. We played some games and I had a chance to lead a discussion with about 4 of the guys. Alex and I are going to meet in the coming days to talk about opportunities to help out there as well.

So rounding out day number 13 I have yet to make any solid connections that will lead me to work opportunities within the industry, but I have countless leads and several folks working behind the scenes to get me plugged in. One never knows what tomorrow will bring and that is true to the umpteenth degree for me. My plans for the foreseeable future involve a trip to Ocotillo Wells offroad area and that’s all I know about that. Keep checking back for photos and updates as I continue on this crazy adventure!

The Journey

2009-10-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

So I started my blog about a year ago as a means of chronicling my pursuit of this dream of doing freestyle motocross for a living. Whether I lost interest or simply had nothing more to write about, the blog didn’t last long but I’m back at it now as I have recently moved to southern California in an attempt to further this dream.

October 9th was my last day with Columbia River Bank and the following Monday I headed out for Temecula California, the Mecca of freestyle motocross. Along the way I stopped off at Dumont Dunes California for some duning action with some of the greatest ATV freestyle riders in the world. That was a fun experience but not quite what I expected. I was able to take some photos of the various film shoots and now have some great photos from the trip.

From Dumont it was on to Temecula where I’ve been mostly hanging out for the last week. Ultimately the plan is to start riding freestyle around here and see if the guys I’m with think I have enough potential to join the team and ultimately start doing shows. A few obstacles have caused a slow down in the process, but I’m thankful for the opportunity non the less and enjoying being in sunny southern California.

I’m continuing to network with other FMX people in the area and am hoping to get connected with the Metal Mulisha. For you non FMX folks, the Metal Mulisha are the most metaled group of FMX riders in the world. They conquer the X-Games year after year as well as a host of other competitions around the world and were pretty much the founding fathers of the sport. I would love the opportunity to ride and train with them, but would be glad just for the opportunity to hang out, film, sell t-shirts at their demos or fill whatever other need they might have. My goal in being here is simply to immerse myself in the industry and then figure out which path I want to take. Or rather, how God wants to use me here. Yes my ultimate goal is to be making money riding, but I want much more than that. I enjoy the business side of things as well and would like to be involved in the marketing and promotions side of the sport. We shall see. All I know is that there is no bigger place for freestyle motocross in the world than Temecula California, and I’m right in the thick of it! ☺

Another exciting connection I’ve made is with a church called Life Church. In mentioning my little adventure to her church, my mom came to find out that one of her friends had family in the Temecula area. She connected me with Life Church and Pastor John Ruhlman. I was able to visit with John for a few minutes after the service and he seemed excited about my eagerness for the industry as well as using it as a tool for ministry. He and a few others I met from the church are avid motorcycle riders as well so that’s always good. I plan on returning to Life Church this weekend and continuing to get plugged into the body. I haven’t really met any young folks my age but hopefully that will come with getting involved in a church. I’m dying for an opportunity to go hang out with some people.

That’s pretty much it for now. I’ve just been trying to keep busy around here, doing little things to help out where I see a need. I applied with Temecula Motorsports yesterday and it looks like something could develop in the coming weeks. For now I kinda want to keep myself free in the event that an opportunity comes along, but sooner or later the money’s going to run out and I’m going to need to get back to work!!!

Relinquishing Control

2009-03-06T06:57:00.000-08:00

At the moment I’m sitting here with a hole in my face and a cast on my hand. The outcome of pursuing a dream I feel like God has put within my heart. I hear people talk about Gods timing and his perfect plan. That should get me to relax and trust that I’ll bounce back and things will work out all in Gods time. However, all I can think about is getting back on my bike and doing all that I can to make what I think is Gods will for my life come to pass. That’s the problem.

When we think we know what Gods will is we try to make it happen. We work on our own to bring about what we feel should be the next step in Gods plan. If only we could learn to hand God the reigns and realize that each bump in the road is not a hindrance, merely a stumbling block along the path that God has placed before us. Those stumbling blocks can be put in our way by the devil and wreak all kinds of havoc on our pursuit of following God. They should not stop us, we know that God will never give us more than we can handle. But at times they can slow us down as they cause us to doubt, question, and look for other ways or opportunities to get where we think God wants us to be. If we could only learn to relinquish control, and trust that every bump on the road was allowed by God, perhaps for our growth, our safety or any number of other reasons. We would not get ahead of ourselves in thinking that we are bringing about the will of God.

If I could look into a crystal ball and see an end result for my life, be it marriage, a career or a specific accomplishment, I would automatically start doing everything I could to bring that about. I would rush right through the first open door that looks like it might be able to get me there, never paying attention as to whether that is God's specific plan. We tend to take it upon ourselves; "since we know this is God's plan this must be his way of getting us to that end result."

God in His infinite wisdom doesn't allow us to see that end result. Instead he places desires on our hearts and requires us to act in faith that where He is leading is where He wants us to go. I believe He gives us just enough to keep pursuing, keep moving forward, in His time, toward the end result that He has for us. We must learn to follow those "divine nudges" and even the desires in our hearts, but not be so zealous that we forget the one who gave us that desire. In the end it;s His plan four our lives and we must submit to His way of accomplishing whatever He wants to do through us.

Beginnings

2009-03-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

I never liked to write. Had you asked me a year ago I would have placed writing at the top of my "things I do not enjoy" list. It wasn't until after a trip to a motorcycle show of all places that I discovered my passion for writing.

I attended the Indianapolis Dealer Expo in hopes of securing a job in the motorcycle industry and in the process managed to score an interview with the editor of my favorite magazine. I was fortunate enough to connect with he and the publisher and they gave me my first journalistic assignment. A week later while working with a group on a senior project I had the idea of publishing our findings in a Christian magazine. Amidst great opposition from my group mates, I finally convinced them that if the editor and publisher of the other magazine had faith in me maybe they could to. It worked. I wrote. They published and whats more...I got paid! And my group mates even let me keep the proceeds.

The most exciting thing about this whole process is that it unleashed within me a desire to put my thoughts into words. Thanks to the book Strength Quest, I learned in college that communication was a strength and not simply an irritating quality that I had adopted from my father. I have since begun to embrace my desire to share and have written other articles, blogs, and journals in an attempt to further this new found passion. I hope this blog is another outlet for me. Please feel free to respond, comment, agree or disagree. I simply wish to share my heart and what the Lord is teaching me as I continue on this faith journey.