Culture Shock

About a year ago, my wife and I moved to a small town in the southwest corner of Montana called Dillon. We quickly learned how unpopular our Southern California heritage made us, but in the past year we have come to love our little town. Yes Dillon is small compared to nearly every other place I've lived, but there is a quaintness I have never before experienced. The word I think I'm looking for is picturesque. Even when the frigid air blows, the ground freezes and the temperatures drop low enough to kill a car battery, there is something so cozy and beautiful about it. I explain this only to set the stage for a recent experience I've had visiting our old home in Southern California.

It was our second day of vacation and we were having a gathering of sorts at a close friends house. As we got in the car to disembark, for a brief second, I wasn't sure where to go. After a quick reboot of my Orange County map knowledge (no technology required) we were off. Then it happened again, I hesitated to pull out at a four lane road. Of course, this wasn't just any four lane road. This was a road I traveled every day while living in Orange County. In fact it's not (comparatively) even a high traffic intersection. After waiting quite some time I pulled out and made my way across town. It took a few more turns, and then I got my "California driving spirit" back. Though my friends in Dillon might disagree, I think a part of me filed my Southern California driving in the back of my mind for safe keeping and it took a little bit to find it in the cluttered stacks of other things my brain maintains on a daily basis.

What's more interesting I think is that I began to notice other things. I made a trek to LA and realized I felt somewhat fearful while walking down the street. I don't remember feeling that way walking in LA before. I found myself staring at new construction, (which is always going on in Southern California) fancy cars, stores, restaurants, people, almost everything with a tiny bit of confusion and awe. It wasn't until my visit to see old friends at a software company where I was formally employed, that it hit me. I've been experiencing a mild form of culture shock. All the newness, the crowds, the hurriedness of life, it was as if I'd never seen it before. But how could this be? It wasn't even a year ago that I was a part of this craziness. Yet today, it feels as if I'm one of those tourists that carries a camera around his neck and looks for movie stars at every restaurant and stop light. This used to be home and now it's...well something different.

This culture shock was of course was a mild version and I'm pretty sure that I have since gotten over it. Nonetheless, I am a tourist in a place where I spent a a fifth of my life and though I feel as though this should seem odd, I have now realized that it isn't all that odd after all. You see there was a guy named Jeremiah who lived a long time ago. He was a prophet over Israel. You see in Jeremiah's day, the Israelites were taken captive by the king of Babylon. When the were exiled to Babylon their God made them a promise. The promise was that he would restore them to their original land in 70 years. What I love so much is what God said after his promise. He said "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jer. 29:11 NIV) What an amazing thing for their God to promise.

In some ways, I think I can identify with the Israelites. You see, I'm not sure I ever really thought of Southern California as my homeland. If you've known me for any length of time, you know that my response when asked where I'm from is sually "the south". That's not to say that I didn't love living in Southern California. It's a place where I experienced more growth spiritually and emotionally than any other. I have friends and family that I deeply love here. I miss so many things about it that one would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. You see the point is, I now recognize that Southern California was never supposed to be my home. Like the Israel I was brought here for a time. In that time God was gracious to me. He brought me wonderful friends, powerful mentors and a beautiful wife (also worth mentioning the Greatest dogs anyone could ask for). Beyond that, I have loving family here that has been a tremendous support. So if all of that exists, why isn't Southern California my home? Simply put, God doesn't want it to be. I have to trust that God "knows the plans he has for me".

So here's the million dollar question, Wherever "home" is, whatever you're supposed to be doing, none of that has to matter. I don't have to spend all my time worrying about that. I know that I have hope and a future because God promised me that. So regardless of what culture I'm in, be it the South, Southern California or Southwest Montana, God has promised me a bright future with lots of hope. He promises it to "all who believe in Him and are called according to His purposes. (Rom 8:28 NIV)

A Christian Comedian That's Actually Funny

It's funny, but there's a pretty interesting lesson at the end. Enjoy!

Reverse Back to me, Skip You, Wild Draw 4 Yellow and Uno!

With my recent influx of free time, I have been running out of things to do towards the days end. Tonight, Chelsea and I decided we would start playing games instead of filling our minds with more TV than any humanoid should ingest. Actually we had fun. By ten o'clock I had successfully been owned in several rounds of speed, and Chelsea and her mom and I battled it out in UNO. It was a great night all in all. This gets me to thinking, How many board games, card games and other things do I miss out on for Splinter Cell or old re-runs of Lucy? Games like Uno, Chess, Monopoly and Speed (well not so much speed) really get the juices flowing and honestly, they really make you feel better than TV.

So I challenge you to put down the remote control this week, grab some cards, a board game, a puzzle, really anything that you can do with someone else that doesn't involve the bright, human sized insect zapper, and let it rip. See how much fun you can have back in the stone-age. It might surprise you.

Clearing up some confusion

My recent post included silent footage of Dillon, Montana. There was no picture of Bob Dylan and in fact the two have no relation. But to fulfill the needs of the Bob Dylan community here's a little Dylan (not Dillon) treat...

Dillon Montana Tour

Hey Everyone,

Here's a silent tour of the town of Dillon, Montana. Sorry I couldn't get the sound to come through. Hope you enjoy it anyway.







ps. I just uploaded this so it may not be processed for a couple of hours.

One Horse Town or Gateway to God's Country? (part one)

So I have told my story in person regarding our recent trip to Dillon, Montana mostly because to write about it would be a novel at the very least. So for my next few blogs, I'm going to highlight this magical place and it's affect on me personally. I might throw in a note or two about how I think it affected Chelsea, but to get anyone's heart for something, you almost always have to hear it from them.

So with a population of just 5,000, some might call Dillon a "one horse town". Some might say that Dillon seems like one of those "middle of nowhere" "back country" "hick" towns. Well to some extent those people might be right. Dillon is small and the community is rural for sure. Some of the folks speak with a drawl much like the ones you hear in the south and there is something about it that makes it feel remote. Most people when the hear of a town like this they think of weird movies like deliverance or some old western. Well truth be told, much of Dillon is from the turn of the century, but I don't remember seeing any banjos. So if it's not creepy or a gun slinging town, then what is it?

Well I like to describe Dillon as a "Time Warp". Its a place that us "orange county folk" didn't know still existed. Sure I've been a part of a small town community before, but it was always infiltrated by "flat landers" in their big SUVs. In Running Springs, though beautiful and charming, we still felt pretty close to things like Walmart. With that, most of us still had "SoCal Mentalities". You know what I mean, it's the mentality that helps us cope with the freeways, or the smog, or the plasticity of people around us. In Dillon, things are even different than that. I noticed something while cruising the town that was foreign to me while there and I believe it is a perfect example of this "Time Warp" factor I've mentioned. Driving around town on Saturday, I noticed something coming from the other cars on the road. It was something you rarely see nowadays and it really stood out to both Chelsea and I. Once I noticed it coming from cars, I noticed it on the sides of the road, in fact, it was everywhere. It seemed as though the Pastor must have alerted the entire town to our presence, and they were excited for us to be there, because just about everyone waved to us. Before I go any further, it's not the kind of waving you guys are used to on the 405 N at 4:30 in the afternoon, but the kind of waving you seen when you drop your kids off for school, and their still at the age where they like people to know you're their parents.

What's in a wave? It's a simple gesture really. Five fingers open with the palm outward and held up so others can visibly observe. But that's not quite a wave is it. Well maybe for some, but a real wave has a little boogie to it, doesn't it? It's that small little shake of the elbow and wrist that really makes a wave clear. That's when you know someone is really waving at you. A wave can say so much, can't it? It can say "Hi", "Bye", "Go Ahead" and my favorite "Welcome". I'll be honest, though I'm kind of maximizing the wave factor a little, it really is a great representation of Dillon.

Every one is friendly, welcoming and helpful. They don't care if you're new, they just care that you feel welcome. There's something about it that's genuine, beyond what we see here in our "bustling metropolis".

Okay, I said all that to say this; most small towns may be small, they may be remote. They may have a high school with less students than your local elementary school, but they are anything but "One Horse". Dillon, well Dillon isn't just a small town. Their welcoming atmosphere enhances the beauty of small town life. Maybe like it was here in orange county when we were still small. I believe the "Time Warp" factor of Dillon, makes it more than just one horse. It's really more like the Gateway to God's Country.

Oh the Wonder of it All…

Several years ago, a band called delirious wrote a song entitled deeper. As I sit not so high above the earth in a cracker jack box CRJ200 (airplane), I am reminded of the lyrics to this song.

Right now we are passing over a snow covered mountain range with blue skies on all sides. The view truly is breathtaking. Generally you don’t get to see views like this from an airplane, but since this plane is small it doesn’t cruse at the normal seven miles high. Anyway, back to the reason for this particular post, I’m reminded of the chorus of this song which goes:

“And the wonder of it all, is that I’m living just to fall more in love with you”
(or something to that effect)

As I stare out the window at the peaks and valleys, I can’t help but be moved. You see, staring out at creation is like seeing a picture of God. Like an artist’s painting, you can see him in the brush strokes of nature. Being married to an artist, I know this phenomena first hand. When I see one of my wife’s paintings, I see her passion, her heart right there on that canvas. It’s simply amazing. Every time I see a piece of her art, I love her that much more. I remember one time in particular when I came home, and she had painted a picture specifically for me. I was touched. The painting was a picture of something we experienced together while on vacation in Hawaii, and when I saw that amazing piece and realized that it was made specifically for me, I was touched…deeply.

So, as I look out over the earth from 2,000 feet above, I get to see a picture that God has painted. Honestly, I can’t help but feel just a little like He painted it just for me. Because of that, I’m touched. Because of that, I fell as though I’m more in love with Him today than I was yesterday. My God is an artisan, and he has painted all of us pictures in our lives. I hope when you see yours, you’ll be “living just to fall more in love with” Him too.