Still Captain Intensity

The season continues on and my internet access/creative days have not lined up until now hence the reason for my lack of blogging. So here we go.

Heather came out to visit for a few days and it was excellent. She was able to watch me pound 3000 trees one day and the next day she tired it herself. Turns out its not as easy as it looks! Even though she planted only around 200 tress I am so happy that she was able to experience the emotions associated with learning to treeplant, namely intense frustration and loneliness, mixed with fear of not doing a good job. Its a strange combination that I have found impossible to explain to people so I am glad she was able to experience a small part of what I have gone through.

So makes the name Captain Intensity so seemingly fitting for me out here? Well it actually isn't that I plant unprecedented numbers of trees, a couple guys on my crew fill that role and I just try to keep up. But I do things that no one else does like slam the same rocky spot no less than four times before giving up. And just yesterday i spent most of the day planting a ridiculously brushy hillside that most people would have just gone around. Namely my foreman planted around it because in his eyes it just wasn't worth planting through. Another one of my roles on the crew is that I am the stacker/organizer of the back of the truck, because I am faster and more aggressive with the boxes than everyone else.

One of the things I have been dwelling on out here is, not surprisingly, marriage. As of right now me and Heather have read through significant parts of six different marriage books. Which might be more than most married people have read. We have found all of them helpful in different ways. I'll do some one liner book reviews for you.

The Five Love Languages - simple and helpful in not wasting efforts of things that will not be valued

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus - This is the only non-Christian book we read and it was actually the most helpful. It is a thorough guide to the communication styles of men and women. It has saved us from than a couple fights.

101 Questions to as Before you Get Engaged - This is a workbook, is a good springboard to discussions. But should be started way before commitment starts in the relationships. We read it when we were already very much on that trajectory.

God, Marriage and Family - This is a theological tomb on the biblical basis for all topics regarding marriage. It is so good to have this biblical foundation. The topics that were most helpful to me were 1) marriage as a covenant rather than a contract and 2) the spiritual warfare aspect of marriage.

Preparing for Marriage - We used this workbook for our premarital counseling. It is good for leading out discussions

Love and Respect - I just finished this book and found that it is starts with a simple concept (Women want love and men want respect) which he then beats to death by repetition. But it true and his practical out-workings are very helpful and his final chapter has beautiful theology.

And with all this knowledge about marriage it is frustrating that I am still clueless to most things about marriage, because I am just not married yet. Oh I can't wait. Soon.

~CHAD