Last Fall the Sandy River hit flood stage. Little did we know at the time how much change it would bring to the river. I got to see those changes firsthand last Friday when I kyaked down lower river with my friend Devin. The redistribution of sand and sediment is beyond description. I'm amazed at how quick fast moving water can move dirt around and not burn one gallon of gasoline! The local fishing guides are pretty bummed. Fishing holes previously of 18 foot of depth are now filled in to a shallow depth of 8 feet. The Spring Salmon run is squirting right through without stopping. There are no more deep holes for the fish lay, consequently they pass right through on their way to the upper river. For me, the most heart breaking change to river was the loss of my favorite rope swing. Much to my shagrin, the rope swing at Big Bend is gone! The tree fell victim to the fast moving current and is no more. (In case you haven't read the "Plunge" the cover photo features the rope swing at Big Bend.) In any event, I was taken back by how drastic the river has changed.





And you know, the river is sort of like life. There are times when we experience major changes. And the truth is right now I'm going through some major changes. After nearly Seven years of serving the people of Springwater, I have resigned to pursue other opportunities. Everything that I've built my livlihood around for the last Seven years is changing. Relationships, routines, responsibilities; it's all being redistributed in the next few months. But in time everything will find it's place and once again I'll settle back into a routine.





Just like the River. In time, the river will settle down and return to a new normalcy. It will likely take a few months for the water to cut through the sand and sediment and carve a deeper path but inevitably it will happen. And when it does, once again we'll be amazed at the power of water to change the landscape of the earth's surface. I just wonder how many times in the history of earth this happened? Over and over again, the river re-invents itself through change by cutting new paths to follow.





Just like me, God has called me to cut some new paths for which I need your prayers. The next few months are going to test my faith in a big way. Like Joshua of the Old Testament, I've never been this way before. It's all new. We're going into new territory with new challenges and new opportunities. But I believe that God's promise to Joshua holds true for me, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you." (Joshua 1:5)





Some of the changes I'm going through are going to benefit "Plungefaith." More of my time and energy will be devoted to the development of water themed discipleship materials for a new generation. We have fully written the 'Into the Deep" and hope to have it out in the Fall. By then www.plungefaith.com will be online and the materials, including leader's guide, will be available for purchase. Tell your church leader or Pastor to stop by and check it out.





And by the way, I'm still after that elusive Spring Chinnook. The last couple outings haven't been too productive. Now that the river has changed, I realize I'm going to have to change with it. But then isn't that what life is all about?