The Gilbaugh Family Adventure is born.

Gilbaugh Family Adventure Days
September 2012

So it has been a desire of mine since we moved to Washington State 11 years ago to 'float a river'. I finally decided that unless I set it up it was never going to happen. I ordered the 'river rat' tubes on Amazon and set labor day weekend as the day. I put out a facebook request for any suggestions local friends might have on a good 'family friendly' river to float... The Green River in Flaming Gyser State  park. I was assured it was not very swift and rather shallow. Ok, I thought, we can do that. We invited a friend and her son to join us and she met us in the parking lot at work to caravan to the park in Auburn. It was a gorgeous day and we arrived around 10am before the labor day crowds, picnic baskets and our new uninflated tubes. My friend brought a cool air pump that plugs into the car charger and 30 minutes later we were ready to get our feet wet. Andrew and I were teatherd together as were Mark and Abbey. I had a fabric lunch bag tied to my tube with 6 water bottle inside. Now begins the few very bad decisions that will alter the day... Bad decision #1, I don't need shoes in the water. I will just wear my crocs until I get in my tube then tie them to the side so I have them when we get to the end and need to get out. I don't know if you are aware of this but rocks in a river bed are extremely slippery and in WA they are very round... No grip... After I finally get my big fanny in my tube and Andrew is floating us out into the stream I think... 'ok, we can do this... I can't feel my butt or my feet as they are currently froze from the glacier run off we are sitting in but it's ok..  This is gonna be fun... Then comes epic failure #2, Andrew and I are floating along so nicely I decide to take Marks iPhone out of the waterproof case I had purchased and attached to my life vest. I wanted to get a picture of Mark and Abbey getting in the water. Mark looks up and says 'what are you doing with my phone out? There is a big branch headed toward your head! Turn around!!' I reply with 'theres nothing I can do! I don't know how to turn this dumb tube around!' about that time BANG! And I get thrown out of my tube and am now submerged in the freezing water. Now please keep in mind, I have on a fleece Old Navy sweatshirt (ever held one of those soaking wet?) and I also have Marks phone in my hand! Yep. It ALL, went under. I am frantically trying to get my bare feet under me (the water isn't that deep, just moving swiftly) and trying even harder to keep the phone above my head OUT of the water. Then it hits me. The waterproof case attached to me that is open is now full o water...has our car key in it! To add to the excitement Andrew, still safely in his tube, is caught in the current and his tube is dragging me out into the river... Not IN my seat... I keep yanking him back to me all the while trying to keep the phone up and the phone case from flushing our car key. Somehow, by the grace of God, mark and Abbey make their way to us. Abbey holds on to Andrew and Mark is trying to help me back into my raft. I am so drenched and cold I am seriously questioning what I was thinking. Because this was NOT what I had in mind when I dreamed of  'floating a river'.
I am finally reseated and have the now soaked phone back in the not so waterproof case and have secured the key. Ok. Deep breath. We can do this. Mark and Abbey go on down the river and I see what is about to be another adventure... Another low hanging branch and there is NO  way to avoid it. My friend and her son are already tangled in it then Mark gets he and Abbey through... Now come the wet rat and her terrified little son... I was at least facing forward when we hit this one but our tether rope got tangled in the overhang. Michelle is still wrestling her way out and we are smacking into each other. Then DUMP! Yep, I go under again. About this time I'm  ready to scream but don't want to freak out the kids. Not because I was drowning but because I was annoyed! Michelle gets out and I finally get our rope undone but that's when I realize that my inner tube is all but flat... Apparently I didn't seal it very well in the beginning. I swim over to Mark and Abbey waiting on a rocky open spot in the river bed. I slip slide my way (no shoes, remember) to them where Mark grabs hold of everyone and sighs and says :Ok, so lets reevaluate what we are doing well and what could use some improvement. The tethering was a good idea... " then he started re-inflating my tube for me. As we reenter the water I am soaked, freezing, actually pretty much numb by now and ready to run back to the car and cry. But there is no way back but forward. The rest of the "float" was relatively uneventful. I noticed a water bottle in the river and thought, "someone is littering!" only to look down at the bag I had tied to the side of my tube that is now empty... I was the one littering!  We also came up to a shallow area that required us to lift our butts up to attempt to get through it all the while Mark and Abbey sail smoothly past us on the other side in the deeper water. Andrew is now beyond freaked out and I am just tired and done. But I wanted this adventure so I had to see it through. By the time we arrived at the exit point everyone is on the bank waiting for us and I am so relieved it is finally over. I waddle and stumble up the bank, soaked, frozen to the core, feet bleeding but trying to laugh to my kids saying " That was awesome!!! Can we do it again?!" Are you nuts? We barely escaped with out lives! Ha! We had lunch, packed up and headed for home. And this is where the Gilbaugh Family Adventure comes from. That was such an adventure we decided to do something random each month as a family... oh the stories we will tell... 

Obedience = Success

Our culture directly associates Godly obedience with success, and consequently we associate failure with disobedience.

If I have been obedient, why did my company fail. Why did I fail? Was I fully obedient? Perhaps God does not view failure the same way that we do here on Earth.

I have prayed for 6 years that God would transform me into the man, husband, father, and leader that He wants me to become.

If my business had been successful, and I had become wealthy then I would have become self-reliant. I would not have needed God to intervene in my daily activities.

He is far more concerned with my character and my relationship with Him than the size of my checkbook balance or my influence here on Earth.

While I was going through the trial, many around me assumed that I must have been disobedient since my business failed so miserably. I was told to "go get a job," but I continued to follow the Lord each day.

During those difficult times, food arrived miraculously. Checks came mysteriously. Work that funded our necessities flowed regularly. Our family pulled closer together, and we became totally dependent on Him for our daily needs. He never failed us.

My heart has been changed, my character has been molded, and my relationship with Him has been strengthened through the pain of my failures. I believe that none of these changes would have happened if my first business attempts had been instantly successful.

When I felt directed by the Lord to get a job, He directed my paths and led me to an organization where I was needed. He sent me to a place where He could use me to make a difference.

Looking back on the past 6 years, I do believe that I was obedient throughout the entire process. I believe that He wanted to strip me down to bare metal before building me back up again. I have come to learn that God views success and failure differently than I do.

As I continue to heal from the pain of failure, I can start to see that God has answered my prayer and given me my heart's desire. I am becoming the man, husband, father, and leader that He created me to be.

My obedience has resulted in a successful transformation that did not happen in the way I imagined, but He is still God and I am forever changed.

Daily Sacrifice Rebellion

Ezekiel 18:30-32

"The upshot is this, Israel: I'll judge each of you according to the way you live. So turn around! Turn your backs on your rebellious living so that sin won't drag you down. Clean house. No more rebellions, please. Get a new heart! Get a new spirit! Why would you choose to die, Israel? I take no pleasure in anyone's death. Decree of God, the Master. "Make a clean break! Live!"

I must daily decide to sacrifice my rebellious spirit to do the right things. I had a difficult time getting into my workout this morning, and my body just wanted to go back to bed.

Getting up and doing my workout was the first step to forming a habit and teaching the rebellious spirit to go away. I only have to take this step 88 more times before the habit will be cemented into a routine.

Exercise: 4:20am

P90X Video - 02 Plyometrics

Completed the first 30 min

Nutrition:

• Protein Shake
  

P90X Day 1

Ezekiel 15:7-8
I am dead set against them. Even though at one time they got out of the fire charred, the fire's going to burn them up. When I take my stand against them, you'll realize that I am God. I'll turn this country into a wilderness because they've been faithless." (Your Beauty went to your head)

Has our beauty gone to our heads?
The United States was founded on Godly principles by men and women that sought after His will. God has poured about his abundance to us, and we have become fat, lazy, and complacent. Time and time again, complacency got the Israelite's into trouble, and it may become our demise as well.

The "Greatest Generation" got us out of the Great Depression through years of fighting difficult wars and decades of hard work. These men and women made the difficult costly decisions in the short term so that we could change our situation in the long term.

Can we really expect the entitled Nintendo generation to do the work necessary to turn this country around? This is my generation's mess, and we are responsible for cleaning it up.

The first step to becoming a leader of nations is to daily lead myself. My P90X journey is the first step in this process, and I hope that you consider starting a fitness and nutrition journey of your own.

Exercise: 04:30
P90X Video - 01 Chest & Back
Completed the first 40 min

Nutrition:

• Cliff Builders Bar
• Tuna & Whole Wheat Tortilla
  
• Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Lean Ground Beef
• Protein Shake
  

The Right Time

1 Peter 5:5-6

"But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for—

God has had it with the proud,
But takes delight in just plain people.

So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time."

I am daily working on contentment. I must continue to work towards the goal, but not push too hard. I must not rush God's timing. He will promote me in his time.

Heart of a Loving Father

10/31/2010 13:30

Background:

Our good friends sacrificially gave us a mana car 6 months ago, and it has been a blessing to our family. In spite of all the work that they had done on the car, the engine had a catastrophic failure last month. We have refused to borrow money, and we have been borrowing cars to get us around town for the past month.

Key Point from Pastor Jon's Sermon:

Will my request draw me closer to Jesus or drive a wedge between us?

Today has been an emotional day as I had an encounter with Jesus this afternoon. God demonstrated His love for us in a miraculous way.

Between services a couple from our church let us test drive their 2001 Mustang. My father has a 1964 1/2 Mustang, and I have always wanted one so that we could go to car shows together. It was a wonderful car, but seemed impracticable for our family.

We had an appointment to test drive a 1996 Honda Accord in Tacoma at noon. On the way there, I felt Jesus prompt me to believe for both vehicles.

I broke down crying while driving on I-5. We have been in this deep trial for so long, and I have seen my dreams die so many times that I have become afraid to believe for anything wonderful. I would have been very happy to get our car running again.

Both vehicle owners are Christians, and they have been looking for good homes for their vehicles. The entire process has been divinely orchestrated, and we good feel God's presence on the test drives.

A mechanic in our church found an engine for our mana car, and we plan to bless another family in the church with this vehicle.

We still have to work out the details, but God has gone beyond meeting a need and is demonstrating the generous heart of a loving father.

Forged Faith

Journal Entry 10/31/2010 5:30am

Mark 8:17
Why are you still talking about having no bread?

They were so focused on their need that they missed the miracle in front of them.

Do I ever miss the miracles that Jesus has sent? Am I so focused on my finances or transportation problems that I miss the miracle? God stretched the little money that we did have over 10 months of unemployment, and He provided cars for us to drive for free. He even allowed us to remain in our house rent free for over a year.

While my encounter did not happen the way that I expected or wanted, Jesus was faithful, and His promise was fulfilled either way. My pride kept me from being set free from financial bondage sooner. Over the course of our trial, my faith was increased, and my relationship with Him was forged through the testing.