mark stegall

new blog format

markstegall — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:32:46 +0000

hi everyone,

i just wanted all 4 of you (i kid…i think) to know that i have moved my blog to a tumblr account.

you may go here to see the new format.

enjoy,

mark stegall

Clayville & Stegall = CLAYGALL

markstegall — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:09:38 +0000

Over New Year weekend, Cathi & I went to Portland and stayed with Brian, Jenni, Chance & Paxton. We sat around the dinner table and just let the camera roll.

He said and she said videos are available for your entertainment and education (not really)…

First… SHE SAID (starring Cathi & Jenni):

Now… HE SAID (starring Brian & Mark):

more heschel.

markstegall — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:18:49 +0000

God is not a hypothesis derived from logical assumptions, but an immediate insight, self-evident as light. He is not something to be sought in the darkness with the light of reason. He is the light.

~Abraham Joshua Heschel

about us.

markstegall — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:30:57 +0000

We have so much to say about the Bible that we are not prepared to hear what the Bible has to say about us.

~Abraham Joshua Heschel

a missed blessing.

markstegall — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:22:07 +0000

When I was reading my Bible this morning, my mind went to a memory that, quite frankly, I hadn’t thought of in quite a while. When I was a child, I remember watching cartoons, like most normal children do and I recall one cartoon in particular. The segment was of a mother hen who had two or three chicks and they were all alone. She had the large task of having to plant her field of corn for that year and needed help doing so. She searched high and low to find help with this endeavor and came across a pig. This pig was in a reasonably good mood, as he was whistling when she approached him. She asked if he would be so kind as to help her plant her corn and the pig complained of having a stomach ache and that he, in his current position could not help her with planting the seed for the anticipated crop.

She later came across a duck and was in desperate need of assistance with this project and asked if he would be willing to help. The duck, quacking and skipping as he crossed her path soon started to complain of a headache and that he would be unable to assist her in this chore. The hen, upset and saddened that her barnyard companions were unwilling to help her, went back to her house and gathered her chicks and proceeded to plant the seed themselves.

That following Fall, the hen awoke one morning to find a plentiful harvest waiting for it to be picked and eaten. She then again, went to both the pig and the duck and asked if they would be willing to help her pick the corn. Once more, the barnyard porker and the duck complained of the same symptoms together. At this, mother hen went away with yet another large burden on her shoulders as she would need to pick the corn herself.

Once the corn was inside her storehouse, she decided to cook and boil up some of her crop. She then realized that she had too much and wanted to know if anyone would be willing to come and eat corn with her and her chicks. The pig and the duck were suddenly feeling completely better and decided that they would love to help themselves to some of the corn. The hen stopped both part-time friends and stated that she thought they were too sick to plant and harvest the corn and if this was the case then they were too sick to eat any corn and sent them on there way with medicine.

Now, the bottom line to this is that many people want the blessing of God without having to do any of the work. What many people fail to realize is that there is bountiful blessing awaiting us in the hard sayings and the hard work of Jesus. This, I feel is where we can grow the most in our faith.

Blessed and being a blessing.

closepin.

markstegall — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:01:18 +0000

It is still unclear to me at times why I desperately try to hang on to things for such dear life that I have no control over. I suppose for a very long time I decided I wanted to take control of each and every situation of my life. If I did not like where the progression of life was taking me, I would strive to step in and “right” what I thought was wrong even though I was intended to walk through it.

My control is a lot like a close pin. A close pin can grip things and hold items in place up to a certain point, but when something is too heavy for that close pin to handle, it will eventually either let go of the object or it will break under its weight. I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to take control of every situation I have come across, but I can tell you that my grip on circumstances is a lot like a close pin. I may be able to think I am handling it up to a certain point, but eventually I either lose grip or I break under the pressure.

Over the last six months, I have really been able to come to grips with this and to take ownership where ownership must be taken and also to let go of areas that are too heavy for me to attempt to fasten my grip to. I have learned to rejoice in the fact that I do not have to retain control of every situation in my life. In fact, it has been quite a joy and a relief to be able to let go of those things that I know I am not intended to carry and to give them back over to God.

In a hospital room, nine times out of ten, patients and loved ones look to us to be the strong ones. I believe that it is alright to not feel like we need to give an answer to every question that is asked. I think, actually a sign of maturity and a sign of validating someone’s fear or sorrow is to not shy away from actually saying, “I don’t know the answer to that question. I cannot even begin to understand what you are facing.” This may seem vague, but sincerity can calm hearts sometimes more than knowing all the answers to life’s questions.

I thank God for the large barriers in my life. I also thank Him for a weak grip I really have on the issues and circumstances I find myself in. To God be the glory, great things He continues to do.

risky.

markstegall — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:44:24 +0000

I totally forgot I had this saved in my favorites on my iphone. I first saw this video at the Poets, Prophets & Preachers Conference this past summer. It’s quite inspiring. Plus, the music is from Band of Horses, so who wouldn’t love it…right?!

Enjoy…

life this far, thus far.

markstegall — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:38:05 +0000

It has been 17 days since we set foot on this blessed, beautiful state called Oregon. For those of you wondering, there is no long “e” in the pronunciation of the word Oregon, it’s just Oregon. It was a pretty unvaried trip across the country. We are so glad we were able to drive out to Oregon and not fly. We were able to see parts of the country that we had only seen on movies or in the latest subscription of National Geographic. It’s truly amazing to start to understand that life exists in the PNW just as much as it does on the East Coast. Life here is incredibly clear. We love that!

We have some extremely dear friends here about a mile from where we live that we met on Cathi and my blogs. Tam & Brent Hodge and their children, Kass & Kota make our hearts swell with love and emotion that only good friends can do. They have been our tour guides, our abs exercise (from laughter), our bladder workout (from said laughter), our second family, but most of all our friends.

For those of you thinking that we have had nothing but rain here in Oregon, I would say that this is a misunderstood fact. Oh sure, it’s raining off and on today but today is the first we’ve seen rain since we left Ohio. Oregon is not all timber and downpours. In fact, where we are is exceptionally dry. We live in what is called the Rogue Valley which is surrounded by beautiful mountains and hills on every side of our peripheral vision. There are approximately 25 coffee stands or shops within a 5 mile radius. Oh yeah baby, this is the Pacific Northwest I’ve dreamed of.

So you may be asking what I’ve learned since I’ve been out here to which I would reply: Even though for the past 3+ years it has felt like a very large dust storm (in ministry, in life & perspective) that we have been living in, and even though we now live in a valley that sees many fires and some days your visibility is extremely low, I have more clarity now than I have in a very long time.

To God be the glory, great things He has and continues to do.

blast from the past.

markstegall — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:26:48 +0000

Yeah, this was a long time ago. Oh to be this skinny again. Late night Ramen & Domino’s pizza were not affectionate to me later in college.

33 days.

markstegall — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:32:01 +0000

In 33 days I will no longer be a citizen of the fine land of Ohio. Cleveland has definitely been an adventure and it’s had its fair share of ups & downs. I really do not believe anything in life prepared me for Cleveland and what wound around its corners and tall buildings, but it was an adventure, and it was special, and painful, and beautiful.

Now, we prepare to embark on another adventure in a time zone we’ve never spent more than a week in. For 29 years & 9 months I have only known the zone affectionately declared as “EST.” A zone where other time zones are upset when you twitter who won American Idol and Survivor and talk about the latest episode of The Office. Yes, we are the ones who spoil your weeknight entertainment and turn your “Must See TV” into despair & detestation. To other time zones, we are the ten o’clock news on your local fox station (Everything else is just history).

Alas, all other time zones are afforded the fine opportunity of celebrating New Years longer than those living in the land of EST and to that, I tip my streamered party hat and give a hearty blow on the party favor to you, my CST, MST & PST friend because even though we have the big ball in Times Square, you have the ability to party 1, 2 or even 3 hours longer than we do and when it’s 12:00AM on the east, your just starting to get your groove on in the west.

In 33 days, we leave this land of Ohio, this coast of Cleveland, this open space known as EST and travel west where “everybody may not know your name” (as in our faithful EST watering hole…CHEERS), but we can be referred to as PNW’s, PST’s and SWO’s (southwest Oregon…ok, I may have made that one up). We leave one faithful time zone and head to another. Where for the first time, instead of reading about their lives, we can actually hang in their lives. In 33 days, I will have to think twice about wanting to call my Mom or my Dad at 9:00PM PST for fear that they may withhold Christmas presents from me for calling them “so late at night.”

But alas Cleveland, you will not soon be consigned to oblivion, for we shall return to you to visit family and I’m sure you will lovingly embrace us with your arctic chill and multiple inches of snow in winter & will leave us pondering, just for a moment the bleak beauty that must come to be appreciated with multiple years of abiding within your presence. Although when Old Man Winter obliges to grace us with a glimpse of a sunset, he does not hold back!

To that we say farethewell Ohio and drive across this great country to another state with an “O” for it’s first letter…

Oregon.

“GOOD NIGHT CLEVELAND!!”