25 Random Things About Evan

1. My wife said she read all about me in the book, “Created to be his Help Meet” by Debi Pearl. She said it described three types of men, one of which was a “visionary” type that was constantly coming up with ideas.  I can see myself as that.  She also said the book instructed wives of men like this to just support their husbands as they dream and scheme as most of their best laid plans will fizzle out anyways.  Sad day…

2. I’ve lived at least one month in six different countries, not including the U.S.: Germany (Army brat – 2 years – 12 & 13 years old); Okinawa, Japan (Sailor – 2 years – 18 & 19); the Philippine Islands (One month – during my Japan stay); Thailand (same as the P.I.); England (Sailor – 18 months – 20 & 21); Taiwan (Missionary – 2 months – 22 years old); Indonesia (teacher/missionary/father/husband/coach – 7 months and counting – 25 & 26).

3. One of my great passions in life is cooking.  We have a helper/maid here in Indonesia that does most of the cooking, but I try and get in there to help her/teach her every chance I can.  My mom was a great cook.  So is my sister.  I even got a hand crank pasta maker for my birthday this year.

4. Through marriages and divorces and the such I have 2 half-sisters, 3 half-brothers, 3 step-brothers, 3 moms and 2 dads.  Throw in my in-laws and that number increases.  Yet, despite them all (and my love for them each) its been men that I’ve had no real familial connection to that have shaped me the most.  That and my grandma.  I miss her.

5. Genetics is a pretty crazy thing.  I barely lived with my real father for a few years in my teens, of which we had pretty much no relationship, and yet he and I are tremendously similar.  Jeremiah is set to be my Mini-me too.  I’m happy about both.

6.  I am a reluctant leader.  Inside I desire to be in charge and in control, because I actually do think that I can help guide those under me into their best.  Yet, when it comes to people stepping up and taking that role, I try to always let others take the reigns. I’ll usually only volunteer to lead when no one else will.  I just don’t want to be seen as someone that grabs at power.

7.  I love my wife endlessly.

8.  I don’t believe using birth control is a Biblical concept and view children as a tremondous blessing from God and pray that more would be willing to let Him make that decision in their lives.  On that same note,  when my wife and I first began discussing birth control prior to marriage she was actually on the other side of it.  However, God has done an amazing transformation in her heart (without my doing anything) and today she is probably a more staunch supporter of the Biblical approach to family planning than me.

9.  I love my boys endlessly.

10.  I truly enjoy teaching; guiding and shaping young people – the world’s next generation of leaders… but I am torn between teaching and pastoring and writing and farming and designing and, and, and… see # 1.

11.  I once flew a glider plane in England.  We were towed up by a Ford pick-up and floated on the wind for a few minutes.  There was absolute silence.  It was one of the most peaceful moments of my life.

12. I am an English teacher and yet went all the way through college without ever being able to remember what a verb was.  Stupid action words. However, thanks to dcTalk and “love is a verb” I can remember now.  They’re playing on the radio as I write this.

13. I was in the US Navy for 4 1/2 years and have never once stepped foot on a ship.  I the near entire time serving with the Marine Corps.  However, once while deep sea fishing off the coast of Okinawa with a bunch of chaplains our boat ran out of gas and we were rescued, funny enough, by a Navy ship doing exercises.

14. I used to (and sometimes still) want to be a hobo.  A bum doesn’t travel or work.  A tramp travels, but doesn’t work.  A hobo travels and works.  Every time I sit down to write one of the many novel ideas floating around my head, they almost always incorporate a hobo culture.

15. I proposed to my wife 3 times.  It wasn’t that she said no, its that I kept screwing it up.

16.  My wife and I fought endlessly for the 18 months before our wedding.  For some odd reason though, we could never let each other go.  We fought endlessly for the first 18 months of marriage as well.  Oddly enough, we don’t fight barely ever anymore.  Jesus gets the credit on that one.

17. My wife agrees that if I could just sing on key and learn more than three or four guitar chords, I could be a professional musician.

18. My top favorite movies are all British or British-influenced: Uncorked, Notting Hill, Danny Deckchair, Billy Elliot, and On A Clear Day. We had a friend learn the song the Ross plays in Uncorked and he played it at our wedding.

19.  I actually do believe that I can change the world.

20.  I enjoy reading Men’s Journal for its amazingly written articles and aspire to write in that frame.

21. I grew up just an hour from some great skiing/snowboarding mountains in Oregon and yet have never done either.  I did, however, break my wrist the first day on a new set of roller blades that my sister sent me in Japan while in the process of putting on a wrist brace.  I was 20.

22. David and Paul are my heros, not because of what they did well, but because they were screwups and yet it was through them that God worked.

23. Too often I focus on my plate that runneth over and not my cup.

24. My mom is my best friend.  She’s the one (outside of my wife and boys) that I wish to spend all my time with.  I miss you mom.

25.  I spent most of my life feelng lonely, longing, lost. When I met Jesus at 15, I no longer felt longing or lost.  There hasn’t been a single moment of loneliness since November 13, 2004.  That was a good cup of hot chocolate sweety.

Related posts:

1. 25 Random Things About Jessica
2. Ten Minute Countdown on a Tired New Year’s Eve
3. Christmas 2008 – Evan’s Take
4. Things are falling into place
5. She Didn’t Turn and Run