Seth Winterhalter

Below is a post I sent out today, regarding tomorrow’s big event, to the people who attend Mars Hill Church Olympia. After some considerable consideration, I have decided it would be unacceptable to not share this information with as many people as possible, considering today may be the last time I truly see many of you. Here is the post:

I hope this serves as a helpful reminder for those not using your smart phones as your alarm clock, to manually set your alarm clock (and all other clocks) forward an hour tonight as tomorrow we will all become time travelers. We should also begin praying for those people who will forget to make the jump in time and will be stuck in that past world, struggling to make sense of things and wandering aimlessly in a daze. Even though most of these people will eventually make the jump ahead they’ll most likely never fully recover until we fall back sometime next year. 

I would recommend praying specifically for two specific people groups. The first is for those who have too many clocks in their house and for the next month they’ll time travel back and forth between these two worlds, not really knowing what time it truly is. Your community group might make it a priority to go to these people’s homes to track down all their clocks and timepieces to prevent this chaos and confusion. The second and most important people group to pray for are those who have no idea how to change the clock on their car radio and will live in time travel peril every time they enter their vehicle. Imagine, having to remind yourself every time you travel in your mobile vehicle, that the world your in at that moment isn’t really the world that’s going on around you but instead, while you’re traveling, your experiencing a past world, filled with loneliness and sorrow, lacking bunnies, chocolate and all things fuzzy. Pray that these who travel in these vehicles of confusion would first, find their vehicle manuals, that are most likely stuffed in the back of their glove compartments behind all sorts of ketchup packets, fast food napkins and other malicious devices, and be able to glean from the instructions to set their clock forwards. Also, pray for those who will never find this information, to travel well during these months ahead, knowing they’ll never truly be able to trust or feel secure in what time it really is.

Now that you’ve seen the chaos that is in store for us ahead, make sure you take Daylight Savings seriously and take every effort to prepare yourself. You’ll probably want to stop by Walmart today to pick up extra water, toilet paper and a few gallon jugs of salsa or trail mix so you’ll weather this storm with success. 

Above all, remember to set your clocks forward an hour tonight. And while you’re at it, post this critical information on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, your annual Christmas letter and other such public resources. If you have the opportunity to rent a large billboard in your community I’d recommend you look into this immediately. 

Thanks for taking Daylight Savings seriously. Praying Mars Hill Olympia will be full tomorrow morning so we can take an accurate head count and remember well those who don’t make it to the other side.

Travel Well,

Seth Winterhalter

Experienced Time Traveler

I hope you many more people will now be informed and take the necessary precautions. Be safe friends and travel well.

Living in the South Sound for five years from 2005 to 2010, moving to Seattle and now residing once again back in the South Sound there is one thing I seem to continually notice, as it is every before me and all around me, that grates on my most sensitive nerve. It is first seen in the morning when day has broken and life is blooming into action. It is sensed when the the first steps into a work environment have been made and the daily routine leaps to action. It is felt as the alertness, given by our morning cup of coffee, fades into a glazed look of lifeless expression into a growing inbox demanding our attention. It is most in action as the transition is made from work to home and the wear and tear of the day now leaves the body and mind with little to give to those who mean the most. What is the culprit that purposely works against mankind to bring about these realities?

Laziness.

I see its initial signs every time I set my alarm clock a little later for the morning and then proceed to tap snooze like a fighter in a submission hold. I sense it when I walk into the office and feel the need to settle for the routine of a typical work week. I feel it when I open up my inbox and gaze at the growing number of emails that call for my urgent response to items that suck the life from my mind and soul. Most grievous to me is how it grows in me during my commute from work to home and I allow myself to wallow in the hardships of the day and now bring home to my family the scraps of my energy (if any is left to give) and the dull drum attitude given to me by the minutia of my day. 

It’s time to fight.

I am now purposely choosing to fight against laziness, slothfulness, the cheap trick to do less and complain more. Now my day starts before the sun has even thought about rising over the South Sound. A morning workout reminds me that my body has been given to me for a purpose and the groan of muscles and flow of blood help make this truth a reality. After the gym there’s adequate time for my morning reading list; bible, blues (news) and blogs. A full breakfast and plenty of time to play with my two daughters sets the trajectory of the day and now I’m stocked with great memories to encourage me through the actions and emotions of the day ahead. At work I no longer have open my email so the chirp of notifications can take me away from the purpose I was actually hired to fulfill. Now I’m focused to say yes to the items that give me life and allow me to bring 100% and no to the majority of things that suck my energy and need little or no response in the first place. Best of all, I transition from work to home, now looking forward to be with those I love the most, with energy and enthusiasm with the desire to save my best for these precious gifts in my life.

This is my goal. This is my plan. Now I execute. Stop telling yourself that it’s only a dream. Stop selling yourself short from executing at a level 10. You’ve been created and designed, uniquely wired with skills and passions, for a purpose. Find it. Say no to the things you are able to and yes to the things that will drive you forward on your trajectory. It won’t be easy. But nothing good ever is. It will be fulfilling and it might just save you from a life of disappointment, regret and hurt to those you really love.

Get to it.