I went to Spokane for PK16, a promise keeper event.  I went to last year's Promise Keepers, and really enjoyed it.  I went with Averill, my mentor and friend, from our church, who agreed to share the trip to the other half of the state with me.

When I left in the morning, it was pretty nice, and there was a marine layer... my favorite kind of morning weather...

As I got on the freeway, and headed into Bellevue, the fog made for an interesting view.

When Averill and I were loaded up, and heading out, I had a great view of Bellevue at the stoplight.

The drive there couldn't have been better... the weather was very nice, and there wasn't much traffic to speak of.

The conversation was great too... Averill has done a lot of things far different than I have, so there's a lot to talk about.

We also had similar religious experiences over the years, so it was a great opportunity to talk about that, also.

Once you cross over the pass, things REALLY change.  Green quickly gives way to brown, and the Tree-Covered mountains change to the sagebrush and rolling terrain of the Desert Plateau region of Washington.

The wind was up, and the windmills were doing their thing...

We made Vantage in amazing time.

One of the first bridge locations across the Columbia River, Vantage has been an important location in Washington State for quite some time.

I really like this monument.

Its not what you think about, well, for me anyway, when you mention "Washington State", but it does harken back the days when things were a bit more wild in the West.

Before long, we came to Spokane... it was a great drive, and a LOT faster than I thought it would have been.

We stayed in the Red Lion River Inn.

It was on the other side of the Central Riverfront Park from the Convention Center, so we didn't have very far to go, and could walk there and not worry about parking.

The walk along the boardwalk through the park was very nice... I had only brought my video camera, and those weren't allowed, so I had to take pictures using the camera in my phone.

It did a pretty good job...

They were adding some art to the walls of the Convention center while we were walking by.

It was interesting to see the artwork.

When we got to the entrance, there was no one there, except another guy looking around like we were... we were a couple hours early, but we figured there'd be SOMETHING going on...

A quick call to Jerry, another guy from our church, explained it to us... it wasn't at the Convention Center, but at the Spokane Arena.

 

They're less than a mile apart, so it was'nt that big a deal, except that we learned that we both are afflicted with the same thing: we usually don't go to the right place the first time... Averill and I make a lot of U-Turns, it seems.

Good came out of it, though... I saw the monument for Michael Anderson, NASA Astronaut, Member of the Columbia Crew, who was from Spokane.

The walk through the park was awesome!

The views in the park are incredible!  Its a great place to take a walk, that's for sure.

If we hadn't of gone to the wrong place, we'd have missed out.

OK... the statues leading up the stairs to the Arena were a bit odd, and the one in the inset is more than a little disturbing.

Inside the Arena, other early birds were milling about and linking up with others that they came to Spokane with... just like we were.

Jerry had gotten there a bit before us, and set out the signs to let us know where we were sitting as a group.  There was a lot of room in the Arena... which is also the home of the Spokane Chiefs... Its Hockey Season, baby!!!

We talked and caught up with the other men in the church, until the first portion of PK - the Friday Night Session - got underway.

It started with a skit put on by the two guys who did skits last year... they're pretty funny, actually!

They worked in a summary of the next 21 hours, and then the countdown began, and the Unleashing began!

The "PK7", Promise Keeper's worship team, really did a great job this year...

It wasn't long before the "Worship Pit" filled up...

Its pretty amazing to be in a place with 7000 or more men, all singing the same song...

Its not on key, but hey, we don't mind!  :-)

After the worship team finished, Reggie, the "Brother from another Mother", who serves as the PK MC for the events, let us know what we were to expect, and then we got underway.

First, we have to HEAR God's Invitation, and realize that Jesus is the ONLY person and force in the world who can UNLEASH our heart to become the man we were CALLED to be.

The preaching was incredible!

At the call at the end of the Friday session, 352 men came to Christ that night, and another 800+ rededicated their lives to Christ.

It was an awesome thing.

We were back the next morning at 0730 for a full day of PK...

Our Pastor brought his brother and nephew.  That's Averill there on the right... we sort of look alike in some ways... :-)

Reggie kicked things off and we were back underway... the worship, again, was awesome.

"Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe..."  7000 men, no instruments... yeah, it was awesome.

The first session was on our Realize and accept our POTENTIAL: Jesus sees incredible God-created potential in us... far greater than we can see in ourselves. He didn't give us this potential so we could FAIL.

Between each of the segments, we had a break, which most of us used to fellowship, talk, and enjoy the company of other men of like minds.

This picture of John really got some chuckles at church when I put it in the video I made to show our time in Spokane... :-)

When the break ends, a two-minute countdown starts to begin the next segment, which starts with some excellent singing. 

There were VERY FEW seats open... the place was nearly filled to capacity!

Oh... he's not bored... he was scratching his head.

Another Reggie... :-)  Now a preacher, he used to play as a line backer for Oregon.

Optimize our TALENT: God has given us a unique combination of talent and gifts and it is our mission to optimize them for His glory and kingdom...  What are we just GOOD at?  How can we apply that to our lives for Christ?

It was an awesome challenge.

 

Reggie also spoke on Relying on God's Spirit to EMPOWER our Lives.  The Ministry of God's new Covenant in Christ is that as an authentic follower of Jesus, his Holy Spirit dwell in us as a source of UNLIMITED power...

We just need to UNLEASH it.

 

The Katina's, a band made up of 5 brothers from the American Samoa, started off one of the segments... it was pretty awesome.

 

It was an incredible experience...

Being there, with everyone singing and praising, you really get a feel for just how powerful God's power really is.

I guess that's what keeps me coming back...

Reggie shot some T-Shirts into the crowd, and nearly took out an usher.  It was pretty funny!

Then came the challenge for the weekend... we need to remember that we have the FREEDOM to release our Potential.  Our hearts are completely and fully unleashed when you willingly and joyfully serve others in love in His Name.

The skits, interspersed throughout the segments, emphasized various topics, such as temptation, how we treat our loved ones, family and friends... how we live our lives as men.

They were good, and they made you think.

It all ended too early... before we realized it, the day was over.

It was an awesome epxerience!

PK17 isn't scheduled for a Northwest Conference yet, so I'll probably head to one that's nearby... Denver?

Or, I might try and talk my cousins and uncles into going with me in Orlando... (you've been warned!)  :-)

Heading out, it was pretty surprising to see how NICE everyone is to each other... courteous driving and leaving a stadium event doesn't normally go together... its nice to see.

I've only driven through Spokane, and haven't stopped there very much... I took some pictures of my impressions of the town as I drove through it to the highway.

Spokane suffered a fire that wiped out most of the older section of town, and they replaced the old buildings with brick structures - they don't burn so easily.

I'm going to have to come back to Spokane - soon - and try this place out. 

I love these sorts of places.

THIS is why I don't like bright, sunny, days... That big Yellow thing sure puts the hurt on your eyes...

I didn't realize Moses Lake was so big...

The sunset really made for a nice view of the windmill farm...

We pulled off on an exit, and watched the sun set behind the ridge... it was awesome!

They look like spinning Mercedes emblems... :-)

It was so peaceful and relaxing to watch them spin in the breeze...

The view above Vantage was very nice as well...

Coming down off the ridge into the Yakima Valley, we were presented with an amazing view of Mt Rainier...

The last view I had before the road dipped into the valley was pretty awesome.

A fitting end to a great weekend!

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