Radioactive

4,242.5 miles. 10 States. 14 Cities. 14 days. 

The "Valley to Valley" Tour was nothing short of epic (an overused word, which here is entirely appropriate) as we barreled across the US.  We made meaningful connections with leaders along the way who inspired us with their stories, and encouraged us to keep moving forward in our vision.  Although we are still processing everything, the tour was a great buffer time between life in Seattle and finding a new life in the Twin Cities.  And obviously we had a blast as we experienced life on the road.  Here's a few snapshots from the Spring tour: 

PDX

Battery Spencer Park in SF

Bixby Bridge along CA-1 in Big Sur

Mike and Kristy with the National Network of Youth Min

Loving life at The Grand Canyon

Jake at The Hive in Omaha

Red Rocks Amph- CO

Crystal Cove in Orange County

Disney Cali Adventure

Marshall with BridgeTown, Inc

Classic on Hollywood Blvd.

  

Satellite

To Seattle and Back Again
It is hard to believe that our time in Seattle is nearly up- it was about this time one year ago that we had just arrived.  On our trip out here the point was to get from the Midwest to the Northwest, with little in between.  We’ll never forget that drive… our little hatchback was packed full with our necessary belongings and our heads just as full of questions.  What was ahead of us?  How would this all shape up? Who would we meet and develop relationships with?  As we began our new journey, we were headed into the unknown.

Now, we have had the great joy of experiencing this past year and living out the answers to all these questions.  It has been such an incredible time of growth for us.  So much is being learned personally, practically, relationally, and spiritually.  We’re also connected with some really amazing people in both places, leaving us torn between the two.

Spring Tour 2013
So as we prepare to move back, we’re making the most of it by going on The “Valley to Valley” Spring Tour!  We’ll be going from the Rainier Valley neighborhood in Seattle, and eventually returning to Apple Valley, Minnesota.  Along the way we’ll have the opportunity to spend time with like-minded people and their organizations.  We’ll also find distinct moments in unique places to inspire abstract creativity.  Every step on this journey is an intentional one.  This tour will further our learning, deepen the understanding of our calling, and bring clarity to the vision of what is ahead.  It’ll also be a great time to reflect and process moving from our new home in Seattle back to our established home base in Minnesota.  


To fund the tour, we’re seeking “by the mile” sponsorships.  We’ll make our way across nearly 4,000 miles… at an overall cost of 50 cents per mile, how many miles will you cover?  50 miles? 200 miles? A particular leg of the trip? 1,000 miles?

How many miles will you support on The “Valley to Valley” Spring Tour?  

SHELTONS IN SEATTLE
SPRING TOUR 2013

5/2 Thursday
SEATTLE, WA
Pre-Tour

5/3 Friday
PORTLAND, OR
The Mentoring Project & BridgeTown, Inc.
(173 miles)

5/4 Saturday
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Battery Spencer
(636 miles)

5/5 Sunday
VENTURA, CA
Big Sur and the PCH
(346 miles) 


5/6 Monday
LOS ANGELES, CA
Stoked Mentoring
(94 miles)

5/7 Tuesday
COSTA MESA, CA
National Network of Youth Ministries
(42 miles)

5/8 Wednesday
ANAHEIM, CA
Disneyland / California Adventure
(19 miles)

5/9 Thursday
LAS VEGAS, NV
The Strip
(260 miles)

5/10 Friday
FLAGSTAFF, AZ
The Grand Canyon
(251 miles)

5/11 Saturday
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
Focus on the Family
(698 miles)

5/12 Sunday
DENVER, CO
TBA
(68 miles)

5/13 Monday
OMAHA, NE
The Hive Lounge
(537 miles)

5/14 Tuesday
DAVENPORT, IA
Clark-side family  
(306 miles)

5/15 Wednesday
TWIN CITIES, MN
End of Tour
(345 miles)


We’re beyond excited to embark on our first tour…  and we want you in on the journey.  

We need our Seattle family to support us by sending us out, and our Minnesota family to support our return.  Are you supporting us by sending us out, or receiving us in? At just 50 cents per mile, how many miles will you sponsor?  As you can see, there are many miles to be claimed!  Your “per mile” investment will cover: our vehicle costs, moving expenses, gas, lodging, groceries, and necessary resources to equip us for what is ahead*. 

Do the math, sponsor mileage, and have fun with us… each mile of the tour! Follow the journey on Twitter (@Valley2Valley) and Instagram (SeaShellShelley).   


To Give-

Via PayPal: The faster, safer way to send money.  Simply enter our email address "JoshAndShelleyShelton@gmail.com" (Josh And Shelley Shelton) in the "To (Their email address)" box, and the amount you'd like to give.  Free to transfer**.  Click here to give via PayPal!

By Check: Please have all checks postmarked by April 15th, 2013.  Checks (please do not send cash) can be mailed to:
           
Josh and Shelley Shelton
4219 South Othello St. #620
Seattle, WA 98118


Please pray for us on this tour, and double bless us by committing to cover mileage.

In massive love and gratitude,

Josh and Shelley Shelton




*A detailed description of the tour costs is available upon request.

**There’s no fee to send money to friends and family when you link a bank account or use your PayPal balance. When you use a debit or credit card, there is a flat fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. You can also send money internationally for a small fee.

How many miles will you sponsor?

I'll Be Here A While

From neon to ink

1. "Fresh"
The definition itself, and its relation to life, faith, love...

- Original
- Full of or renewed vigor; life
- Of great quality
- New, newness, newly
- Unlike the others; uncommon
- Attracts
- Not faded
- Just arrived
- Immediate pursuit
- Re-creation
- Desirable taste
- Reached, but not passed the optimal stage (of maturity, for use)
- Seeing new in the proper light
- Renewal

And it goes on, and on...

Pike Place Market

    
 
2. Seattle

A tribute to this city- where we celebrated our wedding and new marriage with a honeymoon (March 2010), received new direction while on a visit out here (late '10), and now lived in from '12-'13, (and of course Grey's).  Our honeymoon, that visit, and living here have all represented a new beginning.  And maybe even a challenge from which the fresh could then flow.  The ways we have grown and continue to grow as a result of our time in this city, continue to prepare us for what is still ahead in the future.  God has given me a unique time of very specific equipping, in understanding myself and my story, that will help me in serving fatherless youth.  A time to dream up and receive from.  The culture, our friends, our church.  Seattle is known for being a bright light despite the grey skies, always leading the way in innovation. Risk-taking for the greater good, that ol' "Pioneer Spirit".  Pike Place Market (where "my" neon sign resides): a symbol of creativity, authenticity, and a favorite spot in the city.  Always exciting, always entertaining. 

2013 Space Needle

3. Upstream 


My "Seattle Pastor" Mark Driscoll introduced this awesome idea of what it means to live "upstream".  It represents our heart to live on mission in the city.


- "If you want to clean up the river, you start upstream" (At the source).
- "To effect change you get as far upstream as you possibly can" (The source influences what everyone along the river receives and experiences).

-"So it is culturally"

- "God's people need to get upstream and change things at the highest levels"
- "Culture is made upstream in cities"  (Cities are the source of culture).
- "...Culture, and education, and art, and transportation, it emanates in the city and then it goes out to the rural areas"
- "...You have to move to a city, because that's where the clubs are, and that's where the record labels are, and that's where the media is, and culture goes from that place" (Things with reach and influence are based in the city).
- "(The river) flows upstream-downstream. Cities are upstream. Cities are two things: density and diversity"
- "(Paul's) missionary journeys are from city, to city, to city, to city, to city, to city. He avoided rural areas" (Paul knew about impact).
- "Get upstream and make a cultural difference"
- "Getting upstream allows God's people to effect change that would otherwise not be possible"
- "Examine how upstream you are. What influence, what authority, what opportunity has God given you to effect change at whatever point you live in the river?"
- "How could you get further upstream?"
- "You've got to try to get as upstream as you possibly can"
- "If God has placed you upstream ...will you give a voice to the voiceless?" (for me: the Fatherless)
- "It's strategic, it's missiological, and it's biblical"
- "Jesus started rural, but to really go upstream, he had to go to Jerusalem. He died, ascended into Heaven, and right now Jesus is as upstream as it gets"

(All taken from “Jesus Is A Better Missionary” / Pastor Mark / 11.11.12 / Mars Hill Church)

4. Salmon

Last Fall we had the opportunity to visit a couple "salmon ladders"- an artificial environment were the natural migration of the Pacific salmon can be observed.  I became fascinated with these creatures, and the lessons and inspiration found within their story...



- Adapt between fresh and saltwater 
- In their very nature to swim against the current.
- Instinctively return to where they spawned (from the ocean, back into their "home stream").
- Overcome many obstacles and dangers along the way.  Must beat the odds of survival: 90-95% don't ever make it back or out alive.
- Literally leap to move forward.
- Some eggs get swept away by the currents- never allowing full growth or life itself. Not to mention the many predators.
- As a "smolt", salmon drift downstream toward the ocean, but still face upstream in order to feed.
- Adult salmon stop feeding and their bodies change as they begin to swim back upstream.
- With the last of their energy, these fish lay eggs that will become the next generation of salmon. Salmon contribute even in death.

Migration season at the ladder

                                                           #Fresh #Seattle #Upstream #Salmon

With my amazing artist Ashley @ SuperGenius!

Full Ride

When You Come Down

Check out our story here, featured on The Leap Year Project:

Bootylicious

 

A few months ago I was invited to be the guest speaker for a weekend winter youth retreat happening in February, by a friend who is a pastor along the Oregon Coast.  In college we used to live on the same dorm room floor, and co-hosted a radio show called “The Blender”.  We met at a Denny’s near SeaTac last May to catch up and share with each other where our lives had gone since being students in Chicago. 

I was reluctant to say yes… Did I have the time to prepare for three separate messages?  Would this be a wise use of my “Seattle time’? Could I do it?  I agreed to do it, and God used it. Truth is, this was a humbling opportunity to serve Jesus and His church.  Rather than just some speaking engagement, teaching is all about Jesus and a chance to tell others that life and eternity is ultimately all about Jesus.

I knew that I myself would be going through the “Who Do You Think You Are?” series at Mars Hill, so because it’d fresh to me, I figured it’d be timely.  Knowing your identity really is as Ps. Mark says, “the one thing that changes everything.” This is absolutely a core concept.

God let’s us receive our identity from Him, Satan wants you to achieve one.  We use many things to explain us, but only one thing can define us.  Your identity is not found in your stuff, your relationships, your hopes, or your pain, but in Jesus.  And it is so freeing.

Since we were on Mt. Hood, I used my identity issue issue of thinking "I'm so hood" to share the concept of true identity

Shelley and I had perfect weather (…for February, 50 degrees and clear sunny skies) as we traveled through Portland and onto Mt. Hood.  We met up with the group, and had a great time tubing in deep snow, playing games, and eating lots of food.  Oh and Jesus let me get up and share a few times, and all went well.  I was honest and challenged the students to do the same.  I am praying it was a weekend they can look back on and say “Jesus showed me who I am.”

Man Up Anthem

(The following is a short, outdated update)

Last Fall, I was invited to be a part of Leadership Boot Camp at Mars Hill Rainier Valley.  It was a 10 week course with training in the areas of discipleship and leadership.  And if I haven't told you about it yet, it rocked my world.  LBC has forced me to re-evaluate my life.  My relationship with Jesus. My Religiousness.  My attitude.  My perspective.

So, am I surrendered? No. Well, yes. I hope.  What is this life about?  Thank you Mars Hill for so often reminding me that really “It’s all about Jesus.”