Stark Reality

The last two days the various TV news shows and web sites have given us more windows through which to view Katrina's devastation than I really care to look. Yet, I keep looking... the scattered buildings... the flooding... the people who are so broken in so many ways by this tragedy. This is no TV disaster drama with a hopeful ending as the sun sets... this is stark, naked reality for all of those people. I am so glad I and my family were not in Katrina's path, that our lives were not dismantled like so many others were... and part of me feels guilty for those feelings.

What can I do? I can pray... perhaps with a new fervency. I can give... we're having a special contribution on the 18th. I can remember that there are other hurting people in this world... some of them right here in Antioch, CA.

Winds of Change

I remember some years ago reading Navigating the Winds of Change by Lynn Anderson. I came away with one overriding impression... that change is neither good nor bad, but is inevitable. Change in all areas of life... including church... that we just have to, well, navigate... but this isn't a post about change at church or "worship wars" or any of the other issues on which we too often burn up our energy.

While many of us were talking about how to do church, countless thousands of people on the gulf coast had their lives drastically changed by the winds and rain of Katrina. While we were worrying about women's roles or what songs we're singing or if some ministry is meeting our needs, many of those folks along the gulf have had their lives literally blown away.

We could no more stop the effects of Katrina than we can stop aging or other changes that blow through our lives. We may not even be able to individually do much to help in the aftermath of that terrible storm. But, we can choose to change how we think about others... we can choose not to insist on our rights... we can choose to join Jesus in considering others before ourselves... we can choose to join Him in caring for those less fortunate... and those winds of change feel refreshing and full of life.

Family Carnival

Whew! What a day this has been! Started off with running a few miles at Contra Loma with Randy. The trails back toward Black Diamond Mines were closed because of the dry conditions... fire danger, so it was a couple of loops around the lake. My legs were still pretty heavy from Thursday, so it was probably good. On the first loop we saw a church group at the big swim lagoon having a baptismal service... pretty cool. Not sure how many they baptized, but on the second 2 mile loop they were just finishing up. The minister was dressed in an all white outfit... I kept expecting to hear strains of "When I went down in the river to pray..." but I think it may have just been oxygen debt. After I got home Virginia and I went for a walk, so I got plenty of exercise today!!

We have Jamie and Courtney here for the weekend, looking at our youth ministry position, so they had various meetings all day, and we sat in on one of them.

Then we finished off the day with our annual family carnival for the neighborhood and church. It was GREAT! Lots of community folks and friends of church members. Since we did it as a "back to school" event in August this year, we added some outdoor stuff... one of those big jumpers and a dunk tank... I stayed soaked during my shift in the tank, but it was fun. I think Jarrod had fun too. :-)

Lots of neat stuff going on all evening... activity booths,

free food,

face painting,

tickets and prizes, lots of kids and lots of smiles.

This is a really neat event for the neighborhood ... comes under the category of old-fashioned-good-clean fun!

Tomorrow is another big day. Jamie is teaching a combined teen class, preaching and leading a youth devo that evening. And, of course, we'll eat again... an all-church potluck after morning services. Thank you, God for opportunities like these... help us to be good stewards of them.

Thursday!

Today was a strange day. First, it's my "day off," so I ususlly don't go into the office... didn't today either. Due to the wonders of technology... laptop and wireless and cell phone... I can do lots of stuff at home, however today there wasn't too much to do from home. So, what made it strange? Nothing specific... sort of how it all came together.

I met Randy at the trail head for a hill run at 8:00. As usual, he killed me, but I finished. The weather was nice and cool, and I enjoy running with Randy... except we usually do that on Saturday. Actually, we ARE doing it again Saturday.

I shampooed the carpet in the family room... needed it. I had started the laundry like I usually do, but because the carpet was wet, I just turned the fan on high, grabbed the book I'm reading and headed for the new Peet's for some coffee and reading. That was really nice.

I decided to go by Kohl's, looking for some cargo shorts. Bought socks and a couple of polo shirts that were on sale... 60% off I think. Got home with the shirts only to discover a HUGE flaw on the front of one... I was mad... that one's gotta go back. How in the world do I try on a shirt... look in a mirror... and NOT see that HOLE IN THE SHIRT??!!? I guess I'll be at Kohl's tomorrow.

Virginia fixed a great omelet for dinner, then we went to Best Buy to pick up the computer speakers for her computer that they were supposed to have delivered several days ago. When we came home, we decided to go for a walk... changed shoes... about to go out the door... Marla called, "You guys wanna go for ice cream?" Now, that's a good way to end a different sort of day... a trip to ConeHeads with friends. :-)

Tomrrow our second youth minister candidate and his wife are flying in for a weekend with us at Eastside. I pray that God will be glorified through our search process and the decisions we make.

Tires and Two Tickers

This afternoon I took my 96 Camry in to get the tires rotated at America's Tire. I buy my tires from that chain basically because the prices are good and they'll rotate and balance them free every 8K miles. You see, I'm pretty much a cheapskate... always looking for the "bargain." While I don't always make the wisest choice, I've always been treated right at America's Tire (Discount Tire in TX). Well, I told 'em what I needed, and the guy came out with me to look at the tires. He quickly pointed out to me what I should have seen for myself... all 4 tires down to the wear bar, and one of them showing some secondary rubber. Sooo... my tire rotation turned into 4 new tires; but at least I got a good price... I think... and I can get them rotated free in 8K miles.

The clock in my office at church runs... it just runs slow. As a result it's really dangerous to look at it... it fools you because it's running... but it's WRONG! So, while I was waiting on my tires, I walked to a Hospice Thrist Store in a center across from the tire shop and found a clock with a little character for 3 bucks. It runs... time will tell :-) if it's accurate.

This morning one of our members called the office to let us know that she had taken her husband to Kaiser Walnut Creek Sunday afternoon with rapid heart beat. I called a bit later to talk with Bob, and found out that he had started feeling it Saturday, and by Sunday his familly had convinced him to go get it checked out. Sooo... he's waiting for them to get his heart beat down so they can run some tests to see what the problem is. The neat thing is we have a small army of people praying for Bob and standing ready to help in any way possible. Praise God for that!

Accepting God's Invitation

Yesterday I spent some time reading numerous comments on Mike Cope's Blog about Harding's decision to include vitriolic right-wing Ann Coulter in their American Studies Speakers series. To the extent that decision is a reflection of politics informing and influencing faith, I am saddened and disappointed, but the reality is that I can't do much to effect a change in those policies. I'm convicted that I can make more of a difference focusing on local Kingdom service.

This morning I sent what I hope was an encouraging email to most of my church family... pointing out how God is working among us and encouraging all of us to join in with the things he is doing. I truly believe that we each need to be about personal ministry, but I also am convinced that the most effective way we can partner with God is through prayer. Not just prayer for the sick or those having surgery or those in some sort of need... although these are absloutely vital. We must also commit to partnering with God in prayer about how we grow as a church family, how we best reach out to others, who our youth minister should be, what changes we need to make, and who God wants us to become.

Then I went out for a run in the hills that back up to our neighborhood. I ran for about 90 minutes, and I thought about what I'd written and I prayed. I asked myself how committed I am to truly partnering with God in prayer. I mean, it's so much easier to just be busy with church work. Can I commit to the kind of prayer I think is important for our church? If I can't, then how I ask others to? So... I ran and I prayed... and I committed to pray for my church... for our elders... for our ministries... for God's empowering leadership by His Spirit.

I hope others will commit along with me... and I really need someone to partner with me in prayer... to hold me accountable to my commitment. I believe God is on the verge of doing wonderful things at Eastside, and He's inviting us to get on board.

Pain at the Pump

We were excited about the trip west. It had been months since we'd been "home," and we were all ready to see our families, eat our moms' cooking, and just enjoy December in southern California. Finals were over... we were packed... so we loaded up the '69 Rambler American and hit the road... the Harding campus growing smaller in the rear view mirror.

The plan was to drive straight through to San Diego... about a 36 hour trip. We were young... the car was tuned up... gas was cheap... three of the four of us could drive. We were off. We rotated driving... shotgun kept the driver awake... the back seat was for sleeping. It was our car, so Karen and Leslie chipped in cash to pay for gas... we figured $50 bucks each would cover most of it.

Twenty-four or more hours later we pulled into a gas station in the desert for our next stretch and fill-up. It was then that I noticed the price of gas... it was outrageous... literally highway robbery... what were things coming to... gas in this desert wide place in the road in December 1971 was over 50 cents a gallon!! What were we to do? We had to pay it... we were hostages to local price gouging. Sooo... we dug down and ponied up the ALMOST $10 it took to fill up the tank. One thing for sure... we'd fill up BEFORE the desert on the way back in January!!!

As we pulled away from the station I was already making plans... if gas was going to get this high, I needed a car that got much better mileage than the 20 or so mpgs this Rambler got. Eighteen months later we traded 3-speed on the colimn in on a Toyota Corolla 1200 with 4 in the floor... now that was a car... only ours was midnight blue!

Life in the Spirit

I clearly remember as a kid listening to all the logical arguments about why the Spirit does not interact with us today... I really don't remember all the details, but I do remember men whom I respected, whom I thought had all the answers, concluding that the Spirit's task was to guide the disciples "into all truth," and that task was completed when the New Testament was complete. Needless to say, I later learned that they didn't have as many answers as I had thought... that their view of the Spirit was pretty narrow and limiting.

Fast forward to this morning. Jarrod and I, as we do each week, spent some time talking about this coming Sunday. It's always stimulating... there is always a good exchange of ideas... the results are almost always Spirit-led... something more than the sum of our efforts. And sometimes, like today, the Spirit is so much a part of our conversation that we find ourselves just saying, "Wow!"

I'm thankful for the Spirit's guidance in giving us the Word, but I'm also really grateful that He also mysteriously indwells and empowers us to be more than our own intellects and skills could ever yield.

Special Day

What a special day today has been. Peter led an inspiring service this morning... heartfelt worship is always such a healing and community building experience. Today is also Virginia's birthday and our anniversary. The church surprised her with a wonderfully crafted wooden lyre, patterned after one found in a dig dating back to 2500 BC, and flowers... all this just to say "thank you" for the video work she has done over the last year and a half. It was a surprise... and such a loving and appreciated gesture.

Next, we ate lunch at Elephant Bar in Concord with Pete, Lindsey and Jarrod (Lauren was as a Secret Sisters Lunch). Such a great place to eat... such variety... and everything is delicious! And, Lindsey had told them about our special day, so we got a couple of little surprise sundaes before we left.

Then... we drove up to Mt Diablo... our first trip there... won't be the last. Incredible view. I'll close with a couple more pics... enjoy!

A Comfortable Fit

In the spring of 2000 we traded in an 83 Toyota Celica that Jeremy had driven in high school on a new Honda Accord. This became Virginia's car, and, for the first time in our marriage, we had two cars that were reliable enough to take on the road. The '96 Camry became my wheels, replacing a series of hand-me-down vehicles that had served well but that had always been less than reliable. And the Camry has continued to serve too... friends have used it... both our kids have used it... I've gotten comfortable with its understated reliability.

Today the Camry was in the shop. Transmission needed to be serviced, and the radiator (which had begun to seep from a crack along the top) had to be replaced. Were the repairs planned or budgeted? Of course not. But, as I was driving home, enjoying the AC, listening to the radio, grateful for the smooth shifting of the transmission... I was glad that it was easily repaired... hoping for another 100,000 miles. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

2 Wheeling

One of the things I really like about living in Antioch is that I can easily ride my bike most any time. The climate is conducive, and the area is super "bike friendly" with bike lanes and paved trails everywhere. When we were in Houston, my bike just hung on hooks in the garage most of the 13+ years we lived there. The streets were narrow... no bike lanes anywhere... way too humid to even think about commuting via bike (although I'm sure some do it if they have shower access at work). I think mountain bikers did OK, but I'm sort of a casual road biker, and I just never got into it in Houston.

Today my calf was a little sore, so instead of a run I climbed on my bike and road fairly hard for an hour. Got a good workout without further irritating the calf. Yea!! It was pretty warm, but riding stirs a breeze, so it wasn't bad, and this time I chose a route that had minimal hills. My legs knew they had been on a ride but didn't have that "beat up" feeling I get from running on pavement.

I guess days like today are just one more blessing from the God who created it all and loves us so much.

Who Am I?

This Sunday Peter Wilson is going to be our guest worship leader at Eastside. He and Jarrod go way back to Junior High days when they were best friends, and that relationship has continued through the years. Their dads are really good friends at the East County Church in Portland. As well, Pete is good friends with our son Jeremy... they sang in Won by One together as undergrads (www.pepperdine.edu/churchrelations/wbo/)
and still sing together in True Lift (www.truelift.com).
All of that to say that Pete is pretty special to us as well.

Anyway, Pete and Lindsey Morgan will be in Fresno Saturday for Micah and Erica's wedding, so they're coming up to Antioch after the wedding to be with us Sunday. When we worked it all out, Jarrod said he for sure wanted Pete to sing his and Jeremy's arrangement of "Who Am I" to set up the sermon. I guess I'm letting the cat out of the bag a bit here, so any Eastside readers just have something to look forward to.

To be honest, I was a little nervous about our praise team learning the backgrounds well, but I gave everyone the music a while back, and tonight it came together surprisingly well. Jarrod even stood in for Pete on lead as we worked on it. Amazing... can preach like that and sing too. :-)

Please just pray that the message of that song will touch and soften our hearts Sunday morning, preparing each one to be shaped by the message of Mark 8 that Jarrod will share.

Got Bunco?

Virginia plays Bunco once a month with a group of ladies from church. Last night they were at our house. I was unable to escape before they began to arrive, so I hid as quietly as I could in our bedroom... keeping the TV down low so as not to disturb the evening's rituals. It was actually the first time I'd been close enough to an evening of Bunco to hear some of what happens... it was pretty scary.

There were lots of voices... couldn't really tell if it was sort of a ritualistic chant or just chattiness, but conversation is definitely part of Bunco. Then, every so often a bell would ring and there would be a stampede... or maybe it was a coincidental earthquake... not sure. I do know that food was consumed, but I'm not clear on whether that's actually part of Bunco or just being social. Also, the group had previously contributed $$ that Virginia used to buy prizes... and ALL of them had disappeared by morning.

I wasn't sure what Bunco was, so I did a Google search and found some interesting history. If you care to, you can check it out at http://www.worldbunco.com/history.html

It made me think... if you get really good at Bunco, does that make you a "bunco artist" of sorts? Sounds sort of shady to me... I remember Sergeant Friday on Dragnet used to "work bunco" occasionally.

On the other hand, I did see a card from a lady from out of state who had been a Bunco sub in this group while she was here. She had genuinely connected with these ladies and was quite thankful for the relationships she had formed. Sounds almost like... COMMUNITY... hmmm... maybe there's more to this Bunco than I thought. BUNCO ON!

With a Cloud of Dust and . . .

When I was a kid most of our family vacations consisted of traveling Route 66 (and I-40 as it took shape) back to visit family in southwestern Oklahoma. Across the California desert and through Arizona and New Mexico I was facinated by things that were not part of my world in coastal southern California. One was thunderstorms... those huge drops falling so fast that your wipers couldn't keep up with them. Another was the whirlwinds or dust devils, as my dad called them. They would rise up unexpectedly in the desert, picking up dirt and sand, spinning furiously for a short time, only to fade away. Sometimes they would race along parallel to the road. Sometimes they would cross the road ahead or behind. Once in a while one would cross the highway just as our car got there, and it would give us a shake as if some giant unseen hand had brushed up against us as we drove... then, it would be gone.

I feel kinda that way as I sit here tonight. This weekend we've had a youth minister candidate, Chris Cates, with us, and it has been a whirlwind of activity. Dinners, meeting with teens, and families, classes, devos, hanging out... I'm tired, and I'm not the guy in the spotlight. We anticipated the weekend... it began with a rush... it built to a climax... and now it's over... Chris will catch an early flight in the morning. I feel as if a giant unseen hand has grabbed us and gently rushed us through the weekend. It's over.

When we would stop for gas or to get something to eat, I could always see the dust and sand the whirlwind had left behind in the seams and creases of the car. In a way those deposits helped tell the story of that year's trip... how it was different than last year or next. I think the same thing has happened this weekend. I don't know if Chris will become our youth minister, but I'm pretty sure that his time here has changed us... leaving traces of himself that will make this weekend special for our kids; and I also think that when he gets on that plane at 6:00 in the morning, he won't be the same guy who came down the ramp on Friday.

I'm just thankful that we intersected this weekend, and I'm confident that God will continue to use Chris to bless the lives of young people.

Heritage of Faith

Today is the one-year anniversary of the death of my father-in-law, Lyle Bean. One year ago today Virginia, her 6 siblings and her mom all gathered around Lyle's bed and prayed and cried and hugged and sang to him as he folded the tent of his life so he could go home. I was not able to be there in Nashville that day, but I have been blessed to experience that legacy of faith for many years. Today I simply give thanks for my own mom and dad, for our almost 34 year marriage, for the family into which both my brother and I married, for our children, and for those who are now family through them. "May all who come behind us find us faithful..."

A Helmet Is for Protection

I had breakfast with my friend Ken this morning. He invited me, and we needed to talk about a class he's teaching this fall; more about that later. When I pulled up at Al's (great name for a hamburger and breakfast place, eh!?!... It's run by an Asian family... but that's another story)... anyway, when I pulled up, Ken had pulled up as well... on a motor scooter... and was taking off his helmet. He said his kids and grandkids had bought it for him so he could get used to riding something with two wheels before getting a motor cycle again. We went inside and talked for a bit about the helmet, Ken noting that to be safe it should fit snuggly but not so tight so as to give you a headache. I agreed and wondered if my bicycle helmet was snug enough.

Breakfast was good... 2 huge pancakes, eggs and some bacon... washed down with fresh coffee. Didn't need lunch. The conversation was better. Ken has had a variety of life experiences, and he's one of those guys who wants to use his experiences and training and gifts to benefit the church and to build community. Well, this summer he's been going down to Pepperdine to renew his training in conflict resolution at the Law School's Straus Institute. This fall he will teach a Sunday morning class we're calling "Building Community Through Peacemaking," based on Matthew 18:15 and using principles from the Straus curriculum. He's excited about it; I'm excited about it. One step in becoming a community of faith must be learning how to deal with conflict biblically and gently. I thanked him for teaching the class, and we talked about some other stuff, and then we left.

As I was getting into my car and Ken was putting his helmet back on, I hoped he would be safe, and I was glad his class might mean we'll need to wear fewer helmets at church.

Let's Dance

We have a youth minister candidate coming to Eastside this weekend, so lots of time and energy is going into planning and organizing various events and meetings. It's really sort of odd... you know... how we want him to get a feel for who we are as a church family, but we dress ourselves up enough to make it tough to see any of our rough spots. I'm sure he'll be preparing as well, so we see him at his best. Sounds sort of like dating doesn't it? Seems a bit weird... because what we (and he) see this weekend may be all of us at our best... the ideal that never actually happens again... it may be all down hill from here. Now that's a real glass-half-empty statement. Sooo, how could we do it differently? How could a process like this be more "real" to all involved? In a weekend? Ideas?

Of course, God has a way of working through even our flawed processes to accomplish his will. Maybe that's how I should be looking at this weekend's "dance."

Who We Are...

I'm not one who particularly enjoys funerals or memorial services... don't know too many who really are. I get the whole idea that those events are really for the living... closure, celebration, grieving... all those sorts of things. There's just something in my nature that makes me feel like I should walk on tip-toe or talk in a different tone of voice or something... and it makes me feel like I'm not me. However, I get to attend and/or lead funerals or memorials fairly often, so I've gotten used to it, and some are definitely deeper experiences than others.

Friday, after getting Jen and Kaleb on the plane to Boston (or at least to security), Virginia and I drove to Fresno (instead of home to Antioch) to attend the memorial service for Art Walters, a man who had preached for a while when the two of us were teens in Oxnard in the '60s. We had been in youth group with some of his kids, and this was a chance to see them for the first time in many years. As I listened to his family talk about their dad and as I listened to some of his contemporaries share stories about their relationships with Art, it began to dawn on me that he was one more man who had impacted me significantly... who had had a part in making me who I am.

I've always said that, other than my parents, the adults who influenced me most as I grew up were Marshall Brookey (preacher for a while at Oxnard in my pre-teen years) and my father-in-law, Lyle Bean (elder and mentor at the Oxnard church for many years). Oh, I know there were others as well... teachers, other leaders, friends who impacted me... but these guys stand out in my mind. As I listened to people talk about Art's character and influence, I began to realize what a breath of fresh air he was for a kid growing up in our fellowship in the 60's. By his example he taught me it was OK to think about things differently... it was OK to ask, "Why?" when I didn't know why. While Art's formal theology was perhaps not radical, his gentle spirit and abilities to listen and understand others allowed him to "look like" Jesus with people more than most preachers of his day... and that example had a profound impact on me.

Anyway, the result is simply that last Saturday, at that memorial service, I not only was able to remember and renew relationships, but I have a newly recognized mentor to credit. And I have some old "Walters memories" to dust off and sort through... wonder what I'll discover.