More Christmas Pics

Kaleb really getting into the Santa's helper role.

Jen and Fok

Fok helping Kaleb with his new roller blades.

Kaleb reading with his favorite Aunt Amber.

Christmas Pics

Decided I would just post a few Christmas pics for your enjoyment... assuming you enjoy that sort of thing.




On Christmas morning Jeremy and Amber were with us. We decided to do stockings for each other, trying to be creative and cheap (although not Murphy cheap this time).











JJ & AJ (their couple appellations) digging into their stockings.














We opened presents on Wednesday after Jen, Fok and Kaleb arrived. Not Santa's helper (aka Kaleb) waiting to distribute the gifts.












Ready to pass out presents.


I'll post some more the next couple of days.

Family Time

OK, the last couple of days have been filled with good family time... pictures in the park and food; shooting hoops and food; exchanging gifts and food; hanging out and food; and did I mention that we've had some yummy stuff to eat.

Jeremy and Amber left this morning and made it safely home in time for his physical therapy appointment for his shoulder. It's amazing to me how surgeries like he had can be done orthroscopically, leaving only two tiny little scars on the outside. He's also done well with the pt and recovery... almost a full range of motion at this point.

Virginia gave me an "old-fashioned" popcorn popper for Christmas, so tonight we tried it out. The popcorn was good and it was fun to use; popped the corn pretty fast. My memory tells me that the original poppers in this style were made of a heavier metal, but this one may be better since it heats and cools more quickly.

One thing for sure, when the holidays are over, I'm gonna have to cut way back on the food intake.

Will post some family pics Saturday.

Day After

I spent most of the day in the office today... much less hectic than joining in with all the shoppers I suspect. Jeremy, Amber and Virginia braved some stores and picked up some bargains. I'm wondering... if there's a sale and nobody buys anything, does anyone save money?

It has rained off and on throughout the afternoon and evening, but we decided to brave the weather and meet at the movies... they coming from shopping and me from the house after a quick stop. Anyway, we saw Dream Girls. Not sure what I was expecting, but it was really good... some great songs and voices, and the acting was pretty good as well.

Jen, Fok and Kaleb fly in about 12:40 tomorrow. Looking forward to their arrival.

One more thing... left-over Christmas turkey is still pretty good.

Merry Christmas!!

Little feet scampering around before dawn... adults yawning and stretching under the covers... wide eyes staring at Santa-filled stockings while adults snap pictures... we've had plenty of Christmas mornings like that, but not Christmas 2006. Nope, this year it was more like Virginia up earliest (not actually different from almost every day, but she did sleep until 6:30 or so)... Jeremy, Amber and I sleeping until we felt like getting up... wonderful cinnamon bread French toast in the late morning... 4 adults laughing and enjoying the creative tidbits in our stockings... and I think Virginia even snapped a couple of pics. Definitely a little different than if youngsters were around, but still fun... and still Christmas.

The rest of the day has looked pretty normal. Great smells of a variety of wonderful dishes being prepared for Christmas dinner... taking goodies to neighbors... football on TV... phone conversations with family (Jennifer, Fok and Kaleb in Canada and Grandma Johnson and Kent & Susan in Cabot). Just a good day to enjoy family and food and football and food and festivities of the day... and food.

One interesting tidbit. When I was a kid in SoCal, a bunch of us used to get together on Christmas day to play pick-up football nearly every year. It was a tradition for us. In later years and in the generally colder climes of Arkansas and Nashville, we'd often gather family members together for a big basketball game. Times have changed. I went for a run today, and my route took me through a park. There was a group of guys gathered on a field, and I immediately wondered if they were playing touch or tackle. I got a little closer and discovered they were playing neither... they were playing soccer, or football if you please. They were having fun, but I just had to sigh and chuckle to myself as I jogged by... times have changed.

So, I hope you "have yourself a Merry little Christmas." As for us... I think it's almost time for Christmas dinner.

Christmas Eve

I love Christmas Eve, and I think I really like it coming on Sunday. Our worship this morning was just a wonderful time for our church family and many guests. The actors who presented Mary and Joseph were inspiring... the singing was awesome... the spirit was, well, Spirit-filled. It was just a good morning.

The picture collage above serves as our Christmas card this year, simply highlighting some of the beauty of God's creation in our neck of the woods.

Have a great day tomorrow! Merry Christmas to all!!

Tic...Tic...Tic...

The clock is ticking and our kids will soon start arriving. The tree and decorations are up; we have all the Christmas cards on the wall; Virginia's bought out the local grocery stores; the beds are made; Doug is smoking a turkey for us; and Jeremy and Amber is on the road north. I still need to wrap some presents, but I think we're pretty much ready for 'em.

Jeremy and Amber should get here before dark and will go to church with us tomorrow. Jeremy's filling in at bass on the praise team. Jennifer, Fok and Kaleb are in Canada at the Leungs for Christmas, but they'll fly in Wednesday night, and then we'll have a house full!

With staggered arrivals and the kids overlapping for only about 2 days, we'll probably have more than one "big Christmas dinner" along the way... and that's fine with me. If we get creative I'll let you know how it goes. Otherwise, Merry Christmas one and all!!

You Better Watch Out!

Harbour Lights is a Christian preschool that meets in our building. Melody, wife of one of our elders, has been the director for years, and she has a great heart for both kids and their families. HL is no doubt the best long-term ministry we have.

They always do fun things for the kids around all the holidays, including a visit from Santa before Christmas. This year I got to be Santa and hand out gifts to all the kids. It was a blast! The reactions of the kids were really funny. Some couldn't wait to come sit with Santa and get their gifts. Others were too scared of this bearded guy in the red suit that they wouldn't even get close. One little boy came up to me with a wrinkled brow and worried look saying that I had given him the wrong present... not the one he'd asked for. using my best Santa voice and with a twinkle in my eye, I told him not to worry. He should just tell his parents, and I'd be sure to bring the right present on Christmas morning. Sure hope it works out for him!

Several people were shooting pics, so I asked one of them to email me a few so I'd have proof I was really Santa. About the only downside to the event was how sweaty I got in that costume. But it wasn't that bad, and the kids were certainly worth it!

California Christmas

Growing up in Southern California, my Christmas experiences generally did not involve snow men or sleigh bells or sledding or even ice skating. And most of the time I was happy about that. I mean, how many kids get to shoot hoops or play football in shorts and 70 degree weather on Christmas day? In college I appreciated it even more because it was usually pretty cold in Arkansas by the time I came home for Christmas each year. And, of course, if I really wanted some snow, more likely than not, we could drive a couple of hours up to Frazier Park or some other mountain spot and get all the tubing we wanted. I always thought it was pretty much the ideal arrangement... Christmas arriving to the melodic crooning of Bing Crosby wafting out of the window overlooking Mom's cactus garden.

In later years we got used to the occasional white Christmas when we lived in Arkansas, but if it wasn't white things were pretty gray and dead during winter. I know, I know, that's the way it's supposed to be... four seasons and all... the rebirth of nature in the Spring, etc. But I just missed not getting to shoot hoops in shorts or running barefoot in the green grass.

During our Houston years we experienced warm winters again, but the problem there was it stayed warm (or hot) and humid all year round. And, there wasn't any snow tubing two hours away. Still, we had memorable Christmas times in both places... just different than growing up.

We've been back in California for almost three years now, and, while our climate in Antioch is different than Oxnard, we are again learning to appreciate a green Christmas.

You see, the rainy season usually starts in November, and by Christmas the hills have transformed from the golden brown of fire season to a lush green. We haven't had as much early rain this year as the last couple, so the green is coming a little slower this year... today I noticed that the hills have a hint of green beginning to emerge.

That got me to thinking, and it dawned on me just how appropriate this green Christmas thing is. Most believers choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, and for us that marks the beginning of a story with eternal implications. I think it's pretty cool that the green hills all around here are being re-born at the same time. Maybe a green Christmas is pretty special after all.

Children's Sunday

Our worship time this morning was really energetic and special. We set aside time for our younger kids (three years old through 3rd grade) to sing some songs as a group and a few older kids to read some passages. Pretty simple arrangement, but we have a lot of kids for a church our size, and it was very cool to see so many of them up on stage. A couple of the little boys almost "stole the show" with some pretty funny antics, but something like that's always a possibility with that many young kids on stage.

The kids' portion really wasn't that long, and what was really neat was the energy in the rest of the service leading up to the kids. People just seemed really focused on worship as we sang and prayed and communed together. Great morning!

Then, two sisters, one in college and one in high school, decided it was time to be baptized today. Brian baptized Courtney, and the girls' brother, Michael, baptized Corinne... very special!!

Next Sunday our drama folks are presenting a "what if" production we're calling simply Mary and Joseph. The actors will explore some of what it might have been like for Joseph and Mary as they find out about Mary's pregnancy and deal with all the possible attendant issues. My hope is that their presentation will draw the rest of us into the story at a very personal level, allowing each of us to come along side the characters and understand a little better what it might have been like for them. We'll have a couple of final rehearsals this week, and Sunday will be here before we know it.

Have a blessed week!

It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Christmas

I know that there are some folks who start planning their Christmas strategies shortly after storing away those plastic Easter eggs. We had a friend years ago who always tried to finish her Christmas shopping by August... I always wondered why. For years there has been a distinct calendar creep for Christmas trappings to show up in stores. Yet, all of this stuff really doesn't help move me toward that special feeling that Christmas is just around the corner.

Yet, here it is only 11 days until Christmas, and I'm feeling that feeling. I didn't notice it creeping up on me. I didn't make a resolution to start feeling it. I didn't even watch It's a Wonderful Life. I just noticed today that the feeling is there.

Maybe it was because I crawled through that small door to the dusty attic to drag out numerous boxes and bags of Christmas decorations, along with dirt and several scraps of pink fiberglass insulation. (Yeah, I realize we're on the really late end of the curve for decorating, but, hey, Scrooge waited until Christmas Eve and did pretty well.) Maybe it was the smell of whatever it was Virginia was baking last night for a church ladies gathering tonight. Maybe it's just knowing that our kids will be here for a few days around Christmas. Maybe it was setting out our artificial-yet-really-quite-realistic Christmas tree and fluffing out the branches. Maybe it's the thought of climbing on a ladder to put up lights. Not sure...

My guess is that all of those things contributed a little to this growing feeling, but that most of those things above are minor players. The thing is that this feeling really started growing when our church started ramping up our annual holiday efforts to help others. Over 20 families had a Thanksgiving dinner because my brothers and sisters at Eastside wanted that to happen. Then there was the planning and participation with several other churches in Mission Christmas, where 700 homeless and underprivileged folks were served... dinner, gifts, bibles, music, crafts, social service assistance... all in the name of Jesus. But I think what really gave this feeling a boost was the rush on the Giving Tree. Ruth puts tags with children's needs on a tree, and folks were standing in line to remove these "ornaments" so they could go purchase gifts or clothes for children not their own. And those who didn't get a tag have forked over cash to make sure these families have something special to eat for Christmas. One of our most energetic retired gentlemen stopped by the office Tuesday morning and handed Ruth a $100 bill, saying simply, "The tags were gone; this is for the kids."

I'm eager to get the decorations up this year, and I can't wait for my kids to arrive... Jennifer, Fok, Kaleb, Jeremy, Amber... holiday trappings and having family near are all part of what makes Christmas special. But the thing that sustains that feeling, the thing that will make a difference after my kids go home and all the decorations are put away is knowing that I'm part of a church family that "gets it"... people who understand something of the significance of a relationship with Jesus and who are allowing Him to make a difference in their lives.

Yes, it is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas... I pray that you will feel thankful and blessed wherever you are!!

Children

One of the really fun things about last weekend when Brice, Neisha and Zeke were here was getting to hold and play with Zeke. He's a pretty happy kid most of the time, so playing with him was pretty cool. Since Kaleb is several years past the baby stage, this was a chance to practice my grandpa baby skills for some future date... and I made the most of it.

Kaleb is a fun age as well... he's old enough to actually go out and do stuff with him, and that's pretty special. When I was in Boston last spring, one thing we did was go out on the local hike/bike trail. I ran and he rode his bike... we had a pretty cool time. Of course, he's also up for other stuff, including movies, games of all sorts and reading. He still likes to be read to, but he really likes just to read.

This Sunday the three year old through third grade kids in our Children's Ministry will be doing several things during our service... mostly singing and reading some scriptures. They've been working on it for a while now, and I'm really looking forward to it. Our worship time may not be as "adult friendly" as usual, but what a neat opportunity for each of us to really live in the moment of what Jesus meant in Matthew 18:3-4

I tell you the truth, you must change and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child.

If you're in the neighborhood, think about joining us Sunday morning. See ya!

728B

There are many things about my life growing up in the Church of Christ fellowship that have shaped me in various ways. One of those has always been a love and appreciation for acappella music. I remember the agricultural and nautical themed songs we sang so often in my early childhood. There are distinct memories of learning to sing tenor and bass in junior high and high school. There were always favorite songs along the way... ones that were just my favorites, and a few that would have been in the brotherhood hit parade. Perhaps the one song that became our "anthem" more than any other, the one that almost anyone with a CofC background knows by heart was so beloved it came to be known simply by it's number in one popular hymnal... 728B. I never understood why it was 728B instead of 729, but it was... and we still sing it all across our fellowship today.

All of that to say that anyone who has sung and loved 728B, needs to check out the web site below. You'll no doubt want to order a shirt or coffee mug or perhaps Christmas presents for your family. Click on the link and enjoy!!

728B

Lighter Side of Baptism

Every now and then a preacher will tell a "baptism story" that's pretty funny, and there are a lot of funny episodes out there. Two or three years back at the Pepperdine Lectures the first keynote speaker told a funny baptism story, and, not to be outdone, each of the other guys added theirs as well. I remember laughing quite a bit, and my favorite was told by Randy Harris.

It seems that during a campaign (I think when Randy was in college) there was a lady who wanted to be baptized. The available baptistry was really low on water and for some reason they couldn't add any more. Well, someone baptized her, but she was too large to go completely under, so they got the water sloshing enough so that just for a moment she was completely immersed. Not as funny reading it here, but, trust me, we were all laughing as Randy told it.

At Sugar Grove we used those blue nylon quick-drying things as baptismal (what a strange word) garments. I remember one guy donning one that was too tight for his "new birth," and one comment from the crowd as he came out of the water... "It's a boy!" I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

A friend sent me this link to the video of a funny baptism episode. Check it out... I guarantee you'll at least chuckle.

Bay Area Ministers

The first Tuesday of most months several of us minister types gather at a Carrows Restaurant in Dublin to catch up on what God is doing in our various ministries and to eat a bite. We're a rather eclectic bunch in terms of ministry roles and church styles, but we do have a few things in common: a love for ministry and the Lord, roots in the restoration movement, an honest desire to be who God wants us to be. There's probably more, but those for sure.

We're mostly guys, but we are often graced with the presence of a spouse or daughter or friend, and those presences always help us be a little more thoughtful in our discussions. It always amazes me how fresh a female perspective can be... especially around a bunch of ministers.

Today was one of those Tuesdays. Our group was a bit smaller than usual today, but I came away blessed none-the-less by the rich fellowship that is part of the body of Christ. The salad and sandwich weren't half bad either.

Monday

Well, the weekend did go well... God's blessings seen at every turn. We served around 700 at the Mission Christmas Dinner Party and got it all cleaned up... the wedding went off without any hitches... yesterday was a good day at church... and Virginia got home from her weekend class in Sacramento by around 3:00. That allowed us to go for a nice walk around the lake before dark.

When I woke up Sunday morning I could tell I was coming down with a cold or something, but I was able to shake it off OK for church. By the evening I was feeling it again, so we went to bed a little early. This morning it was a little worse, so I decided to sleep in a bit and work from home today instead of going into the office. I'm not feeling any worse, but I'm glad I decided to stick close to the house today. I'm still getting some work done, and I'm able to close my eyes for a few minutes if I want. Plus, I need to go to the building tonight to sit in on a rehearsal for the play we're doing on the 24th.

For those of you currently living in a deep freeze, I hope it warms up a bit pretty soon. For the record, it's 62 and sunny here today. :-)

Big Weekend!!

This weekend will be one of those that goes by really fast because it's so full... almost like life has to hurry to get it all in. I'm writing this while sitting at a wedding rehearsal for which I'll run sound and lighting tomorrow afternoon. Earlier today I was cooking turkeys and hams for the big Mission Christmas Dinner tomorrow in the big convection oven we have at the fellowship hall.

Each year on the first Saturday in December, a bunch of church groups from Antioch and nearby join together to host a Christmas Dinner/Party for anywhere from 800 to 1000 homeless and underprivileged families. There's turkey and ham and all the fixin's, pie and cake and coffee and tea, music and bibles and presents for all the kids. This year we even have some reps from social service agencies who will be there to help where appropriate. It's a great event, and Eastside is more involved this year than we ever have been. For the 2nd year in a row, we're even providing the clean-up crew.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. VJ will head off for her class at Sac State about 5:30 in the morning... part of her certification. I think this weekend is on serial killers. At 6:00 I'll meet Kyle and the elders for breakfast and some discussion. About 8:00 I'll need to get the turkeys and other stuff ready to take to the fair grounds. The people will start coming about 10:00 and cleanup starts about 1:00 or 1:30.

However, I'll need to be at the building a little after 1:00 to open up and get ready for the wedding. I'm actually thankful that I'm just running sound. :-)

Sunday will be Sunday, including a lunch meeting with a group helping plan a a spring youth rally. I suspect by the time VJ gets home from Sacramento I'll already have taken a short nap.

The rehearsal went well... in less than 24 hours a new marriage will be formed. I think the weekend is already off to a great start!!

Tahoe Vistas

Isn't that a great photo above. As I wrote earlier, we had a great time up at Tahoe Thanksgiving week. Click HERE if you'd like to see some more of this beautiful country, both before and after Wednesday's snow. Be patient - it'll probably take a little while to load. Enjoy!!

Back Home

Well, Virginia and I made it back home from our Thanksgiving trip to Tahoe. We sure had a good time. Here's a pic to enjoy, and I'll do a PhotoShow tomorrow if I have time.

The one thing we missed was getting to be with family. Jen, Fok and Kaleb were in Boston hosting some of Jen's students. Jeremy and Amber were with the Fosters this year. My mom and Virginia's mom were at Kent's and Susan's, along with three of Virginia's other siblings and families. When we talked with everyone, it sounded as if they were having a great time... including what looked like quite an ultimate frisbee game from some pics Kent posted.

As I said, we really enjoyed our time at Tahoe, but it's also good to be home. Check back tomorrow for a link to more pics. And have a blessed Sunday!

Migrating

A couple of weeks back I ordered a new laptop to replace my old one. It seemed like the thing to do... had so much info on the old one (also backed up) and a 3-year old hard drive; I could get a new version of the same machine from Dell (only lighter and much faster) for about 1/2 what I paid for the other one; the old one could be a back-up and travel machine for VJ. Sooo... I got an early Christmas present.

Instead of loading all the software from the old machine and moving all the files manually, I decided to go with the Dell-recommended software from LapLink called PCmover. It's supposed to move all your files and programs from the old machine to the new one as slick as a whistle. Well, after two days and two complete attempts and about nine hours of time as stuff moved over the USB cable, it's finally almost right. I think I'll have to reinstall some software, and PCmover did not move any of my pictures, but I think it may work. It's been a really frustrating process, but VJ has been a calming influence, and if it doesn't work out I can just do a system restore to Thursday and do it all manually. The interesting thing is that I decided to use PCmover to save time, but if I'd just done it all manually, I'd probably be done and not have the issues. Oh well....

Virginia has class at Sac State this weekend, and I came along too so we could hang out and explore a bit. We've done a little of that, however, most of the time has been spent with my computer... oh well.

Sunday I think I'll go to church at Rancho Cordova while she's in class, and then we'll head up to Tahoe for a few days... we were able to use a time share week that was about to expire. It'll be cold with maybe a little snow, but it's supposed to be mostly clear. I'll get some work done, run a little, catch up on some reading, and just relax. Back in town next Friday or Saturday... haven't decided yet. I'll try to post some this week if I can find a cafe with wireless... no connection at the resort. Maybe even a picture or two.

God bless and happy Sunday!!

Monterey

I posted earlier about our trip with Richard and Cindy to Monterey. It was so much fun! They say a picture is worth a whole lot of words, so if you like the shot above, check out this link to a Comcast PhotoShow of the trip. Enjoy!!

Special Sunday

Well, today was a really good day. We worshiped a faithful and powerful God and he showed up big time. In the spirit of Ephesians 3:20-21, Richard encouraged us to live expectantly into 2007.

It didn't start out smooth, however. When I got to the building early, the main projector in the auditorium kept shutting down after about 5 minutes, so I figured the filters might be dirty. Well, the only way to clean them is to drag out the big honkin' 18' step ladder, climb to the top and pull out the filters. Those who know me understand that heights are not my favorite thing, but I sucked it up, climbed the ladder, cleaned the filters and crossed my fingers. I guess it was dirty filters after all because the projector stayed on the entire service... yea!! Then as the service began we started getting some horrible feedback out of the monitors up front. Not sure what that was... probably somebody had twisted some of the knobs... will check it out this week. The guys in the booth just turned them way down... of course nobody on praise team could really hear through the monitors, but it all went well anyway.

Brad and Marla joined us and Richard and Cindy for lunch. We grilled chicken, added a great salad and other fixin's and just enjoyed eating and talking together. It was good. A bit later in the afternoon, the 4 of us went for a long walk up over the hill and around the lake. It was a bit chilly, but still really pretty.

It's an early start in the morning to get Richard and Cindy to the airport, so I'd better close and start winding down for bed. Hope God blesses your Monday!

Special Weekend

Richard and Cindy Fancher have been with us for the last few days, and we've really enjoyed their visit. Richard has been here to help us with an elder/minister retreat, and we've tried to make the most of their time with us.

They flew in Wednesday. Thursday we drove to Monterey, enjoying the beach, Cannery Row, and the 17 Mile Drive, including Pebble Beach, and stayed the night at a great condo courtesy of Doug and Melody. We drove back Friday, and that evening was our first retreat session at the building.

Our leader retreat lasted pretty much all day, and Richard did a great job leading us through some steps to help us as a team, minister to our church, and grow in our ability to reach out to our community. No time for details today... and too pooped. More later.

Virginia and Cindy had a great time exploring the new Trader Joe's, a really cool local place that specializes in olive oil, and a couple of other places. We got to savor some of their finds at supper tonight. Yummy stuff.

I'm really looking forward to our worship tomorrow. My prayer is that God will use our time in worship to shape us all a little more to who He wants us to be. I pray you have a great Sunday as well. Blessings...

New Week

Yesterday was a really good day... our worship time was rich as we praised and confessed and prayed and thanked God. Kay and Bill Jennings asked me to join them (along with the Koonce family) for lunch at their house. The food was good and the fellowship was better. Then... Virginia flew back into Oakland about 3:00. Nice way to complete the day.

Jeremy seems to be doing well with his surgery. I can't wait to see the movie. :-)

Back in the summer I decided to sign up to be a police chaplain. I had one call shortly after to comfort a lady whose husband had died. I finally got some training last week, and had my second call today. Again it involved a death. An elderly lady with Alzheimer’s lived with her husband, who was her primary care giver, with help 3 times a week. Well, he died in the night, and the lady didn't know it. I got the call this morning and drove over to the house. The police were still there along a care giver and a neighbor. Most of the morning I kept having the same conversation with the lady about her husband passing away. Two minutes later we'd start over with her asking questions about who all these people were and why they were here. It was interesting, however, after a while, something about it began to stick with her because she went from an attitude of defiant denial to just a puzzled description of the morning as weird. Perhaps the saddest part is that because they have no children and no family in the state, she went to a convalescent home today, likely never to return to her house again. It makes me wonder who, how, when the house and all her stuff will be taken care of. Hard to know.

Well, better get this posted and head for bed. Blessings!

Mud, Gravel and Prayer

Here it is Saturday afternoon, and the time without Virginia has actually gone faster than I thought it would, but I am definitely ready for her to be home. She's enjoyed being down south helping Amber care for Jeremy post-surgery, and today she has driven down to the SD area for Mel's dad's memorial service. She'll drive back to J&A's this evening, go to church with them tomorrow and fly back to Oakland tomorrow afternoon.

It was somewhat muddy out on the trails this morning when Randy and I ran. Much of the dirt in some sections is clay, so when it gets wet it really clings to your shoes. Several times I had to knock mud bricks off my shoes. We didn't run as far as usual today because I wanted to get up to the church and help with spreading the finishing gravel in what will be the new picnic area by the fellowship hall. Some of the guys built concrete retaining walls a couple of weeks back, and earlier this week they used Charlie's tractor with a frontend loader to move and level dirt to create 4 terraced areas. They added a layer of large rock and then a layer of gravel like you might see on a gravel road, following up with water and rolling to pack it down. Today we covered the whole area with a real fine grey granite gravel, wetting it down and using a machine to pack it down. Don plans to build forms and make 3 or 4 concrete picnic tables using some sort of special concrete. Butch has some rock coming to build a retaining wall along the curved sidewalk under where the power tower sits. After that, a little low maintenance ground cover in the dirt area should finish the project. My back's tired after shoveling gravel and pushing a wheelbarrow.

Tomorrow our worship assembly will be a time of prayer and praise. I believe times like this can really help shape who we are in Christ if we truly give ourselves over to allowing the Spirit to work in our hearts as we worship. I know that can be said of every opportunity for corporate worship, but I think it's especially true of those times when we are really focusing on prayer... prayer as an avenue to grow closer to God. I pray that our Family will come prepared to truly enter in to the experience of worship.

Some of you know Kent (my brother), Susan (VJ's sister) and their kids. Their youngest, Ryan, is still in high school and runs cross country for Lipscomb High School in Nashville. Today was the State Cross Country meet and Lipscomb won the A-AA division. Ryan was the first Lipscomb finisher in 9th place. Here are some pics for those who like that sort of thing. Enjoy! And God bless!

Wayfarer

Instead of participating in Treat-in-a-Trunk in the church parking lot tonight, I transported Virginia to the airport for her flight to Burbank. She will be quite a wayfarer over the next few days.

I liked the sound of that word, so I looked it up. If you're interested (if you're not just ejnoy the Chaucer print), here's what I found. It's from the Middle English weyfarere, from wey, way + -farere traveler, from faren to go; a traveler especially on foot. Now, she flew but I think the word could still fit, don't you? And when I tracked down fare, I found that it derives from Middle English faren, from Old English faran; akin to Old High German faran to go, Latin portare to carry, Greek peran to pass through, poros passage, journey.

Anyway, she made her flight and arrived in Burbank safe and sound. Jeremy has shoulder surgery tomorrow to repair an unknown injury from his youth. None of us knows how he hurt the shoulder, but beginning in high school it began to pop out whenever it got torqued the wrong way... a somewhat painful experience. We toyed with having it repaired then, but he never had 6 weeks in a row when he was willing to miss something (band, theatre, mission trips, camps, etc.); he just put up with it. Well, it has gotten to a point where it pops out more easily, so he decided to get it repaired. One nice perk from waiting is that they will now do it orthoscopically, so he'll have only 3 weeks in a sling instead of 6. Then there will be therapy to follow up, and he should be as good as new. Virginia went so she can help Amber take care of the patient... moms like to do that sort of thing.

Saturday VJ will fare on the way some more, only this time in a car. Mel's (of Diane and Mel) dad died this past week and the memorial service is in San Diego. VJ will drive down for it to spend a little time with D&M and then come back to J&A's Saturday night. By doing that she'll be able to go to church with them Sunday at Conejo... first time for either of us since they started going there a couple of years ago. She's looking forward to that. Sunday afternoon she'll fly back to Oakland, and I'll fare the way down to pick her up. I already miss her and am looking forward to having her back home. :-)

I hope Treat-in-a-Trunk went well tonight. I guess I'll find out in the morning.

Weekend

Well, a busy weekend went well... a real pot-pourri of blessings. We cleaned up a bit, put out clean towels, gathered lots of snacks and drinds, and waited for people to arrive. Neisha and Ezekiel came first, and we had time to get them settled in to their room and play with Zeke before Won By One got here.

About the time the Cardinals were wrapping up the World Series there was a knock on the door and Won By One rolled in. It was really good to see Lindsey, John and Darnell again, and it was a pleasure to meet Stacey, Matt and Natalie (all freshmen in WBO) for the first time. After making new acauaintances and catching up, we sang through the songs for Sunday. The girls got beds; the boys got the floor in the TV room; VJ and I hit the sack.

Saturday everyone but us headed off to the youth rally in Martinez where they had a great day. I ran with Randy early. Virginia and I walked. I did some yard work. That evening we went to the rally as well to catch the WBO concert. They did really well, singing a mixture of last year's songs, some new ones and even 2 or three refurbished songs from previous years. Good sound for having 3 new voices and this early in the year.

Sunday we focused our worship around the things that frighten us and the One who is bigger than our fears. Here's the order:

Anywhere with Jesus – 414
Greet One Another
Thy Word – 449

Welcome and Prayer
We Have Come to Worship Him
Show Your Power

Responsive Reading: Ephesians 6:12-13
The Battle Belongs to the Lord – 749

God Moves in a Mysterious Way – 26
Prince of Peace! Control My Will – 761

David’s Perspective

I Am a Sheep – 533

Deep Calls to Deep

Faithful Love (v 1)

Remembering Our Hero
Bread: Faithful Love
Cup: Be Still My Soul
Offering: Surround Us, O Lord

Invitation to Children’s Church
Unto Thee, O Lord – 794

Fear and Faith
You, O Lord, Are My Refuge

Family Matters & Shepherd’s Prayer

You Were There (video)

Won By One headed back to L.A. after a yummy lunch at Panera Bread. It was indeed a weekend full of blessings.

Dad

Today, October 27, is my dad's birthday. If he were still living, I think he'd be 94 years old today. It's really hard to think of him being 94 because, come this spring, he will have been gone for 20 years. I was almost 37 when he died, so he seemed fairly "old" to me then, but now, almost 20 years later, not so much. Also, my image of him is who he was then... not who he would be or might look like now.

Dad was what used to be called a "regular guy." That usually meant at least two things: 1) he wasn't famous or "high falutin'" and 2) he was down to earth... the kind of man you could trust to do the right thing, keep his word, and be... well... a regular guy. And he was certainly both of those things. He came from humble rural roots in the Depression, and he always seemed to be content to let someone else worry about "keeping up with the Jones." Oh, he bought a new car every few years, but that grew from his desire to be practical and safe rather than a need for flashy wheels. However, I do remember the time he bought a nearly new and rather psychedelic orange 75 Super Beetle and drove it home. I'm pretty sure Mom was glad when that one finally went away.

As a kid what I remember most about Dad was his quiet demeanor, his strong work ethic, and his desire to do things that made my mom happy. He used to say, sometimes to Mom's frustration when she wanted to know what he wanted for a change, that he was happy when she was happy, and I believe he truly meant it. He was never the guy who would stand out in a crowd, but I never met anyone who knew him who didn't like him. One of his joys in the 70s was sitting by a Joy Bus kid or two during church.

Apparently he had been quite an athlete when he was younger. He played basketball; I remember finding some little track medals from high school in an old case one day when I was in high school. I remember often visiting the old home town in Roosevelt when we were on vacation and hearing stories about the catch. "So, you're Dewey's boy, eh? Well, let me tell you about the catch." Apparently Dad played some semi-pro baseball and once made a Willie Mays style over-the-shoulder catch while running full out with his back to the plate to seal the win in a game. He was a Roosevelt legend after that.

By the time I came along he seldom played any sports himself, but he would often come straight from work to see me run an afternoon track or cross country meet. I do remember one time, though, when he drove by the school where a bunch of teens and adults from church were playing softball to see if I needed a ride home. He stayed around to watch, and we coaxed him to bat. Dad was not a big guy... about 5'8" and maybe 145... but he took one swing, crushing the ball and sending it deep over the heads of the left and center fielders. With no fence, that ball rolled far enough that the bases cleared as Dad jogged slowly around the base path in his work clothes and steel toed shoes, with keys and change jingling in his pocket. He never did become a regular with us at Monday night softball. I think everyone learned something about him that day... yeah, he could hit the ball, but it wasn't all that important to him to do it.

In the mid 70s Dad was struck with PLS (primary lateral sclerosis - first cousin to ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease). Slowly over several years it robbed him of his mobility, eventually leaving him wheelchair bound and needing help with most of his personal needs. Mom was his primary care giver during that time, and I doubt anyone was ever cared for as well as he. She was sitting with him that night in 1987 as they watched a Perry Mason re-run and a stroke took his life.

Here's to a regular guy... Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is Thursday!?!

Well, I haven't posted since Saturday, and I'm not sure where the time has gone. I mean, I remember all the days in between... the things I did, the people I talked with, all the emails I sent and received... it just doesn't seem like that many days should have gone by. Oh well, I seem to have more weeks like that as I get older.

This evening Virginia and I met Jeff Boyer at the church building to take care of a few of those necessary technical things. We repositioned the stage lights to more evenly light the front and get a little more light on the face of anyone standing at the pulpit. It took a little while and a little ladder work, but the end result is an improvement. There's virtually no natural lighting in our building and the house lights are indirect cove lighting on the side, so stage lighting is critical for people to see faces well. It can be tricky to get enough lighting on stage without washing out the screen, but I think we did pretty well. We'll see (no pun intended).

We're really looking forward to the weekend. The Martinez church is hosting the 11th (I think) edition of the annual Scary Monsters Youth Rally. The name plays off Halloween... the idea that the real scary monsters out there are not ghosts and goblins, but things like Spiritual warfare, not living holy lives, and so forth. It's about the only big youth rally still going in NoCal, and they do a good job with it. A really good drama group from Cascade College in Portland comes each year. And Won By One from Pepperdine comes as well. Because of our history with them, they stay with us, so that's the main thing we're looking forward to... and hearing the new group sing as well. It'll be good to see Lindsey, John and Darnell again and to meet the new members, Natalie, Matt and Stacy. They'll also worship with us Sunday morning and serve as 6 of our 8 praise team members. More about our worship focus tomorrow.

Where's Virginia?

Those of you who've known us for a long time understand that both Virginia and I are what you might call "shopping challenged." If either of us were to list our top 10 favorite things to do, shopping wouldn't be on either list. That makes what I say now truly amazing.

I've posted about some of our recent home improvement projects... mostly painting and a few related things like new towel bars, etc. Well, sometime during one of those visits OSH or Home Depot or Lowes I apparently came home with a different wife. She looks like Virginia... she talks like Virginia... she has the same sense of humor and likes to do videos. But this new person seems to like to shop. She's been on the internet ordering new stuff for the guest bedroom, and today she dragged me from Home Depot to Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Target, where we found everything she was looking for. While taking a break at the Starbucks at Barnes and Noble I started to ask her, "Who are you and what did you do with Virginia," but thought better of it. Now, to be honest and fair, we did make a couple of stops that were my idea... Staples to get her a new floor mat for the home office and an auto parts store for some tire chains in case we need them in the mountains in November... but that's not really shopping, right?!?! Just picking up a few necessities.

Now here's the thing... that guest bedroom... it's looking really good. She had a vision, pursued fulfilling it, and achieved success. Maybe this new shopping trait is a good thing... so long as it doesn't get out of hand.

"What's that, honey? You want me to go with you to which mall?"

Find X

One of the neat things about this digital age is that we often have the opportunity to keep up with or catch up with or at least occasionally touch base with people we otherwise might never be able to contact. For example, my mom (who is 88 years old) regularly exchanges email with some of her former students... going all the way back to the class of 1945.

One of the people I occasionally exchange emails with is my former high school chemistry teacher. Now, I remember that back in 1967 he had a pretty good sense of humor. He had sayings like "hot glass looks just like cold glass" to remind us not to grab the pipette we had just made by heating the end in a Bunsen burner with bare fingers. I also remember the twinkle in his eye when one experiment each year was to make some substance that smelled like vomit. Of course, we did it with all the windows and doors in the chem lab wide open so the rest of the school could also enjoy the smell. Anyway, you get the idea. Well, after we reconnected via email in recent years, we've enjoyed sharing funnies. The one below is a classic.

Attached is problem 3 on a geometry examination given at the University of South Carolina. The solution was submitted by a blonde student and it is our understanding that after careful scrutiny, the student was given credit by the professor for her answer.
When hearing of this situation, the Dean of the Math Department warned other professors to be more explicit in the wording of examination problems, but was hesitant to suggest how.

The answer in question is below.

Well, after a good laugh, I couldn't resist sending it on the the math people in my life (daughter, Jennifer, and brother-in-law, Mark, both college math profs, and nephew, Russell, an actuary). Mark liked it so much he printed it off and stuck it on his office door. He and I have a rather "punny" relationship that goes back over 25 years. His reply was something about "mean" behavior by some of his students.

Well, hope it gave you as much of a laugh as it did me... whether you're blonde or not. God bless!

Biking and More

On some days, especially when my Achilles tendon is sore, I'll hop on my old bike, strap on my bright yellow helmet, and head off on a ride. Today was one of those days. My tendon isn't really that bad, but the weather was simply beautiful, so I decided on pedaling instead of pounding. Not sure how far I rode, but I pedaled pretty hard for about 80 minutes... up hills and down, bike trails and neighborhood streets, lots of winding fairly flat stretches, all part of a big counter clockwise "loop" that eventually brought me back home. My legs were pretty drained by the time I arrived back at the house, especially my quads. There was hardly any wind blowing today, so no matter what direction I was going, I was creating a nice cooling breeze. Good way to spend 80 minutes enjoying God's creation.

Got an email from Jeremy today. True Lift is running a special on the Wave of Grace Collection, the 3-CD set of 50 much-loved hymns. The set usually sells for $40 bucks, but they're running a pre-holiday sale of $29+S&H. Check out the link. You can listen to samples and read a little about the recording project itself.

Virginia's class this weekend was cancelled (actually postponed to be re-scheduled), so we're here instead of Sacramento the next couple of days. I had planned to go with her this time. The cancellation was because her instructor had a death in the family. It's convicting that my first reaction was to feel sorry for myself because our plans were dashed. How selfish is that?!? As I repent of that attitude, please join me in a prayer for the instructor and her family. And, we have some things to catch up on around here anyway. Give your loved ones an extra hug and take some time to notice the varied and surprising ways God is blessing you.

Back Home

My trip home from Arkansas was a bit different than expected. Mom got me to the airport plenty early for my 7:25 flight to Oakland. Good thing I was early because the security line was long. But, it did move pretty quickly, and I was through security and the Starbucks line in plenty of time to get a good spot in the 'A' line at gate 11. This is where things began to change. It seems this flight was oversold (how does that happen???), so they announced that they were offering the face value of the ticket + $200 in a travel voucher good for a year to take another flight. After a quick call to Virginia, I decided to take them up on the offer and settled in with my book to wait for the 10:00 flight... to Chicago.

Well, the flight to Chicago Midway was only about 90 minutes. The 63 other passengers and I enjoyed the snack, and I especially relished having a whole row of seats to myself... although I sat in only one.

Chicago Midway is a neat airport... not too big, but with a great foodcourt. I strolled around, got something to eat, finished my book, and started a 2nd. The 3 hour layover was more than ample to get a good start.

Chicago to Oakland (even non-stop) is a pretty long flight. I was more than ready to get my feet on the ground and my legs moving by the time we landed. However, the 5 or so hours in a totally full plane weren't without pleasant distractions. Let's see, there was that book to finish, my row mates sleep-jerking to observe, the gourmet snack pack to get the gastric juices flowing, that line at the aft restroom to meet people, the more humorously clever than usual flight attendant to keep the mood light, and, of course, that slightly harder than expected landing to make sure everyone was awake to de-plane.

One real plus was that because my bag was on the original flight, it was waiting on me when we landed. Virginia picked it up and met me as I entered baggage claim. We were out of the parking lot before the other bags hit the carousel. Of course, I did get in a bit later... 5:15 instead of 11:00. All in all it was a good choice, but I was plenty tired when I got home.

Sunday was a blessing. Worship was rich; one of our teens was baptized by her grandpa; some of the young professionals hung out at our place for lunch. Good stuff.

Today was Monday... all day long. What more can I say?!? Oh, I did squeeze in time for a much needed haircut, losing the beginning of a 70s look I was in danger of cultivating. Tomorrow is Tuesday. Hope yours in blessed!!

Friday in Cabot

Today was another good day here in Cabot. We had a chilly night, so we awoke to frost on the grass, and it wasn't even that early. Mom's house is nice and tight, so it didn't get cold inside over night... stayed in the 60s.

After another good muffin breakfast, I did a little work outside. First I washed the siding on the house using some of that house wash stuff. It does OK, but a good scrubbing probably would have looked better. The stuff ran out, so I finished the job using LOC, and it seemed to work about as well. I trimmed a few branches off the neighbor's tree that were rubbing the roof or close to it. Finally, Mom helped me scrape and paint a couple of corner pieces of her siding that were flaking off.

Another good run rounded out the afternoon, and supper filled us both up. Will need to get up early to get to the airport in time for my 7:25 flight home. It's been a good stay.

Arkansas Drizzle

This morning broke grey and drizzly (Is that a word??) here in Cabot. It has stayed that way all day, drizzling off and on and not getting out of the 50s. I guess it's a little dreary, but it sure made for a brisk run early this afternoon... nice!

I got some work done today... caught up on some emails, prepared Sunday's powerpoint, including new backgrounds for a couple of songs, worked on class some.

In the afternoon Mom and I went out to visit Jim Green and his family. Jim has been taking care of Mom's yard and other things around the house for several years, and his family treats her like she's part of their family. Well, Jim had a heart attach and bypass surgery last week. He came home yesterday, so we went to see him. He's doing much better.

Being at their house is sort of what you might imagine visiting the Waltons might have been like. First, the house is really big, 2-story and complete with finished attic and basement. And, there are 4 generations living there. Jim and his wife, Patsy; Patsy's mother; their daughter, Tammy, and husband, along with their 3 kids. They all pitch in and do their parts, and it all seems to go smoothly. Sounds sorta like the Welch family, eh!?! Not every family could do that. :-)

After leaving the Green house, we went for some Mexican food at a local place. The service was hampered a bit by the language barrier... yes, here in Cabot, AR... but the food was good. After that we went by Walmart so I could pick up some paint and siding wash. Need to do some washing and touch up on Mom's siding tomorrow. It's supposed to be up in the mid-60s and clear.

Well, it's early, but I think I can feel another bowl of ice cream coming... that is if those green chilly enchiladas settle down a bit.

Mom's Place

Well, the flight to Little Rock was late, but both I and my baggage made it just fine. Rick and Brenda Fielder, dear friends for years, came with Mom to pick me up. We had a good visit on the way home.

Today was a good first day here. Mom fixed the traditional late big breakfast of scrambled eggs and cheese, bacon, and those wonderful whole wheat muffins, the recipe for which is now in it's 4th generation. Of course we had an assortment of side stuff like OJ, jelly, honey, coffee, etc. Great way to start the day... even though I did sleep in, and no need to eat again until supper.

I cleaned out her gutters and downspouts, although they weren't very clogged. They'll probably need cleaning again after the leaves fall from the trees, but maybe Kent can do that on his next trip over.

I ran one of my old courses in the afternoon and admired the brand new high school building along the way. It felt good to jog along those streets again.

The church in Cabot does a Wednesday night fellowship meal at 5:45, with one of their small groups hosting it a month at a time. We decided that would be a good way to see people, so off we went for supper. And we did see several folks from our days here in Cabot... great fun. The one question asked by almost everyone was, "Where's Virginia?" Oh well... next time. :-)

We talked to more people before and after class... such a blessing to be able to re-connect, if even for a little while, with people who have helped shape who I am.

Well, that's enough tonight. Think I'll go continue another family tradition... indulging in a big bowl of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream!

Trip East

Well, I'm off to visit Mom today in Cabot, AR. Looking forward to the trip. Wish Virginia could come as well, but her time away in her new job is limited at this point. Oh well, Mom and I will have a good time, and hopefully I can get a few jobs done for her around the house... at least what there is to do. I checked the weather on-line, and it actually will be pretty similar to the weather we've been having, except one night it's supposed to be near freezing. Hasn't been nearly that cold here yet.

Flying back Saturday, so I'll see you Eastside folks Sunday, Lord willing.

Weekend

Whew! Where did the weekend go? Wasn't it just a little bit ago that I was dragging myself out of bed to meet Randy for our Saturday morning run in the hills? And now it's bedtime Sunday night. Lots of good things the last two days, and it sure went by fast.

After the run in the hills we participated in the annual Hunger Walk with a bunch of other church members to raise $$ for our food pantry.

I spent much of the rest of the day prepping and putting a first coat of pint on the big bathroom upstairs. It was easy to see that a 2nd coat would be needed.

At 6:00 we had a dinner at church for all the elder and deacon couples and staff. It was fun. For each course we had to change tables so we got to spend time chatting with more people. Great folks!!

This morning Virginia and I both taught our usual classes. The one I teach is about parenting adolescents, and we are using a Kevin Leman series. Good attendance and participation.

During worship we installed our new elders and deacons, seeking their commitments as servant leaders and pledging as a congregation to support and follow. It was a meaningful time of worship.

The new young adult group came to our house for lunch. Virginia had made taco soup, and both the food and the conversation were good. We're really prayerful about and enjoying helping these young adults grow as a group.

The rest of the afternoon (after a little chair time :-) I 2nd coated the bathroom, cleaned up and hung a shelf in the little bathroom downstairs. Virginia worked on her school work and got started on a video she's doing for the 29th.

Whew! Where did the weekend go?!?

Microclimates

Well, from before sunrise today we had clear skies. The high today was 65, with a crystal blue sky, bright sun and light breeze. However, the gray clouds were doing their best to peak over the hills a few miles to our west. If I had gotten in the car and headed west on Hwy 4, within 10 miles I would have been looking at gray skies and temps struggling to climb out of the 50s.

The meteorologists talk about the bay area microclimates. A combination of the chilly Pacific on the west, the San Joaquin Valley on the east and lots of hills and coastal mountains woven throughout the entire bay area, the temps can vary greatly in just the space of a few miles.

One day this summer it was over 100 in Antioch, but only in the 50s at Point Reyes. We needed jackets as we hiked around in the chilly ocean breeze. When we got home after dark, it was still in the 80s in Antioch.

Today there wasn't much temperature variation... 65 here and upper 50s in SF. And SF doesn't vary too much year round, with a few days of exceptions. In the summer SF will be one of the coolest parts of the Bay Area, usually in the 50s or 60s. In the winter SF will be one of the warmer parts of the Bay area, usually in the 50s or 60s. This winter when we get down in the 40s or 30s, we can go to the coast to warm up instead of to cool off.

Well, more than enough of that. It's supposed to be beautiful and in the 70s this weekend. And a north then northeast wind will wash pretty much all those clouds away from all the hills, valleys and beaches. Enjoy your very own climate, "micro" or not!

Rainy Season 06

Well, we've had our first rain of the season here in the Bay Area. The high today here in Antioch was 66, and we had a whopping .o3" of precip. I think a couple of places in the north bay they had almost .6", but we usually are among the lower amounts.

It's actually a bit early in the fall for the rainy season, so this may be merely a preview of things to come a little later on. But, for now, it's supposed to be 72 and sunny to partly cloudy tomorrow and beautiful this weekend. I know we need the rain, and I actually enjoy the cool gray skies from time to time, but I've really gotten used to the blue skies and dry air that we have much of the year.

Oh well, here's to the gorgeous weekend!! Enjoy!

Thoughts to Ponder

There are many things in The Missional Leader (the book I'm reading) that are challenging. Some of the challenging ideas have been expected, but others are requiring me to re-think ideas and approaches I've believed in for several years. But, I guess that's the point, isn't it?!?

One thing I get is the shift from being a church that operates through attraction... attracting people to the facility by offering Christian goods and services like children's ministry, dynamic preacher, youth program, better small groups, couples classes, sports teams, maybe a Starbucks... you get the picture, right? The church with the best programs wins. Now I realize that's a bit tongue-in-cheek, but, honestly, that's how it's been all of my life. True that the "goods and services" have changed over the years, but we've always "done church" by attracting people to the building. It's a different focus to see the church as people who are going out to bring Jesus to the world... not by knocking doors or setting up Bible studies (although that might be part of it), but by doing the day-to-day things that need to be done to care for people... sorta like Jesus did.

One implication is that because the church is ekklesia (called out), God calls us to be a community of people that is different than the world... different values, different priorities, a community that is Christ-centered rather than Caesar-centered. The thing is that the modern American church isn't very good at that. Our rates of divorce, abuse, etc. are roughly the same as the cultural at large. We are just as consumed with commercialism and me-ism and other isms as those around us. And many of our churches preach Americanism right along side of or instead of the gospel. I've gradually become aware of these realities over the last few years, but what had not totally clicked for me is how difficult it is for a church to make a missional shift when we are so like the culture around us. The problem is that if we aren't truly ekklesia, growing Christ-like qualities as a community, looking different than the culture, etc, then we aren't different from it. If we aren't different, then we have a hard time being missional.

One current example is the Pennsylvania Amish families whose girls were murdered this week. The Amish live as a community that is ekklesia (on steroids)... truly called out of the culture. Now, you don't really think about the Amish wanting to influence culture... being missional. Yet, their difference from culture - specifically their Christ-like ability and desire to forgive the murderer and pray for his family - has had an impact... a missional impact on the cultural at large... even if that was not their intention. God knows what he's doing... if we will allow the Spirit to grow his fruit in us and shape us into Christlikeness as those called out of the culture around us, he will use us to draw others to him... in everyday ways in our day to day lives.

That's enough. More challenges later...

Missing the Point

Virginia and I have been reading a book written by Brian McClaren and Tony Campolo called Adventures in Missing the Point. The point of the book is to explore ideas about the variety of ways the church (and/or Christians in general) have missed the point... or sometimes majored in minors. Each chapter is penned by one of them, ending with a response to the chapter by the other guy. While their points of view are sometimes different, they usually find a good patch of common ground.

We've been doing this reading in the mornings before we go to work, so it usually takes us at least a couple of days to get through a chapter. The one we just finished, written by McClaren, is titled Missing the Point: Doubt. I really like how it ends:

But here's where faith comes in - a faith that leans on God, not our own theology. We have the challenge of believing that good answers are out there, if we only have the courage to press through the intellectual pain of questioning, seeking, learning and stretching. I believe Jesus when he said he'll never leave us or forsake us - and that includes even when we question. Or as St Paul said, even when we are faithless, God remains faithful. It's ironic: the more free I am to doubt a specific belief, the more free I am to hold on to that person-to-person faith in God. At the point where the tide of faith seems the lowest, if we hang on and don't give up, we'll see the tide rise again.
After all, to trust our beliefs about God more than we trust God - wouldn't that be missing the point?

New Leader Week

This coming Sunday we will "install" (I really don't like that word - inaugurate, instate, induct... swear in???... is there a good word??) our new elders and deacons. We have a couple of pretty cool ideas that I think will help make it a meaningful morning in the life of our church, but I can't give them away here, can I? I'm looking forward to Sunday morning... hope you can be there.

I just read this article by Joe Beam in Grace Centered Magazine. Based on his observations from his considerable travels, he constructs a model of how he sees Churches of Christ today and where he sees us most likely going in the future. Check it out and see what you think.

Have a blessed week!

Thursday Night

Grilled chicken and zucchini, brown rice, salad with fresh tomatoes, fresh green beans... supper was really good and pretty healthy to boot tonight. We've gotten into a pretty cool routine at least once a week this summer. We get home, Virginia fixes a salad, some brown rice, and maybe another vegetable. I get some kind of meat ready to grill (usually chicken or fish), slice and season some zucchini and put it all on the grill. I usually finish about the time Virginia is wrapping things up in the kitchen, and we thankfully sit down to a simple and yummy dinner. Another nice thing is that there'll be leftovers for probably two more meals... in some form or another. Who knows, some of that chicken and squash may end up in an omelet Saturday.

We took my car (96 Camry) and dropped it off at the shop tonight to get worked on tomorrow. It's actually running well, but the brakes are acting a bit squishy, and that's nothing to mess with. Plus, at 121000 miles it's time to have a few other things looked at. That's not excessive miles for a Camry, but that preventive maintenance stuff is invaluable. Sooo... I'm expecting to have to plunk down a chunk of change tomorrow afternoon.

Speaking of tomorrow afternoon, Virginia is going to the 25th annual Bay Area Women's Retreat at Day Break Camp this weekend. She always enjoys the time, but she's been so busy with her schooling that she'd just as soon stayed home this weekend. But, she committed to go, so she's going... that's just her.

Supposed to be another gorgeous day tomorrow. Can't wait!

Surprises

Yesterday and today I felt pretty normal during the day... a little stopped up but able to get quite a bit done at work. So, I was surprised when I pretty much ran out of gas last evening... I mean I was really zonked by the time I got home from our elder/staff meeting.

I felt better today, but I was again surprised this evening... hardly had a voice for praise team practice. I was surprised because I had been able to sing earlier in the day. Guess it's just that evening stuffed up thing.

I was also surprised at praise team practice tonight. Sunday we're doing a couple of prayer song sets that include "Father and Friend" and "Prince of Peace..." The surprise was that most of the singers didn't know either of these songs. That happens sometimes. Churches have always developed their own repertoire of songs over time... even in the good old days. While there are many songs in common, it's always surprising to learn the unique differences.

What wasn't surprising was that we worked on the two songs and they both came together nicely. Working with our praise team is, to borrow a phrase from a friend, working in an ego-free zone... I love it!! And the glory all goes to God.

Virus

Last night after I finished with the bathroom work I noticed that I noticed that I began to feel a bit sluggish and congested and my voice began changing to more of a bass. Earlier in the week Virginia began feeling symptoms of some bug that is "going around" among folks at the PD, and I suspect I've contracted whatever it is from her.

It doesn't seem to be too bad a bug, but things like this usually hit me harder than they hit VJ... guess she's just tougher or something. Anyway, I felt pretty bad when I woke up this morning, so I decided I'd just sleep in and work from home. I think that was probably a good choice, because, while I'm still sort of stopped up, I'm feeling better than this morning. Viruses come and go, so this one will pass as well.

Which raises the question about the plural of virus. Viruses just didn't sound right, so I looked it up. According to Wikipedia, the preferred plural is viruses, and the less frequent variations of viri and virii are "virtually unknown in edited prose and and no major dictionary recognizes them as alternative forms." How about that... viruses it is!

Well, here's to hoping your next virus is short-lived. :-)

Sunday PJR

Today Eastside experienced our first Sunday PJR... post Jarrod Robinson. While Jarrod and Lauren experienced a new beginning with the Riverside congregation in Coppell, we were taking our first steps as a church family after sending them on to their next ministry. I think any time a minister leaves a congregation, the church family gets to choose how they will respond, and Eastside is responding in healthy ways.

We have new elders and deacons to install in a couple of weeks... Kyle is doing a great job connecting with the youth... our fall ministry efforts are underway... new Family Circles are forming... there is a real sense of anticipation of what God will do next among us. I pray that we continue to remain open to His leading... that we pay attention to where He is working and have the courage to join Him there.

The upgrade of the downstairs bathroom is almost complete. I guess is started back in the spring with a refurbish of the wood cabinet. Then we had the vanity top, sink and faucet replaced when we did our kitchen counters. A couple of weeks back we took down the mirror and metal cabinet and started the process of patching and painting. We found this mirror that we both liked and repainted the chrome to match the wrought-iron look. Yesterday we made a trip to Home Depot and picked up a new exhaust fan to replace the really loud old one. We got one with a light in it to increase the lumens in the room. We also got dark switches and a dark metal faceplate to coordinate with the new look.

I spent some hours Saturday figuring out how to take out the old fan and get the new one in. The instructions said these are really better installed in new construction, but it could be installed if I had crawl space access. Well, because of the location of the bathroom, the stairs, the upstairs floor, etc., I had no crawl space access. So, I got the old one out, cut the whole bigger to match the new fan, took the fan unit out of the mounting box per instructions, and let it set so ideas could percolate in my head until this afternoon.

Well, after a lot of thought, a call to my electrician friend, Bruce, quite a bit of sweat, and about 3 hours, I managed to figure enough work arounds to get the fan/light installed... and it works!! I also managed to get the new switch and outlet installed.

As is often the case with my home improvement projects, this one took at least twice as long as I thought it might, but at least I didn't have to make extra trips to Home Depot... and Virginia was proud of me because she didn't hear me yell even once.

We got the mess cleaned up, and the bathroom is almost done... just need to install the little wrought-iron shelf that Virginia ordered... when it gets here... and we'll be done. Although she did say something about a new light fixture.... hmmmmmm.... I guess we'll see.

Beautiful Thursday

Man-o-man... today was one of those beautiful days... blue skies, not too hot, nice breeze from the north. It was definitely a nice day for a run... and the old Achilles tendon is slowly getting better.

Didn't get too much done around the house other than the laundry, but I did fix an interesting concoction for supper. We let one of the zucchini grow pretty big before picking it (about 18" or so) and had it in the fridge. I split it length-wise, scooped out all the seeds and pith, stuffed 1/2 with a taco meat-bean-corn mix, put mozzarella cheese in the other half, put the two halves together on a cookie sheet, and baked it in the oven for about an hour. It was yummy... and pretty healthy to boot I think. And... we'll have left-overs for a couple of days. Good thing we both like zucchini.

Tomorrow will be finalize sermon day for me. I've had an outline in my head for a week or so... put it on paper Wednesday... sort of talked through it while I ran today. I just need to make sure I'm prepared enough to not go too long.

Family Circles are coming together well. We'll have at least a couple of new ones and a couple which will focus mostly on ministry this year. One of the new groupings will be a young adult group. We've needed something in that 20-something age (mostly single) range for a long time, and now God seems to have raised up a nucleus of folks to get something going. Virginia and I will mentor the group as they get started and figure out just what they're going to be. Prayers answered on this one... please pray for this new ministry as it forms and grows.

I mentioned earlier that the breeze today was out of the north. Well, as the high pressure north of us shifts to the east, the winds are supposed to shift as well... from the northeast and finally east... over the next two days. As a result, they're declaring a Red Flag Warning starting tonight here in the East Bay. That may mean no trail run Saturday morning if they close the trails. We'll just have to wait and see.
Hope your week ends well. Blessings...