Rehearsal

Yesterday afternoon the Tri-Valley half of our East Bay Praise Team made the trek to Antioch for our second rehearsal. Greg Brown was a bit sick, but those who were under the weather last month are well, so we were all present. The rehearsal went really well. Good singers... wonderful music... great energy. I'm really looking forward to our worship session at Pepperdine. I believe that God will use what we have planned... the songs... the texts from 1 John... the prayer... Kent Mereness' art to touch the hearts of those present.

I'm also looking forward to the morning session with Lynn Anderson. Not yet sure what songs we'll be doing or how many, but Lynn is such a great teacher that it'll be good to be there even if we sing only a couple of songs.

Today was Monday... and rainy... one of those "Mamas and Papas" days... but it didn't get me down too bad. However, I think it's supposed to rain most of the week.

Update on the Honda... so far no engine light.

Oasis

Oasis, our new 6-week Wednesday night offering, started with a bang last night. We had over 100 folks (over double our usual Wednesday participation) gather at 6:00 to eat together... enjoy fellowship... share some worship time... and take part in one of several discussion groups. The food was good (thanks to Georgia, Darlene, and Dovie), the worship was lively, the group discussions were engaging, and the fellowship was rich. There are a few details we'll try to tweak for next week, but it was a good evening. We wrapped up by 7:15 so families with kids could get home. The praise team practiced at 7:30, and we had a good rehearsal. Most of the other folks stood around and talked for 15 or 20 minutes before heading home. It was a great evening... can't wait until next week!

Today was an eventful day. We got a call yesterday that our refinance papers were ready to sign, so we took care of that this morning. On the way to the title company we got a call that our car (see Feb 15 post) was finished. It's hard to imagine that a rat did over $1500 damage. Thank goodness for insurance!! After work this evening we trekked over to Walnut Creek to get it. On the way home, we stopped for a relaxing and enjoyable bite to eat. That, along with a 6 mile run (beautiful day today), means I'll sleep well tonight.... think I'll head that direction. Good night!!

Monday

I know this will sound pretty weird, but Monday holidays are some of my favorite days to go to work. OK... pick yourself up, dust off your britches, and try to understand. You see, there's always been a part of me that relishes things like getting caught up when I'm behind, getting ahead on something that's coming up, checking things off a list, taking care of that nagging chore that I never seem to find time for... that kind of stuff. I hear you... psychologists write books about people like me... but I can't help it... just wired that way I guess.

Sooo... today is a school and bank and government and (probably lots of others as well holiday), and where am I? The office. :-) Now, it's not that I don't enjoy time off... it's just that... well, here's the scoop.

Virginia works at Jet Tax, right? Now, do people who work at tax offices take holidays this time of year... of course not. So, if I stayed home, I'd be without my sweetie.

Also, there are several things coming up for which I need to prepare... not just the normal weekly stuff, but extra things like a class I'm teaching at a conference in a couple of Saturdays, along with planning and leading worship a couple of times at that conference. I needed to look at our back wall projector, since it's been acting weird lately, and we have Oasis kicking off Wednesday night.

Could all of this stuff get done if I hadn't come in today? Sure... but... I have a secret. I'm the only one here today, so I can just "cloister" and work. Ah... if you only knew the endorphins I'm releasing...

Well... back to work!! :-)

Clouds

This evening Virginia and I went out for a walk around 5:30. The rain and most of the clouds had cleared out during the day. The air was still crisp with blue sky caressing soft billowy clouds that were catching the setting sun on the bottoms, turning them shades of pink and orange... simply beautiful. As we walked, we just basked in the beauty... and the blessing of being part of God's creation.

Later this evening we watched a piece on global warming... how it's no longer deniable... how we are contributing to it... how the arctic is melting, and the impact that will have on world climate... weather patterns... droughts... floods... super hurricanes...

Lord, forgive us and show us how to heal your world.

Saturday Morning on the Road

Spring weather didn't last. Believe it or not, it has turned cold... and even some snow on the area mountains... down to 1500 feet. Now, mind you, it's not cold like it's been in the mid-west or back east, but for the Bay area, 30 degrees over night is pretty cold.

Well, Randy and I hit the road this morning about 8:00 for a long trek up the paved hills to Black Diamond Mines. It was clear and crisp with no wind... and no snow at our elevation. I struggled... been too long since I ran that far... but the conversation was good, and it was nice to finish... guess it's sort of like banging your head on the wall because it feels so good when you quit. It stayed pretty chilly most of the day, clouded up gradually, and started a cold drizzle earlier this evening. I think it's supposed to last until tomorrow afternoon.

Our praise team in the morning will be sort of pieced together. With some folks gone, and some getting sick late in the week, I had to make some last minute substitutions. I think we'll be OK... glad everyone is so willing... such a great team spirit. And, what can I say about my wonderful wife. At first she wasn't going to sing this week. On Wednesday, I asked her to sub at soprano for Suzy (whom I forgot was going to be gone). Then, today I got a call from Karen with sick kids, so I asked Virginia to move over to alto and called Marla to fill in at soprano. Also, Mark has gotten sick, so Jarrod is filling in on bass with Brad. We're singing a great combination of older and new songs, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Maybe you can be there!!

Cars and Rodents

For the last month we've been dealing with an intermittent "check engine" light in the Honda. It first came on before we went to ZOE last month, and we took it into the shop. Their diagnostic said it was a bad gas cap, so we replaced it and headed to ZOE. On the way down, it came on again, so we took it back in when we got back, and they replaced a couple of solenoids. The next day it came back on once more, so we took it back yet again and they replaced a third solenoid. Two days later, it came on again, so the local Honda specialist we were taking it to refunded us some $$ and recommended we take it to Walnut Creek Honda (one of the dealers in the area).

In the mean time... while all this was going on, we also had a large (rat size) field mouse in the garage, and it was chewing plastic and rubber hoses under the hood. Really did some damage... but I caught him in a rat trap and ended his reign.

We dropped the Accord at WCH Sunday evening so they could begin checking it out and hopefully solving the mystery. After a day and a half of tests and cleaning out emissions hoses, they decided the only thing left to do was drop the gas tank and check the hoses that are connected to the top of the tank. Meanwhile, the cost of this venture continues to escalate.

We had the option of just leaving it alone, but in CA, you can't pass your smog test every two years if the "check engine" light is on. Now we just had it "smogged," so we'd have 2 years... but then it might not be able to be fixed... who knows. Anyway, we decided to bite the bullet and just have them drop the tank.

It turns out that that pesky field mouse had crawled clear back up on top of the gas tank and chewed some of those hoses as well. The good news is that it should fix the problem... the bad news is that it's expensive.

The best news in all of this is that, since the rodent caused the damage, it is covered under our comprehensive (after our deductible), so it won't be that bad. And we'll just go ahead and replace all the other hoses and wires with rodent damage. Won't get the car back until Monday, but at least we shouldn't see that "check engine" light for a while... unless, of course, there's a gremlin in the car in addition to the rodent.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Well, here we are... Tuesday, February 14, 2006... the latest edition of Valentine's Day. Hope you are enjoying the day! Ever wondered about the origins of Valentine's Day? There are several versions, but, if you're so inclined, just click here and check out some of them.

Valentine's Day used to be a pretty big day for Virginia and me because it occurs exactly 6 months after our anniversary, and, since our anniversary is also VJ's birthday, it seemed appropriate to make a little bigger day out of V-Day. Slowly, over time, we've lessoned the emphasis, so we usually don't do anything big anymore. I tell Virginia that every day I get to spend with her is special... and I really mean it.

Don't get the wrong idea... we don't ignore V-Day. We still do the "card thing" and either eat out or grill something. In fact, I went by the house this afternoon and put a couple of steaks out to thaw. That should be good!!

Let me leave you with this passage. Wonder what our world would look like if more of us actually lived it out... day by day?

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

John 13:34-35

Coming Together

Sunday was an interesting day to say the least. Of course, there are always the usual surprises (can you really have a "usual surprise"?) than you can never really prepare for but need to adjust to. We had a couple of those Sunday... in fact, Doug needed to fill in for me during our opening song because I was caught in the foyer doing "business."

However, that's not why Sunday was interesting. Before class started, I got a call from Lauren that most of the classrooms downstairs in the fellowship hall were wet. Apparently we had sprung a leak in an exterior pipe and it had run down into the classroom area. The sump pump that is down there didn't work for some reason, so all night there was water seeping into the downstairs, and by Sunday morning we had several classrooms and a hall with soaked carpet.

It was a pain, but it was neat at the same time to see several guys (and a couple of ladies) show up around 2:00 and spend several hours moving furniture and sucking up water in shop vacs. I did learn that on carpet it's much more effective (at least after you get any standing water) to just get down on your hands and knees and use the hose nozzle directly on the wet carpet... takes longer, but you can sure suck up the water. We got out a lot of water and left fans running. Today a couple of guys are fixing the pipe and letting it air out more.

It's kinda funny, but you wouldn't think about wet carpet, shop vacs, and sore knees providing an opportunity for spiritual community... but it did. The Holy Spirit is just amazing with how He uses things in our lives. Praise the Lord!

The Story We Find Ourselves In

Since last fall, Virginia and I have been choosing a book and reading it aloud, a chapter or two at a time in the mornings. We started off reading as we walked, but that didn't last too long. I found I couldn't walk fast enough while reading... and stay upright, so we separated the activities. Walking goes better without reading, and the reading is more reflective and interactive when I'm not worried about tripping.

The first book we read was Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller... highly recommend it. It helps you understand that for some in today's world, the best road to Jesus may not look like what most of us "churched" folks have grown up with. Next we read Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala. It's a wonderful story about the power of prayer in the life of a church in New York City. Then we decided to read Brian McClaren's New Kind of Christian trilogy. We just finished the second book, The Story We Find Ourselves In. It raises lots of great questions about how the church might need to look to be effective in the culture that is emerging in the 21st century. Certainly makes one think... and wonder... and pray... and see the need to trust God more and one's own understandings less. We just started the third book.

We're really enjoying doing this... it gives us a regular time to reflect and discuss ideas, spiritual things in general... and to pray together... and those times are special every single time.

Value

Today we had an appraiser come by to determine the current value of our house for our refinance. They say that in real estate value is determined by 3 things: location, location and location. It's amazing to me how home prices out here, where they are already among the highest in the country, continue to escalate. So, is our house worth its value? Good question!

This afternoon I went out for a run for the first time since I got sick a couple of weeks back. Didn't run too fast or too far (come to think of it I never run too fast anymore), but I did feel pretty good. Being outside on a gorgeous day... breathing fresh air with every stride... burning off a few calories... giving the heart a healthy workout. Is the time spent jogging or walking in the hills valuable... worth the time? You bet!!

Super Sunday

Our worship this morning was really good. As we continue our look at Abram's story, today we noticed how God's goodness to Abram allowed him to be good to Lot. What a challenge for all of us... and we shaped the rest of our worship to encourage us to trust God and be faithful to him and be good to others in our lives. We introduced two songs... the Lift version of Praise the Lord from the My Everything CD... great upbeat praise song. We also introduced the ZOE version of You Are Holy... great song of commitment because of who God is and all He does. The church did well with both of them. We'll sing that one several times throughout our Abraham series.

Our Family Circle met for a potluck lunch over at the Paslay house. Good food; good conversation; and we talked about visitation assignments for the remainder of the month. I love this group... so into trying to do good stuff for others. Thanks, guys!

Brian and Laura hosted the youth group for a Super Bowl party. Several of the kids came over, and among the food, the game, playing ball in the cul-de-sac, and a rousing game of cards, there was something for everyone. The Lescures are such good hosts for the youth group.

I was kinda pulling for Seattle, so I guess my team didn't win. However, all in all it was a Super Sunday anyway.

Technology

A while back Ron Skrehot turned me on to a really good deal for Norton Security with a 3-computer license on Buy.com. We didn't have up-to-date virus protection on the auditorium computers, so I ordered it. Today I finally got around to installing the software on 2 of the computers, and it was an adventure.

The older one runs Windows 2000 and had an older version of Norton, so, as per instructions, I tried to uninstall the old version before installing the new one. I got an error that it couldn't uninstall the old version because it couldn't find some file... so I couldn't install the new... hmmmm. Sooo... I just went through and deleted all the old files I could find (I know, I know, probably not the right thing). I was then able to install the new version, run live update and do a scan. There's still a problem when the computer boots because there's some file explorer is looking for, but once we get past that, it seems to work fine. Whew!! (Maybe Ron can fix it correctly.) :-)

OK... the installation on the newer machine went smoothly, but when it started the scan it locked up after about 600 files. I tried it again... rebooted and tried again... went to the Symantec web site to download a "fix" and tried again... NO CHANGE!! I'm sure glad I had absolutely nothing else to do today (he said with his tongue firmly implanted in his cheek). Soooo... I uninstalled Norton, rebooted the computer, installed it once more... and........... IT WORKED!!

I love technology... at least at those times when I don't hate it!!

When last I left them, the two computers were humming along just fine. Hope the gremlins stay away!!!

Back at It

Today was a milestone of sorts. During the last couple of weeks while I was getting sick and slowly recovering, I haven't been running or working out. Frankly, I just haven't felt like it. Today was my first day back. Didn't do too much, and it didn't take much to be enough after so many days off, but it really felt good to be "back at it." There's just something about running or working out... or even working in the yard on some occasions... that cleansing feeling of sweat pouring down my face... that feels good. Somehow, I just feel more whole or something.

Our Praise Team rehearsal last night was a good one. Good spirit in the room, and we even prepared two new songs for Sunday, Praise the Lord from Jeremy's My Everything CD and You Are Holy from the ZOE Ancient Future CD. You Are Holy started out pretty rough, but everyone kept working on it until I think it's ready for Sunday. I think it's a great song period, but it's especially good for this Abraham series because it talks not only about all that God is in our lives, but expresses a faith and commitment to follow him. I think the church will pick it up quickly.

Well, I'm a bit tired, so it's about time to get ready for bed. Being "back at it" means a bit more sleep is required.

Step by Step

Today we hosted the memorial service for Randy Moser's dad, Ray. Randy's mom and dad attend a small Lutheran church whose meeting place was not big enough to host this event, so we offered. Really didn't have much to prepare... just tried to be a gracious host and run the sound and video.

The minister did a really good job, and the service was pretty interesting for me. With our non-liturgical background, it was pretty neat to be in a service where there was a script and scheduled audience responses. Intermingled with that the minister and several family members shared memories and stories... and a few tears were shed as well.

The family had a bbq lunch catered in, and our ladies set the fellowship hall up nicely, provided desserts and drinks, and made sure everything ran smoothly. It was neat to watch the various family members and friends just talking and remembering and laughing together. Made me wish I had known Randy's dad. Also reminded me once again that this life is a journey of many steps... but we each must take those steps one at a time. Thank you, Lord, for relationships... help me to cherish them.