Spring Garden

When we moved to California a little over 3 years ago, Virginia and I decided we wanted to get back into growing vegetables. During our Arkansas years we always had a big garden... bigger than our whole back yard now... but among the heat and humidity, the poor soil in our yard, and the fire ants, we never got around to growing veggies in Houston.

Well out here, on the edge of the San Joaquin Valley, where almost anything grows well, we definitely wanted to get back into the vegetable growing. Our back yard is small and the soil isn't great, but we've been working on improving that. Last our tomatoes and zucchini did very well; the yellow squash did OK; and the green beans didn't produce much (we planted pole beans and they seemed to produce lots of leaves and no beans).

This year we got stuff planted a little earlier, and everything seems to be off to a good start. Here are some shots for your enjoyment.

Several tomato plants

More tomatoes than ground, so put some in pots.

Beans coming up. We also have a variety of squash, sugar snap peas, and we went out on a limb with cantaloupe... we'll see.

Virginia's little tangerine tree is starting to grow.

And our apple tree really has the blooms this year. We'll see if that actually translates to Fruit.

I'll post more pics later as the plants grow and begin to produce stuff to eat.

Lake Walk

One of the really neat things about living here is Contra Loma Regional Park just over the hill from our neighborhood. We can walk up Silverado less than 1/2 mile, turn up the hill on Grimsby to the public access, go through the gate, dodge a few cow pies, crest the hill and walk down into the park, as per the view at the right. Today makes 2 Fridays in a row that we headed out on the almost 4 mile jaunt. Virginia says walking over the hill is like going on vacation without having to travel. I think I agree.



















Here's a shot up one of the hills from the lake level.





















The lake itself can be really beautiful with the late afternoon sun glimmering on the surface.

The sun sank slowly behind the western hills and the air began to cool. We made it home just at twilight with a bright moon rising in the east. Beautiful evening!

Perspectives

Tuesday night a few of our Eastside folks attended a special "open night" of an ongoing class on world-wide missions. The 16 week class, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, is offered each year at Golden Hills Community Church. One of our members, Ken Lopez, took the class last year and was really impacted by it. Butch Berton is taking it this year, and he's really pumped up as well. So, several of us attended this open session.

The speaker this week spent 20 years of his life in Papua New Guinea working with a people group that had no written language when they went and had been cannibals as recently as a few years before they arrived. It took them 6 years of living among them (I'd say incarnational is a good word here) to learn the language and culture well enough to teach them the gospel. The story of how these people responded was incredible... inspirational... a certain testimony of the power of the gospel in the hearts of those who "have ears to hear" the message.

All in all, it was one of the best Tuesday evenings I've had in a long time. One of those experiences that helps you take a hard look at your own attitudes and actions... and yield once again to the Spirit.

Blessed are...

Each one of us has had those "ah-hah" moments in life... you know, those times when you understand something for the first time or you gain a whole new perspective on an idea or you suddenly see a solution you never saw before. For some unexplainable reason, one of those times in my life leapt from the recesses of memory into my consciousness this afternoon.

In August of 1977 I spent the week as a counselor/teacher at a Bible camp at Camp Tanda in Big Bear, California. I had good memories of that camp as a kid... maybe the first time I held hands with Virginia was sitting on a log around the camp fire. Well, several years later at age 27 I was helping. Rich Dawson was the director, and there were kids and adults from several churches in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Each evening we listened to a young guy talk about the Beatitudes from Matthew 5, the beginning of Jesus' sermon on the mount. I don't remember his name, just that he was a grad student from USC... and that the things he said totally helped me re-orient the way I viewed being and living as a Christian. I remember taking notes... lots of notes... notes I later used to teach and re-teach those same lessons to others in other venues. I'm pretty sure I still have those worn pieces of paper.

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

For the first time I saw the Beatitudes in a different way... a description of a process... a journey... a beginning of a relationship with God that grows and changes and brings us ever closer to Him. It was one of those "ah-hahh" moments for me... one that truly has impacted me for almost 30 years.

A quick summary seems in order; focusing on the growth characteristics rather than the promises, here it is:

In order to come into a relationship with God, the very first step is simply to recognize that we are spiritually bankrupt...
That realization leads us to mourn our sin as well as all the sin and pain in the world...
Seeing our own weaknesses and inability to save ourselves leads us to surrender to the One who is strong and able, emptying ourselves...
This emptying leads us to truly hunger and thirst for a growing relationship with Him, one that fulfills and satisfies...
Thus, He is able to begin filling us up... with mercy that is like His... with hearts that are transparent (pure) and increasingly reflect His glory... with a desire to share His peace with all others...
And when the persecution comes, we will have strength and confidence to make this journey every day in many ways.

Just writing this once again brings me to the point where the main thing I recognize is my need for God. Blessed are...

Walt Keister

I've written several posts about people who I perceive have influenced me is some way... people whom God has used to shape me... people whose influence has helped me be better than I otherwise would have been. There are many more, and I plan to write about them occasionally in coming weeks. Today I want to mention one good man whose influence I might have overlooked had his death yesterday not brought him to mind.

Walt Keister was not my peer but one of those youth group parents when Virginia and I were in high school. Walt and his wife Ellen , like my parents and others, opened their home to us and did their best to help us function as a healthy youth group in an era when most churches did not have youth ministers. Their daughter, Ginger, was a good friend and fellow Viking at Hueneme High. We sure had some good times together.

Walt was one of those guys who enjoyed laughing with us boys, but he was not really an up-front-on-stage kind of guy at church... at least when we were kids. He was more like my dad... more quiet and behind the scenes, but with a heart of gold. I never doubted that Walt didn't think well of me as a teen, and I never doubted his love and support of our youth group. Every church needs more couples like Walt and Ellen, and we had quite a few at Oxnard in those days.

Thank you Walt for your example, for your kindness, for your faithfulness to your family and your God. Thank you for your influence in the life of this kid and others in our youth group. You will be missed.

Kaleb

One of several disadvantages to living in the Bay Area when our grandson Kaleb lives in Boston (Jen and Fok live there too :-) ) is that we don't get to see him nearly as often as we'd like. That makes the pictures we get even more special, so I thought I'd share a couple. Enjoy!!

Here's one following a recent taekwondo belt testing.

For Christmas we gave him some roller blades, and here's one of him practicing with them. Looks like he's getting pretty good on them.

I was able to go spend Kaleb's spring break in Boston last year but I can't do that this year. Hopefully we'll get some Kaleb time this summer.

Youth Rally Weekend

Well, our youth rally weekend has come and gone... and it was a tremendous success!! We did not have large numbers attend, and that allowed for an intimacy not possible at larger gatherings. The theme/title Kyle chose for the weekend was Offerings: What Will You Give? and that idea reflected pretty much all that happened. There was the usual "youth rally stuff" like singing and talking to the kids, but it was much more experiential, including off-site service projects in which the kids did useful and meaningful things in the community... cleaning up God's creation at a wetlands... hosting a carnival for under-privileged kids... working at a food bank... singing at a nursing home. And the kids loved it even though it was not all about them and their comfort an entertainment.

In addition, two groups of college kids really boosted the "quality" and energy for the weekend. Seekers of the Word, a drama group from ACU spent their whole spring break with us, interacting with our teens, doing service related things and just having normal spring break fun. Their contribution to the youth rally was immeasurable... great hearts. Also, Won By One, those wonderful student singers from Pepperdine, came up for the youth rally. Their presence always brings energy, and they are also such good examples to the middle school and high school kids of what it can look like to follow Jesus as you get a little older.

Kyle had a lot of help putting the weekend together and things ran smoothly. The adults really stepped up in various areas, and I think everyone finished the weekend both truly satisfied with the outcome and worn out from the effort.

Bottom line... God was glorified... and my guess is that at least a few lives will never be quite the same.

Global Warming

I rented and watched An Inconvenient Truth (with Al Gore) so I could get the latest on the extent to which we humans are responsible for global warming. I was really impressed with both the product and the conclusions.

Then, yesterday I watched The Great Global Warming Swindle (BBC) that says the "global warming" people have it all wrong... that the primary cause of global warming is changes in the sun, with CO2 contributions by man playing a very minor role. I was really impressed with both the product and the conclusions.

Now today I have read some scientists criticizing the scientists who criticized... you get the idea. Both sides are basically accusing the other side of propagandizing and/or politicizing the topic for various reasons... including who gets the research dollars available.

Sigh... I guess 500 years from now somebody will know for sure who's right.

Influence 109

Sitting here in my office getting ready to go home, I noticed a couple of completed coloring-book sheets taped to the wall above my computer desk. They were both colored by Camryn, daughter of Marlene and Randy Moser. Randy's the guy who drags me up hills during our Saturday morning runs, and Marlene is a wonderful soprano on our praise team.

Camryn is about kindergarten or first grade... not too good with remembering those things, but I'm sure she'll tell me, and she has the sweetest heart. If she has some candy, she always offers to share... she loves to tell stories and sing... and occasionally she'll give me something she's drawn, which I hang on my wall for a while.

I've written several posts on people who have influenced me over the years (and I have several more to write), but today I am reminded that the genuine nature of children... their love and innocence and acceptance... has influenced me often in my life's journey. Sometimes they were my own kids and sometimes other children, but I know I am different (in a god way) than I would be without them. Somehow, I think God crafted it that way.

The Gift of Sunday

Today was a good day all around. What with "spring forward" our Bible Class attendance was down some, but, other than that, it was indeed a good day. During our worship assembly we focused on the many gifts we have from God and our responsibility to identify and grow in the use of those gifts that God gives us for such purposes. I even got to talk about running during the sermon.

Virginia and Jennifer both really enjoyed the retreat... the fellowship... the singing... the lessons... the massages!! I think Virginia's presentation went really well... several of the ladies who went all talked about it... and I know she appreciated Jennifer's help. They both really connected with Michelle Washington's lesson this morning as well.

They did some sight-seeing and got home around 4:00. We then went up to church for a presentation by Seekers of the Word, a student drama group from ACU here on spring break. They'll do some service oriented things and drama presentations this week, help with the youth rally next weekend and fly back to TX next Sunday morning. They were very good... powerful messages... really well done... and they're all nice kids to boot!!

We finished up the evening at Baja Fresh. Pretty good way to wrap up the day!

Calistoga

This weekend each spring ladies from Bay Area congregations gather at a spa/resort/hotel (not sure just what to call it) in Calistoga for a Ladies Retreat. During our time here the numbers attending have not been great, but Virginia has gone each year, and generally the ladies who go really look forward to it.

The format is as much about sabbath as it is about traditional retreat things like devotionals and speakers in group settings. In fact, one of our elders here has nick-named the event "spa and chapel" to tease the ladies. They don't really care... as long as they can schedule a massage.

This year it's different for Virginia for at least two reasons. First, this year she is one of the speakers. Those of you who know her realize that means she's been planning her session for months now, with really concentrated prep the last couple of weeks. She walked through her near-final outline a couple of days ago, and it made me wish I could go... she's done a great job... the ladies are in for a treat.

The other reason this trip to Calistoga is different is that she's accompanied by one of our Sugar Grove friends, Jennifer Edwards. Jennifer teaches school in Houston and is on spring break this week, so she came for a visit, flying in late Thursday night. It's already been fun catching up on what's been going on with her, and I know she'll enjoy the retreat as well. Virginia even recruited her to help with her presentation.

Of course, all the above means that I'm "baching it" this weekend. I always miss VJ when she's gone, but I can handle a couple of days no sweat. :-) The morning got off to a good start with a long run in the hills with Randy. As soon as I'm rested, there are things to get done around here, and I'm preaching tomorrow, so I won't be bored. Well, better go enjoy the 70 degrees and clear blue skies. Have a blessed weekend!

Influence 108

5th grade was OK, but 6th grade was a really good year. Part of the reason was my friends; there were 4 or 5 of us who "hung out" and did stuff together all the time, and one of those was my best friend at the time, Russell Newsom. Russell and his family were from Texas, and they lived around the corner at the end of the street. We became friends in 4th grade, and stayed friends until they moved to Camarillo when we went into high school. 6th grade was probably the peak of our friendship in terms of time spent playing ball, riding bikes, and so forth.

However, looking back on 6th grade it's clear that my teacher, Mr Heidebrecht, was a huge influence. He was the first teacher I'd had who was anywhere near "cool," and he even played football with the boys during recess. In addition to normal 6th grade stuff I assume I learned, he taught us things like fair play, good sportsmanship, how to have fun even if you don't win, and he always demonstrated a sort of tough-love fairness when dealing with us as his students. It's hard to put my finger on specifics, but there's no doubt he had a big influence on me at that time in my life.

Later, while living back in Oxnard for a couple of years in the mid-70s, I ran into him again. I was working as a substitute teacher and the first time I was assigned to my old Junior High, E. O. Green, I ran into him in the faculty lounge. He was a little older and didn't seem nearly as tall, but the smile was the same and that dry sense of humor had not faded away. He even remembered me... or so he said. :-) Thanks, Mr H... 6th grade was a good year.

Influence 107

I'm sitting here watching a fairly new show called Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? It's pretty funny. Part of that is the host is Jeff Foxworthy, and he can't help being funny. Partly it's just the idea of adults competing against kids and questions based on grade school subjects. Partly it's just shaking your head at some of the things the adults don't know. The format is similar to Millionaire, but it's more fun and less dramatic.

Anyway, it got me to thinking about my own experience in 5th grade. I had my first male teacher, Mr Silverstein. I really don't remember all that much about 5th grade... let's see... square dancing for PE in the cafetorium (yeah, that's right, a cafeteria/auditorium or cafeteria with a stage)... a couple of really cool science demonstrations, including one where Mr S heated a gas can, put the lid on it, ran cold water on it, and it collapsed... studying the pioneers and making a wooden long rifle (may still have that somewhere)... and building a weather station which I even got to take home.

One thing I do remember was thinking it was pretty cool to have a male teacher, and I think that was a positive thing for me. In fact, I think it would be a positive thing for kids today (especially boys) if there were more male teachers in elementary school.

My one regret... that I never did get all those square dancing steps down.