Sunday of Service

This Sunday all of Jarrod's and Butch's planning and lots of prayers all came together in our first Sunday of Service. It was part "work day" to accomplish lots of things that needed to be done in the buildings and on the property, but more than that we wanted to share in an experience through which we "worshiped" outside the usual place in ways other than the usual ways. We wanted it to be a Romans 12:1 experience... and I think it was.

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. (Romans 12:1, The Message)

Here are some more pics to give you a feel for the day...





Kids had some special projects









There were inside projects











There were outside projects

There was painting and trimming and juniper duty and flower planting. It was a great day... with a wonderful spirit shown by all. Thanks to all who worshiped with their hearts and hands!!

Follow-up

Well, once we got started, the wedding went smoothly and lasted only about 30 minutes. Pictures were taken, clean-up was done, and they all headed out to the reception. I finished putting some things back together for Sunday, and headed home to change clothes.

I got to the Antioch HS track for the Relay for Life about 6:30 and walked until about 8:00. What a wonderful and festive event. We had quite a number of church members involved, and next year we'll have more for sure. This is just the kind of event that we want and need to be part of. VJ and I survived the heat and made it home. Now it's time for a shower and bed. God bless!!

Wedding Weekend

The last few days have been great... having Jeremy, Fok, Jen, and Kaleb around has been a real blessing. We missed Amber being with us, but word has it she and Tracey have been having a blast with their "girls' weekend" activities.

Yesterday about 3:00 we all piled into the Moser's van (they graciously swapped out for our Honda for the weekend) and headed to SF to rendevous with some of Fok's family at SFO and dinner. They are all in the area this weekend for a friend's wedding in Palo Alto today. It was HOT in Antioch when we left... 99 I think. When we went through the tunnel, the temp as registered on the van's thermometer just began dropping until it was aorund 61 by the time we go to the ariport. The fog was spilling over the coastal hills into the bay... pretty cool sight (and the pun is intended).

We had a great visit and dinner with some of the Leung family... such gracious folks... eating dinner at a sort of "old world" Italian place in South SF. Jen and Fok and found it online, and everyone patted them on the back for the find. We bid them goodby and headed back to Antioch. When we got home... even at 11:00.. it was still in the 80's.

This morning Jen, Fok and Kaleb drove to Palo Alto, and VJ and I took Jeremy to the airport. Right now I'm at the building running sound for a wedding. It's now 4:30 and the wedding was to start at 3:00. At 3:00 a few folks were here, but not nearly everyone. By 4:00 most of the guests had arrived... and the bride finally pulled up in the limo, so I started the first song on the CD. The men were to go to the front on the 2nd song, but we didn't get that far... at least not yet. It seems as if the bride's bouquet is nowhere to be found, so I played that first song a 2nd time (the song title is "At Last"... maybe I should play it again!). Right now Fred Ford is up front leading enthusiastically leading singing and wiping sweat from his face as we all wait. Everyone seems to be in remarkably good spirits as we are "standing on the promises." Cynthia Ford just handed me a CD with some gospel on it, so we may play that a while to give Fred a break... we'll see.

I was supposed to walk with VJ for an hour as part of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life at 5:00. Not gonna make that, but she's found a ride, and I hope I'm done here in time to pick her up.

Well, it's 4:42, and I need to start... more later. :-)

Good Day!

Well, most of our kids flew in last night (all but Amber, who is enjoying a "girls' weekend" with one of her best friends whom she seldom gets to see... we miss her, but I know she and Tracy are having a ball). Jeremy got in about 9:45... we picked him up and went to Starbucks to sip and visit until the flight From Boston got in. Marlene had swapped vehicles with us, so we were able to get all of us in her van quite easily.

Today was hot again here in Antioch, but we just enjoyed hangin' out. Virginia had to work but got off early. Jen and I fixed a noonish breakfast for those of us at the house. Jeremy worked with clients on and off all day.

As evening approached Jeremy grilled tri-tip and corn, and we all pitched in to make a wonderful supper... including a few fresh green beans from the garden. We all ate too much... at least I did.

Since this was my belated birthday dinner, I had a couple of more cards to look at, and we did crepes with fresh strawberries instead of cake. Jen and Fok brought some fudge from Boston, so there was chocolate as well. All in all a great day!!

Fok's family flies in tomorrow for a friend's wedding in Palo Alto on Saturday. I think we're going to try to hook up with them in SF tomorrow evening for dinner. Hard to believe it's been almost a year since Fok and Jen were married. I guess time flies when you're having fun, right!?!

Getting Hot!

Well, it seems summer is arriving just in time for summer temperatures. It was 95 today and is supposed to continue to climb to 100 by Thursday and hover in the upper 90s at least through the weekend. One of the nice things about it being hot here... the humidity is low. Not at all like it was in Houston.

One of the weird things about weather here is what they call micro-climates. These are created by the ocean on the west, the valley on the east, and lots of hills and valleys in between. Here's an example... later this week when the air flow at the beach begins to blow off the ocean, kicking in the area's natural ac, the high in SF is supposed to be only 65. That same day here in Antioch, several hills and valleys away, a high of 98 is predicted. Sooo... assuming light traffic, we could drive 45 minutes and need a jacket. Go figure!!

Because my left calf is not yet up to a good run... and because it was hot today, I did about an hour pedaling hard on my bike this afternoon. Good workout... I worked steadily, kept my rpms up, and worked some hills. I was feeling pretty good about the time I was making on my 25 year old bike... then, while laboring up one hill, a real cyclist pulled along side, chatted a bit, then pulled away. It was pretty deflating... but just until I crested the hill. I got over it and enjoyed the rest of the ride. Hope you enjoy your ride as well... no matter what you're riding.

Birthday

When I passed the age milestones of 30 and 35 and even 40, I was not only not sad... I was excited. You see, back in those days (and 25 pounds ago) I used to run lots of miles and lots of races. Passing those ages meant that I moved up an age group in most races, supposedly enhancing my chances of winning a cheap plastic trophy to go along with my "free" T-shirt. Some Saturdays it actually worked!
By the time I hit 44 (that's 44 magnum, right?!?) I was no longer racing much. Then came 50 (the 1/2 century mark), and last year I hit 55 (double nickels). As I got older, I think my favorite year was 54... that year was the only time I'll be twice as old as my daughter, Jennifer... just fun thinking about.

This year, 56, is kind of innocuous, but I did have a few things happen to make it memorable. First, Mom wrote me an email saying that the year I was born, June 19 was also on a Monday. Here is some of what she wrote.

I very well remember that Monday morning. I had been staying at Gertrude and Guy's for a couple of weeks, and on Sunday we had
attended a family get-together at Carter at my parents house. Afterwards, we went to Cordia and V. T.'s house on a farm close to Guy's farm. After we returned to Gertrude and Guy's, I started having problems; so they took me to the hospital, and you put in an appearance about six a.m. Monday, weighing eight pounds and fifteen ounces. We had had home made ice cream at Carter, and I had eaten a very large amount. I thought maybe had I eaten just one more bowl, you'd have made your appearance weighing a full nine pounds.

This evening I had a surprise phone call from Roland and Norma... singing me a very harmonious rendition of "Happy Birthday." Speaking of songs, our Birthday Gang from Sugar Grove in Houston called last night with the old favorite, "It's Your Birthday, It's Your Birthday, Yes It Is" (to the tune of "She'll Be Comin' Around the Mountain"). So, I've had two surprise and phone enhanced birthday serenades.

This afternoon my brother, Kent, called me, and we talked for about 30 minutes. Mostly we talked about the total devastation he saw last week while their youth group was on a mission trip to New Orleans to clean out houses that had been flooded. Of course, the purpose of his call was to razz me a little about my birthday, so we talked about that as well. I told him that if 50 is indeed the "new 30," then I was doing pretty well. He told me that he had been thinking that 56 wasn't so bad until he realized that in a short 4 years I'll be 60. I told him, "Thanks!"

Then later today I got to thinking... I know a bunch of folks who are 60+... and about many of them I just hope I continue to be a vibrant and alive as they are... true living examples of how to continue to use your gifts for God throughout your life. And, of course, the other thing is that year, 2010, I'll be twice as old as Jeremy for the only time in our lives... and that should be fun!!

Father's Day

This morning my alarm went off at 6:15, and, as is usual, I groaned, rolled over, turned it off, and plopped my head back on the pillow so I could wake up. You see, when Virginia gets up, she more or less hits the ground running... wide awake... ready to go. I'm just not wired that way. I can get up as early as needed, but I simply gotta work through the waking up thing. Well, this morning... about 5 minutes after the alarm the phone rang. It was Jennifer, in NYC for a conference, calling to wish me a Happy Father's Day. That sure made waking up a little easier this morning.

Speaking of FD... I got a great card from Jeremy and Amber. It was really cool... honoring the time-honored place of duct tape in the family system. Drop by the house and I'll show it to you. :)

I hope all you dads out there had a great day today, and may God help each of us see all the ways we are blessed by family and friends... and through Jesus.

Weekend Events

Yesterday afternoon Virginia and I planned to attend the Deer Valley HS graduation at 5:00. Two of our kids from church were graduating, and one of the families had several extra tickets given to them by another Eastside member. The graduation was held in the football stadium, so a little before 4:30 we put on our sun screen, grabbed a bottle of water and headed out the door. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year... 99 in Antioch, so we were planning on a sweaty evening. When we got to the school every single parking place in both lots was taken, and there were lots of cars (presumably containing family members) futily looking for a place to park. We decided that if there were any spots left they should go to those folks, so we navigated through the traffic and headed home. When we talked to one of the families today, they told us the stadium was packed as well... and it was quite hot. I'm glad we were able to be of service to someone wanting to see their love one graduate.

About 3 weeks back family from the community came by the office to talk about doing a memorial service for the oldest son in the family (early 60s) who had died unexpectedly. That service took place at 11:00 this morning. About 25 or so family and friends gathered as we looked at some Psalms and took time to remember. A service like this is always difficult in one way... because I didn't know the man who died and because he and most of the family are not really "church" people. However, it is a real blessing to be able to be of help to a family in that way. I think at those times we are standing right along side Jesus.

Next Saturday a sister from the Diane Ave congregation is getting married in our building. Lamont, the minister there, is doing the ceremony, but I agreed to be the sound guy. So, this afternoon we had a rehearsal to make sure everyone walked down the aisle on the right song and so forth. It went OK, but what they really need is one of those "drill sergeant" types to run the show in the lobby. I'm sure it will all go well, and the kids in the wedding will be cute no matter what else happens.

Brian and Laura invited us over for dinner this evening... a big family celebration for Amanda's graduation. The food was good, and we got to meet lots of family from both sides. Jarrod and Lauren were there as well, and we all had a good time. Brian and Laura are always "comfortable" to be with... one of those qualities that make them so good with the kids.

Tomorrow... Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there. God bless!!!

Commute

Monday and Tuesday Virginia got to drive to Cal State Hayward for a software training class... some kind of mapping software that cities and agencies use to keep track of all sorts of things. Virginia uses it at the PD to produce maps for the department... for a variety of uses.

Anyway, for her training she had to commute all the way to Cal State Hayward. That's a pretty long commute, even for folks around here. Well, she made it just fine both days... even if she had... let's say a "varied" route home each day. One thing for sure, she's even more appreciative of her 7 minute commute to the PD. And I agree with her. Even on my bike I can make it to the office in less than 20 minutes.

I guess you can say we're doing our part to reduce traffic on Hwy 4.

Graduates

I remember back in the 80s when we were teaching in Arkansas that the school district quit having their annual baccalaureate service. Don't remember why, but the result was that we decided to do one at church. So on a designated Sunday night each spring we put together a service to both honor and challenge our graduating seniors. As a gift to those seniors, the other youth workers along with VJ and I would throw a cookout for the youth group. It was a fun time each year... usually with a pick-up basketball game in the driveway sometime before dark.

When we moved to Houston the Sharpstown (later Sugar Grove) congregation had a standing tradition of the Senior Tea. We usually introduced the seniors and had a special message in the morning, and the Junior moms would decorate the fellowship hall and arrange the eats for the evening festivities. When the church gathered that evening for the Senior Tea, we usually had a video of their growing up pics, set to an appropriate song, followed by sort of a roast of the kids... sharing humorous and usually embarrassing stories provided by the parents. I remember being totally blown away at our first Senior Tea by the generosity of the church... lots of gifts for each senior... it was a real party. As far as I know they're still doing it that way... each year the Junior moms set out to match or outdo the effort of the previous year... what a tradition.

When we came here to Eastside we were introduced to yet another way for a church family honor their graduates. The festivities happen Sunday morning and include both a special service and a potluck in honor of the grads. One of our elders, Brad, takes time to talk about the kids... he's a good story teller; Ruth and Virginia collaborated on the video this year. It was a special time for our six graduates... and for their church family. This is our third time to be part of this tradition. It looks a little different than either of the other two... but it's still a church family surrounding loved ones to honor and encourage.

Counters and Sod 2

Well, the guys from Granite Transformations finished up today. I promised some pictures, so here they are.



Here's a shot from the dining area.













A little closer look at the new really deep sink and way different faucet.










Looking back toward the dining area.












The counter and sink in our little downstairs 1/2 bath was really bad, so we had it replaced as well. The tape is still there until the glue dries.








Here's a shot of the new sod patch. Sure looks better than the dirt patch it covered up. Notice the "stripes" in the sod? It's because I worked unrolling the sod one way and then back the other. I'm hoping the grass will eventually all grow the same way. If not, oh well, guess it can be a converation starter.







Looking back across the grass to the garden.










From the patio across the beans looking at the tomatoes. That last green thing in the corner isn't a tomato plant... it's a little tangerine tree with 2 tiny tangerines. It had one last year, but it was really sweet!!

Counters and Sod

Today was a busy day at our house. About 8:30 this morning a bit truck rolled up with 300 square feet of rolled sod on a pallet. The driver expertly maneuvered his fork lift to place the pallet on the driveway near the garage. It was in the shade, and I was working on a cup of coffee, so I went back inside. About 15 minutes later the guys from Granite Transformations pulled their truck up to begin installing our new counter tops. It's a different procuct and process... a Manufactured product using approximately 95% natural stone combined with a specially formulated polymer... then they install it over your existing counter tops, eliminating the demolition costs. Check out the link if you want details. They started unloading, taped heavy paper all over the floor to protect the surfaces, and began the installation.

In the mean time I headed out to lay the sod. Last fall I had gotten so frustrated with the little patch of grass we had... so much crab grass and weeds... that I used Roundup to kill it all. After it dried up I tilled it up, raked it out, smoothed it over, and let it set up over the winter. After the dirt dried out, I tilled it up again a couple of weeks back, spread some fertilizer, and smoothed it out again. Thus prepared, it was a pretty easy job today. I pulled up the few weeds that had grown up, laid the sod, and watered it deeply. It looks pretty good now... hope it still does in a couple of weeks.

The granite guys didn't get all the way done, and will be back around 8:00 in the morning to finish up. I'll post some counter top and sod pics tomorrow.
Went for a short run in the hills today. My leg is not all the way well, but I made it back home. Hopefully it will continue to heal. Later...

Weekend with the Cliffords

Well, we had a pretty full weekend. Graham and Brianna Clifford (and their girls, Isabella and Abigail) were with us looking at our youth minister position. It was a good weekend, and now we will prayerfully consider the possibility of them coming here. They have one more church they are looking at this weekend, and our elders will seek input and guidance from our church this Sunday. Please pray along with us.

If you've been following this saga, you know that Eastside has been looking for over a year now. It's been an interesting and sometimes challenging journey. We looked at several candidates and brought in 3 late last summer, but, for one reason or another, none of them seemed a good match. At that point our elders and staff thought it wise to "rest" and pray for a couple of months. In November we posted the position again and re-started the process.

We were contacted by a number of quality candidates with whom we journeyed through a process to decide who might be the best match for us and we for them, finally narrowing the list to two. We feel blessed by God to have been in this process with these two guys, and leadership prayerfully decided Graham might be our best match... led to us by God.

As I said, it was a good weekend, and we are trying out best to leave it all in God's hands... whether Graham and Brianna partner with us or we take different step. He has certainly been faithful to us thus far, and I trust that will not change.

Music and Ice Cream

We had a pleasant and nostalgic experience tonight. One of the 8th graders at church is a French horn and trumpet (jazz band) player in his jr high band, and tonight was their pops concert and ice cream social. So, we took the short drive to his jr high and partook of an evening of band music... and some ice cream to boot. It was fun, and it reminded us of the many band and choir concerts we attended in which Jennifer or Jeremy were participating. I even gave Jeremy a buzz so he could share in the nostalgia as well... actually I needed to call him about something else, but it was a good excuse.

I'm glad band and choir are still part of the public school experience. There's just something about that learning process that shapes who you become in those formidable years. If you were in band or choir, take a few minutes to sing "thank you" in the shower in the morning.

Really Big Trees

As I mentioned yesterday, Virginia and I spent a good part of the day at Calaveras Big Trees State Park. I know it's really hard to have perspective in a photo, but the giant Redwood above is nearly 300 feet tall. Some in the grove are taller by a little, and several are more massive. These trees are truly amazing ... the largest and oldest living things on the planet. In my mind they are a tribute to the creative imagination and power of God. Enjoy the other pics below.


VJ with a few giant friends.


















This one is two trees that sprouted together and separated above the base.

















The grove is also full of mountain dogwoods that were in bloom. Here's the perspective thing again. That Redwood in the center is probably 100 yards behind VJ.
















Dogwood bloom with a really big tree in the background.

Beaver Creek on the trail to the South Grove. We'll see those trees next time.

Weekend in Calaveras County

Let me start off by simply saying, "Thank you" to all those who serve and have served our nation in the military. While there will always be all sorts of questions about the roles of Christians and the military and the church and our nation, today is not the day to have that discussion. Today is the day, as an American, to be grateful to all those who wear the uniform.

Well, Virginia and I had a wonderful time up in Gold Country. Murphys is a great little tourist town. It was especially nice to walk around after most of the tourists were off doing other things. Last night we mostly just settled in, got the lay of the land, and ate supper. Today we hit Mercer Caverns in time for the 9:30 tour, which took us 16 stories under ground... that's a lot of steps!! We spent the afternoon hiking around and looking at Giant Sierra Redwoods (Sequoias or Sequoiadendron giganteum) at Calaveras Big Trees State Park. We got some pretty good shots, so today I'll post some cavern shots and tomorrow I'll post some tree shots. Enjoy!





We decided to hike the "short" mile to Mercer Caverns. It was a bit more than a mile, and there were some hills to boot. However, the air was cool, the view was great, and we made it both directions.






Other than stalactite and stalagmite, I don't really remember most of what these formations are. Suffice it to say that the same process of water seeping through limestone causes all these formations to grow.












This one's really cool... sort of looks like tentacles.













Amazing!!



























This one was almost paper thin... sooooo delicate.

















No, that's not a critter crawling across the wall, just another strange formation that I don't remember the name of.










OK... this one almost looks like some kind of strange cave beast.






We have a few other shots, but these should give you an idea of some of the eye candy available at Mercer Caverns.

Tomorrow... big trees!

Hills and the Garden

It's been really windy here the last couple of days... strong west wind off the ocean. And that means it's also been cooler than usual... getting into the 70's here in Antioch, but staying in the low to mid 60's closer to the coast. As a result, it was really clear and windy, not to mention a bit chilly, for my run in the hills at 7:30 this morning with Randy and another guy named Phil Murphy.

Now, for those who know us, our niece, Jamie, is married to a great guy (does that make him our nephew-in-law?) named Phillip Murphy, but the guy I ran with is not him. First, this PM has about 35 years on Phillip. Also, Phillip has recently relocated to American Samoa as a vocational missionary. Here's his blog, in case you're interested in his adventures there while waiting on his family to make the move.

Anyway, Phil is a "serious" runner... trains daily, runs races, is lean and fast... some of you will remember what that is like. So, I was having to push it a bit to keep up with him and Randy this morning. Then it happened... my left calf started feeling as if it would pull. I slowed down and turned around early, but it still yanked on me a bit. I managed to finish in a slow jog... I mean really slow... but it'll be a few days before I can run again. Virginia and I are going to the mountains Sunday afternoon and Monday (Murphys, CA), so I should get in some therapeutic hiking. And, no, I don't think either Phil Murphy or Phillip Murphy are from Murphys, CA. Now that that's cleared up... here's a link and some pics of the Murphy's Historic Hotel, built in 1856, and host to Mark Twain, President US Grant, and, as of tomorrow, R&VJ. I think we'll try to hit one of the caverns in the area and do some hiking in Calaveras Big Trees State Park for sure.

OK, we spent most of the rest of the day working in the yard... primarily in the vegetable garden out back. We hoed and watered... we planted some flowers... we also planted a couple of guava trees that we had brought as seedlings from VJ's folks old place down in Carlsbad when we moved here. They had been existing in pots in the mean time. We did some stuff out front as well.

I didn't get to the irrigation system for the veggies... decided I was too tired after about 6 hours in the dirt. We'll manage with watering by hand for a few more days until I can get to it. Who knows, maybe I can find a guy named Murphy to help.

Worship

Tonight's praise team practice was one of those special... some might say magical... actually spiritual interludes when notes and rhythms and lyrics and voices become worship. Our rehearsals are almost always fun, and we usually do OK with the music... and even the message, but tonight was one of those special times when it becomes about what God is doing instead of what we are doing.

I think part of it was simply the powerful text that had shaped the selection of songs and continued to interact with us.

Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminalÂ’s death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11 (NLT)

Those words of Paul are so central to our faith... so rich in imagery... so exemplary for our own walk. Anyway, tonight God used those words to morph rehearsal into worship. Thank you!

Ham Seasoning

Today was the final full day of Mom's visit, so I decided to stick around the house and visit... getting some work done that didn't require being at the office. It was a fun day. Mostly we just talked about a whole variety of things... and "hung out" at the house.

On Saturday Mom's cousin, Anne Jayne (along with her husband, Jerry, their son, his wife and grandson), all came for a visit Saturday. Although they had communicated some over the last few years, Mom and Anne had not seen each other in about 80 years, so it was a fun reunion... complete with lots of stories and pictures. Virginia fixed a ham and some of her wonderful potato casserole for lunch. Chris (Anne's 16 year old grandson) finished off the last of the potato casserole, but we had lots of ham left. It was fun getting to meet a branch of the family I had never met. Making some of those old Winsor connections helps make some of the names more "real."

This morning Mom took the rest of the ham off the bone and boiled the bone and some ham scraps to make a strong seasoning broth for later use. It's amazing how much good we will eventually get from that ham... and those ham-seasoned veggies will be great! Thanks, Mom!

Mom's flight tomorrow morning is an early one... 6:30. It was her choice so that she could get into Little Rock in the early afternoon. No problem on this end... just means a really early start for all of us to get her there in plenty of time.

It's been a good visit... looking forward to the next one.

Dinner and Conversation

Last Sunday June Chandler offered to take us all out somewhere for dinner so she could get to know Mom a little better. Virginia suggested that the conversation would be better at home instead of at a restaurant, so June came over for dinner tonight instead. The food was good, the fellowship was too, and the stories that were shared completed the evening. It turns out that June and Mom hold some similar ideas about education because of their experiences teaching reading to kids, and they shared many similar experiences.

June brought a wonderful pistachio cream pie... really good, and she left what we didn't eat with us for later. Ymmmmm.....

Just a comfortable, fun and relaxing evening... good way to spend a Thursday night. I'm pretty sure all four of us enjoyed it a lot.

Quiet Servants

Today on his blog, Mike Cope wrote about the food women

...the ladies who express their compassion by providing meals at funerals and family visitations. They’re usually behind the scenes. But they use their talents to make life a bit more tolerable during loss. Food women. The ones who brought the casseroles and banana pudding to the church lunches we had in the church in Neosho growing up. The ones who fed the whole church on Wednesday nights in Wilmington (along with enough fresh vegies brought in by F. W. Mattox from his garden). The ones at Highland who fed our extended family when Megan died.

It got me thinking about all the quiet servants who have been part of churches in my life... growing up in Oxnard... 15 years in Cabot, AR... almost 14 years at Sugar Grove... 2+ years here at Eastside... even those who have blessed me or made an impression at churches we touched by in other ways.

If you think about it for just a few minutes, my guess is that images of many men and women you know and have known will begin to drift through your memory. Some who are like the food women Mike talks about... some who always seemed to know when jobs around the building or the parsonage needed to be handled... others who have a sense of when it's the best time to pray or cry with someone or just be there for them... the ones who lovingly teach and work with our kids... or those who willingly use their spiritual gifts to benefit others and strengthen the church. So many who allow God to use them. Give thanks for them... tell them "Thank you!"... determine to imitate them at their best... as they imitate Jesus.

A Corvette and Mothers Day

Well, Mom (Ruby Fern) arrived safely Friday evening. We had quite a traffic snarl getting through the tunnel on the way to the airport (Giants game... something about Barry Bonds going for 714 :), but we got there in time to meet her in baggage claim. Two years ago when she flew out, storms forced her to fly all over the place, eventually getting here about 6 hours late. This time was a breeze by comparison. Jeremy and Amber flew in for the Mothers Day weekend Saturday morning, so we had a really fun couple of days with everyone here.

We have a friend who has collected Corvettes over the years... for fun and as investments. A week earlier he suggested that I come get his brand new 2007 Corvette and have it here when Jeremy came. Sooo... Friday afternoon I drove out and swapped my 96 Camry for a this Corvette.

Needless to say, I got great reactions from both my mom and Jeremy when they first saw it. Mom started chewing me out for being so extravagant... Jeremy was almost in shock, thinking everything he had ever known about his dad had just gone out the window. They were both relieved to find out it was a "loaner." :-)

Man, is it fun driving that car!!! The gas mileage isn't great, but it has EVERYTHING on it, and it's a great ride! Thanks, Bruce!! Here are a couple more shots with Jeremy and Amber.

Here's a Mothers Day shot after church in our front yard.

Mom and I took Jeremy and Amber to the airport today to catch a 12:30 flight back to Burbank. Then we headed over the Bay Bridge, drove around San Francisco a bit, headed north across the Golden Gate Bridge, toured around Marin County, and eventually arrived back on Hwy 4 toward Antioch. It was Mom's first visit to SF, and I haven't been there but a few times. The only downside to our little tour was the thick fog that almost totally obscured the bridge even as we drove across it. However, a burger at In-&-Out made up for that. :) All in all... I good day!!

Security

How often do you think about security? And what do you think about? Security is one of those words that gets tossed around a lot... and people use it in a variety of ways. Christians often talk about the security of their relationship with God or the secure feelings you get from healthy relationships with other believers. Those who are in the work force think job security is a good thing... although it seems more rare than it used to be. We all think security at our bank is pretty important, and secure investments are preferable to ones that are not. In the last few years we've heard a lot about homeland security, and there is now a big debate raging about the best ways to enhance border security. Security is an important thing.

We just became a "demo home" for a Honeywell security system. Now being a "demo home" means they come and install all the hardware and sensors to this wireless system for free... even waving the activation fee (I always wonder exactly what that is). To be a "demo home" we just have to keep the sign visible in the yard for 3 years... and pay the monthly monitoring fee (probably how they make most of their money anyway). I offered to let them just put the sign in the yard... avoiding the monitoring fee and all the arming and disarming... but they wouldn't go for that.

I never have felt particularly unsafe in our neighborhood, but a security system is probably a good idea. Plus, we'll get a discount on our homeowners insurance... although I doubt it will cover the monthly monitoring fee. Actually, the last several years we were in Houston we had a security system, and we learned to live with the arming/disarming thing pretty well... don't think we ever had even one false alarm. That's a good thing because the city starts charging you after a few. Since Virginia's job at the Antioch PD includes keeping track of false alarms, I guess we'll need to be on top of that here as well.

Well, hope you have an enjoyable and secure rest of the week... wherever you are. :-)

Pepperdine 06 Pics

Here are a few pics from our week at Pepperdine. Enjoy!!

Couple of "view" shots.

The 11:00 worship and Lecture on Friday. Pretty good crowd, eh?!?

Marlene by the really cool tree outside Firestone Fieldhouse.

Virginia and view from the dorm area.

Pepperdine Lectures 06

Once again the Pepperdine Bible Lectures proved to be an amazing few days. We came home truly recharged spiritually and truly worn out physically. The classes, the main lectures, the singing and drama groups were all amazing. This was indeed a spiritual feast in the context of God's beautiful creation in Malibu.

Our East Bay Praise Team had two opportunities to lead worship. Friday morning we partnered with Lynn Anderson in Stauffer Chapel.

Friday afternoon in Elkins we led worship with a full house as Kent Mereness (Lubbock) created an amazing painting. If you come by to see us, we'll let you watch the DVD. :-)

Of course, one highlight was getting to spend some time with Jeremy and Amber. True Lift sang at lunch on Thursday and Friday night, and we love singing their music.

It was a great few days. I'll share some more pics this week. Blessings...

Spring Planting

Yesterday and today were the first weekend days this spring when we've been home and had dry weather to get out and work in the yard... and what a nice weekend it has been. Saturday, VJ and I hiked over the hill to Contra Loma Regional Park and just enjoyed the beauty. Virginia said that whenever we walk over there it feels like we're on vacation. I told her that any time I'm with her feels like vacation... good line, huh!?! The truth is I really mean it. :-) Here's one shot just to tease you.

After we walked, I ran for a while and we spent the rest of the day working in the yard trimming, pruning, pulling weeds, planting... you know, it would probably say be more accurate to say we worked until we were spent... that actually happened before daylight ran out because we were both pretty hot and tired. At least VJ got a couple of rose bushes in the ground... hope it's not too late in the season. Then a little later those nice thick pork chops we grilled a bit later sure helped us feel better.
This afternoon we fixed a sandwich and headed out in the yard again... the back this time to set out tomato and squash plants and plant green bean seeds, seeds for more squash, and some random flower seeds. Should be an interesting garden in a few weeks... providing the seeds come up.

We had our final EBPTeam practice at Livermore tonight. Several were not able to be there, but we had a really good rehearsal anyway... sort of like God is bringing it all together in His timing. If you're at the Pepperdine lectures this week, come sing with us in Stauffer Chapel at 7:30 Friday morning and/or 2:00 Friday in Elkins.

Doubt that I'll have much time to blog this week... maybe after Pepperdine. God bless!

The Week Between

Back from a week of vacation in Boston means back to work... certainly not a bad thing, just certain. Those of you in full-time ministry know that when you are away there are many things that just get put on hold until you return. People's needs don't disappear... tasks still need to get done... planning must still happen. Sooo... this week is full.

The Pepperdine Bible Lectures Tuesday night through Friday next week, and there are still some East Bay Praise Team details to wrap up and one more rehearsal this Sunday at 5:00 at Tri-Valley. Greg and I are getting together Friday to iron out the final stuff. We're all really looking forward to our times to sing next Friday. We get to partner with Lynn Anderson for the Morning Praise in Stauffer Chapel, and then we've put together what I believe will be a very meaningful afternoon worship time for Friday afternoon. More about that later.

Anyway, this week is the week between, and it's been a good one so far. God has an amazing way of creating blessings out of everyday stuff, doesn't he? Enjoy!

Boston Photos 2

We did a little sight seeing. This is a shot of a beautiful park near downtown...

... including swan boats in a small lake.

Here's Fok, Jen, and Kaleb in front of Paul Revere's house... wonder if he still lives there...

Boston is home to the New England Holocaust Memorial. It's thoughtfully designed.

Jen and Kaleb in front of the Old State House.

And, of course, there's the Old North Church. "Oneth by land, twoeth by sea..."

Here's Kaleb after his haircut. We did a little more trimming the next day just to even it up a bit more.

And... Kaleb asleep Saturday night. He woke up bright and early to cheerfully see me off.